I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 313: Agricultural Revolution (5)

The Duke sighed as if he found it utterly ridiculous.

There are hundreds, if not nearly a thousand, nobles across all of Toscana, and among them, there are all kinds of peculiar people.

There’s a Baron who says a woman’s chest is ruined if it’s over an A-cup, or that a woman isn’t a woman if she’s taller than 150 cm, a real Lolita-type fellow.

Other people are too busy with politics, but there’s one guy who locked himself in his territory and dedicated himself to carpentry, eventually proving his skills and earning the title of Honorary Guildmaster of the Carpenter’s Guild...

But no one else but me has devoted themselves to farming and developed new agricultural methods.

“Civil wars, making steel, brewing alcohol, solving epidemics, and now developing new farming methods. What exactly are you? Deus, good heavens.”

In my past life, I was just an ordinary graduate student who majored in Western History in South Korea.

But if I said this, I’d probably be called a heretic or asked if I had lost my mind.

It’s a shame that I can’t even speak the truth, given that this is the reality.

“I just gained some insights by looking at the world from a slightly different perspective than others.”

“When I studied at the Toscana Empire’s university, there was a crazy guy who could memorize everything just by skimming through books. He said something very similar to what you just said.”

I didn’t argue with that remark, nor did I agree with it.

Anyway, no matter how I respond, the Duke would end up being annoyed, so it’s best to say nothing.

‘Just keeping my mouth shut will get me through this.’

Then, I explained the basic principles of crop rotation in as much detail as possible, making sure the Duke, who lacked any farming knowledge, could understand.

When crops are grown continuously in the same land, the soil becomes depleted, causing the harmful effects of monoculture, but this can be solved by rotating crops.

How to grow soybeans, wheat, turnips, and barley in the right order for optimal results, etc.

“My head is spinning. But I understand. If we divide the fields into three parts, one would plant barley in spring, another would plant wheat in fall, and one would lie fallow, right? So, you’re saying we wouldn’t let the fields lie idle, applying the same principle?”

“Yes, exactly. You catch on quickly.”

“I don’t live like that Sforza guy, who doesn’t care at all about farming. Farming may be humble and hard, but it’s the foundation of the territory, isn’t it?”

“That’s wise. To govern them, you need to understand how they live and sustain themselves.”

In any country, when you ask how much the bus fare is, some people say it’s 3,000 won, while there are always people who don’t even know how much the minimum wage is, yet still claim to be good at politics.

Well, those folks might think that not knowing such trivial things won’t affect their ability to govern.

Just like how knowing your supporters helps you win votes, if you want to govern a territory in Toscana Empire, you need to understand how the “territory” works to avoid uprisings and live a long life.

Duke Visconti must know something about farming, and that’s probably why.

‘Not knowing is a crime, knowing is power.’

“But if you increase the food production like that, won’t there be an excess of food? We already have an issue where the food collected as tax from the serfs is piling up.”

“Well, if there’s too much food, we can just sell it all to the Holy Empire, right?”

“That’s true.”

In modern society, when there’s a surplus of milk, it’s often dumped down the drain or burned when there’s too much wheat.

But in Toscana Empire, there’s no such culture of wasting food.

You can store it for later or sell it to other regions.

No matter what happens with prices, the most important thing is that the people don’t starve due to a food shortage.

‘Excess food is no problem at all.’

The Duke asked another question.

“But if we introduce this new farming method, won’t everyone be worried? You promised the serfs that you’d compensate them fully if they failed, which suppressed their dissatisfaction.”

“Well, I had to force the serfs to adopt the new farming method, but you’re in a different position, aren’t you?”

“How exactly is it different?”

In any business, the leader always carries tremendous pressure.

Because they are pioneering something no one else has done, they have to carve everything out, and many of the staff will resist the new work.

If something goes wrong along the way, the leader has to convince people not to quit...

But if there’s already a successful example ahead of them?

You can just present the success story and convince them that they can achieve the same.

‘When the iPhone succeeded, Samsung rushed to catch up with the Galaxy, right?’

“We plan to introduce crop rotation in the Rothschild estate starting this year. And Your Excellency can introduce it slowly next year after we achieve success. Of course, if you introduce it suddenly next year, there will be resistance from the people.”

“You want me to spread rumors about how effective crop rotation is. People will be skeptical at first, but when they hear about the huge harvests from your estate, they’ll change their minds.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to say, Your Excellency.”

Did the Duke Visconti pick this up himself?

I only hinted at it, but he grabbed the rest of my words.

I’m glad I didn’t have to give unnecessary explanations, though...

‘Honestly, a little surprising, isn’t it?’

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“Thank you for accepting my suggestion.”

“But one thing I’m curious about: why are you so keen on spreading this good farming method to me and the other nobles of the Toscana Empire?”

“That’s because we’re preparing for the civil war with the Holy Empire.”

Actually, there’s a bigger purpose behind it...

But I’ll just stick to this explanation, whether the Emperor asks or anyone else.

If I say more, I’ll just seem like a suspicious character.

“Seeing that sly smile of yours, I don’t think you’re just spreading this farming method to prepare for the civil war. The Rothschild Baron I’ve known always works with a vision for decades, even years into the future.”

“You flatter me.”

“You’re not the kind of person to spread this farming method just for the civil war. So, tell me honestly, what do you really want?”

If I don’t answer after being asked this much, it’ll just seem even more suspicious.

So I have no choice but to tell him, since he insists.

It’s not like my goal is treason or heresy.

There’s no reason to be nervous unless I’m guilty.

“I want the entire Toscana Empire to become wealthier than it is now.”

“Isn’t it enough for you and your family to become wealthy?”

That’s a story where someone knows one thing but not the other.

Sure, it would be great if our family gains immense power and wealth.

But if everyone else is poor and I’m the only one rich,

That brings a lot of trouble.

To protect my life, I would have to open my storerooms to provide charity, and if anything goes wrong, they’d blame the Rothschild family for hoarding money...

To avoid being stoned, I must maintain the people’s goodwill.

And the most important thing is...

“To make a fortune from jewelry sales, we need to go to cities or markets where people are willing to buy our products. But there are only a few wealthy people, so there’s always a limit.”

“That’s true. There aren’t many rich people anywhere.”

“But think about it from a different perspective. What if, just what if, everyone became rich and bought a jewelry ring when they got married? Can you imagine how many jewels could be sold?”

“I can’t even imagine. But if it happens the way you say, then that jewelry store would definitely make an immense fortune.”

“Nobles and merchants are the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ same.”

The difference in wealth and income between the top 10% in advanced countries and the top 10% in developing countries is like night and day.

Even in Southeast Asia, working in a professional job barely brings in the minimum wage of South Korea.

It’s not because Southeast Asian professionals are less skilled than those in advanced countries, but because the countries are poor, and even professionals are paid so little.

“Becoming a noble or merchant in a wealthy country is the most certain path. That’s why I want to create a prosperous nation for the people. For the wealth and glory of both me and Your Excellency.”

The Duke swallowed after listening to me.

“...I can’t read your mind at all.”

What I’m thinking is the result of many geniuses’ trial and error.

It’s no wonder that the Duke can’t figure it out.

“I’ll accept your proposal.”

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And the time came to implement crop rotation and reap the first harvest.