industrial lord

Chapter 787 Obtaining Grain
Back in the day, the Kingdom of Piast and the Osmaga Empire fought a major battle in Bohemia, and Marcin also participated in the war.

At that time, the Legensian Confederation was a semi-vassal state of the Osmaga Empire, providing logistical support to the Osmaga army.

He remembered that year when he was young, on a dark and windy night, he led a troop of winged hussars to bypass the Osmarca army's defenses by crossing a nearly dried-up stream, intending to destroy several of the enemy's rear supply camps.

At that time, the Legensian Confederation was a semi-vassal state of the Osmaga Empire, providing logistical support to the Osmaga army.

That day, Marcin's troops attacked the Regens League camp. The Winged Hussars launched a surprise attack on the makeshift camp, which consisted only of wooden palisades, under the cover of night. Just as they were about to succeed, a female knight dressed in a magnificent tin can led a counter-charge.

The battle was extremely fierce. When Marchin saw that the sneak attack had failed, he immediately ordered a retreat.

He later found out who commanded the camp, and by the time he heard news of the Legans Union again, the country had already been destroyed by Duke Wessen's bayonets in the war of trade routes.

Who could have imagined that more than twenty years later, the two would meet again in this luxurious villa? One was now a high-ranking royal envoy, while the other had become a princess of a fallen kingdom, changed her name, and was now engaged in some unknown business.

Marcin's mind raced as he considered who was behind this Lady Bibian—Grand Duke Wessen or the Osmarca Empire?

Bibian sat down on the sofa, looking directly at Marchin, and asked bluntly, "Count Marchin, are you here to purchase a large quantity of grain?"

Marchin didn't reply, but instead asked her directly, "May I ask who you work for, madam?"

Large-scale transactions involve political issues, and could potentially result in both financial and personal losses. It's essential to clarify these issues before making a decision.

Bibian replied calmly, “My two daughters serve under Grand Duke Weisen, my lover unfortunately did not become emperor, and I have many friends in Bohemia.”

After hearing this, Marchin thought to himself that she had powerful backers among the surrounding political forces, so she must be a middleman or something similar.

“My biggest concern is this,” Marcin said, looking directly at Bibian, “what is your relationship with Grand Duke Wessen? Are you friend or foe?”

Grand Duke Wesen is notoriously ruthless after getting out of bed, and Bibian's two daughters are certainly not among his official mistresses. He probably uses words to lead people to think in that direction, so Marchin needs to confirm her relationship with the most powerful local force.

Seeing that he hadn't fallen for it, Bibian could only say, "Grand Duke Wesen has not spent any effort on me personally because of my past identity. I am just an ordinary merchant now."

"It's not just me; my older brother and younger brother are just ordinary people living in anonymity."

Marchin nodded thoughtfully.

In wars of national annihilation, if the families of the former rulers did not die in battle or were captured but not killed, they were usually sent to monasteries to serve the God of Light for the rest of their lives.

It's rare to see someone like her who can still travel around doing business, and it seems like she's making quite a big business.

Behind this rare phenomenon, there might indeed be an arrangement by Grand Duke Vissen.

"Where do you get your goods from?" Marchin asked the most crucial question in the transaction.

If Bibian is sourcing its grain directly from the Duchy of Wesen, then things become quite interesting.

Bibian said earnestly, "Recently, in response to the poor harvest, the Duchy of Wesen has been providing special, inexpensive grain to the Bohemian region."

Marchin immediately understood her meaning and said, "You mean, sell some of this grain to us?"

The northern part of Bohemia borders the southern part of the Kingdom of Piast, and he thought that if he could import grain through this region, he could bear the higher transportation costs.

Bibian said, "That's true in theory, but in practice, there are many problems to solve."

“I can assist with the transportation and earn some shipping fees.” “The most crucial issue is that your country cannot make the purchases directly; you need the assistance of local nobles.”

Marchin nodded; that made sense.

The Duchy of Wesen has made it clear that it will not sell grain to the Kingdom of Piaster, but the Bohemian region is not part of the Duchy of Wesen's territory, and the nobles there do not accept the Grand Duke of Wesen's administration. Therefore, whether they sell or consume the grain they have purchased is none of the Grand Duke of Wesen's business.

Although it will be more troublesome and more expensive, it is better for the Kingdom of Piast than having money but nowhere to buy it.

“There’s something I need to clarify,” Bibian continued. “I have received definite information that the Duchy of Wessen will prioritize selling some of its grain through work-for-relief programs during the winter. The details are currently being studied, and a policy will be released soon.”

“Some analysts believe that, given the Grand Duke of Wessen’s traditional practices, he will use this portion of the grain to build railways and highways, while there are also rumors that he will probably use it to develop irrigation projects.”

"You'll have to use your brains to figure out the specifics of how to do it."

Marchin thought for a moment, then said, "No problem, I have many old friends in Bohemia, I can ask them for help."

"I have a question I'd like to confirm: is this safe? What if Grand Duke Wessen finds out?"

He didn't think Grand Duke Wessen would be oblivious to these tricks, and if he angered the Grand Duke, things would get complicated.

Bibian replied, "The Grand Duke of Wessen is results-oriented when it comes to construction. He can tolerate imperfections in the process as long as the goal is achieved."

"The purpose of this portion of grain is to build roads. If the roads are completed, it's okay if the grain consumption is higher."

"If we go too far and end up with no results, there won't be any problems on the surface, but it's hard to say what might happen behind the scenes."

Marcin nodded; judging from Frederick's past practices, that was indeed the case.

“That’s easy,” he said. “We have quite a few friends, so we can spread them out.”

The Kingdom of Piast has been operating in northern Bohemia for many years and has many nobles, both large and small, who are inclined to support it. It can help with this little bit of work.

Bibian nodded and said, "As long as you confirm your partners, I can assist with the application process for the relevant departments of the Duchy of Wesen, transport the grain, arrange the staff to handle the relevant procedures, and then there will be no problem on paper."

"If you need my help to transport it back to China, that's fine too. I have a fairly large fleet of vehicles under my command, and the price is negotiable."

"I personally estimate that you will have a lot of business dealings with the Bohemian region in the future. If you can give me priority when shipping, I would be very grateful."

Marchin listened attentively and now finally understood why Bibian had gotten involved in this matter.

After the Battle of Redwaterwheel Village, the Kingdom of Danma recovered part of its former territory and blocked the strait. The only remaining sea route for the Kingdom of Piaster in the north was the Danhai section, which made it impossible for them to contact the outside world, such as the Rhine Alliance, the Kingdom of Gaul, and the Kingdom of Anglo-Chinese.

Although a canal has been opened to the east of Hanma City, bypassing the peninsula where the Kingdom of Danma is located, the Rhine Alliance now prefers to use the canal for fish farming rather than allow the coastal countries to the east to use it because of last year's war.

As a result, the Kingdom of Piast could only trade with the outside world through the nobles of the Bohemian region.

If Bibian can take over the freight business, the profits will undoubtedly be considerable.

“I personally have no problem,” Marchin nodded finally. “I will go back and report to His Majesty Kazimir immediately.”

(End of this chapter)