A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

62 – I Dislike Such a Wretched Development

“Now you’ve officially become a subsidiary under the Merchant Guild. I’m counting on you.”

From Noble mtl dot com

“Of course. Mr. Tarancha.”

Drivers’ Association Chairman Tarancha extended his hand for a handshake with mixed emotions. I firmly grasped his hand. With the arrival of trains, the drivers’ workload had significantly decreased.

A strike was necessary.

We needed to rally for more jobs like before.

To simply stop the carriage business and move on to work in the railway industry and so on.

The drivers’ reactions were greatly divided.

But one thing they all agreed on was that with the appearance of trains, it was obvious that the drivers’ business would shrink significantly compared to before.

After much deliberation on the Merchant Guild’s proposal to acquire the Drivers’ Association, Tarancha eventually agreed and consented to transfer the majority of the Drivers’ Association’s shares to the Merchant Guild.

“Do you plan to dissolve it? Considering the carriage industry is a dying trade, you must be thinking of acquiring and managing the association at a good price, right?”

The bitter Tarancha let out a long sigh.

“After working in this field for a lifetime, it’s disheartening to see it fading away like this. If it were Lord Lando, I believe he would take good care of the drivers and help them find new jobs.”

“What are you saying? I have no intention of laying off the drivers. They will continue to work in the transportation industry.”

“Really?”

I gave Tarancha a sly smile.

“The demand for logistics transportation will only increase, not decrease. The reason why the carriage industry is a dying trade is not because of a lack of transportation capability but because the transportation industry itself is no longer needed.”

“Then why did you acquire the Drivers’ Association, which has declining transportation capabilities?”

“If the transportation capabilities are lacking, then we will simply increase them.”

I stood up from my seat.

“Mr. Tarancha, please gather all the branch managers responsible for each drivers’ branch at the association building by tomorrow.”

“By tomorrow? They are dangerous. I’ve been trying to pacify them, but those who are upset about the decrease in workload are a problem. They could cause trouble.”

“I will handle that part. Bring them.”

Tarancha stared at me for a while before nodding.

“Understood. I will proceed as you’ve instructed.”

Tarancha followed my instructions. The next day, dozens of branch managers from each drivers’ branch across the continent came to the Drivers’ Association building. They first looked at me with a smile, but their faces soon turned red, and they approached me eagerly.

Their expressions were diverse.

Finally, there were those who wore expressions indicating that a death sentence had been handed down in the horse industry, others burning with determination not to lose their jobs, and some who just seemed indifferent.

I chuckled at them all and gestured for them to take a seat.

Chairman Tarancha was looking at me and the horsemen with an anxious expression.

“Thank you for gathering here today, branch managers.”

One man with a rough appearance immediately raised his hand upon my words.

“Are you planning to lay us off? Us? Now that trains are available. Since horses are no longer needed, are you planning a mass layoff?”

“Most of the horsemen in my branch are feeling anxious, Lord Lando. Are you planning to lay them off?”

I raised my hand to silence the horsemen’s clamorous questions.

“We will not lay off. I have called you all here today to make one proposal.”

A branch manager with a determined expression raised his hand. He seemed to have a very hasty personality.

“We don’t have any intention of leaving the transportation industry we’ve been in since we were young. Lord Lando. I want to make that clear.”

“Understood. And I have no intention of causing a tragedy by laying off those of you who have been in the transportation industry for so long.”

“Then may I ask why you have called us here today?”

The branch manager, who was previously full of determination, softened his expression a bit at my words. As the sense of imminent dismissal faded, curiosity arose on his face.

If I hadn’t come to inform them of layoffs, then why did I call them here today? A face questioning the reason.

As the majority of branch managers, including Tarancha, wore expressions full of curiosity, I realized that the atmosphere was becoming tense and I clapped my hands.

With the sound of my clap, a door on one side of the horsemen’s association opened, and something began to roll in.

At the forefront was the Quinoy car. However, unlike the usual model, this one had a small container at the back.

As the eyes of the branch managers widened, another vehicle rolled in.

It was a huge fellow.

A large truck.

The container attached at the back was also significantly larger and longer than what they had seen before.

“What is this…”

“How is it moving without any sound?”

I gestured towards the small delivery van and the large delivery truck, looking at the amazed expressions of the branch managers.

“Please greet. This is the future of the Imperial transportation industry. It’s a product called an automobile. It can move without making a sound and has a much stronger output than horses. This small delivery van has 50 mana, equivalent to 50 horses, and this truck has 150 mana, equivalent to 150 horses. And as you can see, the amount of goods it can carry is significantly greater than the traditional carriages.”

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“It is indeed. And you all need to get used to it quickly. From now on, you will be transporting goods with these instead of carriages.”

The eyes of the branch managers widened at my words.

“With these?”

“In a few months, they will enter large-scale mass production. And these transportation vehicles will be supplied primarily to none other than the horsemen’s association. I believe most of the horsemen under the association fall into two categories.”

I extended two fingers. The branch managers were so focused on my words that they didn’t even breathe properly, watching me quietly.

“Those who handle large-scale transportation jobs received from the Merchant Guild. Typically, these people own multiple carriages, sometimes dozens. The other category consists of those who have only one carriage but deliver small-scale logistics demanded by citizens or small shops directly.”

In short, it was a division between those with strong transportation capabilities who mainly do business with large companies and those with lower transportation capabilities who do business with ordinary citizens or small shops.

“Your work will not change at all. You just need to change the means of transportation. Bring one carriage and the horses attached, and we will exchange it for a small delivery van. Bring four carriages and all the horses, and we will exchange it for this large truck. Just change the mode of transportation and continue your transportation business.”

A buzz of excitement began to spread loudly.

In other words, the existing tasks could remain unchanged while increasing transportation capabilities.

“But we don’t know how to handle these.”

“No need to worry about that.”

That responsibility fell on Karl Hanson.

“The Mabu Association will be embarking on an additional business in the future. It’s about driver training. While a certain fee is required for the education, if you are a member of the Mabu Association, it’s free of charge.

The murmurs of the branch managers grew louder.

I noticed their hesitation and continued speaking swiftly.

“Based on this, we will now simplify the distribution structure. We will eliminate the complex retail structure we’ve had so far.”

The Mabu Association. In other words, the empire’s largest transportation company was now in my hands, and as a supplier guild member, nothing was impossible with me in control.

“When producers manufacture goods, the guild transports them by train. Then, the Mabu Association will deliver them to the small-scale retail outlets of the guild by vehicle.”

“In the future, the number of small-scale retail outlets will aggressively increase. With the improvement of transportation capacity due to the construction of roads for vehicles, it will only intensify. In short, the demand for transportation will increase, never decrease. Of course, given that most Mabu members have the characteristics of self-employed individuals, even if they engage in personal transportation business after handling the assigned transportation volume, they will not be penalized.”

“Just pay the commission for the job arranged by the Mabu Association on time, and there won’t be any issues. It’s the same as before. However, with the entry under the guild, administrative procedures will be much faster and more efficient.”

As I finished my story with the branch managers, they stared blankly at me and the truck alternately, as if dazed.

Unless they were fools.

“We accept. There’s no reason to refuse under these conditions.”

“If you teach us driving skills for free, I’ll make sure to inform the branch members as quickly as possible.”

With conditions like these, there was no reason to decline.

Taran Cha of the Mabu Association skillfully convinced the branch managers that day, making them nod in agreement.

I smiled slyly.

The era of cars and trains had just begun.

A few months later.

In the automotive factory of Porto’s commercial city, production of the Kwinho cars powered by the empire’s first Arcane Engine began on a large scale. Delivery vehicles equipped with standard features for general transportation, along with three types of large trucks, were produced, marking the beginning of market saturation.

Television dramas boasting immense viewership and radio programs started advertising actively, while simultaneously, a business was launched to exchange the carriages of the Ranpang transporters in large numbers for cars and provide them with driving education.

The journey for cars to establish themselves was indeed fraught with obstacles.

“A means of transportation that moves without a carriage? What kind of strange thing is this?”

“It seems too difficult to learn to drive, doesn’t it?”

Public reluctance towards unfamiliar products.

“It’s too hard to ride anywhere other than the roads. Hey! Just ride a horse!”

“What? You have to charge a large amount of elixir every few months? Maintenance costs are burdensome… and if it breaks down, it seems difficult to repair. I won’t buy it.”

Due to the drawbacks of mechanical equipment and more, cars did not initially attract much popularity. But I persisted.

“Make a movie about traveling across the empire in cars and release it. A sweet romance film about ministers traveling and falling in love across the empire. Write the script now, get it approved, and start filming immediately!”

“Understood.”

Continuing the promotion of cars through movies and ongoing advertising on television and radio, and most importantly, using Ranpang’s people to extensively drive cars on the roads to show people that cars were becoming common, gradually reducing psychological resistance.

“Apple prices have dropped a lot these days, haven’t they?”

“It’s because we use cars for transportation. We can transport in large quantities much cheaper than with carriages. Hoho!”

“Oh, really? That’s great. Cars!”

After much effort.

“Well… should I get a driver’s license too?”

“Dad, can’t we go on a family trip like we saw in the movie?”

“It would be convenient to meet your mother. Honey.”

“Considering the price compared to my income, it’s not unaffordable… Alright, let’s buy one.”

With the pockets of the working class getting fuller, the Kwinho cars slowly began to increase their sales.

“Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“We humbly report. The asphalt road project you ordered has been completed.”

And thanks to the remarkable speed of work by the spirit masters of the Limnakal Plains and other labor experts, one year later.

The entire Aylam continent was covered with asphalt roads for cars, like a dense spider web.

Logistics capabilities soared beyond imagination, allowing consumers to receive goods at low prices, while merchant guilds thrived by charging increased logistics fees and expanding their fleets.

“Money. Lord Randor. Money!!!”

“Excellent.”

Gold continued to pour in, causing the treasuries of the merchant guilds and the imperial palace to swell continuously.

The television and radio industries flourished, as did the automotive industry.

The Golden Plains finally finished cultivation, yielding a tremendous amount of grains, while the western grain-producing region of Aylam began to achieve unprecedented production levels with extensive fertilizer use.

The vast amount of meat produced in Karamba and the hunter villages of southern Aylam was freshly butchered and supplied throughout the empire.

Everything was rolling along ideally.

“I have a report regarding the oil industry. Princess Selene?”

“We have discovered a new substance. Take a look at this. It’s a material lighter and tougher than iron.”

However, it seemed that this worn-out novel was envious of the characters in the world living happily.

“Excellent! Wonderful! Princess Selene! This material. Let’s name it ‘plastic’!”

“Well… I didn’t expect such a unique name to come up so quickly. Alright then. Let’s name it plastic and think of ways to commercialize it…”

“Randor!!!”

One day, Princess Selene developed plastic with the scientists and wizards of the Matap.

“We have received intelligence that dragons from the southern nesting grounds are leading a monster horde northward! About four times the number of monsters on the Limnakal Plains during the previous northern expedition, along with seven dragons, are marching towards Aylam!”

The weary and forgotten plot that seemed completely in the past began to tighten its grip around my neck once again.