Chapter 30: Preparations before the turmoil (please follow up)
Due to some deviations between this world and the history that Otto knew in his previous life, Otto was not sure that King Lothair II of Lotharingia would definitely die within this year as he knew.
It is very possible if it is brought forward or delayed.
Therefore, after consolidating his authority in Argauland, Otto had actually been preparing for the turmoil caused by the death of King Lothair II.
Relying on the large amount of revenue brought by commercial taxes, in addition to providing for the construction of Eagle Fort and the daily expenses of the territory, Otto invested almost all of it in armament.
Among them, the biggest expense is undoubtedly the purchase of horses.
Switzerland is not a horse-producing area as a whole. Horses almost all rely on imported horses, mainly from France and Eastern Europe.
In the Middle Ages when horses were a strategic resource, the price of a horse was not low even in horse-producing areas, let alone in Switzerland.
Whenever he saw Otto buying expensive horses from merchants without blinking an eye, even Bud, who was not sensitive to numbers and wealth, felt frightened.
How much profit can be made from transporting a horse from Eastern Europe to the Swiss mountains? A drunk businessman once proudly revealed that it was more than ten times!
The extremely strong demand for horses in the Aargauen even became an extremely lucrative trade route for a time. Horses were purchased from Eastern Europe at a low price, then sold to Otto at a high price, and then Lafite wine was purchased from Otto at a low price.
, and then shipped back to Eastern Europe.
This round trip, after deducting the expenses along the way, is enough to obtain a return of more than twenty times the principal.
Such huge profits naturally attracted countless merchants to form caravans and follow this trade route.
However, this situation did not last long.
Even though Otto's demand for horses was endless, the actual financial pressure caused him to stop large-scale acquisitions after he bought nearly two hundred horses.
Horses have always been relatively delicate animals, especially war horses. The cost of raising a war horse is enough to support one or two ordinary farmers.
Two hundred war horses eat, drink, and have sex every day, which is money. Even if there is a lot of business tax revenue, even if the Lafite wine is very popular, Otto can't stand it anymore, and even once the calm Jura Mountains have returned.
Bandits caused trouble several times.
Every appearance of bandits is actually an act of killing the goose that lays the goose, and no matter how unwilling Otto is, he can only maintain a scale of two hundred riders.
In comparison, the cost of equipping these two hundred war horses with personnel and equipment is not worth mentioning.
These days, there are a large number of "quasi-knights" or knight squires who have received military education and cannot find jobs after reaching adulthood. These people only need to take care of food and provide equipment, and they can work for Otto.
As for weapons and equipment, there are still a lot of big-headed armors in Argolan's warehouse. Although many of them are damaged and depreciated, the cost of repairing them is naturally not comparable to the cost of making new armors.
What's more, the craftsmen who settled in Eagle Castle Town felt very strongly about Master Otto, and were willing to provide materials to repair Otto's armor without charging money, which naturally saved a lot of money.
Otto also thought about opening up new sources of wealth. For example, he found many craftsmen to try to see if they could make glass. Even if the quality was inferior, it didn't matter. In this period, glass was a luxury product comparable to jewelry.
Unfortunately, Otto's attempts at making glass were far less lucky than when he was making wine. After more than a year of hard work, the shadow of the glass was not seen.
Otto had no other choice but to let the craftsmen continue to explore. He regretted that he had not memorized the glass formula when he read the novel. It was a good helper for time travelers to make a fortune.
What's the use of remembering a piece of gunpowder? Under normal circumstances, I don't dare to use it, especially when Otto is still very weak, and he only uses it to make wedding clothes for others.
"Master Otto, there may be progress in what you asked me to inquire about. A group of businessmen have just entered the territory. They passed through the Bar area before. Do you want to meet them in person?"
It can be said that in this world, apart from King Lothair II's relatives, the person who cares most about his health is Otto.
It can even be said that Otto was more concerned about Lothair II's health than his relatives. After all, Lothair II's brothers and heirs might be looking forward to his death.
Otto was very excited when he heard Gent's report and jumped up from his chair instantly.
"Are they merchants from Baal? Where are they? Take me to see them!"
Gent didn't understand why Otto was so excited. They were just a few businessmen. The young master was willing to meet them because he wanted to give them face. He even went to meet them in person. Was it a little too serious? Even the horse traders from Eastern Europe had not been treated like this before.
Excited.
"Master, that group of merchants are currently doing business in the New Castle market, and they are expected to stay for a few days. If you want to meet, I can just bring them over. Master, it would be inappropriate to meet them in person."
Jin Te warned tactfully.
Otto was also aware of the problem. Although he had held the power of Argau for a long time, he still could not fully adapt to his aristocratic status and got used to the aristocratic style of behavior. He still retained some of his old habits, and clues would show up from time to time, such as
The moment of disbelief.
"Yes." Otto returned to normal, suppressed his inner excitement and nodded. "Then go and call those businessmen over to see me."
Gent naturally could not understand Otto's inner feelings. In this era of limited information, it was so difficult to know what was going on in another place.
Although there is no oriental household registration system in Europe, farmers are also firmly bound to the land and cannot move easily. This has led to a lack of personnel movement and exchanges between each region.
Even if Otto wants to send some people to inquire about the information, he must consider whether they will be caught as bandits by the lords on the way. He can't let Otto go to investigate Lothair's situation with great fanfare. Then
It will attract the attention of interested people.
His advantage over other nobles of this era is that he knows some major historical events in advance. In a real competition, his comprehensive ability is probably not much better than that of the nobles of this era.
The previous scattered news about King Lothair II was that he was still in good health and there were no signs of death, which made Otto quite worried.
If Lothair II cannot die in the next few years, then Otto's expansion plan will also need to make some adjustments. We can't just wait for the opponent to die suddenly.
I hope those businessmen from Baal can bring good news to me.
I also hope that although this world deviates slightly from the world Otto knew well in history, it will not be too different, just like the demise of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Carolingian Dynasty.
Otto silently prayed to the gods and Buddhas in his heart.