The Sun King's Evidence

Tax collector Gasparton began to report information about the Baron of Jean one by one.

The Barony of Jean has jurisdiction over a baronial castle and town, a horse farm, a vineyard and five natural villages. The Chinon River flowing down from the mountains divides the barony into two. There are mines in the mountains within the territory, and along the There are some workshops along the river.

Every year, the barony can pay the baron an income worth about 700-800 gold crowns. In addition, there is also income from vineyards and a small amount of income from mines. The total adds up to about a thousand gold crowns, but about three hundred of them The gold crowns will be used to pay various expenses and maintain daily military expenses, and then Ryan will have to pay tithes to the Fairy of the Lake. However, as the Knight of the Holy Grail, he will no longer have to pay the 5% "king tax" to the king.

So his real annual income is about 500-600 gold crowns.

But apart from that, it is impossible for the superior knights to let the poor serfs and citizens go. War tax, toll tax, various special taxes, business license taxes and even poll taxes can all be added depending on the mood of the knights. The exact amount of these incomes is not fixed. Some knights will even send tax officers to all serfs on their birthdays to collect head taxes such as "birthday tax".

In other words, if he does not care about the cost and consequences, he can force his annual net income to reach one thousand gold crowns.

When the Duke of Winford, to whom Lane belongs, initiates a recruitment, Lane must send at least two knights, five cavalry and fifty infantry to report, or pay a military service exemption equal to the recruitment cost of these troops.

What he didn't know was that the performance of the Holy Grail Knight also surprised Gasparton.

Most of the knight lords in Britannia have a characteristic. They don't like to focus on these complicated things, and they are not sensitive to those messy numbers. Therefore, the knight lords usually make a general decision after inspection. The figures were then given to the tax collectors to complete, their attention fixed on serving their ladies and displaying their own prowess.

This gives many tax officials and their stewards an opportunity to take advantage of. Smart tax officials and stewards will spend several years or even longer slowly turning a share of the money belonging to the noble master into their own, and then find a way Get rid of the situation of relying on others to do things for others.

As the tax collector sent by the Fairy of the Lake, Gasparton would naturally not be corrupt, but he could understand all the accounts and estimate the approximate income range after just one glance. This was the first time Gasparton had met this Knight of the Holy Grail. The middle-aged man was not only very energetic, he thought to himself that it was no wonder that the person in front of him could become the chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake.

"How many standing soldiers are there in the territory now?" Ryan asked casually.

"There are twenty-five infantrymen and four sergeants." Gasparton immediately answered.

"Why so few?" Ryan frowned.

In the ancient times of the Celestial Dynasty, the limit under the feudal system was ten men per soldier, but this could not be calculated in the Middle Ages of this world. Taking into account the productivity of the Baron of Jean, the fertility of the land, and the war potential of the serfs, twenty Five men and one soldier is a relatively normal number of standing troops.

Even so, the Baron of Jean, with a population of about 6,000 to 8,000, should not only have these standing armies.

"I disbanded most of the standing army, leaving only the best young guys. I think the army should be personally selected by Lord Ryan." Gasparton said this matter without any pressure, and he said in a relaxed tone: "It is a supreme honor to fight for Lord Ryan, who is the Knight of the Holy Grail. We cannot let just anyone join Lord Ryan's team. Lord Ryan must have his own criteria for selecting people."

Huh? Ryan's eyes lit up when he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him. Having this insight showed that the tax collector sent by the Lake Fairy was indeed excellent, because his original plan was to disband the army and re-elect himself, but he didn't want to be a This evil man, it is really not easy for Gasparton to think of this level.

Gasparton then explained in many details. He not only sent people to clean and repair the castle in advance, but also prepared enough furniture for the living areas on the second and third floors of the castle. All the money was paid by Moji, the Lake God and Witch. Anna gave it to her, which shows the Lake Fairy's preference for Ryan.

Gasparton was very careful in many places. He posted notices in several villages to let all the serfs know that the new lord was a Knight of the Holy Grail. He constantly urged spring plowing and encouraged the serfs to work hard. At the same time, he also told Wen Duke Ford seconded some rangers to patrol the borders of the northern Sharon Forest to ensure that when the beastmen invaded, he could organize a militia to fight back immediately.

"Very good! Mr. Gasparton, are you posted here on temporary loan? Do you have your original position?" When Ryan asked this sentence, the forty-year-old middle-aged man immediately realized something. , he endured his excitement and quickly replied: "No, Mr. Ryan."

"That's very good. You will temporarily serve as my tax officer. If you perform well, I will consider letting you formally assume this position...but not now." There was no expression on Ryan's face. He waved his hand and signaled Gasparton can go out.

"Yes!" Gasparton bowed backwards and exited the room.

Ryan frowned as he watched the tax collector slowly exit the door. He was thinking about many things.

In a world like the Middle Ages, the lord's authority over his fiefdom is absolute, but the part he manages is limited. Except for tax collection and military conscription, the life of the lord is undoubtedly separated from the life of the common people.

He now needs to build his own team and manpower.

A baron has two kingdom knights and five knights errant under his command. Among them, Lops must have the position of a knight errant. As for the knights of the kingdom, there is no need to worry. There are countless knights errant who are eager to get ahead and have opportunities in the knight kingdom. , he believed that these two vacant kingdom knight positions would make everyone take notice.

There is also a difference between real knights and imaginary knights. In Britannia, any noble will receive the title of knight errant after reaching adulthood, but that is a virtual title. The five knight errant titles in Ryan's hand are real titles. There is job income.

Especially Ryan is also a Holy Grail Knight. Who doesn't want to fight side by side with the Holy Grail Knight? You must know that a powerful Holy Grail Knight can often win the personal attention of a lady. If he accidentally gets noticed by a lady, wouldn't it be an honor?

The Holy Grail Knight's role as lord can greatly reduce the distrust of the new lord by the existing people, but he still has a lot to do, and most of the things now can only be done one by one slowly.

Gasparton had already organized a five-person maid team for Ryan. Ryan immediately appointed Emilia as the head maid and Orika as his personal maid, and then incorporated Miranda into the team of servants. .

In the evening, at the big wooden table in the dining room of the castle, Ryan had dinner with Lops, Alfred, Gasparton and others. Since they were new to the castle, there was nothing to eat in the castle, and everything was not there. Just make do with it.

As for Amelia and others who are not qualified to eat at the same table as Ryan and others, they will finish their dinner in the kitchen after clearing the table for the new Baron.

The sky is getting darker. There is no moonlight in Baron Jean tonight, and there are only stars in the sky. It is the end of March, and the nights in early spring are still cold. Although Baron Jean is a rich land, it will not be so... Spend more money to install magic lights, the territory is very dark at night.

Ryan does have some magic lamps in his hand, which were given by Teresa's mother Aurora. He can activate them by inputting psychic energy. He has installed these lamps in several main rooms.

Standing on the balcony of the castle and looking out, the Chalon Forest in the north appears at the edge of the sight. No one knows what dangerous creatures are in the dark forest.

The mountains in the east have roads leading to the Principality of Winford along the river. The snow on the top of the mountain never melts all year round. If you cross the snow-capped mountains, you can reach Helen Hilde, the capital of the Principality of Winford, which enjoys the highest reputation in Britannia. A famous big city.

At this moment, footsteps came from behind Ryan: "My Baron, are you looking for me?"

It's Gasparton.

"Yes, Gasparton, please sit down." Ryan turned around and motioned for his temporary tax officer to sit down with him on the balcony.

The dark elf Orika came over carrying an iron plate with butterbeer, a mug, and a small bowl of water. She put the things on the balcony table, filled both of them with butterbeer, and then He stood behind Ryan with his hands tied and said nothing.

Gasparton was a little curious about how Ryan got such a dark elf maid, but since the lady had no instructions, he naturally didn't dare to ask, and Ryan's next actions continued to refresh the tax collector's outlook.

I saw Ryan stretching out his hand, and light blue energy gathered in his hand. A ball of clear water was separated from the bowl of water, and then quickly frozen in the air. The ice cube was thrown into Ryan's mug: "Gaspar Mr. Dayton, do you want some too?"

"No... no need." Gasparton waved his hand with some pressure: "If you have anything to say, please tell me, my baron."

"Many parts of the castle are damaged, and the water tower also shows signs of disrepair. I plan to have my castle completely repaired. I wonder if Mr. Gasparton has any good suggestions?" Ryan said calmly: "Money It’s not a problem.”

"If the Baron has no financial concerns, then I suggest you go to Helen Hilde to find a businessman to complete this matter." Gasparton thought for a while and said sincerely: "Jean has craftsmen here. , but their level is limited and may not necessarily meet your needs, and..."

"And?" Ryan still looked like he couldn't see any emotion.

"And I think it is necessary for the Baron to visit His Excellency Francois, Duke of Wynford, and His Excellency Connery, Marquess of Ascot." Gasparton continued: "Jean is part of the Duchy of Wynford and is also a principality. portal, I believe Your Excellency Francois will be willing to help."

"Yeah~" Ryan nodded. He made up his mind. When things here settled down, he would immediately visit the Marquis of Ascot and the Duke of Winford.

If he wants to take root and grow here in the future, it is necessary to have a good relationship with his immediate boss, even in name only.

"By the way, I have a question, Mr. Gasparton, can you explain it to me?" Ryan smiled: "In the previous records, I remember that our King's name is 'Tiger' Dinoa-Jean -Richard, but in Miss Surya’s mouth, how come he became Richard-le-Angoulant?”

"There is no contradiction. Our Majesty's full name is Dinoat-Jean-Richard-de-le-Angoulan." Gasparton began to explain the difference.

It turns out that Dinoa is the name of Richard's mother, Jean is his father's name, Richard is his real name, De means "from", and Le-Angoulant is the name of the lord where he lives.

The general meaning of this name is, Richard of Le-Angoulen, son of Jean and Dinoa.

"So Miss Sulia's full name is Sulia-Kumani-Antry-Dewinford?" Ryan said casually.

"Exactly, but please note, Your Excellency, Baron, only families with hereditary titles can use the name of Germany+territory." Gasparton reminded.

"Ok, I see."

Gasparton retreated.

There were only two people left on the balcony, Olika and Ryan. Upon seeing this, Ryan said to Olika: "Let's go and rest too."

The dark elf nodded, and she followed Ryan to the third floor.

The third floor is where the lord and his family live. Ryan lives alone in a separate room. This is a large room with an area of ​​60 square meters. Various carpets have been laid on the ground, and the windows are also thickly covered with carpets. Thick curtains cover it, all kinds of furniture are available, and the fireplace is lit.

The servant brought two buckets of hot water. The baron and the dark elf bathed and changed their clothes one after another, and then lay down together on the bed at the end of the room, each with a quilt.

In the dark night, everything is silent.

Until the dark elf took the initiative to speak: "Master? Can I make a suggestion?"

"Don't you know that a slave has no right to give advice to his master?" Ryan smiled. He reached out and gently put his arm around the dark elf's shoulders, feeling her softness.

The dark elf resisted for a while, but her weak strength was no match for the legendary mid-level human in front of her. As her hands were pulled behind her back and scissored, she failed again.

But this was what she expected. The dark elf knew that she could not succeed, but this was what she wanted. It was not that she wanted to be held by this human, but that she wanted to take this opportunity to provoke Hua Tou.

"I think I need to show you my value. The weak are not qualified to be protected." Olica shook her head, her face full of self-mockery: "I can't embody anything of my own except being a servant to you. Value, among Druchi, the only value of a slave like me is..."

At this point, Olica's cold and wild face turned a little crimson, and she looked away.

"Emm~ Let's listen to it."

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