Goldwater City, Black Castle, Council Hall.

In response to the Duke of York's summons, the vassal lords and high-ranking knights of the Centaur Hills gathered here to discuss the settlement of the exiles.

"Victor's tenant system is a brilliant idea!"

Embiter York slapped the oak table, his fat face full of excitement and admiration, and said passionately: "The core idea of the tenant system is that the lord makes the people rich, and the rich people make the family strong!"

The lords looked at each other, no one spoke, and everyone's eyes wandered back and forth, and finally fell on the Earl of Fort Feldspar.

The Duke of York's uncle, the Grand Knight Terrandon, had no choice but to stand up and ask, "My lord, what does it mean that the people are rich? But if it's a homeless person...... What does it have to do with whether the homeless people are rich or not and whether the family is strong? In fact, even if the people are rich, it has no direct relationship with the lord. A ruler can't deprive his people of their wealth for no reason, can he?"

"Uncle, please be seated. The Duke of York raised his hand and said with a smile, "Isn't it puzzling? I couldn't understand his point of view at the time. Why should the lowly outcasts share our land and wealth? We are not the masters of the outcasts!"

Everyone nodded yes. Lady Ulena smiled and said, "As long as it is Victor's proposal, whether we understand his intentions or not, it is debatable. ”

The hall fell silent. The Count of Turlandon glanced at the Countess appreciatively, and he did not at all want to stand in opposition to Victor in the matter of territorial governance. It's just that as his uncle to Embiter, the family members always regard him as an advisor to check and balance the duke's power.

Embiter chuckled and said, "The Countess is right, I discussed with the family scholars for two days, and finally understood Victor's idea. ”

"At present, the three walls to stop the ant tide have been completed. According to the original agreement, Centaur Hills was obliged to accept 400,000 displaced people from the Kingdom of Gambis within 20 years. But the Church believes that with the actual conditions of the hills, it is fully capable of receiving 1 million displaced people. Regent Williams has sent a letter asking us to receive 60,000 displaced people from the northern counties in batches before next year's windy season. The Church is responsible for the specific matters of the displacement. ”

"Since we are now descendants of Gambis, there is no reason to refuse the royal family's request. ”

The Duke of York relented, and continued: "I must remind you that the outcasts of the northern counties are not loose outcasts in the ordinary sense. They settled in the northern part of the kingdom and multiplied for hundreds of years. Compared with those homeless gangs, they have the ability, knowledge, property, more unity, and a force of their own. ”

"The biggest problem before us is, how do we master these outsiders?"

The exiles of the northern counties of Gambis were mainly refugees from the kingdom of Dord. They had lived in Gambis for hundreds of years, when their lord suddenly asked them to give up their land and move to the distant Centaur Hills. They inevitably hold grudges. Moreover, if the people of the kingdom of Gambis can drive them away once, they can drive them away a second time. This makes them even more uncertain about their future.

If the centaur hills accept dozens or hundreds of people at a time, it is not a big problem. However, even if the church were to organize the migration of displaced people in batches, it would be in the thousands.

Thousands of like-minded, resentful and hesitant homeless people will inevitably watch and help each other on the migration road. For pastors responsible for displaced people, it is easier for organized groups of displaced people to cooperate with their work. But for the lords of the Centaur Hills, the outcasts of thousands of people represented a major hidden danger.

The first group of displaced people has not yet been settled, and the next group has come again. Trouble is like a snowball, it gets bigger and bigger, and eventually, it becomes out of control.

The high-ranking knights were silent, and the little lords were even more worried. The Duke of York looked around and said confidently: "Victor believes that the population is the most valuable asset to the people and horses, and the higher the quality and ability of the homeless, the better. The key is how to turn these people into our wealth. The tenant system proposed by Victor solved this problem perfectly. ”

"What do the displaced people in the northern counties want most now? A stable life, no longer being driven out of their homes, is actually a legitimate subject. ”

Embiter picked up the vellum paper on the table, raised it, and said, "This lease document satisfies their desires. As long as they get this paperwork, they have the status of tenants. Tenants were not vagrants, and their land lease documents were issued by the lord and were legitimate. Tenants are not registered tenants, and the lease documents are re-established every 25 years, and tenant families can renew their contracts first. If the tenant fails to pay the rent on time, is lazy and ignorant, or violates the family law, the lord has the right to terminate the lease. Other than that, there is no difference between tenant and consular households, and 30% of the harvest is retained, and 4 months of labor or militia training are retained. When the displaced people have the documents to rent the land, they will treat their families as subjects. What could appeal to them more than this?"

"The best thing is that the land lease instrument is only issued to monogamous displaced families. The chiefs of the exiles generally had many women, and they were not destined to become tenants, and those who did not have wives would only dig into their corners. As a result, the displaced gangs collapsed. Our troubles were solved naturally. ”

"Good!"

The Earl of Turlandon exclaimed: "Only the children of tenants are eligible to join the mercenary group, and if the tenant wants to renew the lease, he must work hard. Our lords have more time to build up their armaments and meet the needs of the mercenary corps, which is good for the southern expansion strategy. Victor's tenant system has turned the homeless people into our wealth!"

Since it was a discussion of Victor's proposal, the tenant system must have been appreciated by Sylvia. Since the Earl of Trlandon had been taken care of by Sylvia (against the Joint-Stock Chamber and had his young son taken away), he was really reluctant to play the role of the Duke's courtier. Sylvia brought back a little Auguste from the kite, and the Counts of Trlandon thought of taking the child for themselves. Anyway, Edward and Anna will give birth to an heir in the future, and they will have to return it to Fred and Audair, and the task of checking and balancing the power of the duke should be left to the parents of the future queen.

What's more, Victor's tenant system is truly amazing.

No matter how good the policy is, as long as the duke pushes it to the vassal lord, someone must stand up and question it. This is the system in which the extended family maintains stability. Everyone's eyes were focused on Viscount Fred. Fred stood up helplessly and said, "The tenant system satisfies the homeless, the people, and the church, but it harms the interests of the lords. In order to resettle the displaced people, we have lost 30% of the harvest for no reason, and this is the case every year. Of course, I can afford it, but what about the new lords of the family? they are very short of money......"

Several newly canonized vassal barons nodded frequently, only to hear Fred say, "The tenants are divided into three percent of the harvest, which is too much...... Just give them half of it. Seeing that the barons' faces turned dark, Fred said, "If we help the lords of the kingdom settle the exiles, they should pay us." I propose that the family come up with funds to subsidize the newborn lords. ”

Embiter stood up suddenly, tried to open his eyes wide, glared at his brother, and asked in a loud voice, "Do you want it, or do I want it?"

Fred shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, sat down again, and put on an innocent expression, as if to say: You have all seen it, it is not that I did not object, but the Duke did not agree to subsidize everyone.

Several glances were fixed on Embiter's fat face, and he shook his cheeks and said bitterly, "You guys are so shallow...... What did Victor say? The people are rich and the family is strong. An adequate population is the most valuable asset...... Why do you want to separate the tenants from your own wealth, why can't you treat the tenants as your own wealth?"

"My lord, I believe in Victor's talent and vision, but I still don't know the relationship between the wealth of the people and the strength of the family...... Could you please explain to us what it means to be rich and strong?"

Embither patted her fat belly, and the attendant immediately served a cup of fresh goat's milk and napkins with honey. Embiter raised his glass, drank the goat's milk, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and said slowly: "The poor and homeless, without a fixed place to live, lack food and clothing, their children are stunted and weak. Wealthy tenants live and work in peace and contentment, and their children are naturally stronger and smarter than the children of the homeless. A thin homeless hired worker can plant 15 acres of land, and a strong tenant farmer can plant 30 acres. Eight thin hired workers planted 120 acres of land, eight sturdy tenant farmers, four men planted 120 acres of land, and the remaining four could work, learn trades, or become mercenaries. So, the poorer the weaker, the richer the stronger. ”

"Should we accept the poor and weak homeless workers, or should we cultivate rich and strong tenants?"

"Children between the ages of 4 and 8 can stay in general schools free of charge. This age is related to the child's future growth and development. While instilling in them the family concept of loyalty and heroism, we also let them exercise their bodies, hone their will, practice the first secret method of the blue wolf's combat skills, and train qualified soldiers for the mercenary army in advance. ”

"Tenant farmer parents saw in their children the hope of the family, and of course they were willing to give up their savings and send their children to military schools and artisan schools. When their children came of age, we were given elite mercenary soldiers, skilled craftsmen, and sturdy farmers. Is the family stronger?"

This remark ignited the enthusiasm of the vassal lords, and everyone exchanged words and discussions.

"I see...... Sure enough, the people are rich and the family is strong. ”

"It is worthy of Her Highness Silvia's chosen partner...... The brilliance of Viscount Randall leaves me speechless. ”

"I think Viscount Randall's intellect is comparable to that of the scholars of Al Ya......"

The council chamber was noisy, and the Duke of York had to slap the table hard and raise his voice, "Calm me down, and when I'm done, you can discuss it." ”

The crowd ceased to talk, and Embiter continued: "The wonderful thing about the tenant system is not only the training of soldiers and craftsmen. It was Victor's tailor-made plan for the Centaur Hills, and there was no way for other families to emulate the tenant system. ”

"In the past, a village of the House of York controlled a 20-kilometre radius of territory and was able to feed between 3,000 and 10,000 people. The lord should ensure the livelihood of his people. Therefore, the larger the population of the village, the less offerings were handed over to the lord. But in the Centaur Hills, 300 square kilometers of land can support 10,000 to 20,000 people, or even more. There is no shortage of land in the Centaur Hills at the moment, but warriors, farmers, miners, and artisans. If there are enough tenants in the hills, our lords will be able to open up wasteland and build new villages with the tenant farmers. In this way, the total wealth of the lord increased. ”

"On the other hand, although the tenants are attached to the village, they are assigned by us. Tenants and villagers belong to the same group. The small families of tenants were incapable of confronting the village office, and they were doomed to depend on the lord. The tenants were the eyes and ears of the lord, and they supervised and restrained each other with the village. The lord's influence will be further expanded, at least the village chief will not be able to conceal the total income of the realm. ”

Saying that, the Duke of York shook his head and smiled: "In the past, the natural resources of the territory were limited, and the villagers collected the resources of the territory, and everyone turned a blind eye...... Now, half of the hills are terraced, and the harvest of the territory is not a small amount. Otherwise, why would the church change the way the tithes are levied? We can't have a tax collector in every village, like the regent, right?"

The vassal lords couldn't help but laugh, a thorny problem was actually solved.

The Duke of York tapped the table with his white chubby fingers and continued: "As for the harvest distributed to the tenants, you need not care. Tenants are not displaced people, they cannot move freely, otherwise they lose their right to lease land. The rules of the lord system, the people follow the rules. We have too many ways to master the harvest of our tenants. For example, monopolizing trading channels and manipulating prices...... Everyone should follow the principle that the harvest and goods of the people can only be sold to the lord, and the goods of the lord can only be sold to the two-headed lizard chamber of commerce. ”

The high-ranking knight lords who owned the shares of the two-headed lizard did not change their expressions, but those vassal minor lords who did not have shares were a little unnatural. But they had no way to fight the will of the family. The two-headed lizard has a lot of resources at its disposal, and has actually monopolized the foreign trade of the Centaur Hills.

The Duke of York had a headache, and Victor had already set up a game beyond his imagination when he first proposed the Joint-Stock Chamber of Commerce. Victor and Sylvia are preparing to dock the two-headed lizard with the Golden Regiment, which also involves the secrets of the Golden Recovery Potion. These matters could not be disclosed to all the vassal lords for the time being, but as the Duke of York, it was the duty of Embiter to calm the emotions of the family members, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"I guarantee that all of you here, whether it is purchasing materials or selling goods, the two-headed lizard will give the most reasonable price. At the same time, the Two-Headed Lizard Chamber of Commerce will provide low-interest loans to family members who do not have shares, which is equivalent to three times the annual income of the territory. Borrow every three years and repay the loan for a period of not more than five years. ”

The freshman lord's face suddenly looked much better. Embiter nodded and asked, "Who has any objection to the family's implementation of the tenant system?"

Everyone shook their heads and agreed to the implementation of the tenant system. Embiser said, "Now, let's go back and send the family scholars to work out the details of the tenant system, and then I will give the Bishop Perot the method of implementation, and ask the church to cooperate with us in assigning tenants." ”

The lords rose to salute the Duke of York, and one by one left the council hall.

Embiter sat alone for a while, shook his head, and said to Max, the clerk beside him: "You see, water conservancy projects, blue brick trade, two-headed lizard chamber of commerce, mercenaries, golden regiments, tenant system...... As long as it is Victor's proposal, it will always pass smoothly. I just asked the lord to buy and buy at the beginning, but there were few ...... who supported me."

Max stepped forward, bowed down and said, "Viscount Randall is very talented, but everyone supports his proposal, mainly because of Viscount Randall's transcendent status. If he is in your position, he will still be questioned and resisted by the adults. However, all of Viscount Randall's governance initiatives are particularly beneficial to you...... Blackcastle's influence has imperceptibly covered every corner of the family. ”

"Max, you're right. Embiter got up from his seat with difficulty, smiled, patted the clerk on the shoulder, and said, "Victor is looking at Lady Sylvia's face...... The Lady is the backer of Blackcastle. ”

"Send someone to inform Rose Manor of the outcome of the meeting. ”

Rose Manor, Crystal Flower Room.

Sylvia took the minutes of the Black Castle meeting from the old butler's hand, and when the old butler left the flower room, she turned to Trisley and smiled, "Honey, guess what, what is the outcome of the discussion?"

"The tenant system was proposed by Victor, so what else is there to guess?" must have passed it......" Trisley said lazily as she sat on a wicker chair on the round side, holding her chin.

Sylvia walked up to Trisley and sat down teasingly, "Is it love that makes my guardian knight lose the ability to think...... I'll see, is it getting bigger here?"

Trisley slapped Sylvia's slender hand towards her chest and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"It's not like I haven't touched it, and now that I have a lover, I have forgotten about it, which is really sad. Sylvia pursed her red lips with a sad and aggrieved look, and then couldn't help but giggle again.

Trisley's face turned red, biting her pink lip and twisting her head to the side unnaturally. Sylvia pulled her shawl hair and chuckled, "You only see Victor's amazing side, but in fact, he has been silly and cute sometimes." ”

Trisley turned her head to look into Sylvia's blue eyes, and asked in surprise, "You mean the bear group that Victor formed?" ”

Sylvia stretched out her delicate index finger and tapped Trisley's forehead, "That's why I said you're carried away by love and think about protecting your sweetheart everywhere...... Sophia would not think so, she would use the bear group first and then abandon the bear group, otherwise her career would not have succeeded. When Victor formed the Golden Regiment, he didn't think it through at all...... No Lords of Strength could master a business organization with such vast potential. As long as he is my man, he doesn't want to lead the Golden Regiment, let alone have the Bear Regiment armed. ”

"Once the relationship between the bear group and Victor is exposed, it will definitely be strangled by the lords. ”

Trisley suddenly remembered that after the high-ranking knights of the Dwemick family confirmed her identity, their faces became very ugly. If the Bears can bring her to Dwemick, they will be able to cooperate with Sylvia in attacking any lord, and even the Golden Knight will have a hard time keeping him safe.

Such a group of bears is really terrifying!

No one could tolerate Sylvia sticking her tentacles into her territory. The bear group is immortal, and no lord will cooperate with the gold group.

"Got it. Sophia is the only suitable candidate to take charge of the Golden Regiment, we just need to pay dividends according to the shares" Sylvia shook her head and sighed: "Fortunately, that guy handed over the Golden Regiment to Sophia, otherwise the Golden Regiment would have caused him and me big trouble...... More trouble than the shooting of Austin Buryatia. ”

Trisley thought for a moment, her eyes lit up, and she asked flatly, "So, the relationship between Sophia and Victor can't get better?"

"Well, the stronger the Golden Regiment, the colder their relationship becomes...... Unless, Sophia is promoted to the Golden Rank, or Victor becomes a Sun Elf, then they will be as good as glue. ”

The corners of Trisley's lips immediately flattened, and her light blue eyes darkened. Sylvia sneered, put her arm on Trisley's shoulder, and said, "Exposed, aren't you?" Nicole's jealousy was all learned from you. ”

Trisley glanced sideways at Sylvia, pursed her lips, lifted her chin again, and muttered, "I don't know, where is that guy now?"

Sylvia stood up and said solemnly, "Guardian Knight Trisley, I order you to go and take my lover back to the Rose Manor. ”

Trisley lifted her skirt and bowed her knees, a sweet smile on her beautiful face.

"As you wish, my honorable master. ”