Sissi is not short of money, but has never made any money, so she is full of interest in Downton's proposal. She wants to be praised by her father and wants to prove her worth, not just a vase.
"You want to do arms trade? Be careful of being played until there is no bones left." Perlin sneered and advised the princess, "Your Highness, we have arms companies in the country. If you do it, you will be competing with your compatriots.
"
"No, according to what you said, when compatriots do business, others can't do it?" Sissi is not that easy to lie. At this age, she has learned to think independently.
"The arms business is different from ordinary ones." There was too much shady involved, and Palin really didn't dare to tell Sissy.
"Why is it different?"
The main theme of the Western Continent is war, so Sissi is not afraid of this.
"His Majesty the King once intervened in this trade and failed."
The water within the Lombardy Alliance is also very deep. Palin was implicitly reminding Sissi that it would be in vain for you to do things that your father could not do, but he did not expect that these words had the opposite effect.
"Really? Then I should do it. I will definitely succeed and impress my father." Sissi waved her fist and looked at Downton with piercing eyes, "What are your plans?"
"Twilight, do you want to become a shareholder?"
Downton made a wait gesture and asked Twilight.
"I do not have money!"
Twilight simply refused.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have money, as long as I have you."
It's a joke, don't say Twilight's words are prevarication. Even if she doesn't have a penny, Downton will tie her to the chariot with benefits. Her own potential is worth investing in.
"Okay, but I only have one hundred thousand gold coins as my personal money!"
Twilight acquiesced. She also wanted to see how far Downton could go. She knew the young man better than Sissy, not to mention having Homer as his assistant.
"My army is idle. It can be used as caravan guards, and the salary is very cheap." Downton made a joke and invited everyone to come out of the weapons store.
"Should we start with the Lombard Alliance? I am a princess, and I can still talk here." Sissi also knew that in order to do business, she must have a good relationship with the officials.
"Although Lombardy is one of the nine great empires, the market has long been divided up, and the arms purchasers are basically the military. The forces here are intertwined. If you pull out the teeth, it might shake your father's rule."
Downton shook his head.
"I thought it was too simple."
Sissi doesn't have the self-esteem temperament of ordinary princesses, and she easily listens to other people's advice.
"Where do we need weapons? Of course, they are places with constant wars. The first market we choose must be far away from the nine empires. In this way, the influence of the old arms dealers is limited. Even if a conflict breaks out between the two sides, they will be beyond their reach."
Downton organized the language in his mind and started talking.
"Where are the talents? Who are you asking to sell them? Your indigenous soldiers who can't even count to ten?"
Palin sneered.
"The most indispensable thing in the world is talent, which can be hired with a lot of money. Someone will definitely take advantage of this."
Downton looked at Sissi and complimented, "With the reputation of Bavarian Rose, I believe that many people are willing to work without salary."
"That's ridiculous."
Sissi was very embarrassed.
"Huh, what about logistics and transportation? Can you safely leave the arms transportation to other caravans?"
Palin seemed to be getting more and more interested in Sissi. He was very anxious and racked his brains to mess up Downton's plan.
"No, of course we will set it up ourselves. As I said, the most important thing we lack is guards. Once the logistics is established, even if the arms are not transported, logistics itself will be a profitable business."
"What's the meaning?"
Sissi and Perrin were puzzled, and Twilight also showed a thoughtful expression.
Downton was just about to elaborate when he suddenly remembered that the trade in the Western Continent was no different from that in the Middle Ages in his dreams. Here, all the companies that can engage in cross-border trade are large companies and are owned by wealthy nobles. They not only transport their own goods.
, and spared no effort to attack other caravans, wishing that he was the only caravan in the world.
"What on earth are you thinking about?"
Homer's telepathic message.
"This kind of thinking is wrong. The existence of logistics can accelerate the circulation of goods and the prosperity of trade. It is not that caravans are attached to trade, but that trade is parasitic on logistics. Of course, it can also transmit intelligence and so on."
After all, Downton is not a professional, but in general terms, Homer understands that logistics companies are definitely profitable.
"Can you elaborate?"
Sissi asked.
"I think he has no ideas at all, and if he talks about it, he will be ugly."
Palin continued to attack Downton, trying to make the princess feel bad about him.
"I will write out a detailed plan. In addition, everyone needs to sign a contract. Otherwise, if you leave me and do it alone, I will cry to death."
Downton didn't quarrel with Palin.
"All right!"
Sissi suppressed her curiosity.
"Even if what you say is feasible, is the logistics so easy to establish?"
Old Bu received Palin's look and retorted with his own knowledge.
"Even if Sissi is a princess, some big nobles can work against your will and make things difficult for you. This is still in Lombardy. If you go to other countries, the tolls will probably bankrupt you."
Sissi and Twilight frowned. Nowadays, each country still has a feudal system. Not to mention vehicle and boat taxes, the nobles have complete autonomy in taxation within their respective territories. Some greedy guys even want to take away the right of first night.
If Downton were more ruthless, all newly married girls in the Western Territory would be sent to his bed first to let him have the first night. This is the right to have the first night.
"We purchase goods from the dwarves. After we leave, it will be Saint Laurent. My sister's mentor is Andrea from the Guise family, which can open up a lot of conveniences."
Downton explained, "It can lead directly to my territory."
"Then what?"
Perrin asked, but his heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect that Downton actually knew one of the heirs of the Guise family. It seemed that he had underestimated this guy.
"Of course he sold the goods to the orcs. The eldest brother is Barak's boss. I heard that he has recently become a big businessman."
Hutao snorted.
"Barak? The newly rising big orc businessman?"
Perin was stunned. Seeing Hu Tao nodding, his eyes immediately became excited. In the past year or so, a tauren named Barak suddenly became prosperous in the Sunset Prairie, making a lot of money, and various families started to make money.
Check his origin and background. Unexpectedly, the person standing behind him is actually Downton.
Someone has followed clues to find Downton, but this kid was just an unknown civilian before. Who would believe that he has such huge financial resources? Can he support Barak's goods to be sold throughout half of the prairie?
"He and Downton are friends in times of need."
Hutao was very familiar with Balak. Every time the honest tauren came to the Western Region, he would bring her a lot of gifts.
"If we sell weapons to the orcs, it's considered as supporting the enemy, right?"
Deep down, Sissi regarded the orcs as hostile alien races.
"There are good people among the orcs, not to mention that if the orcs fight each other, if one dies, one will be missing. Besides, in addition to weapons, we can sell iron pots and the like."
Downton smiled. Although Barak had become a rich man, the relationship between the two was still very close.
That afternoon at the Golden Ivory Tavern, when Downton beat the son of Grandet, the first businessman in Morning Mist Town, for him, Barak would never forget it.
"We can establish a business channel first and develop it slowly."
Downton hesitated whether to reveal his trump card.
"Okay. Last question, even if you successfully establish a trade route. The trade route is so long, not counting the losses along the way, and it will take at least several months to travel. How many gold coins can you earn?"
Palin snorted coldly, "Don't forget, I am also born in a big family. I am very familiar with business and trade. Even if you sell excellent-level weapons, you will not achieve 300% profit."
"Yes, just like ocean trade, it takes about half a year or even a year at a time, but the goods they carry are scarce in the West and are worth tens of thousands of gold. Even if a few cargo ships are lost along the way, the gold coins earned will be enough to make up for the loss, but you
Weapons cannot be used."
Twilight was very sensible and was not fooled by Downton's words. She wanted to invest money immediately.
"So everything is just castles in the air?"
Sissi was very disappointed.
"In the final analysis, the arms trade is not the exclusive business of dwarves. Others can also produce it, and even if the quality is a little worse, they can still sell it. Why do you have to suffer this? The effort and reward are really out of proportion."
Palin secretly rejoiced that Downton's plan was about to fail. "If you ask me, why don't you spend money to buy a few ships and do distant trade with the Eastern Continent? Silk and porcelain are best-sellers here."
"Well, actually I have a secret, and all these plans are based on it."
Downton secretly sighed, Twilight was really difficult to deal with, she was too serious about her work, and she didn't want to waste even a small sum of 100,000 gold coins.
"What secret?"
Women have never been able to resist words like secrets. Not to mention Sissy looking at Downton expectantly, even Twilight was a little curious.
"I have steam airships. There are two that can take off now!"
Downton said in a voice, raising his two index fingers and shaking them.
"What?"
Palin was shocked. As a successor trained by the family, he was definitely an elite, so in just a moment, he thought of the great significance of the airship.
"Are you talking about the kind of big ship that can fly in the air?"
Old Bu asked, gesturing subconsciously with his hands and feet, "Steam airship? Isn't that a symbol of the hobgoblin era?"
"Yes!"
Downton nodded and glanced at Palin, "How are you? Are you scared?"
"My family also owns two airships, which cost as much as one billion, but traveling on them is really good. They are fast, very comfortable, and can save a lot of time."
As expected of the richest Bavarian family, there is nothing that Sissi has not seen.
"We can form an airship caravan. Those lords' tax officers can't fly to the sky to collect taxes from us, can they?"
Downton smiled, "Even if there are great lords and flying monsters, I can still let the bone dragon cruise. I'll give it a try if I'm not afraid of death." (To be continued...)