Viscount Angelique rushed down from the carriage that had not yet stopped and almost fell, but he did not care about his loss of composure. Instead, he yelled excitedly, "Army Battalion, Army Battalion, assemble immediately, now, quickly!"
Hearing the commotion in front of the command center, Count Davanel walked out with the other three envoys. He did not know what Viscount Anqlynk was up to.
Now, the only force that the 7 kingdom envoys had grasped in the theater of operations was this Marine Battalion. Previously, the direct guard regiments of the Logistics Department and the direct troops of Monolith Corps had ignored the orders of the 7 kingdom envoys. Even though the senior officers in the theater of operations were forced to leave their posts, the junior officers were still very resistant to their orders.
What was Viscount Anqlynk trying to do by gathering the soldiers of the Marine Battalion?
Was he trying to fight with the troops of the Monolith Legion?
Although they were the envoys of the kingdom and represented the will of the king, even if the troops of the war zone disobeyed, they would not offend them, but it was hard to say if there was violence.
Moreover, with the performance of this Marine Battalion, could they deal with the troops of the war zone?
Why didn't Viscount Anqlynk use his brain and think about it …
But at this time, Viscount Anqlynk had already rushed in front of Count Davanel and the other three envoys. He said excitedly, "Quick, let's go to the Minsheng Bank. There are gold and silver bricks worth tens of millions stored there.
Viscount Oribut and Baron Fugli asked me to come back and gather the troops to seal off the bank, because the people in the bank are preparing to transfer the gold and silver bricks … "
Count Davanel and the other three were a little stunned when they saw Viscount Anqlynk's hand gesture. Wasn't this almost half a meter long?
Was there really such a big gold and silver brick?
Fortunately, Viscount Gregory was calmer. He said, "We can't take everyone away. Leave two hundred here to guard those two people."
The two people he was talking about were General Bolonik and General Skri. They had been under house arrest in the command center.
It was not until the five envoys were squeezed in a carriage towards the Minsheng Bank that Count Davanel and the others heard from Viscount Anqlynk the reason why he came back this time to gather the Marine Battalion.
The light of gold and silver dazzled the three special envoys of the kingdom who went to the overseas Minsheng Bank to investigate.
None of them expected the neatly arranged golden bricks in a room to shock them so much. When the manager of the bank told them that the bricks were worth six million crowns, the three envoys were tempted at the same time.
Initially, Viscount Oribut and Baron Fugli only wanted to forcefully buy shares in the bank. Of course, they didn't want to pay for the shares, but they wanted to hold more than 20% of the shares.
At that time, Viscount Angelink was thinking about how to bring all these gold bricks back to his home. He wasn't greedy and only wanted to bring a seventh of them back, leaving the rest for the envoys of the other six kingdoms.
Regrettably, the bank manager politely rejected the three envoys' requests to buy shares and bring back a few gold bricks to play with.
He said that the gold bricks, the two million crowns worth of silver bricks in the room next to it, and the three million crowns in the bank's vault belonged to the citizens of the various kingdoms. They were also the collateral for the 20 million crowns worth of banknotes issued by the overseas Minsheng Bank.
The three envoys revealed ferocious and greedy faces. They were ready to swallow the entire overseas Minsheng Bank whole.
"We can totally shut down this overseas Minsheng Bank, because it doesn't have the approval of the kingdom's finance department. It only has the authorization from the war zone.
According to the kingdom's regulations on the establishment of private banks, this bank is illegal. The banknotes it issues are also illegal and cannot be recognized by the kingdom, "Viscount Anqlynk said.
Half an hour later, the envoys of the seven kingdoms stood in the gold display area in the lobby of the Overseas Minsheng Bank. Under the illumination of the bright candles, the huge gold bricks in the room shone with a mesmerizing golden light, causing the envoys of the seven kingdoms to reveal an intoxicated expression.
All the people in the Lan Hu branch of the overseas Minsheng Bank were under control, and 400 soldiers from the Marine Battalion surrounded the entire 4 storey building where the bank was located.
The door had already been closed, and only the envoys of the seven kingdoms were left in the hall. If it weren't for the fact that these gold and silver bricks were too big and heavy, the envoys of the seven kingdoms would have already started dancing with them.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect our problem to be solved just like that …" Count Davanel gently caressed the huge gold nuggets with his hand. He had only seen this kind of gentleness and affection on his wedding night when he was young.
"Report …" A captain of the Marine Battalion entered the lobby. His arrival finally woke up the seven envoys who were obsessed with gold.
"What's the matter?" Viscount Orebout asked in displeasure.
The captain stole a glance at the room full of golden bricks, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and replied, "Sir Special Envoy, there are many people gathered outside, asking why we sealed the bank.
There are also a few local people who claim to be the shareholders of the bank. They want to see you, sir. "
"We don't have time to see them," Viscount Angelinck scolded unhappily. "What's that flintlock in your hand for?
Disperse the untouchables outside and tell the few shareholders of the bank to scram. Tell them that this bank has not obtained the approval of the kingdom and issued notes without authorization, gathering illegal funds, and disrupting the financial order of the kingdom. This is a crime against the kingdom.
We'll investigate the bank today and pursue their crimes another day. Let them go back and reflect on their actions. The only way out is to turn themselves in to us as soon as possible! "
After dismissing the captain, the seven envoys went to the fourth floor of the bank and prepared to investigate the total assets of the overseas Minsheng Bank.
Soon, they had a sizable harvest.
"According to the records in these books, apart from the gold and silver bricks in the lobby worth eight million crowns, there are also three million crowns worth of gold and silver coins in the vault.
In addition, there are one million crowns worth of gold and silver coins in the other seven colonies, which add up to eighteen million crowns worth of gold and silver.
"This overseas Minsheng Bank has issued twenty-three million crowns worth of low-denomination banknotes in circulation throughout the colonies.
"In addition, they've taken out loans of nearly thirty million crowns to support the expansion of production and agriculture in the colonies. Nearly ten million of the interest-free loans have been used by the war theatre to build transportation infrastructure in the colonies …"
Baron Fugli quickly completed the investigation and made a preliminary report. "This is a list of the overseas Minsheng Bank's shareholders. There are more than two hundred of them, and the smallest share is 0.1%.
I believe this list includes all the powerful people in the colonies. Their combined wealth shouldn't be any less than the bank's. "
"Hahaha …" The kingdom's envoys all laughed out loud in tacit understanding. Once this bank was settled, they would follow this list and arrest them one by one. Their crimes were all ready-made, illegally raising funds to open a bank.
It would be a miracle if they didn't make the bank's shareholders bleed, but they didn't expect there to be so many rich people in the colonies.
"We've made the right decision this time."
Count Davanel opened a bottle of blueberry wine with satisfaction, poured himself a full glass, and downed it in one gulp. "I didn't expect this. I thought this colony was a remote place where even birds wouldn't take a sh * t.
It's hard for us to complete the mission His Majesty assigned us here. I didn't expect a bank to solve our biggest problem so easily.
Let's all talk about how we should distribute the gold and silver in the bank.
We're all in the same boat this time, so we should all share in the good fortune. Let's discuss how we should hand over the shares so that we don't hurt each other.
Of course, we can't come here for nothing. We still have to take care of everyone's interests. Now, we need to strike a balance. How can we fulfill His Majesty's will and satisfy everyone … "
Viscount Oribut nodded. "You're right, Count. I've been thinking. His Majesty said to collect the taxes and tributes that the colonies didn't pay in the past few years, and then add ten times the fine.
So, does this ten times the fine refer to the sum of all the taxes and tributes for the past five years?
Everyone knows that in the records of the kingdom's treasury, the taxes and tributes of the colonies add up to 400,000 crowns a year.
If it's one year's taxes and tributes, then ten times the fine would be four million crowns. Just the gold and silver reserves here are enough for us to complete the mission.
But if it's ten times the five years' taxes and tributes, then we're in big trouble.
Five years' taxes and tributes of two million crowns, and ten times the fine would be twenty million crowns.
In other words, we have to hand over twenty-two million crowns. Even if we hand over all the gold and silver reserves in this bank, we're still short of eleven million crowns … "
"Ahem …" Viscount Gregory put down the cup of black tea in his hand. "I think His Majesty knows very well that the reason the colonies didn't hand over the past five years' taxes and tributes was to use them as military expenses for the war that just ended.
The ten times fine he mentioned is just an excuse to punish the colonies for being disrespectful to him. He doesn't really want us to complete the mission.
If we truthfully hand over five years' worth of taxes and tributes, and pay a fine of ten times the amount, we'll be in deep trouble.
The reason is simple. His Majesty will think that the colonies are overflowing with wealth when he sees this. He might want us to stay for another two years and give him another twenty million crowns.
As envoys of the kingdom, we need to stay in the colonies for two years. Next year, the governors and commanders of the kingdom will come to the colonies to take up their posts. We can only stay for another year to transfer power to them.
In other words, after the handover, we'll return to the kingdom. The only time left for us to show off our skills is between now and next year. "
The kingdom's envoys fell silent. They knew what Viscount Gregory meant. Next year, when the governors and commanders came to take up their posts, even if they could plunder more wealth from the colonies, they would have to leave a share for the newcomers instead of keeping everything to themselves.
So, the only time they could really call the shots in the colonies was between now and next year before the governors and commanders took up their posts.
Count Davanel knocked on the table. "Viscount Gregory is right. We need to hurry.
I have a suggestion. We can't let His Majesty know that the colonies are rich, but we have to let him know that we've done our best to carry out his orders.
So, I think we should send a million crowns back first. At the same time, we should complain to His Majesty about the harsh conditions in the colonies.
Next year, when the governors and commanders arrive, we'll send another two million crowns back. The year after that, we'll bring a million crowns worth of gold and silver bricks to His Majesty.
That way, His Majesty will think that we've done our best to help him plunder the colonies' wealth. Even if we don't fulfill the tenfold fine, he won't blame us. "
"That's a good suggestion. I think it should be done this way," the envoys agreed.
None of them were fools. The reserves in the bank were worth eleven million crowns. If they offered four million to Stellin XI, the remaining seven million would be a million crowns for each of the royal envoys.
As for the rest, it would depend on their own methods. The wealth taken from the people would be considered personal gains and wouldn't have to be handed over to the royal treasury or the royal treasury.
The atmosphere livened up. The envoys raised their cups in salute to Count Davanel's suggestion and congratulated him on the tacit agreement to hand over a certain amount of wealth to Stellin XI.
They knew that apart from the four million crowns they would hand over to the royal treasury and the one million each, all the wealth they earned from the colonies would go into their pockets.
"I suggest that we move the gold and silver bricks, thales, and crowns back to the war zone for safekeeping.
When Viscount Anguillink, Aurelius, and I came to investigate, we found that the people in the bank were moving more than twenty carriages equipped with metal plates to the courtyard behind the building.
That's why we thought that the people in the bank were preparing to move the gold and silver bricks away. That's why Viscount Angelinck sent the Marine Battalion over to seal off the bank, "Baron Ferguson boasted proudly.
Count Davanel nodded. "That's a good suggestion. Not only do we need to move all the gold and silver back, but we also need to move all the books and accounts in the banks. That way, we'll know who the rich people in the colonies are."
Just then, there was a hurried knock on the door, and a Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Battalion rushed in with a panicked expression. "Sir Envoy, please look out the window, we'd better leave this place immediately …"
Count Davanel threw the wine glass in his hand at the lieutenant colonel. "Bastard, how dare you barge in so rudely? Do you not want to be a commander anymore?"
Viscount Anguillink and the other envoys walked to the window and looked out. Their expressions changed. "Why are there so many people? What do they want?"
The building of the overseas Minsheng Minsheng Bank was surrounded by a sea of people. A dozen meters away from the building, there were all kinds of carriages. There were many old men and middle-aged men in faded military uniforms holding guns …
Viscount Angelink angrily yelled at the Battalion Commander of the Marine Battalion, who was standing there trembling, "Didn't I tell you to disperse them with your guns?
Why didn't you open fire? Are these peasants trying to rebel?
Send someone to the war zone to suppress them! "
The lieutenant colonel replied with a trembling voice, "They have guns too. There are too many of them. Our soldiers stationed outside the perimeter can only retreat into the building …"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let the soldiers open fire and kill these peasants!" Baron Fogli panicked.
"We can't open fire. We don't have much ammunition here," Viscount Gregory yelled.
Viscount Gregory yelled, "Get the soldiers to defend the bank building immediately, and send someone out to ask these untouchables what they want. See if there is a chance for our people to sneak out to the war zone and mobilize troops to rescue us …"
So the unfortunate lieutenant colonel sent someone outside to see what the peasants wanted. After a dozen minutes, the lieutenant colonel ran back. "They told us to get out of here. They said that the overseas Minsheng Bank belongs to all the citizens of the colony. They don't allow us to touch anything inside.
There are a few shareholders outside who are the organizers of the peasants. They want to ask us why we are shutting down this bank … "
"Why?
This bank is illegal. We are here on behalf of His Majesty. Are they trying to rebel? "Viscount Anguillink was furious.
"Wait." Viscount Anguillink thought for a moment. "Go out again and let the shareholders come in and negotiate with us.
When they come in, control them first. Who knows, the untouchables outside might disperse on their own without an organizer. At that time, we can declare these bank shareholders to be traitors to the kingdom. We will confiscate their properties and exterminate them so that these untouchables will never dare to resist us again … "
However, the kingdom's envoy had miscalculated. They had arrested the bank shareholders, but they couldn't stop more people and bank shareholders from coming.
To all the people in the colony who had notes issued by the overseas Minsheng Bank, the arrival of the kingdom's envoy and the removal of the five generals in the war zone had nothing to do with them. They were just onlookers.
That was just a change in the officials of the colony. It had nothing to do with them.
However, the kingdom's envoy had shut down the overseas Minsheng Bank. This meant that the people in the colony had crossed the line. No one wanted their notes to be turned into scrap paper.
They gathered spontaneously and surrounded the entire building of the Overseas Minsheng Bank. Under the leadership of the bank's shareholders, they swore that they would not let the kingdom's envoys rob the bank of its gold and silver bricks, because they were the only collateral that guaranteed the value of their notes.
When the first batch of shareholders who entered the bank to negotiate with the kingdom's envoy were detained, all the people gathered outside were furious.
They spontaneously built barricades and arranged for guards to surround the entire bank building.
There were all sorts of newspapers and flyers everywhere in the colony. Not a single one of them spoke good words for the kingdom's envoy.
Some of the flyers even stated that the kingdom's envoy's true purpose was to plunder the wealth of the colonies and transport it back to the kingdom to support Stellin XI's extravagant lifestyle.
On the 7th of the 11th month of the 594th year of the Sacred Light Calendar, the kingdom's envoy, who had been surrounded by the people in the colony headquarters for three days and three nights, started negotiating with the bank shareholders again.
This time, they took a step back and allowed the bank to continue operating in the colonies. However, all the gold and silver stored in the headquarters would be removed as a fine.
The second person to negotiate with the Kingdom's envoys was the one-armed Sir Bennet. He angrily rejected the request of the Kingdom's envoys. He believed that the Kingdom's envoys had sealed off the main branch of the Overseas Minsheng Bank for no reason, which had caused the bank to suffer great financial losses.
All the gold and silver stored in the headquarters belonged to the people of the colony. They had no right to take it away.
So, the negotiations came to a halt and the second batch of shareholders were detained by the kingdom's envoy once more.
The citizens outside were increasingly infuriated by the kingdom's envoys' lack of trust. They protested loudly, demanding that the envoys unconditionally release all the negotiators and the imprisoned bank employees, and then get the hell out of the colonies!
On the 11th of the 11th of November, the kingdom's envoys who had been trapped in the bank for seven days and seven nights used a magic amplification scroll to warn the citizens of the colonies surrounding the bank outside. They declared that what they were doing now was a crime against the kingdom, and requested for all citizens to evacuate immediately. Otherwise, they would immediately become traitors of the kingdom, and would be brutally suppressed and massacred by the war zone troops …
However, Claude appeared in front of the bank with Thunderbolt 131. He also used a magic amplification scroll and gave the order, "Attack! Take down the bank! Kill anyone who resists!"