I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 479 Working together
Several days later, another private meeting was held in the greenhouse of the royal palace.

The place was lush and green, with fragrant flowers, and more private than the banquet hall. Only Chris and Prince Hornloe strolled slowly along the cobblestone path.

Chris didn't waste time with pleasantries and directly told the Prince about the Macon Union ambassador Alvarez's request to purchase weapons and mercenaries, as well as his assessment of Alvarez's true intentions.

Prince Hornloe's initial reaction was extreme surprise; he even stopped in his tracks and looked at Chris in disbelief.

"They...they actually dare to make such a request? To buy weapons from you to fight us?"

The prince's voice was filled with astonishment, but that astonishment was quickly replaced by an expression that was a mixture of absurdity and extreme joy.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly and shook his head.

"What...what a brilliant irony! The Macon people actually came up with such a scheme, using the fight against the snake people as a pretext, but actually trying to make up for the firepower and manpower they lost on the front lines, and they might even be trying to copy your weapons?"

After laughing, a shrewd glint flashed in the prince's eyes.

He immediately and astutely caught the implied suggestion in Chris's words.

"Your Majesty, please tell me about this..."

The prince drawled out his words, looking at Chris with a meaningful gaze.

"It must be more than just friendship and honesty, right?"
Do you already have an idea... um... that would benefit both of us?

Chris smiled slightly, appreciating the prince's directness and keen insight.

"His Highness the Prince certainly has a keen sense for wealth."

I believe it would be unwise to flatly refuse a huge sum of gold offered to us. Since the Macon Union is willing to pay such a high price, there seems to be no reason for us to turn away such wealth.

He paused, lowering his voice even further, as if sharing a wonderful secret.

"My idea is that we can sell them weapons, but the price must not be satisfactory. It must be a price that will make them wince, but they have to accept it for strategic reasons."

For example, the price of flintlock muskets... um, do you have any suggestions?

Chris thought that when it came to understanding the Macon Union, who could be more knowledgeable than their sworn enemy?

Prince Hornloe's breathing quickened slightly. He fully understood Chris's intentions, and a greedy yet pleased smile appeared on his face.

“I have a good suggestion, but the extra profit…”

Chris said frankly.

"I believe that this additional benefit, which is a result of our mutual understanding, should be shared by us. After all, these weapons may eventually be used against the soldiers of the Empire."

"Your Highness, as the Empire's representative here, you are entitled to compensation and to provide a small favor in order to maintain this tacit understanding."

He was implying that the prince needed to find a way to get the imperial high command to at least acquiesce to the deal, or at least not to react violently to Bagnia because of it.

"As for the quality of the weapons..."

Chris added meaningfully.

"To safeguard our country's reputation, we provide reliable products, but we will not export the most core technological improvements and the latest models."

Chris's promise meant that the weapons the Macon Union had bought at exorbitant prices were old, unmodified versions.

Prince Hornloe's smile widened completely; he almost wanted to applaud.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful, Your Majesty!"

The prince rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"It is the greatest humiliation and irony for the people of Macon to use their richest gold to fund their most hated enemy, and to buy a bunch of inferior goods!"
I love this plan!

He hesitated almost without any hesitation; any slight doubt was a sign of disrespect for wealth.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will handle things properly in the country."

The two looked at each other and smiled; an alliance based purely on self-interest became even stronger at that moment.

For them, the urgency and predicament of the Macon Union became a treasure trove that could be exploited at will.

"So, regarding the specific profit-sharing ratio and operational details..."

Chris quietly steered the conversation to a more practical level.

In the warm, spring-like greenhouse filled with the fragrance of flowers, the two rulers began to meticulously discuss how to divide this windfall, which was not yet fully in their hands, and how to gradually lead the Macon Alliance into this elaborate and incredibly expensive trap designed for them.

The Macon League, far to the south, now seemed to them like a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Chris consulted with Prince Hornloe, bribing him with a sum of money that was a huge amount for him personally, and after confirming that selling arms to the Macon Alliance would not anger the Reteria Empire, the rest proceeded smoothly.

Of course, Chris didn't need to worry about the specific details. As a leader, he only needed to determine the general direction, and the smaller tasks would naturally be taken care of by others.

……

The tacit understanding reached between King Chris and Prince Hornloe in the greenhouse quickly translated into action orders from the Ministry of Commerce of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

A secret order bearing the royal seal and countersigned by Undersecretary of State Dirac was sent to the newly established Ministry of Commerce, appointing a player official named Lynch to be in charge of negotiations with the Macon Alliance.

In reality, Lynch is a seasoned corporate strategy consultant, especially skilled in high-pressure negotiation and the drafting of complex contracts.

When he received the mission, he looked at the meaningful sentence in the instruction, "Strive to maximize the interests of the kingdom within the established guidance price range," as well as the ridiculously high "minimum guidance price" and the almost robbery-like "maximum expected price" in the attachment, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Interesting, there's something fishy going on in this job."

He muttered to himself, immediately sensing the scent of high-level political deals.

But this did not deter him; instead, it fueled his competitive spirit.

"Alright, let the natives of this world see what it means to be a professional harvester."

The negotiations were held in a specially arranged conference room at the Ministry of Commerce.

On one side was Lynch, dressed in the standard official uniform of the Kingdom of Bagnia, carrying an abacus and stacks of data, along with his small team of assistants. On the other side was Ambassador Alvarez, dressed in magnificent traditional attire, carrying a large number of maps and colonial reports, along with his economic advisors and military entourage.

At the outset of negotiations, Alvarez attempted to gain the moral high ground and lower the price by using diplomatic rhetoric and the so-called "common threat."

But Lynch didn't take the bait at all.

"Mr. Ambassador..."

Lin Qi adjusted his non-prescription glasses, which were purely decorative, and spoke in a polite but undeniably professional tone.

"We are sitting here today based on a purely commercial proposal. Your side has put forward a need to purchase specific goods and services, and we are assessing the supply possibilities. All topics concerning friendship and threats should be left to diplomatic occasions."

Here, we will only discuss specifications, quantity, delivery schedule, payment terms, and most importantly… price.

He got straight to the point, pushing a list of initial quotes at him.

Alvarez nearly jumped out of his chair after just one glance.

"How much...how much? A flintlock musket costs five hundred silver dollars, and a twelve-pound siege cannon costs five hundred thousand silver dollars!?"

This is outright robbery!

The financial advisor of the Macon Union gasped in shock.

During their time in Votradnoy, the people of the Macon Union had also gained some understanding of the purchasing power of the silver coins of the Kingdom of Bagnia through various means, which is why they were shocked by such prices.

Lin Qi remained unfazed.

"Please note, sir, this is a flintlock musket produced by the Royal Armory of Bagnia. It is manufactured using standardized methods, has a high interchangeability of parts, and a misfire rate that is 35% lower than the continental average. This is not a inferior product from those small workshops."

As for the twelve-pound siege cannon, it adopted my country's latest cannon casting technology and ammunition design, ensuring both range and accuracy. Each cannon is a national heavy weapon and an essential warhammer for conquering cities and seizing territories.

Moreover, considering the current tense international situation and our country's huge defense needs, exporting such important strategic materials would require us to bear huge opportunity costs and risk premiums.

Therefore, this price is very fair.

The next three days became a nightmare for Ambassador Alvarez and his team, with Lynch demonstrating the full range of skills required for modern business negotiation.

During the negotiations, Lynch continuously presented various cost analyses, raw material market price fluctuation curves, skilled craftsmen's salary levels, patent technology amortization costs, and so on, using massive amounts of data to prove that his asking price was "reasonable".

When the Mács Union representative tried to appeal to emotions or negotiate a lower price, he always used that extremely high initial offer as an anchor point. Any concessions seemed small and difficult, making the Mács side feel that even a small reduction in the price would be a huge victory.

During the negotiations, Lynch also specifically quoted prices for weapons, ammunition, spare parts, and operational training separately, and then offered "discount packages," which actually resulted in a higher total price, but seemed to offer more choices and better deals.

Lynch would also occasionally hint that "the next batch of production capacity has been booked by another potential customer" and that "if a preliminary agreement cannot be reached this week, the production line will be shifted to meet domestic orders," forcing the other party to expedite the decision-making process.

In addition, he would occasionally "helplessly" say that he needed to consult his "superior," and then come back with a troubled look and make a little "difficult concession" so that the other party would feel that he was trying his best to help.

In addition, Prince Hornloe also stated publicly at an appropriate time that he was aware of the existence of the ambassador of the Macon Union, implying that he knew something and was interfering through means with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

The Makon Union's negotiating delegation was immediately put under pressure, and many people began to feel nervous and anxious.

Under such circumstances, negotiations regarding mercenary contracts became even more intense.

Lin Qi argued his case on every single clause, including commissions, casualty compensation, logistical support, command authority, definition of operational objectives, and penalties for breach of contract.

"Gentlemen, with His Majesty Chris's approval, our country authorizes the Macon Alliance to hire our most valiant and skilled royal guards. Their lives are priceless, and they are battle-hardened veterans with unparalleled combat experience. They are not cheap cannon fodder, and this commission rate reflects their value."

"Command must be held by Bagnia officers; that's the bottom line. We can accept you sending a liaison officer, but tactical decisions must be made by professionals."

"If additional casualties are caused by your provision of incorrect intelligence or inadequate logistical support, you shall bear double the compensation."

"The fee will increase by 15% for each month the contract is extended."

Three days and three nights of heated debate.

The lights in the conference room were almost never off, and one kettle after another boiled dry while brewing coffee and tea.

Ambassador Alvarez's advisors were exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes and a dazed look, while Lynch maintained astonishing energy and clear logic throughout.

Finally, as dawn broke on the fourth day, a thick draft arms contract was presented to both sides.

The final price agreed upon in this draft contract, while slightly lower than the "maximum expected price" set by Chris and Prince Hornloe, far exceeded the "minimum guidance price"... and of course, it was also about three times higher than the market price.

It's fair to say that when Prince Hornloe saw the draft contract, he was already considering sending someone to buy him a large estate as a reward for his hard work.

In addition to the arms deal, the commissions and terms for the mercenary group were also at a level that greatly satisfied Bagnia, especially the inclusion of high upfront payments and penalties for breach of contract.

Lynch successfully secured maximum economic benefits for Bagnia without undermining the political intentions of the higher-ups, and the contract terms were extremely tight, virtually eliminating any loopholes that could be exploited.

Exhausted, Ambassador Alvarez signed the draft contract and prepared to send it back home for final approval.

He felt like he had fought a tough battle. Although he had achieved his main objective, the cost was heavy, and he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it... He was completely bewildered by the other party's professional negotiation skills, which were like a game of dimensional reduction.

Lynch straightened his tie and saw off the Macon Union delegation with a smile.

He was quite satisfied with his performance over the past three days, and even felt that he might have been a bit too much of a bully. Although the negotiating delegation from the Macon Union was made up of elites in their own country, they were practically no different from rookies in front of Lynch.

"All done. Now, it's time to see how much I've contributed... I wonder if I'll get a promotion?"

He hummed a tune from the real world and turned to report his findings to the Marquis Dirac.

This contract brought the Kingdom of Bagnia enormous wealth far exceeding expectations, and also made Chris realize the immense value that players could bring in specific areas.

As for Lynch, Chris certainly gave him the reward he deserved... The position of Under Secretary of Commerce was already open to him.

Even the position of Secretary of Commerce is a possibility for Lynch.

Chris is currently in dire need of talent. The position of Secretary of Commerce is currently vacant, and the reason it is not directly given to Lynch is simply because the latter's contributions are not yet sufficient.

Once he has gained sufficient seniority, has a firm grasp on the Ministry of Commerce, and has made enough contributions, Lin Qi will naturally be promoted.

(End of this chapter)