(Guaranteed Seal)

Following the call of the herald on the shore, the Lanniport fleet sent a small fleet of ships to shuttle between hundreds of large ships, and ordered all the captains to go ashore and hurry to the hall of the Earl's main castle.

The Lanniport Fleet is a force that manages the harbor and fights piracy, primarily to counter the western military force of the Iron Islands Fleet.

The captains did not know what was happening, but they all obediently went ashore and gathered on the shore.

The heralds of the fleet came and went from the harbor and kept shouting: "Captains, if you want to have the priority of entering the harbor, the right of trade, the safety of navigation, and the smooth trade, you must quickly assemble on the shore and go to the Earl's main castle for a meeting." ”

The words of the herald, the acting lord of the shore and the duchess appeared at the same time, which made the captains uneasy.

Soon after the port was restored to life, the last time the port fleet fled, it was the return of the Magic Mountain, and the army came to ask the Lannisport to massacre the murderers of the 'Klegon Village', the port captains were afraid of setting fire to themselves, in case the Magic Mountain was angry and slaughtered the city, the port would also be set on fire, or robbed and dressed in goods, many captains drove out of the port and avoided the sea first.

This time there was no news of any war, but in the early morning, the Lanniport fleet was dispatched to the open sea, and several warships were placed in the sea outside the port, and no one cared about it at the time, and now it seems that it was a deliberate arrangement of the city lord in advance.

The fleet's small fleet was dispatched to and fro through the harbor, and it was imperative that the captains of every ship were given a decree: all captains must go ashore and go to the Earl's Hall for a meeting.

The only reassuring place for the captains is that all the captains are gone, there are many people, and if anything happens, the city garrison will not deal with so many captains.

Lannisport is a very prosperous and lively port, through which ninety percent of the trade in the west and most of the trade in the Riverlands pass through this port. All of the iron ore from the riverland is transported from this port.

The captains went ashore one after another, and the captains who were already in the city were also found by the sailors on their own ships, and told the captain that he was going to the hall of the Earl's castle for a meeting.

The lord of the city has the right to issue regulations on any vessel that comes to the port to do business, such as the rules governing the entry and berthing of ships. There are also tax regulations on related trade, which fluctuate a little depending on the situation.

Half an hour later, hundreds of captains, some with their own hired knights, all headed for the Earl's castle under the guidance of the garrison of the acting city lord.

Jenny led the team to the rear, and the Cregan flag was waving in the wind.

It was the Cregan flag that upset the captains.

The military might of the Klegane army is too strong in the west.

The captains had little to no deal with the Cleganes, but they heard a lot of rumors and stories about the Clegane Army. Now in the entire West, the most powerful family is the Clegane family. Clegon Village, Castermet, Tarbek Hall, and Crag Rock City are all spheres of influence in the Magic Mountain. The Magic Mountain also subdued more than 20 minor nobles from the three cities of Casterme, Tabek Hall, and Cliff Rock City, and united all their territories into one and included them in the Magic Mountain's sphere of influence.

Roads, canals, farmland planning, tax design, population management, castle construction, breeding and planting in the Magic Mountain's sphere of influence...... It was all the bachelors, government officials, and architects of the Magic Mountain who carried out the unified planning.

These rumors can be big or small, and their meanings can be deep or shallow, and the rumors about the Magic Mountain plotting power in the Western Realm are also varied, and there are all kinds of rumors.

With the status of the guardian of the Western Realm, the Demon Mountain is already the new lord of the Western Realm. There are many rumors, but this is the first time that a Clegane has actually appeared in the halls of Earl Odd's castle to participate in the council of Lannisport.

Acting Lord Bancrof sat on the throne of the City Lord, Lady Jane sat down on the left side of the hall, behind her were the dignified guards, and the two female generals attracted the attention of many captains.

The captains are concentrated on the right.

Bancrov said, "Captains, those of you who have been trading in Lannisport for many years, please stand at the forefront. ”

Some of the captains retreated, some stepped forward, and after a period of confusion, about a few dozen captains stood in the front camp.

Bancrov found that this part of the population was small, and some captains refused to come forward and wait and see. But the ships that come and go from the port are recorded all year round, because it involves the management of the types of goods, as well as the collection of taxes.

Port management, it seems that hundreds of ships come and go very chaotically, in fact, there is a whole set of rules.

Bancrov had served the Earl of Ode's family for decades, and a bachelor like him, who had been a Fellow of the Lanniport Service Fellows all his life, belonged to the system of lifelong service, and when his life ended, his service ended. At that time, the city will send a scholar to Lannisport again.

Bancrof's trade, goods, ships, people coming and going in the port...... He knew everything about the situation and knew it better than Count Odd himself.

He was the Earl of Ode's butler.

The bachelor glanced at Jane, who had already read the port's account books beforehand, and from the tax administration's account book schedule, she could know how many captains had relied on the port for many years.

Jenny's intellectual talent is not inferior to that of some knowledgeable bachelors, and she has even more unique talents in medicine. The memory is also amazing, although it is not unforgettable, but it can be known by heart.

Jenny nodded slightly, motioning to continue, not having to worry about this trivial issue.

The captains came to the meeting this time, and they were very vigilant. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they saw Lady Jenny here.

Are the Cleganes beginning to meddle in the management of Lannisters?!Where are the Lannisters of the West?!Where is their army?!Where is their majesty?!

A sense of foreboding rose in the hearts of the captains!

In principle, the Warlord of the Westside can interfere with any government in the West, or issue new ones, especially military decrees.

Bancrov said: "Captains, from tomorrow onwards, all taxes on trade business will be collected through the Clegane Bank, and you will pay your taxes directly to the Klegane Bank. The Clegane Army will send two thousand troops to be stationed in the port of Westtown, and the captains who need to hire soldiers can hire them through the Clegane Bank while paying taxes. The mercenary business at the port, starting tomorrow, is under the sole responsibility of the Klegane Bank. ”

The captains were silent!

Taxes are paid to the banks, and the mercenary market is all in the hands of the Kleganes, and this new regulation needs to be digested.

However, the increase in the tax ratio was not heard, which was a relief to the captains.

Anyway, it's all about paying money, and it's the same for whoever hands it over.

Captains are more concerned with how much money is paid than where they are paid.

Seeing that there was no objection from the captain, Bancrov continued: "Captain Ferimon, I heard that you encountered pirates in the waters of the Shield Islands last month, and you lost a lot of money and goods. “

A tall bearded captain stepped out of the queue, bowed, and respectfully: "Yes, city lord. "This man speaks the lingua franca with a Westside accent, and is supposed to be a native Westside captain.

"So do you have plenty of money now?"

"I borrowed some money from relatives and friends to buy a second shipment, but only half of the previous shipment, ready to be shipped to Reese City. ”

"If you need money to buy another shipment, you can borrow money from Lady Jenny, and I can vouch for you. ”

Ferimon was stunned.

"Lord of the Castle, what do you ......say?"

"I said, I can vouch for you, you go to the Klegane Bank and borrow money and buy the other half of the goods. Otherwise, you won't make much money on this trip. ”

"............" Fremont looked at Lady Jenny, at Bancrof, with a look of disbelief.

Lady Jeanne said, "Captain Felimont, since Fellow Bancrove dares to vouch for you, and I believe you are an honest man, I can lend you money to buy the other half of your cargo, so that you can go with a full load this time." In the meantime, I suggest that you hire a hundred-man Clegane soldier, every soldier I can assure you will give the pirates a headache. ”

"Madam, hire a hundred, I'll ...... I really can't afford to hire it!"

Every soldier hired is a business cost for that trip.

Ferimon suffered heavy losses last time and had to make careful calculations.

"You can unite a few well-connected captains and hire our Cregan mercenaries to ensure the safety of your cargo at sea. After completing your business in the city of Rees, you will also be guaranteed the safety of your goods and coins when you come back. Whether you meet pirates or not, that's something that no one can say. The Cregan warriors are the toughest warriors they have ever experienced in battle, and they are worth their money. ”

"Madame...... I'll need to talk to a few captains. “

"Well, if you don't want mercenaries, just coins, I'll lend you money. The interest rate on borrowing, for three months, is 30 percent. ”

Since she was the first customer, and since she was guaranteed by Bancrof, Jenny decided to do business at a 'discount'.

The captains were all surprised, and immediately talked about it. Obviously, Lady Jenny doesn't understand the market.

This interest rate is very low compared to the loan sharks they lend to in the market, and it is incredibly low.

All the captains were in a mood.

With such a low interest rate, the captains were full of suspicions.

Is it credible?

If Feremon was caught in a storm and the ship was capsized and his life was lost, Madame Jeanne's capital would have been lost.

It is simply impossible for Ferimon's family to live honestly and repay the money. Unless the family goes to sea again with debts.

The financiers who borrowed money actually took the same risks as the captains. Once something happens, there is no return. This is also the time when the captains are looking for usury to borrow, the interest rate of usury starts at least 50%, which is generally calculated based on the profit of the goods. The value of the profit of the goods is more than three times, and the interest rate of usury is 100 percent, and if you borrow 100 gold dragons, you will repay 200 gold dragons. And the captains borrowed one hundred gold dragons, and they can earn two hundred gold dragons in gross profits after removing the capital.

The profits of overseas trade, in this primitive period, were 100% underpinned. Without a minimum of 100% profit, no one wants to risk their lives to go to the seafaring trade. In addition to pirates, there is also the danger of storms. In some regional specialty goods, the profit has increased several times, more than ten times, and dozens of times. Huge profits, leading to the rapid development of the seafaring trade. People are willing to gamble their lives for staggering profits.

Because of the high profits, the interest rate on the borrowed money is also ridiculously high. Those who are willing to borrow money, some people calculate according to the profit of the goods. This is actually investment in disguise. One out of money, one out of people, is not the real bank lending rules.

What Magic Mountain and Jenny want to establish is the real financial lending rules of the bank. Investment, on the other hand, is a different way of doing business.

Ferimon was surprised and delighted, and his heart was excited.

"Madam, we will run back and forth, and a slight delay will take four months. If there is a storm on the way out to sea, we will return to the ship for safety, or find a place to shelter from the storm...... The time can be as long as half a year......"

"Okay, four months, 30 percent interest. If there is a storm and the extension is more than half a year, it will still be calculated as four months, but the interest rate will be 50%. Within half a year, the interest rate of 30% will remain unchanged. ”

Fifty percent of the cost is not 50 percent of the profit of the goods. Some financiers lend money to adventurers, and the goods that go to sea will be counted as profits, and the goods that come back will be counted as profits again. If it is calculated as an interest rate, it is an interest rate of several hundred percent. However, it is a disguised cooperative investment dividend, not a bank lending relationship.

"Ma'am!" said Ferrimon, gratefully, "if I come back late, how will you know if I've been caught in a storm?" ”

"Captain Ferrimon, you'd better hire a Clegane mercenary to accompany the ship. ”

It's a good idea, and even if Fremont is smart, he can hire a sidekick.

When the captains go to sea, they basically hire at least one knight, and when they go somewhere, they go out to talk about business, and there is a knight by their side, and they have a sense of value and security.

Ferimon was so excited that he knelt down on one knee: "Lady Janie, I can't thank you enough. ”

The rest of the captains were impressed!

But if they borrowed money, could they get a guarantee from Bancrof's acting lord of the city?

Obviously, no!

Ferimon is a native of the West, and the lord of Bancrove knows the roots.

The captains were restless!

How much money does Lady Jenny have in her bank to borrow?

She probably doesn't have many golden dragons.

The Cregan Legion has tens of thousands of people, but there are not too many people, and raising an army is the most expensive. How much capital can Mrs. Jenny open a bank?

Gold mine?

There are gold mines in Castelme and Tarbek Hall.

Captains familiar with the Westside immediately thought of Casterme and Tabek Hall.

Jenny's bank lending, because of low interest rates, will usher in a staggering lending business, explosive business. This business is accompanied by huge risks.

How to ensure that the money lent out will not 'lose even the capital'. Some captains with bad conduct, how to ensure the recovery of the capital, instead of a one-shot deal.

For a while, the captains were eager to try.

Lady Jeanne is quiet, and low interest rates are her killer feature. Flexible grace time is her strategy. The profit of doing business is to have a back and forth, and the water will flow for a long time.

The acting city lord, Scholar Bancrof, raised his hand, and the audience fell silent.

"Captains, it is not safe for you to put boxes of money on board after you sell your goods, please deposit it in the bank of Clegane, the safety of the money, I guarantee it as the acting lord of the city, if anything happens, the lord of Lanniport will pay you all. If you buy goods in the West, it will be inconvenient to carry gold coins, please store them in the Klegan Bank, and after the business is negotiated, the two parties will settle in the bank, safely and securely. Please spread the word about the Klegane Bank to the rich businessmen, bosses, and captains you know. As long as there is a trustworthy person to guarantee it, or there is a property with goods to mortgage, borrow and store, come to the Klegane Bank. ”

"Lord Bancrof, I'm from Pantos City on the other side of the Narrow Sea, can I also borrow money from the Klegane Bank?"

"Yes, Captain. It was Lady Jeanne who answered him.

The money from the Iron Treasury could be lent to kings and governors far away in the world, and after the Iron Vault became famous, kings from far away went to the Iron Treasury to borrow money. Before Stannis Baratheon attacked King's Landing to claim the Iron Throne, he went to the Iron Vault to borrow money.

The royal palace of the Red Keep still owes millions of gold dragons to the Iron Vault.

The Iron Vault dares to lend money to any king or governor, and Janine and the Magic Mountain have that goal.