Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Chapter 414: Business is Here!

20th September 1656

The Port of Kochi, Shivaji Shipyard

Francis Molin, who was overseeing the construction of the Pune-class battleships, suddenly received an unusual letter from back home. It was unusual because the letter was not only signed by his father, the Patriarch Marco Molin but also by the Doge himself, His Excellency Giovanni Morasanai.

This had never happened in his several years of business experience, so he knew that the letter was significant. Without delay, he opened it and began to read.

"Dear Francis, ...."

Upon reading the letter, Francis was pleasantly surprised. He had never expected that the people in power back home would consider ordering ships from across the world. While he knew it made sense monetarily and strategically, he did not think anyone back home would make that decision. Seeing the letter, he realized he had been underestimating the Doge’s forward-thinking ability and broad-mindedness.

This truly surprised and pleased him.

"I wish Bharat and Venice could maintain this relationship," he said to himself as he quickly got ready in his new suit, which incorporated Indian designs and left to gather all the Venetian Representatives in the nation to meet with Leonardo Bellini.

---

Bangalore

Vijay, who was overseeing the work of moving the capital of the empire, was immediately informed about Leonardo Bellini’s request to buy battleships and armed merchant ships for Venice.

Upon hearing the news, Vijay beamed with joy. Finally, the significant investment he had poured into the Naval industry had opened up a channel for direct returns.

Vijay always knew that the naval industry was a gold-sucking beast, but he did not expect how much of a gold-sucking beast it would be. Just to control the large coastline of the empire, nearly 30 to 40 Percent of the military’s budget goes into naval construction and maintenance, and that is in the case of there being no naval war.

Fortunately, the Mughal Empire’s navy was defeated very early on, and now the Bharatiya Navy has achieved primary self-defence capabilities and dominance in the Indian Ocean and the nearby islands. But this also made investing more into the Navy very illogical before the Empire’s finances drastically improved due to there being no direct enemies.

Fortunately, the Venetians’ orders came at the right time, providing a chance for the naval industry to become a significant and prominent player in international military sales.

Hence, with this happiness, he directly wanted to negotiate with the Venetians. However, considering that he was very busy and that going personally to negotiate with a diplomat of a foreign nation would put his own nation in a lower position, he did not go. Instead, he ordered the Minister of Trade, Commerce, and Industry, Rajesh, to do it.

Rajesh, who suddenly received an order from His Majesty, was a little taken aback because he was already very busy dealing with the affairs of industry transition. However, when he saw the details of the letter and realized its importance to the empire, he was pleasantly surprised and immediately put aside his current tasks to receive the Venetian diplomats.

At the same time, he sent a letter inviting Danier Boswell to act as a consultant for the deal.

Within the blink of an eye, two days had passed...

22nd September 1656

Francis Molin, together with Leonardo Bellini, was able to gather all the Venetian business representatives within the nation, amounting to only 8 people in total, and immediately set off to the capital.

To make things clear, these people were not all the Venetians within the nation, as that number would be in the hundreds, if not nearing thousands. However, they were the representatives assigned by the Venetian government to manage and oversee the investment of Venetian capital within the Bharatiya Empire.

"Wow!"

Leonardo and Francis, being almost permanently stationed in the subcontinent, were not surprised by the changes they saw while passing through the streets in a carriage. But the representatives, who frequently returned home and came back to resume their work, were constantly amazed and kept exclaiming in the car.

"I can’t believe this place has changed so much since the last time I came."

Hearing the exclamations of their countrymen, both Leonardo and Francis couldn’t help but fall into melancholy, thinking about how it was back home. They hadn’t gone back for almost a year. Although things were very good in the subcontinent, they still felt a little homesick.

They decided to return home and stay there for a while before the Bharatiya Empire released its economy from the shackles of the military, which they heard was very close.

---

Eventually, the carriage reached the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Industry.

Upon getting out of the carriage, a huge red carpet was arranged for them to walk through, and a band performance was given, making their arrival seem very welcomed.

The representatives felt flattered as they went into the ministry.

"Welcome, dear guests, to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Industry. I am very happy that you have chosen to cooperate with us. I will make sure that you are not disappointed," Rajesh said with a warm smile, inviting them to sit down.

Leonardo Bellini, who was nominally the ambassador of the Venetian Republic, immediately smiled.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, Your Excellency."

After the pleasantries, everyone sat down.

Francis Molin, one of the core members of the negotiation, immediately recognized the man sitting opposite him. It was none other than the Bharatiya ship designer who had learned ship design in their shipyard for many months, Danier Boswell. He immediately knew that things were not going to be easy. *Sigh!* He sighed inwardly.

There were some more face-saving interactions between the two parties, such as serving food and delicacies, but after a while, Rajesh brought the discussion to the main topic.

"So, gentlemen, I do know that the Republic of Venice has plans to cooperate with us, but I am not aware of what the cooperation entails. Can you please enlighten me?" Rajesh said as he smiled with a clueless expression as if he really did not know what the business was about.

In truth, he was just pretending to avoid giving up the initiative in the conversation and to prevent it from looking like he was desperate for the deal.

As for how the Bharatiya Empire learned about the Venetians’ intentions, the Bharatiya internal Pragya, commanded by Selvan, was able to infiltrate the internal social groups of the Venetians within the empire. It was not too difficult; with enough gold, these Venetians did not mind divulging some information, provided it did not directly harm their nation.

If enough gold was paid, they might even be willing to share more, but Selvan was ordered by Vijay not to push further to avoid damaging relations between the two nations.

Leonardo Bellini, who heard the question, was doubtful whether Minister Rajesh did not really know about their intentions. Nonetheless, he directly answered the question. "Well, Your Excellency, as you know, our nation is highly dependent on its navy.

Since we had a very pleasant cooperation regarding firearms, artillery, and luxury supplies like spices, textiles, and antiques, we are willing to commission some warships and armed merchant ships that we have recently taken a liking to."

"HAHAH!"

Hearing the words he most wanted to hear, Rajesh burst into laughter inwardly, but outwardly he maintained a smile that showed he was pleased, though not overly so.

"Well, Your Excellency, that is wonderful. Although we have a very limited range of varieties when it comes to naval products, what we can guarantee is that each and every product is of guaranteed quality and fine craftsmanship. So please, let us know which class and model of warships and armed merchant ships you would be interested in."

Leonardo Bellini nodded, acknowledging the statement as he was already aware of the combat effectiveness of Bharatiya ships, which were capable of fighting in the Indian Oceans which were more harsh than the Mediterranean Sea. "Your Excellency, we are looking to procure mainly the Pune-class battleships and Bhema-class armed merchant ships."

"That is a great choice, Your Excellency Leonardo. These are the flagships in both military and semi-civilian fields, so I am sure these ships will greatly satisfy you. How many would you like to procure?" Rajesh asked, this time with a hint of eagerness in his eyes, but fortunately, Leonardo did not catch it.

"Your Excellency the Minister, in order to determine the quantity, I first need to clarify a few things. Since the Pune-class and Bhema-class ships are designed to operate in the Indian Ocean, they are not suitable for the Mediterranean Sea. We could only consider buying these ships if the Bharatiya Empire agrees to modify them," Leonardo said, his expression firm.

Rajesh felt that this was a bottom line the Venetians would not cross. He was worried and made eye contact with Danier, questioning if it was possible. Fortunately, after a few minutes of thought, Danier nodded his head.

’Phew! That’s a relief,’ Rajesh thought, knowing how important the Venetians were in opening the European marine market.

Putting on a reassuring smile, Rajesh answered, "Of course, it would be unreasonable of us not to modify the ships for your conditions. We can naturally accomplish this, but the price will definitely vary depending on the modifications. Hence, Your Excellency, please list your requirements, and we can discuss further after we have a plan ready for you."

Leonardo Bellini, looking at Francis who nodded his head, immediately replied, "Very well, Your Excellency. We will do as you say. Here are our requirements. Please let us know your answer as soon as possible."

"Definitely," Rajesh said.

Rajesh quickly passed the document to Danier Boswell and sent off the guests while simultaneously booking a luxurious stay for them within the city.

30 minutes later...

"Danier, is it possible to make the modifications they asked for? Will it be too much trouble, or will it increase the cost by too much?"

Rajesh asked as Danier had already finished reading the requirements made by the Venetians.

Surprisingly, Danier actually shook his head and replied,

"It is not too hard, Your Excellency. On the contrary, it is quite easy. Since, unlike our Indian Ocean, which is very deep and not calm, the Mediterranean Sea, the main naval network of the Europeans, is shallow and calm compared to our ocean, all the modifications are minor. We need to consider only the humidity and hull design suitable for the Mediterranean region."

"For more precise details, The first thing we should do is modify the hull to make it broader and flatter to handle the calm, shallow waters and variable winds of the Mediterranean Sea. The draft, which is currently 1,000 tons, could easily be handled in European waters, so this does not need to be changed.

As for the rigging and sails, we could replace the square sails with lateen sails, making it more suitable for them. We should also make a stronger and more varied set of anchors, as the seabeds are rocky and sandy.

The navigational instruments do not need to be considered, as they would equip them themselves, and I believe the empire is currently not willing to sell the first generation of telescopes to the Europeans. Finally, due to the Mediterranean climate being dry and hot, we should improve the ship’s freshwater storage and management systems."

"These are all the things that should be done. Although the list looks large, these are all small modifications that could be easily accomplished, except for the hull part, which is slightly troublesome. However, overall, it does not matter much, as adapting the ships to the Mediterranean Sea does not increase the cost of the ship too much; on the contrary, it reduces it a little."

Rajesh, hearing the reassuring words from Bharat’s best ship designer, was immediately happy. He quickly looked over the estimated price and modifications mentioned by Danier and immediately sent this information to Vijay through the Arkha Dristi communication channels of the empire.

Vijay, who was remotely monitoring the matter, was pleased that the deal had a very high chance of going through. In the end, Vijay authorized the business to be negotiated at the indicated price.

Within the day, the Venetian delegation, staying in a luxurious hotel, received an invitation from the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Industry to restart the negotiations.

Leonardo and Francis looked at each other, eager to conclude the deal, as they knew how much these warships would help in their war against the Ottomans back home.

P.S. Finally, a fun chapter to write

P.S. Thanks Sriker, for the Pizza

P.S. Thanks Rusty_Reaper619, for the Ice Cola x 2