Chapter 414

The next morning.

Victor finished the essential morning exercise every day, had a delicious breakfast, took a comfortable hot bath and put on the Viscount dress sewn by Nicole. After everything was taken care of, he went to the small living room of the Duke's house.

This morning, as Lord Gambis, he will go to kite castle to meet the new king and present a congratulatory gift. Before that, he had to discuss the Kingdom's annuity tax with Sylvia, Katrina and the Duke of York.

Victor went into the living room. The Duke of York first said, "Victor, would you like something to eat or drink?" On the tea table in front of him were beef pie, fruit salad and a large bottle of fresh goat's milk.

"Thank you. I've had breakfast... Give me a cup of snow ear tea." Victor handed the cloak to the maid, sat down in the empty chair next to Sylvia and said apologetically, "sorry to keep everyone waiting."

Katrina is dressed up, her hair is curled up high, her neck is slender and white, and a string of ruby necklace is hung on her neck. With the same earrings, she looks elegant and beautiful. She looked at Victor with grayish green eyes and smiled, "Victor, you look... Very energetic."

"It's charming." Sylvia said. Her smile is narrow and charming.

Victor's face collapsed and muttered, "Dear Madam, it's not funny... Well, laugh if you want to laugh. Anyway, you know..."

"Ha ha, Victor, I heard about your story yesterday as soon as I got up from bed today. Well, there are two versions... Now... I'm afraid there are seven or eight different rumors in blinor, all about your dispute with special envoy dodo." Enbiser said with a smile.

"I didn't say that." Sylvia tooted her mouth wrongfully and laughed with Katrina again.

Katrina smiled and said, "Victor, you hate the golden finch family. Kite castle will not miss the opportunity of publicity. It is estimated that the whole aristocratic circle will spread... I mean... All." She drew a circle in the air with her long white index finger.

The maid of York family tried to resist a smile and presented a cup of fragrant snow ear tea. Victor took a sip from his glass and shook his head mockingly: "the appetizer before the noble meal, the happy dessert at the tea party... My reputation is still useful, although it doesn't really please me... Of course, the golden finch family won't be happy. I'm more or less relieved."

"The following topics, it is estimated that everyone will not be happy just arrived." Victor said positively, "our regent, through Viscount teness, tested the attitude of the people and horses to the annual gold tax reform."

"Mrs. Sylvia just talked to us." Enbiser took a mouthful of sheep's milk, picked up his napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth, "No one wants to pay more taxes, and no one can pay less taxes. The annuity tax of the kingdom is levied according to the eleven taxes of the church. The tax collector of the Kingdom collects taxes according to the accounts of the church. It's normal to earn more and pay more. The Lords are at most united to resist and delay for a few years... The Regent's annual gold tax will eventually be implemented. Dodo and Neville , Sasan... Kings, emperors and bishops everywhere follow suit, and no lord can escape. "

"It can only be said that his highness Williams grasped the opportunity very well." The Duke of York dropped his fine linen napkin, patted his round belly, shook his head and sighed: "We still have 15 years and 8 months of tax exemption. Renma hill has no reason to resist the new tax. When the Regent cleans up other families, we can't find an ally, and finally we can only pay the tax obediently. Moreover, the reform of the eleventh tax started from Renma hill. Even if other lords complain, it's because we cooperate with the Pope to change the annual eleventh tax into Once every six months. I think his highness Williams and the new cardinal are happy to praise the York family's knowledge and interest in front of other families. "

He glanced at Victor and then said, "of course, we need the support of the Pope, and we must also support the Pope. In line with the church's tax reform, we should first help Clement and Bishop Perot stabilize their positions before they have the spare power to help us."

Caitlina held her chin and sighed faintly: "Bishop Thain, who is about to put on the red robe, is one of the chief priests of tamore. It is said that the Pope gave all the archbishops of Borui and Gambis to the chief priest of tamore. In this way, the dioceses of Borui and Susi, Dodo and Gambis are connected, which is conducive to the implementation of the South expansion strategy. On the surface, the chief priest of tamore has a great momentum, but in fact, he will be in a hurry for a long time Time. This means that even if we move closer to pastor tamore, it is difficult for him to take into account the interests of the people and horses. On the other hand, in the context of the Pope, their strength has become more concentrated and can help us and the Neville kingdom to the greatest extent. This retreat under Clement's crown is taking the overall situation into account, crisp and wonderful! "

"No one will deny Clement's wisdom." Sylvia said, "although he gives the York family no choice, I like wise allies."

Sylvia smiled at Victor: "honey, since we have no choice, we might as well support the Regent's new tax system. Viscount Randall, as the Lord of kite castle, should set an example and give a big gift to the new king."

She said tactfully: you caused it. You have to pay your own taxes, and the favor of the Regent is yours.

Victor pondered for a moment, knocked on the table and asked, "what about the tax official and trade tax in Raven town?"

"Trade tax? Williams, don't even think about it!"

Duke York patted the tea table and screamed, "we have a tax holiday of 15 years, 8 months and 17 days! Even if it expires, kite Castle won't want to receive trade tax from me. The double headed lizard chamber of Commerce will sell the goods to whoever it wants!" He angrily nibbled at the beef pie and said vaguely: "I will unite all the big lords and small lords to boycott the trade tax."

"By the way, Victor, it's very wise of you to hand over the management of crude sugar to the double headed lizard chamber of Commerce!"

"It's acceptable for August to install a tax official in Raven town." Sylvia nodded and sneered, "trade tax, what's that?"

"The trade tax will definitely not be paid... I don't object to Williams' new tax, nor to his placement of tax officials in Raven town... I just want to know what will happen if all lords resist the new tax?" Victor looked around and his eyes finally fell on Katrina's pretty face.

Katrina frowned her slender willow eyebrows. Among the four people present, only she knew the Augustus family best, but she thought hard for a long time, but she still got nothing. She had to shake her head with blank eyes, and her confused expression looked beautiful and lovely.

Sylvia looked at Katrina with a smile, leaned over and asked Victor, "what's your idea?"

Victor smiled confidently and gently spit out three words:

"Gold sol, silver sol, copper sol."

"Currency?" The fat Duke was thoughtful, and a ray of light came out of his eyes.

Katrina is still a silly and naive look.

"You made it clear to me!" Sylvia rolled her eyes, twisted her slender hand on Victor's thigh, and said angrily, "I hate you to keep half your words and deliberately show off your skills in front of women." As she spoke, she glanced at Katrina with a reddish cheek.

Victor vowed that he had absolutely no intention of teasing Katrina, but Sylvia's just mild and sour meaning not only made the atmosphere a little embarrassed, but also stimulated his confidence and desire for performance.

"Er... I want to know the military strength of the Auguste family first." Said Victor with a bitter smile.

"Very strong." Katrina resumed her dignified and elegant appearance and said in a deep voice: "The manor Lord of the Auguste family has a total of 40000 County soldiers, and the scale of the king's forbidden guard is more than 20000. Each forbidden guard soldier is elite, which is no worse than our tusk army. If you add up the elite soldiers under Lord Gambis, I'm afraid there are only a few hundred more than the forbidden guard."

"The augustian family has a great military strength, but it is far from enough." Victor turned his voice and said, "on the one hand, kite Castle wants to maintain domestic rule and the tranquility of the border, and is also ready to cross the river south and open up territory. I estimate that the scale of the forbidden guard must be more than doubled in order for the royal family to maintain its dominant position. I wouldn't be surprised if Marquis goron followed the practice of human Machu mausoleum and recruited migrant mercenaries."

"They don't need it." Sylvia shook her head and said, "loyalty is always the primary condition for selecting and cultivating the elite of the family. It is difficult for us to imagine that the family distributes precious medicine, limited land and excellent armor equipment to strong but lack of loyalty. This will inevitably lead to the collapse of the family. There are differences between the top and the bottom. A system of favoring one over the other can maintain the stability of the family and even the kingdom."

"We have to recruit refugees and form mercenaries. But the equipment, training, treatment and status of mercenaries must be different from those of vassal soldiers."

She paused and sighed: "For more than 300 years since the establishment of Gambis, the Kingdom has continuously received dodo people displaced by war. These people have lived and multiplied in the north of the Kingdom and the Central Plains of brinor for at least seven generations. The manor lords of kite castle have absorbed some of them. Although the remaining people are free people, they actually live as augustian people. The king ordered, Kite castle can call up 80000 loyal soldiers in the north and middle at any time. "

Katerina slightly jawed and said, "what the Ministry of military affairs should do is just urge the Ministry of the interior to migrate the surplus refugees, make room for the survival and development of the militia families, and then use the cultivated land and terraces developed by the water conservancy project to turn the militia into vassal soldiers. Those refugees have become the source of troops of the mercenary corps of the human horse hills."

The topic was deflected. Victor hurriedly said, "anyway, the Kingdom needs money!"

"A lot of money." The Duke of York nodded.

"What if Williams' new tax can't be implemented?"

"Forge gold coins and plunder our wealth." The Duke of York yelled, "Damn it! I'd rather Williams continue to levy the annual gold tax on materials than he mints more gold coins."

"Do you think the Regent will cast more kinsol? But what impact can this have on us?" Katrina asked Victor instead of looking at enbiser.

Is it really good for you to treat your husband like this... Victor observed a moment of silence for enbiser in his heart, but still explained: "gold itself has no value. Exchanging gold for goods is a lucrative business. If Williams is forced by the Marquis of Cologne, he can only do so... No! He will do so. The time is different sooner or later."

Katrina thought for a moment and smiled: "gold itself is worthless... This is the first time I've heard this statement, but think about it carefully. Your view is very reasonable. However, even the royal family can't violate the ancient sol covenant. Gambis mints gold coins with a fixed amount."

Saul's covenant is a currency casting covenant led by Pope Saul 37 and concluded by major Knight families in the holy city. It unifies the material, size, style, exchange ratio and liquidity of money. The covenant stipulates that every 36 years, human empires, kingdoms and principalities send representatives to the holy city to jointly discuss their respective shares of kinsol casting. The kingdoms then cast their own silver sols according to the share of gold coins. The church obtained one tenth of the total amount of gold sol and was responsible for the casting of copper sol.

The emergence of Saul's covenant marked the end of the silver age and the rise of the bronze age. Since then, the legitimacy of the Kingdom has been recognized by the church, the vassal system has completely replaced the city-state system, and the church's eleven taxes have officially appeared on the historical stage.

Since the kingdoms could forge silver sols of equivalent value, the wealth of the royal family virtually doubled. Therefore, the new royal family especially supported the sol covenant.

For thousands of years, the sanctity of Sol's covenant has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The daughter of a great aristocrat like Katrina has never thought about the meaning behind the monetary covenant.

I'm afraid only Victor dared to ignore the authority and tradition, uncover the sacred coat of Sol's covenant and show its bloody side.

"How did the purple gold coins of the kingdom come from?" He asked blandly.

"When the Auguste family opened up the wilderness, they lacked funds. They mixed refined gold into jinsol, forged it into purple gold coins, and promised to exchange it..." Katrina's voice became smaller and smaller. She thought that the purple gold coins of Gambis were modeled on the purple gold coins of the Borui people. Now, all the great kingdoms have their own purple gold coins.

Victor said: "At the beginning, the purple gold coin was a debt certificate issued by the Borui people to help them raise funds and build the seven union islands. All kingdoms followed suit. As long as the Kingdom's finances were tight, they would forge a batch of purple gold coins and harvest the Lord's wealth. Although the purple gold coin was guaranteed by the royal family's credit and tax revenue, it actually bypassed the sol covenant and became a new currency."

He shook his head and said, "I still have many questions about the essence of money. To be sure, gold itself has no value. When everyone recognizes that gold can be exchanged for goods, it has value."

Katrina was in a confused state again. She pursed her lips and said hesitantly, "however, after all, the Kingdom did not violate Sol's covenant and privately forged gold sol and silver sol. Purple gold coins can indeed be exchanged for the agreed amount of gold coins."

Sylvia asked in a deep voice, "Duke Eriksson has forged gold sol privately for ten years. Where have those gold coins gone?"

"Swallowed up by the Dodo royal family and the church." Duke of York sighed: "Eriksson is an idiot. Friedrich deliberately connived at him to privately cast kingsol. When the Dodo royal family couldn't resist the pressure of the church, he took the blame on him. Eriksson died, but the money fell into the pockets of the Dodo royal family and the church."

"Friedrich can do this, so can Augustus, as long as they are short of money." Said Victor.

Sylvia turned her eyes to victor and asked solemnly, "tell me, what does the coinage right mean to the kingdom? Will the Augusts break the sol covenant?"

"Interesting question." Victor nodded and said with a smile, "what does it mean to exchange worthless gold for valuable medicinal materials, minerals, grain, animal skins and other goods? It means that it is a force like a flood and a beast, and it means that this power must be in the hands of the royal family."

"Whether Williams can implement the new tax or not, the Auguste family and all royal families will cast gold sol and silver sol, but they will not violate Sol's covenant." Victor's mouth sparked a playful smile.

"Because the Saul pact will collapse."