Wren fell into deep thought after letting the four of them sit down, and there was silence in the living room, and a pin drop could be heard. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 info The four imperial bureaucrats who have known each other for a long time, you look at me, I look at you, they don't dare to come out, while guessing Wren's thoughts, they are careful not to let themselves become a wedge in the future.

It took ten minutes for Wren to come back from his deep thoughts. He smiled apologetically, then turned to look at the fattest tax officer, Richard, "You all know, I'm only here in this city, and to be honest, I'm not as old as any of you, and I'm still a novice in how to manage a city. I don't know how to do this better, but at least I know that before I do it, I should figure out what kind of city this city is."

"Richard, my friend, can you tell me about the city's taxes last year and this year?", Ortrenburg is not yet Wren's fiefdom, he can't be the master of this land, so his income is also linked to taxes, the more taxes he gets, the more benefits he gets, after all, the empire will not be so stingy as not to let those city lords who are in charge of the grassroots side eat enough. In a way, these city leaders who were not encircled by the nobility in their pockets should be regarded as employees of the royal family.

Therefore, seeking certain benefits from taxes has also become an unspoken unspoken rule, which is tacitly accepted by the royal family.

Richard changed a handkerchief to wipe the fine beads of sweat on his face, his breathing was very heavy, his fat body brought a great burden to his body, his small eyes rolled, and a smile narrowed into a slit, "As you wish, Your Excellency." You may be a little angry or frustrated when you hear what follows, but I should report it to you truthfully. I only collected seventeen gold coins last year and three gold coins in the first half of this year. ”

Wren held a bronze ring on his left index finger, the only thing his mother had left him. He nodded noncommittally, unable to see the joys and sorrows in his heart, Richard's fat face trembled, and he continued: "I'm sorry, I've done my best. You know, it's so hard for the city to get taxes, those mobs don't cooperate with my work at all, they even dare to resist taxes by force, damn it...... , these guys should all be hanged on the gallows!"

"How many years have you been in office?", Wren interrupted his complaint, "is that the case every year?"

Richard smiled ugly and nodded, "I've been in this city for nine years, and the best years are a hundred gold coins. ”

It is a very strange thing that if any tax collector fails to complete his task for nine consecutive years, he will long ago be kicked out of the circle of "officials" and become a member of the great plebeian class again, instead of remaining in the privileged class.

Wren tilted his head to look at Poulsh, "Didn't the garrison assist Richard in collecting taxes? Taxation is sacrosanct in the Imperial Constitution, and if necessary, you can apply to the garrison and the city defense officer to carry out armed taxation." During the Orlando II period, the empire could not collect a single gold coin tax from the local government, so Orlando II, known as the tyrant, wrote the armed tax into the constitution despite the opposition of others, which started an eleven-year civil war, and finally the tyrant won, which also proved that it was not the inability to collect taxes, but the problem of enforcement.

As a result, armed taxation became a fashion, and it was not until the last two or three hundred years that people became accustomed to paying taxes.

Pouls's face was not as round as the others, and he was a little ugly, "Your Excellency, it's not that I don't cooperate, this is already the result of cooperation." The situation in Ortlenburg is very special, there are very few local residents, most of them are foreigners, and they use the excuse of returning to their places of origin to pay taxes as a hindrance, and we really can't carry out the tax resistance by force. ”

Wren nodded, this excuse was not unexpected by him, it was also a casual question.

He then asked, "So what is the law and order situation in the city? Will there be frequent conflicts?"

After Poole and Queto looked at each other, Queto smiled and said, "Peace...... It's good, at least there haven't been any vicious cases so far this year!"

Wren rubbed the ring for a moment, and the glint in his eyes that lowered his head slightly flashed. Hehe, there has been no vicious case? He has long heard of the name of the chaos in Ortlenburg in the imperial capital, and it is common for two people to die in three days, so how can it be that there has not been a vicious case for more than half a year? It can only be said that the underground forces in this city have replaced the official forces, and all the big and small matters are mediated and resolved by those leaders and brains on the streets, and it is not the turn of the officials to intervene.

The situation is actually falling apart? This is something he had never imagined before he came here. This is the city of the Orlando Empire, which bears the imprint of Orlando rule, and now it is actually out of official jurisdiction? This is a challenge to the entire ruling class! Of course, it also shows that the Empire's attention to Ortronburg has dropped to the limit, since the marriage with the Byron Empire for several generations, the Weimar Corridor has become an undefended passage, and even the border troops have been withdrawn.

It seems that a lot of work is needed to master the city.

After continuing to consult for a while, Wren's face finally became ugly. He calmed the four official representatives and asked the chief maid to escort them away, and he sat down in his place, cross-legged and thoughtful.

A great man in another world once said that struggle is nothing more than the party fighting against differences, uniting the majority, striking at a small handful, breaking the surface with points, and encroaching on them step by step.

However, where does this first step begin?

At the same time, in the city's most upscale prostitutes, the city's real masters sat together.

"I don't know if the guy who came this time is a smart person, if he is smart, we will send him away after honestly serving as the city lord for five years. If he doesn't know each other and wants to disturb the order here......", Hute's face flashed with hideousness, he took a deep breath, grabbed the collar with both hands and struggled hard, "Then send him to see the old fellow!"

The old guy is synonymous with the god of light, and this group of people who walk in the dark world never believes in the god of light, they only believe in the knife in their hands!

Alma was a little worried, "I think Wren is different from those guys before, I inquired, he is one of the Golden Family, and his background is far from being comparable to those small nobles before." I'm not afraid of ten thousand, I'm afraid of what if, what if this guy isn't a dodo, but a tyrannosaur?", she paused, looking around, "I think it's better to wait and find out before discussing these things." ”

"Hey, hey!"

Hute frowned slightly, and glanced at the leader of the Sword and Shield Mercenary Regiment who was smiling strangely, "If you have something to say, I hate you the way you look the most!"

The Sword and Shield Mercenary Regiment is the largest and most notorious in Ortrenburg, with more than one hundred and seventy men, almost all of them from deserters, including two half-orcs. As long as there are enough interests, there is nothing they cannot do, whether it is slave hunting or overthrowing the power of small tribes.

Barto, the leader of the Sword and Shield Mercenary Regiment, shrugged his shoulders and sat down in his chair, calfskin boots curled over the edge of the conference table. He pursed his lips, "What do you care about so much? He is honestly his city lord, then everything is negotiable, and one percent of the proceeds is counted as his share." If he is not honest, he will be slaughtered directly, and it will be a big deal to arrange for someone to go to Byron to hide for a few years after carrying the black cauldron. I heard a piece of gossip ......"

Harvey, who had been silent, raised his eyebrows, "Oh?

Barto said mysteriously, "I've heard that some big guys have done something to that guy, but they didn't kill him." Obviously, he has friends and no matter what kind of background he has, but he also has enemies who match his status. Those enemies wish he died in this barren mountain, and if they do, maybe they will help us clear the head. ”

Harvey smiled and said no more. Hutter was thoughtful, not knowing what he had thought, and his expression changed slightly.

The only one who changed color was Alma, although he and she were a ***, but in fact she was also a middleman, specializing in buying and selling some information. Having dealt with all kinds of news all year round, she knew very well that if Wren really died here, neither his friends nor his enemies would give up. Not because of his charisma, nor because of any entanglement of interests, but because of Wren, who represents the most orthodox aristocratic ruling class in the empire and is one of the purest golden families in blood!

Wren can die at the hands of the royal family, at the hands of the prime minister, or even at the hands of any of the great nobles. However, if they cannot die at the hands of the commoners, it is equivalent to them, the representatives of the commoners, declaring war on the aristocratic ruling class, and that is a situation of endless death!

These damn idiots!

Alma was furious in her heart, but she also knew that persuasion at this time was tantamount to adding fuel to the fire, and she suppressed the uneasiness and absurdity in her heart, and began to think of finding a way out. As for taking refuge in Wren, she didn't even think about it, because she knew very well that even if Wren was downcast and the Golden Thorn family was in decline, she might not even be a dog raised by a nobleman in Wren's eyes. It's better to find another way out than a dog!

This group of ****!

She cursed fiercely in her heart again, hoping that it would not develop to the worst side, and hoped that Ren guy would be a nobleman who eats, drinks and has fun!

"Why don't I give that guy a try?", said Hut, "The simplest, most direct, and most effective way to know his attitude is to let him say it or show it himself." ”

"Agreed!"

"You can give it a try!"

"I hope it's not too intense!"

Unlike the official organizations that grind, these people are resolute and resolute figures, and they do what they say. Within a few moments, a small plan was released.

Early the next morning, something big happened in the City Lord's Mansion!