Road to the Crown

24th October 1574

"How about you fill me in with some details, instead of some lofty words and ideas that have no coverage in facts?"

Just by looking at the envoy's face, one could freely judge that he was rather negatively geared up towards what I said a moment ago. But from the single fact that the envoy actually bothered to ask for the details I could tell that he was actually more than interested!

"Before I will do that, please, tell me. What do you think power constitutes?"

This was one of the questions that everyone who ever tasted said power would ask themselves. Even back when I was no one but just a team leader in one of the worst kind of jobs, namely - call centre - I could still enjoy a huge amount of not only authonomy but also the power itself, as all the decisions about hiring or firing people, changing the targets and approach of the consultants under me were fully within my power to change or modify. In the end, as long as my department was providing the necessary results, the higher-ups would give me completely free reign of it. 

Did that mean that I was powerful figure back in that firm? Considering how much I feared some of my direct supervisors that didn't care about the official decisions of the boss regarding my autonomy in operating my department, I was nothing more but a gear in the greater machine of the firm. By myself, I had no power whatsoever. But at the same time, everyone who worked under me, knew that once they would piss me off, their carrers would hang by the thread.

Was I powerful or not? Back then, this question lingered in my head, constantly pushing me for more promotions, greater targets and all the unnecessary stuff, that while allowing me to reach for the higher seat in the company, quickly resulted in nearly the entire collapse of the call-centre department once I left its management to other people. 

"Power is power. I'm powerful to those who listen to me, and I'm no one to those who can order me around. Power is just a world used to describe the relativeness of one's position in the pecking order."

Shrugging his arms without a care in the world, the envoy quickly described himself as one of those who never paid a lot if any attention to those kind of theoretical questions. Sadly, if I wanted to convince him about the profitability of my plan, I had to make him understand one thing.

"You are both right and wrong. In an ancient world, without developed society, your power was equal to how big your club was when compared to the others. Once the world started growing and human societies continued to develop, the meaning of power changed from your personal power, to the power that you could command as the leader of a force. This kind of scheme last to this day, and this is exactly what I hope to change with your support."

Right now, I was slowly nearing the line where a single word made a diffrence between open treason against country, and the heroic diplomatic effort that would put me on the pedestal in the history books. 

"So you are trying to say that…"

Just from hearing the way in which the envoy started his reply with, I knew that it didn't matter at all what he would say later on. The sentence he used as he started speaking, was no different from the manipulative means that I taught to my subordinates back in my original timeline to allow them to reiterate the problems of the customers in a way that would make our offer look like the ultimate and best remedy to everything they had to face!

"I'm not trying anything. What I'm offering you, is to transition into the next form of power, that isn't exclusive to just being a noble within one country, but being a powerhouse whose power spreads across the entire world!"

Even though I still have yet to provide him with any details, I could see that by constantly bringing this topic up and showering it with the praises, I was slowly changing his mind from totaly and absolutely rejecting my idea juts because it was mine, towards maybe giving it a chance!

"But since you wanted the details, then let me give you some. As long as you retract the troops and promise to pay the reparations within two years, then I'm willing to let you in on the scheme that will completely change the world."

For the first time during our talks, I came up with something concrete. Yet, after praising my own proposition with vague words for so long, for the first concise words to be about the costs of actually taking the offer? 

Someone who only dabbled a bit in trade and negotiations would consider it to be a fatal flaw of my argumentation. Something that would instantly put my offer on the route to be declined. But this was also the way of thinking that separated temporary workers at the call-centre from those who made thousands there. 

"Are you insane?! Do you really think that I would accept such humiliating terms while we are on our way to decimate your entire country?!���

Agitated by my words so much that he stood up as he rebuked my proposition, the envoy went as far as standing up as he shouted, instantly prompting up the reaction from my soldiers. While seeing how both sides once again took each other at the length of the barrels of their respective weapon, I could only gnash my teeth and ignore the pain in my jaws caused by this. As dangerous as pitting everyone like that was, it was something that had to be done in order for my offer to go through!

"You are on your way to having your entire population enslaved by me. From the moment I defeated Ostros, a month long timer started ticking. Once it will reach the end of its set period, then no force in the entire world will be capable of stopping me. And you know whats the funniest part about it all?"

Still sitting down on my chair, I kept my fully relaxed and even slightly joyous smile as I was finally reaching the interesting part of the negotiations.

"What is that?!"

Still angry at my outragerous proposition, the envoy clenched his fists to the point where his bones started to shine from below his skin. 

"I won't need to send even a single soldier of mine in order to change the weight of the troops numbers to commonwealth side. The profits from what will be produced in a day once everything starts will be more than sufficient to hire thousand strong units of mercenaries. And while initially it won't be that much, you should understand at this point that the speed at which my lands profitability grows, is exponential."

Sitting down the envoy with those words, I kept my smile seeing as his angry face started to melt, replaced by the expression of hopelessness.

"That's why, instead of wasting so much gold just to show you who is the boss, I'm willing to let you feed on the scraps that will fall down from my table."

Those words were extremely condescending. But it was all within the technique that I developed with several coworkers of mine, that was aimed at pushing the customer into a perfect emotional state to ultimately make the pucharse.

"But those scraps… What I meant by scraps, is in reality a chance for you and anyone who actually sent you here, to earn more money personally than the entire Muscovy makes right now. Not a bad deal, won't you say? And if you ask how I plan on doing that… Then let me point you out in the direction of extremly rich lands to the muscovite's east, where coal, iron and all kinds of other natural richness are just waiting in the ground for someone to take intrest in them! What I can offer you, are the means to excavate it, process it and an enourmous marked where you will always find the buyers for the finished products!"

Pretending to be so agitated that I involuntarily stood up, I forced myself to keep the same happy grin on my face, hiding how in reality I could barely stand the pain in my leg after such sudden move.

"And let's not forget that the amount that you will be producing won't be that hard to transport, as I'm willing to connect Muscovy to the train network that is currently on its way to be finalised in the Commonwealth!"

My offer was good. That point stood no matter what. Those who failed to follow behind the rapid technological development, were bound to descend into the second league where no one would bother to pay them any mind. By giving Muscovites the chance to hop on the technological hype-wagoon, I was basically saving them from falling into the obscurity!

But it wasn't as if I wouldn't profit from this scheme. 

IN reality, it was nothing else but what the modern economies kept doing in the timeline that I hailed from. Move the basic production away from the country, get the vast amount of preprocessed resources just to turn them into even more expensive products that would be later imported to the entire world!

Just like in that polish anecdote abotu soviet supremacy times. From Soviet's clay, we make quality figurines. Using the money from selling them we buy piglets, then we grow them and sell them for the meat. With that money we buy basic electrics to build computers, and from the profits from selling computers, we obtain a high quality clay from the soviets!

Even though this was initially considered as nothing more but a joke pointing out at the faults of the communist economy of occupied Poland, once I would delete the last part, it could accurately describe the economic chain that I was hoping to implement by making peace with Muscovites!

But this time, it would be the Russia that could come up with jokes like that about its own economy!