Chapter 831 The root of the problem of the Black Earth Territory is the lack of money
The Black Earth Territory is actually not very big. Taken together, it is about the size of a town.
Fortunately, it is located in a relatively fertile and remote location, so self-sufficiency is not a big issue.
The comprehensive area is not even comparable to the original Tongshu tribe, but the population is much larger.
The location is a large plain, surrounded by forests, lakes and other resources, as well as relatively rich mineral resources.
After Lu Xingshi arrived at the Black Earth Territory, with the help of the housekeeper, he quickly took over the entire Black Earth Territory, but he also learned a truth.
That means no money.
The predecessor's cousin not only took away all the gold coins, silver coins, etc., but also postponed the taxes for fifty years, so not only he, the Black Earth Viscount, was poor, but also the Black Earth Territory.
And he can't continue to collect taxes, otherwise it will cause rebellion.
"What the Viscount did was so shabby..." Lu Xingshi quickly threw aside the property and property in the territory and turned to look at military strength.
A knight who was knighted and was also knighted as a knight.
Lu Xingshi's previous status as a knight was that of a wandering knight, similar to a mercenary who graduated from a military academy.
The noble can be canonized as a knight again and can have a knighthood. In other words, the knight and his descendants must be loyal to the noble, and the noble will support the ten households of the knight.
It is equivalent to ten households supporting this knight through production.
This canonized knight is also the peace officer of the Black Earth Territory.
As a viscount, he relies on his sheriffs to protect the security of the territory. The financial officer is responsible for the finance, taxes and various resources of various territories. There is also a judicial officer who handles judicial affairs in the territory, such as various disputes.
In addition, there are stewards and advisors. The former is responsible for the viscount's food, daily life, servant management, etc., while the latter provides corresponding suggestions and is usually held by knowledgeable scholars, but there is currently no such thing in the Black Earth Territory.
As for the housekeeper, Lu Xingshi brought it with him.
Of course, the entire territory does not rely solely on these three officials. For example, the sheriff has fifty spearmen, ten archers, and five cavalry, and the financial officer also has tax collectors and so on.
"There are a lot of troops." Lu Xingshi looked at the list of troops. Although there were only sixty-five people, in fact this was the limit that the Black Earth Territory could support.
The spearmen wore chain armor, the archers wore leather armor, and the cavalry wore heavy armor with one man and two horses.
The daily food expenditure alone is a huge amount, and then there are training and so on. With the resources in the Black Territory and the surrounding areas, it is really difficult to maintain it.
In addition, there are militiamen, but they are not included in the regular army. There is only one number, probably about a hundred people.
These 100 people are usually farmers, but if they are recruited, they can make do for a while, but the equipment they are given will definitely not be that good.
Looking at the population again, there are 1,500 households, which is probably the lowest type among the viscounts.
It is mainly caused by geographical factors and poor operation.
"Let the Sheriff, Financial Officer and Judicial Officer come to see me." Lu Xingshi said directly to the housekeeper.
This butler was not recruited by Lu Xingshi himself, but was left by the previous generation of viscount. He was similar to a son born in the family and had always been loyal to the Langton family.
So he didn't care who the viscount was, as long as the other person's surname was Langton and he was a viscount, he would be loyal to him.
They have been brainwashed since childhood.
And his son is Lu Xingshi's personal servant.
Lu Xingshi didn't say anything. The other person was not a soft and beautiful man, but a burly man. He was not only a male servant, but also the captain of the entourage, responsible for protecting Lu Xingshi's safety.
Able to help Lu Xingshi handle various chores when the housekeeper is away.
As for the maids, there are actually some. There is no such thing as delicate bodies and soft bodies. Instead, they are all big and round, and they work very efficiently.
Lu Xingshi likes people who can do things. He is not the kind of person who is addicted to women.
"The three adults have been waiting for a long time. I will invite them in immediately." The housekeeper said immediately.
His arrival did not trigger a bloody power grab. The Langton family had been cultivating the Black Territory for many generations, so it had a high prestige.
In addition, the military power held by the Sheriff as a canonized knight has always been the most powerful supporter of the Langton family.
The treasurer and judicial officer are similar to the type passed down from father to son. They have been with the Langton family since they opened up the black soil territory.
These three territorial officers are essentially servants of the Langton family for generations, just like the housekeepers.
There are basically no issues with loyalty.
Otherwise, the predecessor's cousin took away the money and ran away. Why would there be no problems in the Black Earth Territory? It was precisely because of these three territorial officers who maintained it.
The three people came in quickly, led by a burly middle-aged man wearing armor. He was the sheriff and the only canonized knight in the territory.
Then there is a chubby middle-aged man who is the financial officer, and the other is a skinny middle-aged man who is the judicial officer.
"Sit down, I've just arrived. I have a lot of questions to ask you about so that I can further determine the situation in the Black Earth Territory." As soon as Lu Xingshi finished speaking, the butler arranged chairs for the three of them.
Then stand by Lu Xingshi's side and respond to Lu Xingshi's orders at any time. This means that all the core personnel of the Black Earth Territory have arrived.
"I already know the situation of the new Viscount. How long can the food last?" Lu Xingshi asked.
"Master Viscount, don't worry about food. The previous Master Viscount only took away the silver and gold coins in the territory, while the common people used copper coins, so it won't have much impact for the time being."
"The real problem is the inability to collect taxes and the fact that you only have copper coins in your coffers, which will have an impact on our foreign commerce," the treasurer said.
The merchants in the Black Territory are actually the Viscount's people.
"In other words, you don't have to worry too much about the order of the territory now, right." Lu Xingshi looked at the three of them.
When the three of them heard what Lu Xingshi said, they immediately understood that Lu Xingshi was not just a dawdling literary young man like the previous Viscount, but that he was really capable.
The food issue, at this time, can be completely equated with the issue of order.
As long as the civilians under their command have enough to eat, they will not rebel.
"Yes." It was the Sheriff who answered Lu Xingshi.
"That means the biggest problem for our entire territory is the lack of money in the economy."
"The previous Viscount directly emptied all our available cash and left. What about the coinage rights? I remember that as a pioneer lord, the Black Territory has independent coinage rights." Lu Xingshi looked at the judicial officer.
Lords are divided into two categories, one is the feudal noble lords, and the other is the pioneering pioneer lords. Lu Xingshi's Langton family naturally belongs to the latter, but both of them have aristocratic status.
Compared with the enfeoffed lords, there is also a master above. For example, a viscount is a subordinate of a certain earl, and will be subject to constraints and certain restrictions.
The pioneer lords are different. They have independent power and only need to respond to the call of the kingdom. However, they are also loyal to the king on the surface, but they need to pay corresponding taxes every year.
He remembered that he, Viscount Langton, had to pay one hundred gold coins as tax every year, which was actually a lot.
Of course, the feudal lords also had to pay taxes, but they were not paid directly to the king, but to his master, that is, the viscount to the earl, and the amount paid must be at least ten times higher.
After all, the earl also had to turn it over, so he had no choice but to collect it down.
The good news is that this year's taxes have been paid, so there is no need to worry about being troubled by the king's tax collector.
The tax was paid before his ex ran away, so he had no choice but to pay it.
Just giving it like this, he actually didn’t take much money away.
I really thought it would cost nothing to maintain such a territory, but the Viscount had a large family.
"Yes, Lord Viscount, we do have the right to mint coins, but there are no gold or silver mines in the Black Territory, so we have no way to mint gold and silver coins." The judicial officer said bravely.
Lu Xingshi narrowed his eyes.
"We don't have it, but we can cast it for you."
"If we cooperate with nobles who do not have the right to mint coins, we will only draw three out of ten."
"By the way, they are responsible for all losses and ask them to send the corresponding talents." Lu Xingshi said.
The three of them looked at each other, and finally the judicial officer said: "Lord Viscount, this is against the laws of the kingdom..."
"Okay, Treasurer, what other options do you have? This year has just begun. Spring has just begun. We must at least have three hundred gold coins in the vault. Otherwise, let alone next year, we will not be able to survive this year." Lu Xingshi said that since it is illegal , then use formal channels.
The financial officer's scalp was numb when Lu Xingshi asked him where he had any channels for making money. If the former Viscount hadn't taken the money and ran away, he only needed to maintain it so that the entire Black Territory wouldn't have to worry about financial problems.
But now, obviously not.
After all, he was just the financial officer of a small place, and was left speechless by Lu Xingshi's question.
"There is still a way. The iron ore resources in the Black Territory are relatively rich, which allows the blacksmith to create a batch of iron armor and iron swords for sale." The Sheriff said.
"The skills of the blacksmiths in the Black Earth Territory are probably not of high value." Lu Xingshi knew the situation of the Black Earth Territory's blacksmiths. It was okay to make farm tools and repair weapons and armors, and let them build them, but the skills were not up to par.
A suit of armor only costs about fifty gold coins, and a sword costs ten gold coins.
You must know that the spearmen in his territory cost one hundred gold coins to wear chain armor, and the heavy armor of the cavalry cost up to one thousand gold coins.
Each piece is the best of the best.
Of course, these properties were not saved by the previous Viscount, but were the legacy of the entire Langton family from the founding of the country.
"Forget it, let the blacksmith do it first, and get some gold and silver coins in the vault as soon as possible to avoid accidents." Lu Xingshi sighed. He had no money and no ability to resist risks.
As for copper coins? It was made by the Black Territory itself, so even if it could be circulated to the outside world, it would be at a huge discount, not to mention that no one would accept it at all.
In terms of monetary value, it is far inferior to gold and silver.
(End of chapter)