The governor of Nador's eyes widened when I mentioned war.
"Our sultanate is not engaged in any wars. So why would you need weapons?"
There’s no South Korean man who doesn’t know why the South Korean military stockpiles a massive amount of weapons, to the point where the Ministry of National Defense is referred to as the Ministry of Armaments.
It's to prepare for the unpredictable outbreak of war.
Thus, the more weapons one has, as long as the budget allows, the better.
"And it provides the added benefits of maintaining order and strengthening the power base, a triple win."
The problem is that it consumes an exorbitant amount of money.
"Indeed, Your Excellency, you are not waging war against the nation. However, aren’t there various conflicts occurring everywhere? Particularly against the tribes of western Ifriqiya."
Politely stated as conflicts, but in strict terms, they are wars of conquest.
This is a medieval-style M&A to expand the power of Nador, a quasi-independent state, and acquire more wealth and slaves.
And I have heard that our governor is currently in a rather difficult situation.
By using the promise of freedom as bait, they can enlist black slaves to meet the required number of soldiers, but they’re reportedly only given makeshift weapons like spears due to a lack of proper arms.
The tribes also use iron weapons, so it wouldn’t be easy.
"Besides, they are just nomads without horses."
"Your Excellency, let’s have an honest conversation."
"I believe I’m already having a sufficiently sincere conversation with you."
If he’s in a very disadvantageous situation but doesn’t honestly confess it, then that isn’t a sincere conversation, is it?
Well, even if we are family, he wouldn’t lay all his cards on the table during political negotiations...
A good negotiation involves getting the other party to reveal all their cards while concealing your own until the end, right?
I don’t know who said it, but that seems to be quite a good saying.
"Both His Grace the Duke and I are very tight-lipped. Moreover, Toscana Empire and Nador are a week away by sea, so I don’t plan to mobilize imperial troops to attack Nador."
When persuading a wary counterpart, the most important thing is to convey that I am not a dangerous presence.
No matter how favorable the terms I bring, would anyone trust a murderer or a fraudster?
At the very least, I need to instill the perception that I’m not a bad person.
"We merely want to buy gold at a lower price and sell it at a higher price in other countries, including the Kingdom of Lyon. The more money, the better."
A good way to cultivate the perception that I’m not a bad person is to establish common ground with the other party.
In late Joseon, a Western man visited a village where the local magistrate was highly suspicious of him.
They believed that he would squeeze people’s pupils to draw black lines when painting and that he was a ghost who could kill without hesitation.
However, once they set the table and saw him eat properly, their suspicions were alleviated.
"If he’s a ghost, he should be eating chopsticks, bowls, and tableware, but since he eats rice, they believed he was human."
In the same psychological vein, I revealed my honest desires.
"Even if we believe in different gods, under the love of money, we can unite, can’t we?"
I smiled while looking into the governor’s eyes with a gentle gaze.
The duke beside me covered his mouth with his hand.
He’ll understand if I explain it all to him.
Our duke is a wise individual; he will quickly comprehend a merchant's negotiations.
Whether my feelings reached him or not, the governor placed his hand on his forehead and sighed.
"Who provided you with that information?"
"I can’t disclose that person’s identity for their sake."
"That’s true. Very well, I yield. As you mentioned, we are indeed engaged in efforts to civilize the tribes of Ifriqiya."
While they call it "civilizing," in reality, it is a campaign of conquest.
Using guns and swords to send the wicked pagans to the gods, and then preaching the right religion to the poor souls left behind.
If they refuse to accept this, they are purified in ways that are difficult to articulate.
If they repent, they are granted the opportunity to live using bio-cotton-picking tools or farming equipment.
By the standards of our Albania, or rather, the Sultanate, this is a highly humanitarian and socially just enterprise.
They clean out the wicked pagans and share the proper faith, freeing them from their futile lives.
"Though if one looks closely at the underlying intent, it’s simply a war of conquest to obtain slaves."
"And recently, perhaps due to the historical influence of the wicked Satan, these pagans have banded together as tribes to trouble us. Thus, weapons are urgently needed."
If I were one of those tribes living in Ifriqiya, I would likely argue to unite and drive you out as well.
After all, what you are doing is far from humane.
I’m not exactly just, but it seems you’re worse.
"The more weapons you have, the better."
"If we can use the black slaves as cannon fodder and arm the people of Nador to eliminate them, how great would that be?"
The governor looked at me and grinned.
"So, how much do you plan to sell a gun for?"
"How about 20 grams of gold for one gun?"
"That seems too expensive."
"But when you import from the Kingdom of Lyon or the Kingdom of Granada, don’t you bring them in at even higher prices? Moreover, they are smuggled, so the quantities would be limited."
Even though the weapon management system on the Albanian continent is lax, it’s not easy to smuggle weapons overseas without colluding with the nobility.
This is because customs officials will impose a tax of 50-70% if they discover weapons being exported.
It costs a significant amount of money to bribe your way out.
Even the merchants who are colluding with the nobility wouldn’t sell weapons to "pagans" like me unless they are particularly unusual.
They might sell them to enemy countries, but that’s a different story.
When it comes to war, it is common sense to view enemy nations as arch-enemies, while pagans are regarded as implacable foes who have violated their wives and daughters.
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Thus, the Medici baron family and the Visconti duke family, who trade spices with the Alchini family, often appear in various theatrical performances as embodiments of all evil.
"Adding up all the flintlock rifles exported annually, would it exceed 500?"
"We will bring in 2,000 flintlock rifles and 50 tons of gunpowder annually starting next year. If you desire, we can increase the amount anytime afterward."
Fifty tons of gunpowder is enough to fire about 60,000 shots.
To those accustomed to firing dozens of shots during training, this may seem like a small amount.
However, in the wars of this era, if a soldier fires more than five shots, it’s considered a fierce battle, and if they fire more than seven, it’s regarded as a disastrous war.
If we fire 30 shots from 2,000 rifles, it would lead to an immense amount of bloodshed.
"Can you keep that promise?"
"His Grace the Duke here will guarantee it."
The duke nodded upon hearing my words.
"This young man rose to the rank of baron solely by his own power at the age of 22. I will vouch for him."
"...... Very well, then. I will prepare the gold, so just bring the goods. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
With that, the governor promptly left his seat.
The duke then led me to a secluded spot where only the two of us were present.
His face bore a rather deep frown.
Yet his voice, when he asked, remained very calm.
"Even so, selling weapons to pagans... Isn’t that tantamount to doing good deeds for them to earn money? Do you still consider yourself a follower of Deus?"
Honestly, I don’t care whether one believes in Deus, another religion, or even Buddha.
However, to the people of this era, faith is akin to breathing, so it’s understandable to feel averse to aiding pagans.
"I must clarify any misunderstandings right away."
"When did I ever say I’d do only good deeds for the pagans, Your Grace? I have my reasons."
"What reasons might those be?"
While this sounds like something a villainous nation would say, if one wants to make as much money as possible during wartime...
"With this, we will secure a base in the Ifriqiya continent. Using this base to explore the surrounding geography, we can find 'coastal cities located in western Ifriqiya continent.' If we disguise our flags as something other than the 'Medici family' or the 'Visconti duke family' and sail directly to that coastal city, would we be caught?"
In this era, I’m grateful there’s no technology akin to radar.
As long as we don’t make a ruckus when we enter the port, there’s no way smuggling will be detected.
So, landing in the coastal villages of western Ifriqiya and exchanging gold and various resources for gunpowder and flintlock rifles would be the end of it.
If the governor says something, I could just respond, "Ah, it seems those other nations are doing that."
What could he do about it?
If we don’t sell flintlock rifles to them, the tribes will unite and drive you out with their rifles.
"The likelihood of being caught is low."
"If we can incite the primitive tribes and pagans who do not believe in Deus to fight each other, we can earn money while also weakening the pagans’ power."
The duke looked at me, seemingly incredulous.
"That’s why my father told me to learn from you. Baron, your strategies are indeed remarkable."
"It is an honor, Your Grace."
"Take care of the hospitality and return. I will report this positively to my father."