"Ledos, you are so courageous, you dare to persuade El to leave the Norton family in private! Do you think I am not in your eyes?" Lorist rushed to visit Ledos who came to attend the military meeting. And Garrilando drank.
Ledos shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands in a helpless gesture, without making any excuses. But Gary Lando beside him blew his beard and stared: "What's the matter, can't I let my nephew come back to help his brother? Kid Locke, don't think that you are great after becoming the Grand Duke and Sword Master, you are all like that Why are you still holding El back to his hometown? Now that there are no big chambers of commerce in Morente City, and his brother Ledos is in charge of the Liberty Alliance, El won’t come back to help him. Brother, does this make sense?"
Ledos looked at Gary Lando and smiled wryly again, and Lorist immediately understood that all of this was Lao Jia's tricks. Remembering that one night last year, Lorist invited old students from Dawn Academy among the family knights to a party in Laojia's Red Crow Tavern. It could be regarded as a relive of old dreams, and El and Reddy also went. Lao Jia babbled that night, saying that both Al and Reddy went to the remote and remote Northland to start a family and start a business. They didn't miss him at all as their uncle, and hoped that El and Reddy would return to their side and have a big family. People live harmoniously and beautifully together.
What El and Reddy meant was that they wanted Lao Jia's family to move to their territory to live, so that it would be convenient for them to visit and take care of Lao Jia's family. But the stubborn Lao Jia refused to leave Morente City, and Lorist and Fatty Shi also persuaded him a few words, but Lao Jia, who had drunk too much, said angrily: "He will not become someone even if he dies." A faithful citizen of the lord, even Lorist would not be able to climb on top of him. He is a free man, a glorious and independent citizen of Morente City, and his family was born free of Morente City. Man, will never be anyone's servant and vassal... "
The atmosphere at that time was a bit awkward, and Lorist laughed at himself and said, "Okay, Lao Jia, you are a real Morente native, a true liberal, and we don't advise you to leave Morente..."
Because of this incident that night, the final outcome was an unhappy breakup. But what Lorist didn't expect was that Lao Jia still didn't give up, and wanted to recruit El and Reddy back.
Lorist also smiled wryly and shook his head: "Don't make trouble, Lao Jia, okay? Everyone has their own ambitions. El and Reddy have developed very well in our Norton family. El has already established a family in the Northland. Although Reddy I don’t have a formal family but I still have a boy. In two years, El will be promoted to Viscount, and I will replace him with a big territory. What can you do if you let him return to Morente City? Back then El He is the boss of Ledos, and now Ledos has become the governor of the Liberty Alliance. You asked El to come back as Ledos's subordinate, have you considered El's face... "
Lorist is the point, and Gary Lando is the elder of Ledos and El. Now that Ledos is promising, it is no problem to hope that Gary Lando will come out to help him. But El is different, not to mention that he has a bright future in the Norton family, he is Lorist's confidant, and he got married and had a family in the Northland and had a child. Let's say that in Morente City, El was a member of the society. Boss Hei, Ledos is his deputy and close brother, and now he is asking El to give up his title and territory, and go to the Norton family to return to Morente City to be the subordinate of Ledos, not to mention whether he has brain problems or not. It's a face that even a man can't stand.
"What does it matter? Isn't it the same for brothers who go up and down?" Gary Lando is still very stubborn. He is a dead-headed person, and his mind is still the same as that of the mercenary group when he was young. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. The heavier it is, the more it is for the brothers: "What's so great about being a viscount, no matter how big the territory is, it's still remote, desolate and uninhabited. Morente City is now just like it was back then, becoming more and more bustling and prosperous. Hometown, why don't you come back and stay in the Northland to suffer
What's more, what's so good about being an aristocrat, other than oppressing the people, is intrigue with each other and flattering the upper lord. Al is an honest boy, he's gullible with you nobles, and he'll be swallowed up to the bones. Don't look at him as a legion commander now, because you still need him, and when you don't need him, you will throw it away like a rag. I'm not talking about you, Boy Locke, even if you have valued El all your life, take care of El Er, but what about your son, what about your grandson, how will you treat El's descendants in the future? Maybe you can find a mistake and excuse to deprive El's descendants of everything, so it's better to go back to Morente City as a free man and live a peaceful life... "
Lorist immediately couldn't laugh or cry. It turned out that Lao Jia had already considered El's descendants. This was such a big brain hole that Lorist had to express his admiration.
"Lao Jia, are you thinking too much? Even if I am a Juggernaut, I can't guarantee how El's family will develop in a hundred years. In addition, the aristocratic circle is not as chaotic as you imagine. I admit that the nobles There are many scum in the world, but more nobles still insist on upholding ancient traditions and virtues, such as our Norton family.
In addition, I regret that your vision is so narrow. The Northland is not as remote and desolate as you said. The Northland alone now has a population of more than three million, which is equivalent to three Morente cities. Also, El's territory is not in the Northland, but in Dremk Province, known as the empire's granary. The land there is as rich as the Fali Hill Plain, and El and Reddy don't need to exploit his land. Lingmin, the output of the territory alone reaches more than 10,000 Jinford every year. "
Lorist had to cite detailed data to prove that El and Reddy were not just rags thrown away by the Norton family: "The territories of El and Reddy currently have a total of more than 13,000 people, and they have formed their own Already had three family knights of his own, and Reddy already had two squires. But they entrusted the management of the territory to our family, according to 50% of the tax After handing in 10% of the family's donation, they can also get 40% of the territorial income, that is, more than 10,000 gold fords. In addition to their salary and welfare subsidies in the family's armed forces, the total annual income can reach about 20,000 jinfords , which has exceeded the total income of the counts of many territories.
When El and Reddy retire from the family's armed forces in the future, they can return to their territory to spend their old age in peace and ease. As for their children and grandchildren, according to our family’s regulations, they must also receive traditional aristocratic education from a young age, and go to Nicole College and Chenxi College to receive more than six years of cultural knowledge and quality education. We serve in the armed and administrative systems of the Norton family, and those who are more outstanding may be directly accepted as disciples by me, just like Reddy. So Lao Jia, you don't have to think too much and think about it... "
"What did you say? Only 50% of the tax?" Even Ledos was surprised. This can be said to be the lowest land tax in Galintia. Generally speaking, it is 60% or 70%, that is, the lord receives 60% or 70% of the output of the field, and the lords who farm the fields only get 40% or 30%. This is still a kind and kind lord. What the people have worked hard for a year is not enough to feed the whole family. Last year, the Liberty Alliance reorganized and cultivated farms in the area around Thomas City and Gipsy City, and the tax revenue from the sales of the farms reached 60% of the field's production.
A few years ago, the business alliance called on everyone to do everything for the alliance. The tax revenue of farms on the Faliqiu Plain reached a frenzied 82, and what was planted was not food, but high-priced cash crops needed by various chambers of commerce. Farmers took the remaining two The finished crops have to be sold before buying food, so in the process of selling and buying, they were raided by those chambers of commerce. As a result, in less than three years, more than half of the independent farms on the Fali Hill Plain went bankrupt, and most of the farm land fell into the hands of the Ford Chamber of Commerce...
"Yes, the land tax regulation of our family's territory is 50%, and it will always be 50%. As long as it is the territory of all nobles under the jurisdiction of our Norton family, the tax rate of the land shall not exceed 60%. In addition, the land tax in our family's territory Miscellaneous taxes are 10%, and commercial and workshop taxes are basically only about 5% to 10%. There are even tax rebates and subsidies. Only some luxury goods will exceed 10%. tax." Lorist replied affirmatively. Originally, he wanted to reduce the land tax to less than 30%, but was persuaded by Fatty Shi. After all, all the landed nobles in the whole continent were taxed like this, and the Norton family did not either. It is better to implement this maverick tax policy, so as not to be isolated by the aristocratic circle.
"Why did you do that?" Dolles asked with interest.
"It's very simple. With more income, the citizens can buy the daily necessities produced by the family. Only when they are full and clothed can they get a sense of happiness and satisfaction, and then they will work harder to produce labor to increase their own income. Our family is Treat the people as human beings, not as squeezed goods that consume labor and wealth." Lorist said.
"It's still the same. It sounds good. Now you can be a benevolent lord, but what about your descendants? As long as there is a tyrannical and greedy lord, everything will return to the original state, not to mention the poor people, just A territorial noble like El will not be able to confiscate everything he owns with a single sentence from your Norton family. So for a person, freedom is the most important thing, and use your own hands to create a better future , instead of relying on the lord's gift to get a happy life..." Gary Lando said with a sneer.
Lorist patted his forehead in distress. Lao Jia is a deeply liberal patient. The views he said are the concepts commonly accepted by the millions of residents of Morente City. This is what Lorist The most taboo point. It's ridiculous that when they slandered the territorial aristocracy that had been practiced in Galintia for thousands of years, these liberals forgot the deceitful squeeze that was done to them during the reign of the business alliance. They were just another They are just the leaders of the form, but they don't know it, but they are proud of it.
Is there true freedom in this world? Lorist doubted it very much. Just like the history of Galintia continent, it was a thousand years of darkness after the end of the Dharma Age. Without the sword masters and sword gods created by magicians, human beings have always been at a disadvantage in the struggle against monsters. Disadvantages, until human beings re-learned to use grudges, they gradually became the masters of the continent. In the later period of the dark millennium, those human beings who awakened their blood and possessed fighting spirit became heroes one by one and became the support of the people. They were also the first batch of territorial nobles.
The history of the continent after the dark millennium is the history of the hegemony of these territorial nobles. They fought and annexed and surrendered to each other, and finally formed kingdoms one by one, which determined the current structure of the Galintia continent. From a critical point of view, it was these territorial nobles who brought war and sacrifice to the people, but from another perspective, it was these territorial nobles who brought order and development to the people of the mainland. The years established rules and traditional virtues for the later nobles.
"Old Jia..." Lorist shook his head and sighed: "I don't know how you came up with prejudice against nobles and drew ridiculous conclusions. In fact, the territorial aristocracy system that has been practiced in the mainland for more than a thousand years has long been Put an end to what you think the upper lord can deal with the lower lord at will. Like our Norton family, which has many nobles in the subordinate territories, it is absolutely impossible to deprive the nobles of the subordinate territories of their titles and territories at will, and it is impossible To deal with the safety of the lives and properties of the nobles of the subordinate territories at will. Unless the nobles of the subordinate territories have committed unforgivable crimes or have definite evidence to prove their intention to rebel, they have been confirmed and approved by other nobles of the subordinate territories. Support can punish that territorial nobleman.
In a sense, the nobles are supporters and guardians of the lawful camp. We hope for order and development rather than chaotic anarchism. Besides, you liberals, have you forgotten the period when your family was ruled by the business alliance before our family's armed forces landed in the Golden Bay and captured Morente City? Do you think that the ration system is the real one? freedom of
I think that only within the framework of an orderly management system can an individual have what he considers freedom, just like what the Freedom Alliance is doing now, formulating regulations and rules can guarantee the freedom you urban residents have. In fact, this is similar to the territorial aristocratic system. The lord is kinder and treats the people like a free alliance. If the lord is harsher, it becomes a business alliance. No matter how much you boast about your freedom, you are still living under a system, nothing more than having no lord in name, in fact you are also another form of lord... "
Lao Jia stopped talking. Although Lorist said it bluntly, it was not without reason. It was Ledos who asked a question: "Brother Locke, I have always been worried about one thing, that is, the Liberty Alliance was first established, and there is no problem now, but if it continues to develop, will it become rich and famous like a business alliance?" Will the people in this world be dissatisfied because of their mediocre status, and will go back to the old path of the business alliance and become another business alliance?"
Lorist laughed, he understood the meaning of the question raised by Ledos: "Of course there is a great possibility, but this problem may not appear until many years later. The solution to this problem is actually very simple, That is to implement the system of lordship."
"Lord system?" Ledos said impatiently, "Isn't that becoming the same as a business alliance again?"
"No, I said that the lord system is different from the one implemented by the business alliance." Lorist waved his hand: "The lord system implemented by the business alliance is actually the feudal system of the feudal aristocrats. This is the biggest mistake of the business alliance and Morun The root of the decline of Techeng. The title system I mentioned should actually be called the honor system, making the title a symbol of honor and status. For example, each title has a fixed amount of financial income every year, within the specified range Establishing his manor residence, each title has different courtesy methods, and other aspects are no different from the territorial nobles except that there is no territory. In this way, it will not disperse power to the respective chambers of commerce like a business alliance. , but will inspire more people to work hard to obtain the title of the Freedom Alliance."
Ludos was a little comprehended but also a little confused. He murmured while thinking, "Is this possible?"
Lorist said: "You can discuss it with someone after you go back to see what other people think, and I'll just talk about it."
At this time, Genorio opened the door and came in to remind him: "Your Highness, the time is up. Please move to the meeting room with your two lords. The meeting will start soon."
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