As I took my place at the tribal alliance gathering, I was met with a passionate welcome.
“Who is this pale-skinned man, anyway?” “Could he be a spy sent by those Nador bastards?”
It was a perilous situation that could quickly escalate, with the crowd looking ready to draw their swords at any moment.
Malik, the chief of the Botswana Tribe, stepped in to calm them down.
“This man here is Baron Pierre, the one who sells us muskets and gunpowder. He’s on our side.”
As soon as they heard he was one of their own, everyone lowered their swords.
It was clear that if they thought I wasn’t an ally, they wouldn’t hesitate to stab me on the spot.
Their wild, nomadic roots showed in their barbaric ways.
Well, eventually, they’ll come to understand my true intentions.
“Malik, since you’re the one speaking, I’ll believe you. But isn’t he still not one of us? It’s hard to accept someone who’s not a child of the Great Plains joining our tribal alliance meeting.”
When discussing matters or debating, this is the key point:
Respecting the other’s words while steadfastly advancing your own opinion with the resolve of an ox’s horn.
It’s not as easy as it sounds to uphold my convictions without clashing head-on with others.
It’s crucial to accept only what I can while gently guiding the conversation to steer the other party toward my viewpoint.
“Indeed, I am an outsider, born in a foreign land with different customs. It’s natural for you to find it difficult to trust someone as suspicious as me.”
Being born somewhere else might not seem like a big deal, but...
The chiefs of this tribal alliance were currently at war with the Nador forces.
If a strange outsider suddenly appeared amidst such a life-or-death struggle, suspicion of espionage was only natural.
However, with a slight shift in perspective, this situation could actually work in my favor.
‘They say gossiping is the fastest way to bond with strangers, right?’
“However, my homeland, the Kingdom of Granada, is hostile to the Sultanate, the same Nador forces you are fighting.”
Hearing that I shared a common enemy with them, they all perked up.
The atmosphere, which had been charged with a sharp hostility moments ago, softened slightly.
It seems that the notion of being allies in a shared struggle resonates universally.
After all, even the Soviet Union and the United States put aside their ideological differences to fight Nazi Germany, didn’t they?
In the U.S., there were daily leaflets claiming, “The Soviet Union is a comrade fighting for freedom!”
The eldest of the chiefs, seemingly convinced, nodded in agreement with my words.
“So, you didn’t sell us gunpowder and muskets just to make a profit?”
“That’s correct.”
Aside from mentioning my affiliation with the Kingdom of Granada, I hadn’t lied even once.
The Empire of Tuscany and the Sultanate were, in fact, at odds, much like North and South Korea after the Korean War, currently in an unofficial truce.
The Sultanate’s pirates would raid our empire’s coastlines for slaves, and conversely, our Deus Order knights and other pirates would enslave the Sultanate’s people—a vicious cycle.
And my provision of muskets wasn’t just to earn a little gold, either.
It was part of my strategy to control them.
‘I didn’t come here just to make a quick buck.’
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I hadn’t lied; I merely used the wisdom of diplomacy, mixing in “trap treaties” with my words.
Unless they’re immune to my forward-thinking diplomatic techniques, they’d have no choice but to surrender.
“Our Kingdom of Granada has been waging war against the Sultanate, ruled by the great chieftain, the Sultan, for centuries. Many warriors have fallen in the process.”
It’s true that the Kingdom of Granada has been fighting the Sultanate for hundreds of years.
What I didn’t mention was that I had provoked the Sultanate forces into breaking the truce and taking up arms.
Revealing the whole truth would only work against me.
Instead, I intended to share only the facts beneficial to our Rothschild family, subtly misleading them.
“...So, you too have endured great suffering.”
Having gained their sympathy, I’d now crossed the hardest part of this journey.
With a little more prodding, they’d arrive at a version of “truth” that would favor me.
I deliberately placed a hand on my forehead and sighed.
“Despite everything, my ancestors and I, like you, fought to protect our homeland and proudly fell in battle. During those fights, we captured a Nador soldier who told us of your story.”
That, of course, was a complete lie.
Although my ancestors, from the first Baron Medici to my father, had participated in many battles, they had never fought against infidels.
And I certainly hadn’t taken any Nador soldier prisoner.
It was all thanks to the traitor Abdullah, who spilled everything under the threat of money and a blade.
“And so, risking my life, I crossed the seas to bring you muskets, gunpowder, and bullets—everything you’d need to fight those vile Nador forces.”
These people didn’t know where the Empire of Tuscany was, nor did they know the Kingdom of Granada.
There was no way to verify my claims.
Even if, by some remote chance, Granada sent ships here to declare, “Baron Pierre is actually a Tuscan spy, and this is all a conspiracy by the Empire of Tuscany,”
What means would the Sultanate, busy with war, have to send a ship all the way here?
Geographically, Granada isn’t even 1,300 kilometers away...
‘In Earth’s history, didn’t it take Spain and Portugal thirty years to sail down here?’
By that time, these people would already be under my thumb.
“And for this to continue, I need to purchase gunpowder and muskets from the Kingdom of Granada, which is why I’m accepting payment in gold.”
I then pretended to rise from my seated position on the ground.
“I possess valuable information on the Nador forces. But if you cannot trust me, I suppose I’ll have no choice but to leave.”
The most important skill when pretending to abandon negotiations is exaggerating each preliminary move to flip the table.
As a well-trained Baron Fabio de Rothschild, I got up and turned my back at 0.8 times my normal speed.
‘Will they really let me go without stopping me?’
At that moment, the chief of the Zulu Tribe grabbed my wrist firmly.
“I sincerely apologize for doubting you as an outsider. Please forgive us for failing to recognize the sacrifice you made to fight those vile Nador forces on our behalf.”
With the Zulu chief bowing his head, the others followed suit.
See, you really can’t do without me.
“Please, refrain from doubting me in the future.”
“We pledge by our ancestors.”
“Good. Then let me start by briefly explaining the situation with the Nador forces.”
There was no need to tell them details about the Nador governor’s wealth, his religion, or his habits.
What mattered was how many troops he could mobilize and his overall military strength.
“To begin with, the good news is that the Sultan, whom the Nador governor serves, cannot spare forces to support him all the way here. This means we only have to deal with the Nador governor.”
If the Sultan could afford to send his central army to Nador, the governor wouldn’t dare overreach and try to seize the western Ifriqiya on his own.
“However, even the Nador governor alone can muster over 200,000 soldiers, and his domain has a population of over 5 million, including slaves, citizens, and warriors.”
If he did mobilize those 200,000 troops, it’d be like the short-lived Sui Dynasty after Eulji Mundeok annihilated their forces—chaos would ensue.
But the key is that he has the potential to deploy that kind of force, much like a nuclear missile that could be launched.
“Two hundred thousand... Our combined tribal warriors don’t even total six thousand.”
“Of course, it’s challenging for them to mobilize such numbers at once. However, what matters is that they can do so if they decide to.”
The atmosphere sank sharply.
“But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to stand against them.”
Both Malik and the surrounding chiefs were hanging on my every word.
I intentionally delayed, waiting until they grew even more desperate.
After ten, fifteen minutes... The chiefs began urging me to speak.
If I had my way, I’d make them wait a day, but that would likely get me stabbed.
“What is this method?”
“Please, tell us!”
“We won’t doubt you anymore!”
With a sly grin, I finally spoke the words that would transform these people into a golden goose for decades, if not centuries.
“Form a nation. Unite everyone—every tribe, not just those gathered here. Only by coming together can we survive.”