13. Make a name for yourself, and divide the account by three or seven? No need! (Part 2)
At noon, the market square in Gus City.
It can also be regarded as a food market.
The steward of the castle, the sheriff of the small town, and three or two of his subordinates walked out slowly from the corner with solemn faces and several parchments under their arms.
A few women who had just left the well with washed clothes in their hands saw the big shots walking to the center of the square from a distance, and started talking in low voices.
"Hey, have you heard?"
"What did you hear?"
"Our Lord, it seems, is planning to rebuild the castle."
"Oh, I heard about it too. A few days ago, many people saw a pirate master selling seventy or eighty slaves to the lord. Oh, my man is a blacksmith. You also know that he
A few days ago, I and other blacksmiths received a batch of orders from the castle!"
"Well, that's it...that's nothing, right?"
"You just don't understand!"
"Why don't I understand!"
"Let me tell you, my husband has also been to the mainland of the kingdom and done business with merchants from other noble territories. He has a lot of experience. He told me..."
The woman paused and waited for everyone else to look at her before continuing.
"He said that if the nobles want to build large-scale construction projects, they will not only recruit a group of people to do corvee service, but also collect many new taxes!"
"ah?"
"Otherwise? If we are building a large-scale construction project and don't collect taxes, where will the money and food come from?"
"Oh, it's true, we are the ones suffering."
The women holding freshly washed clothes were talking quietly and looking towards the center of the square from time to time.
Some other freedmen passing by also slowed down and glanced at the sheriff, the castle steward and others.
thinking,
The big one is coming, oh, what a bad luck.
Ding~dong~ding~dong~
The Sheriff rang the bell erected in the center of the square.
Most people can't ring bells. Only adults can ring them.
The freedmen gathered.
The owner of the dye shop felt a little strange.
The lord had already known about the purchase of slaves and preparations for large-scale construction projects, and he had naturally anticipated the imposition of new taxes.
However, in the past two days, the castle did not invite itself or other speakers to discuss with the lord?
Is it because the new young lord doesn’t understand the rules?
But looking at the situation in front of me, it doesn’t seem quite right?
The Sheriff is here, the butler Athol is here, but why is the tax collector not here?
How can the tax collector not be present when tax collection begins?
"Quiet~! Quiet~!" The sheriff's voice was like a bell, majestically silencing the bustling crowd.
"Our respected Lord Federesh has something important to announce to the people." The Sheriff said again, raising his hand to signal the steward.
Ator stood in front of the crowd, shook his hands, opened the parchment vertically, and read aloud.
"People of Gusi City!"
"I, Chuyang Fedelesh, feel deeply that although the territory is large, there are still many resources on the island that have not yet been developed and utilized, and in recent years, the outside world's maritime trade has grown vigorously. I am shocked that our Gusi City actually has a promising future!
"
"It just so happens that the family castle is old and in urgent need of renovation."
"After comprehensive research and judgment, Keqing and I agreed that starting with civil construction, projects will bring demand, demand will bring projects, and a series of supporting island development plans have been formulated!"
“In order to gradually realize the ‘internal and external development strategy’ in the next two years!”
The butler read aloud.
Among the crowd outside, a few freedmen in the back row were whispering to each other cautiously.
"Isn't it just to increase new taxes? Why go through all the twists and turns?"
"That's right, if you raise your head, it's the same as if you shrink your head. If you want money, just ask."
In front of the crowd, the steward continued to read from the scroll.
"First of all, in order to meet future supervision, coordination, and management needs, I announce to the citizens——"
"——After one month, and every four months thereafter, the castle will recruit qualified talents from the free citizens of Gus City to supervise, coordinate, and manage the various tasks assigned by me and your guest."
"This is not about corvee service, but I want to recruit long-term and stable assistant servants."
"The salary is 70 copper per week and lunch is provided every day!"
"Those who meet the conditions will be the assistant servants of the castle!"
Onlookers: "..."
???
Wait, what is this?
Someone in the front row said: "Sir, could you please say it again? I didn't hear it clearly just now."
Athol, the butler, repeated the previous passage.
The crowd made a roar, like oil meeting water, crackling.
The castle wants to recruit new servants? Recruit regularly?
Take care of lunch!
The weekly salary is 70 copper plates!
You should know that the average weekly income of ordinary free people in Gusi City is only about 40 copper coins. The income of homesteaders is less, but they can store food at home.
Moreover, being a servant of the castle is a prestigious job.
Those stablemen who usually worked in the castle stables and took care of the master's foals, when they came to the tavern to drink, their nostrils turned to the sky.
The servants in the castle, rounded up, are the lord’s people!
Even if something is committed in the city, the Sheriff can't control it, it has to be handed over to the lord for trial!
Who wouldn’t envy it?
"Silence! Silence, everyone!" the Sheriff shouted loudly.
The crowd finally calmed down, and everyone was looking at the housekeeper to hear the details of what would happen next.
Ator glanced at the crowd before continuing to read the scroll.
"In order to complete the work assigned to me and your guest, the assistant servant needs to master a certain level of reading, writing, numeracy, and drawing. These four abilities."
"At the end of next month, and every four months thereafter, the castle will hold tests regularly. The registration fee is 1 copper coin. After the test, based on the results, the top group will meet with me and the guest."
"Those who satisfy us can be promoted to assistant servants of the castle."
"For the test at the end of next month, I only need 5 people!"
‘Wow!’ The crowd was noisy again.
In Gusi City, there are many people who can read and write documents. For example, those shop owners with relatively large businesses can read a few books and write a few words. Some people from better families follow the merchants to work in the kingdom.
People who have done business also know a few words.
But generally speaking, the vast majority of people in Gusi City are illiterate.
It's to the north! This road is like a roadblock, killing most of the people!
There is also drawing, that is, the blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, etc. in the city usually draw pictures. How can we ordinary people know how to draw pictures?
As for numerology?
Isn't addition, subtraction and subtraction very simple? What's so difficult about math? (*There should be canned laughter here)
"Quiet! Everyone, be quiet! There's a lot more to come!" The Sheriff hit the masonry ground with an iron rod angrily, making a banging sound.
After half a minute, the crowd spontaneously fell silent.
No one is stupid. No matter how beautiful the pie is, the policies implemented are the most important.
"I know you envy this job, but you think the threshold I set is too high." The butler continued to be his microphone.
"Of course I also know that most of you don't know how to write, can't draw, and are not good at math."
"So, I decided!"
The housekeeper took a deep breath, and then read loudly:
"It is scheduled to be held one week later in the vacant [Holy Atonement] chapel in the city. After sunset every day, several servants of my castle and my guests will hold training courses on writing, numeracy, and drawing for you.
!”
Yes, the devil wants to use the vacant chapel of the Holy Atonement Lord to set up night reading classes for the citizens of Gus City.
Hahahahahaha.
"The training class will teach about the knowledge required for the assistant servant test, that is, reading, writing, mathematics, and drawing. These four contents."
"Of course, in this era, knowledge needs to be paid for."
The housekeeper paused,
"There are only 600 places for the first batch of training classes. The fee is 5 silver coins per person. First-come-first-served basis!"
"In addition, those who did not get a seat in time, or who do not want to participate in the first batch of training classes but plan to participate in the second batch of training classes, can pay a prepayment of 10 copper coins. Those who pay the prepayment will be admitted to the second batch of training classes.
After the quota is opened, you will have priority when registering!”
The 600 quota limit is a limit designed by the devil after personal inspection.
The vacant [Holy Atonement] chapel is a quite large building, with a pulpit inside, and rows of benches under the platform. Of course, they are all worn out, and the chairs will need to be replaced with new ones in the future.
The normal capacity is about 300 people. If the three aisles are also used, and the people in the front row sit on the ground and the people in the back row stand, then the entire chapel can hold about 700 people.
It would be more appropriate to allow 600 students to squeeze in.
From another perspective, it is also due to lack of manpower.
Here in the castle, the only people who are capable of teaching are the butler Ator, a few of his servants, Li Jiasu, and Chu Yang.
The housekeeper is usually very busy and cannot possibly teach for 3 hours every night.
What? Let the Lord teach? What kind of crazy talk is this?
As a result, only Li Jia Shu and a few good people under the steward were left to give night reading classes to the residents of Gus City.
Later, Li Jiasu completes the framework team for literacy education, and more night reading classes can be opened at the same time.
This matter cannot be rushed or hastened. Many objective conditions have not yet been perfected. Moreover, the people must have doubts about this big pie now.
Only when the first batch of people actually eat the cake can they put aside their doubts.
Before the crowd could explode, the Sheriff knocked on the masonry ground with an iron rod and said loudly: "Quiet, everyone! You can discuss it after the announcement is complete!"
The crowd obediently remained quiet this time.
The steward nodded to the Sheriff and continued reading the scroll.
"The above is one of the purposes."
"Next, is my second will."
"In order to gradually realize the 'internal and external development strategy' in the next two years, starting from today, the castle will sell 'development bonds' to the residents of Gus City!"
"The minimum amount is 10 copper coins, the maximum amount is 1 gold coin, and each free citizen is limited to one purchase within a quarter."
"The 'development bonds' are made in triplicate. The buyer keeps 2 of them and the castle keeps 1."
"After 6 months from the date of purchase, you can get back 1.2 times the amount from the castle with the coupon!"
"You can also hold it longer and withdraw it after 12 months, and you can get 1.4 times the amount back!"
"For example, if you purchase a 'development bond' of 10 silver coins on a certain day, you can receive 12 silver coins from the castle with the coupon after 6 months. If you hold it for 12 months and then collect it,
It’s 14 silver coins!”
"Well, when paying for the above two things, you can use food instead."
The steward paused, took a deep breath, and began to read the last paragraph on the scroll.
"My father, Misty Federesh, when he was the lord, he never felt sorry for anyone. I think the people of Gusi City saw it and remembered it in their hearts."
"I, Chuyang Federesh, have now succeeded to the throne as the lord of this island, and I am determined to develop Gus City so that we can have more taverns, more ships, more bathhouses, more people, and more
More farms, more big houses!”
"Many things will begin to change slowly."
"My guest said that whether a territory is strong or not depends not only on how many soldiers are raised in the castle."
"It depends more on whether the people in the territory are rich and happy!"
"There will be bread, there will be ships, there will be everything."
"Thank you everyone!"
Breathing a sigh of relief, the steward put away the scroll, and then ordered his men to hang several copied scrolls with the same content on nails in several conspicuous places in the city for the citizens to see. (Although currently, most of them
No one can read documents)
The crowd was quiet.
The constable, the steward, and the servants left the market square.
The crowd was bustling with conversation.
Afterwards, the crowd dispersed in all directions, conveying the lord's will to every corner of Gusi City.
Six days later, when the butler Ator reported the data to Master Chuyang, the young lord's jaw almost dropped to the ground.
For the first batch of ‘Assistant Servant’ training courses, more than 500 people paid to sign up.
At the same time, nearly 1,000 people have paid 10 copper coins in advance and may participate in the second batch of training courses.
Then, add the ‘development bonds’ purchased by the residents.
After the final count, it turned out to be equivalent to 452 gold coins! As well as a considerable amount of food!
You must know that there are more than 8,000 free people and serfs resident in Gusi City.
Including those small and medium-sized maritime merchants who are relatively mobile and move back and forth between the Kingdom of Spain and other kingdoms, the current population of this seaport city can support about 10,000 people.
Calculated based on a population of 9,000, the harvested grain is not included in the calculation, only the money is calculated.
452 gold coins, that is, 452,00 silver coins, divided by 9000.
On average, each population provides approximately 5.022 silver coins.
The Lord Lord thought to himself at that time,
"Damn it! I can't tell! Have the people in my territory hid so much money?!"
The butler standing beside him had a happy face.
My dear sir, this is much easier than collecting taxes!
Fellow citizens, you are taking the initiative to send us money and food!
Li Jia Shu stood by the window sill, looked at the noon sun outside the window, and smiled slightly.
Compared to confrontation,
Cooperation will always bring more long-term benefits.
As a lord, Chu Yang has a lot of cards at his disposal.
I am willing to show my sincerity by easing the ‘path to promotion’ (or in other words, the ascending channel) to my subjects.
Combined with the financial bonds brought by the devil, they were half an era ahead of their time.
The initial funds to rebuild the castle and develop the entire island are now available.
That night, Li Jia Shu spoke earnestly and told Chu Yang:
Everyone has subjective initiative.
When a person is eager to spend money, no one can stop him from investing and spending.
So, how to mobilize the subjective initiative of the people?
Let them see hope.
Some thoughts are telling people that we have no future and history has ended.
Some ideas tell people that the road to hardship and hardship will be long, but we have a future and hope is in tomorrow.
Distribute interests reasonably and openly.
Li Jia Shu guided Chu Yang to kill three birds with one stone.
First, set up night reading classes to gradually eliminate illiteracy and improve the cultural literacy of the people in the territory.
Second, to prepare talent reserves for supervision, coordination, and management functions in advance for various future engineering projects.
Third, affordable tuition and ‘development bonds’ are used to collect start-up funds.
Turn crisis into opportunity.
Of course, the reason why these things can be accomplished is also inseparable from Chuyang's willingness to transfer some benefits to the people.
What if the lord keeps nothing, holds all the interests in his hands, and refuses to give even a single copper to his subjects?
hehe.
Everything is an exchange of interests.
However, in the eyes of different people, the ways in which benefits are exchanged vary greatly.