total war rise of empire

Chapter 7 Tax Officer

A standard gold coin can feed and clothe a young man in the village for a year, and is of great value. The precious metal standard coin worth 2000 gold coins in the warehouse of Longhan Village is naturally considered a huge sum in Lei Zihao's eyes. wealth!

However, with Lei Zihao's in-depth understanding of Longhan Village, he found that these coins are really not that much!

Although Longhan Village only has a population of more than 1000, it already has a nearly complete social transaction system, and has broken away from the primitive stage of bartering. What makes Lei Zihao most unhappy is that he, the governor, is different from the ancient nobles. The aristocrats can be said to take whatever they want from the lower-level civilians, and if they want to build something, they will expropriate the lower-level people free of charge!

It doesn't cost a penny!

Of course, Lei Zihao could do the same in theory, but the system had already clearly warned him how miserable the governor would be after losing popular support...

This world is not the ancient scene in his previous life. Even though the people here have respect for the superiors, they are not those foolish people who are submissive!
Therefore, if Lei Zihao wanted to do anything, he would have to spend money!

If you want to maintain a luxurious life, you will naturally need enough coins, and the best source of coins is taxation!
Even Lei Zihao, a history novice, knows the profit from commercial tax. When building the village guard, the village market was completed first!
Since the market was a place for villagers to trade with each other, Lei Zihao did not spend any money. He just issued a few orders and planned a reasonable trade fair in the village.

The first-level market is actually a group of villagers setting up street stalls and shouting...

However, after completing the construction of the bazaar, Lei Zihao, who did not spend a single coin, received a pleasant notification sound!
[The appearance of the market has benefited the business-minded people among the villagers a lot, and they voluntarily offered their loyalty to the governor, looking forward to your promotion!
Obtain Wang Er, a follower directly under the civilian class! 】

Just when Lei Zihao received the notification, there was a rhythmic knocking sound from outside the bedroom door, followed by a thick and simple maid's mezzo-soprano: "Your Excellency, there is a villager named Wang Er outside asking to see you."

Huh?What a coincidence!
With Lei Zihao's consent, a 30-year-old man with a round face and a medium build, with a slightly bent back and an excited expression, bowed to Lei Zihao with a five-body salute!

"I heard that the governor is making profits for the people and setting up a market to facilitate the villagers' transactions. Caomin Wang Er specially came to see the governor, hoping to help!"

At the same time as Wang Er knelt down, his message had already appeared in front of Lei Zihao's eyes!
[Directly under the civilian entourage
Name: Wang Er

From: Longhan Village
Loyalty: 7 stars

Good at: business, observation
Attribute: Business proficiency (when working as a tax officer, it can reduce tax evasion by businessmen and increase business tax revenue.)
Remarks: He has a flexible mind and an exquisite mind. Years of trading experience have made him familiar with most of the details of business transactions, and he can extract the maximum commercial tax from them. This is a businessman who came to serve the governor with a grateful heart! 】

I have to say that this entourage information panel is really awesome. After reading it, Lei Zihao, who was uncertain at first, immediately appointed him as the tax officer of Longhan Village!

It can be regarded as a relief for the internal affairs officer who has too many part-time jobs and is too busy...

Lei Zihao couldn't help wondering when he saw the joyful Wang Er withdrawing respectfully, such a businessman had the potential to be a tax official's entourage, why didn't that housekeeper, Zhao Guangxian, have a template for an entourage?
Lei Zihao has long realized the convenience and security of this entourage template, and the obvious loyalty is simply a necessary weapon to consolidate his own rule!

Lei Zihao, the star of loyalty, has learned through the Total War system that as long as it is not lower than 5 stars, there is basically no possibility of betrayal. With 7 stars of loyalty, this tax official doesn't even have the idea of ​​corruption. !

It seems that the opening of the bazaar has benefited Wang Er a lot!
Longhan Village is the lowest-level village, and its tax components are actually very simple. It is divided into three parts in total. One is the easy-to-understand poll tax. The villagers are protected by the governor and lord, so naturally they have to pay a fixed poll tax on a regular basis!
The quantity of this piece is not large, but it is very stable and easy to collect.

The bulk of the tax is the second part, the agricultural tax!
When Lei Zihao learned about the normal level of the agricultural tax, he couldn't help expressing his emotions. The exploitation of peasant uncles in the feudal period was really cruel...

In the absence of any increase in taxes and exploitation in Longhan Village, they actually have to collect [-]% of the harvest from the farmers' fields!

Just like that, those hard-working farmers complimented Lei Zihao, the governor, with a look of gratitude, because the remaining [-]% of the harvest was enough for them to barely eat and clothe themselves...

This agricultural tax is also the source of food that Lei Zihao uses to supply his own army and those working for the governor. If he runs out, he will have to use coins to buy the [-]% left by the farmers...

As for Lei Zihao himself, he quickly adapted to the decadent life of a feudal lord, and stopped eating the staple food of those villagers and servants - black bread from the next day!

Instead, they began to eat special white bread made with a lot of flour and honey, as well as all kinds of fresh meat and game bought from hunters!
It's just that there are no other condiments in the village except coarse salt, which makes Lei Zihao feel uncomfortable...

You must know that even if coarse salt is in the village, only the soldiers of the Spartan Guard and the governor can afford it, because it is a temporary non-renewable resource, and it depends on the stockpile!
Coarse salt is a strategic material in Longhan Village, and it is all tightly controlled by Lei Zihao. Without his permission, no matter how much money you spend, you will never get it!

The reason why the soldiers of the Spartan general guard were given food was mainly to increase their body's nutritional needs. These 20 people were Lei Zihao's only force before he built the village guard, and they must be kept at their peak state at all times!
Of course, the amount of coarse salt consumed by 21 people is not much at all, it is enough to last a long, long time...

Except for the agricultural tax and poll tax that can be seen at a glance, the third part of the tax is very difficult to calculate!
Commercial taxes are generated from transactions between villagers. If there is no special supervision of this thing, who knows how many goods the merchants have bought and sold?

Therefore, before the tax official appeared, although commercial tax existed in Longhan Village's tax component, it could not be collected at all!

This point can be seen in the city panel. After Lei Zihao appointed a tax officer, the estimated annual tax revenue has directly increased from 1000+ to 1300+!

The establishment of the bazaar and the tax officials who are proficient in business have allowed the little-developed Longhan Village to earn an extra 300 gold coins in annual taxes!

(End of this chapter)