Chapter 365: Divide!

In the Chamber of Commerce, the merchants were all excited, their faces flushed red after hearing Simon’s words.

When the map was spread out before them, they stood up, their eyes greedily fixed on the vast lands of West Ham.

"Everyone, according to the agreement I made with you, you can now acquire three times the value in grasslands in West Ham. Such high-quality land for raising horses is a first in the Eldorian Empire." Simon said, pointing at the map.

The merchants nodded. After entering the Chamber of Commerce, they had already learned that what they would receive was grassland, and that they could only engage in pastoral activities there.

They weren’t disappointed by this; in fact, they were excited. Even if they didn’t directly manage the grasslands, they could sell it to others.

Raising horses was a highly profitable business, and many merchants would eagerly jump in.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Your words are indeed golden." Magnus looked overjoyed. His gaze was already roaming over the grasslands of West Ham, and he had already come up with his own horse-raising plan.

"Indeed, Your Highness, your words are as reliable as ever. If it were Prince Augustus, he would have probably reneged by now."

"Exactly, not to mention Prince Augustus, how many of the other vassal kings would treat us merchants like this?"

"Only Your Highness values us merchants like this. We will certainly contribute all our efforts for you."

"..."

After Magnus, the other merchants also began flattering Simon.

Simon smiled, but he didn’t pay much attention to their flattery. Merchants always chased profit, and since he was giving them benefits, it was natural for them to show their loyalty.

If he hadn’t given them these benefits, they’d probably be cursing him behind his back. But despite understanding their nature, he still knew how to use this capital beast to push Brambleford forward.

"Thank you for the praise. I’m just fulfilling my promise." Simon said. "Now, everyone, choose the grassland you need. Of course, if you find your allocated land too small, I can sell you more."

The merchants became even more excited. Some of the merchants who had contributed less money were worried that they would only receive small grasslands, but now that problem was solved.

Without hesitation, they picked up pens and started marking their areas on the large map of West Ham.

Before long, 103 blocks appeared on the map.

Simon glanced at the map. The locations of the grasslands were mostly concentrated around Dunmere and West Ham, with some near Snake Pass.

The merchants were clever; the closer their grassland was to the city, the safer it would be.

Looking at the areas marked on the map, Simon asked Percival to take a ruler and start measuring.

The map had been drawn to scale, and the merchants had already been briefed about it. Now, Simon asked Percival to record the measurements and convert them into actual sizes.

Then, the actual amount of compensation for their support of the northern campaign would be calculated, and any adjustments would be made accordingly.

Soon, Percival handed Simon the data.

"Magnus, your family is quite bold. You’ve marked such a large area, and the silver you need to make up for it is quite a lot." Simon said, seeing the data for Magnus.

According to the figures, Magnus had marked off a 30km by 30km area of grassland, but the 100,000 caps he contributed could only cover a 5km by 5km area.

"Your Highness, what can you do with just a 5km by 5km plot? Since we’re raising horses, the more land, the better. The Fletcher family is thinking of providing Your Highness with a steady supply of warhorses and cattle." Magnus said with a big smile.

Simon smirked internally. The Fletcher family was indeed incredibly wealthy.

Ever since Magnus had settled in Brambleford, his family had continuously shown off their immense financial power. At least now Simon could be sure that he didn’t have as much money as the Fletcher family.

In fact, the gap was substantial.

If this were someone else, they might be thinking of making a move on the Fletcher family, as the family was like a fat lamb. No wonder Prince Veal was sharpening his knives.

Although Simon felt a bit envious of the Fletcher family’s vast wealth, his main plan now was to attract capital to help Brambleford grow wealthier.

And the Fletcher family, this capital giant, had come at the right time. So now, Simon not only couldn’t scare the Fletcher family away, but he also needed to trap them in Brambleford to make them work for him.

So he smiled and said. "Alright, I didn’t make a mistake about your family. In that case, I’ll give you a 50km by 50km area of grassland. However, I want to cooperate with you on the remaining land. That means I’ll take 40% of the profits from the grassland. What do you think?"

Magnus was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood and smiled. "Your Highness, that’s exactly what I was hoping for. With Your Highness backing us, we can confidently manage the grassland."

Simon nodded. He turned to Percival and said. "Discuss this matter with the Fletcher family. Set it up."

Percival nodded with a smile. Simon certainly wouldn’t feel at ease with such a large force as the Fletcher family, so a cooperation now would also serve to monitor them.

After all, warhorses were a serious matter. It was well known that the southern regions lacked horses, and a batch of warhorses moved from the grasslands to King Vael’s territory could easily triple in price.

Such huge profits would tempt many smugglers to take risks, and Simon naturally wanted to control the production of these warhorses since they were a strategic resource.

Aside from his own 5km by 5km plot, Magnus also paid 150,000 caps of silver to buy the remaining 25km grassland.

Afterward, Simon looked over the data from the other merchants. However, what surprised him was that, in the end, the grasslands were mostly controlled by three people.

Some of the merchants, after receiving small plots, immediately sold them to Gary Walker, Magnus Fletcher, and Jason Holmes.

As a result, Magnus took control of a large part of the grassland in Dunmere, Gary took control of a large portion in West Ham, and Jason took the grassland near Snake Pass, forming a three-way power structure.

Simon couldn’t help but feel frustrated. The game of big capital devouring small capital was happening right before his eyes.

But there was nothing he could do. The ultimate goal of capital was always monopoly. However, he wouldn’t give them that opportunity, because the largest grassland would still be his own.

This grassland would be controlled by the Brambleford Chamber of Commerce.

To prevent the future growth of capital, he wouldn’t give up the state-run capital part.

After dividing the grasslands, Simon made 2 million caps from Magnus, Gary, and Jason by selling the remaining grasslands. Overall, he was very satisfied with the outcome. This northern campaign had been a huge profit from the war.