Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 417: Viscount Guddich

Claude returned to his residence at 8 p.m., the governor's house in the inner city of Port Cobichous, and is now Claude's temporary residence. Sergeant Kester walked in, he was also a veteran about to retire, and he was one of two guards who survived serious injuries the last time Claude was attacked by a Grey Tower magician. Now that the wound has been raised, facing retirement, and because of his loyalty and honesty, coupled with the fact that his family is no longer alone, Claude is prepared to keep him as a close servant, the kind of noble family minister.

Sergeant Kester reported on Claude, who was about to take a shower and relax: "General, Viscount Goodick has come to visit you, and he has been waiting for you for almost an hour. ”

Viscount Goodech? That's a bit of an impression, but Claude still doesn't remember who this nobleman is. Sergeant Kester cautioned: "General, Viscount Goodick is the head of the branch of the National Bank...”

It was him, Claude immediately remembered. The Kingdom of Ovieras has established branches of the National Bank in overseas jurisdictions to conduct commercial trade financial transactions, administrative military expenditures, local tax levies, and civilian savings loans in overseas jurisdictions. National banks in overseas territories are arguably the only financial monopolies, and all significant spending and commercial transactions depend on national banks.

However, the National Bank of the Overseas Territories of Nubicia does not have the right to issue casting coins, and all required gold and silver copper coins are shipped from the mainland of the Kingdom. The size of commercial transactions in the Overseas Territories cannot be expanded due to the Kingdom's restrictions on the amount of large foreign currencies traded in the Overseas Territories, because even if transactions are concluded, there is not enough cash in the National Bank to pay for them, which has a significant adverse impact on the economic development of the Overseas Territories.

Each of the Kingdom's eight overseas jurisdictions has a branch of the National Bank, originally at the end of the fearless fleet's east-bound route in Port Patres, where the branch also serves as a branch of the National Bank in the mainland of Nubian, with jurisdiction over the remaining jurisdictions. Later, a new route was opened in Bai Lu City, and the terminal seaport became the port of Corbichous, and the branch of the port of Patres was relocated to the port of Corbichous, mainly for the convenience of money delivery and transoceanic trade settlement.

Claude took control of Tilsim's branch of the National Bank here, but unfortunately he couldn't find the head of the branch, Viscount Goodick. In the affidavit of allegiance to the great prince of Hansburg, signed by the governors and governors of the three direct governorates, the heads of the three direct governors had faces, some figures of stature and power had signed it, but only if the name of this Viscount Guddich could not be found...

Claude also had to abandon the idea of hitting the National Bank, and if Viscount Goodech signed it, Claude could still arrest him as a rebel, and could easily identify that the reserves in the bank were intended to be forfeited to Grand Prince Hansburg, a rebel military expense. But Viscount Goodicz did not give him that opportunity, and even ordered his subordinates to cooperate in the collection of the Governor's and the Superintendents' accounts, as well as those of the administrators, locals, who had signed the affidavit. Otherwise, Claude would never have scratched that enormous sum of over a million gold kroner.

But what brings this Viscount Goodech to visit so late? Claude thought about it and told Sergeant Kester: "Take this Viscount Goodech to the study and let him wait. I'll take a shower and I'll see him. ”

Claude flushed his body and changed his nightgown before walking to the study. When he entered the door, he saw Viscount Goodech, in his forties, leaning on the couch, wondering what had gone into God and not even Claude.

Claude coughed twice.

Viscount Goodech returned to God and hurried up slightly bending over to pay tribute: "General Claude, I'm sorry to bother you so late. ”

Claude waved, “It's okay, I'm glad you're here, Viscount Goodick, and thank you so much for working with us on our inventory of the rebels' assets in the bank, which has been very helpful to our war zone military spending. By the way, what would you like to drink, blueberry? ”

Viscount Goodech was also polite, and he was well aware that the Governor's residence was only a temporary residence for Claude, and that all the liquor in the study was from the original Governor's collection. He stood up and looked in front of the liquor cabinet and said, "I personally think the sky is blue, pure and sweet, with a long taste. I drank it once and I haven't forgotten how it tastes. ”

Sky blue? Claude thought about it, as if he'd heard, it was the best of blueberry fruit wines, and the liquid was light blue, crystal clear, looking out into the blue sky, hence the name sky blue. I didn't expect this captured governor to have such a good wine collection, but now he's giving it to Claude cheaply.

“Okay, let's try the sky blue.” Claude took the sky blue out of the wine cabinet and took out two more crystal glasses. After opening the cork, pour the liquid into the glass, which looks like a clear pool of water under bright candlelight.

Claude lifted the glass and poured a little bit of imported, which was really good, with a hint of blueberry freshness and sweetness. Neither of them spoke, so they slowly drank the wine from the crystal glass.

“Not bad, it's the best in blueberry fruit wine.” Claude praised and poured another glass to Viscount Goodick and himself. But this time Claude stopped drinking, and took the cup and asked, "Let's open the door, Viscount Goodech. What brings you here tonight? ”

“Here's the thing, General Claude, I was wondering if this thing was made in your war zone?” Viscount Goodech dropped the cup, picked up a black leather bag he had on the couch and pulled out several coils of different denominations from it.

“Yes, it was issued in our war zone. Immigrants had flocked to the war zone for some time, and there was an acute lack of funds for territorial development and construction, and there was no alternative to issuing vouchers to compensate migrants for their labour. These vouchers allow immigrants to purchase a variety of necessities from the various comptoirs in the theatre, depending on their par value, and the comptoirs can be used to exchange real gold and silver from the theatre logistics department. No way, there is now a lack of cash in overseas jurisdictions, and we asked the head of the Amphiston National Bank branch, who said that the branch could not provide that much gold and silver copper coin, and that the war zone had to issue such a voucher. ”

Claude first explained how and why this money roll was released, and he wondered if the money roll was in the way of the National Bank? Did this Viscount Goodick come here at night to question the entertainer?

“I can only say that it was a genius idea for you to publish this golden roll.” The unexpected thing about Claude was Viscount Goodick's loud admiration: “You don't know, General, at the end of last year and in the first half of the year, the infinite network of immigrants coming from the mainland of the kingdom shook up the entire administration on a massive scale. The Governor and the Governor even bet when your war zone will collapse because, in their view, you recruited so many immigrants in the past to suffer purely from your own hardships. In terms of war zone military spending, you simply cannot accommodate so many immigrants...

I have also made a calculation that more than two million immigrants would have to spend at least three million gold kroner on them in order to be resettled. And the total value of all of the kingdom's currencies in circulation in overseas jurisdictions is so much, I can't think of how you would solve this problem in your war zone. You disappointed a lot of people, but you surprised me.

What surprises me most is that you have issued this voucher, which perfectly addresses the lack of funds for resettlement. I looked at this coil, and I thought that it could serve as a substitute for silver and gold in many cases. Just how much to issue requires careful estimation and enough gold and silver to collateralize. In the current situation, perhaps the war zone could promote this voucher to address the economic development dilemma caused by the lack of cash across overseas jurisdictions... "

Claude was stunned, and Viscount Goodick's words were clearly meant to be a sign of goodness to the war zone. The Viscount of Honor is a truly understandable man, well aware that the battlefield is already uniquely under overseas jurisdiction in the event of disconnection from the kingdom itself. Nothing about the future of overseas jurisdictions could bypass the war zone, not even the National Bank.

“You mean the National Bank is willing to issue this voucher for the war zone?” Claude asked with a smile.

Viscount Goodić shook his head: "I am sorry that the branches of the National Bank in overseas jurisdictions do not have this authority. But I think the war zone can prepare its own bank to issue this voucher. For example, gold and silver coins can be issued one to two times in kind, a gold clone can issue two vouchers of the same value, and copper coins can be replaced with vouchers, which is more convenient to carry. ”

“Can a war zone set up its own bank?” Claude was surprised to ask that he had no idea that there were banks in the Kingdom of Ovilas other than the National Bank.

Viscount Goodić nodded: "Of course, new banks can be offered as long as they do not overlap with the main operations of the National Bank. There are four private banks in Wangdu, which deal with off-site funds exchange, commercial loans, mortgage pawns and investment absorption, with even royal members investing in them.

The main business of the Kingdom's branches of national banks in overseas jurisdictions is commercial settlement of transcontinental trade between the two continents. Now that overseas jurisdictions are cut off from trade with the Kingdom's mainland, it can be said that the branches of the National Bank have lost their main operations. Until the two princes of the mainland of the kingdom decided to win or lose, the branch was no longer able to obtain the support of the mainland headquarters of the kingdom and deliver coins, which had lost its supporting role in the economic development of the overseas territories.

In addition, the mainland headquarters of the Kingdom has significant limits on the competencies of overseas territorial branches, preventing them from providing effective economic and financial support for the future development of the war zone. In this context, I personally believe that war zones should set up their own banks so that every penny can be used with maximum efficiency in order to bring more help to the economic development of war zones and territories... "

Claude lifted the cup in his hand to his mouth and slowly took a sip. After putting the cup down, Claude stared at Viscount Goodick and said, "I have a question, Viscount Goodick, and I want to know, for what purpose, as the head of the National Bank's overseas territorial branch, did you propose that the war zone organize its own bank? I hope you can give an honest and public answer..."

Viscount Goodech smiled bitterly and he drained all the liquor from the glass: "General Claude, dissatisfied that if you knew why I had come to overseas jurisdictions to become a branch manager, then you might understand why I suggested that the war zones set up their own banks. To be honest, I've been in charge of overseas territorial branches for eighteen years, and if it weren't for an accident, I'd probably be in charge of this branch until I retired.

When I was 18 years old, I graduated from Wangdu National High School No. 1 with the first grade in literature and became a civilian employee of Wangdu National Bank. For the next eight years, I have been working diligently, not daring to be lazy at all, and the position has been promoted step by step, becoming the deputy director of Wangdu's youngest branch. At the time, I thought my life was perfect, and my hard work and professionalism were worth everything I got.

This is where my bad luck begins. As deputy director of the branch, I have the authority to monitor the irregular flow of bank funds. Sometimes I regret that I was so enlightened that I found some unreasonable signs in a series of money flow sheets allocated by the National Bank for the construction of local utilities in Wangdu, and then I started investigating them. This is my stupidest place, young and cheerful, and I think this is a great opportunity to make a difference, not to tell anyone, but to hire investigators privately...

As a result, I succeeded. I lifted the veil of corruption in Wangdu local public utilities. Eight of the members of the National Bank alone were involved in this case, and their positions were higher than mine, because more than thirty local officials were arrested in this case. The first King Sterling X ordered severe punishment, and I was declared the Viscount of Honor of the Kingdom by recovering the financial losses of up to one million gold kroner for the Kingdom.

I thought I would be able to fly Huang Tengda from then on, and I didn't expect to be appointed as a branch manager in two months' time to overseas jurisdictions on the mainland of Nubicia. Remember the president of the head office also said very sincerely to me that I was the backstage show of the National Bank and that I went to overseas jurisdictions to be a branch manager in order to nurture me and exercise me. So I'm happy to be here.

When I got here, I realized that the authority of this branch manager was not as great as that of a local town branch manager in the Kingdom, it was just a setup, and then I was the branch manager here for 18 years... "

Claude also had to smile and shake his head, and to be honest, this Viscount Goodech had been very fortunate. The corruption cases involving up to KK 1 million of funds were clearly not solved by eight senior members of the National Bank, perhaps at a higher level, who were simply pushed out as scapegoats to sever ties with the upper echelons.

If Sterling X hadn't bestowed the title of Viscount Emeritus on Gudich, who had reported the corruption, perhaps the branch manager would have died long ago. That is, the title of honor preserved his life, and in the kingdom, murdering a civilian or even a national, the man behind the murderer might be able to escape.

But the murder of a nobleman is a major crime in the kingdom, just like stabbing a wasp, and all noblemen will put pressure on the case to find out the truth and severely punish all suspects involved. Heart to heart, this is the fear that all nobles will become the next murderers, so they will not let go of any one who dares to murder nobles.

Perhaps it was on this basis that senior members of the National Bank's head office took Viscount Goodick into exile as the head of the branch, making him invisible. As Viscount Goodech himself said, it is impossible for him to return to the King without retirement.

“So I don't want to spend the rest of my life in the position of head of this branch, and I don't want the knowledge I've learned to be useless. I'm only 45 years old this year, and I have 15 years to retire, and I want to find a place where I can play my talent, and I want revenge on the National Bank. Now is a good opportunity for me and the war zone to take advantage of the turmoil in the dispute between the two kings of the kingdom's mainland to build a bank in the overseas jurisdictions that rivals the National Bank...” said Viscount Goodick.

Claude poured the remaining liquid in the bottle evenly into two crystal glasses: “Viscount Goodech, I think we'll have lunch tomorrow at noon. I'd like to introduce you to General Scully, who may also be interested in setting up a bank..."