European Financial Emperor

077 People who make money with money (2)

Before the Ben Heren Fleet left Amsterdam for an Asian expedition, there was a fleet headed for Asia before that.

They were a circular fleet built by renovating an old wooden ship and buying an engined ship from East Stellar at a very low price.

There were a total of four ships in the round trip fleet, and the number of people on board was about 1,200.

As they were about to leave the port of Amsterdam, the port manager came to them and asked them to fill out paperwork.

“Who is the ship owner?”

“Yes, I do.”

“… … Father? The priest is the ship owner?”

“why? Then why not?”

“No, not like that.”

In Europe, priests were usually regarded as one class higher than the common people, so no one treated them badly.

In addition, there is even a superstition that the black death is caused by dealing with a priest who is called the messenger of the gods.

It was Andre who took the pen to fill out the paperwork.

He wrote that it was a cotton yarn product on the fleet’s handling list.

The manager tilted his head.

“The fleet is quite large to handle cotton yarn products.”

“On the way, we will stop at Middle East Asia, do additional shipments, and go to East Asia.”

“Ah, then.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes, then you can leave.”

Soon the four ships left the port.

***

The serial killings of Asians that terrified Amsterdam have been quiet for a while.

But in mid-January, another victim occurred.

The victim was a worker trying to cross from Qing to the United States via Amsterdam.

Jeff and Aaron handed a gold coin to the military police who were investigating the scene and inquired about what they were doing.

“How were you victimized?”

“Hey, you’re here again. We feel so sorry if this happens every time.”

“I’m sorry.”

Now, the police officers were treating Aaron and Jeff like regular customers.

They explained in great detail what they had investigated.

“He cut off his neck with a saw. No, to be more precise, I think the correct expression would be to rip off the neck.”

“… … They are crazy people.”

“By the way, I don’t know why people keep picking and killing only Asians. Do you have any grudges?”

Although Jeff and Aaron had received an offer to leave for Asia soon, they could not give any answers.

It was because I thought that maybe what they were aiming for was Lee Hwan’s neck.

“Are there no clues as to the culprit?”

“As always, the perpetrator disappeared very neatly without leaving a single clue. No eyewitnesses, no evidence left at the scene.”

“Are you a pro among pros?”

“One thing is certain, the tools used in the crime are not common.”

“I will. Where the hell is a madman who cuts off people’s heads and kills them with a saw?”

“no. No, that saw is no ordinary saw.”

“… … Isn’t that an ordinary saw?”

“Do you know the people who dig and sell ice?”

“In northern Europe in winter, ice is often mined from places where the ice caps are frozen or from rivers and procured to the south.”

“okay. those people. According to one iceman, a wound like this could only be done with an ice saw.”

“Ah, the ice saw!”

“And there is always a puncture mark on the nape of the victim’s neck.”

“The hook used to catch ice from the river and pull it up!”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“what. So you’re saying the culprit is an ice dealer?”

“It is highly likely. Well, if it’s not, it’s someone related to the ice lord.”

“It has to do with ice longevity… … .”

“Anyway, this is all the information we have so far. Damn, we also hope the culprit is caught, but we can’t catch the tail.”

“… … Right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We are more grateful.”

Now, police detectives whistle loudly because they think they will earn a single gold coin if a case breaks out.

It’s really depressing to think that a single gold coin is the price of a person’s life, but that’s how life works.

Aaron and Jeff searched the scene for several hours, drawing the scene in a sketchbook and leaving the investigators leaving the scene behind.

Rather, it made me think that they worked harder than the investigators.

But there was nothing to be called an achievement.

“… … damn it Today is a waste of time.”

“Why don’t you just ask the ice lords?”

“Iceman.”

“It’s just winter right now, so ice traders will often go back and forth between the two Koreas, so wouldn’t it be easier to ask questions?”

“Well, it is.”

“I have a friend in Sweden. It’s an artillery officer I met on the battlefield, and I’ll be able to get some sleep there.”

The two decided to cross the North Sea before the ice melted.

***

In February 1826, Eaststellar’s main expedition to North America was almost ready for departure.

Lee Hwan spent so much money on this expedition that he poured almost all the gold coins of East Stellar’s surplus funds.

In addition to being armed with the latest weapons, all existing ships were overhauled and converted into armored destroyers and escorts.

Crucially, this expedition required even more money because it was going to move production facilities along with East Stellar’s main research facilities.

However, it was clear that a second wave would strike again if this enormous base had landed in North America.

a week before the expedition.

Lee Hwan welcomed a guest from Spain.

Royal Treasurer Joaquin Alonso came to Lee Hwan with a thick bundle of papers.

Koo!

He said as he laid down a huge amount of bonds on Lee Hwan’s desk.

“I will tell you in a nutshell. Please sell this to finance the military in North America. Our Spanish Expeditionary Force is on the brink of drowning in the Florida waters. So the mobilized army departed after a while. But among them are the children of our Spanish noble families.”

“You are a noble… … .”

Even though Spain was in decline, it was an empire of absolute fleet that ruled the world’s oceans.

As there is a saying that even if it decays, it is Junchi, even if Spain collapsed, the three generations of aristocratic society would probably run smoothly.

The fact that Spain sent the children of aristocratic families to North America, where victory was not certain, could be interpreted as meaning that Spain risked their lives for the battle in this colony.

‘Is this the last strike of Spain? No, even then, would you risk your life against the colony like this?’

There must have been something hidden inside.

Lee Hwan didn’t know what it was, but at least he could tell that the situation in Spain was quite urgent.

He glanced at the government bonds and royal bills that Joaquin Alonso had brought.

For most government bonds, the discount rate was already specified in the document, and the average discount rate was a whopping 5-8%.

By convention, the special discount rate in the brokerage market, which is commonly traded in the recent financial markets, was around 2.5%, and it was absurd to sell bonds at an 8% discount.

Hana Joaquin Alonso was doing that nonsense really casually.

“… … The conditions are really unconventional.”

“But that means it’s so desperate.”

He didn’t bother to hide the fact that Spain was in a corner.

No, as if there was no need to hide it, he confided his situation very coolly.

Joaquin Alonso’s behavior can be understood roughly in two ways.

‘The ranking of bonds is different from what I thought, or risked my life to conquer North America.’

Lee Hwan looked closely at government bonds and bills.

However, bonds were normally ranked first, and bills and promissory notes were set up to accept gold coins in Frankfurt.

“There is a sense of urgency.”

The impression Lee Hwan felt was brief, but it was so honest and accurate.

Joaquin Alonso did not try to deny it.

“That’s why I came here in such a hurry.”

“Hmm.”

“Would you like to help?”

Joaquin Alonso looked like he was about to burst into tears.

It was clear that his son or nephew was involved in this expedition.

Lee Hwan wanted to ask about the situation, but he resisted.

“good. I’ll fund the military. However, just because the bond is discounted does not mean that the fee is not charged.”

“I know. That’s it and this is this.”

It was really sad to see him accepting the terms Lee Hwan said without even having to negotiate.

However, what can I do with the gulai made by the evils of Spanish aristocracy?

Lee Hwan raised military funds from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and decided to bring it to the United States.

However, he emphasized that this procurement of arms is top secret.

“We will provide the military. However, you must keep the secret. Even in the royal family, no one should know except the main characters.”

“… … There is a lot of pressure from the outside, and I don’t know if our court treasury will be able to withstand it.”

“In that way, your children will live.”

“iced coffee… … ! Okay. I do what I tell you.”

Lee Hwan also had no desire to do business with a person whose circumstances were so urgent.

However, Lee Hwan had his subordinates and citizens who believed in him and followed him.

He was compelled to put the dog’s leash around the Spanish’s neck as per procedure.

After closing the deal with Spain, Lee Hwan kept a book of gold to be withdrawn from Eaststellar’s North American branch.

That afternoon, the book was delivered to the fleet accountants.

“Let’s withdraw it as it is and deliver it to the Spanish North American Expeditionary Force. We decided to deduct the brokerage fee in advance.”

“all right. Then I will prepare for that.”

In fact, no matter how much Lee Hwan ate in the middle, it would be a ray of light for the Spanish troops who had been isolated in the United States.

Still, Lee Hwan conscientiously removed only as much as he could remove, leaving the rest as it is.

After completing his official duties, Lee Hwan sold some of the Spanish bonds.

In the process, he wrote down the discount rate for Spanish bonds as 8% in his books and sold them to Fissures & Company at a discount rate of 8.5%.

As a result, East Stellar suffered a loss of 0.5% from the sale, and Physors & Company gained 0.5%.

Physors & Company took a sales commission in the process, and even made a profit of 0.5%, so they were able to raise a significant amount of back money.

Now, Pheasers & Company will sell it back to the Rashid Company at an 8% discount to get the money back as normal.

a few days later.

Lee Hwan received a report on the profits obtained by turning the bond through a telegram.

[I did what you told me to do, and I got about 1.1% of the back money. I don’t know where the hell came up with this method, but one fine hair works really well.]

Lee Hwan, who had a lot of money through the so-called ‘breaking’ of the banking sector that once plagued the Korean business world, was planning to continue to connect with Africa based on this.

In reply to the telegram, he wrote:

[Let’s continue. From now on, we’ll keep turning the money in this way, and secretly bring it in.]