At Talburg, northwest of the enemy outpost, Sergeant Bass, the captain of the first squad stationed at the Wood Fort, was busy organizing people to transport the supplies captured from the enemy territory into the Wood Fort's storeroom.
"Old Butler, Supervisor Sartre, you've had a long and tiring journey, and you've just arrived. Please go and rest for a while. Kazak and Lawrence can assist here," Bass said to Cooper and Sartre, who were busy stacking and counting goods in the storeroom.
"We're fine. We'll take care of things here. You should take more men and go to the cave again to bring back all the supplies as early as possible. Although those carriages can't be brought back right away, don't destroy them. Find a place to hide them well. We'll figure out a way to get them back later. The Earl will definitely need a large number of carriages when he expands his caravan in the future. Also, if you see the Earl, tell him to come back quickly. He has an arrow wound and shouldn't take risks."
Bass nodded, exited the storeroom, and organized his men to return to the border cave to transport goods.
After counting the supplies in the storeroom, Sartre handed the birch bark in his hand to Cooper and said, "Old Butler, if I had known that the Earl could capture so much grain and weapons, we should have bought a batch of other northern goods in Besançon and sold them along the way. That way, we could have made another profit."
Cooper took the birch bark and looked at the densely packed list of goods and numbers on it. This birch bark contained all the details of purchases, sales, and financial income and expenditure of the military caravan since the expedition. Although Cooper was literate, he had never experienced merchant travel, so he couldn't understand Sartre's records. He just glanced at the approximate income and expenditure figures and returned the birch bark to Sartre. "Sartre, the Earl is now a sleeping lion awakening. Just by looking at his arrangements in the valley and the southern border, you know his ambitions are not small. I can see that the Earl values you highly, otherwise, you wouldn't have become the supervisor of the Wood Fort and the caravan immediately after joining. Remember, as long as you do things well, the Earl will definitely not treat you unfairly."
Sartre nodded in agreement, "The Old Butler is right. I was a down-and-out person, and the Earl gave me a chance to turn my life around. I will definitely seize it."
While the two were talking in the storeroom, Bass rushed in and informed them of Art's triumphant return with his troops. "The Earl and his men have intercepted another batch of supplies at the outpost, all of them excellent weapons and armor..."
When Cooper and Sartre arrived at the inner fort, Art was lying there, having Spencer clean and re-dress his open wound.
"Earl, is the arrow wound serious?" Cooper anxiously walked up to Art and examined the wound on his left shoulder.
"It's nothing serious, it didn't hit the bone. It was already starting to heal, but the horseback ride on the way back made it open up a bit," Art said, looking at the linen bandage that was still seeping blood.
"Earl, you mustn't be careless. For the next few days, no matter what, you must rest in the fort until the wound heals. The weather is starting to get hot, and if the wound festers, your life will be in danger," Cooper said worriedly.
Art looked at the several subordinates gathered around him in the room with his right hand and said, "Alright, I'll rest at Talburg for a few days to recover from the arrow wound."
"Odo, take more men and transport all the supplies from the cave back. Be careful to conceal your tracks and try not to let anyone discover you. After you return, give a military reward to the Soldiers and officers who participated in the external operations and those who stayed behind to guard the Wood Fort. In the evening, prepare some hearty food to reward everyone."
"Sergeant, you are responsible for arranging the sentry posts around Talburg. Both cavalry and foot patrols must be set up."
"Ron, you assist the Sergeant in setting up the sentries. Also, make sure to guard the captured enemy Soldiers well. Don't let them escape or cause trouble."
"Cooper, we have already repaired the basic defenses of this military fort once, but there are still many loopholes. Now that you are here, lead people to reinforce the military fort again, especially the outer fort. I don't intend to defend this place to the death, nor do I intend to be stationed here long-term, but we must at least be able to defend against small-scale enemy attacks. Currently, the enemy has not noticed Talburg, but over time, it will definitely be exposed."
At this moment, Bass stepped forward and said, "Earl, I'm afraid we have already been exposed. Yesterday afternoon, the sentries saw someone spying from the southeast hilltop. When I led people to climb up, there was no one on the hilltop. We guessed it was hunters, but it could also be enemy scouts."
Art pondered for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Recently, move the sentry posts two miles outwards in all directions. If there is any enemy activity, report it immediately."
"I already arranged that yesterday," Bass replied.
"Excellent!" Art praised Bass.
"Cooper, it seems you won't be able to rest. You need to quickly reinforce the Wood Fort," Art turned to the half-old man who had been traveling with the caravan for over a month.
"No problem, Earl, I can do it," Old Cooper's wrinkled face was filled with determination.
"Sartre, stay behind and discuss the military caravan. Everyone else, go about your work."
Upon hearing this, everyone left the inner fort and busied themselves.
After everyone else had left, Art called the caravan supervisor, Sartre, over and said, "Sartre, sit down."
At this time, Sartre was no longer the down-and-out man Art had rescued from the edge of the Osta War Zone a few months ago. He was a merchant, particular about his attire. After receiving his wages, he first bought himself a suitable set of clothes, and now he looked quite prosperous.
Sartre handed a piece of birch bark to Art, who took it and quickly scanned it.
"Sartre, was the journey smooth?" Art asked.
"Earl, with the Old Butler personally in charge and the assistance of Kazak and Lawrence, the journey was smooth," Sartre replied courteously.
"Sartre, I've always thought you were a straightforward person, so there's no need for these empty pleasantries. The Old Butler has never been in business; how could he manage a caravan? The main reason I had the Old Butler accompany the caravan was that I couldn't fully trust you yet. You know my current financial situation is very thin; I'm relying on this military caravan to barely sustain myself. While wartime plunder can quickly provide much-needed funds and supplies, war gains are ultimately not a long-term solution, and such opportunities don't come every time. Therefore, I attach great importance to trade. In the future, I will need more funds to support myself, and my caravan will continue to expand. If you can help me manage the trade well, you will naturally get your share."
Sartre straightened his collar and sat up, looking into Art's eyes as he replied, "Earl, the Old Butler just discussed this with me in the storeroom. He said you are a sleeping lion awakening and that I should serve you well, and you wouldn't treat me unfairly."
Sartre paused, then continued, "I am already thirty-five years old, an age not suited for much turmoil. After the Provence caravan was destroyed last time, I was heartbroken. But then I met you, Earl, and you even let me manage the caravan. It was during this military trade that I realized that in times of chaos, money is only safe when it's accompanied by swords. So I will definitely manage the caravan well for you. However..." Sartre found it a bit difficult to speak.
Art shifted his body and asked, "However what? Just say it directly."
"However, I am a merchant to my core. Merchants are for money, so I want to..."
"You want me to increase your salary?" Art interrupted.
"No, no, Earl, as a caravan supervisor, the salary you are giving me now is already not low. It's just that... I want a share of your trade profits in the future."
"A share?" Art was surprised by this merchant's request, and he didn't quite understand the trade practices of this era.
"Yes, Earl, you are a military noble. Marching and fighting are your strengths; I am a merchant, and doing business is my strength. A military noble who wants to engage in business without being despised by the world needs an agent. And I have been in business for many years. Although I eventually lost all my wealth, I know how to turn a copper fenny into a silver mark. And I need you to promise that once I manage your caravan well, you must make me one of the partners of this caravan and give me a share of its profits."
"A share? With the current size of the caravan, one trip of north-south trade can earn nearly ten thousand fenny. How much of a share do you want?" Art's face showed some displeasure. Currently, the salary he gave Sartre was equivalent to a squad leader's salary, but this merchant wanted several shares of the caravan's profits, which was a bit too greedy. If this were in later generations, an employee who had just joined would never make such a foolish request.
"Earl, I think you've misunderstood," Sartre quickly explained, noticing the displeasure on Art's face.
"What I mean by 'share' is a management method for the caravan. Currently, north-south trade has temporarily stagnated due to the war, so the military caravan can earn a lot of money from one trip. But such wars won't last forever. Once the north-south trade routes are clear, countless merchants will resume north-south trade. At that time, your caravan may not be able to compete with those large caravans and merchant houses, and you won't be able to earn money like you do now."
Art thought about Sartre's words and felt there was some truth to them. His expression softened a bit, and he asked, "You mean that once the war stops, I will be suppressed by other caravans or merchant houses?"
"That's a possibility. If you maintain your caravan at its current size, no one will suppress you. But if you want to continue expanding the caravan, or even rely on it to support your army's expansion, those wealthy merchants alone will try every means to exclude you, not to mention the Viscounts, Earls, and guild leaders. Currently, they are all quiet because of the war, but once the war stops, they will swarm in, desperately trying to seize the market share that has been vacated by the war."
Art gently tapped the broken table in front of him with his right hand, pondering Sartre's words. After a long while, he looked up and asked, "I will carefully consider what you've said, but what does this have to do with the 'share' you mentioned?"
Sartre's tense expression eased a bit as he replied, "Earl, what I mean by 'share' has two layers of meaning. The first layer is out of selfishness. I am a merchant, and I believe I have some knowledge of how to do business and make money. If I didn't have a chance to turn my life around, then so be it. But now that you've given me a chance, I definitely want to give it my all. However, if you only give me a fixed weekly salary, even if the amount is substantial, for a merchant, receiving a monthly salary cannot ignite my passion to work hard. But if the caravan I serve has a share of its own for me, then of course I will work desperately to make the caravan earn more money, because the more the caravan earns, the more I can gain myself."
Seeing Art's slight confusion, Sartre used a vivid analogy: "You currently give me one fenny per week as salary, and I can make your caravan earn one hundred fenny per week. But if you give me a one percent share, I can earn you one thousand fenny. In that case, although I gain an extra nine fenny in return, you gain an extra nine hundred fenny in profit."
Art knew what Sartre meant, but he deliberately wanted to hear more about the mindset of merchants in this era. He pretended not to understand Sartre's words and asked, "What if I directly give you ten fenny per week as salary?"
"Then I can earn you at most five hundred fenny. Earl, this has nothing to do with the salary you offer; it's a difference in status. Doing business is different from marching and fighting..."
Art interrupted Sartre, saying, "I generally understand what you mean. If I give you a share, you'll be working for yourself, so you'll feel motivated and naturally work harder. If I give you a fixed salary, you'll feel like you're always working for someone else, and you won't care much about how much you earn. So, that means you don't want to be loyal to me at all, right?"
Sartre quickly stood up and waved his hands repeatedly in denial: "Earl, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I meant..."
Art smiled and waved his hand, motioning for Sartre to sit down. "Don't take it seriously, I was just joking."
Sartre slowly sat down and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.
"I roughly understand your first point, but I still need to think about it further. Now, tell me about the second point."
Seeing that Art truly wasn't angry, Sartre continued with the second point, "Earl, my second point is about the development of the caravan and the development of your army."
Art became even more interested upon hearing this. He sat up straight, listening intently.
"As I just said, your caravan will lose its advantage after the war, and may even be squeezed out by other merchant guilds. That's because your foundation is not deep, and your business network is too shallow. North-south trade stretches thousands of miles from Genoa in the south to Avallon in the north. Every section of the trade route, every city, has many merchants operating. Our caravan can temporarily operate and trade while they are dormant, but once the war stops, they will prevent any 'wild wolves' from snatching their meat. Your army cannot oppose all the merchant guilds."
Art nodded in agreement.
Encouraged, Sartre continued, "Therefore, you need trade partnerships. Let those merchants who dominate the market accept you and invest in your caravan to gain a share of the profits. I know many such merchants. Some are workshop owners who can provide you with the cheapest goods. Some are shop owners who can sell your caravan's goods. Some are city guild leaders; your goods must pass through their permission to enter their cities. Some profit by lending money to merchants. If you want to earn more money, you must also have your own shops in the future. Shops need people to manage them, and you must also give those who manage the shops sufficient reasons to seek higher profits for you..."
Sartre explained many aspects of doing business to Art, who, upon hearing it, marveled at the advanced business thinking of this era. These business concepts, which would only emerge hundreds or thousands of years later, were being spoken by a down-and-out merchant. Art suddenly felt immense pressure.
"What I just talked about was the development of the caravan. Now, let me talk about the development of the army. I've noticed a problem during my time following you: you pay a large amount of military salary to your officers and Soldiers every week, but your officers and Soldiers don't know how to spend this money. There's nowhere to spend money in Valley Wood Fort, no time to spend money when going out to battle, and their daily clothing, food, housing, and transportation are all provided by the army, so they don't need to spend. Moreover, most of your officers and Soldiers are single men. Their military salary can only be carried in money bags and left to rot. If they could invest a portion of their military salary into the caravan, and the caravan then gives them corresponding profit shares based on their investment, then their military salary would be useful, and they could also support themselves and their families with the profits earned from their military salary. And for those officers, you could even directly determine their share in the caravan based on the size of their military rank. This way, as long as the caravan makes money, they will also continue to profit, and their personal interests will be tightly bound to yours, naturally making them more loyal to you. In the future, you won't have to worry about having to grant them fiefdoms and land—of course, these are all future considerations, provided your caravan and army have sufficient strength. Currently, our main task is to seize this opportunity of war to make a substantial amount of money. Only with money can we expand the caravan's scale and qualify for development..."
...
All afternoon, Art listened to Sartre explain the caravan's development blueprint. This time, he truly felt his own limited knowledge.