Holy Roman Empire-Chapter 1100 - 114: The Super Smuggler’s Path

Chapter 1100: Chapter 114: The Super Smuggler’s Path

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the inconspicuous western trading routes had bustled back to life, with merchant caravans coming and going incessantly every day.

There was no need for anyone to organize them; self-interest was the best motivator, drawing merchant guilds from all corners of the world to this place.

Although the Russians were open to buying food, livestock, coal, weapons, and ammunition in bulk, there were always some who wanted to earn more, and that’s where conflicts arose.

Especially after bureaucrats and local power brokers joined in, the situation became even more complicated. Merchant guilds that were weak and had no strong backers were the first to be eliminated.

They faced three choices: either be assimilated, picking up the scraps behind larger guilds, or take a risk and overthrow those guys to ascend themselves.

Capital is the most pragmatic, and capitalists are the most willing to compromise. Overthrowing and rising to power was something you’d only find in novels.

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In real life, the major guilds had long established deep roots and formed a massive network.

On this chain of benefits, there were too many important people sharing the pie, and interruptions were simply not tolerated.

To change this situation, there would need to be a shift in the superstructure, where power was redistributed.

A massive reshuffling of power usually happened only once in a century, while smaller ones occurred perhaps every few years or every few decades.

So, the merchant guilds remained the same, only the leaders changed, and these changes were internal.

There was nothing to say; if you can’t beat them, join them. Picking up scraps was better than starving.

As for the third path, giving up the highly profitable western trade routes, that was utterly unacceptable.

As “Capital” states: “At five percent profit, capital is fine. At one hundred percent profit, it dares to trample all human laws. With three hundred percent profit, it dares to commit any crime, even risking the gallows.”

While the profit margin on western trade items might not have been three hundred percent, a one hundred percent profit was still quite achievable with some effort.

Even at the worst, there was a fifty percent profit. If the profits were not lucrative, no one would risk their lives traversing a thousand miles of grassland.

As the largest guild in the north, Merchant Jin naturally wouldn’t miss out on this money-making deal.

However, at this moment, the atmosphere inside the Jin Merchant Guildhall was somewhat tense. Those who knew understood that it was time to make decisions.

To sabotage the enemy’s supply lines and procure resources for their own logistical needs, Merchant Jin, as the local powerholder, naturally became the object of competition between the Japanese and Russians.

Initially, neither country pressed too hard, and everyone was able to profit from both sides enormously.

But as the war reached a fever pitch, with the two countries’ increased use of subterfuge, the wiggle room to profit from both sides diminished.

The Russians had aligned with the Roman Empire, while the Japanese turned to Britain. The original Russo-Japanese competition had evolved into a four-nation battleground.

An elderly man in a long robe and mandarin jacket lamented, “Our Court continues to maintain neutrality, making the situation increasingly challenging.

“Now, with both Russia and Japan applying pressure and with the Anglo-Austrian two countries backing them up, business is likely to get tougher in the future.”

Giving up the western trade was impossible. Heads could be decapitated, blood could flow, but business must never cease.

Not to mention the pressure from the Japanese—if the Far Eastern Empire Government ordered a ban, business would still have to continue as usual.

However, that was for the smaller merchants below; it was different for those seated here. Everyone was the head of large enterprises, with industries spread far beyond just one area and not limited to one field of business.

Although the western trade was highly profitable, due to the war’s unique nature, this business could not last forever.

Continuing to supply Russia with materials would undoubtedly offend both the United Kingdom and Japan, especially the Japanese.

If Japan were to be defeated, that would be that; the Russians, with their intractable nature, would likely leave them half-crippled.

But should the Japanese win, the situation would become entirely different. Those who picked the wrong side would inevitably face retribution.

Of course, the ones gathered were no ordinary individuals. On their home turf, they shied the Japanese. But when it came to businesses within the Japanese sphere of influence, most would likely become untenable.

Hearing the elder’s words, a middle-aged man who had been smoking a dry pipe slowly stood up, went to the doorway to blow rings of smoke, and then said firmly, “Difficult as it may be, we must do it.

If we don’t, others will. Once the market is ceded, reclaiming it becomes ever so difficult.

Moreover, the Siberian Railway is about to open. With the backing of the Holy Roman Empire, the odds are clearly more in Russia’s favor.”

A corpulent man about forty from across the room chimed in, “Chairman Wang, Brother Liu is absolutely right. Despite the Japanese making a lot of noise now, they are inherently weak.

The Russians have committed at most a fifth of their forces to the Far East, and the Japanese can’t even cope with that. Once the Siberian Railway is operational, Japan’s failure is just a matter of time.

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Should they be defeated, whether they can even keep their homeland is uncertain, let alone have the capacity to retaliate against us.

Even with British support, the tense situation in Europe right now means the British are too preoccupied to step in on their behalf.”

Just as in the original timeline, before the war came to an end, no one could believe that the Russian Empire would actually be defeated by the Japanese.

Even the financiers supporting the Japanese Government had prepared for their investments to be lost, their greatest hope being to seriously weaken Russia.

It was not the British, nor the Americans, or even the Japanese Army and Navy, that secured victory for the Japanese Government. Rather, it was the seemingly unrelated Russian Revolutionary Party.

If not for the internal strife, given the stubbornness of the Tsarist Government, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the war drag on for several years.

Just look at the Russo-Turkish War; it lasted a decade or more, as was often the case.

Empty treasury? Just wait for funds to be gathered, and then resume the war.

After all, the Russian Far Eastern region was a blank slate; no matter the destruction, the Tsarist Government wouldn’t feel the loss.

The icy weather was the greatest ally; any Japanese forces daring to venture deep would struggle to return unscathed.

Now, even more so, Franz’s prepared countermeasures had yet to be activated, and the Vienna Government was still actively supporting the Tsarist Government.

The influence of both the United Kingdom and Japan in Russia was limited, and even if they wanted to instigate a revolution, they lacked the capability to execute it.

As long as the Russian Empire itself wasn’t in chaos, and with the Siberian Railway about to open, the Far Eastern Battlefield fell into a state of anxiety, and any sane person would bet on the Tsarist Government to win.

Chairman Wang waved his hand and said, “Alright, I was just sighing. You youngsters are just too impatient.

Even if we take the western route, we must first negotiate the terms. Although transporting materials for Russia is profitable, it’s not sustainable.

With the opening of the Siberian Railway immanent, if we can reach an agreement with the Russians and open up a trade route to Europe, the potential profits would far surpass those from transporting military supplies.”

A representative from the Zhang Family on the left objected, “Chairman Wang, the greater the benefit, the greater the risk.

The Russians are not easy to deal with—they have little to no credibility. Even if an agreement is reached, they could break it at any moment.

Even if we go to court with a contract, once on their turf, we have no say.

Throughout the past years, all of us here have suffered from this sort of betrayal.”

What business is most profitable?

Monopoly had been established, indeed.

The primary reason Merchant Jin rose up in the barren lands of the north was their monopoly over trade with regions beyond the Great Wall.

With the advent of the maritime age, however, their trading monopoly in Korea and the Liaodong region had been broken.

The vast Mongolian steppe alone could not support so many merchant guilds. Some Merchant Jin chose to move south, while others continued to head north.

Those seated here were mostly representatives of the northward faction, who had spared no effort in trying to expand the trade routes to the Russian Empire.

There were certainly results to show for it, but the lion’s share of the profits was devoured by Russian bureaucrats and capitalists, leaving everyone else with just a pittance for their hard work.

The disproportionate ratio of effort to reward was unbearable over time, leading many to simply become middlemen.

They would transport goods from the Far Eastern Empire to the border to sell to Russian traders; then, they would purchase Russian specialties to sell back home.

Though profits were lesser, the risks were also reduced, with no need to worry about local Russian strongmen hijacking goods mid-journey.

To the average person, the idea of earning a stable income was acceptable—yet to a merchant, anything less than maximizing profits was a failure.

Chairman Wang said with a slight smile, “Xingbo, you are as candid as ever.

However, you are right. Relying solely on our power to open up a land-based trade route to Europe is indeed beyond our reach.

But if our power alone is insufficient, we can seek partnership!”

Candidness was certainly no compliment for a merchant, bordering on sarcasm.

It was obvious that the elder was displeased with Zhang Xingbo’s challenge and there was a teasing tone in his words.

As for the others, they all appeared deaf to the exchange, acting as if nothing had happened, including Zhang Xingbo himself.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes; the outside world is a large one, and the merchant guild is a smaller version of it.

People banded together for profit, and no one held back in their business competition, accumulating no small amount of disagreements over time.

A middle-aged man surnamed Liu spoke up, “Old Wang, Brother Zhang simply misspoke. You, with your broad-mindedness, should certainly be able to overlook this.

However, this partnership you speak of is truly puzzling to us. In years past, we’ve had partners, but they’ve all ended in disputes.

Foreigners lack propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor, and Russians are even more of an anomaly among them, completely disregarding credibility.

Even the government, to dodge debts, could default and go bankrupt. If we were to engage deeply with them, we might be doomed to be duped.”

By the early 20th century, Russians had already gained an infamous reputation. Following a series of debt defaults by the Tsarist Government, the world deeply doubted the creditworthiness of Russians.

The people present were no exceptions, many having been burned in partnerships. A flawless contract was useless against a partner who did not follow the rules.

Scanning the crowd and seeing their subdued excitement, Chairman Wang dared not tease any further. Without everyone’s cooperation, his own family alone would surely choke.

“I understand everyone’s concerns. I don’t hide the fact that in our trade with Russia over the past few decades, I’ve fallen into many traps.

Our advantage lies in our domestic connections and capital, but our drawback is the lack of a network in the Russian Empire, leaving us unable to deter the wolves and leopards.

Even in partnerships with Russian elites, they merely see us as fattened pigs and sheep for slaughter, without a shred of credibility.

Ultimately, the imbalance of power is the issue. In our partnerships, our voice is practically non-existent.

After much reflection, I’ve concluded that the key to resolving this issue is to find a partner who is not overly dominating.”

“It’s best if we can intimidate the wolves and other predators along the way while we lack a local foundation, and have to rely on us for specific business dealings.”

With that explanation, everyone understood. It was similar to the bribes they typically offered to officials, giving a dry share just like paying protection money, while still leading their own specific business deals.

Having a network of relationships in our homeland, naturally, we can play this game. But that’s not possible in the Russian Empire. The Russian bureaucracy is dominated by nobility, and those who could collude have already colluded, leaving no room for outsiders like us to operate.

The man surnamed Liu shook his head disappointedly, “Chairman Wang, in theory, you are correct. However, in actual practice, we simply can’t find such partners, and we might even get dragged into political struggles.”

His nervousness was understandable, for in recent decades they had invested the most in opening up trade routes with Russia.

The Liu family’s caravan had even traveled from the Far East through Siberia to central Europe.

It sounded impressive, but in reality, they had earned little aside from solitude. Not only was Siberian transit exasperating, but the layered extortion by Russian bureaucrats was also horrifying to them.

Chairman Wang said calmly, “Rusong, you’re right. Under normal circumstances, we indeed couldn’t find such partners.

But now it’s different, the partners have come to us. As everyone has had contact with the Austrians recently.

Don’t be fooled by their facade as arms dealers, their real identities are definitely not simple. I’ve never seen arms dealers escorted by warships before.

Especially the leader; he is actually a noble, and not just any noble at that.

I’ve had people look into it; Sir Louis is a member of the Royal Family of the Holy Roman Empire. Although he’s from a collateral distant branch, serving as a guide is good enough.

His visit to the Far East is to expand family business, and this arms trade is just a side job.

The reputation of the Habsburg Family is well-known to all, I presume. Whether in politics or in economics, everything related to them tends to receive positive reviews.

If we can cooperate with them, we can directly open up trade routes with Europe, be it by land or sea.

The only uncertainty is the power struggle between Shinra and Britannia, but that’s a minor issue.

The Royal Navy can’t march on land, and even if they fail in the struggle for supremacy, the Holy Roman Empire will still be one of the top nations in the world.

This is a rare opportunity, without their need for us to transport strategic materials for the Russians, we would likely never even have the chance to connect.”

There are also differences between types of cooperation. The most common business cooperation is just simple buying and selling, with no personal ties between the parties.

Deeper cooperation is different, involving not just money, but also the mutual complementation of resources.

When facing the Roman Empire, the resources in the hands of Merchant Jin are simply too scant. Even their pride in their networking is worthless in the eyes of the other party.

After the initial shock, everyone quickly realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they could get on this line, opening up trade routes into Russia would be a trivial matter.

With the Roman Empire involved and further cooperation with Russian nobility, they’d have to play by the rules. As long as everything was within regulated bounds, the people were not afraid.

The Liu surnamed man asked, “Chairman Wang, have you spoken to Sir Louis?”

The elder smiled awkwardly, “It was only a preliminary contact, not a detailed discussion. After all, Sir Louis doesn’t only want us to transport firearms for the Russians but also to help the Russians gather strategic materials.

Without everyone’s participation, my family Wang alone doesn’t have the capability to gather enough materials for the Russians.

However, you can rest assured, Sir Louis has guaranteed that he will not let everyone suffer in terms of price, everything will be according to the market price of the trading area, and he will urge the Russians to pay on time.

He will be responsible for dealing with the official troubles caused by the gathering of strategic materials, so there will be no hidden dangers left for everyone.”

Interests are always the best bond; as long as the money is sufficient, gathering strategic materials is not a problem at all.

Previously, although everyone did use the western routes, each shipment of materials wasn’t significant. Apart from fearing mountain bandits, they were more afraid of being preyed upon by the Russians.