March 26, 1216 in the imperial calendar, in the early spring.

Pety, who had returned from a hunt in the town of Gesen, was walking to the town of Mogg at the crossroads a few hundred miles south of Crewe, and Cowlil, who was with the army, suddenly said, "My lord, do you want to go to the Kumar Fortress to have a look?"

Hearing this, Pedi glanced to the east, and the town of Mog was less than two hundred miles away from the Kumar fortress, and if he rode at full speed, it would take two to three days to make a round trip.

Cadier's words made Pedi very excited, since his sister Phyllis left, he was the only one left in the cold castle, and the boring life of the lord made him miss his mother in Kumar Fortress very much.

But Pedi couldn't go, he sat in the saddle and was silent for a while and asked, "What is the coronation of Prince Sinda?"

Collier smiled and approached on horseback, deliberately revealing the inferior cigar in his hand to prove his integrity, "Today, my lord." With a humble face, he lowered his head and looked up at Pedi's side, "You've already asked that question. ”

"The rebels of Fort Iruk will also be declared a state today, called the Grand Duchy of Suluk. "Fipert Bob and Cove Rambo formed the House of Representatives, a system of government similar to the Elven Kingdom, with Fipert Bob as the first president of the House. ”

"Yes. Pedi nodded, he had already been told about these things.

Lately, Pedi has been idle, and when he is free, he thinks crankily, sometimes even wondering if the empire has really dissolved as the aristocracy has rumored.

After all, the vast Locke Empire is now all that remains of the Suke Plains.

"Do you say Prince Sindar has the power to drive out orcs and elves?" said Pedi, who suddenly asked a strange question.

"Ahem"

Cowlier choked on a puff of cigarette,

He was taken aback by Pedi's question, and Knight Ciala had an inexplicable glint in his eyes.

"There is a chance, but it will take at least ten years. The knightess replied, "but only if there is no more unrest on the plains of Suk for ten years." She looked at Pedi's side face and said in a smaller voice, "The most important thing is... He needs your unconditional support. ”

"He didn't have any chances. Collier threw away the cigar in his hand, "In the attack and defense of Fort Eluk, Prince Sinda did not show even a little bit of the wisdom and mind that a prince should have. He spread his hands and said with regret on his face: "The emperor's throne can change anyone, and Prince Sinda's mind and wisdom before are completely covered by the crown on his head. The old mage said this and came closer to Pedi and said in a very small voice, "But if it is you, there may be a chance." ”

"What kind of chance?" said Pedy, leaning into the saddle, resting his aching thighs as he tilted his head sideways at the old mage.

"A chance to become an emperor. Collier was quiet, but spoke with a strong voice.

"Haha!" Pedi laughed, causing the guards around him to look sideways.

After laughing for a while, he looked at the armored Knight of Syra beside him and said, "My knight, remember what Lord Collier said just now. ”

Knight Sila was stunned, and Collier was also a little stunned.

The female knight was stunned because of Pedy's 'my knight', and Collier was stunned because of Pedi's reaction.

"Drive!"

Pedi ignored the two of them, and he rode his horse quickly.

The surrounding pro-soldier knights quickly followed.

For a moment, the horses galloped and the battle flags danced on the official road, and the townspeople of Mogg Town on the roadside stopped to take off their hats and salute when they saw the giant bear battle flag.

The old mage and the female knight looked at each other and reacted one after another.

Cowlier's old cloudy eyes suddenly brightened, and he asked Knight Syra beside him, "What do you mean by this, Lord Pedi?"

The knight shook her head, her eyes staring ahead,

Ahead, the mayor of Mogg and the local nobles greeted him.

The mayor of Mogue is named Parma Nago and is an old man over fifty years old. The Nago family, which he belongs to, is the extended family of the Crewe Realm, with large territories in the towns of Mogue and Gesen.

"It looks like our lunch is going to be hearty. Pedi quipped to the surrounding knights.

"Haha," he quipped, drawing cheers from the young knights.

...

Lunch was indeed very rich, with excellent roast beef accompanied by a refreshing sweet plum and an authentic highland ale in Twak. Moreover, no one spoke loudly to disturb Pedi during the meal.

It was evident that Sir Parma had studied Pedi's preferences.

More than ten minutes later,

When only half of the wine was left in the tall glass of ale on Pedy's table, Pedi put down his knife and fork.

"I've heard that the people of Morgue have to drink for three meals?" asked Pedy abruptly.

Sir Parma also put down his knife and fork, and after two seconds of silence, said, "Some nobles of Crewe must say that old Parma was drunk every day, and even drew a circle when he corrected and signed official documents. ”

"Haha"

His words caused the knights who followed Pedi to burst into laughter, but the nobles of Mogg Town did not.

"Do you believe these words?" asked the old sir.

Pedi twitched his nose and sniffed the wine, saying, "Most of the announcements on the bulletin boards outside town have a circle drawn underneath them, not your signature. As he spoke, he took the towel soaked in water handed over by the girl next to him, and waited for the other party's question while wiping the oil stains on his hands.

"That's because most of the townspeople can't read. The old clerk of the town spoke in a strong voice and suppressed laughter, "Your Excellency, you don't know the low-level bureaucrats..."

"Watch your words, Registrar de Bra, every piece of land in Crewe is under the control of Baron Pedi. Collier immediately straightened up and pointed at the clerk angrily, "You're facing Baron Pedy Reagan now, the ruler of the entire Rook Territory, you'd better smooth out your tongue before you speak." ”

"Haha!" Pedi laughed, he looked at the old mage and said, "Put away your little cleverness, and let the old clerk finish speaking." ”

"I'm so sorry, Master Pedy. Debra quickly stood up, took off his hat and saluted, revealing his gray hair, and Sir Parma, who was sitting next to him, stood up and bowed at the same time.

Pedi leaned back in his chair and let the girl knead his thighs, which were sore from horseback riding. He looked at the two old men carefully for a few seconds, then half-squinted and said, "You go on, Your Excellency. ”

"Your Excellency. The old clerk pressed his head even lower, "There are no less than 100 large and small villages under Mog Town, with 5,232 registered residents, plus the townspeople in the town, there are nearly 200,000 residents in the entire Mog Town. There was a kind of tiredness in the old man's tone: "And the total number of officials in our town government plus the low-level miscellaneous servants is less than fifty, and these fifty people need to manage 200,000 people!"

As he said this, he suddenly knelt on the ground and prostrate, "My lord, you may not know that after the annual tax collection of 30% of Kawalburg is released, it will immediately become 50%, or even 70% when it reaches ordinary villages and towns!" He suddenly raised his head and looked at Pedi, "Seventy percent of the tax, Lord Pedi... Do you know why bandits are rampant the farther away from the city? It's because the farther away from the city, the heavier the taxes are levied, and the villagers who can't survive can only become roadblockers. ”

The more the old man spoke, the more agitated he became, and in the end it was almost Sistic who roared.

Pedi repelled the girl who pinched his leg, and the young knights around him fell silent.

The old clerk continued, "When Sir Parma came to Mogg ten years ago, Mogg was no different from any other regional town, but now, ten years later, I dare say that most parts of Morg have not been overcharged for a long time. ”

Pei Di sat up straight and said, "You mean, that little circle is the code code between the town government of Mog Town and the local village?" he asked himself: "Only if the code is correct, the villagers will recognize the paperwork order, and if it is not against the local residents, they can refuse to carry out the paperwork order." ”

"Your wisdom is incomparable, that's what it means. The clerk bowed his head again.

At this time, Sir Parma also knelt on the ground.

"Lift them both up. Pedi waved at the young knights.

The two knights closest to Pedi immediately got up and walked over to the two old men, helping them to stand up and sit down.

"Sir Parma, I have come to ask you. Pedy stared at the old sir, "Do you think the new tax items of the Kaval Fort for merchants, nobles, rich farmers, etc., are reasonable or unreasonable?"

Because, in the past month, the town of Mogg has been perfectly able to collect all the new taxes, while the other towns, like the Central Empire, have been thwarted by the local nobles and wealthy merchants.

"Your Excellency, you need to look at this issue separately. "For the nobles, especially the great nobles with large and wealthy territories, all the new taxes are undoubtedly sucking their blood, and—" At this point, his eyes flickered slightly and he paused for a few seconds before continuing: "And the nobles will collect all the taxes you have collected from their people without a single copper left." ”

He took a deep breath, "In other words, these taxes of yours are undoubtedly increasing the burden on the people of Crewe. ”

"None of the new tax items are about territorial taxes!" Pei Di's heart sank, he just thought that there would be nobles who would do this, so he didn't bother with the tax issues of the autonomous territories.

"My lord, Kru is no better than the imperial capital. Sir Parma shook his head, "Except for a few merchants in the Crewe Territory, almost all of them trade with their own territories behind their backs, and if you increase their business tax items, it will naturally be equivalent to increasing the territory tax items in their hearts." ”

The old knight's words reminded Peddy of his own family, and the Reagan family relied on the inexhaustible resources received by Crewe and the trade of the entire continent in exchange for endless wealth. Thinking of this, Pei Di's face was a little ugly, and he asked in an impatient tone, "So, you think all the new tax items are wrong?"

Sir Parma and Pedi looked at each other and said bluntly, "Yes, if there is no correct way of guiding, it may even cause turmoil in the entire territory in the long run!"