I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 381: The Merchant of Death, Fabio (4)
During World War I and World War II, the United States made a fortune by selling weapons.
Back in 1929, when the Great Depression swept across the globe and the entire world feared economic collapse,
the moment World War II broke out, the U.S. began selling military supplies, raking in wealth from across the globe and building the global dominance it now enjoys.
If you want success, the first step is to copy and understand the methods of those who’ve succeeded before you.
"We must follow the truth of the Celestial Empire, greater even than the British Empire."
No matter how brutal and wicked the British Empire was, it couldn't hold a candle to the Celestial Empire.
Because the Celestial Empire was a superior and overwhelming upgrade of the British model.
According to its doctrine, the broader your marketplace, the greater the wealth you can accumulate.
That’s why the Grandmaster of Capitalism sold weapons and military supplies not only to neutral factions,
but also to the Communist Sect, to the Blood Cult, and even dealt with the Demon Lord of the Communist Heaven if needed.
It was that very capitalist spirit—dealing with anyone if the profit was right—that made America the global superpower of the 21st century.
I need to learn from that behavior as well.
“Is money from infidels any less money?”
Which is why I decided to meet the Sultan personally to squeeze some cash from the infidels, too.
"Your Majesty must be aware that the civil war in the Holy Empire is now fully ablaze and burning their empire to the ground."
The Emperor responded with a beaming smile.
"It’s like having a rotten tooth finally pulled. Just thinking about the empire of that boar who used to swagger in front of me collapsing from within—it’s like being cured of a lifelong illness. The war’s barely begun and they’re already throwing around hundreds of thousands of troops. The Holy Empire might fall completely this time."
The golden age of the Korean people was during the Goguryeo era.
Especially when China was in chaos—the time of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms.
Even though Goguryeo was strong, it couldn’t wield its full strength because of ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the fragmented Chinese powers.
The Toscani Empire was in a similar position—like Goguryeo, constrained by a powerful neighbor, the Holy Empire.
They weren’t exactly shackled, but it wasn’t easy to expand their influence with a looming superpower right next door.
But what if that big brother next door is coughing blood and about to croak?
Then you prepare to swipe all his property and real estate before the body goes cold.
That’s just good political etiquette.
Western imperial powers even formalized this into a concept—most-favored-nation status.
"Oh? The U.S. took a bite? Well then, we’ll take a bite too."
We, the Toscani Empire, shall inherit the wisdom of imperialism.
"Your Majesty, as life is unpredictable, so is politics. We never know how the tides will turn."
"A single human life is already hard to predict. How could anyone forecast the movement of politics, which involves millions? We can only do our best to ensure events unfold in our empire’s favor."
Politics never goes as people plan.
Our glorious King Potato of Prussia nearly tanked the nation during the Seven Years’ War—a man who should have been doing pelvic thrusts instead of leading wars.
But near the end of the war, a new tsar took the Russian throne—a hardcore Frederick fanatic.
The guy made peace with Prussia in a deal so generous it was basically “Russia Has Lost Its Mind.”
Thanks to that, King Potato earned legendary status in Germany, on par with King Sejong in Korea.
Politics is unpredictable. Truly.
A general in China once died not in battle, but from a meteorite hitting him on the way to war.
"Success belongs to Deus. But striving to make success happen? That’s humanity’s job. And on that note, I have a plan to propose."
"Your plans have always been sound, always producing the best results. What have you come up with this time?"
"What if we bring the Sultanate into the conflict?"
"The infidels? I understand the importance of winning this war, but to ally with them? I’d rather kiss a dog on the lips. Deus above!"
Yet, despite saying that, he didn’t order me to leave.
Nor did he tell me to stop talking. That alone told me everything.
He was silently asking: Convince me. Give me a reason to listen.
"Religion and politics are not the same. When they become one, you get disasters like the religious wars of old. Not always, but religion is ruled by emotion and spirit. Politics is governed by reason and logic."
"That must be why Deus didn’t appoint a cardinal in my place. If religion and politics were truly one, He would’ve crowned a bishop as emperor."
"Which is why what I’m about to propose lies purely in the realm of politics."
The moment you let religious sentiment guide political decisions, your nation is doomed.
Let’s be blunt: there are groups out there who sell women as sex slaves and claim they’ll receive 48 virgins in paradise if they blow themselves up in jihad.
But their leaders? They’re shockingly rational.
Strip away the ‘Islamic extremist’ label, and they think exactly like political strategists.
That’s why—even though I acknowledge that gods exist in this world—I treat every matter through the lens of cold, hard logic.
Now it was time to share that wisdom with the emperor.
"When Toscani sets its sights on conquering the Holy Empire, the powers most likely to oppose us are:
the Holy Empire itself, the Kingdom of Lyon, the Sultanate, the United Kingdom, the Tsardom, and the northern states."
"Just hearing that list gives me a headache."
"To fully absorb the Holy Empire’s territory, we need to weaken those powers as much as possible."
"If all our competitors band together, we’re in trouble. So we need to break their strength in advance."
I read once online that if a flat-chested woman wants to become busty, the most efficient method is to kill every woman with bigger boobs than her.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
That way, she’d be the biggest by default.
It’s ridiculous—but it holds a key lesson.
Eliminate your competitors, and you become number one without improving at all.
Just like a flat-chested woman becomes busty by default with no surgery.
"But if we bring in the Sultanate, the Protestant faction and the Holy Emperor might reconcile... No, that’ll never happen. No matter how desperate things get, the Emperor won’t shake hands with traitors. Hell, man landing on the moon is more realistic than that."
"If we pit the Sultanate, the Kingdom of Lyon, the Protestants, and the Deus-worshipping Emperor against each other, other nations like the United Kingdom and the Tsardom will inevitably step in. No one wants to miss out on a well-known feast."
Just like how word of a good restaurant causes a stampede, or how everyone rushes to start a business when one becomes trendy—
most of those copycats fail. Hard.
"And there’s one more benefit to bringing in the Sultanate."
"Beyond making the Holy Empire too devastated to resist? What could be better than that?"
"It gives us the chance to declare a holy war."
Of course, the war would be staged and fabricated by us...
But hey, a win is a win.
Soldiers would much rather fight infidels who mock Deus than battle fellow believers.
This was my thoughtful kindness to boost morale.
"And it also gives us a chance to sell massive quantities of weapons and supplies to them."
The Emperor clapped his hands in delight.
"Utterly diabolical. Bringing in the infidels to get them slaughtered in a war against other nations, then declaring a holy war to wipe out every last one of them—including their allies in the Holy Empire. No one but you could come up with such a scheme." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty. I’ll continue to evolve and improve. This world is harsh—I must sharpen my wits."
"You don’t need to be that humble."
For a moment, the Emperor’s face went pale.
Was that my imagination?
"Just trust me, Your Majesty."
"I have always trusted you."
The Emperor broke into a light sweat.
Maybe he’s not feeling well these days?
