Chapter 97 Intelligence (Please read! Please recommend!)
Chapter 96
Not only Bruno, but also Kallio attached great importance to the plan of selling sea salt.
After all, this was his first mission after joining Idar County, so Kalio saw it as an important opportunity to prove his worth and vision! Seeing that the Earl not only readily agreed, but also praised him, Kalio's mind gradually became active.
"My Lord Count, after I came to Idar, I drank two kinds of strong liquor in a tavern in the south of the city. They were called vodka and whiskey. I think these two strong liquors may have a very broad market. Can we try to let the Idar Chamber of Commerce sell them?" Kalio tried to seek Bruno's opinion.
"I just handed the Chamber of Commerce over to you, and you've already learned to take on tasks for yourself?"
Bruno glanced at him with a half-smile, which made Kallio look embarrassed.
"It's all at the Earl's command..." Kallio explained hurriedly.
"There's no need to rush the sale of strong liquor. Since even you think that selling strong liquor will make you a huge profit, don't others think of it? Idar Territory does have strong liquor, but the question is... can Idar Territory always have such strong liquor?"
Bruno's words made sense, but Kallio still felt it was a pity: "But if we only sell it in the tavern in Idar, the sales volume will be limited..."
"So, while you are running the Chamber of Commerce, you should also send someone to the Kingdom of Basel to explore the way."
"The Kingdom of Basel?" Kallio asked in surprise.
"Could it be that... Lord Count, you want to sell these liquors to the Kingdom of Basel?"
Bruno smiled but said nothing.
You only thought of the second floor, but I'm actually on the fifth floor! Selling liquor to the Kingdom of Basel was actually just Bruno's original idea.
After all, the distance between Idar Territory and the Kingdom of Basel is much closer than the distance between Idar Territory and the imperial capital, Saint Lawrence.
Similarly, although selling spirits to the Kingdom of Basel would inevitably let other noble lords of the Norman Empire know that Idar was selling spirits, it would take at least half a year from the time the news came out to the time it was confirmed.
And this half year is enough time for Idar to develop for a long time.
Besides, after the Odins launched an attack on the Norman Empire, those nobles would no longer have the energy to cause trouble for Idar.
As Bruno's understanding of this world became more and more detailed, he gradually discovered other benefits of opening up trade routes to the Kingdom of Basel.
But if he told the story in detail, there would inevitably be suspicion of padding the words, so Bruno asked Calio to go down first and discuss the preparations for the Chamber of Commerce with L'Hôpital.
Although Kalio had left, Kalio's words about the war in the northern border of the empire still lingered in Bruno's ears.
This is not because his analysis is so good. After all, if Bruno had this information, he should be able to analyze it.
What made Bruno frown the most was that a mere ordinary merchant was so much more informed than himself!
Although merchants travel to many places and have more information, you have to know that you are a real noble! There are so many spies under your command, but no one has reported and sorted out the information.
This also made Bruno deeply feel the extremely poor intelligence gathering capabilities of the Idar Territory, or in other words, the extremely poor intelligence gathering capabilities of this era.
Idar had always had spies before. Before the Battle of Gran Heights broke out, most of Idar's spies were concentrated in the territory of Sauron, providing Bruno with information on the movements of Sauron's troops.
Now, the spies of Idar Territory have been sent out to promote the good life in Idar Territory to the civilians in other noble territories (see Chapter 63 for details), so as to trick more civilians into settling in Idar Territory.
However, most of these spies were small-time spies who would carry a few silver shillings and copper coins and start hanging around in the taverns.
Moreover, he didn't know how to hide himself at all, and didn't understand what it meant to attack from the side. He was just short of shouting that he was a spy...
Bruno was aware of how backward the intelligence system of Idar Territory was, but those spies were enough to deal with the Sauron Territory.
Bruno was also afraid that he would develop too quickly. If he invested money in developing the intelligence system, it might lead to financial constraints in Idar County and affect the construction of wonders.
Therefore, Bruno had always turned a blind eye to the extremely backward intelligence network in Idar Territory, and was content with using it as long as it could be used.
However, Kallio's arrival sounded the alarm for Bruno. Idar's intelligence system really needed to be rectified...
Perhaps it will not be possible to fully develop the Idar Territory’s intelligence system in the beginning, but the necessary training and the most basic framework can be implemented and built as soon as possible.
One must take one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. Building an intelligence system is not something that can be done overnight. Bruno is very clear about this.
Moreover, as the situation changes, although the dynamics of the Odin Empire and the Norman Empire will not directly affect the Idar Territory, it will indirectly affect various parts of the empire.
If the war situation continues to deteriorate, the Lordship of Idar, also a vassal of the Norman Empire, may also be dragged into the quagmire of war.
The pirate threat facing Idar's homeland has reappeared in the dire situation in the northern part of the empire, and Bruno feels overwhelmed.
Why are you fighting when you have nothing better to do? Can't you just sit back and enjoy the spectacle?
"Liszt," Bruno called out.
"At your service..."
"Prepare a letter and write it to the Regency Council. Say that after the long-planned attack by Solon, Idar was attacked by pirates from the Kingdom of Basel. The people of Idar suffered heavy casualties. The newly planted rice was also burned. Most of the serfs who were responsible for boiling salt with seawater were abducted by pirates. The people of Idar were miserable... In short, write about how miserable the situation is, and then ask for help from the Regency Council at the end. The serfs will not refuse any money." Bruno said.
Since you have suffered a disaster, you must report it as seriously as possible. If you report a more serious situation, you may get more benefits. In any case, you will not suffer any loss.
Besides, if the war in the north gets tense and they need to call on lords from all over the country to bring their private armies to support the battle, Lord Idar will have a reason to shirk responsibility...
I'm already in such a miserable state, and you still want to drag me to fight? ...
Is the pace of these chapters a bit slow? I feel like I've written too much...
First update, (End of this chapter)
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