Chapter 214: The Disdained White Deer Castle
In fact, the tax requirements imposed by various countries on their lords are not an order, but a kind of... business.
In the continent of Pendor, matters like national taxation are still taken quite seriously.
Because it represents the right to rule.
The country that truly and completely owns a piece of land and its people is called a "country". Whether it is a kingdom, a duchy or a county, only by establishing a country and gaining recognition can one be considered to have completely owned the place. This can be understood as having full ownership, and its symbol is that one no longer has to pay taxes to anyone.
As for the lord who is loyal to others, no matter how high his title is, he can only be regarded as having the right to use his territory.
Although both are counts, Count Mettenheim and Count Leon are two completely different concepts.
Mettenheim is an independent county. Count Guderian and his subordinates have full ownership of Eisenberg Island, while Leon and his friends currently only have the right to use their territory.
The reason why it is called the right of use is because it is still necessary to pay taxes to the superior lord.
This is like a kind of rent, or like a management fee that the branch needs to pay to the group company.
Leon’s superior lord is the king, but although the king does not have to pay taxes to others, he is not actually the owner of the entire kingdom.
Because building a nation is not something that can be accomplished by one person alone - it requires the efforts of many people.
Therefore, a country does not actually belong to the king’s family, but is shared by all the nobles and is a group company.
The nobles merged their own businesses into the group, jointly occupying a larger market and benefiting together. This nature is no different from that of ordinary group companies.
The king is the chairman and general manager of the group company, and the nobles are shareholders and heads of branches. In fact, they are all noble lords, and there is no essential distinction between them.
It’s just that the chairman and general manager will make company decisions on behalf of the board of directors and lead everyone’s work, which is a difference in powers.
The lords acquired new lands and populations through exploration or war, thereby gaining more territory, which was like the growth of a branch company's business.
As a result, some branches have become more important and have a greater say within the group, but they are still affiliated with the group; no matter how powerful the branch bosses are, they still work for the group.
Since you hold a position in the group, you should of course obey the group's management and perform your work obligations as agreed.
Perhaps the biggest difference from ordinary companies is just that the work content is a little different...
These tasks include responding to wars and completing tax collection.
The standards for responding to war vary depending on the lord's title.
According to the regulations of the Kingdom of Sarleon, when the country issues a conscription order, the baron must provide ten to forty knights or corresponding troops depending on his ability; the earl needs to provide forty to eighty knights. This is a war obligation.
The specific standards will have specific requirements based on the scale of the war.
According to the current situation of the Sarleon Kingdom, generally one knight corresponds to five to six soldiers - the number of knights in the Sarleon Kingdom is relatively large among the countries in the Pendor Continent.
That is to say, when a country encounters war, a baron must lead at least 50 people, and a count must lead at least 200 people.
Of course, the nobles can also take the initiative to improve their work standards - the baron can also lead one or two thousand people to fight for the country and seize territory. This is an additional investment by the branch company in order to obtain more shares and voice.
Warfare is the most important work, just like a core project. Everyone knows that if the core project is not done well, the company is likely to suffer huge losses or even go bankrupt...
Another important job of the lords is to collect taxes, which is part of their daily work and is roughly the same as the logic of a branch company paying operating and management fees to the group headquarters.
A group company must have a lot of operating expenses, and the operating expenses of the entire group certainly cannot be borne by the general manager's company alone. Each branch company also needs to bear part of it.
Just like in general group companies, the group president assigns corresponding tasks on behalf of the board of directors, and most of the time this task will definitely be discussed with the senior executives.
Everyone will discuss their respective tasks based on the budget, and then each branch will complete them on time - the same is true for national taxes.
The group headquarters may certainly question the sincerity and ability of branch owners who are unable to pay management fees on time, and may even try to replace or sideline them - if it is possible.
Of course, if the branch manager has objections to the management fee amount standard, it can indeed be renegotiated.
In fact, when the kingdom's tax officials announce the tax standards, they are negotiable. This is not an order, but a bargain.
This is also the reason why tax officials will announce the standards half a month before the harvest season, in order to discuss a reasonable plan with local lords.
Business is all about negotiation.
However, transportation is not convenient these days, and we cannot summon all the lords to come to Sarlion City for a meeting, so we usually ask the tax collectors to go to each territory to negotiate.
Of course, negotiations always require confidence. If you really can't reach an agreement in the end, the management fees must still be paid. You can't just lose the territory, right?
At least in name, the national tax amount should indeed be subject to national arrangements.
However, the amount of national tax is only a total amount requirement. Just as the group gives a task target to the branch, the branch will of course also issue targets to each business department.
In fact, most lords did the same thing. They distributed the total tax amount to the knight lords under their command and assigned tasks to the knights. After all, the wool comes from the sheep.
However, when sharing the burden, the lords would also add local taxes, and usually add a little more.
On the one hand, since I have to raise taxes anyway and offend my knights, I might as well raise it a little more. After all, there is no difference in the degree to which my knights will be unhappy if I raise it by 20% or 28%...
On the other hand, when issuing targets, there will be room for maneuver, so that if the subordinates fail to complete the task, they will suffer losses...
Therefore, when it comes to the knights' territory to collect taxes, the tax amount targets become very heavy, and the lower you go, the more it becomes a mandatory order, and when it reaches the grassroots level, there is basically no room for negotiation.
The knights would not consider whether it was national tax or local tax, they would collect them all together. For them, this was to fulfill the lord's requirements.
The tax rates within the territory originally had fixed standards, and arbitrary changes could easily cause unrest. Common taxes were usually head tax, agricultural tax, commercial tax, etc.
But in order to increase the total amount, the knights would add many types of taxes in the name of the king and the lord, and sometimes in the name of the goddess...
For example, war tax, goddess tax, sacrificial tax, road and bridge tax, birth tax, feces and urine tax, chicken and duck tax... everything.
Of course, most knights are not stupid. They still have to live in the same village with the common people in the territory, and they still have to maintain their reputation.
And they are the ones who face the civilians directly...
So they would say that all taxes were the will of the king and the superior lords, saying that everything was a requirement from above and had nothing to do with them. If they had any problems, they could go to the king or the lord themselves...
Therefore, those who got a bad reputation were the "cruel kings" and "greedy nobles", and most of the knights did it "out of helplessness"...
The common people will also hate the king and higher lords more.
The reason why the knights wanted to increase the amount was similar to that of the nobles. Since increasing the tax would cause dissatisfaction among the common people anyway, they might as well be more ruthless so that they could keep more for themselves.
That is to say, when national taxes increase, local taxes will increase even more - the lord will pay once, and the knights will pay again.
Just like when the performance tasks of each company fall to each executive department...
The task target given by the group was originally 100, but the branch company would increase it to 200, and the department would increase it to 400, and it would become 800 for the employees.
But in fact, the amount handed over to the group is still 100...
So taxation will also have a leverage effect:
When the national tax only collects 5% of the average annual income of civilians , the total tax that civilians need to pay is about 50% of their annual income, that is, the local tax accounts for 45%;
When the national tax revenue accounts for 10% of the average annual income of the common people, the total tax revenue that the common people have to pay will account for 75% of their annual income, and the local tax revenue will account for 65%;
When the national tax rate is 25%, even if the common people pay all their income in taxes, it is still not enough...
National taxes will act as a lever to leverage final taxes.
5 dinars per capita is roughly equivalent to 25% of the average annual income of the civilians in Pand.
Most territories would not accept, nor dare to accept, this amount of tax - experienced lords knew what would happen.
But Le Ang himself was not short of money, and the new territory he obtained was a relatively wealthy place like Changhe Town. It was not surprising that the kingdom's tax officials would ask him for higher taxes, so the lord did not intend to bargain for the price to avoid unnecessary trouble.
He was also able to pay taxes without greatly increasing the burden on the common people.
But White Deer Castle is different. The border area is responsible for the country's security... It is indeed rare that the kingdom requires five times the heavy tax from such a place.
The tax collector couldn't blackmail anyone before the tax amount was determined. After all, Malbert could go to Sarleon City and negotiate the price directly with the king. He didn't have to pay any attention to the tax collector before reaching a consensus.
"White Hart Keep also charges so much... Is this what King Ulric wants? To impose heavy taxes on the eastern region? What effect will this have? To send the lords to Sarleon to waste time negotiating with him? This will only ruin his own reputation..."
The lord also felt a little puzzled. This tax target was not a mandatory order, so why set such a high price and make people angry?
"Who knows... Maybe His Majesty is short of money, or maybe he thinks there will be no foreign enemies at the moment... I heard that the taxes you received in Changhe Town were also very high, right?"
Malbert was well-informed. He shook his head and gestured with his hands: "Is it five times as much as before?"
"Yes, five times... So he really needs money..."
Li Ang shook his head. It seemed that the king had set a five-fold tax rate for everyone in the eastern region. This was obviously intentional. The several lords in the east just happened to have newly changed fiefs, and their footholds were not yet stable...
Malbert sighed: "But I heard that you have already subscribed to the tax... In this case, it would be inappropriate for me to refuse this tax..."
"Malbert, I will accept this tax amount only because I can afford it..."
Leon understood what Malbert meant. If he accepted the high tax this time, he was afraid that many lords in the eastern region would have to accept it - his status and identity would be different, and many lords in the east would regard him as a weather vane!
"Yes, you can afford it, but I can't... If I accept this tax and let my subordinates collect it, I'm afraid I won't live for more than a month. So, I'm transferring the territory to someone who can afford the tax now. The king and the House of Lords should agree..."
Malbert pulled out a document from his pocket: "This is the transfer agreement."
"But that person can't be me, Malbert. You should be able to see that... the king doesn't want me to stay in White Hart Castle."
The lord shook his head again.
"Of course not you... What I mean is that I can transfer White Hart Castle to Miss Amy - I will use White Hart Castle to exchange for the shares held by Lord Godric, and then discount these shares into those shops and businesses in the northwest region, and Lord Godric will 'break away from the partnership' with you. I think this just happens to be in line with the wishes of you and Lord Godric, and it also happens to match the play you played..."
Malbert smiled: "After all, your two families have had a 'falling out', so it's normal for Lord Godric to no longer cooperate with you! Moreover, he has developed feelings for White Hart Castle after so many years, so it's normal to let his daughter take White Hart Castle back from me... The king and the House of Lords will agree, and Amy is the king's niece..."
"You have a point..."
The lord nodded and laughed.
Malbert was really smart. Not only did he realize so quickly that there was no benefit for him to get White Hart Castle, he also guessed what Leon and Godric were about to do, so he took the initiative to find Leon to trade in advance.
——If he trades at this time, he can get the most benefit and can choose what he wants.
When he is in danger in White Hart Castle, such as an attack by the Bacchus Empire or the "trouble" of the Noldor elves, or high taxes leading to riots, White Hart Castle will be worthless.
They are not obsessed with territory, but instead try to find ways to gain the greatest benefits for themselves. Malbert and Brunus are truly father and son.
In fact, Leon's original plan was to let White Hart Castle encounter an "enemy invasion" after a period of time, and then let Amy take the opportunity to buy White Hart Castle from Malbert with Godric's shares...
But unexpectedly, King Ulrich imposed a high national tax, which directly scared Malbert away. He wanted to exchange the unprofitable White Hart Castle for the casino stores in the northwest region, so he could do this business.
"Then... as you wish, Malbert."
The lord does not care too much about tax issues. In his opinion, any problem that can be solved with money is not a big problem.
After all, his bank is about to open.
Moreover, the increase in taxes across the kingdom may not be a bad thing for Leon...
…
White Hart Castle.
In the center of the castle, there is a solid stone building with a huge sign hanging on it - Pender Bank.
The emblem used is also very straightforward, it looks like a gold coin surrounded by rice ears...
It is named Pendor, of course, because this is the continent of Pendor.
Although Li Ang had already obtained Changhe Town, he did not move the bank's headquarters there and remained in Bailu Fort.
In Changhe Town, they just set up a business outlet next to Changhe Express, which can barely be considered a branch.
Amy also returned before the bank opened.
She signed an agreement with Malbert and returned to take over her territory, bringing back news about Eagle Claw Castle and Dark Falcon Castle.
The situation is good, and Amy brought back mostly good news.
Eagle Claw Fort has been renovated by the captives, and two hundred female soldiers have also restored law and order in the surrounding area. Civilians have begun to move into Eagle Claw Fort.
The reputation of Countess Valera is quite popular in Beibu Gulf. In fact, Amy herself has become a legend now...
A rumor spread in every village and town in the North Bay, saying that Amy was the reincarnation of the soul of Countess Valera. This female knight wore a new falcon claw and did exactly the same deeds as Valera. Moreover, she was a royal knight...
Amy is indeed a genuine Royal Knight, and now she is using the Iris Flag.
But Amy is not a knight under Leon and Godric, but the guardian knight of Princess Philina. This is Godric's own inheritance. The iris flag was used by Godric when he became the guardian knight of Princess Philina.
Amy had no use for the blank document that Li Ang sent her, so she used the blank document as a promise to the female soldiers that if a female soldier made a contribution, Amy would directly write the name of the soldier.
That was a knighthood certificate signed by the two military chiefs of the eastern and northern regions. It was more reliable than any other knight order. Therefore, the appeal of this new Falcon Claw might be even greater than that of Valera's era...
Sarah had been recruiting people with the blank document before. Wherever she went, there were enthusiastic visitors, and it could even be said to be an audition site.
Amy now has 400 people under her command. If she had not stopped recruiting in time, it would not be impossible for her to recruit thousands of people. However, in order to maintain the good habit of one-to-one relationship between old and new employees, Amy did not blindly expand the number of people.
In fact, Amy is a princess, and becoming a female knight is a demotion of her status.
But becoming a female lord like Valera was her wish after all, and she seemed to have achieved it...
She has now become the real lord of White Hart Castle, which seems to be stronger than Valera's Eagle Claw Castle.
"Le Ang... Tsk tsk, Lord Earl doesn't move the bank headquarters to Changhe Town. Is he planning to do something bad in my territory?"
Amy seemed to be very happy and was even joking with Leon.
"I am a recognized honest man... How could I do something bad?"
The Lord's face was filled with shock: "Amy, who do you take me for?"
"An honest man? People outside don't say that... I heard that you were beaten by my father when I came back? Ahaha... I also heard that there are many beautiful women around you? And you have become a famous rapist?"
Amy looked at Leon's face with a smile.
In fact, the wound on his face had healed long ago, and nothing could be seen at all.
"Ahem, that was all acting...didn't Lord Godric tell you?"
Li Ang smiled awkwardly.
"He said you were just playing around - but that word doesn't sound very nice... Leon, I understand that you want to reassure the king... But, what should I do now? Can I no longer be by your side?"
Amy was still smiling, but there seemed to be some worry in her words.
"this……"
The Lord was stunned for a moment: "Amy, what are you worried about?"
"I'm worried... I... well, my father said he was going to retire and was going to take my mother and brother to Eagle Claw Castle, but he asked me to come to White Hart Castle alone."
Amy began pulling her hair, straightening it, curling it, wrapping it around her fingers, straightening it again, curling it again…
"You are the Lord of White Hart Castle... Is there any problem with this? Weren't you the only one in charge of White Hart Castle before?"
The lord was a little confused.
"Before...before, it was the two of us in White Hart Castle..."
Amy sighed, pouted, pulled her hair, and walked away worriedly.
She now had her long hair down her back instead of putting it up like she usually did.
