Chapter 19 Poor, but Not Completely Poor (for further reading)
When handing over finances, it is best to check the accounts first, otherwise you will definitely regret it.
This experience was gained through the blood and tears of countless people. I don’t know how many people have suffered losses due to carelessness in financial handover.
Otto didn't think that Mrs. Karin would make some small moves at this time. The reason why he came to check the accounts in such a hurry was entirely because he was short of money.
Building a castle and supporting a two-hundred-man army was still too much for Otto. With the output of Otto's own territory, it was absolutely unaffordable.
If it hadn't been for the huge sum of money he had stolen from Mrs. Karin before, Otto would have become one of the many bankrupt nobles.
However, even though he was prepared, Otto still couldn't help but sigh when he actually got the account books and checked the family's financial situation.
Damn, why are you so poor!
Judging from the book figures, Otto's Aracholf family is not poor. It has a vast direct territory, dozens of large and small castles and manors, and there are piles of food in the castles and manors everywhere, as well as
Considerable scale of weapons and equipment.
It can be said that using poverty to describe the Alahorv family is not appropriate.
But the problem is, in terms of gold, silver, treasures, currency, and wealth in circulation, they are really frighteningly poor.
No wonder Mrs. Karin, who had been defrauded of a large sum of money by Otto, felt heartbroken. Together, the money was almost half of the family's funds.
"Why is there only such a small amount of money in the account?" After flipping through the thick account book, Otto couldn't help but ask Simon the butler.
"Master Otto, you really only have this little money." Butler Simon, who was responsible for the handover, had a wry smile on his face.
Otto was a little puzzled. Hasn't the debt been paid off long ago? Apart from the count's expedition in recent years, there has been no major expenditure. With the wealth of the Aargau Territory, how could it be possible to save such a small amount of money.
Faced with Otto's doubts, Butler Simon patiently explained, which also gave Otto a certain understanding of today's aristocratic wealth and taxes.
During this period, the taxes received by the nobles were often various physical objects, mainly agricultural and animal husbandry products. These physical objects were often difficult to realize when commodity circulation was underdeveloped. Usually, they could only be sold to other nobles or specific
Only businessmen can do that.
This has led to a problem, that is, many big nobles have mountains of food in their warehouses, but they cannot spend any money to recruit a reliable mercenary force.
This is not a joke, but a real fact.
In an era when the commodity economy is underdeveloped, taxation in kind means we have to face this embarrassing situation. You can collect taxes in kind, but when you give out money, you can't also pay in kind... not many people will buy it.
of.
It was not until the rise of a series of trading towns, especially the emergence of business alliances, that a large number of merchants traveled between various territories, that the situation of the noble lords' lack of money gradually improved.
As for now, neither Novgorod and the Hanseatic League in the north, nor Genoa and Venice in the south, have yet to be formed. The small number of merchants is simply not enough to meet the needs of trade.
Therefore, if Otto wanted to quickly cash in the physical objects he owned, the best way would be to find a regular buyer or form a caravan.
After hearing Butler Simon's suggestion, Otto directly rejected the idea of forming a caravan.
Although setting up your own caravan is highly profitable, the corresponding investment is also high and the risks are not small. The merchants who can organize caravans during this period are not simple people. They often have good relationships with the church and nobles, so that smooth communication can be achieved.
Travel to and from the territories of various lords without hindrance.
This situation obviously cannot last. As the number of merchants and caravans gradually increases, many lords will begin to collect transit taxes and so on, and profits will be greatly reduced.
Therefore, instead of taking risks to form a caravan, it is better to find a regular buyer. Although you will earn less, you don't have to take risks.
As for the buyer, Otto had a suitable candidate in mind - the church. The church was very wealthy, and often pretended to be charitable, helping the poor, and had a great need for food.
In fact, most of the excess grain in Argolan before was sold to the church. During this period, the monasteries and churches, because the powerful Carolingian dynasty still had power, had not yet begun to truly intervene in secular affairs, starting from the nobility.
He seized a large amount of land skillfully.
After confirming that there were no major problems with the accounts, Otto closed the thick account book and rubbed his sore eyes.
Good guy, there are so many entries and confusing types in the single-entry accounting method that even Otto, who has a high level of knowledge, seems dizzy. It seems that we have to find an opportunity to promote the double-entry accounting method. Otherwise, this
Every audit takes time and is prone to errors.
No wonder the profession of housekeeper can be passed down from generation to generation. The difficulty of managing accounts eliminates the possibility of ordinary people interfering. This is not possible.
Historically, it was not until around 1300 that Italian businessmen invented double-entry accounting. Now, it would be okay if Otto invented it instead. Anyway, double-entry accounting is not difficult to explain.
However, the time to take it out is not now. At least, it must be done by a mathematics-related talent that Otto trusts. Bard is loyal enough, but if he is asked to manage the accounts, Otto may not know when he will go bankrupt.
Although the single-entry accounting method is a bit more complicated, at least it is more difficult to make false accounts. At least Barton can rest assured that he can continue to let Butler Simon assist Barton in managing the accounts.
Otto was not in a hurry to empty out the warehouses and warehouses of the old castle. He asked Bud and Simon butlers to sell a batch of grain for money, and then prepared to visit Baron Charlie.
Now that you have the power, don’t delay. Start setting up a card to collect taxes as soon as possible. The earlier you collect taxes, the earlier you make money. If you are so poor, time will not wait for you.
When he found Baron Charlie, he had just finished chatting with Baron Dillon, and was probably making some simple handovers.
After Baron Dillon saluted Otto, he said goodbye and left.
"Master Otto is looking for me, do you have any instructions?" Baron Charlie looked very respectful, showing no dissatisfaction with being taken away from the position of military commander of the territory.
In fact, he was not only dissatisfied, but also very happy. The two hundred recruits were recruited and trained by Otto himself, and he was appointed commander-in-chief. This represented Otto's trust in him and regarded him as one of his own.
It is conceivable that as Otto's position becomes more stable and his control over the territory increases, his status and power in the territory will also increase.
"Nothing else, I just want to talk to you and Knight Wade about how to open up new sources of revenue for the territory and set up checkpoints to collect taxes."
Otto didn't know if he could trust the one hundred guards drawn from the old castle guard, but they were all elite soldiers, and it would be a waste if they were not used. It happened that his new soldiers had not been trained yet.
Just take advantage of this opportunity to send these people to collect taxes. If you want to successfully collect taxes from those merchants in the caravan, you can't just set up a card. There is no certain military protection, but there is guard protection.
It’s not that easy for businessmen to pay obediently.
"Collect taxes?" Baron Charlie was stunned and quickly tried to dissuade him. "Master Otto, the taxes in the territory are already quite high. If we increase taxes, I'm afraid many farmers will starve to death. Even if Master Otto is short of money,
You shouldn't be so impatient when building a new castle."