Sean only "divided the land" this time and did not "attack local tycoons". The reason is very simple.
The first is that he looks down upon the little property of the four barons;
Secondly, it is also for future consideration.
Take the ancient army siege of a city as an analogy:
When the ancient army besieged a city, it was important to "encircle three towers and one", which meant that the city was only surrounded on three sides, leaving an escape route for the enemy.
If the assets of the four barons were confiscated, it would be equivalent to completely blocking their "city" and forcing them to die.
Of course, it doesn't matter if the four of them die, but if Sean expands his territory in the future, the local nobles will definitely resist desperately, so the gain outweighs the loss.
So Sean didn't confiscate their property.
...
The four barons looked ashen and their eyes became dim.
One of the barons came forward, knelt directly at Sean's feet, kissed his shoes, and begged:
"Lord, is there any compromise? Our family has lived on this land for generations, and we can spare some more gold coins. And my beautiful daughter can also be your mistress...
..”
"No!" Sean rejected her: "You can decide between the two options just now. There is no room for compromise, Windsor!"
Windsor released the silver-level fighting spirit very cooperatively, and Anduin and Thor also showed their strength without hesitation.
Facing the imposing and coercive power of the three silver men, the four barons did not dare to say anything. They got up from the ground with sad faces, said goodbye to Sean, and went home to take care of their affairs.
Sean ignored them and began to discuss the management of Water Pine Town with Anduin, Thor, and Windsor.
According to the plan, Anduin and Windsor will stay in Water Pine Town for one more week. After the situation in Water Pine Town is completely stabilized, they will hand over Water Pine Town to Thor and return to Riverside Town.
Seeing that there was no danger around him, Matthew also fell from the sky and smiled at Sean:
"Sean, you did a great job! This is the first time I have seen a nobleman so willing to consider the interests of ordinary people."
Matthew has been a mercenary for decades, so he has naturally seen a lot of the hardships of the lower class people, and he often robs the rich and gives to the poor. Seeing that Sean is so willing to consider the lower class people, his recognition of Sean is much higher.
cut.
Sean shrugged: "Actually, I am a very selfish person. Thinking about ordinary people is actually just for myself."
Matthew: "???What's the point? If you are really selfish, you should squeeze the people to get more gold coins?"
Sean smiled and explained: "Think about it, if I use high taxes to squeeze the farmers, the farmers' enthusiasm for farming will become worse, the overall strength of the entire territory will decline, and they may fail to compete with other lords in the future.
;
In the same way, if I don't treat my soldiers well, they won't sacrifice their lives for me on the battlefield, and they may even rebel.
Water can carry a boat, and it can also row a boat... If you make a mistake, it can also capsize the boat. It's a simple truth."
Matthew realized something: "What you said makes sense, but I think your reform also has a lot of risks."
"risk?"
"It's very simple!" Matthew made a fist with his right hand and smashed his left palm:
"First, if you confiscate the land of four barons, the nobles across the country will think you are greedy, and your reputation will become worse;"
Sean shrugged indifferently: "If it gets worse, it will get worse. Anyway, my fists are big. How can I lose with the face of the Sky Level Peak Crystal Dragon Rider?"
"Second, how do you manage the villages under your jurisdiction? The reason why these barons existed in the past was to help the lord of Shuisong Town manage each of his villages, and the officials in each village were also their people.
Now that you have driven them away, how can you still manage these more than 10,000 people?"
Sean thought for a while and replied: "Of course I have considered this.
We can find some people in each village who can convince the public to temporarily manage the village, and then find the elderly in the village who can no longer do farm work to assist in the management, and pay them the wages of ordinary officials.
Of course, their management level is far behind that of formal officials, and they may become corrupt and abuse their power due to their rapid acquisition of power, but the pain of reform must be borne."
Seeing that Sean had already considered so much, Matthew nodded and said nothing more.
...
...
The townspeople were still discussing what had just happened happily. Old Sam proposed to hold the "Bonfire Party" again, which had not been held for three or four years, and the townspeople unanimously agreed.
So the townspeople returned home and took out the toast, turkey, and wine that they were usually reluctant to eat, and took them to the north of the town to hold a bonfire party. Some wealthy families even brought out cold cuts of poultry and garlic sausage.
Sean directed Windsor, Anduin and Thor to go to the bonfire party to share (principles) and have fun (thoughts) with the people (propaganda), while he himself took Matthew with him under the guidance of the enthusiastic townspeople.
Go to Brodie Mill's residence.
After all, it was almost half past seven and he had not finished his practice for the day yet. He needed to find a quiet and comfortable place to practice.
The best place in the entire Water Pine Town is of course Brodie Mill's residence, so Sean chose that place.
…
…
Walking on the road to the north of the town, Matthew curiously whispered to Sean:
"Sean, aren't you the Holy Son of the Holy Light Church? Why do you still practice water magic?"
Naturally, Sean's daily practice of magic could not be hidden from Matthew, but Matthew and Sean were not familiar with each other before, so he was too embarrassed to ask.
Sean had already thought of the reason: "Haha, of course I am the Holy Son of the Holy Light Church."
As Sean spoke, he released the holy light in his body and said piously:
"However, God told me, 'You must know your enemy and yourself, so that you can survive a hundred battles.' That's why I practiced magic and understood the weaknesses of the 'magician' profession."
"Actually..." Matthew couldn't bear it anymore and showed his cards:
"Actually, there is no God of Light at all."
"What?!" Sean was shocked, his voice was so loud that the surrounding townspeople were startled.
"That's it..." Matthew told Sean all the inside story he knew through voice transmission.
...
"So that's it!" Sean muttered to himself.
Although it was a bit embarrassing to be exposed by Matthew, knowing the news that "the God of Light does not exist" was a great thing for Sean.
In the past, he was always worried that the God of Light would notice him, but now he feels more at ease. In the future, he can use the title of God of Light to show off and cheat even more unscrupulously!
"Matthew, thank you for telling me this!" Sean said happily.
"It's okay. In fact, I should have told you a long time ago." Matthew waved his hand: "Just, can you answer my question?"
"What question?"
"With the realms of Windsor, Anduin, and the earthly dragon at the peak of the Sky Level, what is going on?" Matthew expressed the suspicion that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.
"You said this!"
Sean immediately made up a suitable reason: "I have a teacher hiding in the dark. He is a strong man at the peak of legend. The crystal dragon is his former mount."
Matthew: "..."
...
Chapter completed!