industrial lord

Chapter 764 Southern Blood Pack

"Another one! Quick, get him to the infirmary!"

A prisoner of war from the Kingdom of Sverrières, bleeding profusely from his nose, was being helped away from the mess hall.

Several managers from the Southern Fruit Company nearby ignored the scene and continued with their work, as if this was a common occurrence and something they were used to.

Friedrich frowned slightly in confusion and turned to ask Waldemar von Pisto, the vice president of the Southern Fruits Company who was accompanying him, "What happened to him? He doesn't look injured."

The man started having nosebleeds while eating, and he worried that it was some kind of strange illness.

Waldemar replied quickly and respectfully: "These prisoners of war from Sverrières and Suomi have an unusual fondness for fruit; they are practically addicted to it."

"Recently, several kinds of fruits have ripened. Although they taste good, eating too much can easily cause a sore throat, or even nosebleeds like this."

"But even knowing this, they still can't control themselves and eat like crazy whenever they have the chance."

Frederick nodded silently, understanding in his heart.

He could understand that the southern coast of the Inner Sea had a warm and humid climate, abundant and plentiful fruits, and a year-round supply, while for people from the cold, barren, and dark lands of the north, the time they could enjoy fresh fruit each year was far too short and limited.

The forest outside the plantation was like a vast orchard, with branches laden with fruit, which was undoubtedly a huge temptation for them, and it was only natural that they could not resist it.

Just then, a sharp gust of wind swept overhead, and a falcon with dark gold feathers and sharp eyes swooped down like an arrow, landing steadily on a clearing not far away. Its talons gripped a bird with red and green feathers tightly like iron pincers.

The dense forest nearby is home to many birds that feed on ripe fruit. They not only peck at the fruit, but also defecate indiscriminately, which seriously affects the growth of crops and the hygiene of the park.

Therefore, the plantation specially trained a group of such birds of prey to drive away and kill these creatures that were considered pests.

Maria was drawn by the sudden commotion and curiously went closer to take a look.

The falcon was tearing apart its prey with its sharp beak; this was its lunch.

She had seen similar birds in the zoo of the Duchy of Vesen, so she wasn't too surprised or uncomfortable. She just gave a soft "oh" and quickly returned to Frederick's side, taking his arm.

The two of them are currently on their honeymoon.

Heading south, we first arrived in the Kingdom of Sardinia, visited several famous sites, and then spent some time in the picturesque Orange Island, enjoying the sunshine, the waves, and my teacher's wife's nagging.

Today, we have arrived at this large plantation belonging to the Southern Fruit Company, located on the southern coast of the Inner Sea.

According to the plan, they will then head north to the Kingdom of Gaul, eventually making a round trip from south to north before returning to the Duchy of Wessen.

The plantation in front of us covers nearly 200 hectares. The land is quite fertile and it practices a crop rotation system of sugarcane, rice, and beans. The main source of profit is the high-quality sugarcane crop introduced from the Far East.

Besides sugar extraction and production, the area also has a large-scale by-product processing industry, producing alcoholic beverages and paper.

Due to its proximity to a wide river, water transportation is extremely convenient. The surrounding area, relying on plantations, has naturally formed a sizable town, with a growing population and thriving commerce.

Frederick and Maria's trip included visiting tourist attractions and, as shareholders and the company's top leaders, also inspecting the operation of this important industry.

Frederick's gaze swept over the figures wolfing down their food in the mess hall, then he turned to Waldemar and asked, "Are these prisoners of war easy to manage now? How's the order?"

The previous "Battle of Red Waterwheel" resulted in the capture of a large number of enemy soldiers, and it was quite a difficult task to transport them from the cold north to the sweltering south.

Waldemar calmly responded: "When the escort first arrived, many people suffered from acclimatization problems and were seriously unaccustomed to the hot and humid climate here. Quite a few fell ill, which really caused some trouble."

"But after a few months, most people have recovered and become stronger, and are able to take on the assigned labor tasks."

Frederick nodded; this was within his expectations.

He continued by asking more pressing questions: "How are the relationships with the local people in the forest? Have there been any major conflicts?"

His greatest concern was a full-scale and sustained armed conflict with the large number of local people who were familiar with the forest, which would seriously threaten the development of the plantation.

Waldemar replied calmly, "Rest assured, the people left around us now are all reasonable, peaceful, and even kind neighbors."

As for those tribes and forces that were originally unfriendly and attempted to resist or harass, he needed to say no more. Thanks to the continued actions of the Southern Fruit Company's armed guards and mercenaries, they had long since ceased to exist, turning into dust deep within the forest. Frederick understood and did not delve into the matter further.

He then shifted his focus to the broader situation: "Currently, the Rhine Alliance has suffered a major defeat, is severely weakened, and is financially exhausted. It urgently needs to explore broader markets and sources of revenue to recover."

Waldemar had already learned of the detailed and brutal nature of the war from his grandfather, Earl Pisto, and knew that many old families within the alliance had suffered extremely heavy losses.

Some families had previously invested in the Southern Fruit Company in search of new sources of income. Now, in order to survive, they have no choice but to mortgage their future share of the company's profits to Frederick and borrow new money to repay old debts in order to keep the family running.

Therefore, the company's operating pressure suddenly increased, and it urgently needed to earn more and more stable profits to support its shareholders.

Frederick's gaze passed over the plantation and turned to the more distant south.

The more prosperous East is currently beyond our reach; let's focus on managing this place well.

“One of your priorities going forward,” he clearly instructed Waldemar, “is to organize manpower and intensify exploration of this area, especially the mineral resources deep in the forest and upstream of the rivers.”

"Starting this year, the Rhine Alliance has officially begun a large-scale shipbuilding program to build up its maritime power, which will consume a massive amount of metal materials."

"Although we don't lack iron ore for the time being, the demand for other metals such as copper and tin needed for shipbuilding, as well as special alloy raw materials used in machinery and weapons, is rising rapidly, and we must find stable sources."

Fortunately, the winged cavalry of the Kingdom of Piast failed to reach the walls of Hamma.

Fortunately, the Piaster Kingdom's winged cavalry did not reach Hanma City. In the second half of this year, the shipyard outside the city completed its industrial transformation and was put into use. The shipyard in Lukang was also completed and put into operation. So, let's start making fish balls.

Despite the fierce fighting between the Rhine Alliance and the kingdoms of Sverrières, Suomi, and Piast, Rudolf's nightmares haven't stopped, and it seems like the business is doomed. But then the Sami Alliance, who had been slacking off in the north, stepped in as a guarantor, and before Frederick's wedding even started, the business was already back on track.

All parties are currently in a recovery period after a crushing defeat. Whoever can recover faster and accumulate new wealth and strength will gain a crucial advantage in the future.

Waldemar looked troubled upon hearing this and frankly said, "During our initial exploration in the forest, we did find some scattered outcrops or veins, but they were scattered, the transportation was extremely inconvenient, and the environment was exceptionally complex and dangerous."

"In addition, the local population is not large to begin with, and most of them are concentrated along the riverbanks. Organizing an experienced exploration and mining team that is willing to go deep into the dense forest, and establishing an effective transportation line, seems to be extremely costly at present, and it is almost impossible to have the conditions for large-scale mining."

Frederick pondered for a moment and realized that this was indeed a thorny problem.

He had personally entered that vast and primeval forest and knew that it was sparsely populated, rife with disease, and had treacherous terrain, making it completely unsuitable for large-scale mining operations that required a large number of people and stable logistical support.

“Perhaps we can approach this problem from a different angle,” he said slowly, a new idea gradually becoming clear. “Instead of forcibly mining minerals that are difficult to access, we should focus on improving the living standards and productivity of the residents of the forest.”

"Provide better tools to help them establish more efficient channels for the circulation of goods, so that they can produce more surplus products and gradually become richer."

"Only when they have real purchasing power in their pockets can they consume more of the industrial goods we produce, whether it be tools, cloth, sugar, or wine."

"Only in this way can the foundation of trade be solidified and the market truly expanded."

This region, and the vast areas further south, face the same problem: the original output of local wealth is extremely limited due to the harsh natural environment and outdated production methods.

Although they accumulated some gold or specialty products through early production, these accumulations were quickly eroded by the continuous influx of industrial goods.

At the beginning of the year, Lilu's fleet did bring back more gold than the previous year, but after further investigation, she discovered that even the tribal chiefs who had traded with them in the first place had almost no surplus grain in their granaries. The subsequent growth of trade was clearly weak and lacked momentum.

Waldemar seemed to understand, his eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded in agreement: "This is indeed a more sustainable and reliable path."

"I will focus on this direction and try to build closer relationships with friends who are willing to cooperate."

Frederick nodded and said, "Next, you will take the lead and work with the representatives stationed on the West Coast to develop a practical plan."

"The goal is to enhance local people's identification with us by improving technology, tools, infrastructure and trade conditions, thereby genuinely increasing their purchasing power and enabling them to buy more of our products."

"Remember, this is not just about the current trade volume, but about the foundation of our future."

The battle is far from over. While we still have the resources, we should strengthen the blood transfusions in the south so that we can better provide transfusions in the future.

(End of this chapter)