"In my personal opinion, the solution to any social problem should be based on economic means, supplemented by administrative means. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info" - "Quotations of the God of War"

August 25, 348 Continental Gregorian Calendar, Osasuna, Iberia.

It's early autumn, and for Iberian farmers, it's the second harvest of the year. However, the king did not take this into account, and he still recruited the militia and organized an army of more than 100,000 men to attack Farensi. Fortunately, Osasuna and Wyvern Valley are not in the scope of this call-up. For Ofhrit I, he still needed these two counties to help him watch out for the southern lords and monitor the Marquis of Sanchez's every move.

The harvest season is always busy, and the golden waves of wheat are smoothed out piece by piece by the action of the sickle. For the lords, it was also a time to collect taxes. Osasuna's harvest wasn't too good, but it wasn't too bad either. However, for the hired peasants, the tax rate announced by the new lord this time was much lower than before, which made these honest people grateful. In fact, thanks to a series of wool textile industries such as sheep raising, shearing, carding, and primary processing, which had been relocated from Seville, Count Grant's income did not decrease as a result of the lower agricultural tax rate, but increased considerably.

On this day, Suarez, who was in charge of taking care of the taxes of the woolen textile industry, returned to William's residence in a hurry and found William, who was training the newly recruited martial arts on the playground.

"Dear Suarez, what is it that makes you so happy?" William saw that the other party was coming, until there must have been great good news.

"Lord Grant, I've acquired a great treasure today!" Suarez said happily.

"Great treasure?" Hearing this word, even Subisareta and Canisares were intrigued.

"Oh, Mr. Suarez, where is the great treasure you speak of? Let's see. The big man Kenisares asked, looking up and down to guess where Suarez had hidden the "treasure" on his body.

"Hehe," Suarez smiled mysteriously and pulled a stack of parchment rolls out of his bosom, "and that's it! ”

"Hey, I don't understand, although parchment is also expensive, it is not enough to be called a great treasure." Kenisares asked, scratching his head.

William and Subisareta each took a piece of parchment from Suarez's hand and looked at it, and after a moment, the Lord and the Servant looked up at each other.

"Lord Suarez, these are land bonds issued by the Kingdom of Falunsi three years ago. Although the face value of this one in my hand is 100 solaries, as far as I know, the same denomination of bonds in France is no longer worth even 10 solaries. Why do you still buy them back? It is said that the price continues to fall. Subisareta asked.

"I bought it from a loom owner who said he was having trouble with cash and couldn't pay his taxes on time, and he only had these things in his hands and wanted to use them as a tax deduction."

"Although we have a policy of tolerance and moderation, you don't have to take back these worthless things. On the other hand, it is not impossible to let the owner of the loom postpone the payment of taxes. William didn't want to blame his own brains directly.

"You don't know, Lord Grant, it seems to me that in the coming days, these bonds will give us more than 10 times the yield. If you will believe me, please give me more men to buy as many Farencian land bonds as I can into Iberia. Suarez humbly pleaded with William.

After pondering for a while, William said to Suarez: "Sir, I can only allocate you 30 solidas (gold coins, 900 solaries) of funds, and there is no more, do you think it is okay?" ”

"Lord Grant, this is a speculative business that is sure to make money, please think again."

"Hehe, a business that makes money without losing money, then I'll also take out a little bit to invest." A female voice like a silver bell interjected into their conversation.

The men turned their heads to see the Lazaranmaker siblings. Everyone hastened to do their due courtesy to the visitors.

"Lord Earl, Miss Count, what wind has brought you here?" William asked politely.

"It is said that it is the wind that can make a windfall." Francescley, Earl of Lazaranmaker, replied with a smile.

"Brother, how much do you think people should invest in Lord Suarez's business?" Isabella asked.

"I heard that you can make a profit of more than 10 times, and you can make a sure profit without losing money, so of course the more the better."

"Alright then, I'll invest 500 sorida."

Hearing this, Kennizarez had a "really rich" expression, while William was puzzled, he looked at Suarez, and the other party smiled slyly.

"Hey, I said Miss, do you have so much money?" Count Lazaramek asked in surprise.

"Just sister, I'll ask you to borrow it, brother, this is a 10-fold profit deal." Isabella wagged her finger playfully at her brother, and William instantly thought it was a lovely gesture.

"Well, well," said the Earl, with a gesture of resignation, "but I will charge 10 per cent per annum." ”

"Brother~~"

"That's a 10-fold profit." The Count shook his finger at his sister in Isabella's tone.

"Alright, vampire! Hmph~~" The earl couldn't help laughing when he looked at his sister's annoyed look.

As reported from the Iberian side, the 20-year, 3% land bonds issued in 347 have lost nearly 85% of their value since the invasion of the two kingdoms again, and the value of the bonds issued in 348 has fallen by more than 90%. In ancient times, there was no place to trade securities like in modern times, and people who traded securities could not have a comprehensive and clear understanding of the market price of all securities through a large blackboard or computer. But even if information wasn't as smooth as it is now, trading and markets were still there. Merchants discuss prices and finalize the sale in a fixed number of taverns, with only the buyer, the seller and the notary public required for the entire process. Although notaries must be tight-lipped about the situation of buyers and sellers, it does not prevent them from revealing the price through various channels.

At this time, Her Majesty the Queen of Farensi was listening to a report on today's land bond with her Prime Minister in a secret room in a royal palace. The Ninth Legion is solely responsible for the collection of this financial information, and their work is very detailed, although the notaries do not reveal the identities of buyers and sellers, but relying on the investigation of the Ninth Legion, they can still fully grasp the daily transactions in the royal capital.

"Ah, ah, it's been falling for almost a month, when will it end?" Margaret leaned limply in her chair.

"Your Majesty, be patient, judging from the situation reported today, the trading volume has begun to drop significantly."

"What does that mean, is it about to rise again?" The queen sat up excitedly.

"No, it just means that most of the bonds have left the hands of their original owners." Sogrend said, taking a piece of parchment from Jayne's hand, "Your Majesty, please see, from our statistics, we have recovered 65% of the bonds in 346, 75% in 347, and 93% in 348 through various channels. ”

"But, now that these things are almost a pile of waste paper, we have spent real money."

"Hehe, Your Majesty, the original little gold can't buy these bonds at all, and I can't pay those interest."

"Even so, I still feel like I've done a business that has lost all my money." Margaret propped her head and said with a sad face.

"Your Majesty, the Fourth Legion has been assembled, and then we will release all kinds of news to let the value of the bonds recover." Sogrend said confidently.

"Will releasing the news make the paper valuable again?" Margaret asked, confused.

"It's all kinds of news that made them worthless before." She was answered by a smile from Sogrend.

Since in the previous acquisition process, it was certainly impossible for Thorgrande to acquire these bonds in the name of the royal family or through the channels of the elder Luce, because this would clearly tell the holder that the Prime Minister still valued these bonds. That would make it impossible to buy back the bonds at a low price. Sogrand asked the Rockefeller family of Crystal Forest to intervene and organize a group of loan sharks to secretly buy the bonds, collecting as much as possible by paying off the debt. In this way, on the surface, there is no buyer for the bonds, and the bonds are only bought by some loan sharks who are afraid of bad debts and bad debts. With the ability of loan sharks to knock on the marrow, bond prices have been pushed down all the way, and if someone draws a candlestick chart like now, they will see that bond prices have been pulling out of the black line for more than two weeks in a row. Of course, the loan sharks only found out after dealing with the prime minister that their past behavior was as pure as a lamb.

On August 24, rumors began to circulate among the merchants of the royal capital that almost all the land bonds had been bought by the royal family, and that the loan sharks were merely agents of the prime minister. On this basis, questions were raised with the Queen and the Prime Minister through the Government's Petition Office, hoping to be explained and confirmed. However, it was vaguely dismissed by the reception staff, and many government officials were also ambiguous about the rumors. That is, neither recognition nor denial. There were a few bold businessmen who directly asked Sogrand for confirmation, but even the Prime Minister, who had always handled affairs neatly, did not say anything about it.

On 25 August, the 33,000 men of the Fourth Army were regrouped, led by General Ernest Sauer, commander of the Praetorian Guard, to the Parelo front. After the news was released, people linked the strange attitude of the previous government and carefully searched for the history of the current prime minister. Almost everyone has come to the conclusion that Saulgrande Leus, a famous general who often wins more with less, must be prepared for this war. And if the royal family really buys bonds on a large scale like this, even if it can't defeat the attack of Mastar and Iberia, it must be impossible for the other party to take advantage. So, starting the next day, many speculators began to look for bonds that had been regarded as waste paper, hoping to make some profits. But they discovered the terrible fact that land bonds had become unmarketable.

When you become your own creditor, it should be a very pleasant thing. Of course, there is nothing more depressing for the original creditors than the current situation. While the loss of these bonds would not have left most people in bankruptcy, such losses were unacceptable to some of the smaller and younger Narcybis nobles who had wanted to rely on these fixed incomes to maintain and perpetuate their family's pride. It can also be said that the small and medium-sized aristocratic class of Nacibis, which even Layton the Great could not easily deal with at the beginning, will gradually disappear after this baptism of Saugland. Either they will be reduced to civilians entirely, or they will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to integrate into the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Pharisee.

Queen Margaret looked at the room full of land bond papers, and a smile appeared on her face. When she thought that the parchment was equivalent to gold, she happily embraced her prime minister and kissed Sogrand several times without hesitation. According to the latest information, on August 25, there was already a blatant intention to buy 346 bonds at par value. In just two days, the value of the parchment in this room was already equivalent to eight times the cost of the original comprehensive acquisition, and this is not counting the benefits of its 3% interest.

"What to do, Thorge?" The queen was reluctant to let go of the parchment scroll, "Are we still going to sell these things?" ”

Thorgrande smiled at his lord's cute greedy look, "Of course they have to be sold again, after all, they are not as real as real money." But don't worry, let's start issuing 349-year bonds, and then slowly sell off the first three years. ”

"Huh? So why not just cash out all at once? Margaret still didn't let go of the parchment.

"Hehe, Your Majesty, if we sell it all at once, won't it make people think that we are weak-hearted and fall into a pretext of 'competing with the people'? Moreover, the price of bonds will continue to rise for some time. You should also hold a portion to make a long-term investment. ”

"So have we won this battle?"

"Well, it's fair to say that victory is in sight, but be prepared for the possible adverse effects. As those in power, our aim is not to drain the pockets of those investors, but to build their confidence in land bonds and the government. Of course, Your Majesty, you should take the opportunity to make a small windfall. After all, we still have a certain dilemma in terms of funding. Thorgrande replied calmly.

The young queen smiled and said, "My dear Thorgrand, it is so interesting to fight such a battle, it is really an invisible and untouchable battlefield. ”

"Your Majesty, there is indeed an invisible front here, which we call the economy. Although there is no need for swords and swords, and rivers of blood flow, it is still related to the life and death of the entire country. More precisely, this front is the most fundamental and important front, if it is defeated. The losses were by no means comparable to one or two battles, and the consequences would be unimaginable. Although he didn't want to discourage the lord, Sogre felt that such a matter of great importance should also be reminded of Margaret.

"Is that really the case?" Margaret listened, and even the parchment she had been holding inadvertently let go of her hand.

"It's true, Wechen is by no means alarmist."

"Lu Siqing, I understand, I hope you can give me more guidance in this regard in the future." The queen said solemnly.

"This is the duty of Wechen." Thorgrande bowed humbly to the queen.

As the two continued to discuss the future, Jayne Beta walked in.

"Your Majesty, urgent military situation on the part of Gresden." Jayne said.

"Then I should avoid it." Sogrend said he had always been strict with himself.

"No, Thorgrande, listen too, I need your help."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After the two of them had made a decision, Jayne began to read the information he had just sent.

"On August 20, the 13th Army was ambushed by the enemy on the route of the march and suffered heavy losses......"

"What!?" Margaret eagerly interrupted Jayne's recitation.

"Your Majesty, let Captain Beta finish reading." Thorgrande calmly stopped the queen, but Margaret could clearly see his fists clenched.

"The 32nd and 30th Divisions, which were the vanguard, suffered heavy losses, with at least 1,000 casualties, and the whereabouts of both division commanders are unknown. The rest of the divisions, largely under the command of Admiral Lanfonte, were forced to retreat to Lancados. Admiral Hollin then sent General Bass to lead his troops to meet the 13th Corps. By the 21st, only three regiments of the Third Army had managed to break through to Lancados to join the Thirteenth Army. At present, the Iberian Army is rushing to attack Langcados, and the Third Army is also being suppressed by Gresden, and the specific situation in Langcados is unknown. ”

"Your Majesty, Lord Leus......" Jayne whispered to the two of them after he finished reading, hoping that they would make a decision as soon as possible.

"Thorgrande ......," Margaret looked worriedly at her prime minister.

"When will the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Legions be assembled?" Thorgrande asked quickly.

"According to the plan, it will be able to complete the assembly by September 5."

"And now?"

"The Fifth Army has reported 21,000 men; 23,000 men in the Sixth Army; The Seventh Army Corps 19,000 people. ”

"Lu Siqing, are you going to lead these people to set off now?" Margaret asked cautiously, anxious about Ginna's situation.

"How many officers have arrived?" Sogrerd continued.

"There is a shortage of officers right now, and there are more than twenty percent of the vacancies for officers in each regiment."

"Give them half a day to draw people from among the soldiers to fill the non-commissioned officer positions, and the rest will be promoted according to seniority to fill the vacancies." Sogrend immediately gave the order, "If this is not possible, Your Majesty, I beg that the Praetorian Guard be transferred to fill the vacancy of the officer. ”

"I agree, let Jeff and Larson find a candidate for you. When are you going to leave at the earliest? ”

"Do you think it's okay to leave tomorrow morning?" Thorgrande asked.

"Do as you estimate, of course I hope the sooner the better, but an unprepared army should not go into battle, this is what you taught me."

"Wechen understands, follow His Majesty's instructions, then Wechen will leave first." Thorgrande saluted the queen and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute, Ryushing." Margaret finally stopped him again.

"What else does Your Majesty want?" Even in this case, Saugland maintained a graceful manner.

"I hope you and Admiral Lanfonte will both return safely."

"Wechen understands."

"Then you can go quickly." The young queen reluctantly let go of her prime minister. She didn't know why she was saying this this time, it would have been superfluous for Thorgrande and Chinna, both of whom had been invincible in the past under the favor of Hysus. I must have been just worrying, Margaret comforted herself, silently watching Thorgrande's back leave.

―――――――――― lazy dividing line――――――

I'm completely speechless about updating my collection.

Commemorating the 71st anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident.