Chapter 57 Come to collect rent
As the weather gets colder and colder, people’s pace of life also slows down.
In November, Wesson and his staff have one more thing to do before they can retire for the winter, which is paying rent and paying taxes.
Wesenling, like other places, collects rent twice a year during the summer harvest and autumn harvest. In the summer, only grain is collected, and in the autumn, various miscellaneous taxes, cloth and other materials are also collected. On weekdays, Vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, firewood, etc. are collected in turns.
Starting from November 1st, after all the work was arranged, Frederick and tax officer Neuer inspected the taxation work in the territory.
Frederick's father, who had never been interested in numbers, consolidated all farmers' taxes except the poll tax into 30% of the rent, which greatly facilitated the work of tax officials.
On this day, the young master and the tax official came to Pea Village to inspect the work.
At the beginning of the autumn harvest, tax officials had selected several farmlands in the village to measure the average yields of oats, barley and various beans, and then calculated how much land rent they had to pay based on the number of fields on the lease deed. .
Frederick called an older tax official who had been in charge of the surrounding villages for many years and asked him how the harvest was this year.
“This autumn harvest is a little worse than last year.” The tax official replied, “There was less rain this spring and summer, the oats did not grow as high as last year, and there were fewer beans.”
Frederick asked for the data and calculated it in his mind. It was about 6% less, which was barely acceptable.
The taxation work in the village has remained unchanged for decades. Now it is carried out in an orderly manner, and there is nothing special to deal with.
The grain merchants’ employees walked among the crowd, asking farmers if they could sell grain.
This year, the price of grain in Weisen is 10% higher than in previous years. If it were not for the exchange of grain from Weisen syrup, the supply of grain on the market would be sufficient, and the price increase would definitely be more than this.
The rise in food prices and the influx of victims were enough to make Frederick run away with a bucket.
Frederick watched here for a long time, and then went with his team to inspect a newly built village in the south.
"Welcome the principal to Hongnibasongmu Village!"
Thomas bowed slightly at the village gate, at just the right angle, and respectfully welcomed the leader out of the car with impeccable etiquette.
Frederick nodded slightly, first used the height of the carriage to look around at the houses with brown-red walls and pointed roofs in the village, and then got out of the car and asked: "Everyone has lived in a house now, right?" ?”
Thomas immediately replied: “It’s not a good idea to live in it, but at least there is a place to protect yourself from the wind and rain.”
Frederick looked around and saw that there were not many people in the village, only a few children running by, so he asked: "Where are the people in the village?"
"They are all in the square." Thomas pointed in the direction behind him. Said, "Sheriff Gunter is selecting the militia."
Frederick nodded and said, "You settle the others first, and I will take a walk around the village."
There are about ten people and several carriages here to collect taxes. They will spend the night here tonight and collect taxes tomorrow.
Frederick initially planned not to collect taxes from the new villages this year, but he was immediately opposed by everyone.
The reason is very simple. Collecting their taxes and registering them means recognizing them as people from the Wesson Territory, which gives these new arrivals peace of mind.
Under this principle, the amount of tax collected can be flexible.
Frederick came to the square in the middle of the village and saw more than two hundred young and strong villagers gathered together, and the sheriff selected the militia.
Currently, this village has a militia quota of 20 people, divided into 10 spearmen, 5 archers and 5 coachmen. The coachmen use round shields and short swords.
These militiamen receive 30 days of training every year during the off-season, and are provided with subsidies such as tax-free farmland, which is quite attractive. Frederick did not expect to send the militiamen to the front line to fill the line. These 20 people were a logistics and transportation team, responsible for transportation during wartime.
Sheriff Gunter is in his forties. He has a big waist, a round neck and a thick neck. He is not easy to mess with at first glance.
He spent some time with the villagers, and he could tell at a glance who was suitable and who was not.
“Hozenplots!” Gunter shouted, “What are you doing standing back there?”
Hotzenplots felt miserable because he knew how to dance with a gun and a stick. It's true, no male villager in the village can beat him in a duel, but now he has given up.
"Master Gunter," he said aggrievedly, "I am just a farmer, how can I be a soldier?"
Gaunt sneered. When he was ten years old, he followed his father out of the mountains and worked in the mercenary team. , it can be seen at a glance whether anyone has any martial arts skills.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to be.” A strange smile appeared on Gunter’s face, “As long as you can beat me.”
Hozhenplozi’s face turned dark immediately. It wouldn't be a big problem for an old mercenary like Gunter to kill ten ordinary villagers one by one.
Whether you are capable of fighting is another matter. If you are capable of fighting, is there any reason not to join the militia?
If you can't beat him, then wouldn't you just send him there to be beaten?
Huo Zhenplozi shook his head hurriedly and said in horror: "How can I compare with you? You can hit me from the bottom of the mountain to the top with one punch."
Gang Seeing that this guy was doing this, he stopped forcing himself and said, "Forget it, then tax cuts and subsidies will not be your share."
Then he looked at a female villager and asked: " Liher, how about you being an archer?"
Liher also shook his head hurriedly and said: "Oh, master, it's okay if you let me cook. Let me draw the bow and shoot arrows. Don't be afraid of me shooting. My own people?”
Gunter felt helpless when he saw her like this, and he didn't want to force her, lest anyone think that he was going to do anything for personal gain. He had fallen in love with a girl in the village, and he couldn't ruin his reputation at this time.
Without the two best fighters in the village, Gunter could only let those strong and agile young men do it.
Many young people are considering saving money to marry a wife. The subsidy of being a militiaman is a considerable income, and many people have signed up.
Gun found 20 people and informed them to gather and start training the day after tomorrow.
The villagers dispersed quickly after the militiamen settled down. It was getting late and it was time to prepare for dinner.
"Long time no see, Huo Zhenploz." Frederick stopped an acquaintance in the alley where there was no one else.
Huo Zhenplooz was stunned, and after seeing the person clearly, he immediately bowed and greeted: "Baron, I am glad to see that you are still so healthy."
The look on Frederick's face He smiled and said, "You look good, you're not so thin anymore."
Huo Zhenplozi said respectfully: "All of this is a gift from the master."
< br>Frederick smiled and said: "I just gave you a chance. How you live in the future depends on you."
"Let's go, take me to where you live."
(End of this chapter)