，

In the room, it was no one else sitting in front of Char, but Yulia with a big belly.

Now Char's group, from him, whether it is Katosharba or Afrecut, who were either born in the army, or mountain hunters, or born as samurai, can be regarded as warriors.

After Char came to Dìdū, he made a lot of windfalls, and gradually had a large family business, but he kept the family's expenses and kept accounts and other things...... A few big men could only stare dryly.

Fortunately, there is also a Kevin's widow Yulia in the family, and these rìzi came to Yulia Jīng, and she gradually improved, and when she saw that several big men were staring at each other for the family's accounts, she stepped forward.

Although Yulia doesn't have any great talents, she comes from a middle-class family, and she can be regarded as having some ink in her stomach, and Kevin is away all the year round, and Cāo holds the affairs of the family by herself as a woman, although she may not have any great talents, but she is not known how many times stronger than a few big men. She refused to be raised in vain under Char's care, and volunteered to do some effort. Char also felt that letting her do something could send the knot in his heart, besides, this big family, the trivial things of people eating firewood, rice, oil and salt really gave him a headache, and he couldn't ask for a reassuring person like Yulia to manage him, so he agreed.

As a result, Yulia became a butler in Char's house.

"Char. Yulia sighed, her face a little worried: "Don't worry about it first, I'll tell you slowly." ”

Char has great respect for Kevin's widow, and although he occasionally plays scoundrels to others, he has always been strict and respectful in front of Yulia - even when he lived with the old guy, he has never been so honest and respectful.

The turtle took a breath and said, "Well, I was in a hurry just now, you say it slowly, um...... Actually, isn't it just money, it's a big deal that I just sold this house. ”

"You don't have to sell your house. Yulia smiled faintly, she stroked her stomach with one hand, and said slowly: "I calculated, such a large mansion, a total of forty-nine rooms - this is not counting the inner courtyard and the outer courtyard and the horse shed at the back. Many places are too dilapidated, and if you want to renovate them, even if they don't make them extravagant, try to save as much as possible, and just restore them to their original appearance - at the cost of building materials, it will cost at least two thousand gold coins!"

Char glared: "So expensive?"

At the price of dìdū Osgilia, about two silver coins are enough for a commoner family of three to live for more than a month, and the cost of a year is only two gold coins. Two thousand gold coins is enough for an ordinary family to live for a thousand years!

Yulia couldn't help it: "This is no way, the floor was originally made of high-quality granite marble, and the wall tiles were not ordinary goods, the plants and trees in the yard were transplanted, and the lamps were damaged...... If some parts are damaged, even if we don't replace all of them, we only replace the damaged ones, but we still have to buy the same things as the original...... Although this house looks dilapidated, I took a closer look and found that the original things in all places were of the first grade! The cost of this house back then, I was really surprised when I thought about it carefully. All the places, large and small, have been repaired, and the two thousand gold coins have been saved as much as possible. ”

After a pause, she continued: "There is such a large house, after it is repaired, the usual expenses are also indispensable, the gardener who takes care of the garden, the cook and maid at home, the groom and coachman, the servant and miscellaneous servants, all cost money to hire, you are now a nobleman and a high-ranking official, but you can't just pull a few people back on the street, the kind of servant who has been strictly trained, and the servant used by a large family is not low." In addition, there is the cost of each rì, such a large group of people, everyone eats and chews, every day is an expense, I have calculated it, add it up, according to the scale of your current hand, plus the expected hired people from the house, our expenses are at least a hundred gold coins a month! This is only a visible cost. Such a large mansion, it doesn't mean that you can repair it once, such a manor, the maintenance cost of Pingrì is not low, I made a rough inquiry, other nobles, like such a manor, the annual maintenance and repair cost is nearly a thousand gold coins - this is already the least. ”

Speaking of this, Yulia hesitated, she glanced at Char and sighed: "Char, now it's just you and me, I have a few words to remind you." I'm just a woman, and if it's wrong, don't mind. ”

"Well, you just have to say. Char said calmly: "I treat you as a relative in my heart at home!"

"These people around you, Sharba and Cato are the life and death brothers in your army, and they will definitely follow you to serve in the border county of Mor in the future, and they will naturally be supported by the state's salaries and salaries. But...... Mr. Alfrecut, and the dozens of wolftooth warriors he brought, are all in your service. These people are faithful to you, but they ...... They have been here for so many days, you ...... You can't just let them stay around you for nothing. ”

"Huh?" Char was stunned for a moment.

Yulia saw that Char was at a loss, and said with a smile: "People turned out to be a samurai regiment that set up their own portals, although they didn't earn much, but they also had income every year, and they set up their own portals and were not controlled by others. Now with you, though Mr. Affrecat is very faithful to you, and you are very kind to him, but...... If you think about it carefully, people used to lead the samurai regiment to make their own living, and they also had an income of more than a dozen gold coins a month, but now they have been with you for so many days...... Even if Mr. Alfrecat doesn't want your money, the samurai he brought with him may not be so loyal to you, and you must pay them a salary, right?

Char suddenly realized. After all, he doesn't know anything about this kind of thing, and these days, he really forgot about this stubble!

To put it bluntly: if people follow you, they are your subordinates, and you should naturally eat and drink...... Other than that, you always have to pay for the start, right?

Otherwise, why should people follow you?

Char has never been a leader, although he has led people in the army before, but his subordinates have military salaries issued by the state, where do you need him to cāo heart this? But he really forgot about this matter completely!

These days, everyone follows him, and he just thinks that everything will be fine if everyone has wine and meat together, but he has never thought of paying people money...... Fortunately, Alfrecat never complained, but if he didn't say it, the warriors below might not have any thoughts in their hearts.

Char stood up and bowed to Yulia sincerely: "It's me who was careless! If it weren't for your sister-in-law's reminder, I would still be making a fool!"

Yulia smiled slightly: "You are a person who is a nobleman and a big official, and others will naturally do these little things for you, and you don't blame you if you can't think of it." Well, I've actually quietly calculated that some of the samurai brought by Mr. Alfrecat, some of them you can choose to go to the army, and you will naturally have military salaries to support them in the future, and some of them are not suitable for being soldiers, so you stay at home as a guard, and this cost is your own, as for the salary, I have inquired about their income in the samurai regiment in the past, and it can't be lower than before. If you count all this, why do you have to spend dozens of gold coins every month...... There is not so much money for people, but there is always a lot of money for weapons, armor and horses. The so-called poor and rich warriors, raising so many warriors, not only for people to eat, but also for weapons, swords, and armor to cost money. ”

Char frowned: "Okay, according to what you said, all the money in my hand is spent, how much is left?"

Yulia sighed, "One thousand gold coins." ”

"Oh?" Char was overjoyed, in his opinion, a thousand gold coins was already a lot, "It's okay, it's okay! There are so many!

"It's not...... I mean, you're 1,000 gold short! You don't have enough money right now. Although you have recently gained a lot of windfalls, you have not been small lately, going in and out, and the envoys in the palace have come and gone...... And the expenses of the family, it's all money. I thought about it carefully, if you want to repair this house now, you really don't have enough money, then you have to go out and borrow money. Unless the house is left unrepaired, the samurai brought by Mr. Alfrecat are first co-opted with money. Let everyone's hearts settle down, people's hearts are settled, and this family can be considered stable. ”

Char was a big grinning xìngzi, so he laughed loudly: "Then so be it, if the house is not repaired, it will not be repaired, and we are not without a place to live." ”

"It's not that simple. Yulia smiled bitterly and glanced at Char: "You big grinning xìngzi, alas...... I figured it out for myself, if I don't repair this house today, I won't repair it tomorrow, but it will always have to be repaired in the future! Calculate it, and every month in the future, our family's expenses will not be counted without a few hundred gold coins every month. A year, there are some additional expenses, you will also be a noble person in the future, this friendship, ushering in and sending will cost money, in general, no three or four thousand gold coins a year is not enough - if something happens, I am afraid that five thousand gold coins will not be able to stop. After a pause, Yulia looked at Char: "Although you have become a baron, you will also have your own fief in the future, and if you have a fief, you will have income, as well as your own salary as an official...... But I also inquired, in the empire, an ordinary baron, the fief is at most a small town, and the annual tax is only two or three thousand gold coins...... That's pretty good! That is...... With the income of your title fiefdom, you can't afford to support such a large family. ”

"............" Char was stunned, completely stunned!!

Can't afford to raise a family?

Are you kidding!!

Char grabbed her hair with hatred.

He used to be a small mountain people, eating with one mouth, and the whole family was not worried about eating alone, and occasionally he caught a game and sold it, in addition to eating and drinking, he could also leave a little surplus, and maybe there were a few more tinkling copper plates in his pocket to exchange for wine.

Now, he is a nobleman, dressed in fancy clothes and delicacies, hugging from front to back, having official positions and fiefs, and a large number of people in the fiefdom...... But on the contrary, he can't even support his family?!

Yulia smiled bitterly, looked at Char with an ignorant and surprised expression, and patiently explained to this kid:

Generally speaking, a baron can only be regarded as a middle and low-class title in the aristocratic class, and as for the fief, a baron's fief is generally only the size of a small town, which is not bad - if it is a rural nobleman in some remote place, a baron's fief is only three or five villages. A baron like Char, who is favored by the emperor, can get a more prosperous town, which is very good.

But how many people can a small town have? It's just 10,000 people. Taxes, agricultural and commercial taxes were all paid to the empire, and the rest could go to the nobles themselves, and at the end of the year, a small town with a population of 10,000 people could have a surplus of two or three thousand gold coins - this was already a very wealthy area.

Of course, as a fiefdom lord, Char has the power to levy taxes and raise taxes, and set up other schemes to loot wealth - but with Char's character, he really wants him to squeeze the people's fat and ointment viciously, and make the people in the fief ruined and miserable - he can't do it. Then the problem is at hand: such a nominal income is obviously not enough to feed such a large family.

Char started to scratch her hair.

"I really don't understand, the aristocratic lords I saw were dressed in light one by one, going in and out of the mansion, serving with slaves and beautiful maids, beautiful wives and concubines, brocade clothes and jade food...... Why is life so nourishing? I don't see those guys worrying about money?" Char frowned.

"Poor and rich. Yulia sighed, "You recruited Mr. Alfrecat and his men, actually...... It seems a bit out of place for me to say something I shouldn't have said. ”

"Huh?"

Yulia smiled: "Although I am not from a noble family, my family is also a medium-sized family, and I have seen how those little nobles live." Char, there are indeed those nobles who live rich and noble lives as you mentioned, but those are all real wealthy and powerful people. In fact, in the empire, the baron can only be regarded as a low-level noble, and the life of most low-level nobles may not be as beautiful as you say. In fact, in my hometown, a baron's family only lived in a mansion that was stronger than ordinary people's, and there were three or five old servants in the family, and there was a carriage to ride in when going out, and food and clothing were not much better than ordinary wealthy families. As for...... Private soldiers, as a rule, a small baron, whose territory is only a town, how many private soldiers are needed? It is enough to gather a few peasant soldiers to maintain law and order. But it's good for you to come up and recruit a samurai regiment, Mr. Afrecut's martial arts skills are jīng Zhan, and these samurai under his command are also very strong, but such jīng sharp private soldiers, looking at the entire empire, no baron can afford to recruit them. But you went on a big spree, and not only did you recruit these warriors, but you also equipped them with armor and fine weapons, and you gave each of them two good horses...... This can be regarded as a jīng sharp cavalry. Have you ever seen such a jīng cavalry stationed in a small town?"

Char was speechless.

"The ways for the aristocracy to make money are nothing more than a few: first, taxation. I'll reject this path for you. After all, the national tax items of the empire are not low, and ordinary people can't afford to pay higher taxes, blindly squeezing and looting, this kind of thing, don't say you can't do it, even if you want to do it, I won't agree. The second is an unsavory method in private: doing business, getting several industries in the territory, clothing, food, housing and transportation, opening taverns and hotels, and doing business. Other aristocrats were usurious, and I have even heard that in the outlying areas of the empire, some nobles were involved in the human slave trade. ”

Char shook her head: "Business can be done—but I can't do business either." As for usury, Lao Tzu has no money in his hand now, so where can he lend money to others? Buying and selling slaves? Who am I going to sell? I can't sell myself, right?"

Yulia smiled and continued: "Then there is another way: collect money! You are an imperial official, the commander of the armaments of a county, and you can be regarded as a military general in his own right. So in the army...... Hmph, there are many ways to make money, so I don't need to teach you. the greed of military supplies, as well as eating empty salaries and drinking the blood of soldiers...... You are in the army, you will not know this. But if you do these things, I will never agree to them! If you are such a person, even if my orphans and widows starve to death, they will not stay with you. ”

Char hurriedly said: "Yulia, don't worry, I came out of the Rhodria Corps, I can do other things, this thing of eating empty pay and drinking the blood of soldiers, Lao Tzu can't do it." ”

"Alas...... It's not that you can't do nothing. Yulia hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "We don't do big bad things, but some small things are reasonable." Since you are the commander of the armaments of a county, then you can have your own personal guards, and these personal guards are considered to be the establishment of the emperor's ** team, that is to say...... The samurai brought by Mr. Alfrecat can be supported by the emperor's salary - although this method is a bit bad, everyone is doing it, and I will not let you do it unkindly......"

Char nodded, that is, he used the country's money to support his guards. People eat horses and chew horses, weapons and armor horses, all have public funds to reimburse - although this is also a advantage, but looking at the whole country, even people like Ruhr and General Adric are inevitably acting like this, so Char will not have any psychological obstacles to do it.

"Also, your territory has not yet been decided, if it can be placed in the county of Mor, in the frontier land, there is still the income from trade routes, and collecting taxes from passing merchants, it is also a financial route......"

Yulia said this, rubbing her eyes that were a little sour: "These are all later words, I have to find a way to find money in the future." At the moment, it is imminent that you have received such a big house, it is really ...... It's a bit of a mismatch for who you are now. ”

She sighed: "You are just a small baron now, but such a mansion, in the dìdū, I am afraid that only those dukes and counts can live in such a house." Such a big house is really not a beautiful thing for you, but it is a great burden. ”

! Char was furious!

He was originally happy in his heart, he had recently been promoted and made a fortune, and he didn't know that he was already so poor, but today he was in a situation where Yulia broke his situation, and he couldn't help but feel angry in his heart, so he blamed Kavehill for this: This old guy gave me a house, I'm afraid he deliberately wanted to harm Lao Tzu, right?!

"Then sell this house!" Char gritted his teeth and stomped his foot.

He doesn't care what Tulip Family secrets...... Fuck the Tulip Family! The turtle's ideal in life is to be promoted to an official and make a fortune, and now he is inexplicably tied to the boat of the Tulip Family, and he is also trying to get rid of it! If he sells it, he will sell it! What a secret treasure of the Tulip Family, Lao Tzu doesn't want it! Happy to go to the frontier to be a local tyrant and bully, how happy!

Yulia shook her head: "It's sold, I agree, but it's not easy to do." ”

"What? can't you sell it?"

"It's not that it can't be sold. Yulia smiled bitterly, "Char, don't you understand?"

"There's something I don't understand. Char's eyes widened: "I heard that there is a trading guild in the south of Osgilia, and the merchants who come and go can be listed and traded there, let's go and put this house in the trading guild, as soon as the sign is hung, what is the price...... The target is lower, as long as it doesn't lose money -- anyway, Lao Tzu got it for nothing, and if it is sold cheaper, it will only make no loss. ”

"It's not that simple. Yulia smiled bitterly: "You are now an aristocrat, and the aristocratic family sells houses and properties, which is different from ordinary people." If it is an ordinary family and the house property is sold, it is natural to go to the trading guild and hang a sign. But you are now a nobleman! If you go and hang up a sign today, then tomorrow the news of your Baron Char's sale of the house will spread throughout the aristocratic circle of the entire dìdū, and everyone will think that you are a ruined family and a poor person who sells your house, which will immediately become a laughing stock in the dìdū. Moreover, you are a nobleman, and the house of the nobles is bought and sold, even if you hang it, ordinary people may not dare to buy it, even those rich businessmen who have money in the family, most of them dare not pay for your house. ”

"Why is that?"

"You are a baron, God knows that you are short of money today, you sold the house, and in a few days you have money, in case you run back to them to buy it back...... They are ordinary businessmen, you are a nobleman, in case of a dispute, where can people fight you, a baron who holds real power? More is better than less, and you are not the only one in the big mansion on the market, and others would rather buy other houses than yours. Yulia patiently explained: "So, generally speaking, if there is an estate to be sold in the noble family, they will not go to the trading guild to be listed, but will only trade privately with other noble families they are good friends with, and everyone is a nobleman, so they can rest assured when trading." And they will try to keep the news confidential and blockade, so as not to make the face of the party who sells the industry ugly. ”

Char's face turned white: "Damn, there are so many rules......"

He slapped the table abruptly: "cāo! Lao Tzu is not for sale! The house is not repaired! Just leave it there! Let it rot there! When it falls down, it will be quiet!"

Yulia asked Char to say this, not deliberately forcing him, but just calculating the family's accounts to him, lest Char really think that he is rich now and spend money lavishly.

The reason is clear, let this turtle spend money on his own in the future, and he will be careful about everything, and he will achieve his goal.

As for repairing the big house, Char can dispel this thought, which is also Yulia's intention: put it there first, and then repair it later when she has money, if she really has no money, she can only rot there. Although I am unwilling, it is too stupid to go bankrupt for the sake of a house.

※※※ Char had a bad face for three days for the sake of this money, and he was angry in his heart. Fortunately, he understood the reason, the situation at home was understood, and he knew that he was just an empty shelf with a beautiful scenery now, but he still followed Yulia's suggestion and first paid a salary to the group of samurai brought by Afrecut, and sure enough, after these guys took the money, they were very happy, and the secret resentment also disappeared.

People, it's all like this, Char understands this very well, and he will also have grievances: I used to be a samurai and still have income, but now I have taken refuge in you, the baron lord, but I have no money, who is willing to do it?

However, the word "bankruptcy" has always been pressing on Char's heart, which really makes him feel uneasy. In the past two days, he has dreamed that he is wearing tattered clothes, and he is taking a group of brothers with broken swords and worn armor to beg for food on the street...... Damn! I really didn't expect that when I became a nobleman and an official, I would be worried about money instead.

In the past few days, I met some noble children in the royal garden hunting ground that day, and they were instructed by the elders in the family to make friends with Char, and Char had to be asked out to drink a few times - but now Char has become stingy, if it is usual, with him who likes to be an uncle everywhere, others invite him to drink once, and he has to invite others to drink three meals.

Now...... Hmph, someone invited him to dinner, and he longed to go to the banquet after being hungry for a day.

With that experience in the hunting grounds, the entire aristocratic circle of Dìdū now understands that this little baron is a figure that His Majesty the Emperor has cultivated, and the process of the noble council's review of Char's title is much faster. Originally, I was afraid that I might not be able to get the procedures down for another half a month, but all the procedures were completed within three days.

When the nobleman's reward procedures were sent to Char, and the family emblem, family mark, seal letter and other things arrived in Char's hand, then from this moment on, he Char thundered, and he was officially a member of the aristocratic class of the Byzantine Empire.

As for the fiefdom, to his surprise, the Lancer Emperor directly carved out a place in Mor County, a small town near Denzel City, and issued a civil affairs booklet, indicating that the town was not as large as Wildfire Town, and the population was only eight thousand - although Char was still a little dissatisfied, but he also understood that as a baron, and he was a new nobleman, it was already very good to have such a fief.

If you change people, have no foundation, and do not have the appreciation of Your Majesty, even if you are given a baronial title, you may be assigned to a certain marginal eastern wilderness...... Moore County is still a grain-producing area.

After the formalities for the title were completed, it is said that the Emperor of the Lance originally planned to confer the knighthood on him personally, but was later stopped by the courtiers around him: His Majesty the Emperor of the Majesty, conferring a knighthood on a small baron, so as soon as this kind of example is opened, will all the titles of such small nobles be conferred by His Majesty in the future?

So the emperor finally did not come forward, but sent a messenger to see Char, bringing a few words of encouragement, which was nothing more than "Do a good job, do a good job, and I will not treat you badly." Something like that.

It was Char, who listened to the words of the emperor brought by the palace envoy, but almost cried. Seeing that the baron was so excited, the palace envoy couldn't help but comfort: "Lord Baron, Your Majesty appreciates you so much, and you must make some achievements to repay Your Majesty......"

How did he know that Char was not crying a few worthless words of encouragement from the emperor, but the money in his pocket!

This sent a palace envoy to come and go, and he had to secretly stuff a piece of gold again!!

The knighthood was done, and soon the official appointment paperwork from the military department also came down.

After these things are handled properly, Char has no reason to continue to stay in dìdū, according to the emperor's law, he must leave dìdū to take office within six days of getting the letter of appointment, otherwise it will be a felony of dereliction of duty if he does not leave within the time limit.

Before leaving, Char's house was packing up and saluting, but suddenly someone came to the door, and the person who came to the door was dressed as a servant in a sackcloth robe, and when he visited the door, he didn't say who sent it, but left a sentence to tell Char:

"Come and apprentice. ”

Char was busy at home, and when she heard Soyt's words come in and report back, the turtle became popular on the spot!

Apprentice, worship a ghost! Give Lao Tzu such a house, it is obvious that it is harming me!

"Don't worship!!" Char was furious and said to Soyt: "Lao Tzu is gone! Let him go back and say! I don't worship - if you want to worship, you can worship, send 30,000 gold coins, and I will worship!"

Seeing that the old man was angry, Soyt didn't dare to ask more, so he went out and told Char's words to the visitor, and sent the messenger away.

But after a while, Char calmed down and regretted it in his heart!

Thinking of this, Char was in a cold sweat, and suddenly felt apprehensive.

On this day, Char was a little distracted, for fear of angering Cavihill and attracting the guy's revenge.

But in the evening, Cavishir's house sent again. This time Char didn't dare not see people, after meeting, the person who came was a servant with a wooden expression, saw Char, saluted respectfully, and then reported, after saying a word, he almost fell off the chair as Char said.

"Our lord said, 30,000 is too expensive, how about a 20% discount?"