European Financial Emperor

030 Bongjak (1)

Lee Hwan shook his head when he heard the story of enlistment in the Private Fleet.

“Ah, okay.”

“Is everyone upset because they can’t go?”

“Not much though.”

Private fleets are pirates recognized by the state.

Although a horrific massacre or reckless killing would be impossible, the wealth of seizing illegal ships floating on the sea would be enormous.

I didn’t even know if it was natural for the soldiers or mercenaries to join the private fleet.

Oscar Berryol was one of them.

“I heard that the British and Dutch royal families each distribute wanted lists, but three or four mansions with a decent amount of bounty will still be spared. Isn’t that money to the point where even the richest people can’t be bothered?”

“Hey, both countries spend quite a bit of money.”

“Perhaps there is a desire for the private fleet to be recognized as an institution that carries out official duties. At the same time, it would be better if there were more applicants.”

The difference between having and not having a bounty will be stark.

Of course, there was a lot of money at stake, but the important thing was that we were able to focus everyone’s attention back to the sea.

It was not clear who came up with this idea, but it seemed clear that it would play a decisive role in expanding the size of the private fleet.

“Oh, and what… … .”

Oscar Berryol, with rum in one hand, was slightly drunk.

He shook his head as if he was thinking of something.

After suffering for about 10 seconds, he finally remembered what he was trying to say.

“right! Among the pirates, the ‘Tyler Family’ fleet has the highest bounty.”

“The Tyler family?”

“Sometimes there is a saying that it is a private fleet of a certain power. Ah, did I mention that you had a battle with the Benheren fleet before? If you do well, you will be given a title.”

“Ah, right?”

“By the way, did the Ben Heren fleet suffer tremendous losses at the time? Did you hear that half of the items were gone?”

Lee Hwan drew a question mark inside.

If that had been the case, Lee Hwan would not have been treated so well by Ben Heren.

‘Are there rumors?’

Oscar smiled and said to Lee Hwan, who tilted his head.

“Haha, is this just a rumor? It is said that the book that Prince Ben-Heren gave to the king must have written so.”

“… … cog?”

Unless there were two books, there was no way Lee Hwan’s memory was wrong.

However, I kept my mouth shut, just in case.

“I was a person who did calculations back then, so I don’t know.”

“Um, right?”

Time passed quickly as we talked like that.

Lee Hwan, who went up the Mas River by boat from the Port of Rotterdam, reached Amsterdam in two days.

Hwan Lee, who visited the Benheren mansion in Amsterdam, could not meet Richard, but only Icilia.

In Ben Heren’s mansion, Maria, who now speaks quite well, was playing around.

“Let’s hunt rabbits! Hey!”

Taken from readwn.com

Maria is playing on a wooden horse.

Icilia shook her head as she looked at Maria, who had no tomboy.

“Is it because I’ve been traveling for too long? Maria hates ordinary things that girls like.”

“Won’t this girl’s disposition help her to one day establish herself as the heir of the family?”

“Well, that’s right. Perhaps a rough seaman would be a better successor than Lady Yojo.”

To Lee Hwan, who had been visiting after a long time, Icilia handed a letter that Richard had left.

The letter, enclosed in a white envelope, contained an invitation to the general meeting of shareholders of the Royal Sailing Corps with the words ‘The time will soon come.’

‘It’s about time now. Are you planning on doing something special at the general meeting of shareholders?’

***

On May 20, 1822, the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Netherlands Royal Navigator’ was held in Amsterdam.

Since the inauguration ceremony was to be held at Ben Heren’s mansion, luxury wagons gathered in front of his mansion’s front door, making it difficult to find a place to step.

At this inauguration ceremony, the first general shareholders’ meeting was also scheduled to be held, in which shares of the Dutch Royal Voyage Corps were issued and sold to nobles in the South and the North to shape the company’s appearance.

Of course, Lee Hwan was also invited to this shareholders’ meeting.

Before the general meeting of shareholders, Lee Hwan decided to have a conversation with Ben Heren.

Ben-Heren’s secretary, Ellazer, led Lee Hwan into the basement of the mansion.

“The ball is waiting. Go quickly.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Follow him on the way down to the basement of the mansion.

Soldiers with cartridge rifles were lined up in two rows in the passageway to the basement, which was dark everywhere.

Lee Hwan tilted his head.

‘I thought I was outcasting the merchants in the south, so now I’m bringing in private soldiers?’

The riflemen in silver armor bowed their heads whenever Lee Hwan passed by.

Perhaps they already knew that morbidity was coming.

After a while, Lee Hwan faced Ben Heren who was standing in front of the basement door.

“Nari, did you call?”

“Yeah, come on. Did you have any problems on the way?”

“Thanks for your concern, there was no problem.”

“Good luck.”

Ben-Heren sent a signal to the Elrazer.

Then, the razor took the cloak that Lee Hwan was wearing and the hat that was on his head, and took it with him.

“It’s a place where you have to be formal. Get rid of all the clutter.”

“Is it formal?”

“I will have an audience with your sire.”

“… … Audience?”

Lee Hwan, who had never dreamed that he would come to know the king here, felt a little confused.

However, the opportunity to meet the king was rare.

He straightened his throat, and he also took care of his hair and clothes.

Richard led Lee Hwan as he thought he was ready.

“Then let’s go.”

“Yes, Nari.”

What does the king look like?

I’ve only seen it in textbooks until now, and I couldn’t even guess what kind of person the king was.

In front of such Lee Hwan, King Willem I of the Netherlands finally appeared.

With curly black, short curly hair, and a sharp and distinct nose that makes you feel like you are protruding.

At the edge of the long sideways corners of his mouth, wavy lines with each smile added softness to the strong and masculine appearance of Willem I.

‘If the eyebrows hadn’t drooped down, the impression would have been so intense that I would have been overpaid. But overall, it’s a well-balanced face, isn’t it?’

This time, a kind of contemplative knowledge that judges people’s impressions of a person’s impressions came out of unknown knowledge.

His contemplative studies showed that Willem I was a very passionate and cold-hearted figure.

King Willem I, who reclined on a chair made of fur instead of the seat of power, was ill.

“Are you Lee Hwan, a businessman?”

“Yes, my lord!”

Yi Hwan knelt on one knee and prostrated before King Willem I.

This was what a servant would do when he visited the king, meaning that he would obey the absolute.

King Willem I spoke in a solemn but somewhat playful tone.

“Are you my servant? You are acting as if a subject would do to a monarch.”

“Isn’t Your Majesty the ruler of the Netherlands? So, I understand that it is only natural to pay reverence.”

Yi Hwan did not know who Willem I was.

However, historically, it was William I who had a very divided opinion.

‘Is this man a reformer or a mere racist? I’ll have to deal with it after finding out first.’

What Lee Hwan felt while reincarnating was that there was a sense of discrepancy between history and actual events depending on his views.

Therefore, it was said that it was impossible to deal with Willem I with historical information alone.

In fact, it was Lee Hwan’s idea that he would experience a human being named Willem I and devise a way to live.

After receiving Lee Hwan’s greeting, Willem I raised a sharp topic about etiquette.

“Originally, it is said that Asians only kneel to their monarch. Then, have you forsaken the lord of your homeland yourself?”

“When you go to Rome, you are told to follow the Roman law. Since I came to the Netherlands, I thought it was right to follow the Dutch etiquette.”

“Just for that reason?”

The etiquette is sometimes discussed as a matter of self-esteem.

Not so long ago, there was a diplomatic friction between China and Britain over the etiquette of kneeling to the emperor.

Lee Hwan decided to be honest.

“I heard that the small boy cannot return to his homeland now. If so, wouldn’t it raise the question of whether Soin should have the monarch of Joseon as king?”

“I have no sense in words.”

“I know that three tongues are the best tool to kill people, but I only thought that lying was poison to destroy the three limbs.”

It meant that he would not be able to keep the courtesy of the king of Joseon now, lest he become king by himself after gaining power.

Therefore, he did not bend his pride, this was Lee Hwan’s answer.

In an instant, King Willem I, whose eyes shone strangely.

Apparently, he wanted to test Lee Hwan himself, so he raised the topic of etiquette.

Judging by the look on his face, the test seemed to have passed.

King Willem I immediately ordered Yi Hwan to stand up with a satisfied face.

“Your thoughts are right. Now sit comfortably.”

“thank you!”

“Anyway, you’re younger than I thought. I was wondering who patented the cartridge rifle, but he is still a young man.”

Lee Hwan’s age has passed the terms and conditions, but he had no choice but to be Asian.

I didn’t know it well in my previous life, but Lee Hwan-eun even thought about whether the youngest child was an Asian child.

But when he is young and business are two completely different things.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard it, but I’ve decided to arm our Dutch army with your cartridge rifles and run a private fleet.”

“In Your Majesty’s wisdom, I am just at a loss for words.”

“Prince Ben-Herren will now be the head of the military, and I hope you will also set up a ball for our Holland.”

“It is a presumptuous thing to say, but what… … .”

“I will confer titles on you, but in return you will have to enlist in the navy or army as a nobleman and work in the command post.”

Lee Hwan looked at Ben Heren in a bit of embarrassment.

Then he shrugged, as if telling Lee Hwan to take care of it.

First of all, Lee Hwan-eun looked at the proposal for conferment of titles. It was because he had no desire to sail any more, even though he was good at privateers.

“His Majesty Hao-na, a small man is just a small business… … .”

“I know that enlistment is not very pleasant, but this enlistment will give you a lot more. You can also stay in Rotterdam after enlisting and run the factory.”

“iced coffee!”

“I heard from Prince Ben-Heren, and he said that you are a man with ambition. If you have that ambition and desire to achieve it, shouldn’t you be doing the gamble of your lifetime?”

Even if he became a nobleman, the real benefit to Lee Hwan would not be that much.

There were also nobles in the Netherlands today and some who had private residences.

However, in the 19th century, the lords of Europe only had the estates owned by their families in the past or part of them as their property.

Unlike the nobility of the feudal system, the nobility of today did not have any particular benefit other than an increase in status.

Even access to the House of Representatives, which had the decisive power to introduce legislation, was restricted.

In short, the sound that Lee Hwan gets is only a few letters of his name.

‘Gambling is Gaekona. What kind of gamble is it? I don’t have much to gain.’

Ben-Heren said to Lee Hwan, who had been sitting on the spot with his head down.

“You will be given a privilege.”

“… … Yes?”

“Actually, the role of the Jews in the formation of the Private Fleet was quite significant. Our ship is supposedly invested by a giant finance company in the City of London, England, and the slave traders are supposed to turn it.”

At that moment, Lee Hwan seemed to understand what the two books he had heard earlier meant.

It was possible to turn the wrath of the Jews on Britain and America only on the premise that they had suffered a loss.

“In that sense, we can punish America for buying slaves. Without them, the conclusion is that the pirates wouldn’t have installed them in the first place.”

“Um, that’s right.”

“If we get the situation that slave ships are in regular contact with the United States, North America will be able to capture some of the south of Canada. What is now Spain, France and the western part of what they claim to be their land.”

“Will there be a war if we take over there?”

“I can’t fly. The United States ignored the British will to abolish slavery and continued to bring in blacks.”

“iced coffee!”

“Then, Your Majesty said that he would give you the power to build ports and shipyards only in the areas we could occupy.”

“… … Yes?!”