landbeastnovel #691 - Secret Party can be divided infinitely
#691 - Secret Party can be divided infinitely
The layout of Black Serpent Bay differs from other parts of the Empire, especially the central, southern, and eastern counties, retaining the pristine form of its former wilderness, with over 70% of the land being rainforest and swamp.
Almost all usable land and settlements in these three counties are distributed along the rivers, and even in the rainforest swamps near Tiannv City, there are still a considerable number of indigenous barbarians.
Therefore, some secret societies close to the Lilac Corridor can thrive by exploiting the river, demanding bridge tolls through coercion or even robbery.
However, the reforms demanded by Horn force them to dismantle all toll booths, which would allow the Holy Axis to establish trade ports and checkpoints, and even station troops, something they cannot accept.
"It's very simple." At this point, Horn would naturally not let Seromis answer. He stepped onto the podium. "Because this way, you can get more benefits."
"You make money, and we in Black Serpent Bay get more benefits? Isn't it a greater loss?" Urged by his companions, a secret society member with a face full of橫肉 stood up. "Lord Horn, are you sure you didn't say something wrong?"
"Can you represent the entire Black Serpent Bay?" Signaling Seromis to sit aside, Horn stared intently at the secret society member. "Your toll booths do bring you profits, but this profit is short-sighted and limited. Why?
Because the toll rates are inconsistent, and as the river goes deeper, the rates are stacked layer by layer. This environment makes merchants unwilling to go deep into Black Serpent Bay.
The southern county can indeed enjoy the benefits of these toll booths, but please think carefully, what about the central and northern counties? Are they not Black Serpent Bay people?
After a brief silence, the secret society member just opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted directly by the sharp-eyed Horn, who continued to narrate: "Merchants from the north and central regions could have brought more markets and demands for your spices and brown sugar, but now you are blocking them out.
In other words, you are blocking your own path to wealth and the future of the entire Black Serpent Bay.
So I propose to dismantle the toll booths and set up unified customs and trade ports, so that everyone can do business safely and conveniently, and the entire Black Serpent Bay market will prosper as a result."
"But, isn't that money still being earned by the Holy Axis? We originally had income, but now it's gone. Isn't that a loss?" The secret society member still clung to this point.
In the eyes of those secret societies that live off the river, this is their income for survival. Horn wants to take it away, but he must compensate them.
"Is it that you originally had income, or was the income not originally yours, and now it's just returning to its original owner?" Horn snorted coldly. "You think you are living off the river and profiting from toll booths, but what is the reality?
Your profit is only superficial, because the nobles of the Lilac Corridor truly control the pricing power of spices! They monopolize the spice trade.
Why? It is because the harsh business environment makes external merchants unwilling to take risks.
If you transport it yourself, you will be exploited layer by layer by their toll booths and can only sell it to the nobles of the Lilac Corridor at the lowest price. If you are unlucky, you will even sell it at a loss.
Under this situation, how much profit can those plantation owners who work hard to grow pepper and sweet branches still have?
In essence, you are helping the nobles of the Lilac Corridor obtain the income that should belong to other wizards who work hard to plant!"
As soon as these words came out, the wizards who were still complaining for these secret society groups suddenly paused collectively. After going through the whole process in their minds, they suddenly realized.
You know, the sweet branch plant is quite heaven-defying. Unlike sugarcane, which is a herb, it is a woody plant. To be precise, it is a sprout branch of a woody plant.
So it can be planted once and harvested for many years, reducing the need for repeated cultivation and sowing, and can even adapt to the heavy rain and floods of the Black Serpent Bay rainy season.
There are only more than 130 sweet branch plantations in the entire Black Serpent Bay, two-thirds of which are in the southern county, especially two large sweet branch plantations with an area of more than 250 hectares and an annual output of 2,250 tons.
According to the literature data provided by Seromis and Otatila, Black Serpent Bay can produce about 40,000 tons of brown sugar every year, and at least 20,000 tons of brown sugar in the Empire market come from Black Serpent Bay.
Even if calculated at a price of 2 dinars per pound of brown sugar and a profit of 1 dinar, this is a trade income of 370,000 gold pounds, not to mention the part exported to the Furnace Plateau and the Northern Prairie.
Since spices are planted scattered, there is no specific data yet, but judging from the number of spice ships, 300 tons of various spices were exported to the Empire and the Royal Court last year alone.
Calculating only the spices with definite data, according to the Empire market price, there should be nearly 400,000 gold pounds of trade income.
So how much do the plantation owners benefit from it? In short, if they don't smuggle food, they can basically only barely maintain not going bankrupt.
I used to think that the nobles of the Lilac Corridor were too greedy, but now I see—
No wonder I can't make money. It turns out that the benefits of the spice and sugar trade have been taken by you old guys who don't do anything!
Some hot-tempered wizards immediately stood up, pointing at the secret societies and wizards who were complaining and cursing.
Some were even more angry as they spoke, rolling up their sleeves, climbing over the fence, and heading towards the wizards who were shouting.
"What are you going to do? Go back, did you hear me!"
"Fighting is not allowed in the venue, stop them for me."
But under the suppression of the two witches, Seromis and Lules, the chaotic situation in the venue calmed down.
However, the wizards and alchemists who operated plantations still stared at the secret societies that charged tolls.
With the character of the people of Black Serpent Bay, after this conference, there will definitely be a "small meeting" outside the venue.
Coughing, Horn knocked on the table, bringing the topic back to himself: "Ahem, and now, after this war, the situation is different!
As long as we join the customs union of the Holy Axis, our trade routes will lead to the northern market, and we will control the pricing power of spices and sweet branches.
We can sell spices more expensively and exchange less money for more food. With more food, can everyone free up more land to grow medicinal materials and spices, these high-value cash crops? Isn't that better?"
Even before Horn finished speaking, the wizards who mainly operated plantations stood up and applauded, while the faces of the wizard secret societies who lived off the river were not very good.
However, these plantation owner wizards still had their own concerns. Soon, someone asked: "Then, who do our plantations belong to after they are taken back?"
The wizards of the Circulation faction immediately said sarcastically: "The Savior Army took back the plantations. You want to go back without doing anything. Of course, they belong to them."
"Hahaha." Horn shook his head with a smile. "They don't belong to me, because I don't know how to operate plantations, so these plantations still belong to their original owners, but I have a small request that I hope you can satisfy."
"Please tell us!" Hearing that they could get back the occupied plantations, these plantation owners, who were winning big, immediately patted their chests and guaranteed.
"First, I hope to obtain the priority purchase right for these spices, that is, if the price is the same, you can give priority to selling to our Holy Scythe Monastery." Horn raised his second finger. "Secondly, I hope you can allow my Holy Father Society to enter the southern county."
Hearing this, although expected, Seromis's heart sank.
The wizards present looked at each other: "The first condition, we can accept, but this second condition..."
"I know what you are worried about, but the Holy Axis is built on the shoulders of the Holy Daoist monks. If you resist it, then everything before will be empty talk."
Horn said slowly to the people present: "I don't require you to regard Misera's faith as the state religion. You can regard the Holy Father as one of the many gods in Black Serpent Bay.
I can even accept dual beliefs. I am not asking you to accept it, but just asking you not to resist or even ignore it. What do you think?"
These plantation owners whispered to each other, but slowly, in word of mouth, a voice finally condensed—"Accept."
Especially hearing from the mouth of this Holy Grandson "regard the Holy Father as one of the many gods" and "accept dual beliefs" made many wizards feel that Horn was a double agent of the Misera Church.
But they did not directly say "agree", but unanimously put their eyes on Seromis, after all, she was the most opposed to the church's evangelism.
Sitting in the sight of everyone, Seromis actually had a moment of panic. She lowered her head in a loss, looking at the toes in her straw sandals.
The nail crevices were covered with dust and dried blood. Which is more important, the past or the future?
Before the distraught Seromis could figure it out, she heard a rapid running sound.
She raised her head and saw a military officer jogging over and handing a letter with a red feather to Horn.
Opening the letter, scanning it twice, Horn smiled and waved the letter in his hand to them: "Everyone, two days ago, the Divine Punishment Army raided Dragonfly Bay and cut off the retreat of the French army staying in the southern county. If there are no accidents, this war—is over!"