Merchant Wood
Wood was a distinguished Hanseatic merchant.
In Lübeck, the title of Hanseatic merchant was the most revered.
Yet, in secret, Wood had rented a warehouse, quietly accumulating munitions.
Though the prospect of profiting from the country's suffering weighed heavily on his conscience, Wood suppressed his guilt and inner condemnation, driven by the desire for wealth.
His Germanic bloodline continually chastised his actions.
The only solace he could find was in the church, where he silently recited prayers to atone for his sins.
Enduring silently, Wood watched as the price of munitions in the market soared. Only in these moments, when he realized the fortune to be made, did a flicker of happiness pass through him.
But then, he noticed a group of merchants led by Muller, recklessly acquiring ammunition.
Wood was stunned.
Could anyone truly profit from the country's misfortune so openly?
Were they even German?
Could Muller be a Danish spy planted within Germany?
Wood recalled his own experience of acquiring munitions—it had felt like a thief's act.
He had met the owner of an ammunition factory and casually conversed, discussing trivial matters.
His employees would make the purchases, while Wood subtly hinted that the deal was for a "friend," hoping the factory owner would extend him a favor and sell the ammunition.
Using the "I have a friend" tactic, Wood watched in disbelief as Muller and his group boldly amassed munitions.
His mind raced with thoughts of betrayal.
"Traitor! Muller is a traitor!"
Wood was shocked to see that, under Muller's leadership, other Hanseatic merchants had thrown aside their hypocritical masks.
They, too, joined in, feverishly hoarding ammunition.
"Traitors all of them! Germany is doomed!" Wood thought, ultimately deciding to feed his conscience to the dogs.
Wood reentered the market, mobilizing all his liquid assets and openly acquiring ammunition.
"The law doesn't punish the masses. Germany is finished; may as well make some money first."
Wood began competing with other Hanseatic merchants, racing to seize every piece of ammunition on the market.
…
A week passed, and the war between the Kingdom of Denmark and Lübeck drew nearer.
Wood, through bulk transactions, liquidated all the ammunition in his warehouse.
Muller was the one who took it off his hands.
Wood watched as the munitions, now in his possession, were sold to Muller at a premium.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As Marx once said, "The leap from commodity to currency is a perilous one. If you fall, you do not merely break the commodity, but the owner of the commodity as well."
This was a perfect description of Wood.
He had successfully offloaded his goods, completing the leap to safety, while Muller's team continued to make their dangerous gamble.
Wood harbored a certain disdain for Muller.
Both were Hanseatic merchants, both profiting from the nation's misfortune, but Muller's greed was excessive. He would surely perish in this speculation.
Wood even envisioned a future in which Muller's actions would lead to the defeat of Lübeck's navy.
The Kingdom of Denmark would reclaim Lübeck, and the furious German populace would hold Muller accountable.
During the chaotic transition of Danish noble rulers, countless Germans would turn on Muller, and the city's guards would merely watch, perhaps even protect the citizens.
The courts would pardon the common people's actions.
As for the incoming Danish rulers, they would be bewildered by the situation.
Indeed, Muller's stockpiling of ammunition was not illegal.
But it had caused his standing to plummet.
In times of turmoil, the angry German masses would view him as a traitor and end his life.
If God desires to destroy a person, He first drives them to madness!
The Germanic bloodline itself was a mechanism for self-correction.
This was the nature of trade—two individuals of equal intellect, both powerful, yet one bullish, the other bearish, coming to opposite conclusions.
Only then could a trade be made.
If both parties were bullish, or both were bearish, no trade could occur.
Wood, having sold his stock to Muller, thought of him as a fool. He couldn't believe there could be someone so foolish, someone unaware of the adage that only the wise recognize the times.
Curiously, Muller, too, thought Wood a fool. He knew war was imminent yet was quick to offload his munitions, handing over his fortune to others.
The two men politely shook hands, each silently calling the other a fool, before completing the deal.
From that moment on, Muller held the goods, and Wood had the money. They were no longer intertwined.
…
Another week passed, and the news of the Kingdom of Denmark's impending attack on Lübeck spread further.
Panic began to spread through Lübeck's streets.
When an entire nation brings its military force against a single city, the threat is clear. Though Lübeck had once triumphed over Denmark, that victory was over a century ago.
The Holy Roman Empire's counts and even dukes eagerly awaited Lübeck's downfall.
Lübeck, lacking a true lord, was like a child without a father or a flock of sheep without a shepherd—such an absurdity.
Though Lübeck was loyal to the Holy Roman Emperor, its self-governing nature struck the noble lords as utterly peculiar.
Without an imperial command, none would willingly come to its aid, even though this was German soil.
…
Among the cities of the Hanseatic League, Hamburg decided to send troops to aid Lübeck, just as they had a hundred years ago—two cities bound by fate, standing together against the invasion of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Other Hanseatic cities pledged to send naval forces to Lübeck's defense.
The atmosphere within Lübeck became increasingly tense, as the army began to draft soldiers, and the navy started to stockpile strategic supplies. All signs pointed to the inevitability of war.
Many Hanseatic merchants, now fearful, began to offload their stockpiled ammunition.
Such was the wisdom of recognizing the times. When the military began to stockpile strategic supplies, anyone still hoarding munitions and artificially inflating prices would be viewed with suspicion.
Would the army tolerate such actions, or would they deal with you in your sleep?
Having already made a profit, most merchants chose to secure their gains.
Only a small group of merchants, led by Uncle Muller, continued to feverishly acquire ammunition.
Their actions perplexed the more rational merchants.
In these times, even if one were a spy for the Kingdom of Denmark, they would still be wise to hide their intentions.
What Muller was doing simply didn't make sense.
Wood, the shrewd merchant, watched with a cold smile as Muller continued his reckless accumulation.
Most merchants had withdrawn to the sidelines.
Though the price of ammunition kept rising, no one dared to re-enter the fray.
At an upper-class gathering, Wood turned to his fellow merchants and said:
"Muller holds most of the ammunition. There are only three possible outcomes for him."
"First, he'll be assassinated by Lübeck's army."
"Second, Lübeck will lose, and the angry German populace will kill him."
"Third, his cash flow will collapse, and the price of ammunition will plummet. He'll be stuck holding the goods for a lifetime, and his family will be ruined."
"Spread my words. Let us isolate Muller. Muller is a traitor to the Kingdom of Denmark. No one should buy from him. Let him be unable to sell."
"These are the words of Wood. I hope you all can discern right from wrong and join me in eliminating Muller, the traitor to Germany."
As Wood spoke with such righteous indignation, it seemed he had forgotten that he, too, had once hoarded ammunition.
Other merchants nodded in agreement, deciding to isolate Muller.
Many of them had stockpiled ammunition as well, but they had since sold it, leaving them with none. Now they could denounce Muller openly.
Some merchants still had some ammunition left. Seeing the wind shift, they decided to sell it off at the right moment.
After all, Muller had gone mad, accepting anything and everything.
Everyone knew Muller was betting big. Small merchants secretly despised him, yet at the same time, admired and envied him. They hoped to secretly sabotage him, to remove him from the game.
And once Muller had accumulated all the ammunition, Lübeck's army would surely find a reason to eliminate him.