EP.262
When I entered the banquet room, influential people from cities on the western coast were sitting there talking.
Perhaps because they recognized me and the Reich Empire soldiers as the topic of conversation, not a single one of them revealed their true feelings.
They were only talking about miscellaneous things, such as whether a certain courtesan’s prostitute was pretty, how the tea tastes better when the tea leaves are boiled like this, or about having a drink.
When innocent children or new officers see this scene, they may think that these people are all close friends.
“Oh my gosh, Mr. Milton. Maria, who works at Butterfly Night in our city, is pretty. Why don’t you come visit Grasspro sometime? “I will treat you to a full course meal.”
“President Dosvjesky, it’s been a year since I last saw you at your grandson’s wedding. What do you think after the meeting? “Let’s have a drink.”
“It’s an honor. By the way, how about beer and sausage? “Isn’t this the best combination?”
However, if you think about it even a little seriously, these people who could be said to be the mainstay of the West Coast region were competitors fighting over interests with each other rather than having a cooperative relationship with each other.
Even 10-year-olds know that you can’t have a sincere relationship with someone who is competing over your interests.
If I am deceived by only seeing fragments, I am an idiot.
As I entered the banquet hall, local influential figures who were not even nobles, let alone titles, bowed deeply in front of me to show their respect.
“You can sit comfortably with your head up.”
They carefully returned to their chairs in response to my words and sat with their backs straight as if they were doing an interview.
When I saw them returning to their seats, I asked them in a very arrogant and overbearing voice, as if I were the captain and earl of the imperial army.
“So do you know why I called you here?”
In response to my question, people in their own neighborhood turned their heads to look at the people sitting to their left or right, or rolled their eyes and began to think about an answer.
No one took the initiative to answer the professor’s question, like a college student who didn’t want to give a presentation.
As time went on, I pointed my finger at any of the influential people sitting in the front row and asked again.
“Do you understand why I called you?”
“Since you have taken over the port and castle on the western coast, do you want us to cooperate to rule this place smoothly…” “
That’s right. “Even if the Empire and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw are still at war, this land has already come under our rule, so wouldn’t it be better to establish a relationship that is mutually beneficial?”
“Thank you for your kind words, Captain.”
When I spoke of my recognition of their value, the faces of the local influential people brightened greatly.
Just looking at their expressions, they look like they’ll give up anything if I say anything, but there’s a reason why they’re so active.
As the commander of the occupying force, I can kill some of the guys here without any hesitation just by using a ridiculous justification.
I guess they decided that if they were going to upset my feelings, it would be wiser to turn over on their stomachs and obey like a cute puppy.
You may be thinking this again, but you may be able to gain greater benefits by flattering me, like giving gum or a bone to a dog that listens well.
He seems to have a very good understanding of his subject, which is not bad, and is much better than the Grand Duke, the owner of his own Grand Duchy.
“Speak bluntly. To fully cooperate with what the empire is doing. In return, I will guarantee your interests.”
“When it comes to interests, what specifically are you talking about?”
“What I am saying is that I will not touch anything, including real estate, products, assets, and money, that you own as much as possible. “If you accept my offer, I swear to His Majesty the Emperor of the Reich Empire that I will not harm you carelessly.”
The men in their 40s sitting in front of me were not happy when I heard that they would guarantee all their rights.
It may seem strange that a person with power who can afford to eat away his business and property does not cheer when he hears an oath to protect people without receiving anything in return.
Conversely, if you think about it, not receiving any compensation is no different from saying that if I am wrong, I will die without even making a sound even if they are just wiped out.
No, to put it bluntly, I said I would protect the profits, but if I had my officers collect it all and received a reasonable amount of compensation, I could clean it up without getting my hands dirty.
If you receive compensation for protection, you are receiving a protection tax, so no matter how much I am the commander of the occupying force, I cannot recklessly spend all my property.
Perhaps that is why those in power who were well aware of this cruel reality opened their eyes wide and appeared to be filled with even greater anxiety.
In this difficult world, if you can’t trust me, Peter Yeager, then who are you going to trust?
One of the local officials suddenly came up to me, rubbing his hands, as if he couldn’t bear this uneasy feeling.
“Sir, I am truly grateful for the grace of His Majesty, the Emperor of the Reich Empire. So, I, Rudnia Garievsky, would like to repay you 2000 gold as a token of gratitude for your Majesty’s favor. Please allow it with a good heart.”
“Huh, didn’t I say that I won’t touch your property in the name of His Majesty? It’s okay. It’s okay. “I’ll just take your heart.”
“…… All right.”
When the guy who was trying to pay me protection money walked away, the people sitting in front of him looked worried.
But that’s not something I care about.
“Now let me tell you what I want to ask you. It’s not that big of a deal. As everyone knows, there is a severe shortage of food on the west coast right now. “The reason is because His Majesty the Grand Duke of Warsaw took away all the troops and nobles stationed here and even deprived us of all food.”
I asked the divisional military police stationed in each city to find out, and it turned out that thanks to our damn Warsaw army, all food was taken away…
Each family in the coastal area can survive for about 10 days if they save a week’s worth of food. There’s nothing left outside.
“Of course, His Majesty the Emperor of the Reich Empire took pity on the people, so he prepared a level of support so that no one in this western coastal area would have to starve. There will probably be a huge amount of food aid starting next month. But if you take into account transportation, there will be about a month and a half of free time.”
The influential people who heard those words realized my intention and shook their heads.
These guys are truly wise to read that their intention was to requisition grain before they had even finished speaking.
“I won’t say much. “As a citizen of the empire, give up all the food you currently have, such as wheat, barley, and oats, leaving only the bare minimum for your family’s consumption.”
“… Some of these people survive by selling grain. If you take all the food, you will starve to death. Please have mercy…”
“Aren’t you all subjects of the empire, from serfs in the countryside to powerful figures in a city? All of the purchased grain will be purchased by the imperial army. “I buy 850 kg of flour for 1 gold.”
The general trading price in the empire is 1 gold per 850 kg of flour, so you are purchasing it at the exact cost price according to the empire standard.
Among the people here now, those who deal with grains must have taken out loans to purchase grains such as wheat, barley, and oats for the benefit of the war.
Those guys may go bankrupt, but those who try to make money by taking advantage of their country’s crisis are usually the type of people who will be killed, so it’s okay to get beaten up a bit.
“Furthermore, it seems that there are many people in the city who are dissatisfied with our imperial army, so please deal with them. “I would be very disappointed if the rats living in the back alleys were not managed.”
In this way, by giving them work in exchange for preserving their property in the name of justification, the influential people nodded and expressed their willingness to obey and do anything.
Now I guess I should at least give him some candy.
“Once the food arrives, you will assist in the administration of this city, working with or assisting the imperial officers. “If we achieve good results in this process, we will specifically hire them as mid-level officials in each city.”
Unlike modern society, on the Europa continent, unless the assets exceed 10 billion in modern times, the social status is lower than that of a mid-level official, which is equivalent to a 7th grade civil servant.
Moreover, it is possible to work concurrently with a merchant as long as one does not commit blatant corruption in one’s job.
Perhaps that was why a slight smile appeared on the faces of local officials for the first time.
“I’ll give the next instructions later. “Let’s go now.”
At the same time as those words were said, all the officials left the banquet room.
**
Then, when I woke up the next morning, a huge number of letters and bribes, such as a bag filled with precious metal jewelry and gold, had arrived in front of me.
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Perhaps because it is a place where close to 2 million people live, it looked like it was worth tens of thousands of gold.
Some of them even sent beautiful women to serve as maids in the hope of making life abroad a little easier.
I wanted to send them all back or use them to stabilize the West Coast… but
if I send them back, there is a high chance that I will not be able to do my job properly due to unnecessary anxiety that our local officials have refused protection money again.
If the funds are used arbitrarily to stabilize the western coastal zone, there is a high probability that the funds will be subject to harsh inspection by the Chief of Staff after the end of this war.
Because there is ample room for the Chief of Staff to misunderstand that I was using bribes to stabilize the West Coast and siphoning off some of it.
So in the end, I wrote to the people who sent the maids that I wouldn’t like them if they weren’t prettier than the Charlotte I saw yesterday, and sent them all back.
The gold bag, which contained precious metal accessories and a large amount of money, was sealed after the military police were called in and an accurate list was made.
Regarding the valuables and cash received, His Majesty sent a letter requesting that he be informed of the disposition policy since such items were received.
“After all, I plundered these bastards’ village before. “I know how anxious you are, so I’m really taking care of everything this time, but next time you send something like this, I’ll have to publicly behead you.”
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