Realm of Power

582 Queen Season (3)

Duke Besa's carriage was delayed at the city gate for a whole morning. Only after secretly handing 50 gold coins to the captain of the city guard was he able to pass through the crowded and blocked city gate.

The current world is like this. Duke Besa, who once served as the Kingdom's Finance Minister, knows very well that the current Kingdom's treasury is already so empty that mice will starve to death.

Most of the salaries of lower-level officials who were not supported by titles and territories had to be donated to the kingdom's treasury in the name of being loyal to the king and supporting the war to support the dwindling sources of finance and taxation. It was war time, and the large number of fleeing businessmen not only brought with them Taking away the purchasing power of the Kyoto nobles, they also took away the trade tax that used to account for nearly half of their income.

Looking at the somewhat flat face of the city guard captain who was passing by the carriage, Duke Besa asked the city guard captain who was wearing coarse linen clothes calmly.

"How much income can you probably get in a day like this?"

This city guard captain is the only person here with a rosy face. Although he is not wearing the high-end fabrics that can only be worn by nobles, his self-satisfied look is simply better than that of Bessa, a former important minister of the kingdom. appear arrogant

"Why do you ask this?" He first carefully looked at Duke Bessa's carriage, and frowned. In front of him was a very ordinary noble carriage, without any family crest on it, and the material made of it was Bertha wood from the south, which was smooth and clean. The paint surface looks very clean. If you look at it yourself, you can still see traces of hanging marks.

Such carriages are not uncommon in Kulongze, and most of them are rundown nobles from the south. You must know that in the past, the family emblems of these southern nobles were made of expensive gold or dazzling silver. And their embarrassment of life has made them pawn even the most basic show off, so the people of Kulongze also habitually call them "the prodigal son from the south"

At this time, the guard who was responsible for receiving the money just whispered in the ear of the city guard captain for a while. The city guard captain's face immediately changed to a flattering expression and he said to the man who had just given him a large sum of money. Qian's big patron nodded and bowed, with a hint of ostentation in his expression.

"Sir, this is not as easy as it seems. There are dozens of us standing here in the wind and rain for a while, and we have to be responsible for maintaining order. It is amazing to get 800 gold coins. Average per person Come on, it’s just a few gold coins. They are poor people from the south. Not everyone wants to be as generous as you, sir."

"800 gold coins on average every day? Doesn't that mean we can only receive 24,000 gold coins a month? Isn't that too few?" Duke Besa looked slightly surprised. Kurongze is a checkpoint city outside Kyoto. In the previous peaceful era, Kulonze once set a record of collecting 80,000 gold coins in a month. Compared with the current 24,000 gold coins, it is simply as high as heaven and earth.

"Yes, but it is such a small amount of money, and we must hand over half to the lord, otherwise, everyone will be severely punished." The captain of the city guard also had a look of helplessness on his face. He pointed to the crowd at the city gate, "You Have you seen these people? They are all from Kyoto. I heard that the masters in Kyoto are starting to think about how to raise taxes. These people basically have no chance of survival except to flee north."

"The north? Are all these people going to the north?"

Duke Besa was stunned for a moment, remembering some previous rumors about the north, and asked in a low voice

"I heard that Kyoto has issued a strict order prohibiting any civilians from going to the north? Your lord lets them go in such a blatant way, aren't you afraid of being held accountable by the Mamunuk knights stationed here?"

"Haha, how do you say this!" The city guard captain showed a sneer on his lips, looked around, and then whispered

"This gentleman may not know yet. The captain of the Mamunuk Knights stationed here is the son of the former lord Hutu Bein in the north. Of course, he would turn a blind eye to such a thing. Who would We really take Kyoto’s orders seriously. Not only are we releasing people here, but we are also doing the same at several other passes.

The captain of the city guard paused and asked the two soldiers behind him to leave before continuing, "Besides, for every person released, Vic City in the north will subsidize us with a gold coin release fee. This can both benefit and gain." Who would really refuse the good thing of denying the reward? As for the order from Kyoto, only those self-righteous Kyoto gentlemen will really take it seriously and leave the Kyoto area. Who will pay attention to it? "

"One gold coin for one refugee? Is this impossible?" Duke Besa's eyes bulged when he heard this. This was too shocking. He had never driven away refugees before, but this was the first time he heard of buying refugees with money. of,

"So the Marquis of Victonsee in Vic City in the north is a real hero. In this troubled world, most lords can't even take care of themselves. Only this kind lord is willing to take in refugees sincerely."

The city guard captain said with a beard on his face, "I heard that not only can you get your own land there, but you can also directly load the food you grow on ships to the mainland at a price that is one-third higher than Kyoto." Go selling it across the street. Do you know why there is a food shortage in Kyoto? That’s because the nobles in Kyoto are secretly transporting food to the north for sale.”

"This is really..."

Duke Besa's face was extremely ugly. Of course he had heard about this kind of trafficking in food to the north, and he also knew the exact names of these guys.

"Approximately how many people can you release in a day? If you follow your method, the entire population of Kyoto will be gone in a few years at most." Marquis Besa asked with a puzzled look.

“We won’t allow up to 2,000 people a day. We are not fools.”

The captain of the city guard shook his head and responded with a respectful look, "Although there is no control from above, if the population loss is too severe, it will be difficult for the lord to explain to Kyoto, so we only open the door once every three days, and we only open the door every time." One-tenth, so even if Kyoto pursues the investigation, at most it will be said that these refugees have not left the city, but wandered to other places. To be honest, even if there is no money, we will let them go privately ≤ We can’t just watch these things. Everyone will starve to death.”

Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I forgot to mention."

The captain of the city guard seemed to have remembered something and made a gesture to a clerk in charge of registration at the city gate in the distance. Soon, the plainly dressed clerk ran over with a pamphlet.

"Sir, this is a northern road map given to you."

The captain of the city guard took the pamphlet and handed it to Duke Besa through the carriage window. He said with a respectful expression, "With this, you can reach your destination very easily."

"Northern route map?"

Duke Besa's face was stunned for a moment, and he took it over curiously and looked at it. It was a map made of rough leather. On the left side of the map and some explanatory text, there were a few thick lines marking the starting point. The route from Kuronze to Vicland, as well as the towns that provide food and accommodation along the way, are even marked as "scenic spots" in some places. It seems that they are not just sold to refugees.

This made the old and prudent Duke Besa feel dumbfounded. The producer seemed very wise. The rough and thick leather can be stored for a long time without being damaged due to rain and other reasons.

"How much does this cost?"

Duke Besa raised the map in his hand and asked,

He estimated that such things were made by the local lords of Kulongze and were specially used to sell them to nobles or some businessmen who had never been to the north.

This made the former finance minister feel a little curious. In his impression, the lord of Kuronze was a very well-behaved person. He did not expect to have such a little wisdom.

If such a map can be sold for a gold coin, those nobles who can afford to pay for the road will not be stingy with this mere gold coin. This is undoubtedly an excellent source of wealth, which can not only gain praise, but also reap benefits.

“Everyone who goes to the north has this thing called free money.”

The captain of the city guard said very generously, "The production cost of this has been paid by Vic. As long as you hand this map to the registration point of Vic City, they will also give you a gold coin reward. Of course, if you do this In the eyes of a generous man, a gold coin is insignificant, but for those refugees who have nothing, a gold coin can allow them to be temporarily resettled. In addition to buying some daily necessities, they can also live stably for more than 3 months. This is already Enough for them to start a new life.”

Duke Besa was silent for a while, just staring at the rough leather in his hand. He knew without asking that this was done by the Marquis of Victonsee whom Vic led.

The carriage slowly passed through the crowded city gate. As the refugees outside the city dispersed, Duke Besa was finally able to step onto the road leading to the north. He played with the rough map of the north in his hand, with a solemn look in his eyes.

After leaving Kuronze, he could clearly feel the contrast between the relaxed and vibrant atmosphere in the north and the oppressive and tense atmosphere in Kyoto. The villages along the way no longer looked so dilapidated or deserted.

Light smoke rises from the thatched roofs of the distant villages, and the smell of wheat straw floats in the air.

The wheat seedlings have just been planted in the field, and large areas are scattered on the ridges in the distance, spreading to the distance of the sky.

The road flew by quickly, and the wheels rolled over the gravel on the road, making a cheerful creaking sound.

A green fir forest appeared in the distance, like a huge blanket of green shade. The wind blew through these trees, making a pleasant rustling sound.

A wooden sign on the roadside caught Duke Besa's attention. It was made of white fir, the most common type in the north. The gray-white surface was covered with knots, and the circles of texture were clearly visible. Green vines were coiled around the wood. on the pole,

On the front of the wooden sign, there are several large Salander characters written "The North welcomes you". ..

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