With authority, Sean could do nothing but build an army on paper.

It will take two months to get the security tax in place at the earliest, and although the Estates-General clarified the scope and standard of collection, it is not an easy task to collect the tax, and it depends on the means of the governor.

Of course, at this time, Sean's previous military experience came into play, and on the night he stayed at Whale Castle, he wrote a sincere letter to Colonel Horns in the Northern Provinces, asking him to introduce him to some retired officers, and Genoa was willing to hire them with a high salary.

Staying only one night at Whale Castle, Sean left early the next morning, and he didn't say goodbye to Viscount Brandon, because Lord Viscount slept late last night studying the art of war, and he hadn't gotten up yet.

According to the eldest son of the Viscount, he used to practice swordsmanship and horsemanship at this time.

Instead of returning to Vichy, Sean headed for Bern, and halfway down the road, Edward Davies greeted him with his brother Daniel.

After the old baron fell ill, it was not easy for Edward to support the family business alone, so he thought of setting up a textile factory, a modern factory-based textile factory powered by a steam engine.

This was one of the special cases that Sean had seen in the South that touched him deeply, and it was why he was able to "deignate" himself to come to Bern.

Southerners see the roaring machines as monsters.

Edward was twenty-three years old, tall among shorter Southerners, with a slightly darker face and a healthy complexion that was constantly on the go.

It is said that the old baron once used his eldest son to look for several girls, but they were politely rejected because the family was too poor. Of course, the old baron would not let his eldest son marry the daughter of a commoner.

"Good afternoon, Lord Viscount!"

Edward saw Sean's carriage approaching and hurriedly greeted him.

"Hello, Edward. Sean got out of the carriage and pointed to the young man behind Edward, "Is this your brother, he seems to be a little different in age from you." ”

"This is my brother Daniel, and above him, I have a younger sister. Edward explained, motioning for his brother to step forward, "This is Viscount Connelly. ”

"I know, you are a Hero of the Empire!Recipient of the Order of the Great Dragon!Can you tell me about your deeds on the battlefield?"

15-year-old Daniel is clearly more interested in Sean's other title.

It has to be said that this status brings Sean many advantages - especially when talking to others about the logical relationship between paying taxes and patriotism.

"Haha, we'll talk about that later, Daniel, and you're welcome to my rose garden. Sean laughed.

Edward knew that his brother had always had a great desire for the military, and Shaun's deeds inspired him. It is true that his family's financial situation is not good, and the second son joining the army is also a way out, but now is really not a good time to join the army.

Bernier is a small city, it is located in the middle of Genoa, is the main road of east-west-north-south transportation, transit trade is relatively developed.

The Davis family had been living in a village on the western outskirts of Bernier, where the family owned a modest estate and maintained the only dignity of an aristocracy.

"Allow me to meet the Baron. Sean took the initiative to mention. Edward's face was pale, probably because he had been sick in bed for many years, and the smell was not very good:

"If there is anything that is not safe, please understand. ”

Sure enough, as Edward said, although the baron's bedroom was clean, a foul smell lingered.

The old baron's symptom was that he had a stroke, he lived on liquid food, and he was quite conscious, but he couldn't speak or move his limbs.

"Father, this is Viscount Connelly. ”

The old baron blinked, but his eyes were a little confused, probably wondering where this young Viscount Connelly came from, isn't Viscount Connelly an old playboy?

Sean turned around and took a porcelain jar of tea from Nelson:

"It's a drink, you can make a cup of boiling water every day, wait for it to the baron, and a pinch of tea leaves can be brewed up to two times, maybe it will relieve the symptoms of a stroke. In addition, all the utensils and utensils used by the baron were disinfected, that is, boiled, and the bedroom was ventilated to avoid the growth of germs. When the weather is nice, it should be carried out to bask in the sun. ”

Sean didn't dare to say that tea could cure diseases, and it was such a serious illness waiting for death.

Edward didn't expect the drink to have any effect, but he was touched by Sean's kindness - Sean never came to visit empty-handed, he just followed the habits of his previous life - so it became one of the topics he was talked about.

Of course, as the inventor of the Kang's disinfection method, Sean's words, Edward did not dare not listen.

After meeting the Baron, Sean visited his workshop under the guidance of Edward, and there were twenty rickshaws here, which were the kind of pedal spinning wheels, which were already the most advanced spinning wheels in the south.

The scale is not large, although it can make money, but it can only be said to be hard money.

Sean had seen large textile mills powered by steam engines in the north, with hundreds of spinning wheels working day and night, and the cost and efficiency of scale were far from comparable to those of the small workshops that were mainly based on manpower.

"I've also seen large textile factories in Gyeonggi, and even worked in a factory under a pseudonym. Edward's eyes lit up when he mentioned the factories, and he was very longing, "The factory of my dreams is all powered by a steam engine, which can be continuously powered and tireless, so that I don't need so many female workers, and I don't need to work hard to manage them." ”

"Two women are equal to two big white geese, although a little annoying, but they are still relatively good-looking, but when a group of women are together, it is a flock of ducks. Sean made up for it, "Edward, you can't spread this, or I'll become a public enemy of women." ”

"I'm keeping it a secret absolutely. Edward laughed.

"You know exactly what I'm here for. Sean said.

"Of course, Your Excellency!" said Edward, solemnly.

"Actually, I wanted to start an industry for a long time, and the textile industry is a good industry compared to the steel and coal industries, which have huge investments, especially in our south. We are rich in silk here, but it still maintains the form of 800 years ago, hand-woven by family. Silk is a bestseller, but in the north there are more products from the Great Xia Kingdom, do you know why?"

"Daxia is the origin of silk, and it naturally has advantages. "Of course, they are only slightly more expensive, and once the market is stabilized, it will be difficult to break." ”

"You're right, I think it's a brand advantage, like cigars, I only like the Duff brand, even if some people think it's better. Sean said.

"So I think that only scale can defeat the Bolai products of the Great Xia Kingdom, because this can reduce costs, make merchants profitable, and also work on dyes, including patterns. Edward clearly had some research on this.

"How much investment do you need?" asked Sean directly.

"About twenty thousand louis. Edward said, "I can let you take the lion's share." ”

In fact, he can't contribute much money, and it is impossible for him to be a white wolf with empty gloves, not to mention investment risks.

Sean smiled: "I think this factory should be located in the town of Vichy, the main reasons are as follows: first, there is a new port there, and in the future the finished products can be shipped directly to the north, and the machines you want can also be transported there directly, without the fatigue of travel;

secondly, there I can get you cheap land and set up a factory;

Thirdly, there are still many people there who need to support their families, and I can't support them forever, which is a good labor force;

Fourth, and most importantly, I can be independent of the tax revenue there, which is equivalent to a free port for trade. There is no market tax, the municipality only charges 1/2 of the transaction tax, which was decided at the Estates-General, and you voted. ”

Edward was in high spirits and said:

"Actually, I thought of the fourth, but not the first. Lord Viscount, you make it difficult for me to refuse. ”

"The investment of 20,000 gold louis, I can bear it all, I can give you 20% of the shares, and I don't own all of the remaining 80% of the shares, I will take out some of them and send them out, such as the Vichy villagers who sold the land, such as the workers who maintain the machines, these skilled workers you can only go to the north to find, and I even look for you for the technical director. ”

"I'm afraid I'm not worth the 20%. Edward couldn't believe it, and was a little uneasy. His performance made Sean think he was right.

"Because based on the four points I have listed above, as long as this factory can be opened, it will be profitable. Why do I dare to give you 20%? I always think that the money spent is really theirs, and you don't expect me to run a factory, you are making money for me. "If you don't have an opinion, we can get a lawyer to sign a letter of intent now." ”

In fact, it wasn't that Sean was too generous, it was just a matter of money, and it had a demonstrative effect, because he had a huge plan to turn Vichy into a free trade zone.

Build a nest to attract phoenixes.

At the Estates-General, Sean was stimulated to the fact that the landlords from the countryside, although not as high as him, were all richer than him.

Edward was thrilled to reach his intentions, he didn't take the possible risks into account, and he had a kind of adventurous spirit rarely seen in the South.

Because Edward has nothing to look up to Sean, and if he doesn't work hard to earn money, he may even lose his title, and he doesn't want to bow to those usurers.

Sean's offer was too tempting, and if it were someone else, he would think twice that Sean had some terrible conspiracy.

If the same thing had been left to the north, without Sean's propaganda, countless factory owners or merchants would have rushed to Vichy with checks.

Therefore, Sean also loves this era very much, and even taxes can be autonomous, just like a country within a country.

Privilege is something that fascinates you, and once you fall in love with her, you won't give it up easily.