Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1031 - 45, Role Model Franz

Chapter 1031: Chapter 45, Role Model Franz

As it turned out, solutions were always more plentiful than difficulties. Although they might not necessarily resolve the issues, once the human brain started functioning, solutions would inevitably emerge.

To handle the issue of employees absconding with funds, the core problem was still the quality of personnel and the regulation of capital.

The quality of the staff wouldn’t be solved in a short time. Since the establishment of the investment group, not even a year had passed, and the employees were all newly recruited, so loyalty was hardly a topic of conversation.

Due to the peculiarities of the profession, the investment group had very high requirements for the ability to “cheat” when recruiting staff. Not to say that everyone in this field was a swindler, but if swindlers came to apply, they were almost certain to be hired.

With the staff being a mixed bag, and in pursuit of corporate efficiency, Revilla had implemented strict performance assessment measures, promoting the capable and demoting the mediocre.

It seemed unproblematic, but the peculiar nature of the job was overlooked. Convincing investors to empty their pockets was a job that seemed tailor-made for swindlers.

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Even the most eloquent of individuals needed a period of adaptation. Compared with more professional swindlers, they were clearly outpaced when it came to coaxing investors.

Therefore, it was no surprise that embezzlement occurred. After all, swindlers climbed the ranks faster and could easily infiltrate the management team, being entrusted with significant fundraising responsibilities.

Revilla’s promises could only retain the ambitious swindlers; however, not every swindler had grand ideals—many simply wanted to make a quick buck and leave.

Fortunately, Revilla was a powerful “cheat”—no, this should be called “charisma.”

With his exceptional charisma, Revilla had rallied a group of people who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to working for him, or else the situation would have been even worse.

Unless the recruitment model was changed, the investment group’s mixture of good and bad would never be resolved.

Yet, the moment the hiring practices were altered, the team’s operational capabilities would significantly decline.

Despite Revilla’s strong dislike for being deceived, his major plans were already in motion, and he was in urgent need of money now.

The investment group appeared to be making profits, but the paper gains weren’t real profits; a mere twenty to thirty percent increase that would fall back down as soon as there was a significant sell-off.

Revilla was not a short-term player; he aimed to build a consortium rooted in the middle class to change this world dominated by a handful of wealthy individuals.

If the issue couldn’t be tackled through hiring practices, then the solution had to lie in capital regulation.

Reliance solely on the investment group was definitely insufficient. Even deploying more regulatory staff would merely increase oversight by a fractional amount.

Without betrayal, that was simply due to insufficient interest. Looking at those who embezzled and fled, it was clear that it usually happened after large promotional events.

Because investors participated eagerly and the amount of capital collected on the spot was too large, that’s why some would take the money and run.

Besides strengthening in-house oversight, truly resolving the issue would undoubtedly require the cooperation of banks.

If it were possible to set up a dedicated account for investors to deposit money directly, and to stipulate that only Revilla himself could withdraw, then the likelihood of his subordinates embezzling funds would be greatly reduced.

In the future, this was a very common service, something any bank would be willing to undertake, but banks from this era simply did not provide such a service.

It wasn’t that the banks lacked initiative; the key issue was the absence of a network making timely information transfer difficult. In such a context, launching value-added services was simply adding trouble for themselves.

Think about it: all information had to be transferred manually. Any mistake in the process could lead to enormous losses for the banks.

In fact, at that time, many also complained about the cumbersome procedures of banks and the slow speed of money transfers.

But there was no way around it. Due to wholly manual operations, for safety, banks had no choice but to operate in this manner. Even though they knew efficiency would be compromised, no bank dared to make a change.

If international business exchanges were involved, the time taken was even longer. Transferring funds from Britannia to the Holy Roman Empire took at least over a month, at the very least.

If anything unexpected happened along the way, it wasn’t impossible for the transaction to be delayed three to five months before the funds were credited.

The procedures were troublesome, and the time taken was long, but the key issue was that banks also charged high processing fees, and most would not handle small remittance transactions.

Revilla’s investment group, though having a very large total volume of business, did not mean that each investment was of a large amount.

Investors were not fools; in uncertain situations, many would start with a small investment to test the waters, and only after assuring safety would they increase their investment.

If they operated according to the current business model, not only would the funds have to stay in the bank for a month or two, but they would also be subjected to high fees, costing the investment group heavily.

Although Revilla was also secretly manipulating Appel Commercial Bank, it was only a small bank active in the Germany Region. Its branches didn’t even cover the entire Holy Roman Empire, let alone overseas markets.

It’s not just such small banks, even the world’s largest commercial banks had limited branch coverage at that time.

Generally speaking, if a bank could cover the major cities of its own country and set up a few branches in international metropolises like London and Vienna, then it was considered a truly international major bank.

This was awkward; it was not a matter of whether banks were willing to do it, they simply couldn’t meet Revilla’s needs. Up until now, no bank in the world was capable of satisfying Revilla’s requirements.

Without one problem solved, another emerged. If a single bank couldn’t cope, then cooperation with multiple banks was the only alternative.

Especially when it came to cross-border transactions, banking cooperation alone was insufficient; Revilla also had to secure insurance companies and law firms.

Without these local powerhouses to help supervise, it was uncertain whether money entering the bank would ever come out. Accounts being emptied was not exclusive to any particular bank, and in this era that relied heavily on manual operations, the chance of mishaps was even greater.

However, different times called for different measures. The impact caused would naturally vary.

As a financier, Revilla was all too familiar with these operations and certainly didn’t have the time to fight for his rights.

Perhaps because the times were booming too vivaciously, it was only after strict punitive laws were introduced in later European history that this situation began to change.

For a while, Revilla was like a busy little bee, buzzing around the European Continent, constantly seeking cooperation with banks, insurance companies, and law firms.

Under Revilla’s influence, the performance of European airlines soared.

After all, in those days, not many dared to fly; Revilla, a well-known figure flying day in, day out, was indeed an excellent publicity case.

As for the vast markets of America and Asia, limited by transportation means, Revilla could only grudgingly abandon these for the time being.

A persuasive CEO, coupled with a seemingly wonderful story, plus a stunning profit report, was simply unbeatable.

With the promotional efforts of the operating team, suddenly Revilla and his investment group became the talk of the European world.

Whether space was bought remains unknown, but photos of Revilla appeared in all the major economic journals.

Accompanied by the commentary: “The 19th century’s greatest entrepreneur, investment expert, financial specialist…”

Revilla’s investment group was also heralded as the most promising enterprise in all of Europe, highly sought after by the capital world.

Fame had more or less reached the level of being known to every household—even Franz, who long dwelled in the deep palace courtyards, had heard of this name more than once.

Had he not sent people to confirm time and again, Franz would have thought Revilla was another transmigrator who had mistakenly entered their world.

No joke, just looking at Revilla’s investment targets, he bought anything with potential, and the assets he picked up from the bottom were almost all of high quality.

There was no helping it, the targets of their investments were remarkably similar.

The only difference was that Franz acted earlier and bought larger shares, while Revilla was a step behind and didn’t have as ample funds.

Surprising as it was, once he confirmed that Revilla was not a transmigrator, Franz ceased to pay attention.

The Emperor was busy too—beyond his daily workload, he was occupied watching the happenings with great interest. He didn’t have the time to pay attention to a “capitalist,” even if they were an investment genius.

It wasn’t that such geniuses had never appeared before; it’s just that these people often didn’t have happy endings. Either they died for their dreams, or their virtues didn’t match their positions, and they were taken out by others.

“Breaking the monopoly of the consortiums and building a new economic era.”

Listening was enough—the monopoly of the consortiums wasn’t genuinely broken even up until the twenty-first century, let alone now.

Even eliminating all the consortiums would be futile. “Out with the old, in with the new.” The story of the dragon-slayer eventually turning into the dragon played out repeatedly in this world.

Even though he failed to accomplish his goals, Revilla still played an active role in propelling societal development.

As for stimulating the growth of the aviation industry, that goes without saying, which was a byproduct. After all, he had bottom-fished aviation stocks too, so helping to advertise was only right.

Most importantly, he promoted the advancement of the financial industry. With continuously positive news flowing in, more and more banks and insurance companies were brought on board by Revilla.

Services that should have appeared in the twentieth century appeared ahead of schedule in the nineteenth, which greatly facilitated businesses.

Had it not been limited by technology, Revilla’s push for international financial cooperation might have achieved the banking industry’s ultimate goal—”uniting the world with currency.”

The public’s attention was captivated by stories of wealth, but politicians were constantly monitoring three wars: the Jiawu War in the Far East, the Cuban Independence Movement, and the Philippine insurrection.

There’s no need to elaborate on the Jiawu War—right now, it was Japan’s turn to have its lucky break, formally embarking on their time as the main character.

Both the Cuban Independence Movement and the Philippine insurrection revolved around a prominent player—the Kingdom of Spain.

To put it simply, if Spain failed at any one of these battlegrounds, it would genuinely fall from the ranks of the great powers.

This time was different from the last; previously, it was only the media from England, Russia, and Austria who were discontent with being ranked alongside Spain as the four major European powers.

The title of the “four major powers” had historical roots. For nearly a century, it had been monopolized by England, France, Russia, and Austria—whether it was prestige or influence, they had it all.

With Spain entering the mix, it was like a Husky had joined a pack of wolves. It might look somewhat similar, but a Husky is still a Husky—it could never become a real “wolf.”

It seemed as if Spain’s fall from the ranks had little to do with everyone else, but this was not the case. It meant that there would be one less person eligible to cut the cake at the table.

Many nations were ambitious to become great powers, but none had the strength to rise to the position. Without anyone to fill the vacant spot, it meant that, following France, the number of great powers had been reduced by one.

With the dwindling number of great powers, it might seem like everyone’s pressure was reduced, not having to face as many leaders, which could benefit the reduction of international conflicts.

In fact, the situation was not as straightforward as it might have seemed. The reduction in the number of major powers only meant that resources were becoming more concentrated. With the absorption of these resources, the strength of the top powers would become even more formidable.

The law of “the strong get stronger” was fully exemplified here.

As the number of major powers diminished, international competition would likewise become increasingly fierce. At critical moments of competition, nations were forced to choose sides.

Short-term stability might be maintained with England, Russia, and Austria appearing to stand strong in a tripartite position, but the existence of the Russian-Austrian Alliance directly disrupted this balance.

Even though Spain’s fall did not alter this pattern, it could at least provide some psychological comfort. In key moments, countries huddling together could still have the opportunity to remain neutral.

Without a doubt, the current situation was very unfavorable for Britannia. After Spain’s fall, the international situation that Britannia faced could worsen even further.

If possible, the British Government certainly wanted to win over the Spaniards. Although Spain’s strength was not impressive, having one more major power as an ally was always better than having one more as an enemy.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, England and Spain still found themselves on opposite sides. The Spanish Government would not forsake its own interests for a vague and elusive promise from the British Government.

Since persuasion had failed, suppression was the only option left.

Shinra had taken down France and was now thriving; Britannia, which had not shown its strength for a long time, now needed to establish its dominance and authority.

Otherwise, everyone might be pulled away by the Vienna Government, and Britannia would indeed become isolated. From the moment the Continental Alliance was formed, the British had been destined to abandon “isolationism.”

Poor Spain tragically became a victim in the power struggle between great nations. Otherwise, the British Government would not have been so hard on Spain for merely being a scapegoat.

This was also why the Spaniards suspected that the Vienna Government was the puppet master behind the scenes. From any perspective, Shinra was the biggest beneficiary at the moment.

Having sufficient strength and being the largest beneficiary, it was hard to believe they had no connection to the puppet master. Franz himself wouldn’t have believed it, had he not been sure of his own innocence. The Cuban independence movement had nothing to do with Shinra, but the increasing instability in Morocco made them feel somewhat guilty to their ally.

As an Emperor with integrity, Franz naturally would not stab his ally in the back at such a time. However, an Emperor’s integrity did not mean that all his subordinates were equally principled.

Various signs indicated that within the Holy Roman Empire, some were eyeing the Spanish colonies.

Everyone was well aware that for the sake of international image, the rich Philippine Islands and Cuba were off-limits for Shinra. The only possible target was the Moroccan Area, which was not yet under Spanish control.

Although the area was regarded by the international community as within Spain’s sphere of influence, the Kingdom of Morocco was in fact an independent nation, not a Spanish colony.

There’s a saying: “It’s not the theft but the thought that counts.”

Now that the opportunity had arisen, naturally, some started making their moves discreetly. Luckily, these individuals were mindful of the consequences and acted with restraint.

They simply funneled a batch of arms into the Moroccan Area, selling them to the Native Tribe hostile to Spain, all under the guise of English arms dealers.

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They had not instigated a so-called Moroccan independence movement, which provided Franz with a bit of relief. Of course, this might not have been due to integrity, as the Kingdom of Morocco had always been independent; there was no need for another uprising.

Everything was done silently, without causing the slightest ripple.

Though there were no extreme actions taken, it still left Franz feeling uneasy. To atone for the guilt he felt, he decided to make amends by offering to purchase the Moroccan Area the next time the Spaniards visited…

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