I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 294: Comparison and Incitement (8)
No matter how much the times change or the world turns upside down, there are certain truths that never change.
One of them is that politicians will always struggle to place their subordinates, their people, into key positions of power.
It is the only way for them to enjoy wealth and power while suppressing their opponents to survive.
“It’s been a long time, Manager Stero Conto. Is there any part of your body that is bothering you?”
“If you asked me back when I was just waiting for the day I’d die in a corner, maybe I’d say yes, but I’m about to face a major task, and I can’t afford to be sick. These days, I’ve even been taking health supplements along with some exercise that I didn’t usually do, and I feel like I could fly.”
Stero, who is over 60 and considered elderly by our empire’s standards, waved his arms around as if he could run a full marathon right now.
Indeed, it seems that when a person has something worthwhile to do, even as they age, they find new energy to keep going.
‘Doctors always say that if you want to live healthily for a long time, you should at least have some hobby.’
“You have a mountain of work ahead of you. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Stero slapped his fist against his ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ chest and said confidently.
“Being able to walk the path of the legal nobility, once just a simple merchant, is a favor I must repay to your lordship. I must live until at least 70, right? Don’t worry about me.”
“A merchant who once almost reached the level of a magnate, calling himself just a merchant? Anyone would laugh at that.”
“Before your lordship, I’m like a caterpillar worrying about wrinkles. So, what should I do next? Just give the order, and I’ll follow.”
Wherever you go, in any country or era, a ruler will always try to strengthen their power by lifting up someone from a lowly background.
In Joseon, the most famous examples of this were Jeong Yak-yong and Park Je-ga.
Surprisingly, even Admiral Yi Sun-sin was once seen as someone with great ability but poor interpersonal skills (unable to accept bribes or flatter high-ranking officials), so he was initially categorized as someone with potential but no cooperation.
And when such a hidden talent is brought into the fold, competition arises between the mainstream and the non-mainstream factions who do not want to be overshadowed.
The non-mainstream factions show immense loyalty to avoid being pushed out, and the mainstream factions try hard to follow suit, strengthening the royal authority in the process.
Although I’m not a king and can’t cause competition between mainstream and non-mainstream factions...
Someone from humble beginnings will generally remain loyal to the person who elevated them.
Just like Stero here in front of me.
When dealing with such people, you must never forget that you need to put pressure on them to do their absolute best, reminding them that you trust them and have entrusted them with this task.
"I have high expectations not just for the other accountants, but especially for you. Though we never had the chance to compete directly due to timing, I highly value the skills you’ve shown in leading the merchant family that almost reached magnate status for decades."
"Thank you, my lord."
"So I would like to entrust you with an important task."
Stero swallowed hard and began listening attentively to what I was saying.
"The accounting audit organization that you’re in charge of will oversee the merchants' guilds headquartered in Florence. In other words, you will be holding the lifeline of guilds like our Rothschild business and other magnates."
Even if the CEO goes to jail, big corporations still function somehow, but if an accounting audit goes wrong, a company could suffer irreversible damage.
High-ranking government officials sometimes commit corruption to enhance their own power.
But they didn’t get their position through gambling, so generally, they’ll only go as far as a little disciplinary action or maybe a broken arm here and there.
‘It’s like nuclear weapons.’
The government can dismantle your corporation with just one accounting audit, so you'd better listen well.
That’s the power currently being entrusted to Stero and other accountants.
"During this process, you’ll have access to a lot of information. For example, you’ll learn about what businesses our Rothschild competitors are focusing on, any difficulties they might be having, or more importantly, what kind of corruption they are involved in."
"As long as they’re not too low-level, merchants can usually tell from the cash flow in the books who’s skimming off the top. If you want, I can provide even more detailed information."
Right now, the nobles don’t understand the real fear of accountants.
No, they’re not that ignorant.
Accountants are scary figures, but they likely think of them as useful since they help streamline budgets for the territories they govern.
They do serve a useful function, after all.
They’ll regret it when they get caught later, but by then, the momentum will have shifted, and the abolition of the accountant system will be something they can’t even dream of.
"That’s very commendable."
"As you know, my lord, a merchant will never betray the one who allows them to make money. I, and the other accountants, likely feel the same way."
That statement is half true and half wrong.
Right now, Stero likely has no intention of betraying me.
If that were the case, he’d already be in my grasp.
However, just as things in life can change unexpectedly, Stero might be swayed by someone who offers him a bigger profit and follow that path, guided by his instincts as a merchant.
‘I can’t trust him completely.’
"But would that be enough? While you’re at it, if you turn over those who oppose Lord Rothschild to higher courts, like the Court of Appeals, your competitors will be eliminated, and that would benefit you greatly."
"One must know how much to take. If you secretly gather state secrets and immediately use them for your own benefit, neither I nor you will remain safe."
We often call dictators the most free people in the world.
But, if you look deeper, they too have many things they can’t do.
Even though they are absolute number one, if they go too far with actions that would anger their subordinates, they might be overthrown at any time.
Let alone me, who is not a dictator—if I start using accountants to impose corporate taxes and destroy competing guilds, it would be like dying on the guillotine like Lavoisier.
‘There’s a reason great leaders say to stop at the first chapter.’
"In exchange, I wouldn’t mind if you used that information to control your competitors."
Saigo Takamori, one of the key figures in the Meiji Restoration, once said this.
The sword is not just for cutting someone’s neck, but rather to show your opponent that you can cut their neck, using it as a tool for intimidation, where it works best.
Leaving aside personal opinions about the man, the saying itself is quite accurate.
If you cut someone’s neck, it’s an immediate war, a bloody fight.
But if you show that you can cut someone’s neck and agree only to a deal that satisfies both parties, you can safely achieve your goals.
Just like when I caught Pereira and threatened him with, “If His Majesty keeps interfering, I’ll have to kill you,” and made a nice profit from it...
I can thoroughly dismantle those who dared to compete with me.
Stero’s face turned slightly pale.
"Indeed, my lord, you are wise."
"Is that so? If you look back at the history of our ancestors, you’ll see everything written there."
Not the history of the Toscana Empire, but the British Empire that spread imperialism worldwide, or even the Baguette Kingdom trembling at the threat of VPNs.
Or the lucky nation of Japan, which rose to power with dozens of 5-star gacha pulls in the early days.
Looking at the history of those nations, you can use just a little bit of it to do what I’m doing.
"I’ll tell my grandson to study history so much that he chews through history books."
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"You don’t have to go that far. Just read history books as a pastime during college when you have free time, and study the lessons learned from them."
I too studied history extensively, but the knowledge I use is just the ‘general overview.’
I’ve never used the exact year or detailed specifics.
Even when I made a huge profit with a tulip scam or stock market ventures, I had to fill in the gaps myself.
"By the way, how is your grandson?"
It was a purely casual question to change the mood, but Stero suddenly widened his eyes and fell silent.
"...My grandson is busy studying at Rothschild University. However, this winter break, because of the new internship program you established, he will be coming to Florence. I’ll finally get to see him after a while."
"When he graduates, does he have someone he’s planning to marry?"
"Not yet. But several families have contacted us... so I don’t think finding a partner will be difficult."
"I’ll attend the wedding. After all, we are family."
Blood is thick, but money and interests bind us even tighter.
And soon after, Fabio’s merchant tax system was implemented across the Toscana Empire.
