Welcome to 19th-century Europe, where strength reigns supreme

资本怕没有利润或利润太少，有10%利润他就会到处使用；有20%利润他就能活跃起来；有50%利润就会铤而走险；有100%利润他就敢践踏人间法律；有300%的利润它就敢冒绞首危险犯任何罪，包括制造动乱和纷争。

This is the most classic quote in Capital.

And this Mr. Russell obviously fits the above description. He is a capitalist who began planning his own business empire before the introduction of August's Industrial Renaissance Law.

And now that he has been in business for such a long time, he has become the big boss of three steel plants. It is obvious that he took advantage of his status and used illegal means to make money.

Although most steel plants are nominally state-owned enterprises, the Prussian government still allows them to control some development strategies. During peacetime, the Prussian government does not pay much attention to their actions.

It's as simple as not breaking the law, and Russell completely understood the essence of appeasement of the Prussian government. As long as you are willing to pay taxes and give a small part of your profits to the government, the government will turn a blind eye to you. Eye.

Anyway, no matter what, the landlords who pay taxes are good landlords, and the capitalists who pay taxes are also good capitalists. If you give the remaining cream to the workers, they will be grateful, and it will save the workers from making trouble every day, and treat it as buying peace.

And Tina also knows that Russell is a smart man. He knows what is good for him and how to avoid being killed by August offline. Of course it is not good to cooperate with such a person, but There is no other way. If you deal with them directly, the Prussian government can declare its collapse tomorrow.

"I will sell you the shares of a rifle processing factory in Szczecin, and your steel factory can be directly connected to him. After that, you can sell it together with your steel through smuggling... no, some mysterious underground passages. When you come to Copenhagen, you can hand over as much profit as you need. Don’t say I didn’t remind you to do things cleanly. I don’t want to make any big news.”

Tina warned, which made Russell a little nervous. It was like a deal with the devil. He had to sell his soul in exchange for huge profits. Will Russell give in? It can't be okay.

This profit was much greater than that of smuggling industrial materials. It was not that he had never thought of smuggling firearms, but after all, he did not have the right to be responsible for this. Now that he has it, he cannot live up to his reputation as a capitalist even if he does not make a lot of money.

"Of course, I will support His Highness unreservedly, as always."

Russell and Tina's handshake left a deep impression on each other. In Russell's eyes, Tina is a madman who can sacrifice so-called morals and bottom lines for the benefit of the country. She may not have much humanity, but But he is the most reliable sword holder in the country.

Russell's image in Tina's eyes is that of a person driven by interests. He is also a lunatic, but he doesn't care about the country. He only cares about himself. He is a pure egoist. If he benefits himself at the expense of others, he can make money. If the pot is full, he will not hesitate.

……

Szczecin is considered a port city, but due to geographical issues, the throughput of this port is not large, so it is perfect as a base for smuggling arms.

It's closer to Copenhagen than Königsberg.

When talking about gangsters, you may think of the cool-looking gangster in The Godfather, or you may think of the inexplicable Italian yangko troupe that is indistinguishable from black to white.

But everyone thinks that there are no gangs in the Nordic region, but in fact, there was no gang group anywhere in the 19th century. Over time, they have almost become an indispensable part of society.

First of all, the efficiency of the police agencies in this era is generally very low. In stronger countries, the police agencies are more advanced. Big gangs may turn to fighting with violence. However, if everyone is in danger and the first sentence is not the next, the police will be different. While Ghostface tortures the common people, gangsters can actually become the backing of some middle class people.

Because the police are unreliable. Compared with those beasts who make money under the guise of the government, the gangs seem to have a brotherhood, but after all, they are still illegal organizations. If people's lives are safe and secure, who will ask the gangs for protection? The protection fee is Crazy expensive.

Not to mention Denmark and Prussia, let alone those countries with worse public security and worse environment. In this era when everyone is worse, it’s really hard to say which one is more reliable, the gangs or the government.

In order to maintain their own sphere of influence, gangsters will inevitably fight with other gangsters, bribe local governments, torture junior officials, and win over senior officials. Almost all dirty methods can be used. If you are a gangster, what ethics do you have?

Russell has some interests in the Copenhagen Bachpu gang. This gang almost rules the triangular area from Copenhagen to Helsingør and then to Ballerup.

Its strength is self-evident. The recent financial turmoil has caused turmoil in the entire country. In order to divert domestic conflicts, the Danish government once again reached out to the German region.

On March 3, in Helsingor, one of Russell's agents met with the Bachpu gang in an underground tavern. They hit it off and hugged each other like brothers after shaking hands.

Real gangsters will definitely not be arrogant and domineering towards real senior officials. If the other party is someone they cannot afford to offend, then they may be uprooted, let alone develop.

No matter how strong your momentum is, your gangster is still a gangster. Just because people don't care about you doesn't mean they don't have the ability to control you.

The agent's name is De La Salle, a Dutchman, and this is not the first time he has come here to meet with this gang.

The person sitting opposite De La Salle is the leader of the Bachpu gang, Osterbol. He has glasses under his nose and has a scholarly demeanor. He has a smile on his face, which gives people a sense of intimacy.

Just looking at his appearance, no one would think that this harmless-looking person was a gangster.

"Mr. De La Salle came so early. The quality of the steel you sold us before was really good. Luck broke the man's skull with a stick. That scene... tsk tsk."

Osterbol said with a smile and had him poured a beer, then he ordered a prostitute, which was certainly not an unusual thing in a speakeasy.

The prostitute sat next to him, and Osterbol lay directly on top of the prostitute. The prostitute's appearance was indeed extraordinary, but De La Salle was obviously not particularly interested in these, "Mr. Osterbol, It’s time for us to get down to business.”

"Don't worry, my friends, I really don't know what you politicians are trying to do. It's not good to say this today, but it's not good to say that tomorrow. You make so much money but still get nothing like an iron rooster. You don't know that money is just a waste. Paper? Money is what you spend. If it’s just stored in the basement of your home, it’s useless compared to sprouted potatoes.”

"Mr. Osterpol, you may not know something. Our money is not just stored in the basement. A lot of the money of the congressmen is spent on buying connections, applying for passports, and moving around in multiple banks. August Her Royal Highness is a resolute person. She will clear away all rubbish without hesitation. If we have no assets overseas, it will be easy for her to deal with us. On the contrary, if we have assets overseas, she will have to consider taking action against us. If you want to be successful in politics, you must have connections, money, power, and a brain." De La Salle pointed to his head, "Politics is much more dangerous than guns."

"August... Huh, why are the Prussians following the British example? Let a little girl be a government official? Can she do it? I have never had a good impression of such brats in their twenties. ” Osterbol smiled and lit a cigar for Zhong.

De La Salle was attracted by her words, "You said the British leader didn't mean Queen Victoria, right?"

"Of course not, it's called a... medical department, right? It's a medical department anyway. A doctor who graduated from Oxford University came there, and an eighteen-year-old girl became the director of the medical department? Don't you think this is magical... …”

Osterpol exhaled a puff of smoke, and De La Salle said curiously, "You mean she graduated from Oxford University in just one year? Who is she? Which big family is she from?"

"How could I possibly know? You also know that I hate brats. I have no interest in little girls that I can't touch." After saying this, Ostopol immediately returned to his serious state, "Okay, enough of the nonsense. What’s the cargo this time?”

"What you want most."

"Hey, hey, hey, please stop stuffing me with those leftover iron bars. We gangsters also want to save face. We always carry that kind of garbage...fuck!"

Before he could finish speaking, De La Salle took out a rifle from the backpack he was carrying. This was one of the earliest rifles designed by Mauser. It had some minor flaws. The reloading speed was very slow and it was easy to explode. But it was also It is a breech-loading gun, and the cost is not low, and the adapted bullets were invented on a whim by the Mauser brothers. This means that only Prussia has the complete manufacturing process of this gun.

Of course, since it was a trial model, August did not assign a factory to it. The Szczecin arsenal was also omitted from the first industrial plan. It was an unfinished building, but it still had a license plate and was sold directly to Russell. For [-]% of the shares, the money earned by Prussia and Russell will be divided according to the proportion of shares. Of course, Russell can find a few more partners for the [-]%.

Osterbol's eyes lit up when he saw it. What had he never seen before? Is this a gun? This shape and design are much better than those garbage fireworks guns.

"Which master's work is this?"

"The Mauser brothers, favorites of His Highness August, own the largest firearms monopoly in Prussia, [-]% controlled by the Prussian government."

"Oh, no wonder, no wonder... His Highness August's favorite, that little girl has some discernment, please touch her."

De La Salle gave him the gun directly, and Osterbol couldn't put it down. De La Salle knew that the deal had been negotiated. You might as well say that there was no discussion at all, and Ostopol himself took care of it. .

"How about it? This is a firearm developed by Mauser Arsenal. You can load bullets from the back, and you can replace it with a new bullet in less than twenty seconds. You are not short of people or money, but you are just short of parts. How about weapons? Are you interested?"

"Oh haha, hum, it's not bad, I know how to think about it. I want all the stock."

"It's rare for Young Master Osterpol to be so generous," De La Salle joked.

"Is it possible for you to sell it to others? Anyway, I have plenty of money. To put it bluntly, the least valuable thing in my eyes is money." Osterpol said with a smile.

"You are so contradictory!"

"How can I compare to you? I am a master of tricks and have no special characteristics. In terms of methods, you are much dirtier than me. We are not good people. We are all in the same pot."

"You're right, ten pounds for a gun."

"Ten pounds, brother, are you kidding me? Aren't you sucking my blood?"

"Add twenty more bullets. I tell you that this kind of bullets and gun formula are only available in Prussia. You don't want them. Some people want them. The great Master Osterpol must hurry up and don't wait until the expiration date."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, okay, you earn a little and I earn a little, we are all good friends, is there any other work?"

De La Salle: "We in Prussia have longed for freedom and democracy since ancient times. We are dissatisfied with the current system in Denmark. If Mr. Osterpol is willing to help us, Mr. Russell will be grateful."

"Interesting and interesting, tell me how to do it."