"Ledos, you've got guts. How dare you persuade Aire to betray the Norton Family! Are you looking down on me? " Laurist yelled at Ledos and Galilando, who had come to attend the military conference.
Ledos shrugged and made a helpless gesture with his hands spread out. He did not make a sound to defend himself. Galilando, who was beside him, blew his beard and glared at him, "What? Can't I get my nephew to help his brother? Locke, don't think you're so great just because you're a duke and a Sword Saint. You're already so capable, why are you still refusing to let Aire return to his hometown? Now that Moronte City no longer has those big merchant guilds, and his brother Ledos is in charge of the Freedom Alliance, is it reasonable for Aire to not come back to help his brother? "
Ledos looked at Galilando and smiled bitterly again. Laurist immediately understood that it was all Gary's doing. Laurist remembered a night last year when he invited the old knights from Dawn Academy to a gathering at Gary's Red Raven Tavern. It could be considered as reliving old memories, and Aire and Redi had gone as well. That night, Gary rambled on about how Aire and Redi had gone to the remote north to settle down and settle down. He did not miss his uncle at all, and hoped that Aire and Redi would return to his side so that his family could live happily together.
El and Redi's intention was for Garcia's family to move to their territory. This way, it would be convenient for them to visit and take care of Garcia's family. However, the stubborn Old Gary refused to leave Moronte City no matter what. Laurist and Fatty Shi tried to persuade him, but the drunk Old Gary said angrily, "He will not become a loyal subject of some lord even if he dies. Even Laurist will not be able to climb over his head. He is a free man, a proud and independent citizen of Moronte City. His whole family was born free citizens of Moronte City. They will never become anyone's servant or vassal …"
The atmosphere was a little awkward, and Laurist said self-deprecatingly, "Alright, Gary, you're a true citizen of Moronte City, a true liberal. We won't persuade you to leave Moronte City …"
That night, because of this matter, the ending was not good. However, Laurist did not expect Old Jia to not give up and wanted to call Aire and Redi back.
Laurist shook his head with a bitter smile: "Old Gard, can you stop messing around? Everyone has their own ambitions. Aire and Redi are doing well in the Norton Family. Aire has already settled down in the north, and Redi has a son even though he hasn't officially settled down yet. In another two years, Aire will be promoted to a viscount, and at that time, I will even give him a larger territory. What can he do if he goes back to Morrent City? Back then, Aire was Ledos' boss. Now that Ledos has become the chief of the Freedom Alliance, did you consider Aire's reputation when you asked him to come back and be Ledos' subordinate? "
Laurist did not go overboard. Garilando was Ledos and Aire's senior. Now that Ledos had a bright future, he hoped that Garilando would come out and help him. But Aire was different. Not only did he have a bright future in the Norton Family, he was also Lollister's trusted subordinate, and he even got married and had children in the North. Even back in Moronte City, Aire was the leader of a gang, and Ledos was his assistant and close brother. Now, Aire had to give up his title and territory, leave the Norton Family, and return to Moronte City to be Ledos' subordinate. Not to mention whether there was something wrong with his brain, just the loss of face was something that no man could accept.
"What does it matter? Isn't it the same for brothers?" Garilando was still very stubborn. He was a stubborn man, and his mind was still the same as when he was young. The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. He did not hesitate to do anything for his brothers. "What's so great about being a viscount? No matter how big the territory is, it will still be desolate and uninhabited. Morrent City is now just like it was in the past, becoming more and more prosperous. It's also my hometown, so why not come back and suffer in the north?
Furthermore, what's so good about being a noble? Other than bullying the people, we're fighting and scheming against each other, and flattering the superior lords. Aire is an honest child. He will be easily deceived if he mingles with nobles like you, and he will be swallowed whole. Don't think that he's a corps commander now, but that's because you still need him. When you don't need him, you will throw him away like a rag. It's not that I want to criticize you, but even if you value Aire and take care of him all your life, what about your sons and grandchildren? How will they treat Aire's descendants in the future? Maybe you can just find a random excuse and take away everything from Aire's descendants. If that's the case, you might as well return to Morrent City and live a peaceful life as a free man … "
Laurist did not know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that Old Gard had already considered Aire's descendants. His imagination was too wild, and Laurist could not help but admire him.
"Old Gard, aren't you thinking too much? Even if I'm a sword saint, I can't guarantee how Aire's family will develop in a hundred years. Also, the noble circle is not as chaotic as you think. I admit that there are many scum among the nobles, but there are even more who insist on upholding the ancient traditions and virtues. Our Norton family is one such example.
I also regret that your vision is so narrow. The north is not as desolate and remote as you say. There are more than three million people in the north, which is equivalent to three Morrent City. Furthermore, Aire's territory is not in the north, but in the Empire's granary, Delemke Province. The land there is as fertile as the Mana Hill Plains, and Aire and Redi do not need to exploit his people. Just the production from his territory alone can reach more than ten thousand gold fords a year. "
Laurist had no choice but to provide detailed data to prove that Aire and Redi were not disposable rags that the Norton Family could throw away. "Aire and Redi's territory has a total of thirteen thousand citizens, and each of them has formed a garrison of a hundred men. El already had three of his own family knights, and Redi already had two of his own squires. However, they have entrusted the management of their territory to our family. According to 50% tax and 10% of the family's contribution, they can still receive 40% of the territory's income, which is more than ten thousand gold fords. Adding on their salary and benefits from the family's armed forces, their annual income can reach about twenty thousand gold fords. This is already more than the income of many earls.
When Aire and Redi retire from the armed forces in the future, they can return to their own territories and live a carefree life. As for their descendants, according to our family's rules, they will also have to receive traditional noble education from a young age. They will also have to go to Nicol Academy and Dawn Academy to receive six years of education. Successful descendants can enter the armed forces and administrative system of the Norton family. The more outstanding ones might even be accepted as my disciple, just like Redi. So, Ol 'Gar, you don't have to think too much about it … "
"What did you say? Only 50% tax? " This time, even Ledos was shocked. This could be said to be the lowest tax in the entire Galinthia continent. Normally, it was 60% or 70%, meaning that the lord would get 60% or 70% of the harvest, and the farmers would only get 40% or 30%. This was only for the benevolent lords. Most of the time, the farmers would get 80% or 20% of the harvest, and the farmers would not even be able to feed their families after working hard for a year. Last year, the Freedom Alliance reorganized the farms around Thomas City and Gipsies City. After selling the farms, the tax was still 60% of the harvest.
A few years ago, the Trade Alliance called for everyone to do everything for the Alliance, and the farm tax on the Mana Hill Plains reached an insane 80%. Furthermore, the crops were not crops, but high-priced crops that the Merchant Guild needed. The farmers took the remaining 20% of the crops and had to sell them first before buying food. Thus, in the process of selling and buying, the Merchant Guild raked in another layer. In less than three years, more than half of the independent farms on the Mana Hill Plains went bankrupt, and most of the farms fell into the hands of the Ford Merchant Guild …
"Yes, the tax on the fields of our family's territory is 50%, and it will always be 50%. As long as it is within the jurisdiction of the Norton family, the tax on the fields of the nobles cannot exceed 60%. In addition, the miscellaneous taxes in our family's territory is 10%, and the taxes on the businesses, workshops, and mines are basically only around 5% to 10%. There are even tax rebates and subsidies. Only some luxury goods will exceed the 10% tax, "Laurist answered with certainty. Originally, he wanted to lower the tax on the fields to less than 30%, but he was persuaded by Fatty Shi. After all, all the nobles on the continent had such a tax, and the Norton family could not implement such a unique tax policy to avoid being isolated by the nobles.
"Why do you want to do this?" Doles asked with interest.
"It's simple. If the people have a bit more income, they can buy the daily necessities produced by the family. Only when they have enough to eat and wear can they feel happy and satisfied. Only then will they work harder to increase their income. Our family treats the people as human beings, and not as labor and wealth to be exploited, "Laurist said.
"Isn't it the same? You make it sound 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 how it was. Not to mention the poor people, even a noble like Aire can be confiscated with just a word from the Norton family. So to a person, freedom is the most important thing. Use your own hands to create a beautiful future, and not rely on the lord's blessing to live a happy life … "Galilander said with a cold smile.
Laurist slapped his forehead in frustration. Old Gar was a deep liberal, and the views he spoke of were commonly accepted by the millions of people in Morent City. This was also the most taboo point for Laurist. Ironically, while they were vilifying the feudal aristocratic system that had been implemented in the Galinthea Continent for thousands of years, these liberals had forgotten the deceitful oppression of them during the rule of the Commerce Federation. They were just another form of subjects, but they were not aware of it. Instead, they were proud of it.
Was there true freedom in this world? Laurist suspected that it was just like what was recorded in the history of the Galinthea continent. After the End of Days, there was a thousand years of darkness. Without the Sword Saints and Sword Gods created by the Magicians, humans were always at a disadvantage against magical beasts. It was only when humans learned to use Combat Aura that they gradually became the rulers of the continent. In the later stages of the thousand years of darkness, humans who awakened their bloodlines and gained Combat Aura became heroes and became the people's reliance. They were the first batch of aristocrats.
The history of the continent after the thousand years of darkness was the history of these aristocrats' struggle for supremacy. They fought, annexed, and submitted to each other. In the end, they formed kingdoms and stabilized the current structure of the Galinthea continent. From a critical point of view, it was these aristocrats who brought war and sacrifice to the people. But from another point of view, it was these aristocrats who brought order and development to the people of the continent. In the thousand years that followed, they established the rules and traditional virtues for the aristocrats.
"Old Gar …" Laurist shook his head and sighed. "I don't know how you came up with such prejudices against aristocrats and ridiculous conclusions. In fact, the aristocratic system that has been implemented on the continent for the past thousand years has already put an end to the idea that a superior lord can casually deal with a subordinate lord. Like us, the Norton Family, who have many subordinate aristocrats, we cannot casually take away the titles and territories of our subordinate aristocrats. We also cannot casually deal with the lives and property of our subordinate aristocrats. Unless the subordinate aristocrats have committed an unforgivable crime, or there is concrete evidence that they intend to rebel, we can only punish the subordinate aristocrats with the approval and support of other subordinate aristocrats.
In a sense, the aristocrats are the protectors and protectors of the orderly camp. We prefer order and development, not chaos and anarchy. Besides, have you liberals forgotten about the time when you were ruled by the Commercial Union before our family's armed forces landed on the Hidden Gold Bay and took over Moronte City? Do you think that the ration system is the real freedom?
I believe that only within the framework of an orderly management system can an individual have the freedom he or she thinks of. Just like what the Freedom Alliance is doing now, they set up rules and regulations to protect the freedom that you, the citizens of the city, have. This is actually similar to the aristocratic system. The lord is kinder, and treats his subjects like the Freedom Alliance. The lord is stricter, and it becomes the Trade Union. No matter how much you boast about your freedom, you are still living under a system. It's just that you don't have a lord in name. In fact, you are also another form of subject … "
Old Gar did not speak. Although Laurist's words were straightforward, they were not without reason. Instead, Ledos asked a question. "Brother Locke, I've always been worried about something. The Freedom Alliance has just been established. There are no problems now, but if it continues to develop, will it become like the Trade Union? Will the people who have wealth and stand out be dissatisfied with their mediocre status? Will they walk the same path as the Trade Union and become another Trade Union?"
Laurist laughed. He understood the meaning of Ledos' question. "Of course there's a huge possibility, but this is a problem that will only appear many years later. The solution to this problem is actually very simple. That is to implement the Lord system. "
"Lord system?" Ledos was anxious. "Won't that become the same as the Trade Union?"
"No, I'm talking about the Lord system. It's different from the Trade Union." Laurist waved his hand. "The Lord system implemented by the Trade Union is actually a system of feudal nobles. This is the biggest mistake of the Trade Union and the root cause of Morent City's decline. The system of nobility that I'm talking about should be called the system of honorary titles, allowing the nobility to become a symbol of honor and status. For example, every nobility would have a fixed income every year, and the nobility would be able to build a manor within a designated area. Every nobility would have a different way of receiving people. Apart from not having a territory, there would be no difference from the nobility of a territory. This way, unlike the Commerce Alliance, the strength of the nobility would not be dispersed to the various Merchant Alliance territories. On the contrary, it would encourage more people to work hard for the nobility of the Freedom Alliance. "
Ledos was somewhat enlightened and confused. As he pondered, he murmured, "Will this work?"
"You can go back and find someone to discuss it with and see what others think," Laurist said. "I'm just saying."
At this moment, Genolio pushed the door open and reminded him, "Your Highness, it's time. Please move to the conference room. The meeting is about to begin."
… …
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