Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 1013

Episode 1013: The name of firewood is arms race (6)

“Promises must be kept. Especially promises between countries.”

“Let’s be honest. We protect the empire because it is powerful.”

“Shh!”

“The Empire’s complaints are complaints, but there has been a lot of talk about this within us as well. It’s time to take action.”

In this way, the process of abolishing local tariffs, which can be called double taxation, has begun. Here Italian officials found a new source of finance.

The method was simple.

-Instead of abolishing local tariffs, raise the rate of import duties levied at ports.

From the merchants’ point of view, this was still a decision they could accept. As the tax rate increased, the amount of tax to be paid increased, but it was a low amount compared to the amount paid every time one passed through the city or gateway. On the contrary, there was a backlash from cities that suddenly lost a valuable tax source. But local merchants stopped them.

“Think of the taxes we paid every time we built another city! This will actually bring you great profits!”

“profit?’

“Do you think there are one or two merchants from the guild who only stayed in the city because of those damn tariffs? Now they too will begin to travel commercially!”

“Aha!”

Most of the city’s leaders were large merchants or bankers. Thanks to this, they were able to immediately grasp the hidden meaning of that answer.

-Merchants are becoming more active . If so, more taxes will come in.

– Immediate taxes are not everything. If this happens, merchants will also need more capital and will eventually have to take out loans from us! The

city’s leader concluded that it was in everyone’s interest . The Italian government no longer complained and accepted the central government’s decision. Having secured financial resources in this way, the Italian government began to more actively pursue the construction of ironclad ships.

This was the beginning.

Italian officials became more active in reforming the tax system. This made the government’s finances sound. As the government’s finances became sound, the government’s capabilities were strengthened and the Italian government began to act more actively. Meanwhile, Italian politicians and citizens who were observing the situation were monitoring the central government’s officials. He praised:

“As expected, since unification, talented people have emerged!”

“It’s not just talented people! Now I can draw the big picture with ease!’

The people of the empire tilted their heads as they saw the Italians praising instead of complaining.

“Isn’t it strange that Europe, even though it’s one country, has separate tariffs for each neighborhood?”

“Isn’t it even more strange that they didn’t know that there were many problems with their tax affairs until now?”

Although most people in the empire, except for a few experienced and knowledgeable people, did not know, the influence of the empire was beyond imagination.

* * *

Italy’s tax reform European powers, seeing the positive effects, soon tried it in their own countries. Here, there was a difference between success and failure.

Those who succeeded in reforming were Portugal, England, and France, and those who failed were Spain and Habsburg. Portugal’s success was in some ways natural. It was Italy. To be exact, Portugal was the first country to come into contact with the empire, along with Florence. Naturally, it had early access to the culture and various systems of the empire. It

was not just the empire. In the process of traveling between the empires, it was also possible to interact with the Ming and Japan. This was the biggest reason for the success of reform. At this time, the empire and Ming had the most advanced systems in the world. Therefore, Italy and Portugal were the first to begin exchanges with the countries of Northeast Asia, led by the empire. It was a successful reform.

It was perhaps natural that France was able to succeed. Since the era of Charles VII, the prewar king, France had been reducing the power of the nobility and, conversely, increasing the power of the nation. In order to increase the power of the king, The support of the people, especially the urban merchants who held capital, was desperately needed.

More capital brings more support.

Knowing this well, the French nationalists and new power groups pushed for global reform and succeeded. The biggest reason for the failure of Spain and Habsburg was the defeat in the War of Italian Unification. The Kingdom of Aragon, an axis of the Spanish united royal palace, was financially based on Mediterranean trade. Not only did it lose the War of Italian Unification, but it also expanded Gibraltar and El Harsiras into the empire .

After being taken over by the Kingdom of Aragon, the commercial nobility of the Kingdom of Aragon lost their power, and the pendulum of power shifted to the Kingdom of Castile, which was mainly dominated by agricultural-based nobility.

In the end, the tax collectors realized why this was happening as they were showered with stones and dirt thrown by the people who had gathered on the way to the execution site.

‘We were the victims.’

The purpose was to direct the dissatisfaction of the people who had been suffering from taxes towards themselves rather than the king or those in power. The plan was to quell the public’s discontent with their heads hanging on the pedestal, and then to cover the budget with the wealth they had accumulated.

Against the background of blood flowing at the execution site, the era of tax collectors came to an end. In this process, many Jews suffered harm. This was because many of the tax collectors were Jewish. And Europeans’ hatred of Jews deepened even further.

* * *

Portugal, Italy, England, and France, which secured budgets through successive reforms, began to show enthusiasm for the arms race again.

It was called the ‘2nd-1st Arms Race’. And this time I was a little more clever.

It was to create an investment institution similar to the imperial investment treasury. The history of joint ventures has been going on since ancient times, but the empire was almost the first to establish a system for trading shares.

The capital raised through the investment institutions created in this way was invested in basic projects such as large-scale steel mills, and a more economical military expansion was carried out. However, expanding military budgets was an endless war of attrition.

Before we knew it, the enormous funds stolen from tax collectors were slowly starting to run out.

“Funds are the problem...”

The great powers, who were looking for new sources of funds, once again began to swallow their saliva as they looked at the colonies of other great powers.

“If only we could occupy those places...”

* * *

Meanwhile, Hyang, who was analyzing the situation in Seoul, let out a long sigh.

“Whoa, something will happen again.”

“The ministers were also worried. Is it to that extent?”

Hyang nodded to Hyun’s question while they were talking together.

“That’s right. If you look at the current situation in Europe, it’s like a bowl that’s almost full of water. The problem is that they keep pouring water in. If the water overflows...” ”

There will be a big war.”

“That’s right. That’s why we shouldn’t neglect caution either. Aren’t there three countries that are currently tied up in a long-standing alliance?”

“I will.”

“Whoa~.”

Hyang sighed again, expressing his sincerity without even realizing it.

“If war breaks out, I hope it happens after I die. Or should I wish that?”

From Hyang’s words, Hyeon could understand her feelings. It was a village that had experienced all the great wars in which the fate of the empire depended. If it were war, it was a scent that would not be surprising if one were disgusted. The officer who was recording this next to him added this.

-....The Emperor, who was observing the situation like this, was worried, and His Majesty the Emperor was also worried.

– says the officer.

What Tae Sang-tae had predicted came true almost exactly. If this time too, if things come true as Tae Sang-tae said, the officer only wishes for one thing.

Please live a long and healthy life.

“Officer? Are you writing down useless things again?”

“Oh no!”

“Tsk!”