Chapter 394： 2 steps forward, 1 step back

"Ah Choo!"

Paul sneezed loudly.

This sneeze can be said to be quite inappropriate, after all, the Earl is seeing off guests right now.

Paul took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, thinking to himself: "I don't know which girl is missing me from afar."

While showing an apologetic smile to everyone, these are rich people from the countryside, or squires, who were invited to the Lord's Mansion to attend the banquet today.

"My lord, the night wind is quite cold recently, please pay attention to your body."

A well-dressed and well-built man hurriedly said to him.

Paul nodded: "Haha, thank you for reminding me, Mr. Baden."

"Don't dare, dare not." Barden smiled flatteringly.

After saying their farewells one by one, all the people rode on horses and rode in cars, taking advantage of the moonlight to leave the Lord's Mansion in twos and threes.

Paul stood at the door and watched the crowd leave. After they were all gone, he turned to the four people behind—McLone, Old Ford, Hansel, and Old Philip—and asked, "What do you think of their attitude?"

Today, famous gentry from all over the world were invited to a banquet, and Paul once again advocated his customs union plan.

Philip, the steward of the lord's mansion, shook his head and said with a look of resentment: "My lord, although they are rich, they have no titles, not even knights. It is already a great gift to entertain them as earls of you and Mr. Gardner. Such a condescension to send a group of civilians to the door will be laughed at if word spreads."

"Philip, I didn't ask you this!" Really, where is the old butler's focus.

Old Ford, the chief executive of the Government Affairs Council with rich experience in life, twirled his beard and said: "Most people are still pretending to be false, and only that Baden is still positive."

Since Baden was severely punished by Paul during the salt riots, he has been extremely concerned about any "instructions" from Paul.

The four returned to the hall where the banquet was held just now and sat down. The servants had cleaned up the messy table.

Paul said firmly: "The matter of the Customs Union has to be settled next year. The Heller family in Portree and the Parker family in Larnaca have already reached a preliminary agreement with me. As the initiators, we cannot hold back."

The reason why Alda and Bairding have objections is related to the "inaction" rule of the Greiman and Gardner families, but it is Emden, which was recently brought under the rule, where the landowners don't even have a fart. They dare not let it go. Their former lord, the Earl of Kent, was a strong ruler. Even if the people under him could make small moves, they didn't dare to say it publicly. Then Earl Greiman, who defeated the Kent family, is already a figure of **** devil level in the hearts of those gentlemen.

According to the oral agreement of several lords, Arda authorized the use of a series of technologies including papermaking, canning, printing machine manufacturing, shipbuilding, and salt drying, and opened agricultural machinery such as seed drills, harvesters, threshers, and flying shuttles. The sale of looms and spinning jenny machines in exchange for the support of the patent system and the customs union between the two places. Now that these things related to people's livelihood have taken root among the people and have been put into production in private factories one after another, it is almost impossible to continue to keep secrets from other territories, and it is only a matter of time before they spread beyond the jurisdiction of the Government Council. It is better to use them in exchange for people's consensus on the patent system-although it may only be a superficial consensus.

As for the profiteering porcelain, the ironmaking technology and coke production technology that made Paul secure the top position in the Northwest Industry, and the firearms manufacturing technology that countless people want to get a glimpse of, they are still in a state of high secrecy.

"Hmph! If they don't know how to be funny next year, then we have to see whether their brains are hardened or my bullets are hardened."

Paul said bitterly.

Hansel rolled his eyes and asked, "Master Greiman, in our conversations in the past, you always revealed a lot of ideas, so what are you determined to do, why not tell us all, Especially about the countryside."

"Yes, I want to liberate those poor serfs, I want to abolish the disgusting tax system, I ban private courts, take back judicial power, and I want to confiscate..."

There was some wine at the banquet, and everyone present was quite open-minded, so Paul expressed his thoughts without any scruples. stopped talking.

It’s really cutting the flesh of those people, Hansel thought for a while, and said with a smile: "Master Gleiman, since this is the case, it is better to use the strategy of 'take three steps forward and retreat two steps'."

Paul asked curiously: "What is 'three steps forward and two steps back'?"

Hansel explained: "When I was the tax officer of His Majesty the King at Jingyao, I remember that one year the government had to raise taxes due to urgent matters. After the first order came out, the people were full of resentment. After a while, they came again. The second order cut the additional tax imposed by the previous order by two-thirds. Not only did the people’s grievances decrease a lot, but many people began to praise His Majesty’s benevolence. But according to my inquiries from friends, Afterwards the government collected the planned tax.”

Paul's eyes lit up: "What do you mean?"

Hansel nodded: "Yes, UU Reading might as well make more publicity about your planned reforms, or simply promulgate a decree directly. It will inevitably arouse a wave of opposition, and a compromise will be made at that time If you take back those secondary goals first and leave the main ones, you should encounter less resistance.”

Paul stroked the light mustache on his mouth, "Rise the price on the ground, and pay back when it lands?"

Old Ford said worriedly: "The reform changes day and night, and I am afraid it will affect the authority of the earl as a lord."

Hansel explained: "This is called contingency. The power of the lord comes from what he finally does, even if the process is a little tortuous."

Macron put forward a compromise suggestion: "Let's take two steps forward, take one step back, and make smaller concessions."

"Just follow what Myron said, otherwise it would be too embarrassing."

Paul made the decision.

The customs union is the primary goal at present, and it needs to be carefully considered as to which other goals are used to cover it.

Several people discussed in detail for a while, until Hansel left at nine o'clock in the evening, while Mellon and old Ford did not leave.

Paul stood by the window and looked at the back of Hansel leaving outside, and asked the allies next to him, "What do you think of Hansel?"

Macron summed it up in his heart: "A very capable person, the previous land consolidation was completed so quickly, thanks to him."

Paul said: "Indeed, his suggestion just now is also good."

He sighed, "It's a pity that he was sent by the royal family to us after all. Perhaps the experience of the Northwest Gulf is just a short journey in his life in his heart."

McLone said with a smile: "But because of this, he will let go of it without any scruples. He offended many people when presiding over the field inspection."

"Haha, it's true."