Chapter 591 Constituent Assembly (Part 2)
Today is May 25th, and this Constituent Assembly has lasted for three weeks. With the arrival of the first rain in early summer, it finally came to an end.
Rain pattered on the eaves of the Central Palace, and from time to time a wisp of rain flew into the room through the cracks in the windows.
The brass chandelier swayed with dim candlelight, and white wax tears fell from the lampstand to the table, leaving traces of burning heat.
The three representatives sat down solemnly, their eyes focused on the main podium. Whether they were nobles or commoners, their eyes were full of excitement and solemnity.
Standing in the fishy smell of rain, Horn held the main podium with his hands and was reading out Article 5 of the just-adopted "Holy Charter."
"... Then we confirm that the name of the country is the Sacred Monarchy of Qianhe River Valley, the national flag is a black and red fleur-de-lis, and there are two capitals - Xialu City (renamed Feiliu Castle), where the autocratic government is governed, and the Sacred Arms Palace, where the Patriarch is governed."
"Hua Hua——"
"Okay!"
"Holy Father bless!"
Representatives from the three seats stood up one after another, applauded vigorously, and were accompanied by constant cheers.
The entire venue was enveloped in a solemn and relaxed atmosphere. Representatives from various factions had different expressions, including satisfaction, regret, and faint uneasiness.
When Article 5 of the Charter is adopted, it means that the Constitutional Convention is coming to an end.
Several public opinion representatives in the middle seats could not help but show a trace of apprehension and lingering thoughts. Although they had delayed a lot of their own work, they still could not give up.
The taste of power is really hard for them to resist.
Raising his hands slightly, Horn signaled the audience to be quiet, and at this time Meliyati also stood up from the throne.
"Today, we stand at a turning point in history. Because after reading out Article 5 of the Charter, we have completed a great cause together in this tormented land.
The first constitution of the Thousand River Valley, the "Sacred Charter of the Thousand River Valley", was completed today!
It connects the will of the Holy Father with the order of the world, integrates the responsibilities of the nobility and the rights of the subjects, and marks the first time that our Qianhe Valley has determined the cornerstone of the country in written form.
From now on, every territorial citizen, no matter rich or poor, will enjoy the basic rights to life and freedom on this land.
Every lord, whether noble or clergy, will understand that his authority comes from the joint recognition of the Holy Father and the believers, and only by fulfilling his responsibilities can he enjoy authority.
Completing this charter does not mean the end of our responsibilities, but the beginning of new responsibilities.
We need to use the Charter as a benchmark and unite to face future challenges, whether they are threats from external enemies or internal divisions.
Therefore, today is not only the end of the first Constituent Assembly, but also the convening of the first Council meeting. ”
All the representatives, except those on Horn's side, invariably became energetic, and some even couldn't help but stand up.
They were all waiting for that sentence, that crucial sentence.
"The implementation of the charter needs the right people to promote it." The speaker changed from Horn to Meliati, and her magnetic words sounded, "Today, we will discuss and determine the status of the Holy Monarchy of the Thousand River Valley. The first batch of county chiefs and the assignment of positions in central administrative agencies.”
This is what you've been waiting for! The representatives looked excited.
In accordance with the recognition of government institutions in Article 3 of the Charter, His Excellency the Despot appoints officials not on the basis of blood but on ability and character.
In other words, if Meliati wants to promote officials, they must either be recommended by the Council or promoted from the Council.
It turns out that they were just the leaders of a township, a small town or even a village, and they were the powerful people behind closed doors.
But now, they actually have the opportunity to get their hands on the entire Thousand River Valley, which is millions of people. However, Meliati seemed not to see their urgent looks, and still read out unhurriedly: "Don't bite off more than you can chew. I must ensure that every power is used properly. Responsibilities are placed in reliable hands.”
Pulling out a thick account book from under the main podium, Meliati slowly opened it: "However, before assigning duties, we have to face a more critical issue - the finances of Qianhe River Valley."
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Immediately, whispers broke out in the venue, and the expressions of representatives from each faction changed slightly.
Only the monks from the Patriarchal District, which is independent of the absolutist system, were shaking their legs and watching the joke. Some even took out wine bottles, bread, ham and cheese.
After Horn's unkind eyes swept across them, the monks immediately sat up straight and put on heavy and solemn expressions.
"So, I propose that we start with the finances of the entire Qianhe River Valley." Meliati closed the account book with a hint of coldness in her voice, "After all, if you are not clear about these, the so-called Qianhe River Valley is just built on the beach. Castle on ”
Through this month's summary and statistics of the church's account books, the total population and total cultivated land of the Qianhe River Valley were listed based only on the books.
The Holy Monarchy of Qianhe River Valley has a total taxpaying population of 860,000 households, and the total taxpaying population should be more than 4 million.
The total amount of taxable cultivated land is 49,322 square kilometers, which is about 73.95 million acres of cultivated land, which is theoretically enough to feed more than 6 million people.
Under the continuous rule of priests and nobles, the Thousand River Valley delivers 60,000 gold pounds and 90,000 gold pounds to the royal family of Leia and the Holy City respectively every year.
Due to the concealment of reports by lords and knights in various places and the corruption of middlemen and tax collectors during the period, the accounts of various places are actually only a little less.
Based on the correspondence left by Bamanda, Duchess of Kush, investigation reports, and rough calculations by hundreds of accountants and bankers over the past month.
Taking Hotam County alone as an example, 19,920 gold pounds were handed over to the royal family of Leia and 22,500 gold pounds to the Holy See City last year, but the actual theoretical taxable tax was about 200,000 gold pounds.
Therefore, the real effective tax revenue is only 20%, and the remaining 80% is either confiscated, or is misappropriated or wasted by a small group of people.
As for where the waste was, you can see it by looking at the monasteries and manor gardens all over Hotam County and the luxurious clothes of the nobles.
In addition, there are also what the nobles call pilgrimage, which actually means going to the coastal areas once every two or three years to socialize and travel.
After two and a half years of natural disasters and wars, even though the Kingdom of Leia is facing a formidable enemy, taxes within the Thousand River Valley still have to be reduced first and then collected normally.
Even so, two and a half years of natural disasters and wars have yielded an important result.
It directly or indirectly drove out a large number of tax middlemen and corruption, taking the relatively thorough cleanup of Langsand County as an example.
Langsand County's theoretical taxable income is only about 60,000 gold pounds, and Horne can collect a budget of 20,000 gold pounds through the reform of the 100-household district.
This is not only 20,000 gold pounds, the total tax revenue is estimated to be close to 30,000 gold pounds, but there are still nearly 10,000 gold pounds left in the local monastery.
This is the result of Horne getting rid of all the middlemen (knights, small lords, secondary contractors, tax-free monasteries, tax collectors) in Langsand County and collecting taxes directly.
Relying on high government efficiency, the Holy Armament Pope can achieve an effective tax revenue of close to 50% in its special zone.
Under the premise of reducing taxes and rents, more tax revenue may be effectively used than before.
"Your Royal Highness, what do you mean?" Representative Yi stood up tremblingly and asked.
"The Land Registration Bill may not be passed, but population and tax surveys should be done, right?"
(End of chapter)