Otto didn't really plan to do anything to Ibarra, he just wanted to keep the price down.
Even after the other party relented, Otto took the initiative to give Ibarra something extra on top of the previous price.
It's not that Otto was a good man and a woman of faith, and he was kind to Ibarra.
But Ibarra's goods are really important to Otto and Argaoling.
What Ibarra sells is iron pot, that is, iron.
Due to factors such as the difficulty of manufacturing iron ingots and customs clearance, merchants usually choose to cast iron into iron pots for sale.
The biggest source of these iron pots is naturally the distant Eastern Empire.
These iron pots traveled from the distant East Asian continent, through the prairie to Eastern Europe, and then from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, forming a special "iron pot trade".
Salt and iron can be said to be one of the most important strategic resources during this period.
It's a pity that Aargauland produces neither salt nor iron.
Salt is not difficult to obtain in Aargauen. After all, there are some salt mines in Switzerland. But iron is difficult. The huge Swiss region does not produce iron at all and relies entirely on imports.
If war horses can hold their noses and endure it, it can be done without horses in the mountainous areas. But without iron, it means no farm tools, no weapons, no armor, etc.
This will not only collapse the daily production and life of the territory, but also shake the rule of the nobles.
Unfortunately, the iron-rich areas are completely out of reach for Otto at present.
Therefore, it is rare to have such a long-term and reliable supplier. How could Otto lose it so easily?
Businessmen who are willing to bring the iron pot trade to the Swiss mountains are really rare. After all, Western Europe as a whole is not short of iron.
Ibarra originally planned that this would be the last time he did business with Otto. There were so many lords in the Swiss mountains, and those who were short of iron would not know about the Argau.
Otto threatened him this time to make him make less money, so there was no need to continue this business partnership.
Baron Otto just wanted to make up for his losses with a mere low-priced Lafite wine. Baron Otto took it for granted. Want to buy iron from him in the future? Just dream.
However, when he saw the crossbow and witnessed the power of the crossbow, Ibarra instantly became energetic.
"This, is this the powerful crossbow of the Eastern Empire?
Your Excellency, Baron, where did you get this thing, and do you want to sell it?"
Sell it? Of course I have to sell it, otherwise Otto could give so many things, why would he just choose the crossbow?
Otto knew very well that the crossbow really had no technical content. Once someone got the prototype, it could be copied in a matter of minutes.
After the Battle of Haupbipp, Otto's army was equipped with a large number of crossbows, which could not be hidden from prying eyes.
It is even more difficult to keep this thing secret.
Even if Otto can control the craftsmen, can he control so many soldiers? You can't learn that extremely advanced management method, don't use weapons during normal times, and then use them in wartime.
It is undoubtedly impossible to do so in this era.
Before it became popular, Otto also wanted to make a fortune.
"The Eastern heavy crossbow, this is called a crossbow, it is the latest modification by the craftsmen in the territory. The production of this weapon is limited, and now my soldiers only have a small amount of equipment.
I give you ten cards just because we are friends, so that you can more easily resist the bandits you may encounter along the way."
"That's right, I was abrupt." Ibarra nodded, knowing better.
It seems that this crossbow should be relied upon by Otto for his military strength. The nobles naturally want to cover this kind of thing as tightly as possible, and they will definitely not sell it.
But it doesn't matter. Now that we have obtained the sample, we can leave the Aargauen and find a craftsman to copy it, and we should be able to make it.
"Thank you, Lord Baron, for your generous gift. I think the gods will witness our friendship."
What gods do you, an Arab, believe in? Don’t you believe in the Almighty God?
Otto complained in his heart, waiting for the other party's follow-up. After being polite, it was time to offer a high price.
Otto looked at Ibarra, and Ibarra also looked at Otto. He didn't understand why Otto kept staring at him. Could it be that there was something on his face?
Ibarra subconsciously wiped his face with his sleeve, and when Otto made no movement, he wiped it again.
Otto was speechless. Why are you wiping your face and talking? If you ask me again if you want to sell it, I will agree if you ask me again.
It was broken. Otto thought of a possibility. Could it be that the other party thought that he would not sell it anyway, so he gave up?
Damn it, you know how to quit when it comes to business. How can you still be a businessman and make big money like this?
As a last resort, Otto could only cough twice and speak for himself.
"Although this crossbow is very precious, Ibarra, my friend, if you want to buy it, it's not impossible."
Having said that, if Ibarra was still ignorant, then he would not be qualified to engage in iron trading activities. He immediately patted his chest and told Otto that he would offer a price that would satisfy Otto.
Ybarra is also very straightforward. After all, imitation takes time. If there is ready stock, what's wrong with selling the spot? Besides, selling spot does not affect imitation.
After some smooth bargaining, both Otto and Ibarra were extremely satisfied.
Especially Ibarra, who originally felt that Otto was unkind, now feels that Otto is a man who can be dealt with and is quite sincere in doing business, and that Algaoling can do more business in the future.
Otto even felt that he had made a lot of money. He originally had to pay a large sum of cash to buy iron, but now he could save a large amount of money by just buying Lafite wine and a crossbow, which was completely acceptable to him.
Lafite wine and crossbows are not good things, especially since the latter is time-sensitive and can be cashed out at a stage when crossbow technology is relatively confidential. It is simply not a good deal.
Now that this opening has been opened, Otto will naturally not treat them differently. For those merchants who have come to the Argauland for trade many times, Otto "carefully" sells crossbows to them.
In this way, when many caravans left Aargauland again, the caravan guards had already replaced them with crossbows produced by Aargauland, and they were more confident in dealing with the blind bandits on the way to trade.
Otto, on the other hand, gained a small fortune, and both parties were very happy.
The purpose of doing business is to make everyone feel that they have made a profit, so that the business can last long. It was okay to do it in the early days when there was a lack of capital, but now it is no longer necessary.
Therefore, when Wade asked puzzledly why he wanted to sell crossbows, he heard Otto's answer.
"The production process of crossbows is not complicated, and it is not difficult for others to imitate it. It is impossible for us to keep it completely confidential. Since crossbows will definitely be spread over a large area in the end, why not take advantage of it while others can't make it yet?
To make a profit.
Selling crossbows to caravans to increase their defense strength will not only make money, but also ensure that more caravans can safely reach our Aargau collar for trade.
As for what to do with the crossbow after everyone uses it, that depends on the craftsmen in our territory."