Hearing this, Renard suddenly had some doubts: "Fort Duncan now has a population of more than 400,000 people, what do you use to support nearly 30,000 troops?"

You must know that from ancient times to the present, military strength has always been linked to productivity.

In the past, Fort Duncan felt that it was difficult to support more than 3,000 troops with a population of 200,000, what courage made Duke Edmund support an army of 30,000 with a population of 400,000?

Although the barren land was fertile and produced a lot of food, it was impossible to feed one soldier with ten people.

More than 400,000 dukes snorted contemptuously: "That's the old calendar." ”

"The total population of Fort Duncan now exceeds 700,000, and I am afraid it will not be long before it reaches 800,000 or even 900,000. ”

What? Lei Ye was immediately blindfolded!

His eyes widened and he asked, "You're not mistaken, are you?"

When Duke Edmund saw that he didn't believe him, he was eager to show him the census data: "Is there any benefit for me to lie to you?"

Renard shook his head: "I remember that the total population of the Barren Land is less than 600,000, and nearly 100,000 people died after the outbreak of the demonic plague, how can the population continue to rise, even if it is too late in life." ”

Duke Edmund became even more proud when he heard this: "Don't believe it, the facts are the facts." ”

When Lei Ye saw him selling a lawsuit, he immediately showed a flattering smile: "Tell me how you did it." ”

Today's Southern Wilderness County is not much better than the barren land, the original population was nearly two million, but after the outbreak of the demonic plague, it plummeted to one and a half million, a full loss of nearly a quarter of the labor force.

Originally, Nanhuang County was vast and sparsely populated, but now it has suffered such a big loss, and its productivity is directly and seriously insufficient.

Although many refugees came from the north of the kingdom later, they were still unable to fill the hole.

If Duke Edmund can get the population, then he can also get some light.

Seeing that Lei Ye's attitude was so flattering, Duke Edmund couldn't bear to hang his appetite anymore: "Actually, it's very simple, now that many countries have broken out of demonic disasters, and even some countries have been wiped out, what should the residents there do?"

Renard replied very cooperatively: "Naturally, it is an escape. ”

After speaking, his eyes suddenly lit up: "You mean refugees?"

Duke Edmund nodded: "Because the land route is very dangerous, there are many refugees fleeing by sea now, and I also found this by accident."

thing. ”

He smiled strangely: "At the beginning of this year, I went to inspect the navy and stumbled upon four ships parked in the harbor, which is a normal thing, after all, although my two ports are small, they can also provide a rest for passing ships. ”

"But strangely, these ships are cargo ships, but they are not carrying cargo, but thousands of yellow-skinned people. ”

Duke Edmund poured himself a cup of tea: "I thought these people were slave traders, so I ordered them to be arrested, and after interrogation, I found out that these were all refugees from the Kingdom of Lindbergh. ”

The Kingdom of Lindbergh?

Reynard recalled that the country was located in the southern part of the Duchy of Oslo, next to the Kingdom of Helsinki and not far from the Kingdom of Arthur.

Duke Edmund continued: "The captains of these ships were originally engaged in maritime trade, but they were approached and offered to hire their ships for ten silver coins each, and to go to the Empire of Constantinople. ”

When Lei Ye heard this, he couldn't help but sneer: "Ten silver coins want to go from the Lindbergh Kingdom to Constantinople?

Duke Edmund smiled and did not deny it: "The captains of these ships also think the same, but the interests are moving, they want to transport these people to the port of no end first, and then bargain with them, and disembark directly without paying." ”

Speaking of this, he looked proud: "It turned out that I ran into it first." ”

Renard asked, "How did you solve this problem, and detain these people?"

Duke Edmund lit a cigarette: "Of course, the reason why the barren land is barren is not because the land is barren, but because the population is too sparse, and the land of 50,000 square kilometers has less than 600,000 people, and no matter how much it develops, it can't be developed." ”

He took a puff of cigarette: "How can I let go of the fat that came to my mouth and just keep them." ”

Renard was speechless: "Can they be willing?"

Duke Edmund glanced at Lei Ye: "I don't care if they want to or not, they have the ability to swim to Constantinople." ”

Lei Ye only now understands what it means to meet a soldier in Xiucai, and he can't explain it clearly: "Didn't you think that the population was a burden before?"

Duke Edmund extinguished the smoke: "That was before, last year's harvest was good, if the devil doesn't come this year, I can still save a lot of food, and it doesn't hurt to feed hundreds of thousands more." ”

"I told the captains that they would bring someone to me, the fare

They can take it and bring it to me, and give them ten coins for each head. ”

Lei Ye was dumbfounded: "What's the difference between this and the slave trade?"

Duke Edmund immediately disliked it: "What is the slave trade, this is called population migration. ”

This term was invented by Lei Ye, and it is quite appropriate to use it here.

Duke Edmund lit the table: "Besides, I gave them land, built them houses, gave them seeds and rations and farming tools, and protected them from demons, have you ever seen such a merciful slave owner?"

Lei Ye didn't bother to dwell on this, and asked again: "Those captains agreed?"

Duke Edmund asked rhetorically, "Why don't you agree?"

Then he began to analyze: "It takes a maximum of twenty days to get here by sea from the Lindbergh Kingdom, and their round trip is forty days, counting the twenty days of soliciting, you can earn a full fifty or sixty gold coins in two months, where to find such a good thing." ”

He smirked: "Now there are more and more people doing this work, and there are seven or eight ships going back and forth every week, and the number of people transported every month is as high as eight or nine thousand. ”

Hearing the number eight or nine thousand, Renard showed a thoughtful expression.

Duke Edmund looked complacent: "I couldn't afford to raise so many troops before, and there is a very important reason, do you know what it is?"

Renard accosted, "What is the reason?"

"Nature is a land issue. Duke Edmund took a sip of tea: "My grandfather, as far as your great-grandfather, he divided the house. ”

He smiled bitterly: "It's just that his children and grandchildren can be divided, and he has to give it to his relatives and friends, and even the people who flattered him in the early years have also been given land." ”

"Today you divide a little, tomorrow he will divide a little, just like that, the land is divided, there is no land to plant, no taxes to collect, what do I take to raise soldiers." ”

Duke Edmund sighed abruptly: "Don't look at Fort Duncan, which covers the most extensive area, covering 4,000 square kilometers, in fact, most of the land near the sea is saline-alkali land, and there is no way to grow crops at all. ”

"There are 200,000 people living on 4,000 square kilometers of land, and excluding the land that cannot be cultivated, the per capita land is only a few acres. ”

He smiled bitterly: "Everyone thinks I'm greedy and collect taxes from nearby lords every year, but in fact, I have to rely on the relief of the surrounding lords and offshore fishing to maintain the normal operation of the territory, otherwise how will these 200,000 people live?"