A banquet of wine and wine was naturally indispensable, but Art, who was already a little tipsy by Lord Rockmore and the local lords and nobles, still summoned Salt at the warehouse of the European Trading Company after the banquet.
"I heard that you have established a new trade route in the past few months?" After Salt sat down, Art directly began to talk about the development of European trading houses.
Sarte was not too depressed after he was demoted several levels a few months ago and was demoted to the northwest of Provence to be responsible for the western front of the European Commercial Bank.
He found that since Art began to have sporadic wars with the Principality of Lombardy, the trade routes of the European commercial banks on the eastern route of Provence had been greatly affected, so he immediately set out to open up a trade channel that imported from the southwest of Provence and went directly north to supply the western route.
The trade route that originally ran from Lombardy to Kitzby via Aosta and then headed westward expanded to start from the small Mediterranean state south of Provence, directly enter Provence, and then go north to the city of Roquemore. Although this trade route has a small supply of goods, it can be regarded as an important supplement to the eastern trade route.
Sarte did not drink too much at the dinner, so he was quite sober and replied: "Sir, I have caused the European Commercial Bank to lose a lot of profits, and I have to make up for it." The annual net profit of southern goods in France will increase from the original 350,000 pfennigs to about 600,000 pfennigs. At the end of this month, I plan to personally go to the southern coastal countries to lobby for them to increase the amount of southern goods imported from the port of Genoa, and strive to increase the net profit of the Western Front to 800,000 pfennigs within two years."
Matt picked up the sobering honey water that Salt had prepared in advance, took a big gulp of it, wiped the corners of his mouth, and said, "This honey water is sweet when you drink it in your mouth!"
Sart's face was calm, but he was happy in his heart.
"You can't wait more than two years." Art said and took out a piece of parchment from his arms. "This time I went to Paris to meet the King of France, and finally met the Prime Minister of the French Court, and got a copy of the plan to enter Paris. A privilege to trade in southern goods. From now on, the southern goods of the European trading houses can be sold directly to the city of Paris. Although this charter has quantity and time restrictions, it cannot completely occupy the southern goods market in France. "
「欧陆商行东线和北线主要经营施瓦本和勃艮第公侯两国，所以我把这份特许状授予你，你要把握机会，让我们西线贸易打入法兰西的终端行市，直接赚取法兰西贵族的金饼银币。」
萨尔特恭恭敬敬地接过了那份羊皮纸，仔细阅览了一遍特许货物种类, quantity and other details, he said excitedly: "Sir, the European trading companies have been suffering from the inability of goods to reach Paris directly, and the middlemen have always made the difference. With your charter, the million-year net profit of the Western Front will no longer be empty talk."
Saart carefully put the charter into his arms. For him, this trade charter was the basis for a comeback.
Matt continued, "This time I borrowed another five million pfennigs from the Holy Order's treasury. Counting the balance from the Succession War, we will have no worries about funds in the past two years. You can go back and calculate the expenses required to expand the Western Channel and enter the French terminal market, and I will ask the Government to allocate the full amount."
Hearing this, Salt recalled the shocking changes he had heard recently, and asked tentatively: "Sir, I heard that the King of Dharma recently destroyed all the Holy Orders. Could it be that you..."
Art raised his hand and interrupted Salt, "Don't mention this matter, we will discuss it later."
Sart quickly shut up, but his eyes were full of respect for Art. He was a businessman and had no objection to this kind of thing from the bottom of his heart.
Att continued the topic, "In addition, sooner or later we will have an end with the Lombards. Once the war breaks out, the European trading companies' supply of southern goods will be severely damaged. You have to think about how to deal with the pain."
In order to completely open up the southern goods supply channels to the Mediterranean ports, Art will sooner or later enter Lombardy, but this process will also be fatal for the European trading companies, so he has to plan early.
"Sir, the reason why I opened up the western supply channel is to deal with the negative consequences of the war on the European trading companies. Before you conquer Lombardy and completely open up the trade routes, we will have to stockpile a large amount of goods to prepare for emergencies, and we will also open up multiple supply routes on the other side. Even if the supply of goods is smaller, we will not be completely cut off by the Lombards."
Att nodded approvingly, "Conquering the Principality of Lombardy with the power of the Province of Wales is nonsense. What I am trying to do is to take back the territory that originally belonged to the Wells family and restore the reputation of the Wells family. Of course, the main purpose is to extend the territory of Wells. Once we reach the ports of the Mediterranean, the Continental Trading Company can become one of the commercial overlords of the Mediterranean. "
"After I have opened up Lombardy, my next step will be to go north to contact the Hanseatic League and spread the power of the Continental Trading Company from the Mediterranean to the European continent."
"Sir, when do you plan to actually take action against Lombardy?" Salt lowered his voice, not daring to publicize such a major military matter.
"The time is not ripe yet. The battles in the early summer of this year have aroused the anger of the Lombards. If we had not occupied the strategic location of the southern pass and had the Principality of Provence as a check and balance, the Lombards would have led a large-scale attack." Although the Marquis of Flanders is happy for us to expand the territory of the Marquis, he is unable to provide too much support. "
"If we want to effectively achieve our hegemony going south, we must first rely on our own continuous strength, and secondly, we must rely on the strong suppression of the Principality of Provence."
"This is also the reason why I made a special trip to Provence this time. I hope to establish an alliance with the Principality of Provence..."
The two of them had a long conversation in the warehouse house, and they didn't stop until the cockcrow.
The next day, Art inspected the shops and warehouses of the European trading company as usual, and gave rewards and encouragement to the managers and officials of the trading company. Then he said goodbye to Lord Roquemore, and the Lord's guard continued southward towards Provence. Running to Aix, the capital of Slovenia...
�����
even though Provence is rugged and hilly, it is still smooth to travel along the King's Road.
Hourlessly, in less than two days everyone had arrived one mile north of Aix, and the magnificent Aix palace tower came into view.
The city of Aix is not as prosperous and bustling as the French capital Paris, but when it comes to the majesty of the palace in the capital, the Royal Palace of Paris is slightly inferior.
The city of Aix is not that big, and its urban layout is similar to that of all cities of this era. Perhaps the damage caused by the country-destroying war a few years ago has not yet been completely restored, so the city is still a little desolate.
However, the huge stone strips and white outer walls of the Aix Palace add a bit of brightness to this ordinary capital city.
When visiting the capital of a friendly country, some etiquette is indispensable.
Matt raised his flag early, and then asked Ron to personally lead people to report to Aix City that important officials from friendly countries were visiting.
Provence has deep feelings for this friend who fought side by side in that arduous national war.
When the court etiquette officer in charge of etiquette and diplomacy learned that Atwood Wells, Count of Burgundy, had visited, he immediately reported it to the deputy palace minister. The deputy minister of the palace sent someone to report to the prime minister and personally led the etiquette officer out of the city to greet him.
When Art learned from the ceremonial officer that the person standing at the city gate to greet him was actually the Deputy Prime Minister of the Provence Palace. Although he only had the title of earl, after all, he held the position of an important minister of a large country, and he was considered a powerful minister.
Hence, Art was quite surprised and hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Provence has changed his face, but he is as enthusiastic as an old friend to the young friendly count in front of him. "Count Art, although you and I are meeting for the first time, your heroic deeds of fighting against the Lombards alongside us in Provence have long been engraved in my ears. On behalf of Duke Vladis, I welcome your arrival."
"Thank you, distinguished Vice-President. Forgive me for coming uninvited. I really miss this land that I fought for so much, and I miss my friends who fought side by side too much." The touching polite words came out of my mouth.
The Deputy Prime Minister was pleasantly surprised by Art's eloquence. He always thought that this guy who made his fortune by killing people and doing business was a rude warrior, but unexpectedly he was also an elegant man.
After polite greetings for a while, the deputy prime minister led Art and his guards into the city.
This is Provence, and Art represents the friendly kingdom of Burgundy, so the treatment is naturally different from that of the Royal Palace in Paris.
The Vice Minister took Art and his entourage to a mansion in the side hall of the Aix Palace. After informing him that he would be arranged to meet Duke Vladis as soon as possible, the Vice Minister said goodbye.
Just after settling in, Ron reported someone asking for an interview. It turned out to be a branch manager of the European Trading Company in Aix.
【Receive Red Envelope】The cash or point currency red envelope has been sent to your account! Follow the public account [Book Friends Base Camp] on WeChat to get it!
When they learned that the real owner of the European Trading Company was coming, these low-level managers were naturally eager to meet him.
At without any pretense, he directly asked the guards to invite the steward into the mansion.
The manager is in his thirties, bald, slightly fat, and has a smooth face. He is a typical businessman.
Matt has no prejudice against businessmen, so when facing the steward who was sitting upright on the armchair, Art had a friendly look on his face.
The steward calmed down a little and said respectfully: "My lord, my name is Pompeii. I was originally a bankrupt merchant in the city of Besançon. I joined the caravan after you became a baron. I used to be the clerk of the northern caravan and now I am the steward of the European trading company in Aix. I just joined the city defense army. Shina learned that you were visiting Aix in person, so he boldly came to see you. "
Matt looked at the guy opposite. He made a surprise visit to Aix without notifying him in advance. He was able to get the news of his arrival in Aix so quickly. This guy is quite capable in Aix.
"Pompeii, you are far away from your homeland and have gone to a foreign country to contribute to the European trading company. Thank you for your hard work."
Att is also the first time he came to Aix, and everything is unknown, so he just asked the manager of the European trading house for details.
I learned from Pompeii that the deputy minister who came to greet him at the city gate today is also the financial backer of a commercial alliance in the Principality of Provence. He has very close business dealings with the European trading houses. He has always wanted to get a share of the southern goods trade of the European trading houses.
Matt learned about this joint and understood the deputy prime minister's unexpected enthusiasm.
"Pompei, what is the current status of the southern goods trade in Aix City?" Art brought the topic back to the European trading houses.
"My lord, Aix is very close to the coast of the southern continent, and there is no shortage of southern goods here. Therefore, the main task of the European Trading Company's stronghold in Aix is to purchase southern goods in and around the city and transport them to the north. In addition to the warehouse, we also have a shop in the city, but the profit is not much, so we can barely maintain the operation of the warehouse and the shop itself."