Chapter 144 Boundary Stakes and New Policies
The people of the former Barony of Neumann have recently experienced dramatic changes.
First of all, over the years, the unclear boundaries and confusing names of this land due to historical issues have been improved.
——The so-called historical legacy refers to the fact that Baron Neumann’s ancestors, in addition to military merits and rewards, also relied on open and covert fighting, invasion and expansion to encroach on a lot of land.
Due to the dishonorable means used, these lands were never renamed, nor were they recorded in any official documents, and the lords never appeared in public, except at annual tax time, when the kingdom's knights would escort the tax collectors.
Of course, in the eyes of the simple people, the fewer officials there are, the better. Their appearance is always accompanied by all kinds of bad things: military service, war, taxes...
Take the village of Garnier, for example. It lies on the border of the territories of Baron Neumann and Baron Sman. The two barons have been arguing over the ownership of this village since their ancestors. Both barons have the village on their maps, but on Baron Neumann's side, it's marked as Garnier, while on Baron Sman's, it's marked as Canner.
People like Rose Ho Puslat, who have lived in the village of Garnier for generations, are unlucky. For a long time, they have to pay taxes twice for no apparent reason: as soon as the tax collector of Mr. Neumann leaves, the tax collector of Mr. Sman next door comes.
The tax registration forms held by the two sides had different names for the same village. At first, the villagers tried hard to argue that they had already paid the taxes, but after paying the price of some blood, they had no choice but to compromise and honestly hand over the second payment.
Even if the tax officials from both sides meet, there will be no conflict. They may even gather together for a drink and a meal, and then collect their own taxes.
Such double labor made the villagers here miserable, and most of the residents abandoned their land and homes, fled with all their property, and became bandits.
However, not everyone has the courage to leave their homeland. Although household registration in the Middle Ages was quite sloppy, due to the poor roads and limited human strength, if a family did not have livestock and carried luggage, they would not be discovered by villagers in nearby villages and towns before they could go far.
In this era, with fewer people and less entertainment, the average person's range of activity was limited to a few nearby towns and villages. Everyone knew each other, and the slightest sign of trouble spread like wildfire throughout the territory. This was especially true for cases like "family relocation to evade taxes," where the tax collector and his knights would often pursue the person before they even set foot outside the territory.
There weren't many options for escaping Garnier Village. The best option was to flee overnight to the nearby Witch's Forest for refuge. Once there, if you could find shelter within the village, the knights would stop pursuing you. However, if you were put on the wanted list, you would be permanently barred from leaving the Witch's Forest. If you took a single step outside, you would lose your protection and be arrested.
The worse option was to flee to the nearby mountains and forests and become a bandit, joining the ranks of the bloodthirsty villains. This was generally unattainable for ordinary people, except for hunters, blacksmiths, and butchers with some real fighting skills. However, these people often had skills and could easily earn enough to pay taxes, so they had no reason to abandon the good life of a freeman and degenerate into shady banditry.
Of course, if you have some ability, such as passing the magician exam or making a name for yourself in a big city, you can also use your financial resources to relocate your family. This is the most legitimate and most difficult way - if your family members really have this ability, the villagers will have no worries about not being able to pay taxes!
So, over the years, those who had some ability found their way out of the village, and the only ones left were ordinary people who could not leave or escape, and who were not even recognized as gangsters. They guarded the one and a half acres of land they rented, worked diligently every day, and used the harvest to pay taxes and rents, in addition to providing food and clothing for themselves and their families.
Life is bad, but it is not impossible to live after all. If you endure the hardships, you will live your life.
But recently, something has been different.
A group of knights from the kingdom came to the village, saying that they were ordered by the king to "survey the boundaries of the land." Boundary stakes were driven into the land outside the village bordering Lord Sman. There was a clear vertical line in the center of the boundary stake, and on both sides of the vertical line there was a column of text, which read [Wilshire County - Garnier Village - Viscount Andre's Territory] towards them.
The leading knight held up a scroll and announced loudly, "Baron Neumann is dead. From today on, Garnier Village belongs to Viscount André Lu Huntington! This place has become part of the new Wilshire County!"
He turned to the villagers of Garnier and said, "You no longer have to pay taxes to Baron Sman."
The villagers looked at the knight team belonging to Baron Sman on the other side of the boundary post with half awe and half horror. They saw the leading knight snorted coldly, turned his horse's head, and walked away with his troops in a mighty manner.
The villagers exhaled slowly, and their eyes turned towards the boundary stakes and the knight who issued the decree with complete reverence.
"From now on, two knights from the Kingdom will be stationed in Garnier Village year-round, responsible for village security and border security. Villagers' household registration and leased land will need to be re-registered and confirmed. Those who complete the registration will receive a 50% reduction in taxes for the current year." The knight who issued the decree swept his gaze over the villagers in front of him. "In addition, villagers who obtain new household registration will receive free magical training."
"Free magic education!" The villagers gasped.
"Yes, those who have obtained household registration issued by Lord Andre can take a free test for magical talent. If they pass the test, they can go to Eston West City to study magic for free! Tuition and travel expenses are free, and there are also subsidies for food and accommodation! If you don't want to study magic, you can stay in the village and rent more land at a cheaper rent."
"Wow!" The villagers took a deep breath again. This benefit is too good!
They were skeptical, but when they saw the knights set up boundary stakes and then camped in the village; the new household registration officer went from house to house to register and measure the land, and also conducted magic tests on them... every item was just as the herald had said.
After one night, Rose noticed that the empty houses in the village that had been uninhabited for a long time welcomed back their original owners. Those who had fled the village and wandered outside for many years pretended that they had never left and went to register their household registration.
Rose blinked and chose to remain silent.
The new lord kept his word. Those with magical talent were gathered together and voluntarily embarked on a journey to the western city of Eston to study for free. The remaining villagers rented more land with lower rents, and their taxes were reduced by more than half, and their faces were filled with smiles.
The days seem to be getting better little by little.
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