"Your Highness, we have tallied up the loot from the Madras Principality." Chief Steward Spear stood in front of Lollister with a yellow folder in her hand.
"How much?" Lollister asked.
"Your Highness, we only got 1.74 million gold coins from the Grand Duke's treasury and the nobles' properties. That's not even 2 million," Chief Steward Spear replied disappointedly.
It made sense. After destroying the Haneabada Kingdom, they had obtained 27 million Gold Fords, but after destroying the Madras Principality, they had only obtained about 1.7 million. It was like robbing a rich man and then robbing a beggar. The difference in loot was too great.
But it was easy to understand. The Haneabada Kingdom was isolated overseas and had been peaceful for almost a hundred years. They made a fortune from the slave trade, but all their savings were robbed by the Norton Family. On the other hand, the Madras Principality would be hit by war every few years of peace. First, Lollister led the caravan back to the north and robbed a lot. Then, the second prince took advantage of the situation and robbed the Principality in the name of providing support, which greatly damaged the Principality. The Grand Duke of Madras spent money like water and built the border into an impenetrable fortress. He thought he could finally enjoy a few years of peace, but the Norton Family came from the sea and destroyed the Principality.
It was as though he had punched out with all his might, and not only did he miss his target, he even twisted his waist. The money spent by the Duke of Madras was all for naught. Regardless of whether it was the construction of a castle, the formation of a new army, or the purchase of armaments, they were all useless in the face of the Norton Family's attack. It was to the point that Lollister could only look at the account books he had seized from the Madras Duchy with regret.
"The Grand Duke of Madras has actually spent more than six million gold coins on armaments in the past four to five years. I really want to show that fellow Kenzus. His Snow Salt Merchant Guild sold our family's obsolete armors for more than eight hundred thousand gold coins, and he's still proud of himself, thinking that he's made a huge profit …" Loriste said in disappointment.
"Your Highness, half of the six million gold coins spent by the Madras Grand Duke was used to build the seven fortresses and four garrisons at the border of Henderson Mountain Range. The rest was used to purchase equipment and weapons. More than a million of them were bought from Handa Principality, shipped back, recruited craftsmen, and forged by themselves... "Spear, the chief steward, looked at the account book and said.
Laurist threw the account book on the table. "So you're saying that we didn't get much loot, but there's a lot of military supplies?"
"Yes, Your Highness." Chief Steward Spear started flipping through the folder in her hand again. "The weather has been good for the past few years, and there have been no major disasters. The granary of Delemke Province is full of food, and the account book shows that there are about 13 million Pu'er. I estimate that within three years, the family's territory won't have to worry about storing food. "
Thirteen million Pu 'er, one Pu' er was equivalent to a hundred catties. The destruction of the Madras Principality and the seizure of food amounted to 1.3 billion catties. This was good news. Even though the Norton Family's territory had been heavily developed for the past ten years, the amount of food they had produced was barely enough to meet the needs of the citizens and their armaments. If there was a natural disaster, the lack of food would be a big problem for the family. He didn't expect the Madras Principality to have so much food in reserve, and this solved a big problem for the family's territory. Laurist's spirits were lifted.
"Your Highness, other than food, there's also the military supplies left behind by the Madras Principality's army after they surrendered. Most of them were weapons and armor, enough to equip about 300,000 people. After we selected and eliminated them, there were about 300 sets of high-quality armor, about 70,000 sets of high-quality armor, and about 100,000 sets of medium-quality armor. There were also about 270,000 weapons of all kinds. The inferior armor and weapons have been melted down to be made into farming tools. What should we do with the armor and weapons left behind? "Chief Steward Spear asked.
This was a problem. The family now had their own Sid armor, a set of standard equipment. Many of the equipment and weapons seized from the Madras Principality were discarded by the family. Even the three allies in the Northern Lands didn't care about these armors. Their family's equipment was also custom-made from the Norton Family's. It seemed like they had to find a way to trade in armaments again.
"Keep the high-quality armor and weapons, and keep about 20,000 to 30,000 sets. After the family conferred titles to the vassal lords, we can give them credit to build the territory's garrison and family's armed forces. This way, they will have good protection when they follow us to the battlefield. As for the rest of the armor and weapons, send some to Sirovas Island and ask the Peterson Chamber of Commerce if they can sell them. If they aren't interested, we can wait for Count Kenneth to return. Isn't he expanding the trade route to the four central duchies? Let's see if we can sell them to the four central duchies, "Laurist said.
Chief Steward Spear was stunned. "My Lord, aren't the four central duchies our enemies too? Is it appropriate to sell them the equipment and weapons? "
Laurist rolled his eyes. "If not them, who should we sell them to? His Highness, the second prince, will be in debt and won't pay a single copper. Sell them to the Fisablen Family? Don't forget that we haven't completed the arms deal with them this year. The Peterson Chamber of Commerce will take care of it on behalf of the Trade Union. Last time, no other chamber of commerce placed an order for the standard equipment we sold, except for the Chikert Chamber of Commerce. Now, the four central duchies are the only ones left.
Chief Steward Spear, you have to be confident. Even if the four central duchies become our Norton Family's enemies, selling them these weapons and equipment will only be a matter of time. As long as they fight against our family's armed forces, these things will soon return to our hands … "
It couldn't be helped. The North was too remote. The Galinthia Continent was huge, but its shape was very irregular. The human settlement only took up two-thirds of the continent's surface area, which was like a spoon. Just like the North didn't refer to the northernmost part of the continent. On the contrary, the North was still in the middle of the map. It was only called the North because it was the northernmost part of the human settlements. After passing the North, it would be the barbarian land that no human had set foot on after the magic civilization two thousand years ago.
Laurist was right. In the North, other than the four central duchies, there really wasn't any place to sell these weapons and equipment. This made Laurist envious of the superiority of the Ford Trade Union's territory. The Mana Hill Plain was almost at the center of the human settlements. It was very convenient to travel north and south, and the surrounding duchies and kingdoms were the best places to sell armaments. Perhaps he could let Sunbarwood lead the sea army to see if he could open a trade route to the Golden Coastline in the South. Perhaps it would bring his family endless new income …
Chief Steward Spear quickly realized that the new Grand Duke of the North was distracted again and wasn't even listening to his report. She coughed twice in dissatisfaction to bring Laurist back to his senses.
"Sorry, Chief Steward Spear. I was distracted and didn't hear what you said. Please say it again," Laurist admitted his mistake honestly.
"It's like this, Your Highness. Although we only harvested 1.74 million gold coins in the Duchy of Madrasen, we found three underground treasure vaults filled with gold coins in the Archduke's mansion in Adelis City. However, they were filled with the gold coins of the Empire's elderly. Each vault contained more than 3 million gold coins, so there were more than 10 million gold coins in total …"
Laurist perked up. "This means that we got quite a lot. More than ten million imperial old gold coins can be exchanged for more than three million gold coins. Looks like we made a lot of money."
Chief Steward Spear's expression was very serious. "Your Highness, Grand Duke Madras didn't think of exchanging for these old imperial gold coins. According to the steward of the Grand Duke's Mansion, Grand Duke Madras wanted to use these old imperial gold coins to forge his own gold coins. "
"What did you say? Grand Duke Madras wanted to forge his own gold coins? "Laurist was very curious.
"Yes, Your Highness. Right now, the exchange rate of gold coins for the old imperial gold coins is one to three. In fact, this is a discriminatory and retaliatory exchange rate. To put it simply, if three old imperial gold coins are exchanged for one gold coin, one old imperial gold coin will be taken away by the exchange dealer, "Chief Steward Spear answered.
"You mean, the actual exchange rate should be one to two? Two old imperial gold coins can be exchanged for one gold coin? "Laurist asked.
Chief Steward Spear shook her head. "No. Just from the weight, the real exchange rate should be one to 1.7. This is the exchange rate that has been used for nearly 30 years. When the Ford Commercial Union first released gold coins, the exchange rate was one to 1.2. Then it increased to one to 1.5. Finally, in terms of weight, it was one to 1.7. This exchange rate has been used for over 30 years. "
"Wait, shouldn't the exchange rate be based on the value of the gold coins? Why is it based on weight? "Laurist found it strange.
"Your Highness!" Chief Steward Spear was also very helpless. Her Grand Duke always made mistakes in some common knowledge, even though it was very rare. "All gold coins have the same value. 7.5 to 1.5: 1, that is, 75% gold, 15% bronze, and 10% chromium. This ratio has been passed down from the Magic Age. Only gold coins made with this ratio can pass the gold-exchange test. The rest, even if it's made with 100% pure gold, will be considered fake, and no one will be willing to use it in transactions …"
Laurist slapped his forehead and remembered. Young Locke had learned this common knowledge when he entered Dawn College. He hadn't come to this world back then, so it was easy for him to ignore the knowledge that young Locke had learned. The gold coins of various countries on the Galinthea Continent were indeed made according to this formula. It was said that this formula was specially made for ordinary people by the Magicians of the Magic Age, and they used a higher level of magic gold coins.
The biggest feature of the gold coins made according to this formula was that they wouldn't change color, were corrosion-resistant, and were resistant to wear and tear. Even after a long time, they could still maintain their golden appearance with clear images and weight. As for the gold-exchange liquid, it was said to be a potion invented by the Magicians, specifically used to test the quality of gold coins. As long as the gold coins were not made according to this formula, they would sink as soon as they were put in, while the gold coins that were made according to the standard would float vertically in the gold-exchange liquid.
This was a very miraculous formula. Loriste recalled the time when he was taking a Potioneering course in Dawn College. The professor had concocted a large basin of gold-exchange liquid. The materials used to concoct this liquid were very common and cheap, and the cost was only about two small silver coins. It was the product of practice for beginner Potioneering students. He remembered that Laurist threw a few gold coins into the liquid and had a lot of fun. He was very curious as to why the gold coins would float vertically in the gold-exchange liquid. The professor said that if he wanted to know, he had to study materials science. Perhaps he would have to rely on him to solve this age-old mystery …
Laurist finally understood that this wasn't his previous life, where the gold content of the gold coins was all over the place. There was no uniform standard. He remembered that in his previous life, there were all kinds of so-called commemorative gold coins. He had bought a few sets of gold coins like "Great Rivers and Mountains", "XXX Sports Day", and some other commemorative gold coins. He had wanted to collect them and earn some money. Later, he realized that they were rusty … rusty … Weren't these commemorative gold coins issued by the country? How could they be rusty? After taking them for professional testing, he realized that the gold content of these commemorative gold coins was very low. Also, the so-called national issuing organization wasn't a real national organization. It was like the National Dental Defense Team, which named themselves …
Galinthea was still better. The ratio of the gold coins was the same, and everyone could only make an issue of the weight. Who was it that told him? Right, that professor from Dawn College. He said proudly that the amount of gold coins issued represented the strength of a country. The gold coins of the Commerce Federation had become the currency of most of the Galinthea Continent. This meant that the Commerce Federation's influence had expanded to every place with gold coins. This was something that every citizen of the Commerce Federation was proud of.
The more powerful a country was, the higher the value of the gold coins issued would be recognized. In the past, when the Crisen Empire was at its peak, the exchange rate between the heads of the empire's elders and gold coins was only 1.7: 1. Now that the empire was divided, the gold coins of the empire's elders had to be exchanged for one gold coin out of three. No wonder even the Grand Duke of Madras was prepared to privately cast the gold coins of the empire's elders into gold coins to reduce his losses.
Laurist remembered that his family had also used the gold coins of the empire's elders, but they had been used in exchange for one gold coin out of three. He felt his heart ache when he thought about how he had lost one-third of the value of the gold coins. Damn, what a loss.
"Chief Spear, didn't our family use the gold coins of the empire's elders? Did we exchange them for gold coins? "
"Your Highness, in the beginning, we used the gold coins of the empire's elders as one-third of the value of gold coins. Later, Knight Shredder asked us to stop using the gold coins of the empire's elders and save them up. Since our family didn't lack gold coins, we only bought them and didn't exchange them for gold coins. After seizing the ten million gold coins of the empire's elders from the Madras Principality, I checked the account books and found that our family had accumulated more than eight million gold coins, most of which were exchanged from the people at a three: 1 ratio. "
Laurist was excited. If he learned from the Grand Duke of Madras and cast them into gold coins, it would be nine million gold coins at a two: 1 ratio. He could finally make up for the family's funds that he had spent so much in the past two years.
"Can we also melt the gold coins of the empire's elders and cast them into gold coins?" Laurist asked eagerly.
Chief Spear shook her head. "Your Highness, I'm in charge of the warehouse management of funds and supplies. I don't know how to cast gold coins. You have to discuss this with Knight Shredder."
"Oh, I got it. Schneider, ask Knight Shredder to come to me as soon as possible. "
"Yes, Your Highness."
…
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