Chapter 471
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 471
Chapter 471. There are a lot of them (2)
We gathered in the conference room at the Dao Command Headquarters and began discussing the results of this trip and what to do next.
Perhaps because the emperor was paying attention to this trade, the trading company members who participated in this trip were very excited.
Good, very good.
However, this was a meeting of Trading Company officials.
The administrators were not present.
The reason for excluding them from the meeting was to first decide on the Trading Company's position.
Captain Yong and Captain Song, as well as those who participated directly in this trade, provided us with useful information.
Among that information was what I had been looking for.
“Daewook wanted the empire's alcohol.”
“It was the same in the country of Mare, where we visited.”
“But isn't there a prohibition on alcohol right now?”
“Then shouldn't we make a request to the government? Ask them to allow us to brew alcohol for trade.”
I continued.
“The prohibition on alcohol was imposed to prevent food waste. But if we can bring in more food, wouldn't that change the situation?”
“That's right.”
“I agree.”
With our trading partners wanting alcohol, our Eunhae Trading Company, which made preparations in advance, would inevitably reap the greatest benefits.
Therefore, it would be best for us all to submit a joint petition.
That way, there won't be any backlash.
.
.
.
The sleeping potion given by the emperor was very effective.
Those who took it slept for three whole days.
They woke up with dazed expressions after a deep sleep. And what awaited them was...
“Come on! Everyone get ready!”
“Let's go back to the headquarters!”
They were preparing to return to the headquarters immediately.
* *
At that moment, at the Nanjing branch of the Martial Alliance.
The branch manager recalled the secret orders he had received from his superiors not long ago.
He was to obtain trade information from the Trading Company that had just arrived in Nanjing.
He knew why such instructions had been given.
“Damn Namgung Kang, why did he do something so foolish...”
In order to recover the losses caused by this, Baek Cheon Trading Company urgently requested help.
Of course, they promised a generous reward, so the branch manager had no reason to refuse.
So he gave orders to those he had planted in advance.
It had been three days since the merchant ships that had set out on overseas trade arrived, so it was about time for information to come in.
“Branch manager, this is Gang-du.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and his right-hand man, Gang-du, entered.
However, he had nothing in his hands.
“What is it? Didn't you come with information from the merchant ships?”
“Yes, that's why I came.”
“Then why are you empty-handed?”
“I... I have nothing to give you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don't know what's going on, but the merchant ship crew members are all holed up in some inns and have been sleeping since they arrived. They won't come out, so we can't get any information out of them.”
“...”
In order to get information, the crew members would have to come to the brothel or tavern, but they weren't coming out, so there was nothing they could do.
“And... they're preparing to set sail.”
“Sail?”
“Yes. They say they are returning to their respective bases...”
Hearing this, the branch manager frowned.
“Ew! Damn it! Damn it!”
The branch manager frowned and grumbled.
Sleeping for three days straight means that someone deliberately put them to sleep.
Someone clever must have intervened to prevent information from leaking out.
“Um... I heard that the emperor ordered it.”
“The emperor?”
“Yes.”
The branch chief clicked his tongue.
The emperor's intention was clear.
“Is it to keep our Martial Alliance in check? The current emperor is a clever madman, so I told them not to touch the imperial palace because it would be bad news if they did.”
* * *
Our Eunhae Trading Company's ship was ready to set sail again.
We had to go to our headquarters in Hubei Province to repair the ship.
And then there was a minor incident.
“This is too much. How can you make us stay on the ship for three whole days? I've been waiting so long to reach land.”
Some of the Trading Company employees vented their frustration to me.
I had expected this, so I looked genuinely sorry.
“I understand how you feel. I know you have many things you wanted to do after getting off the ship.”
Of course, I also made excuses.
“But what power do I have to disobey the orders of His Majesty the Emperor?”
I bowed my head to them with clasped hands.
“This is my fault for not being competent enough. I am truly sorry.”
When I bowed my head, they waved their hands in embarrassment.
“There's no need to bow your head and apologize like that...”
“We just...”
I said in a tearful voice, with tears welling up in my eyes.
“I have done something terrible to you all.”
“Oh, Captain! It was our fault.”
“We are terrible people.”
Pal-gap, who was watching this from the side, shook his head, and the bodyguards turned their heads away.
Hmm.
With a sorry look on my face, I handed them the wallet containing the money.
“This is my gift to you. I couldn't do much here, but please enjoy some delicious food when you arrive in Hubei Province.”
“You don't have to give us this...”
“Please take it. My arm hurts. Oh, my arm.”
The sailors cheered at my words.
“Captain, please take it.”
“Our Captain says his arms are sore.”
Captain Yong-eung-wan smiled and accepted the money.
“I will use it wisely.”
With that, the first and second ships of the Eunhae set sail again.
Seeing this, I turned around.
I wanted to board that ship and go to the main headquarters, but I had work to do in Beijing.
We decided to follow the procession carrying food supplies to Beijing.
With countless imperial guards keeping a close watch, who would dare to steal the food supplies?
There was no need to be nervous, so it couldn't have been more comfortable.
We slowly followed the food carts escorted by the imperial guards.
Looking at it this way, there really is a lot.
This food will probably be sent to areas that are in relatively poor condition.
Any additional food obtained through continued trade will be distributed to other areas where the situation is slightly better.
Since this is trade on a national level, it will be sent to Nanjing and then transferred to Beijing for distribution.
We plan to go up the coast and deliver the grain to a place near Beijing, but there are various issues, such as ship maintenance.
By the way, this was our first trade, so we didn't encounter any pirate attacks, but I'm worried about the future.
If word gets out that we are trading such a large amount of food, pirates will surely come.
Furthermore, as the scale increases and the distance grows, we will have to face even more vicious pirates.
Those who pose as merchants but are actually pirates are also a problem.
However, this is a new market that we must enter, even if it means risking our lives, for the sake of huge profits.
To do so, we need military force capable of defeating the pirates...
Cannons are the easiest solution, but cannons and gunpowder are strictly controlled by the empire.
We could obtain them through the emperor, but that would raise issues of fairness.
As we were discussing this, we heard a shout from ahead.
“We'll spend the night here.”
“Yes!”
Our party also began to prepare for the night.
At that moment, a deer came bounding toward us.
“What? A deer!”
An arrow flew toward the deer and pierced its body.
Deer are very fast animals.
Therefore, it is quite difficult to hit it with an arrow, but it was a very skillful shot.
Soon, someone approached the deer and said,
“We have an unexpected dinner. Can you help us?”
Upon hearing that, the imperial guards rushed over, picked up the deer, and went somewhere, giggling.
Seo Woo said,
“We'll go catch something too.”
“Go ahead.”
With my permission, Seo Woo and Myeongjong entered the forest.
Now that they were gone, I would be able to eat something delicious... Ah!
Suddenly, I remembered the arrow that had hit the deer so accurately, and a memory came to mind.
In my previous life, I was called Gung-shin.
He was called that because of his exceptional archery skills.
Cheonpa-gung (Heaven-Breaking Bow).
It was a grandiose name that meant “arrow that breaks the sky,” and its power lived up to its name.
It was an archery technique that had been passed down in his family for generations, but it was lost in his generation.
The Heaven-Breaking Bow was not only powerful, but also had a long range due to the inner arts infused into the arrows.
That would be very useful when our Eunhae Trading Company advances into the open sea in the future.
All right, I've decided what to do next.
It was morning.
When I woke up, Seo Woo, who was standing guard, looked at me and said, “Are you awake?”
“Did you cough?”
“Yes. But Pal-gap... I guess he's already up.”
“He went into the forest to prepare a special meal for today.”
“What? A special meal?”
“Isn't today a special day?”
Huh? A special day? What day is it?
As I pondered, Seo Woo smiled and continued.
“You must be too busy to remember. Today is the Captain's birthday.”
“Oh, right.”
Come to think of it, it really was my birthday.
Seo Woo's eyes softened.
“Happy birthday, Captain.”
“Thank you.”
Pal-gap made a meal for me with ingredients he picked in the mountains.
“Even though it's early November, there are still quite a few things left here in the southern region.”
The meal consisted of a bird stuffed with fruits and roasted, and a soup made with mushrooms picked in the mountains.
“Wow, this is a feast that's hard to eat in a place like this. Thank you, I'll eat well.”
“Hehe.”
At my words, Pal-gap rubbed his nose with a shy expression.
The food Pal-gap made was really delicious.
And I could feel Pal-gap's feelings toward me, which warmed my heart.
No matter how much I think about it, meeting Pal-gap was the best luck of my life.
Thanks to him always looking out for me, I can concentrate on my work without worrying about trivial matters.
The leaders of the Trading Company who were traveling with me knew it was my birthday and congratulated me.
“By the way, your birthday is an important opportunity to meet influential people, but you let it pass by like this.”
This is why they say that birds of a feather flock together.
As he said, my birthday is an opportunity to connect with people I've always wanted to connect with.
However, sometimes things are beyond our control.
Right now, traveling between Nanjing and Beijing is much more important than that.
“Still, it's very nice to hear birthday wishes from the captain of the Trading Company.”
“Hahaha, you're making me embarrassed. I couldn't even give you a proper birthday present.”
“You can give me my birthday present later.”
“Yes, I will be sure to give you a present when I arrive in Beijing.”
After exchanging light congratulations, we prepared to depart, and our procession set off again.
“It looks like we will arrive in three days.”
“I see.”
I nodded at Seo Woo's words. Perhaps because he was an experienced Head Escort, he was very skilled at calculating the journey.
Come to think of it, I am already twenty-three years old.
It has been eight years since I came back from death at the age of fifteen and resumed my life.
Thinking about it this way, it feels strange.
When I thought about the things I had achieved and changed during that time, a smile appeared on my face.
There are many things.
But it is still not enough.
There is still quite a bit of time left before I can become the world's best Trading Company, and it is not enough to take revenge on the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Martial Alliance.
So, I must work harder!
Before we knew it, it was evening.
We had arrived at a village with an inn nearby.
The commander of the royal army approached us and asked, "Where are you going?
“The Minister of Rites and the other officials are going to an inn. What will you do?”
At his words, we looked at each other.
Our answer was already decided.
“No merchant stays away from their goods while they are being transported.”
“...?”
“We haven't received payment from His Majesty the Emperor yet, have we?”
To be precise, it was a fee for this trip, but that was the same thing.
At my words, the commander of the imperial guards' eyes lit up.
“I see. I understand.”
He nodded his head.
Huh? What is it? He looks quite satisfied.
Anyway, we're spending the night here again.
As the group was preparing for the overnight stay, Geum-ryeong suddenly popped out of my sleeve.
“Kui!”
“Huh? Why? What's wrong?”
Geum-ryeong doesn't usually come out of my sleeve unless I call him.
“Kui! Kui!”
“Huh? Wait a moment?”
Geum-ryeong disappeared in a flash.
Huh? What's going on?
Well, it's just Geum-ryung, so there's no need to worry.
But I am curious.
Geum-ryung soon returned, but unlike usual, she was covered in dirt.
She placed something she had been holding in her mouth on my lap.
“Kui! Kui!”
“Huh? You brought me a present? Is this why you went out?”
Gyeong-ryung nodded in response to my question.
I tilted my head, picked it up, and was surprised.
“Huh? How did you get this?”