A banquet of wine and wine was naturally indispensable, but Art, who had already been made a little tipsy by Lord Rockmore and the local lords and nobles, still summoned Salt in the warehouse mansion of the Continental Trading Company after the banquet.

"I heard that you have established a new trade route in the past few months?" After Salt sat down, Art directly began to talk about the development of European trading houses.

After Sarthe was demoted several levels a few months ago and was demoted to the northwest of Provence to take charge of the western front of the European Commercial Bank, he did not feel too depressed.

He discovered that since Art began to have sporadic wars with the Principality of Lombardy, the trade routes of the European trading companies on the east side of Provence had been greatly affected, so he immediately started to open up imports from the southwest of Provence and go directly north to supply the trade to the west.

channel.

The trade route that originally ran from Lombardy to Kitzby via Aosta and then headed westward expanded to start from the small Mediterranean state in the south of Provence, directly enter Provence, and then go north to the city of Roquemore. Although the supply of goods on this trade route was not large, it

It can also be regarded as providing an important supplement to the eastern trade route.

Salter did not drink too much at the dinner, so he was quite sober and replied: "Sir, I have caused the European Commercial Bank to lose a lot of profits, and I have to make up for it."

"I have made preliminary calculations. After opening up the supply of goods on the western route, the annual net profit of southern goods sent from Roquemore City to France will increase from the original 350,000 pfennigs per year to about 600,000 pfennigs. At the end of the month, I

I plan to personally go to the southern coastal states to lobby for them to increase the amount of southern goods imported from the Port of Genoa, and strive to increase the net profit of the Western Front to 800,000 pfennigs within two years."

Art picked up the sobering honey water that Salt had prepared in advance, took a big gulp of it, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said, "This honey water is so sweet when you drink it in your mouth!"

Salter's face was calm, but his heart was happy.

"You can't wait more than two years." Art said and took out a piece of parchment from his arms, "This time I went to Paris to meet with the King of France, and finally met the Prime Minister of the French Court, and got a copy from him.

A charter of privilege to trade southern goods in Paris. From now on, the southern goods of the European trading houses can be sold directly to the city of Paris. Although this charter has quantity and time restrictions, it cannot allow the European trading houses to completely occupy the southern goods market in France.

.But it’s finally a good start.”

"The eastern and northern routes of the European Continental Commercial Bank mainly operate in Swabia and Burgundy, so I grant you this charter. You must seize the opportunity to allow our western route trade to enter the terminal market of France.

Directly earn gold cakes and silver coins from French nobles."

Salter respectfully took the parchment, carefully read the types, quantities and other details of the licensed goods, and said excitedly: "Sir, the European trading houses have always suffered from the inability of goods to reach Paris directly, and always let the middlemen make money.

We took the difference. With your charter, the net profit of one million years on the Western Front will no longer be empty talk."

Salt carefully put the charter in his arms. For him, this trade charter was the basis for a comeback.

Art continued, "This time I borrowed another five million pfennigs from the Holy Order's treasury. Counting the balance from the Succession War, we have no worries about funds in the past two years. You can go back and expand the Western Front channels and attack

After calculating the fees required to enter the French Terminal Market, I will ask the Government to allocate the full amount."

When Salt heard this, he thought of the shocking changes he had heard recently, and asked tentatively: "Sir, I heard that the Dharma King destroyed all the Holy Orders recently. Could it be that you..."

Art raised his hand and interrupted Salt, "Don't mention this matter. We will discuss it later."

Salt quickly shut up, but his eyes were full of admiration for Art. He was a businessman and had no objection to this kind of thing from the bottom of his heart.

Art continued the topic, "In addition, sooner or later we will have an end with the Lombards. Once the war breaks out, the European Commercial Bank's supply of southern goods will be severely damaged. You have to think about how to deal with the pain."

In order to completely open up the supply channels for southern goods to Mediterranean ports, Art would have to march into Lombardy sooner or later, but this process would also be fatal to the European trading companies, so he had to plan ahead.

"Sir, the reason why I opened up the western route supply channel is to deal with the negative consequences of the war on the European trading companies. Before you conquer Lombardy and completely open up the trade route, we need to stockpile a large amount of goods on one side to prepare for emergencies, and on the other side

Multiple supply lines will also be opened, so even if the supply is smaller, it will not be completely cut off by the Lombards."

Art nodded approvingly, "Conquering the Principality of Lombardy with the power of Wells Province is a lie. What I am trying to do is to take back the territory that originally belonged to the Wells family and restore the reputation of the Wells family. Of course,

The main purpose is to extend the territory of Wales to the ports of the Mediterranean. Once that happens, the European trading houses can become one of the commercial overlords of the Mediterranean."

"After I have opened up Lombardy, my next step will be to go north to contact the Hanseatic League and extend the power of the European Commercial Bank from the Mediterranean to the European continent."

"Sir, when do you plan to actually take action against Lombardy?" Salt lowered his voice, not daring to publicize such a major military matter.

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Art sighed softly, "The time is not ripe yet. The battles in early summer this year have aroused the anger of the Lombards. If we hadn't occupied the strategic location of the South Pass and had the Principality of Provence to check and balance, I'm afraid that

The Lombards had already led a massive attack."

"Now we have lost the absolute control of the Principality of Swabia by the Principality of Burgundy, and the Principality is in a critical period of development. Although the Marquis of Flanders is happy for us to expand the territory of the Principality, he is unable to provide too much support.

"

"If we want to achieve effective hegemony going south, we must first rely on our own continuous strength, and secondly we must rely on the strong suppression of the Principality of Provence."

"This is also the reason why I made a special trip to Provence this time. I hope to establish an alliance with the Principality of Provence..."

The two of them had a long conversation in the warehouse house, and they didn't stop until the rooster crow.

The next day, Art inspected the shops and warehouses of the European trading company as usual, and gave rewards and encouragement to the managers and officials of the trading company. Then he said goodbye to Lord Roquemore, and the Lord's guard continued south, heading towards Aix-en-Provence, the capital of the country.

go......

............

Although Provence is rugged and hilly, traveling along the King's Road is still smooth.

Taking their time, everyone had arrived one mile north of Aix in less than two days, and the magnificent Aix Palace tower came into view.

The city of Aix cannot compare with the bustling city of Paris, the capital of France, but when it comes to the majesty of the palace in the capital, the Royal Palace of Paris is slightly inferior.

The city of Aix is ​​not that big, and its urban layout is similar to that of all cities of this era. Perhaps the damage caused by the country-destroying war a few years ago has not yet been completely restored, so the city is still a little desolate.

However, the huge stone strips and white exterior walls of the Aix Palace add a bit of brightness to this ordinary capital city.

When visiting the capital of a friendly country, some etiquette is indispensable.

Art raised his flag early, and then asked Ron to personally lead people to report to Aix City that important officials from friendly countries were visiting.

Provence has deep feelings for this friend who fought side by side in that arduous national war.

When the palace etiquette officer in charge of etiquette and diplomacy learned of the visit of Atwood Wells, Count of Burgundy, he immediately reported it to the deputy palace minister. The deputy minister of the palace sent someone to report to the prime minister and personally led the etiquette officer out of the city.

meet.

When Art learned from the usher in the ceremony that the person standing at the city gate to greet him was actually the Deputy Prime Minister of the Provence Palace. Although he only had the title of earl, after all, he held the position of an important minister of a great country and could be regarded as a powerful minister.

So Art was quite surprised and quickly stepped forward and bowed.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Provence had changed his face, but he was as enthusiastic as an old friend to the young count in front of him. "Count Arter, although this is the first time we met, you still remember your heroic deeds when we fought against the Lombards in Provence."

But it has already been engraved in my ears. On behalf of Prince Vladis, I would like to welcome you."

"Thank you, distinguished Vice-President. Forgive me for coming here uninvited. I really miss this land that I fought for so much, and I miss my friends who fought side by side too much." The touching polite words came out of his mouth.

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The deputy prime minister was pleasantly surprised by Art's eloquence. He always thought that this guy who made his fortune by killing people and doing business was a rude warrior, but unexpectedly he was also an elegant man.

After polite greetings for a while, the deputy prime minister led Art and his guards into the city.

This is Provence, and Art represents the friendly kingdom of Burgundy, so the treatment is naturally different from that of the Royal Palace in Paris.

The Vice Minister took Art and his entourage to a mansion in the side hall of the Aix Palace. After telling him that he would be arranged to meet Duke Vladis as soon as possible, the Vice Minister said goodbye.

Just after settling in, Ron reported that someone was looking for an audience. It turned out to be a branch manager of the European Trading Company in Aix.

When they learned that the real owner of the Continental Trading Company was coming, these low-level managers were naturally eager to meet him.

Without any pretense, Art directly asked the guards to invite the steward into the mansion.

The manager is in his thirties, bald, slightly fat, and has a smooth face, a typical businessman image.

Art didn't have the slightest prejudice against businessmen, so when facing the steward who was sitting upright in the armchair, Art had a friendly look on his face.

The steward calmed down a little and said respectfully: "Sir, my name is Pompeii. I was originally a bankrupt merchant in the city of Besançon. I joined the caravan after you became a baron. I used to be the secretary of the northern caravan. Now I am a member of the European Caravan.

The steward of the trading company in Aix. I just learned from the city guard that you are visiting Aix in person, so I came boldly to see you."

Art looked at the guy opposite him. He made a surprise visit to Aix without notifying him in advance. He was able to get the news of his arrival in Aix so quickly. This guy was quite capable in Aix.

"Pompei, you are far away from your homeland and went to a foreign country to contribute to the European trading houses. Thank you for your hard work."

Art was also new to Aix and didn't know everything, so he just asked the manager of the European trading house for details.

I learned from Pompeii that the Deputy Prime Minister who came to the city gate to greet him today is also the financial backer of a commercial alliance in the Principality of Provence. He has very close business dealings with the Continental Trading Company. He has always wanted to purchase southern goods from the Continental Trading Company.

Get a share of the trade.

Art learned about this joint and understood the deputy prime minister's unexpected enthusiasm.

"Pompei, what is the current status of the southern goods trade in Aix City?" Art brought the topic back to the European trading houses.

"My lord, Aix is ​​very close to the coast of the Southern Continent. There is no shortage of southern goods here. Therefore, the main task of the Aix City stronghold of the Continental Trading Company is to purchase southern goods in and around the city and transport them to the north. In addition to warehouses in the city, we

There is also a shop, but the profit is not much, and it can barely maintain the operation of the warehouse and the shop itself."

"In addition, we have recently received a new task from Mr. Salt, responsible for maintaining the newly established Western Front supply channel..."

............

"By the way, my lord, your best friend Count Balian has also arrived in Aix recently."

"Bairion was promoted to earl?"
Chapter completed!