บท 14: Chapter 14: Silvio the Italian
Over the next few days, John was in an exceptionally good mood. The Sheriff, Edward, seemed to know his days were numbered and had gone into hiding, not daring to come near John. The conscription of soldiers and collection of taxes had been delegated to various stewards. John even found a Fleming who borrowed 10 pounds from him and swore he could bring a group of Flemish mercenaries.
On the Gloucester side, under the leadership of a few old knights, preparations for war had begun, with constant readiness to advance into Ireland. Meanwhile, the Italian merchants whom young Roches had sought were also coming to John. This group of Italians, bedecked in gold and silver, wore broad-brimmed hats and exuded a Southern European flair.
"Your Highness of England, it is my honor to meet you," one of the Italian merchants addressed John. He appeared to be the spokesperson chosen among the group of Italian merchants.
It was true that Italians looked different from Englishmen, especially the man before John. He had curly black hair, high eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a large hooked nose, and the appearance of a cunning merchant.
"Your French is quite good," John complimented him insincerely.
The Italian merchant didn't let it go to his head. "Since I've come to England, of course I must speak French. Moreover, we deal with Normans in Italy as well. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Silvio, from Genoa."
Indeed, the strongest political power in Italy at the moment was the Kingdom of Sicily, established by the Normans, whose nobility predominantly spoke French. Genoa, on the other hand, was a relatively powerful trading city-state, and their merchants were everywhere.
John didn't mince words. "Next, I am going to prepare for the war in Ireland. I need to gather food, ships, soldiers, and I happen to have some money on hand. Do you have anything you're willing to exchange?"
Silvio was taken aback by John's straightforward attitude.
As the saying goes, "Accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger," and this principle held true in Europe. Silvio looked at the knights standing in the corners of the hall and felt that his life was in danger.
If John were to force him to hand over all his money right now, Silvio feared he would have no choice but to comply with John's wishes. Therefore, Silvio scrutinized John's expression, afraid that one wrong word might leave him running out of the hall naked.
John, unaware of Silvio's thoughts, thought Silvio had no goods on hand and was preparing to drive him away.
"Your Highness," Silvio said the second before John's exit order, "I can get you all these things you need, and the price can be very cheap."
"Hmm?" John's interest was piqued upon hearing Silvio's response. What do you mean by 'very cheap'?
Silvio slowly explained, "As for food, you can first see if your procurer can obtain enough. If not, I can help you purchase some from places like Northumberland. As for ships, we happen to have one available that you can borrow..."
"What would the rent be?" John suddenly asked, interrupting Silvio.
This question caught Silvio off guard, and he seemed to realize that the prince before him wasn't here for a free ride.
At this time, most monarchs in Western Europe were fond of freeloading, such as visiting a noble's house and enjoying free food and drink under the pretext of a visit. Similarly, during procurement of supplies, they often resorted to underpaying and overcharging.
With the upper echelons setting such examples, the European nobility had also adopted the habit of freeloading. The root of this practice lay in the nobles' control of force. The weapons of criticism couldn't replace the criticism of weapons, and when nobles attempted to physically persuade, one had to admit that their words held considerable power.
Therefore, merchants always had to carefully gauge the intentions of these nobles when conducting transactions.
Seeing Silvio's lack of response, John asked again, "How much would the rent be?"
"Um, about 20 pence!" Silvio, who had snapped back to reality, raised two fingers, "20 pence would suffice."
This price was incredibly affordable. John counted on his fingers, estimating that the daily cost for a knight on expedition was about 8 pence, and the cost of this ship would only be enough for a knight to use for two and a half days.
Feeling like he had stumbled upon a great bargain, John felt elated. Before there could be any response from Henry II, all his soldiers would have been conscripted.
"And as for soldiers, we know of some Breton mercenaries in Manchester who are looking for opportunities. There are probably about two hundred of them, and I can help you bring them over," Silvio said.
Silvio didn't know it, but in John's eyes, he was akin to an angel. John felt like he had hit the jackpot. Before any word could come from Henry II's side, all his soldiers would already be enlisted.
"And there's one most important thing: I need you to be my quartermasters."
It wasn't until the end of the negotiations that John brought up the most crucial matter. At that moment, Silvio felt like he had boarded a pirate ship.
Could he refuse?
He looked at the knights around him, all of them staring at him as if they were about to devour him.
Silvio's left hand nervously grasped his own coat hem, but his face remained calm, pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"The bureaucrats here in Lancaster are not to be trusted, which is why I turned to you," John sat up straight, "including the Sheriff and the procurer here, I don't trust them. That's why I came to you."
Indeed, John's initial idea in bringing these Italians was to have them temporarily take on official positions. Edward's previous performance left John utterly disappointed, and Roger's attitude did nothing to please John either. The local bureaucrats here show no respect for royalty at all.
John feels he needs to find another group of people instead of continuing to use the local bureaucrats. Silvio weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Serving the prince would definitely have great prospects, and if he did well, it could be a dragon's fortune. But if something went wrong, what he might pay would likely be his life.
He thought of his wife and children far away in London, who followed him across the ocean to this cold land, just to make a fortune. If he didn't make any money, he might as well die.
With this thought, Silvio made up his mind and decided to board this pirate ship.
"I am willing to follow you, Your Highness."
John naturally felt extremely happy to hear such an answer. He waved directly, signaling young Roches to come over.
"Roches, give him five pounds." John's generous attitude shocked everyone present.
Five pounds was equivalent to three months' income for a low-ranking knight, which was not a small amount of money for anyone present, even for John.
But he generously gave the money to Silvio, making the businessman from Genoa happy. Silvio's voice grew particularly loud, and he spoke French with an Italian accent, saying, "Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness."
John naturally felt nothing about such flattery. He waved his hand to let Silvio leave, and the Italian businessman left of his own accord.
As Silvio left the room, other Italians who were waiting outside the door gathered their heads together.
"Is there any good news?"
"I heard that this prince is a bit stingy..."
"Is this what we can say?"
To these compatriots, Silvio's heart was suddenly filled with pride. He said as he walked, "My goodness, this is a big deal this time. His Highness is as generous as the Roman emperor, do you understand?"
Looking at his expression, his compatriots naturally understood very well—he must have made a big deal.
So the group of people became even more excited, relentlessly asking Silvio questions, which greatly satisfied his vanity. He swaggered back with great pride.
John saw this scene from the window of the castle, watching the Italian's ridiculous appearance, feeling quite satisfied.
"Your Highness, why are we using someone like him?" Young Roches was puzzled by John's choice. "He's much greedier than Edward. Lord, how can there be such a person?"
John shrugged, explaining, "At least he has ambitions."
This cryptic statement made it difficult for Young Roches to understand. But Guillaume, who was beside John, understood clearly that John was using Silvio's greed.
As John turned away, Young Roches still didn't understand what the prince was thinking.
"Guillaume, have the attendants take care of something," John ordered as he walked. "Isn't there a large forest to the east of the city? It should still be royal territory."
"Yes, Your Highness," Guillaume nodded.
John said, "Then lease that land out. In any case, make sure it pays taxes, it can't stay idle anymore."
"But that land is designated as His Majesty's hunting grounds," Guillaume tentatively asked, only to be stared back at by John, who silenced him with his gaze.
"Look at me, do I look like someone who goes hunting? I don't care what that land is, I want it to generate income."
Listening to John's words, Guillaume felt inexplicably bitter. In this era, most monarchs and nobles didn't care about money; it was usually managed by their loyal subordinates or wives. Someone like John, who was personally involved and particularly keen on financial oversight, was more like a businessman.
Yet the prince was not stingy at all. When rewards were due, he was quite generous, and his actions were decisive. It made Guillaume feel strangely perplexed.
How can a person become like this just because he is sick?
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