The old butler John resigned due to illness, and the old Joshua did not care about worldly affairs and only read books about saints. For a time, the Viscount House was without a manager.
Liam Mao recommended himself and asked Old Joshua to join him, and the other party readily agreed. He only asked him to practice on time, not to fall behind, and to check his magic power at the end of every month.
As a result, the young Viscount, who had just ascended the throne, threw himself into reform and construction before his butt was warm.
Liam was born in two lives. In the previous life, he was a humble migrant worker. Although he had ideas for reform and innovation, he had no practical experience. In this life, he is just a fledgling boy. Looking at such a large area, he suddenly felt troubled.
However, this seemingly difficult matter was solved easily in front of a little guy.
Little Happy's identity is a member of the God of Death. He has lived for countless years. Although he has not personally taken charge of the world, he has lived for such a long time. The history has changed, the seas have changed, the things he has encountered, and the people he has met, how can he be like Liam?
Than?
Soon, Little Happy listed two strategies for Liam, and carefully explained to him the pros and cons and implementation techniques. The latter suddenly felt enlightened and saw the light of day.
As Little Happy taught him the art of controlling people seriously, Liam thought of a saying he had heard before, "It is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books."
The art of controlling people is nothing more than using kindness and power to win people's hearts. It is easy to say but difficult to do.
For example, as the saying goes, if you give a sweet date a slap in the face, people will be grateful to you. What if you give a sweet date first and then slap you? People still hate you to death.
Liam took the lead and conducted a detailed investigation of the human geography of the cities and towns in the territory (annual accounts, the output value of each region). Knowing this kind of information was equivalent to solving the mystery, and the information in this region also
It’s easy to understand.)
Secretly supporting a group of people (all rogues and idle individuals). They established gangs in various cities and used violent means to check and balance local wealthy businessmen. At the same time, they promised benefits as the new Viscount. Through the combination of kindness and power, the largest group near Caitilant was established.
Lando, the most prosperous city, looked familiar.
It was approaching the end of the month, and the taxes in the territory had not yet been paid. In the past, John, the butler, was responsible for such matters, so the tax collection for July was delayed.
In order to establish prestige and gain the trust and favor of the general public, Liam simply exempted civilians from paying taxes for half a year.
The advantage of doing this was that people in the territory praised the young viscount. The disadvantage was that the daily expenses of the viscount's house became more constrained, and the servants began to have extravagant ideas, and the hired servants quietly looked for new homes.
This mood in the Viscount Mansion lasted for several days. When the first maid came to Liam and asked for a raise, the servants and attendants began to make demands one after another. If they could not be satisfied, they would leave.
In the aristocratic class of the Berg Empire, there is an unwritten rule that a noble must have an appearance that matches his status.
A knight must have at least 10 servants and 100 guards; a baron must have at least 30 servants and a brigade of personal armed forces (knights and knight squires are both counted as one member, a regiment is 3,000 people, 1
A brigade is 500 people, and a squad is 100 people.); and a viscount must have at least 70 servants and 2 regiments of private armed forces (6,000 people).
Don't think this is a small thing. For a lord, the external configuration is the appearance, and appearance is better than everything.
Joshua was a Viscount and had 70,000 acres of land, but he could not even meet the standards of a baron. It would not be an exaggeration to call him in decline.
When strength cannot afford status, others will no longer take you seriously.
Half of the servants were laid off and all the attendants were dismissed, leaving only 10 poor maids, one cook, and five gardeners in the Viscount Mansion (if the gardeners were laid off, the lush weeds in the front and back yards would flood the entire Viscount Mansion.)
However, he still cannot make ends meet every day. If Liam wants to change the economy of Katilant, he must take drastic measures, and drastic changes require money, and money is the heaviest cloud weighing on the entire Katilant.
The first strategy proposed by Little Habi: The money doesn’t have to be clean, but it must be a lot.
Serious money is hard to make, but filthy black money is easy to make, especially for a lord.
As a result, kidnapping incidents suddenly flourished in Catilant's city. On many occasions, Liam personally demonstrated how to kidnap his subordinates and conducted surprise training for the robbers who could not read a word.
"For kidnapping, you must first visit the location, find a suitable target, understand the pattern of the target, and then suddenly start. Afterwards, notify the other party and ask him to hide the money on a certain mountain or in a certain house. Note that the location must be familiar.
It’s well connected in all directions and sparsely populated, so it’s easy to run away if something happens.”
The robbers were stunned for a while after hearing this, praising the boss for being such a great guy, for being so powerful, and for following him around eating, drinking, and picking up girls without any worries.
As a result, shady black money continued to flow into his pocket. Liam used this black money to join the Chamber of Commerce and made a lot of money by taking advantage of his territory.
However, once kidnapping takes off, it will be difficult to stop.
Just in early September, Landu's chamber of commerce and mining managers were kidnapped, and he was almost tied up in a sack.
Liam had mixed feelings for a while. These idiots were becoming more and more proficient in their business. Even he, the mastermind behind the scenes, was almost tempted to look for a solution.
Little Happy's second strategy is: the mouse in the gutter will never see the light of day, and he can chat and laugh with the cat by changing his skin.
If Liam wants to step onto the stage of power, he must have the right clothes. The old Viscount is not dead yet, and the title has not yet been fully secured, so he must use other identities to get in touch with big shots.
Strength must match status. When you have money, you can build your own power.
First, secretly gather those ruthless, capable, but obedient robbers and reason with them, "Kidnapping has no future. This road will eventually lead you to destruction. We can only transform ourselves."
Create opportunities, change lives, and enjoy a happy life.”
Of course, this group of rough guys didn’t understand the theory of success at all, but that didn’t stop Liam from giving them a thumbs up, so the group of robbers transformed themselves into the family’s private armed forces, and took a resounding nickname—“
Knights of Dragon Teeth".
As for those who are disobedient and insist on having their own way, Liam also has a solution.
He used the Chamber of Commerce to unite the various gentry, used the Chamber of Commerce's money to hire a group of desperadoes (all mercenaries other than Katie Lanter), and then destroyed the dens of these bastards one by one, killing each one he caught, and the leader
Or string them up on spears and hang them on the wall to dry.
Only then did the gentry discover that this new little viscount, in addition to loving the people as a son, was also ruthless in dealing with disharmonious factors in the territory. For a time, the gentry's active mind became much calmer.
Winning over the wealthy gentry, being considerate of the common people, acting in both black and white ways, and showing kindness and power at the same time, Liam was in a league of his own, far behind the incompetent Viscount who was just waiting for death.
....
In late September, Liam led 50 "Dragon Teeth Knights" and three fat men in gorgeous costumes to the Andina Stone Mine, the largest stone mine producing area in the territory.
Stone ore is a hard commodity in mainland China. It can be easily blended into other metals after high-temperature refining. It has excellent solubility and plasticity. It is an essential material for refining weapons and forging armor.
The mine that produces the stone is located in a barren mountain in the far west of Catilant. There are sparse trees, few birds and animals, and a gray area composed of rocks and wind-sand.
"Sir, this mine has a history of 150 years. The great Viscount Lan personally led people to investigate and discovered this place." The leading man is the manager of this place, a man who is bald in his thirties - Lan
Germany.
Liam sat on the horse and looked at the group of shirtless and skinny slaves. They stood in a row, their faces were sallow, their steps were sloppy, as if they would fall down forever in the next moment.
A cheap human slave, whose only purpose in life is to create wealth for the ruler, is not even qualified to be erected as a monument after his death. He is like dust floating in the world, drifting silently and falling silently.
"What do these slaves eat three meals a day?" Liam asked.
"Sir, how can these dogs eat three meals a day? They can only eat one meal a day. Sir, don't look at these dogs who are so skinny and muscular..."
Liam sneered secretly, and the hand holding the reins tightened unconsciously, "One meal a day? What is it?"
"You don't have to be picky about what you eat, just mix it with some bread slices and some vegetable leaves." Rand said very proudly. Not only did he save the lord on food, he also completed the monthly limit without shrinking.
, where in the world can you find subordinates who care about the lord like me?
"Eat less, work more, and pay your monthly quota on time... Rand, you are truly a rare talent..." Liam gritted his teeth.
"Everywhere, it's all for the sake of adults. No matter how much suffering I suffer, it's worth it." Rand's joy was beyond words, but it was a pity that he didn't raise his head to look at the young master, whose face was not friendly.
"Rand, it's a pity that a talent like you condescends to be in such a remote place. In my opinion, you won't be here tomorrow." Liam leaned down and stared at the other person with a gloomy face.
"Ah!" Rand suddenly raised his head as if struck by lightning, with a puzzled look on his face, "Sir, if you don't let me take care of this, then where can I go?"
"Stay wherever it's cool, just stay out of my territory."
"Sir, I..."
"Rand!" Liam yelled angrily: "Do you really think I'm a fool? I can't see anything fishy about the monthly output mined and turned over in the accounts? Do you really think there are no mistakes in the minerals smuggled out over the years?"
"Sir!" Rand knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down his face, "Sir! Rand has been loyal to the family over the years and dedicated his life to the family. This is a lesson for the world!"
"Oh? Loyal? Doing your best?" Liam laughed angrily. He touched the other person's bald head with his hand. The black and white energy was quietly turning in the depths of his right eye, and the "curtain" silently activated, "Then let me ask you, three
Why did Baron Horag give you a manor a few months ago? Why did Viscount Kucher personally name you a year ago? And two years ago, he made a fuss about Mayor Duran and his family, threatening to rape his little granddaughter.
..These are all your loyalties?"
Cold sweat fell from his forehead, and Rand knelt on the spot, trembling. He didn't know whether it was because of a guilty conscience or something else, but he always felt that the hand above his head was heating up, like a soldering iron, burning his scalp and torturing his heart.
"Rand, I think you have worked hard for the family these years. There is no credit but hard work. I am also a humane person. You can go." Liam retracted his hand, and the "curtain" deep in the pupil of his right eye quietly dispersed.
Rand said nothing and kept kowtowing. Until Liam and others rode by, he still pressed his forehead to the ground and could not kneel down.
However, his eyes no longer shed tears, and the flames of anger were burning.
Liam took the lead, followed by three wealthy businessmen. They were not interested in this incident and were focused on the treaty to be signed.
"Everyone has seen that in the current situation, it is only 3 to 4 tons per month. According to what is written in our agreement, 70% of the acquisition will be sold to three people at a price 30% lower than the market price. The term is
2 years." Liam said, sitting across the table.
"3 to 4 tons...Mr. Liam, isn't this production a bit small? You can definitely buy more slaves and double the production."
Liam smiled and secretly cursed these blood-sucking bastards for thinking I was stupid. "You three, the current market price of a human slave is 10 silver coins. If you increase the output as you said,
If the number is doubled, then work will have to be done day and night. Even if a slave works for eight hours, the manpower will have to be doubled, which is 60 people, which is 600 silver coins, plus consumption such as food, clothing and housing.
If you get sick, you have to pay for medical expenses..."
The three wealthy businessmen looked a little ugly. The one sitting in the middle knocked on the table and said, "Mr. Liam, we can help you buy slaves and increase the price of minerals, but we have to extend the period by two years."
Liam weighed it in his mind and said, "I wonder how much you want to pay for it."
"20% below market price."
"Hey, this slave must be fed and clothed, and he must be treated when he is sick. If he gets an infectious disease..."
"15% lower than the market price, this is already the bottom line."
Liam held his chin and hesitated, and the atmosphere became depressed. After a while, he finally said: "Let's do this. The three of us can purchase 85% of the production, and the period is extended to 5 years, which is 5% lower than the market price."
%, how about you pay for the purchase of slaves?"
"make a deal!"
“A pleasure to work with.”
In this way, the two parties with ulterior motives reach a consensus: one party wants to establish long-term interests, while the other party wants short-term huge profits.