Chapter 65. Keeping in Check (2)
The moment Captain Adrien urgently brought me Chloe’s letter, I boarded the Benedikta and headed directly for Catalonia.
Of all places, Catalonia is starting to pressure Marcel.
Catalonia was our closest major trading port.
It was also one of the territories with the largest trade volume with Marcel.
If our relationship became hostile, Marcel’s growth would lose a major engine.
After arriving at the Catalonia lord’s residence, I met Chloe before seeing the Marquis.
“This isn’t fun.”
“...Forgive me. My beauty is insufficient to entertain you...”
“No. Not you. This situation. Did you investigate what happened?”
“Ahem. Yes. I ordered my attendants to collect rumors from around the city. As a result...”
Chloe had discovered six major rumors.
First, merchants dealing in Southern Continent wheat had begun shaping public opinion.
They were spreading the message that ‘wheat from Marcel is expensive.’
Just as expected, Southern Continent tribes were preparing to dump wheat at extremely low prices.
Second, because of the lighthouse, merchant ships were increasingly choosing Marcel over Catalonia as an intermediate port.
This created dissatisfaction among merchants in Catalonia who made money from sailors.
To make matters worse, after the appearance of compasses, more merchant ships began sailing directly toward their destinations instead of passing through Catalonia.
The dissatisfaction became worse.
Third, when Pirate King Luca attacked Catalonia Port, many ships had been damaged.
As a result, charter fees rose sharply.
Meanwhile, Marcel had obtained Marco’s merchant ships and the pirate fleet.
We now operated many merchant ships and earned a nice amount of charter income.
Naturally, anger over charter fees that never seemed to fall was redirected toward Marcel.
Fourth, immigration into Marcel was slowly increasing.
Because of the Pope’s consideration, the Iberian royal family did not block immigrants.
However, this was still a conservative world.
People were not kind toward those who abandoned their homeland and country.
Naturally, some resentment also fell on Marcel for accepting them.
Fifth, Diego was selling bonds issued by the Marcel Territory.
To lower the discount rate, he had revealed in advance that we were starting a sugar business with the Berber Kingdom.
Ridiculously, as Marcel escaped poverty and even began producing sugar, more people became jealous.
Finally, there was the issue of Marcel’s growing knight order.
People were increasingly afraid of a territorial war.
Chloe suspected spies were deliberately spreading false rumors.
“Ugh. That was fucking long. Why are there so many problems? We need to solve this before even more pile up.”
Seeing my frown, Chloe asked worriedly,
“My lord, do you have a solution?”
“There’s only one reliable way to reverse public opinion.”
“What is it?”
“Money. Anyway, I need to meet the Marquis personally. Request an audience.”
Chloe summoned a servant and requested a meeting with the Marquis.
A short while later, Chloe and I entered the Marquis of Catalonia’s office.
The Marquis was also alone with his Administrator.
It was a secret meeting with only four people.
“Viscount Marcel, I apologize for forcing you to travel all this way.”
“What do you mean, all this way? We’re neighbors. We’re also going to become family.”
We exchanged short greetings, then moved directly to business.
“Viscount Marcel, I don’t know whether you heard, but the people of my territory have been very worried recently.”
“I gathered the rumors around town, so I know. Most are either baseless or pointless worries.”
“That is true...”
The Marquis glanced toward his Administrator.
The Administrator’s expression tightened for barely a tenth of a second.
Apparently, he was taking over.
“Ahem. Viscount, speaking as the Administrator of this territory, we would like those baseless and pointless worries to be addressed one by one.”
Even if the Marquis and Administrator personally liked me, they could not run their territory based only on personal feelings.
If we started bargaining over every single issue, we might only become angry at one another.
“I have no intention of negotiating.”
“Pardon? Very decisive. Good.”
What was good about that?
This man was suspicious.
“Instead, I have a way to reverse public opinion in a single move.”
“In a single move? I’m curious what solution you will suggest.”
I deliberately paused before answering.
“A comprehensive free trade agreement, including an external tariff agreement.”
“Are you cra...!”
“I am not crazy.”
“Ah, forgive me. But why would you do such a thing? Wheat and iron ore were mutually beneficial, so our existing agreement made sense. But if you remove taxes from everything, your tax revenue will collapse.”
Marcel had a weak manufacturing base.
We imported many different products from Catalonia.
A comprehensive free trade agreement was almost the same as eliminating all taxes on those imports.
“Naturally, because I want both territories to develop together.”
“Together?”
The proposal was too sudden for the Administrator to understand immediately.
I explained.
“As you know, Marcel currently has marriage alliances granting most-favored treatment with two places.”
“I know. Veneto and the Berber Kingdom.”
“To put it simply, if Catalonia and Marcel sign this agreement, Catalonian goods can effectively enter Veneto and Berber while benefiting from Marcel’s most-favored treatment. Veneto would even be tariff-free.”
“Ah!”
Berber was primarily agricultural and had almost no manufacturing base.
Veneto had expensive prices.
Some Catalonian merchants might suffer because tariff-free Veneto products entered their market.
But other merchants could make fortunes exporting cheap Catalonian products and local specialties.
That was how I planned to eliminate dissatisfaction among the people of Catalonia in a single blow.
Let them earn money.
Their complaints would disappear.
“In addition, even if immediate tax revenue falls, increased trade volume will create more income from port usage fees, charter fees, and other sources. In the long term, this benefits me too.”
At that moment, the Marquis of Catalonia suddenly stood.
“Immediately! Let us get married immediately!”
“Marquis, it is a ‘marriage alliance.’”
“Whatever! Let us do it!”
I raised one hand and blocked the Marquis’s aggressive advance.
“However, I would like to add one condition.”
“What?”
“Continue buying wheat from the Franche Kingdom for one more year. Even if Southern Continent wheat becomes much cheaper.”
“Until this year’s harvest?”
“Until next summer.”
“Hmm... Administrator, what do you think?”
