The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

This is ten times the amount he gave Qiao Yelan the first time.

As requested by Qiao Yelan, he handed her five checks.

When Qiao Yelan received the five checks, he nodded in satisfaction and then patted Speaker Witt on the shoulder enthusiastically.

"Don't feel like you're losing out. There were only two of us with the original shares. Didn't I promise that I would only take half of the shares from the later investors, and the other half would be yours?"

Victor's expression improved somewhat. The other party agreed to hand over all the factory shares of the Civil Affairs Group to him for management, and Qiao Yelan would only interfere in the construction of factories and production lines.

Seeing that Qiao Yelan had put the check away, Witt hesitated, but still spoke up again.

"I'd like to know how you managed to convince Grand Duke Nicholas."

It wasn't surprising that Fyodor was persuaded; the emperor was now desperate for money, and Qiao Yelan could easily succeed as long as he used money to pave the way.

But Nicholas was different. He was a nobleman with a large income and annual government funding. Neither the nobles nor Nicholas dared to restrict him too much.

What's more, he's become incredibly wealthy these past few years. He seized the opportunity presented by the unrest in Letania and launched a swift attack that breached an Electoral District. He then used the opportunity to extort a large sum of money in reparations, even extending the terms of the reparations to five years later.

"Money, it's all about money. Nobody ever thinks they have too much money."

"How much...would that cost?"

Witt gasped.

He could hardly imagine how much money Qiao Yelan had spent to win over Nicholas and get him to withstand the pressure and underhanded tactics from the nobles.

"Twenty percent of the smuggling share."

"Twenty percent?"

The speaker's eyes widened.

That's far too little!

Too little?

Qiao Yelan blinked and looked at Victor with a strange expression.

"That accounts for 20% of the smuggling volume between Ursus and Kazimir."

what?

Witt's eyes widened.

"No, you've really monopolized the smuggling routes between the two countries? How did you do that? That's between two countries! Do you know how many nobles have connections in the Eastern Kazimir Governorate? Do you know how many smuggling routes there are?"

A barrage of questions rained down on Qiao Yelan.

No wonder Witt was so shocked. He had previously thought that Qiao Yelan was only talking about the smuggling routes that the other party had. He figured that at most there were only a few routes. Having them all would indeed be a threat, but that was all.

"I don't care how many there are, as long as they're blocked until only mine is left, that's fine."

Qiao Yelan had an indifferent expression, clearly thinking that Victor was making a fuss over nothing.

"...At least we're partners, and I've promised not to get involved in the smuggling business, and I promise I won't tell anyone."

Witt was incredibly curious.

Qiao Yelan gave him a half-smile.

"You really want to know?"

"of course."

"Well—I'm just suggesting to Your Majesty that you redeploy Grand Duke Nicholas and his army group back to the border between Ursus and Kazimir."

That's it?

Witt almost blurted it out, but knowing Qiao Yelan's abilities, he didn't immediately criticize her, but instead began to think about it seriously.

Does this guy want to persuade the emperor to launch an offensive on the border of Kazimir?

Ursus is currently unable to afford a war, and the other side has no chance of persuading the Emperor and Grand Duke Nicholas.

"Your purpose is..."

"Put pressure on Kazimir to get things moving."

Qiao Yelan shrugged.

Witt frowned. One of the reasons he disliked contact with Qiao Yelan was that he could never understand the other's behavior and could only wait for the other to explain himself.

This puts us in a very passive position.

"You mean... escalate tensions on the border between the two sides?"

If border tensions rise, all smuggling routes will be instantly and devastated, as both sides' armies will intensify their crackdowns—meaning the prices of certain goods will skyrocket.

"But Ursus isn't the only trading partner in Kazimierz?"

“You’re right—but just six months ago, the Grand Duke of Windermere fell seriously ill, and the power struggle within the duchy was imminent. At that time, no foreign power was allowed to intervene, not even to pass through.”

"Naletania..."

"The capital of Letania is still under reconstruction, and the electors are still stirring—do you think they have the money?"

Witt stared at Qiao Yelan. He had realized something, but people always have a bit of wishful thinking.

On the Ursus side, Nikola must have received a bribe to be willing to let them pass.

That leaves only Kazimir's side.

"...May I ask what your connections are in Kazimir?"

"Oh, I just have a past relationship with Lord Cyril Nearl, and incidentally, I made some insignificant contributions to the downfall of the former Grand Knight Commander of Kazimierz."

Qiao Yelan revealed a hearty smile.

The Speaker's vision went black.

He certainly knew how the former Grand Knight Commander of Casimir had fallen—that war hero of Casimir, Cyril Nearl, along with a large number of Silver Spear Pegasus families and more than two-thirds of the Knights, had directly forced his way out of the Council of Supervisors and successfully seized power.

If the now-famous Grand Duke Nicholas were to arrive at the border between the two countries, Cyril Nearl on the other side would surely step in to challenge him.

The border situation between the two countries is tense, but a real war is unlikely. Kazimir will face inventory buildup due to blocked trade routes, while Ursus will face a severe shortage of goods...

If at this moment, someone—a merchant with connections to both sides' supreme commanders—were to step forward—

This isn't smuggling, it's blatant robbery!

Chapter 169 How come you don't even understand capitalism?

Speaker Witt looked at Qiao Yelan with a terrifying gaze, but he couldn't help feeling deflated.

The methods the other party used in smuggling had absolutely nothing to do with me, so I shouldn't even think about tripping them up. If I were to try to do something underhanded under these circumstances, the other party would definitely be no pushover.

Moreover, Qiao Yelan has made it clear that he wants to go through the military, and if I dare to make any underhanded moves, Nikolai will probably be the first to object.

He had to force himself to refocus on his transaction with the other party, otherwise he would have been tempted to snatch the check back from the other party's hand.

"I need a detailed explanation of that [workers' army] plan."

Qiao Yelan nodded, put the [Ursus Industrial Transformation Plan] in his hand into a file folder, and then took out a new file folder from his bag.

"This is the source file of the plan. I'm sorry I can't leave it to you, nor can I allow you to copy it by any means of machine. Either you memorize it all, or you make a copy by hand yourself—in short, this plan has nothing to do with me."

Witt nodded solemnly. He understood the significance of the plan, and knew that given Qiao Yelan's status, it was absolutely impossible for him to admit to it.

However, the seriousness with which this was being done made him even more eager for the plan.

He took the document and began to examine it intently.

Soon, he went beyond simply reading; he picked up his pen and began copying down the text word by word, and started asking Qiao Yelan about his doubts.

"Why build large apartment buildings as workers' dormitories? Wouldn't that greatly increase costs?"

"You're wrong. This is actually a way to reduce costs. First of all, the workers don't need anything artistic. As long as it's sturdy, durable, and well-insulated, and the space is relatively spacious, that's enough for them. For large apartments like this that don't require design and have fixed templates, the construction cost is just so-so."

Qiao Yelan spoke eloquently to Witt.

"Secondly, this can significantly reduce the wages you need to pay. You just need to tell them that the rent for this house will be deducted directly from their wages—but once they have worked for ten years, the house can be given to them. The workers will certainly not complain about their lower wages compared to other regions."

Witt gave him a look that said, "So that's how you can play with it."

He suddenly realized how foolish he had been to be so meticulous about workers' wages.

Look at how others do it. For at least ten years, these workers' wages have been cut to a level similar to that of serfs—the kind that would be enforced by the Imperial Ministry of Labor.

But the workers will not only not complain, they will probably thank themselves.

"Once such a notice is issued, the workers will take the initiative to cherish their future homes. Similarly, they will not mind spending their wages on their homes. You just need to re-mark these related products at a lower factory internal price, and you can get a portion of the wages you have paid out back."

"And most importantly, although both men and women can enter the factory, it is impossible for children to be born in a room where sixteen people are crammed in—you don't want these workers, or rather your reserve force, to be non-renewable resources, do you?"

The man's explanation wasn't even finished when Witt's forehead began to sweat.

"Of course, after working for ten years and getting a house, most of these people already have families. Since they have families, they are even less likely to risk losing their jobs. At this point, the increase in their take-home pay can actually give them the energy to have and raise more children."

"Clearly, the plan to hide soldiers in factories is bound to be a long-term plan, which will not be activated until you and... your political enemies officially turn against each other. Therefore, children are of course necessary—they will maintain this plan generation after generation, and enter the factories generation after generation, striving for new houses and new families."

This is fucking...

The speaker glanced at Qiao Yelan cautiously.

The nobles exploited their subjects and serfs for their own amusement—but if you really want to see exploitation, you have to look at this guy.