Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

The Duchy of Württemberg, a German Dukedom in the Holy Roman Empire.

A large manor stands tall in the heart of Stuttgart, the economic, military, and financial capital of the Duchy of Württemberg.

The manor belongs to the current richest and most influential Jewish family on the European continent, the Oppenheimers.

Joseph Süß Oppenheimer, the patriarch of the Oppenheimer family, had raised his family from a fairly well-off background to one of the largest banking families in the Holy Roman Empire, with the family’s influence spreading to nearby nations such as the Netherlands, Prussia-Brandenburg, and even the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Branches of the Oppenheimer & Co Bank could be found all over the above-mentioned places. And the reason for Oppenheimer’s success? It was not solely his ability to generate wealth, though that certainly made him an important figure in the surrounding regions. His current position was also due to his thoughtful nature and deep knowledge of the current state of affairs.

Joseph was not only adept at making money but also highly insightful and strategic in understanding the world around him.

From a young age, Joseph knew that his people were not welcome anywhere in the world aka Europe, so he realized that in order to live a happy and prosperous life, he would need to collaborate with and be useful to powerful people in order to achieve his goals.

Inherently understanding this truth, Joseph did not try to hoard all his wealth for himself like his compatriots. Instead, he started to share his wealth with the powerful to keep himself and his family safe and secure.

For this very reason, in Oppenheimer & Co., the bank he established when he was 25, he immediately gave out 30% of the stake to a member of the House of Württemberg, the noble family that ruled over the Duchy of Württemberg.

Perhaps it was a blessing from God, as the person he cooperated with was the then heir of the Württemberg family, Eberhardt III, who is now the current patriarch of the Württemberg family after the passing of his father, Johann Frederick.

Due to the deal he had made, his business was not hindered, and his security was not compromised. Although every year he had to pay out 30% of his proceeds to the Württemberg family, he still thought the deal was worth it since he kept getting richer. In his thirties, he made up his mind to expand the business.

He started with the neighbouring noble territories within the Holy Roman Empire, and with the experience he had already built up from years in business, his expansion received a lot of support from the local people. Unfortunately, just as the branch office was about to open, it was hindered by the local noble families.

Joseph immediately sought help from Eberhardt, and as expected, Eberhardt did help. However, his help was limited, as only minor nobles below his rank and nobles directly under him listened to his words. Nobles of similar rank and those directly under the emperor paid no heed to Eberhardt’s requests. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

For further assistance, Joseph was asked to give more equity to Eberhardt, which he was clearly unwilling to do, as it would undermine his absolute control of the bank.

Joseph then understood that in order to increase the amount of porridge in the pot, the size of the pot had to be increased, or else, no matter how much porridge you pour into the same pot, it would always overflow.

Hence, in his thirties, he made another major decision that would once again affect the fate of his family. He established the branch office of Oppenheimer & Co Bank as a completely separate entity and gave 30% of the equity of that particular branch to the House of Zähringen, the ruling family of the Margraviate of Baden.

His decision was a huge success. The hindrances he had been experiencing suddenly disappeared, and the business atmosphere improved immediately. Taking the Margraviate of Baden as a case study, he continued to expand his family’s business over the next two years in all the duchies, margraviates, and earldoms within the Holy Roman Empire.

He was 33 when he became the richest civilian in the Holy Roman Empire.

Joseph was at the highest point in his life, but sadly, the tallest tree attracted the most attention. Seeing his vast wealth, the noble families who had made deals with him felt like they were missing out on a large share of the profits, so they demanded an increase in their shareholding within Oppenheimer & Co Bank.

Joseph was caught off guard when every noble family he had cooperated with started demanding more shares. Initially, Joseph denied the request, believing he had enough capital to say no to the ruling nobles.

However, he was greatly mistaken, as his bank was continuously harassed by city guards who raided the bank under the pretence of catching a so-called thief or maintaining so-called security, or for some other ridiculous reason.

Joseph suddenly woke up and realized the truth that "strength is eternal, and wealth is not." Since any channel to gain strength was directly blocked due to him being a Jew, he was helpless and chose to compromise. He gave out 5% more shares to all the noble families he had come to an agreement with.

Joseph is a smart man; he learns from his mistakes, so he does not rely on the morality of the local nobles to keep their word. Instead, he took matters into his own hands and founded a separate entity, completely different from Oppenheimer & Co Bank, called Oppenheimer Investment and Holdings.

He put the 75% he held in various branches of his bank into this investment and holdings company and managed all the banks uniformly. Even though he had given out 35% of the equity to all the noble families, he firmly held the management rights in all the banks and branches, as he did not trust the nobles enough to make the right decisions in order to make more money.

Joseph then took out a staggering 40% out of the Oppenheimer Investment and Holdings company and directly divided it to the House of Habsburg, the Imperial family of the Holy Roman Empire.

Joseph suddenly found out that when he did such a thing, the nobles who were clamouring for more shares within the bank suddenly quieted down, and there were even some noble families asking to return the shares they had taken from him.

"Power is wealth," Joseph Oppenheimer once again understood the true meaning of this phrase.

Oppenheimer, currently in his 40s, used the influence of the Habsburg family to break into the financial sector of neighbouring empires and opened bank branches in various main cities. As for the equity he had to pay, he did not pay it to the local nobles, as he directly sent the equity to the rulers of the said nations.

Life had become monotonous once again. Being a Jew obviously gave him many disadvantages, as he was not allowed to do certain things or gain certain powers within society. Fortunately for him, he had the ability to make a lot of people, powerful people rich and had the ability to be a money-making machine to the actual rulers.

so he was able to keep his wealth even without having any actual hard power. Joseph no longer had the drive or the will to do anything else since he was constrained within the financial sector. Even if he wanted to do something else, not to mention whether he could succeed, even if he could, he already knew that he would have to fight new battles, battles that would consume the rest of his life.

Joseph did not initially want to do it any longer and was planning to hand over all the businesses to his two sons, but suddenly, thinking about the proposal from the unusual Indian, Yatin Thakkar, his heart began to burst with energy and anticipation, an emotion that was already very foreign to him.

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A month ago

Joseph had just returned to Württemberg after attending the inauguration of a new bank, which was unusual since Joseph wouldn’t usually attend inaugurations as he was no longer required to personally give face to the local nobles, as his wealth and influence had far outshined many of them.

However, the reason he attended this one was because the bank was in the city of Liège, a city in Belgium, which was part of the Netherlands.

Liège was the first step for Oppenheimer’s bank within the region of Belgium, so he had to attend the inauguration personally to show its importance.

But when he came back, there was a surprise waiting for him.

"Master, a merchant from the Bharatiya Empire is seeking an audience with you," a traditional white-haired butler stated with a respectful expression on his face.

Joseph’s forehead immediately wrinkled as he lost himself in thought. ’Bharatiya Empire?’ It took him a moment to recall where this unfamiliar nation was located. Suddenly, memories flooded back—he remembered that many merchants had recently been mortgaging their assets to purchase naval vessels from the Bharatiya Empire.

In his curiosity, he did some research on the Bharatiya Empire and was surprised to find out such a powerful nation existed in the East. But that was all, and he had no other idea about the Bharatiya Empire.

Since he was in finance, it was very unlikely that he would have any dealings with the Bharatiya Empire, and even if he wanted to expand his business, he wouldn’t consider the Bharatiya Empire, which was halfway around the world.

"Bring him in," Joseph said while brushing his sparse hair to make sure he looked presentable in front of the exotic and unusual guest.

Yatin Thakkar, as soon as he arrived in the Holy Roman Empire, immediately began his work as the head of intelligence for the Bharatiya Empire. After coming into contact with many Jews and Romani within the Empire, he finally set his sights on one of the main targets of his mission: Joseph Oppenheimer.

Yatin Thakkar saw a white-haired, dignified, middle-aged man. He was a little fat, but not too much. He wore a black cap like all the Jews he had seen so far. Overall, the patriarch of the Oppenheimer family looked healthy and spirited.

"Thank you, sir," Yatin Thakkar thanked the butler and sat down opposite Joseph.

Joseph stared into the eyes of the black-haired, brown-skinned man in order to see if he could find out anything from that expression, but he was disappointed as he saw no information in those eyes. However, that smile the young man gave him immediately indicated that it was a smile meant to bring him closer while keeping him at arm’s length.

Joseph was surprised, as this type of temperament and social experience was something he had to teach his sons from a young age to obtain.

"You have come a long way, Sir Yatin. What can this humble Jew do for you?"

Yatin maintained the smile. "Thank you for your hospitality, respected sir."

"I have come to seek the help of the Oppenheimer family on behalf of my nation."