Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt - Chapter 161
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Infinite Reincarnation – Arthur Hurt Chapter 161
28-Military supply
“Anyway, the atmosphere is a bit chaotic these days. Do you know why?”
“I understand it is because of the movements of the Kingdom of Jatra.”
Ttian nodded, understanding that these were words that hinted at signs of war.
“Yeah, it’s just the shit that the stupid king’s greed has created.”
As Arthur rolled his eyes and looked around, Ttian burst out laughing.
“Don’t worry. Nothing you say here will get out. And even if it does, you can just evade it.”
“I think it would be better to just be careful with what you say.”
“Oh, I find it hard to believe the words of a man who has offended His Majesty twice.”
Arthur was speechless at Ttian’s response and just blinked, so Ttian smiled and continued speaking.
“You are probably the only person who has been slapped twice by the King.”
“Uh… … That… … has it been rumored?”
“Everyone who knows knows that the king favors him so much that he slapped him twice.”
“Then… … the person who doesn’t hit twice… … .”
“It’s an expulsion.”
Ttian raised the corners of his mouth as he made a gesture of striking his neck with the edge of his hand. He probably didn’t mean to kill him, but rather to bring about his downfall. If a king were to treat people’s lives so carelessly, he would be known as a tyrant.
“Anyway, since you know the trends in the Kingdom of Jatra, it should be easy to explain. I heard that the guild you belong to is participating in the military supply bid this time?”
“yes.”
“Are you interested in collaborating with me?”
Ttian’s proposal was simply to hand over the transportation process to him.
Arthur answered.
“But Suun is cheaper.”
“That would be the case south of St. Scala. But for supply lines to the front lines, railways will inevitably be used more than water transport.”
Ttian explained about military supplies. If the military supply bid is successful, the military will try to pass on the cost of supply to the desired location. And there was almost no water transportation in the east, which was the battlefield.
Arthur replied.
“So, you just need to deliver military supplies to the capital?”
“They’re using tricks. They’re designating the place where military supplies are delivered as a wartime supply depot.”
“Isn’t that strange?”
“Even if the location changes frequently and the amount of supplies required changes as the front lines fluctuate?”
“… Oh, no way… … .”
Arthur had been skeptical, but the smirk forming on Ttian’s lips explained that it was true.
Arthur continued.
“So you’re saying that they used the employees of trading companies and railroad companies as a supply corps?”
“So how can it be distributed properly?”
Transporting supplies close to the front line was a difficult task, especially for civilians, not soldiers.
Of course, there are cases where it is possible, but it is only possible when there is a sense of mission or duty to protect one’s family and country from an external invasion. And the last war was not that kind of war.
“It’s not really that strange.”
“And did the military really learn a lesson from it?”
“You just said that. How can distribution be done properly?”
If so, there must have been a problem and they must have felt the need to revise the distribution system.
But Ttian said with a smile.
“But all of our employees have a strong sense of professionalism. I am proud to say that the draw in the Trava Basin was due to the dedication of our employees.”
What Arthur read from his words was that although Ttian’s words may have been exaggerated, they could not be said to be without merit, and that the military would certainly use such a supply system this time as well. Because they had not felt the problem firsthand.
If that were true, then this country’s military was even more incompetent than I thought, and Ttian was a much bigger shot than I thought. So I was curious.
“I don’t know why you gave me such a good offer.”
Whichever company won the military contract had no choice but to use his railroad company.
“Oh, do you think this suggestion was made only to you?”
“Ah. No, that’s not it.”
Arthur was embarrassed. Perhaps Ttian had made similar proposals not only to Arthur but also to other companies that were likely to win the bid. The purpose was probably to kick away the ladder. Perhaps to prevent other competitors from taking the huge honey pot of military supplies.
Ttian confirmed Arthur’s intention once again.
“So what is my proposal?”
“There is no reason to refuse.”
Arthur accepted immediately. It was strange that a company with experience in military supply would refuse to help. And hadn’t he been warned before?
As the front line fluctuated, the military supply points also changed frequently and the amount of supplies required changed. The Tsuraz Craft Guild, which was not a logistics company, was unable to deal with such situations.
In retrospect, the above explanation was a very roundabout warning. It might not be easy to get help when something like that happens.
Ttian nodded at Arthur’s answer and said.
“Then I will consider the first proposal accepted and make the second proposal.”
“What if it’s your second suggestion?”
“Ah, this is more of a proposal to the Scalon issuers rather than the executives of the Tsuraz Craft Guild.”
Arthur wiped the emotion from his face because he thought it would be a bigger problem than he thought.
After looking at Arthur’s face for a moment, Ttian opened his mouth.
“Have you ever heard of the North-South railway project?”
* * *
“Hmm. That’s a big one.”
Jarani let out a sigh of relief, and Samuel’s eyes sparkled.
“It’s definitely a business with huge potential!”
“It’s big, but we can only proceed after the war is over.”
Jarani evaluated it. In a situation where the threat of the Kingdom of Jatra is becoming apparent, it is difficult to see a budget for a railway project that would connect the country from north to south.
Samuel asked.
“But why did you suggest that to Arthur? It seems like it has nothing to do with the issuance of Scalon.”
“Because it costs a huge amount of money.”
“You’re not saying that you want to print Scalon to raise funds, are you?”
Samuel frowned. To him, who was in charge of the process of issuing scalons, the idea of printing scalons to secure a budget was something that should be thrown into the trash can. To him, who had witnessed how futilely money was produced, fiat money was something that barely maintained its value on the edge of a knife.
Arthur answered.
“It is possible.”
“I disagree.”
“What if we issue Scalon with the railroad to be built as collateral?”
“You want to use a railroad that hasn’t even been built yet as collateral? Are you in your right mind?”
Samuel blinked. To him, a conservative merchant, Arthur’s plan was a fraud, or at best a gamble.
“It’s too dangerous.”
Jaran also seemed to think so. Issuing Scalon with the railroad to be built as collateral?
The idea is good. If it succeeds, assets and values that did not exist before will suddenly appear. However, the North-South railway was a big plan. Because it was a big plan, there was no way to know what would happen in the middle.
And if the plan for the North-South railway was disrupted by an unexpected variable, the resulting problems would be too much to even think about.
“But when you look to the distant future, it is necessary.”
Now, the Kingdom of Skara was experiencing economic development centered around the capital and several large cities.
But the boom can’t last forever. As the economy develops, the pressure to issue more scalons will continue to increase, leading to inflation and rising prices. Then, when the bubble bursts, a panic sets in.
In order to delay that time, logistics had to be developed. In the metropolitan area, it was necessary to spread the depreciated Scalon to the small cities and rural areas of the kingdom to discover valuable products.
“We are exporting Scalon.”
Arthur’s expression made Jaran and Samuel stroke their chins. It was not an exaggeration to say that Scalon was exported. In small towns and rural areas, real currency or barter was still more prevalent than Scalon.
“It’s not something you should start right away, but it’s something you should start at some point.”
“What is certain is that this is not an appropriate offer at this time.”
Samuel pointed out to Arthur that even if they started in a hurry, they would have to stop in the middle because of the war.
“But it will be possible to connect the area around the capital from Tsururaz. I don’t think Mr. Ttian will think the project will be completed in one go.”
“Then, is there really no need to resort to the power of the Scalon Issuance Committee?”
“Maybe we need some leverage on the bank loans.”
If I were to describe T-Tion’s method in one word, I would say it’s a network of people. It’s about looking at various possibilities and laying the groundwork at various points.
If possible with a bank loan, that would be great, and in the process, it would be good for the issuance committee, which is burdened with printing scalons, to ask the banks for cooperation. Is this a negotiation method where you ask for 100 if you want 50?
Even Tian Aho could not have been unaware that constructing a full-scale North-South railway would require political assistance as it would be a national project.
“Are they aristocratic or royalist?”
Jarani was brainwashed. Still, it would be difficult to put enough pressure on the bank with only the private equity held by Arthur and others, or to secure funds through the issuance of Scalon if they were lucky, so I thought they would definitely contact other shareholders and make a proposal.
Arthur said.
“Maybe it’s the aristocracy?”
The aristocrats he was talking about were not the aristocrats of the political world, but the Scalon Aristocrats Committee.
If I had spoken to the king, I wouldn’t have bothered to tell him about Arthur.
Jarani spoke as if he was a brainwashed person.
“Hmm. Well, there were rumors that His Majesty the King had tried several times to privatize the railway company.”
Arthur’s ears fluttered.
“How did you stop that?”
“Did he spend a huge amount of money? I heard there were more than a few nobles who supported him.”
“I am definitely a human being.”
If he was close to the king, he wouldn’t have bothered to meet Arthur and make a proposal. He had enough reasons not to be close, so he must have tried to talk to the private equity owners who acted as a weight. But calling Jaran would have attracted too much attention.
Samuel tilted his head.
“What if we don’t listen?
“If you start a business with the mindset that if it doesn’t work out, it will fail, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Can’t we just play the abacus in the middle?”
“That’s right.”
Samuel nodded to Arthur’s words that penetrated the essence of the matter, “Let’s make money.” In any case, although some parts of the North-South railway project were possible, the overall framework was on hold.
* * *
Finally, the day of the military supply bid arrived. The leaders of the Tsuraz Craft Guild, including the Cossacks, gathered in front of the palace and waited for the results of the bid. The tent blocked the hot sun, but their lips were parched from nervousness.
People from other companies were also anxious.
“Eat and enjoy!”
As the sun rose into the sky, Holden arrived with his men. They brought a box of sandwiches and cold water.
“Wow! How can the water be so cool?”
“Is it because of this structure?”
“Is this unglazed pottery?”
A double structure in which a small water jar was placed inside a larger unglazed jar and the space between them was filled with wet sand was a simple device that allowed people to drink cool water using the heat of vaporization of the water.
“This is the item that Arthur sent me because he was having a hard time.”
“If there is something like this, then say it exists.”
“Because it’s something that’s harder to manage than you think.”
Holden answered.