Count Carlos has a courtyard here, which is a temporary residence for the tax collectors when they come to collect their taxes. However, the courtyard was too small to accommodate so many people, so Chen Hansheng had to charter a nearby hostel for caravans.

Brown bread, bacon, and boiled beans, a large crowd huddles between cramped long tables and benches for a typical local lunch. Chen Hansheng approached the owner of the hostel and inquired about the local situation.

"My lord, it turns out that about fifty percent of the land around this place is the Count's land, and the other forty percent belongs to Baron O'Farrell, and Count Carlos is not the lord of the Baron. Lord Baron owes allegiance to Parsa Solanas, Duke of Greenwood to the south. Last year, however, the Earl made a deal with the Baron to sell all the land to Baron O'Farrell. This is something that everyone knows. ”

"It is clear that the king's ministers do not know. Chen Hansheng said.

It shows that the transaction was carried out privately, and Wang Du was not notified. "The most likely reason is that the Count doesn't want to be known about it." For example, this money is to be used to buy weapons, or to recruit troops. ”

"He's not afraid of being discovered?" Chen Hansheng asked.

"This kind of remote place has no time to take care of it, how can it be discovered. Even if it is discovered, it is enough to say that it was not reported in time. Kalanda explained.

"You know the twists and turns. It seems that your empire is no better off there. ”

"Aristocracy and nobility are carved out of the same mold. ”

"What kind of person is Baron O'Farrell?" Chen Hansheng asked the boss again. Seeing that the other party was hesitating, he took out a golden axe and pushed it to the boss, "Don't worry, your words won't get out of this room." ”

The boss was happy, this gold coin was worth two days' charter fee, he respectfully put away the golden axe, and then said to Chen Hansheng: "Lord Baron is over sixty years old, he is a member of the Solanas family in Green Forest City, and he is still the uncle of Duke Parsa. In the early years, he was just a knight, you know, the kind of knight who was all over the nobility and couldn't inherit the title. Later, he went to war with the Empire, and he belonged to the kind of fate, and not only came back alive, but also earned back the title of this baron. He's been living here for more than a decade, and the biggest house in town is his.

The baron was a very strict man, and he always said that the people on our side owe discipline, and they don't know how to follow the rules if they don't kill a few people. Whipping of villagers is a common occurrence. In addition, he never allowed to owe taxes, because he did not hang one or two people for this matter. The boss lowered his voice and said, "When the Count sold the land to the baron last year, he wanted to sell the serfs as well. But the mud-legged men refused to live or die, and knelt in the ground all night begging the one in charge. So they were all taken away by the steward. ”

"Is the tax heavy here?" asked Chen Hansheng.

"Of course it's heavy! At least half of the golden axe you gave me will belong to the baron. Door opening tax, room tax, employment tax, magic crystal tax, fire tax, mule and horse tax, and many other taxes in special cases. If I talk to you in detail, I can't finish talking about it at night. ”

"Wait, I don't understand, what is the door opening tax, what is the room tax?" Chen Hansheng wondered if he had heard it wrong.

"The opening tax is the opening tax for the opening of the store, according to the size of the gate, now my hostel will be levied six silver coins per month to open the tax, don't you notice that the door of the hostel is a little small?

Room tax, that is, how many rooms there are in the house, to pay several taxes, although each is five copper shields per month, not too much, but there are many rooms in the hostel.

Naturally, the employment tax is that I have to pay extra taxes for hiring helpers, but fortunately my son and daughter don't have to pay, and there is a saying among us who run hotels that you can make a lot of money by having more children.

The magic crystal tax means that the use of magic crystal lighting in the room will be taxed. The fire tax is levied on cooking or heating a room with a fire.

The mule and horse tax depends on how many mules and horses there are at home...... "The boss came one by one, which opened the eyes of Chen Hansheng and others.

"And that's not even counting the offerings to the temple of nature, and the eight days of monthly labor. ”

Chen Hansheng knew that the worship of the temple of nature was essentially the same thing as tithes on the earth, and he had to give one-tenth of his income to the temple. In this way, the income of the innkeeper has really been stripped of much.

"It's better for freedmen like me, for the serfs have to pay half of their harvest directly to the Baron, and then they have to pay all kinds of taxes. You know, the surrounding lords can confiscate that much. They receive up to forty percent of the looks. There is also work, the serfs have to do ten days of regular work for the barons a month, but where will the barons make it so easy for them, there are always all kinds of errands, and there are few times when they do not do fifteen days. ”

On such a day, it is not bad to describe it with deep water, there is potential to make trouble, Chen Hansheng secretly pondered, and he asked again: "What strength does the baron have, how many troops does he have, how many masters he has, do you know?"

"My lord, we little people don't know about this kind of thing. But the baron had five sons and two daughters. Last year, he had just celebrated his four sons with a feast to become mid-level warriors, and it is said that he had taught several of his sons the skills himself. Recently, it is said that he is preparing a feast to celebrate his beloved youngest daughter, who has officially become a magic apprentice in the Tower of the Red Lotus. ”

"Red Lotus Tower? What kind of magic tower is that, I haven't heard of it before. Glade interjected.

"I know that in the southern region of Montenegro, the two most famous magic towers are the Red Lotus Tower and the Thousand Thoughts Tower, and the closest to us is the Red Lotus Tower. They seem to be good at fire magic. ”

"Cut, elemental magic. Glade pouted, in his opinion, elemental magic was too far from the rules involved in the Seven Towers.

"We can't underestimate these people, although the baron is a small nobleman, but you see, a few casual questions have already involved inextricable relationships. Chen Hansheng said, and he asked the boss again: "Then what are his remaining sons and daughters doing?"

"All I know is that the baron's second and third sons are not around, and I heard that they seem to be in some army. The eldest daughter was already married, to Baron Suarez to the east. The innkeeper said.

Chen Hansheng asked some more questions before sending the boss away. He said to his companions: "The situation here is much more complicated than we thought before we came, and we need to discuss how to proceed." ”