A Hospital in Another World?-Chapter 827: Duke, Please Stand Up for Us!

The Duke of Nederland was in excruciating pain.

Nine million gold coins of national debt!

Even if he didn't buy it all himself, as the largest lord in the Neder region, he had led by example and bought 200,000 gold coins worth!

Not to mention the counts, viscounts, small lords, knights... various merchant groups, wealthy merchants, and small and medium workshop owners across Neder.

They bought these national debts, partly to make money, but mostly because it was assigned to them! Assigned, who assigns it?

Half was assigned by the lords, and the other half by the church.

"Duke, the president of the wool guild, Kabir Lusen, seeks an audience."

"Duke, the president of the linen guild, Honasan Yate, seeks an audience."

"Duke, the president of the carpet guild..."

"The president of the soap guild..."

"The president of the sugar industry guild..."

"The president of the fisheries guild..."

"The president of the shipbuilding guild..."

The Duke of Nederland held his head. He couldn't play dead;if he pretended today, he would still have to meet these people tomorrow. Moreover, if he let them continue to connect and let things ferment, it would only get worse.

He stroked his small mustache, pressing down and releasing it repeatedly. Finally, he took a deep breath and stood up from behind his desk.

"Prepare the conference hall!"

On the second floor of the castle, facing the lake, the conference hall was beautifully scenic outside the windows. It was not the most majestic, tallest, or widest room in the castle, but it was the most friendly and peaceful one.

Only one family crest hung on the walls, without any display of beast heads, high-grade armor, or weapons to showcase the master's martial prowess. Clearly, the intention was not to intimidate ordinary people to the point where they couldn't speak.

The Duke of Nederland usually summoned these merchants in this room. The servants in the castle were very familiar with which president sat where, who liked tea or coffee, and what kind of tobacco they preferred.

There was no choice. The terrain of Nederland was low-lying, and the land was poor and severely salinized. In other places, thirty pounds of wheat seeds could yield 200 pounds of wheat, but in Nederland?

Heh.

If they were lucky enough to grow, a storm surge might flood the fields with seawater, ruining a year's hard work in an instant. So, the people of Nederland had long started to save themselves. Sailing small boats to fish in the wind and waves, selling salted fish to the Rhine Kingdom and Kent Kingdom was one way.

Operating those 60-ton, 100-ton, 200-ton ships, with only one mast and a triangular sail, transporting goods everywhere was another.

Setting up workshops, refining coarse sugar into fine sugar, weaving wool into woolen cloth, carpets, and other fabrics, making clothes and other products, building ships, and making soap with whale oil was yet another.

In short, without workers, workshop owners, and merchants, the income of the lords in Nederland would plummet by at least 60%, if not collapse immediately.

Therefore, the Duke of Nederland always treated these guild leaders and merchant heads kindly. After all, unlike lords, knights, and farming peasants, when pushed to the brink, merchants could simply sail away.

Moreover, some merchants were foreigners. From the north came barbarians bringing large quantities of timber, amber, and furs, and selling dwarf-made weapons and armor.

Merchants from the Kent Kingdom brought large quantities of wool and undyed, unbleached fabrics, along with various magical creations.

Merchants from the Brolin Kingdom brought wine, wheat, and rye from the south, and even precious divine items from the territories directly under the Radiant Church. If you, as a lord, did not protect their interests...

One-third of the port's ships could be gone tomorrow, and after a month, eight or nine out of ten ships would be gone. Without ships, where would the workshop materials come from? Who would buy the goods?

So, no matter how angry and frustrated he was, the Duke of Nederland had to appease these people. He walked to the conference room door, and through the open door, he saw President Lusen of the Wool Guild huddled in the corner, his face already flushed from drinking.

The president of the fisheries guild, a man who had built a vast business from a small fishing boat in the early years, didn't touch his beloved spirits, smoking one cigarette after another until the smoke almost obscured his face.

The president of the carpet guild, a normally devout and artistically refined middle-aged man, was frowning and spitting out chewed tobacco residue.

"The Duke has arrived!"

The etiquette officer paused and then loudly announced, tapping his scepter. The room erupted as everyone stood and scrambled to greet the Duke.

As soon as the Duke sat down, people began to speak over each other:

"Duke, is the kingdom really going to default on the national debt? Can you help us? If this debt isn't paid when it matures, I won't be able to pay my workers!"

"Yes, yes! The fishing season is about to start, and we need the money to repair the boats and buy barrels. Without this debt payment, half the boats won't be able to go out!"

"If there's no money, how will we get new supplies? The new season's wool is about to come in, and without the debt payment, I won't have money to buy it! The wool I have now will only last a month..."

President Lusen of the Wool Guild looked miserable. The wool from the Kent Kingdom was the best quality and most famous in the surrounding areas. Only the fine, long-fibered wool from the Kent Kingdom could make the softest and warmest woolen cloth.

However, due to the war between the Kent Kingdom and the Radiant Church, they only accepted gold coins, not exchanges or transfers. If the king refused to pay the debt, he would be in trouble immediately!

"You can still go to the Kent Kingdom for supplies, but what about me? The Carolingian Kingdom has raised the wool tariffs several times! Even if they pay the debt, I'll go bankrupt!"

The president of the carpet guild and other presidents dealing in low-end textiles shouted together. They mainly used wool from the interior of the Carolingian Kingdom, which was not as high-quality but was abundant.

In the past twenty years, the textile city of Flanders in the Nederland territory had gradually increased its purchases from the Brolin Kingdom's wool trading center, going from 50% to over 80% of their output.

The nearby cities of the Radiant Church could only get scraps after they were done. This meant that their products were more expensive and of lower quality.

"It's just those people relying on the church's power to oppress us! Raising tariffs to keep us from getting supplies makes them happy! Duke, you have to stand up for us!"

"Yes, Duke, you must stand up for us!" The president of the sugar guild was almost in tears:

"Banning us from trading directly with colonial merchants is killing us! We donated twelve sugar towers for the king's wedding, and now they turn their backs on us!"

"Duke!"

"Duke!"

The Duke felt his head throb. Despite his frustration, he had to comfort these merchants:

"Don't worry, everyone, hold on a bit. I'll communicate with the archbishop and write to the capital. If necessary, I'll petition in person."

"Will the king listen? Does the Radiant Church care about us merchants? Their doctrine says it's harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, but every time they need money, they find ways to squeeze us."

"Ahem, the king won't ignore our concerns," the Duke reassured them:

"Our Nederland contributes over half of the kingdom's taxes, three times more than the colonies. Killing off industry and commerce does the king no good. Would he rely on farming income?"

"Duke, we're counting on you! If you can open the exchange for us, I'll allocate one of my new ships to you from last year!"

The Duke of Nederland said:

"That's not necessary for now... If we can negotiate, everyone will benefit. If not, we're all in trouble."

He sent off the merchants, organized his thoughts, and began writing letters. Letters to the Archbishop of Nederland, the counts in the region, several hidden but significant figures, old friends in the capital, and the heads of financial merchant groups.

Before he could finish drafting the letters, his personal servant hurried in. The Count of Ostend and his wife, the Count of Delft, and the Count of Dodderemet had all come from their territories.

Observing noble etiquette, they had sent advance notices instead of visiting directly. Even so, the thick stack of notices in front of him made the Duke sigh.

Exhausted.

These counts usually sent letters or messengers for business. Inviting them to a gathering required at least two months' preparation, including residence, banquets, and performances. Now, with nothing prepared, they had all rushed over.

Clearly, they were too agitated to sit still. As the largest lord in the Nederland region, what stance should he take, and what actions should he lead them in?

That night, the Duke of Nederland tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The next morning, before he could get ready to receive guests, bad news started pouring in:

"In the Count of Delft's territory, the ten largest beer merchants were arrested for 'blasphemy,' and their properties seized!"

"In the Count of Orange's territory, three shipyards were confiscated by the Inquisition for 'investigating connections with heretics!'"

"In F

landers City, all merchants from the Kent Kingdom were imprisoned for 'heresy!'"

"The Inquisition appointed Cardinal Gravira as the Chief Inquisitor of the Nederland region, and he has arrived with the Black Knights."

The Duke's face darkened. With a crack, he crushed the horn cup in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Invite the counts over;we need to discuss this seriously!"