I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 257: Newspapers, Deception, and War (1)

"I don't plan on being petty and doing something like assassination."

"Sometimes, it might be necessary to quietly kill from behind, but using such despicable methods is the kind of thing only third-rate people do."

"This time, the Count Guillaume, who raided Bío Village with the help of the thieves' guild, ended up getting caught."

"If they hadn’t been caught, it wouldn’t have been a crime and wouldn’t have caused any problems."

"But now that they have been discovered, their honor is tarnished."

"We should face off in an honorable war, you foolish bastard."

"If it were a modern war, with terrifying weapons of mass destruction like nuclear bombs or missiles falling everywhere, I wouldn’t be so reckless as to think about war."

"In a total war where all of a nation's resources are mobilized, unless you're holding onto the military supplies, you'd likely end up in a dire situation."

"Our Rothschild enterprise isn't the number one in military supply just yet..."

"We must prevent total war for the benefit of our family, no matter what it takes."

'No, to begin with, the Tuscany Empire doesn’t have the capacity to wage a total war on the Albanian continent.'

"To conduct a total war, we would need something like an organized staff headquarters, at the level of Prussia's system."

"The Tuscany Empire doesn’t even have a steam engine."

"Even if it’s a war, it’s just a few battles with large-scale resources and manpower moving around, and then it’s over. Of course, what you gain from the treaty afterward is just as significant as modern warfare."

"If it's this kind of war, assuming we can win on a national level, we could gamble and profit."

"By gaining new territory and war reparations that far exceed the cost of war."

"Of course, if you get addicted to it, you’d end up destroying the country, so it has to be a quick and strategic move."

"Anyway, if we wage war now and come out with a good haul..."

"You could make a fortune, just like from investing in stocks."

"Take revenge and make a fortune. What could be better?"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

And I immediately requested an audience with the Emperor.

**

When the Emperor saw me, he immediately offered words of comfort.

"Your lands were raided, and you lost your brother... It must be truly heartbreaking. Though your heart is heavy, be strong."

To be honest, I wasn’t really sad that Albert had died.

It felt more like a relief, like a toothache had finally been pulled out, and I almost felt thrilled.

However, it pained me that the villagers of Bío Village had suffered such a disaster due to my mistake.

Still, I couldn’t afford to wallow in sorrow.

Even when parents pass away, you have to return to your daily life after the three-day mourning period, no matter what.

If I, carrying the remaining family and the Rothschild enterprise, became so depressed over this, who would take responsibility for them?

"Thank you for your comforting words, Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s comfort makes all the sadness feel as if it’s fading away."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

"I came to you today because I found out who was behind the raid on the Rothschild Barony."

At this, the Emperor showed interest.

"If the culprit is a noble of the Tuscany Empire, then they must have been attempting an internal rebellion."

"Should it be a foreign power that instigated it, it would be the most despicable form of declaring war."

No matter which way it went, it would be a matter that would drive the Emperor mad.

'It’s strange that he’s not interested.'

"The one who led the raid on the Rothschild Barony was the thieves’ guild, Black Death, based in the Kingdom of Lyon, and the one who instigated the raid was Count Guillaume."

"The Kingdom of Lyon, are they finally out of their minds? How dare they declare war on me like this?"

The Emperor slammed his hand down on the table.

Then, in a fury, he vented his anger.

"Did they think they had seized dominance over the Albanian continent just because they won a war against the Holy Empire? If that were the case, they wouldn’t dare disrespect me like this! Don’t you think so, Rothschild Baron?!"

After cooling down and analyzing it as calmly as possible, the Kingdom of Lyon’s move was likely the opposite.

The Tuscany Empire had just declared the "Age of Exploration" and was rapidly expanding its national strength.

Through trade, enormous demands for things like gunpowder, muskets, swords, and other weapons, along with alcohol, had increased, and with the guilds disbanded, productivity improved.

As a result, many people sought to trade with the Maasai Alliance’s tribes to gain vast wealth by expanding factory construction and hiring workers.

The benefits began to circulate to the common people as well, creating a massive economic boom on a pre-modern scale.

Considering this, it would be strange not to be on guard.

'Those rising quickly would want to crush us before we grow any stronger.'

Why did all of Europe unite to crush France during the Napoleonic Wars?

It was because everyone thought, “We have to kill him before he destroys us all!”

And that was why it was possible.

"The Kingdom of Lyon has been acting a bit arrogantly lately, but I never imagined they would do something so disgraceful."

"How can we understand the thoughts of a madman?"

I couldn’t agree more with that statement.

There’s absolutely no reason to try and understand why a madman thinks the way he does.

Most normal people can’t fathom the reasoning of those who think outside the boundaries of common sense.

And once you do understand, you start to fall into the abyss yourself.

In history, Roman Empire officials who once persecuted Christians tried to destroy Christianity by studying their teachings, but ended up ‘corrupting’ and becoming Christians themselves.

‘Ah, I’ve been cleansed by the grace of Jesus! I can’t carry out the Roman Empire’s evil deeds anymore!’

Eventually, even the consul, the highest official in Rome, was corrupted by Christianity.

"A war is necessary. Once this fact is revealed, everyone will support the war. But there’s one problem."

"What is it?"

"It will take time to raise the funds for war. At least 2 to 3 years."

If we had been declared war on or if an army had invaded us...

There wouldn’t be any concern about raising funds for the war.

We could just requisition the supplies.

If they didn’t give us their goods, we could label them traitors and take what we need, without hitting the nobility, merchants, or serfs too hard.

‘But right now, my land is the only one that’s been raided.’

Even if the neighboring village caught fire, no one would care much unless it directly affected them.

But if I were to say, “The fire in the neighboring village means we need to collect taxes from you all,” would anyone comply?

It’s the same for the Tuscany Empire.

‘Moreover, the nobles are already on guard against me, so they’ll be less willing to contribute.’

Even if the Visconti Duke’s faction learns that I was raided, they’ll probably use my misfortune to indulge themselves at the ball while feeling sorry for me.

It’s human nature that when a cousin does well, others get jealous.

"So, from now on, I’ll have to collect some taxes and explain the justification for war to the nobles while making them voluntarily contribute."

A contribution must come voluntarily, from the heart.

But when the word ‘voluntary’ is attached...

In every country, in every era, it becomes a euphemism for forced contributions.

For example, in a place run by a fanatic Christian leader, they might deduct 10% of the employees' salary as tithe.

This is not truly a donation, but in some companies, employees are ‘voluntarily’ forced to buy gifts for the boss.

The amounts are pre-determined—10,000 won for the department head, 8,000 won for the deputy. If you don’t pay, you’re branded as unworthy, and they threaten to take away your desk.

Anyway, the employees are ‘voluntarily’ offering their gifts to show loyalty to the boss, and legally, there’s no problem.

So when the Emperor says that he’ll warn the nobles to contribute, what he really means is, “If you don’t want to be blacklisted, you’d better give me money.”

‘But that’s just a basic method.’

If you're a man, don't you have to do things boldly?

"Your Majesty, don’t worry about the funds."

Whether in the past or now, war has always been a gamble.

A gamble where the stakes are the nation itself.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t we also gather the stakes from the people?

We need to make them ‘voluntarily’ hand over their money.

"Do you have a plan?"

"If they don’t have money, we can make the nobles, merchants, and citizens contribute voluntarily."

The Emperor looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Indeed, who would want to spend money for someone else’s benefit?

If they can, they’d prefer to take money from others.

But there is a way.

"If we exaggerate just a little bit about why the war started, it’ll be enough. And I’ve already come up with a plan for it."

It’s true—I’ve especially studied the Nazi tactics to take down the Kingdom of Lyon.

"I plan to start publishing a newspaper in the Tuscany Empire during this opportunity."