Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 533 Compensation Agreements and Arms Transactions

Once again, the five giants of the Overseas Autonomous Territory gathered together.

It was the day after Claude led the Thunder Corps soldiers to Wangdu, Prime Minister Blancat sent all parliamentarians and representatives of the Duke's officers, as well as the Deacon of the Wangdu office, and a convoy of disarmed guards to the cantonment camp of Thunder Fourth Division. Claude, on the other hand, refused to travel to King Frederick I, for which he deeply regretted Prime Minister Blancat.

The gathering was attended by more Speaker Bennett and Chairman Henderman, both of whom, like General Bolognick, remained unharmed for more than 20 days in captivity. And General Skerry had a scar on his face, a bandage tied to his left hand, and, like most of the marquis officers, he suffered a lot. He was severely tortured the first two days of his arrest because he refused some unreasonable requests, and luckily the Prime Minister's early intervention did not exacerbate his wounds.

Claude left a folder in his hand on the table: “Look, it's a compensation agreement from Prime Minister Blanchard, so called His Majesty the King. ”

The folder was left in front of Chairman Henderman, who picked it up and flipped it open. He looked at it with a few glances and read it out loud: "Allowing the Overseas Minsheng Bank to open branches in the mainland of the Kingdom requires an annual management fee of one million gold kroons to be paid to the National Bank. As long as a deposit of 10 million gold kroner is reserved at the National Bank, low-denomination banknotes with a total value of less than 20 million gold kroner can be issued in the Kingdom's mainland, and the banknote drawings must be reviewed and approved by the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance...

Overseas autonomous railway companies are allowed to jointly venture into railway transport operations in the Kingdom's mainland, to set up the Royal Auvellas Railway Operator's Office, to occupy 40% of the shares in the Kingdom's outbound land, to take 60% of the shares in financial resources, manpower and technology from overseas autonomy, and to construct and operate railway transport lines covering the Kingdom's mainland for a total period of 50 years. Upon the expiration of the 50-year period, all shares will be repurchased at the expense of the Kingdom.

This decree is a 50% deduction on the martial fees and land selection fees of the overseas autonomous territories. Those injured in this conflict are exempted from land selection fees. In order to express the apologies of the King and His Majesty the Queen to all of you and not to hold you solemn, I implore you once again to understand... "

“I am sorry that Prime Minister Blanchard was a difficult negotiator to deal with, and we negotiated only three compensation agreements overnight.” Claude said.

Speakers Bennett and Henderman were both delighted, and Speaker Bennett was excited to say, "It would be amazing if these three agreements could be reached. The kingdom had allowed us to open only an overseas Minsheng Bank in White Deer City, and now we can open branches in the capitals and towns of counties throughout the kingdom itself, meaning that our banknotes can also be issued to the kingdom itself. ”

Claude pulled a cigar out of a cigar box on the table and lit it: "The kingdom hasn't actually suffered. Didn't you see that our Overseas Minsheng Bank is required to pay a management fee of one million gold kroner a year? This is equivalent to another branch system run by the National Bank. I recall Viscount Goodick mentioning that all branches run by the National Bank in counties throughout the kingdom have a total operating profit of less than one million gold kroner in a year...

In addition to scraping the management fee from the Overseas Minsheng Bank, the Royal Ministry of Finance actually came up with the idea of introducing our low-denomination banknotes as a substitute for the physical currency of metal. After all, there is little profit, not to mention the risk of a loss, from casting these low-denomination metallic currencies in kind. That's why Prime Minister Blanchard asked the Overseas Minsheng Bank to pay a deposit of 10 million gold kroner, issue another 20 million gold kroner in low-denomination banknotes, and use our bank to try the water in the kingdom. ”

Chairman Henderman asked, "But the notes here aren't the kind we issue in overseas autonomous territories, so do we need to redesign the new monetary patterns and counterfeit logos? ”

Claude nodded: "Yes, this low-denomination banknote issued in the Kingdom itself needs to be redesigned with graphics and counterfeit identification. Blancat should accordingly decide to substitute such banknotes for the real currency of low-denomination metals issued locally in the Kingdom, although this would not prevent the circulation of banknotes issued by our overseas autonomous territories in the Kingdom itself. The only difference is that the National Bank of the Kingdom does not recognize banknotes issued by our overseas autonomous territories, but only such newly issued banknotes. ”

Speaker Bennett explained: "That's okay, the National Bank doesn't admit that we issue banknotes, our overseas Minsheng Bank does. As soon as we open the branches of the Overseas Minsheng Bank to the counties of the kingdom itself, we believe that we will soon surpass the National Bank and become the first bank in the Kingdom of Orvilas. ”

President Henderman pointed to the second laugh on the document: “I didn't expect the King's court to compensate us by throwing this railway into operation, which is good enough. I recall that it was initially the Wang Ting people who demanded that our overseas autonomous territories hand over to them, free of charge, the technology for railway construction and train production, saying that they were supporting railway construction in the Kingdom itself, which was rejected by us. The second time was when they were going to pay to buy production technology from us about railways and trains, but they only offered 300,000 gold kroner, and we drove them back again..."

General Scully laughed: “Looks like they're getting the hang of it, too, knowing that railroads and trains can't be done with a mouthful of words. Like our now autonomous railway companies, although we have made good operating gains, we invest a lot of money each year in technological improvements, and now the locomotives are the fifth generation of stereotyped steam engines…

Without our participation, the kingdom itself would have to reinvest a great deal of money in the development of steam locomotives. And now that you're running with us, I don't know how much money and time you saved. It is a very cost-effective agreement that the King's Court will now receive a railway line that covers the entire kingdom and will receive 40 percent of the net proceeds from us in the next 50 years. ”

“Prime Minister Blanchard is a smart man who knows how to cooperate and share, and how to make profits work for each other.” Claude spits a smoke slowly: "We once calculated that at least three million gold kroner a year would be gained if a railway line covering all the counties of the kingdom were built on the mainland. This railway line, which covers the counties of the mainland of the Kingdom, has a total investment of around KK 20 million and does not include the requisition of land for the construction of the railway.

Prime Minister Blancat said that the previous construction of railway lines and the operation of railway houses were in the hands of those aristocratic families. They were unable to obtain rail and train production technology from the overseas autonomous territories because of the controversy over the amount of shares and investments, so much so that plans for the construction of railway lines on the mainland of the Kingdom had existed only on paper.

Now that the attention of these aristocratic families has shifted to the hereditary family territory they have acquired, Wang Ting has regained control over the construction of the railway, which will enable us to reach this railway cooperative operation agreement with our autonomous leaders. If we had enough labour, we could have built several operational railroads within two years, operating side by side, and within seven or eight years we could have built rail lines covering all the counties in the kingdom.

With 20 million dollars invested in railway construction, I estimate it will take 15 to 20 years to recover the total investment cost, and the remaining 30 years will be net income. So this time, 20 million gold kroner in railway construction funds, I propose to be raised by the overseas Minsheng Bank issuing bonds. This railway construction bond can be transferred or held in hand to receive annual dividends, and can be passed on to future generations, and sold back to the Kingdom for principal and interest once the 50-year operating period has reached. ”

“Nice idea.” Speaker Bennett praised, "Marshal Claude made a good suggestion, and I mean set the face value of the bond at 100 gold kroner for subscription by our overseas self-governing people. A household is required to subscribe for only one bond, which is credited to the bank account of its head of household, to which annual dividends and earnings are credited. And we parliamentarians and nobles should stop pointing at this bond. I don't know, I think it's time we let the people of our Autonomous Territories get some war dividends. If we eat meat, we should let others drink soup too...”

A bond of 1 million gold kroner in nominal value and 20 million gold kroner in railway construction funds could benefit 200,000 people in autonomous territories, which would greatly help to consolidate the hearts and minds of the people of autonomous territories. Today, overseas autonomous territories are experiencing rapid economic development, people are becoming more affluent, and families with accumulated reserves of more than 100 gold kroner are everywhere. Depositing gold coins in banks would only yield very modest interest, but buying the railway bond could double the 100 gold kroner in a decade or so.

Claude knew perfectly well that Speaker Bennett's proposal was also intended primarily to appease the people of the Autonomous Territories. After all, all members of the Overseas Autonomous Territorial Assembly became honorary nobles of the kingdom and, by paying the fees for martyrdom and land selection, could acquire a patrimonial family territory in the eastern part of the Farea continent.

If news reached the Overseas Autonomous Territories, it would create a sense of abandonment among the people of the Autonomous Territories, and there would be farce and wind waves calling for the re-election of the Autonomous Consulates, even if they were exploited by those with a conscience. So we have to reassure the people by letting some of the interests out, and show that even if these members of parliament become hereditary nobles of the kingdom, they have not forgotten the interests of the self-governing people. Railway bonds are by far the best option, 100 gold kroner, benefiting up to 200,000 households...

Everyone here ignored the railroad topic, acquiescing to Speaker Bennett's proposal. This is followed by the last compensation agreement, with a 50% discount on martial fees and land selection fees, which is already a half discount on the sealed order. The lowest discount is known, except for those kingdom nobles of Sterling royal descent and several kingdom nobles who have made great efforts for the kingdom, that is, to push His Royal Highness Prince Frederick to ascend to power.

In addition, members of parliament and representatives of the marquis officers who were injured for various reasons after the clashes that night were exempted from land selection fees. Even General Skerry smiled and said that he had been tortured and injured, thus relieving KK 200,000 of the land selection fee, which was worth the beating. Injured parliamentarians and officers' representatives expressed great satisfaction with the sincerity of the King and Her Majesty's apologies...

Speakers Bennett and Henderman were also pleased with the discount granted by His Majesty the King and the treatment of the injured. As Prime Minister Blancat revealed to Claude, the noble ministers of the original Royal Court categorically opposed parliamentarians and marquis officers of the Overseas Autonomous Territories enjoying the same discounted and preferential treatment as they did, and as a result, all the murmurs in the Royal Court disappeared after Her Majesty sent palace guards to capture parliamentarians and officers' representatives of the Overseas Autonomous Territories, carrying away the enormous sum of 30 million gold kroner and sealing the Royal Capital Office...

Especially after the news that the Legion of Thunder was marching towards Wang Du, the noble ministers of Wang Ting were in a mess, and some began to accuse others of not discriminating against parliamentarians and honorary nobles of overseas autonomous territories and should be given the same discounted preferential treatment. Some Wang Ting aristocratic ministers simply took time off from Wang Du in order to avoid the deterioration of the situation affecting themselves, and some honorary aristocrats wandering in Wang Du fuelled rumors, accusing the king of improper conduct...

To be honest, His Majesty had no excuse for giving discounts and preferences to the representatives of the Autonomous Territories without the reckless instruction of Queen Christie to the guards of the Palace and the representatives of the Overseas Autonomous Territories. Instead, the conflict allowed both sides to have a step under which His Majesty the King compensated with discounts and concessions, and parliamentarians from overseas autonomous territories were glad that they had not acted as wrongdoers and received a half discount...

Claude can only smile in his heart, thankfully he didn't really make a big move. Even these wounded councillors and marquis officers can forget about the conflict they had with Queen Christie, forget about the injuries they suffered from being severely beaten by the guards of the palace, be satisfied with the compensation that His Majesty has given them, and there is really no reason for Claude to stand up for them and retaliate against the king and queen...

Just like last night, Mrs. Maria visited Claude's camp overnight. Claude knew exactly what Mrs. Maria was coming for, and she was just here to talk to her daughter. And Lady Maria knows the weight of Claude now, the military power of the Overseas Autonomous Territories alone, the hundred victorious kingdom marshals, capable of influencing or destroying the entire kingdom.

Nobody expected a pair of apprentices who had met in the small town of Bai Lu to change so dramatically today that their identities seemed to have been turned upside down. Lady Maria was the noble lady Claude looked up to, the righteous sister of King Sterling. And now Lady Maria is the Queen's mother, and her identity hasn't changed much.

But Claude grew up from a knowledgeable teenager to a commander-in-chief who could even decide the future of the kingdom of Orvilas and the survival of the Sterling royal family. The two disciples met again, but did not mention a single word about Claude's purpose in leading the Legion of Thunder to Wang Du, only to recall what it was like when they met in Bai Lu Town.

Mrs. Maria was very concerned about the situation of Claude's sister, Anna. She was told that she was an adult mother and could not help but lament the fact that time had passed too quickly. The young girl, who was a good governor, was now a mother. She was very impressed with the makeover. She wanted to think of Anna as her own disciple, and even wanted Anna to be her daughter-in-law. It was a pity that her precious son screwed everything up.

Lady Maria did not mention her daughter, Queen Christie, nor did she ask Claude for mercy or anything. She simply left a thick notebook on her way out, instructing Claude to hand it over to her sister, Anna. This thick notebook contains Mrs. Maria's pharmacological thoughts and research as a senior pharmacist, arguably priceless.

Claude was unable to tell Mrs. Maria that her sister had long been misguided from a primary pharmacist to an arms research specialist. Mrs. Maria said her sister Anna was the most talented pharmacist she had ever seen, so she left her with a notebook that documented her life's hard work, hoping Anna could go further in pharmacology...

Since the victimized parliamentarians and officers' representatives did not intend to hold Queen Christie accountable, Claude naturally skipped the question. If you don't look at Buddha's face, you look at Lady Maria's face, and Claude will let Queen Christie go this time.

President Henderman reckoned with his eyes closed for a while and frowned: “Even if His Majesty gave us a 50% discount and waived the land selection fees for the injured delegates, we would still not be able to pay the martial fees and land selection fees for all of us. I have estimated that we are still 17 million gold kroner..."

“Otherwise we say no money, just 30 million gold kroner, love or not, let them give us a few more discounts...” Speaker Bennett still wants to play scoundrel.

Claude was all laughed at: "Turn the page around, and Prime Minister Blancat wrote two more requests to our Autonomous Military Region to provide the Kingdom with a new rifle and an Ironclad fleet to make up for the difference of KK 16 million. It should be noted that our Marshal Bolognick agreed to these two requests...”

Marshal Bolognick, who remained silent, blushed: "Yes, I promised. The Kingdom's military industry has now produced new rifles just like ours, and several shipyards have come together to develop Ironclad warships. It's just that the prices they reported to the Royal Army Ministry are outrageous: one new rifle costs 45 gold kroner, one bullet costs a silver taller. An Ironclad warship costs KK 680,000.

I think it would be better for our overseas autonomous territories to earn this money instead of letting the kingdom's military industries, which are dominated by old aristocratic power. So I agreed to the request of His Majesty the King and Prime Minister Blancat that our Overseas Autonomous Territories provide the Royal Army with 400,000 new rifles and 40 million new rounds of ammunition. And we build an Ironclad fleet of 16 Ironclad warships for the kingdom, a deal that we can use to cover the remaining 10 million missing martial fees and land selection fees... "