Chapter 63: Planning at the beginning of the year (Please read! Please recommend!)

Chapter 63: Planning at the beginning of the year

Bruno naturally noticed the strange expressions on the faces of everyone present.

but……

Just wait to be slapped in the face!

Potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes are all high-yield crops. Coupled with the addition of fertilizers, four thousand gold coins is considered an understatement!

Bruno looked at Old Ford and said, "Let me briefly tell you about the results of the census."

Old Ford nodded and said, "The current total population of Idar Territory is about 11,300, more than half of whom are serfs. According to the census statistics, the total number of civilians in Idar Territory is only 4,563, which is far less than the number of serfs in Idar."

"Currently, in order to open up the road connecting Mann Fortress and Idar City as soon as possible and complete the construction of Namur Fortress, Idar Territory has mobilized more than 2,000 serfs and civilians, accounting for one-fifth of the total population of Idar Territory."

"Why are there so many?" asked L'Hôpital in surprise.

"In addition to the workers directly involved in the construction, we also recruited a large number of people to transport food, supplies and construction materials," explained White Barrell.

"This reflects the most serious problem facing Idar Territory right now, which is that the population is simply too small!" Bruno concluded, "Therefore, we need to do everything we can to increase Idar Territory's population this year."

"You can buy serfs! There are slave traders almost everywhere in the western part of the empire!" suggested Arnell Blood from the western part of the empire.

"One serf costs at least six or seven gold coins. If we buy serfs to gather the staff needed by Idar County, even if we spend all of Idar County's annual income on them, it still won't be enough! Are you going to pay me?" Bruno said with a dark face.

"Actually, sir, the manpower needed by Idar County may not be that exaggerated. After the construction of Namur Fortress is completed, won't the serfs be free?" said Old Ford.

"That's what I was going to say. Starting this year, Lord Idar must set aside a budget every year sufficient to build a large-scale project!" Bruno said with a smile.

"each year?"

Hearing Bruno's words, everyone present suddenly widened their eyes.

No way? More? First it was the Hanging Gardens, then the Namur Fortress, but now, the Earl actually said that he would set aside a budget for such a project every year...

Is this a joke? "Master..."

Old Ford was so excited that he almost cried...

"Okay, okay. I just asked you to set aside enough budget. It's not necessarily built every year. Why are you in such a hurry..." Bruno had to comfort him.

After all, Bruno didn't know what kind of tasks the wonder construction system would give him, so it would be safer to set aside enough manpower and budget in advance.

Besides, after the construction of Namur Fortress is completed, there will be an Alhambra Palace waiting for us! "So... we should take a long-term view and not just focus on serfs when we need manpower... For example, we can try to attract some civilians to settle in Idar." Bruno suggested.

"But... Master, you know that the eastern part of the empire is almost synonymous with poverty. Even if we want civilians to settle in Idar, why would they travel across mountains and rivers to come here?"

"Barren? Desolate? Who do you think put these labels on people?"

"Wha…what?"

"For the nobles, the mild and rainy western part of the empire is naturally rich, because most of the empire's major cities are concentrated in the central and western parts. But, what do you think this has to do with the common people?"

Bruno then asked, "Sam Layton, you were the one who escorted the thugs to Bethlehem. What do you think of the lives of the civilians in the interior? Compared with Idar Territory?"

"It's not much different. Some people even live worse than Idar..."

"This is inevitable. Even I know that the practice of forcibly detaining civilians as serfs is extremely rampant in the western part of the empire. How can civilians live a good life!" Bruno laughed.

"But what about Idar County? In Idar County, a quarter of salt costs only two silver shillings, but in the central and western parts, a quarter of salt costs three to four silver shillings. Here, civilians and serfs earn enough to support their families by building hanging gardens, and sometimes they can even buy some sea fish for a snack!"

"The reason why the serfs gathered in the central and western parts of the empire is simply because it is the foundation of the Norman Empire and was developed much earlier than the eastern part of the empire. As for the civilians there..."

"I'm afraid they can't even tell the difference between east, west, south and north. Maybe they have never left their own noble territory in their entire lives!"

"In that case... then we will bring them out and let them know that it is easier to make a living in the eastern part of the empire than in the western part... What do you think of this condition: every civilian who comes to Idar can get enough land to support his family?"

As a border noble, the territory owned by Idar Lord is much larger than that of the nobles gathered in the Midwest, so Idar Lord still has a large amount of uncultivated land.

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"But those are all your lands!" Old Ford said quickly, "Do you really want to give them to the civilians for free?"

"No one has been cultivating those lands anyway, so we might as well use them to attract refugees. Besides, propaganda is propaganda, and every inch of land in Idar Territory belongs to me anyway. We will just let them use it for free. When those civilians bring their families and cross most of the Norman Empire to Idar Territory, can they go through so much hardship and walk back again?"

"Your Excellency is wise! But... according to your idea, how should we 'bring' these civilians here?"

"Send out all the spies originally used to spy on Soran Territory. Let them take money and go to taverns and slums across the empire to find those idle bards. In short, let the lowest-class civilians know that it is easier to make a living in the east of the empire than in the west."

"But will they believe it?" asked old Ford doubtfully.

"Of course, most people wouldn't take risks just because of a few baseless words, but for those civilians who have nowhere else to go, it shouldn't be difficult to choose between going to the eastern part of the empire to seek hope or selling themselves to the nobles and having their descendants become slaves forever, right?"

"Master is such a wise man!" At this moment, Shabi, who had been silent, suddenly popped up and flattered with a smile.

…

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