In the spring of the following year, the first indentured slaves will be reinstated as freemen.

In response to the shock, Richard decided to convene a meeting of the managers of the civil administration.

The meeting focused on several aspects, in addition to next year's budget, there is also this year's financial summary.

The participants included members of the Haaland family such as Richard, Sophia, Powell, Wendy, Adrian, and Donne, as well as Gibson, Rooney, Bobby, Thomas Webb, Tony, Bernard, Ihakil and other territorial civil officials.

Gibson is the butler of the Haaland family and William's cousin.

These far-reaching tribes of the Harland family basically settled in Fort Black River with William. Either start a small business under the patronage of the Haraland family, or participate in the management of Lady Ola's estate.

Richard gestured at Gibson and motioned for him to start the explanation.

In recent years, Lady Ola's business at Fort Black River has been largely run by Gibson and Liliana.

Gibson opened an account book, coughed lightly, and said, "By October of this year, the inn's income was average, and it had earned sixty gold coins after expenses. The rent income is less this year, adding up to thirty-six gold coins. ”

Ninety-six gold coins are certainly a huge sum of money for an ordinary person, and it takes twenty-five years for a person to work. But for the Haaland family, it's better than nothing. Now the family's annual expenses, even if you save some, it will cost more than 200 gold coins.

"The income of the taverns is very good, and the net profit of the six taverns has reached five hundred gold coins."

Hearing that there was a net profit of five hundred gold coins, Richard nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Can you open the tavern to places like Fort Leyte and Fort Flame?" ”

"I'm afraid it's difficult, we don't have enough strength in these two places to deal with all kinds of trouble."

Richard knew in his heart that the main relationship of the Haaland family was in Fort Black River.

My father and third uncle were both officers in the Northern Legion, and their influence in Heihe Fort was very great, so the tavern's competitors naturally didn't dare to look for trouble.

Even though the six taverns were doing a good business, the profits were considerable. Relying on the reputation of William and Bernie, it is easy to block the coveting and prying eyes of all kinds of bulls, ghosts, snakes and gods.

Originally, the Haaland family had some connections in Fort Black River and Fort Grizzly, but Roland and Soros did not develop smoothly in the two legions of Wild Lion and Grizzly Bear.

Even if those snake snakes don't kill people, throw a few poisonous snakes in the tavern every day and make trouble for you, and the tavern won't be able to operate.

When the time comes, only shady means can be used.

Behind the competitors are all nobles, and their strength is not weak, and it is not cost-effective for Richard to consume the family's strength in this kind of place.

Haaland's territory is developing rapidly in new industries every year, and it is fully capable of using its strength to open up new markets.

It is much easier to make a profit in the incremental market than in the stock market.

In addition to taverns, inns, and rents, Lady Aura also runs a bakery, a ready-to-wear store, and a shoe store in Blackriver Fort.

These small businesses may seem inconspicuous, but they add up to a lot of income.

Because the hired personnel are all serfs, the cost is very low, as long as they are given food, they can complete the work.

The labor cost is low, the price is lower, and the business is often very good, adding up to a net income of 200 gold coins.

Coupled with William and Bernie's generous salaries, the net income of Blackriver Fort exceeded a thousand gold coins.

The expenses of the two families were about 200 gold coins last year, and even if they were more this year, the income was quite considerable.

Hearing about the benefits of Blackriver Fort, Richard had a bottom in his heart. I think that in recent years Lady Ola must have saved a sum of money in her hands, and this money can be borrowed first.

"How's the yield from brown sugar?"

Ikhakir, who is in charge of managing the brown sugar industrial park, does not need to look through the ledger, the data has already been recorded in his heart.

"This year's output of brown sugar is 3.3 tons, the output value is 275 gold coins, and the territory has consumed 900 kilograms of brown sugar for welfare distribution, and the income of gold coins is only 200 coins. The brown sugar industry is developing very fast, and next year's output will exceed six tons, and the output value will reach 500 gold coins. ”

Richard knew that although the brown sugar industry was very promising, it would not make a lot of gold coins in a short period of time.

Five hundred gold coins is already a lot of money for a baron.

It was necessary to cultivate 3,000 acres of paddy fields and levy a heavy tax of 70% in exchange for this money.

It is equivalent to a village of serfs of thousands of people, and the taxes collected in a year.

Although a barony in northern Xinjiang relies on growing food, it can also receive a few thousand gold coins.

But the baron needed to buy weapons and equipment, he needed to pay his soldiers, and the annual consumption of a squadron was about a thousand gold coins.

The lords of the northern Xinjiang region, in order to protect the safety of the territory, have to pay more for raising troops.

Usually a squadron costs fifteen hundred gold coins per year.

In the event of war, military spending will increase.

In addition to military expenses, the lords also have to enjoy, socialize, pull relationships, give gifts, plus buy potions, buy resources for their own cultivation, and they can't save much money at all.

"What about the income of the brick kiln factory?" Richard turned to Rooney, the director of the brick kiln factory.

"The brick kiln factory has received very few orders this year, and only the baron dirham has ordered some bricks to repair the damaged walls, which adds up to only one hundred and twenty gold coins. As for the bricks used inside the territory, this year is not much money. ”

"Many of your workers will become freemen next year, right?"

"Yes, most of the brick kiln factory workers are the first batch of indentured slaves, and their contracts will expire next year."

"The workers' contract is full, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to convert it into an employment contract and give them a start pay."

"Has the salary been set?"

"The plan now is to pay four copper coins a day on a daily basis."

"I work for 30 days a month, and my salary is only four silver coins, which is a little lower. The brick kiln factory is very labor-intensive, and I think a little should be added. ”

Hearing Richard's opinion, Rooney was a little unimpressed.

"Your Excellency is too merciful. The workers of the brick kiln factory were all divided into land, and each person was given an average of five acres of farmland, and a family of six was thirty acres of land. The tax revenue of the territory is only 30%, and these people rely on the income from the land, and after paying the taxes and excluding the rations, the net income is about two gold coins a year. You can also go to the brick kiln factory to make money during the slack time.

As soon as they became freedmen, their standard of living would immediately improve, far surpassing that of the burghers of Blackriver Fort. What are they not satisfied with?

Human desires have no bottom line, and I should advise the lord that the salary cannot be increased. ”

(End of chapter)