Lord of Industrialization

Many people think that Duke Wesson had just won a great victory on the battlefield, so he would celebrate with delicious food, wine and beautiful people day and night, and every day would be different.

Only political creatures know that now is an important moment to determine the political map of the Rhine League.

Strength determines status. "The Romance of Emperor Wei of the Far West" later published by Taohuashi commented on Frederick at this time:

"At that time, Emperor Wei controlled four states, with a population of one to two million. He benefited from canals and factories, and carried tons of gold and silver in his vehicles. His death army was famous all over the world. His achievements were unprecedented: he defeated the siege of five counts in one battle and captured all his territory. In World War II, 800 people broke into one hundred thousand by the Elbe River. In War III, Han and his horses rushed into the city to kill King Danma. In War IV, he killed the Dharma God alone. The wine was still warm. In War Five, floods drowned the emperor's life. In War VI, he rode hundreds of miles alone to rescue him. Nephew, in seven battles he has a brilliant plan to trap all the troops, and in eight battles twenty thousand are trapped in eighty thousand. His prestige is unparalleled in the world, and he has achieved the power of an emperor."

Now that Frederick had the capital to establish a vassal state, political creatures were waiting for his choice:

A. Dependence of vassal states on the Rhine League;

B. A vassal state that is superficially dependent but de facto independent;

C. Killed to the city of Cologne and took the throne of the king;

D. Establish an independent country and become a king.

At the end of the war, Frederick's whereabouts disappeared from newspapers and radio. The speeches and instructions reported every day were clearly prepared in advance.

At the same time, rumors also spread from the city of Cologne that envoys had been sent to conduct secret negotiations with Frederick.

Many political creatures impatiently sent spies to inquire about the negotiation process and strive to respond as soon as possible. However, these people searched all over the city of Cologne and Wesson, and even the Principality of Mainz and the Principality of Bain. Neither party could be found to negotiate.

In the early morning of June 18, in the restaurant of a hotel in the business district of Amstel, Frederick had breakfast with an old man wearing glasses and exuding a scholarly air at the window table.

Count Rank, the interior minister of the Rhine League, is an important figure that cannot be ignored in the court. He has a high position, but he is not sociable. He never appears in the banquets, dances or hunting held by the nobles. Frederick went to Cologne before I haven't met him since.

Now Frederick still holds the title of Finance Minister of the Rhenish Union, but it is half a level lower than the Minister of the Interior. Now he can be regarded as a leader.

Count Ranke kneaded the fish filling into strips with his knife held upright, then rolled the fish strips in bread crumbs and fried them until golden brown. He cut them in half, poured a little red ketchup on them, and then cut them into sections and ate them slowly.

What was in front of Frederick was sausage bread, which was also made of meat stuffing and rolled into strips. It was wrapped in dough and baked like bread.

Earl Rank didn't like to talk while eating, so the two of them ate quietly.

This hotel, which was built with cement two years ago, is the property of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce. The manager Lilu’s second uncle, the first waiters are all her cousins, and the cooks are all her seventh and eighth aunts. The staff is reliable and the facilities are complete. , so Frederick regarded this as a negotiating location.

However, those who directly serve the two protagonists of the negotiation today are the Chamber of Commerce personnel brought by Shupaiya himself. The ones responsible for security work are Baron Adiken's own guards, and the personnel brought by Earl Rank are arranged on the periphery.

Many bosses of large chambers of commerce would put on such a show, but the locals didn't care.

After breakfast, the two of them were still sitting at the dining table. After the tableware was put away, the tea sets were served.

Frederick personally poured a cup of tea for Count Rank. He did not mention the negotiations, but asked: "I heard that your son is a historian?"

Earl Rank looked like he was relieved, picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea before saying: "I was worried that you would ask about my granddaughter. I hid her tightly before going out."

Frederick just smiled. He had heard from a certain Gugu knight before that about the situation in the families of the great nobles in Cologne City. The daughter of the Rank family was buried in a pile of books all day long, and her style was different from that of the ladies from other families.

He looked very regretful and said: "I think that instead of digging for history in the pile of old papers, a historian would be better off witnessing history with his own eyes and feeling history for himself."

Then he pointed out the window and said: "The reason why I arranged the negotiation location here is because an unprecedented event is about to happen, so I'll bother you to make a trip."

Count Rank looked out the window. Unlike other hotel restaurants on the first floor, this hotel's restaurant was on the roof of the seventh floor. There were bright glass windows facing the street, and a large street view could be seen.

He asked Frederick: "The history you are talking about is your prediction of the plummeting price of tulips?"

Frederick picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea before saying: "Studying history is not only to restore what happened, but also to think about why."

Earl Rank nodded and said: "A very enlightening point of view."

Frederick stood up, turned to the window, looked at the noisy street downstairs and the door of a crowded chamber of commerce diagonally opposite the hotel, and said in a deep voice: "The most important meaning of history is to guide us and let us learn from the past. Learn from human experience.”

"The future, the new future, will be unprecedented. We don't have time to study in the pile of old papers. Only by being in the wave can we find some patterns."

Count Ranke's profound gaze was firmly fixed on Frederick. What he said just now seemed inconsistent, but it made some sense if the premise of "a new future" was established.

He suddenly found that he couldn't see through this young man, and with his many years of knowledge and experience, he couldn't guess what Frederick would do next.

The sounds downstairs were getting louder and louder, with shouts and curses being heard all the time. More and more people were rushing towards the Chamber of Commerce diagonally opposite.

Mrs. Franken was on the third floor of the Chamber of Commerce. Through the curtains, she saw the crowds of people downstairs. She did not notice that there were people upstairs diagonally opposite looking at her, nor did she know that she had knocked down the first domino at this time.

There is a row of long tables in front of the chamber of commerce, and rows of wooden boxes containing tulip bulbs are placed against the wall behind. A sign lists the varieties and selling prices. The prices are much cheaper than other chambers of commerce.

The price of tulips has been rising over the years. Although there are occasional fluctuations, it is because someone deliberately lowered the price before the contract season, and the price quickly rose back.

Everyone believes that the price of this "flower of wealth" will keep rising. Just wait for a few days, and the onion-like bulbs will bring more gold coins.

Baron Sherlock came out of his cell after paying the fine early this morning. While eating breakfast, he heard the news that someone was selling tulip bulbs at a reduced price. He sneered and said, "Don't be afraid. It's a technical adjustment. It's okay..."

"This time, some chamber of commerce suppressed the prices of certain varieties of tulips in order to sign a contract. The quantity was not too large and they were sold out before noon."

There were many people who had the same idea as him, and if the opportunity was not lost, it would not come again. In a short time, the craftsmen, boatmen, chefs, clerks, and even the old women mending clothes on the roadside who got the news all went home to take money or chat with relatives and friends. I came here after raising money in order to buy one or two bulbs before the regular price increase.

At around ten o'clock in the morning, businessmen in Amstel realized something was wrong.

The chamber of commerce's price reduction shows no sign of stopping. Carts and carriages are constantly transporting boxes of bulbs to the back door and then to the front door for sale. It's not like suppressing the price, but clearing out the goods.

Well-informed people began to block the back door of the Chamber of Commerce to buy. When Frederick took Earl Rank to the alley at the back door of the Chamber of Commerce, the place was already crowded. A sailor came and even took the count who was wearing a silk robe. He stumbled and his wig fell off. Fortunately, Frederick's quick eyesight and quick hands prevented him from falling.

"That's crazy!" Count Rank kept shaking his head, "There has never been anything like this in history."

The bulbs are sold out here and can't be bought in the front, and more and more people are coming.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Frederick and the others ran away without even picking up the wigs that fell on the ground.

The carriage coming to the back alley was blocked outside, and a group of people immediately gathered around to buy it. Seeing this, Mrs. Franken's housekeeper asked people from the Chamber of Commerce to go to the carriage and sell it on the spot, so as not to gather too many people and block the road and be found by the local government. trouble.

The situation began to get out of control. Tulip bulbs kept arriving from the farm rented by Mrs. Franken, and the situation around the carriage spread from the back door of the Chamber of Commerce to outside the city gate.

Word spread quickly and it wasn't long before everyone knew the tulip prices had dropped.

Some citizens who had stocked bulbs in the past thought they should just keep it when it was good, so they took the bulbs at home to sell at a market specially opened for retail tulip traders, intending to lower the price slightly in order to sell them quickly.

Small merchants who specialize in retailing tulip bulbs here have already gotten the news and lowered their prices early.

From this moment on, the price of tulips officially entered the falling channel.