Page 45
Because the king of this country is a king who loves his people, the people respect the king, and the king also works hard for the happiness of the people. This has to be said to be Alabasta's luck.
Albana is the capital of the Kingdom of Alabasta and where the royal family lives.
Although it is a royal palace, it is not luxurious, but simple with the exotic beauty of the desert.
Although not as magnificent as those tyrants' palaces, this palace located in the desert gives the overall look a special grandeur.
"I heard that Gaius's heir is coming in person this time?" The person standing next to Nefertari Cobra and asking the question was naturally Vivi's mother who had not yet passed away.
"Well, this is not only a transaction, but also an opportunity for our two countries to deepen their friendship. I have asked Ikalem to make arrangements for the reception, and the Kalu Duck troops will be there to welcome them."
Cobra nodded in response.
"Our country is full of deserts and the land is not fertile. If we can establish friendly relations or even an alliance with the Kingdom of Ishtar, a major grain-producing country in the North Sea, it will be very beneficial to our country and our people. But I am afraid that the prince is too young..."
Although Nefertari Titi did not say it explicitly, the meaning was self-evident.
It would be very helpful for Alabasta to establish friendly relations with a major grain-producing country like the Kingdom of Ishtar, as the two countries could exchange what they need.
This would also be a big boost to the economies of both countries, especially for the large amount of food that Alabasta would need. If the food could be exchanged for commodities unique to the desert, then combined with the country's own production, it would be enough to get through certain difficult times.
However, the Kingdom of Ishtar is located in the North Sea, and can travel with the navy when it transports food. It can be said that the route is very safe. It can be said to be mutually beneficial, but Alabasta is somewhat weak in form.
After all, food is very important to Alabasta and belongs to the "hardware", but to the Kingdom of Ishtar, Alabasta's specialty is just the "software" to grow the national economy.
As a princess, Nefertari Titi saw this and was worried that the visiting prince was not mature enough or was too arrogant and would destroy the establishment of diplomatic relations.
After all, the trade status of both parties is not equal, and this transaction was made only because the two kings were of the same mind at the World Conference.
If the person sent was an important minister, there would not be so much worry, but the person sent was a prince.
Although sending the prince did represent Gaius's attention to the matter, Nefertari Titi had also seen too many heirs to the kingdom being arrogant and domineering.
This is also why Nefertari Titi is worried.
The Kingdom of Alabasta is located in the first half of the Grand Line. In order to guard against pirates from all over the world in the past two years, the Kingdom of Alabasta has had to increase its military forces to guard against these rioting pirates.
But the increase in military strength was accompanied by a decrease in food.
It can be said that the Ishtar Kingdom sells its grain to any country with an extremely casual attitude, and the trade with Alabasta is just the icing on the cake.
But for a country like Alabasta that is not suitable for farming, the deal with the Ishtar Kingdom is like a timely help.
In this situation, Nefertari Titi had to think more about what to do if she really encountered an heir with a domineering personality.
"Hahaha, my princess, you are overthinking it this time. You should know that it was this prince who facilitated the establishment of diplomatic relations. If not for him, this would just be a simple transaction." Cobra said with a smile.
"Oh? It seems that this heir has some deeds that I don't know about?" Didi felt relieved when she heard that, but she couldn't help but become curious about this prince who had established diplomatic relations in advance.
"Of course, ever since Gaius found his child, he has been showing off to me a lot." Cobra couldn't help but laugh at the thought, and slowly told Nefertari Otiti about the news he heard from Gaius.
Why did an ordinary transaction turn into the establishment of diplomatic relations between countries?
The answer is, of course, because it was Dawn's help. This was the only chance in two years, so Dawn naturally took it very seriously.
And the establishment of diplomatic relations is not only important for the implementation of the plan, but also very important.
Chapter 79 Alliance
Although at the beginning, Gaius really just went out to help his friend and sold a batch of food to Cobra at a fair price.
But how could Dawn give up this opportunity to go out?
Moreover, with the geographical advantage of being a major grain-producing country, even if someone who didn't watch the news much in the past life was the one who governed this country, he would know how rich the resources are.
In the words of the game, this is at least a gold or even diamond level start. Coupled with the support of the navy and the training method, the advantages are simply explosive.
If a good-for-nothing person travels here, as long as he doesn't commit suicide and learns how to govern a country with the vision of his previous life, it will be absolutely no problem for him to be a cool king for the rest of his life.
With such a huge advantage, Dawn naturally wouldn't let it go unused.
So Dawn took the initiative to suggest that they should establish friendly relations with the Kingdom of Alabasta, or even reach an alliance, in order to increase their voice and influence in the World Conference.
In order to convince Gaius, Dawn also elaborated on the various benefits after establishing diplomatic relations. Then, seeing Gaius's gratified expression, he expressed his willingness to serve as an envoy. Finally, this gave Dawn the opportunity to go to sea to realize his plan.
Gaius also informed Alabasta through Den Den Mushi that the heir would go to the transaction, and the subtext of this action was already very clear.
Why did Gaius treat it as an ordinary transaction, or even a favor between friends, at the beginning, and only made the change to establish diplomatic relations after Dawn reminded him?
Is it because Gaius was not a wise ruler?
No, being able to govern a country to such a prosperous level already makes him a very good monarch.
In fact, it is just a matter of vision. Dwayne can have such long-term vision only because he watched more news broadcasts in his previous life and lived in an era of information explosion.
Before, because the Ishtar Kingdom’s position in the North Sea was already sufficient, although there were still countries around it that would provoke wars for their own interests, it was undeniable that the Ishtar Kingdom had a great influence in the North Sea.
Due to the inertia of thinking, Gaius did not realize what benefits there were in establishing diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Alabasta, which was far away in the Grand Line.
I will sell food to anyone. I don't value your specialties very much. Besides, selling them to neighboring countries can increase our influence. But Alabasta is too far away. Transportation alone is a big problem, not to mention the risk of being plundered by pirates.
And part of the reason for this is that he meets Cobra too seldom. After all, they only meet once every four years, and their relationship is just that of ordinary friends with the same ideals, and it is not close enough to form an alliance.
But after Dawn's reminder, Gaius realized that it was not without benefits. Excluding the economic trade brought about by the two countries after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the most obvious benefit was that as an ally, they would have a greater voice in the World Conference.
Although the two have mostly been on the same front before, it is obvious that after the establishment of diplomatic relations, both the alliance between the two countries and the relationship between the two will be more stable.
Maybe the World Conference is not described very clearly in the anime, but its influence at the World Conference should not be underestimated.
The world conference held every four years always causes a worldwide commotion, and both the people and the media are eagerly following the development of the conference.
What they are discussing is the major policy framework of the world, but if they are not careful, wars between countries may occur!
In the anime, when Vivi was ten years old, she went to the World Conference with her father Cobra.
However, because Cobra criticized Wapol's selfish side during the meeting, they became enemies.
After the meeting, Wapol met little Vivi. Out of revenge, he slapped Vivi to the ground.
In a meeting like this where celestial dragons are everywhere and kings are as numerous as dogs, even the slightest dispute may become the cause of a war in the future.
Young Vivi understood this very well, and in order not to cause a war between the two countries, she forced herself to endure the attack from Wapol, and only burst into tears because of the pain after the other party left.
From this we can see how useful it is for countries to form alliances and have a say and influence in world conferences.
Apart from anything else, if Wapol dared to be so arrogant and the two kings confronted him together, it would be Wapol who would be panicked.
This is also true even though the Ishtar Kingdom is located in the North Sea. After all, these are two different countries, so they are bound to be wary of each other.
So even though Dawn wanted to go out and implement his plan, he didn't just make a suggestion for the sake of going out, but instead gave it enough attention.
Dawn never ignores the impact of politics, which is a good shelter for him before he grows up.
Apart from anything else, the principle of 1+1=2 is always clear.
Not to mention the influence of two countries standing behind it. Even if it is just an alliance, it is far more deterrent than just one country.
This kind of mutually beneficial thing deserves the attention of both parties.
.......
When Dawn set out for the Grand Line.
To the south of the Kingdom of Ishtar, there is a country called the Mercenary Kingdom - Kotar by the people around it.
This is a paradise of chaos, where fighting, brawls, murders, looting and other dark things can be seen everywhere and even happen all the time in this country.
The weak people here can only do heavy work for little pay to make ends meet, while the strong are hired to fight for money.
The word "peace" is the supreme blessing for ordinary people.
But in this country, it is not good news for mercenaries who make a living from war.
Nowadays, the entire North Sea is in chaos because of the invasion of pirates. Every country is on guard against the rioting pirates, and it has been a long time since they launched a war against the surrounding countries.
And those mercenaries who originally received high salaries also lost their jobs.
This is intolerable because they, including the entire country, need war to feed themselves.
This is the idea held by everyone from the king to the mercenaries.
In their eyes, a large-scale war would be even more wonderful, because their king is the leader of the entire mercenary group.
The king will lead the entire country to participate in the war in order to obtain money and supplies to inject nutrients into the chaotic country of Kotal.
As long as a war breaks out, Kotal will accept anyone who offers to hire him, which is very similar to the Vinsmoke family.
Although this country has abundant iron resources, they are all used to make weapons. The mined iron resources are cast into weapons and sold to mercenaries under it.
The mercenaries below are responsible for accepting employment and obtaining money and supplies.
It can be said that almost all the people in this country are mercenaries, and it is an extremely deformed country.
Chapter 80 The Kingdom of Kotal
Kingdom of Kotal.
It is often referred to as the source of chaos and disorder in the North Sea.
In the North Sea, many pirates came from this chaotic country.
The Kotar Kingdom, which basically did not engage in production, bought most of its food from the neighboring Ishtar Kingdom, and traded weapons and iron resources.
However, in recent years, due to the trade of too many weapons and iron resources, the Ishtar Kingdom's demand for weapons has long been saturated, and iron resources have become abundant due to the continuous trade in recent years.
After all, food is constantly consumed, but weapons can be used for a long time as long as they are properly maintained.
In addition, although the Ishtar Kingdom has a strong military force, it has not had any war with other countries in the North Sea in recent years.
Most of the battles were just to guard against the invasion of pirates, and the consumption of weapons was not rapid.
After all, they are just small-scale pirates, and swords are not things that can be broken with just one cut. The stored weapons and iron resources are enough for the Ishtar Kingdom to use in war and people's livelihood for a long time.
Now, due to the opening of the Great Pirate Era, there is not enough time to guard against pirates in the surrounding areas. In the past two years, there has been no intention to start a war. Even if there are battles, they are mostly small-scale conflicts with pirates.
Moreover, even if soldiers were injured or killed, as long as the weapons were not broken, they could still be recycled, so the demand for weapons and iron resources in neighboring countries decreased.
So the Kingdom of Kotal was in a difficult situation.
Even if there are hired personnel, most of them are there to help defend against pirates, so in the past two years, Kotal has been in a state of expenditure exceeding income.
However, the surrounding countries began to demand the use of Bailey in trade. Simply put, because the surrounding countries had too many weapons and iron resources to trade, they no longer wanted to barter, but wanted Bailey.
But in the current situation, as the king, Kotal Rad simply cannot afford so much money to buy supplies. Thinking of this, Kotal Rad became extremely annoyed.