Chapter 149 Death of Casti
When Horn's leather boots stepped on the stone ground of Citizen Road, the traces of smoke and fire on them were still obvious.
Horn knelt down and wiped the ground with his fingers. The black dust and the strong smell of fireworks proved that yesterday's riot was not an illusion.
However, judging from the current results, both sides have maintained a certain degree of restraint.
Although the citizens killed several tax commissioners, these tax commissioners were all hired unemployed workers and did not really harm the Duke's personal power.
Although the Duke sent soldiers to suppress the attack and injured many citizens, most of them were superficial injuries and no one died.
The cause of the incident was the war bonds announced by the Duke. The citizens who had just reacted to the first round of taxation ushered in the second wave of taxation.
According to Horn's estimation, His Excellency the Duke received approximately 6,000 gold pounds in tax revenue from the first round of taxation. A castle of Joan of Arc contributed approximately 3,000 gold pounds, and the other villages and towns in the duchy combined only contributed 3,000 gold pounds. gold pound.
This time, the war bonds launched by His Excellency the Duke were sold at a price of 2 gold pounds each, and the guilds and citizens were forced to apportion the purchases by region.
This obviously angered the citizens,
Even many residents from other villages and towns came to Fort Joan of Arc to participate in the grand event.
Amidst the fierce public sentiment, the Duke finally stood up and announced, you are wrong, I will take a step back.
The price of war bonds also fell to 1 gold pound. The Duke promised that after the war, he would repay them at 2 gold pounds, but only with low interest.
Although the citizens were reluctant, after thinking about it, the Duke took a step back to avoid being too offended, so they gritted their teeth and took on this part of the bond.
It is an IOU after all, maybe it can be paid back.
So this fight ended with a complete victory for the Duke.
Horn actually didn't understand it at first. You want to make money for the war, that's fine, but you are trying too hard to make money.
The first wave of taxes has just been levied, which is enough to prepare for the war. Why is the second wave of taxes levied?
The most important thing is that as an asset aristocrat, Darnay's method of making money should be to make money from assets in various places, such as mortgaging shops or selling shares.
The real estate aristocrats collect taxes from their subjects because they have a large territory and a large number of people and real estate. Does the Duke of Kush have a trade fair?
How long has it been, are you still reluctant to part with it?
Walking on this citizen road, Horn looked around and saw that it was more than a minute and a half bleaker than before.
Tax commissioners with bruises and swollen faces and even hanging arms were standing in front of every citizen's door, "selling" war bonds with all their strength.
The people who were being sold bonds bought these financial products with good returns through gritted teeth and tears. Of course, only a small number of scattered citizens bought them.
The most disgusting thing is the allocation to those guilds. Most of the guilds have to bear 300-500 gold pounds of war bonds.
In order to let the guild shoulder its responsibilities, the Duke still showed his kindness and allowed guild members to be exempted from military service. Even in the most critical moment, guild members would not be forced to join the army.
Based on the current situation, this round of taxation, no, the income from selling bonds is estimated to reach 8,000 gold pounds.
Walking from Citizen Road to Artisan Street, she came to a labor tailor shop. Sissi, whose head was wrapped in gauze, got off her horse and entered the tailor shop. After a while, she walked out with two yards of cloth.
Horn looked him up and down: "Isn't there a manifest of alchemy products?"
"How can I show it to you here." Sissi lowered her voice, "In Brie Hiding it, we’ll talk about it when we get back. Ruo’an’s party heard that it was you and sent a simple alchemy formula book.”
"Recipe book for alchemy products?" Horn heard this and quickly asked, "Does the An party know about me?" Mao, a lot of citizens and armed peasants are trying to blackmail you. With such a big name, how come the Ruo'an Party doesn't know about you?"
Sissi got on her horse, turned to Horn and said. : "I guess Carrie also reported it when she returned to the Ruo'an Party... Are you really unwilling to join our White Mountain Hermitage?"
"The White Mountain Hermitage will allow me to reach the top level within five years. "Besides, the Ruo'an Party is the largest secret party in Black Snake Bay." Horn unabashedly rejected Sissi's proposal.
Sissi smacked her lips: "Okay."
"Seriously, are you really not willing to follow me to Chizuma Town? You know, in the next two or three years, Qianhe River Valley will be plunged into war."
"I have heard your vision many times , but I also have my companions." Sissi refused decisively, "I also have important things to do, but if you want to cooperate in the future, the Magadi Chamber of Commerce... Mr. Horn?"
Halfway through her words, Sissi discovered that Horn beside her was missing. She turned around and found that he had stopped the horse at some point and was looking towards the other side of the river.
"What's wrong with you?" Seeing Horn stop, Sissi grabbed the reins and turned a corner, coming to Horn's side.
“Look.” Horn pointed across the canal with his riding crop. Across the canal, a long procession of soldiers was entering the town from a distance, heading towards the castle, led by the Duke's courtiers.
The leader is about dozens to hundreds of extraordinary knights. The marks on his flag indicate his status and he wears consistent clothing.
On the family crest on their shields, you can also see the mark of [K] proving that they are vassals of the Kush family.
Based on the number estimation method he learned from Jeshka, Horn roughly calculated that there were about a hundred extraordinary knights and nearly a thousand infantry in this group.
Coupled with the original castle guards, watch tower defenders and rural militia at Fort Joan of Arc, the total number of troops in Fort Joan of Arc currently reaches about 2,000.
Coupled with the Duke of Kush's mysterious secret army of about 2,000 people, plus the teams of other small vassals, the total strength is about 6,000.
If you pay for mercenaries, you can increase the number of troops to about 10,000. According to Horn's estimation, that is the limit of Duke Kush.
In the extreme state, the Duke's current strength will not be able to sustain it for three or four months at most.
So the Duke will most likely build a defense line through various mountain fortresses and rivers.
"The war is really coming." Sissi sighed, but suddenly, he Stand up on horseback.
"What's wrong?"
"Sir, look at the house that was destroyed by fire, it seems to be Casti's home!"
Horn's eyes widened and he looked in that direction Looking: "It's true, let's go over and have a look."
After crossing the bridge and walking to the door, Horn almost didn't recognize the hut where Casti lived in front of him.
Only one floor of the original house is still crumbling. Among the dark ruins, the protruding wooden skeleton still bears dark red traces of burning.
An obituary was posted on the wall by the door, describing Casti's life story and name, and asking where Casti's family was.
Horn stepped into the small courtyard. The ground was covered with gravel and furniture, and the air with the smell of burning filled the small place.
A coffin stopped in the middle of the courtyard, and a priest was standing in front of the coffin, chanting religiously.
According to the teachings of the Messianic religion, the human soul must stay in the human world for seven days.
If you are tempted by the devil during this period, you are likely to fall into hell. If you invite a priest, it will not only protect your soul, but also speed up your ascension to heaven.
"Hello."
"Hello." Seeing Horn, a frequent visitor to the Duke's Castle, the notary immediately took off his hat and saluted.
"What happened to Casti? Do you know?"
"It is said that during the riot, some gangsters were taken advantage of and broke in. When Mr. Casti resisted, He was injured by the gangster and bled to death. "
"Aren't there guards at the door?" Horn still found it hard to believe that Casti lived in the core area, very close to the city hall.
"Isn't there a riot yesterday?" explained a neighbor. "The soldiers guarding the gate were all transferred to the castle to maintain order, which gave those bandits an opportunity."
"Yes, My house was also robbed. At that time, our family hid in the attic and took out the ladder to escape the robbery."
"The Duke was furious and was looking for the murderer in the whole Castle of Joan."
“This Castle of Joan of Arc is getting more and more chaotic.”
Listening to the nearby neighbors and the duke’s servants explaining and discussing, Horn shook his head helplessly.
Walking to Casti's coffin, Horn put down a flower and went out.
In this backward era, even living in a city does not mean safety.
Standing by the door, Horn looked at Du Vallon, who was covering his mouth and snickering, and asked: "Why are you laughing?"
"Mr. Custi's middle name is too weird. Why would someone call me by such a middle name?"
"Why are you laughing? My relatives and friends are here. Let's go."
(End of this chapter)