Chapter 285: A Smart Move?
The story ended with Ysabeau running out of the main hall, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Of course, Simon hadn’t told the story for the sake of lecturing about feudal moral codes; he was simply using it as an excuse to tell some risqué jokes and take a bit of playful advantage of Ysabeau.
In truth, Simon wasn’t in a hurry to overturn feudal traditions. Such deep-rooted things could only be changed slowly, like boiling a frog in warm water.
Besides, in his mind, the cultural renaissance he envisioned wasn’t simply about building a theater. Forced artistry would never achieve the results he wanted.
His sudden interest in building a theater was mainly to add entertainment options in Brambleford and boost the government’s revenue. It was part of his broader urban development plan.
Naturally, he couldn’t say that publicly. Those who pretended to be refined would sneer at him behind his back.
To Simon, theater could help spread certain ideas among the populace, but the true foundation of the Renaissance lay with the Oxford Academy, in education.
As long as the students at the Oxford Academy absorbed his teachings, the cultural renaissance would already be half complete. After all, even in the West, the Renaissance first took hold among the educated elite and then spread downward.
Thus, for Simon, theater was only a small card in his hand. His real priorities were three things: building up commerce, spreading education, and strengthening the military.
After leaving the theater project entirely to Ysabeau, Simon threw himself fully into another weapon project following the cannons: the flintlock musket.
According to the knowledge he possessed, in modern history, the first tubular metal firearms appeared in Europe during the 1330s. These early firearms were called ’hand cannons,’ evolving later into matchlock smoothbore guns, which remained in use in Europe until the 16th century.
Around the same time, during the 16th century, Portuguese traders introduced matchlocks to natives during the 22nd year of the Old Emperor’s reign.
Thus, the origin of the Old Dynasty’s bird gun was always debated: some said it was invented independently, some said it was brought from Latin, and others believed it came directly from the West.
But regardless, from the 16th century onward, the world had entered the era of firearms. By the mid-17th century, flintlock muskets had become mainstream.
As for why the Eldorian Empire hadn’t yet come into contact with firearms, Simon remained puzzled. By historical patterns, the Eldorian Empire should at least have encountered guns and cannons.
But apparently, the Eldorian Empire hadn’t. The only plausible reason Simon could find was that the Eldorian Empire had long neglected maritime activities. With coastal areas now overrun by Latin pirates, exchanges with the outside world had been severely cut off.
Moreover, the capital Eldora was inland. Even if foreigners had made contact, it would have been with Prince Gerad or Prince Vaelric first.
Thinking of all this, Simon frowned.
Regardless, he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Now that cannon production had stabilized, producing flintlocks had to become a top priority. He was running out of time.
Partly, he needed them to defend against Latin’s potential invasion three years later. But more importantly, he planned to drive the reavers out of West Ham and push them beyond the Snake Pass before the Latin even attacked.
That way, he could avoid fighting a two-front war, and his musketeers could gain real battlefield experience.
Just as he was deep in thought, Ysabeau, who had earlier fled blushing, returned. "My Lord, Edger has returned."
"He’s back? Quick, let him in!" Simon said excitedly.
Last winter, he had sent Edger to the steppe to purchase slaves. He was curious to see the results.
A moment later, Edger, dressed in a purple round-collar robe, entered the hall and bowed. "My Lord, this official has returned."
"How was the harvest this time?" Simon asked with a smile.
Edger answered. "Just as Your Highness predicted, this year many cattle and sheep froze to death on the steppe. To avoid starvation, many reaver tribes secretly traded slaves with us. Over the past few months, I purchased twelve thousand strong slaves. I await Your Highness’s inspection."
"No need. Very good. I’m severely short on manpower right now." Simon said thoughtfully. ’Hand these slaves over to Roland immediately."
He added. "Edger, you know Brambleford’s census results. We desperately lack laborers. You must continue purchasing slaves from the steppe. Also, open a new channel: buy slaves from the pirates at Ashenford."
"Buying slaves from pirates!" Edger’s eyes gleamed. He chuckled. "My Lord, that could work. But pirates demand real silver and gold, not like the reavers, who are happy with old grain."
"Well, I have no spare silver for you. Brambleford is spending money everywhere." Simon said with a grin.
Edger pulled a long face. "My Lord, you’re putting me in a tough spot! I’ve dealt with pirates before; they’re ruthless. Not so easy to fool."
"Don’t worry," Simon said. "I’m not sending you empty-handed. It’s getting late today. Go rest. Tomorrow, I’ll give you what you need."
Edger hesitated but nodded.
The next day, Simon summoned him to the glass workshop.
Inside, Simon pointed at a large wooden crate and said. "There’s your capital."
Edger walked over and opened the crate. His eyes went wide. "My Lord... This... This is too precious!"
Inside the crate were heaps of glass marbles, simple green-tinted marbles, the kind Simon had once played with as a child.
Grabbing a handful, the marbles made a pleasant clinking sound in his hand.
Simon smiled and said. "Exactly because they’re precious, you can use them to trade for slaves. No problem, right?"
Of course, Simon knew the real value of these marbles. Now that he controlled glass production, this entire crate wasn’t even worth a hundred caps of silver.
But in the Eldorian Empire, glass was considered a luxury. He was certain that even Latin pirates hadn’t seen such craftsmanship. They would treasure these marbles as priceless gems.
"N-no... No problem!" Edger stammered. To him, this crate was a treasure trove.
Simon continued. "Be clever. These marbles can be used not just to buy slaves. If you can also trade them for gold and silver, all the better. Bring it all back."
Edger, who had plenty of experience dealing with pirates, knew the impact these marbles would have. He took a deep breath and said. "My Lord, rest assured. I’ll make sure to exchange this box for its full worth."
Simon nodded slightly. Once, the West had used a few glass beads to trick Native Americans out of vast lands. He couldn’t fall behind. As long as he held this technological advantage, he would fully exploit it.