Chapter 110 Preparing for a Long Journey
Richard looks very young. Young people are talented and gifted. Their thoughts are reflected on their faces.
In fact, Richard has experienced two lives. His mental age is over fifty years old. He usually does not show his emotions.
In recent years, he has been farming in the territory and rarely interacts with outsiders.
Outsiders do not understand his character at all.
Seeing that he could not lower the price, Savile finally nodded and agreed to pay a sum of money in three days.
Jerram sent someone to Vickburg with the first down payment.
The first down payment was 12,000 gold coins.
After the money was in place, Richard immediately issued pensions to the casualties of the Sixth Squadron.
Soldiers who participated in the war were rewarded with a gold coin, and even the civilians who followed them received 50 kilograms of food.
The gold coin of the Kingdom of Grant weighs about 50 grams. In addition to gold, some magic crystal powder is also incorporated into the gold coin.
In the normal market price, the price of gold is half of the gold coin.
In the Kingdom of Grant, only the royal family has the right to mint gold coins.
No matter how great the nobles are, as long as they dare to mint gold coins privately, the royal family will definitely send troops to attack them.
The Grant Kingdom Code clearly states that the right to mint coins is equal to the royal power.
Duke-level nobles can build mints in their territories to mint silver and copper coins, but not gold coins.
Earls and marquises can mint copper coins, but not silver and gold coins.
In terms of the right to mint coins, the nobles are clearly divided into different levels.
Unless they can break the system, even the great nobles dare not cross the line and challenge the royal power.
Richard received the first ransom and asked Savile to meet Howard.
Hearing that Jerram used 30,000 gold coins to ransom people, Howard swore directly and was willing to be loyal to Jerram.
As for his real thoughts, who knows what they are?
Anyway, Richard found through observation that this person is very cunning, and he probably figured out the cause and effect, so he deliberately got captured in the battle.
As long as Howard was captured, the Holland family had to pay a ransom to rescue him, especially Jerram, because this matter was closely related to his future.
If Howard had been determined to die in that battle, Richard and his team might not have been able to capture him alive.
Soon after the first payment was delivered, the second payment of 8,000 gold coins arrived.
This time, Butler Savile told Richard that the last payment needed to be raised.
At least it would take until after the autumn harvest for Governor Jerram to get a final payment to pay it off.
"Jerram has monopolized the salt trade in the Geda Province, and the price of salt is nine times higher than that of the Duke of Jonathan. The population of the Geda Province is 1.2 million, supporting this parasite, can't they come up with 30,000 gold coins in cash?"
Seeing Richard's sarcastic remarks, he even cursed and insulted his master. Savile remained neither humble nor arrogant, and explained calmly: "Baron Richard, you don't think that my master Jerram alone can monopolize the salt trade in a province.
There are also many big figures in the capital who share the profits from this business. Mr. Richard should carefully weigh the weight of it and not sell salt to other territories."
Richard knew that Jerram used the huge profits from the salt monopoly to weave an interest group that supports Prince Felix.
This interest group is mainly composed of nobles in the capital, many of whom are royal branches.
Although the political influence is not particularly large, it cannot be underestimated.
With a large number of people, this interest group is quite well-informed.
The huge profits from salt in the Geda Province are a very important source of income for Prince Felix.
Richard's purchase of salt has actually touched this interest group.
It's just that Richard holds Jerram's handle, so they dare not act rashly.
There is a conflict of interest with Prince Felix behind Jerram, which is very disadvantageous to the Harland family politically.
Especially when it comes to being promoted to a noble title and obtaining a territory, if someone is making trouble in the capital, it will be difficult to guarantee the interests of the Harland family.
If Richard continues to buy salt from Jonathan's territory and sell it in the Geda Province.
The conflict of interest between the two sides will become more serious.
Although the Harland family is not weak, it may not be able to withstand the attack of this interest group.
Even Viscount Romon, the strongest Viscount in the Geda Province, chose to give in to this interest group.
The power of the Harland family is less than one-third of Viscount Romon, and Richard certainly will not compete with this interest group for food.
Since Jerram can no longer pay, Howard needs to be imprisoned in a cell. Not only does he need a professional to take care of him, but he also needs to be provided with exquisite food every day. It is useless for the Harland family to support a person for nothing.
Richard is going to let Jerram write an IOU and then let him go.
After getting the IOU, Richard immediately fulfilled the agreement and let Howard go.
The nobles signed a contract, which can be executed most of the time.
If you want to develop in a region for a long time, reputation is actually very important.
Although the fickle nobles can gain short-term benefits, in the long run, losing credibility actually means losing the foundation.
Richard is not afraid of Jerram defaulting on his debts.
As long as Jerram defaults on his debts, Richard can take the opportunity to make a big fuss about this matter. Jerram has finally suppressed this matter in the province of Geda. As long as he has money in his hands, he will never let himself fall into a scandal.
Besides, Richard is very happy to get the unexpected money of 20,000 gold coins.
It is useless to hide the gold coins in the cellar for the development of the territory.
Only by spending the gold coins and exchanging them for various resources to invest in the construction of the territory can the foundation of the Harland family be strengthened.
The biggest weakness of the three territories of the Harland family is the lack of people.
In recent years, through the purchase of slaves, the assimilation of refugees, the rescue of slaves captured by orcs, and the use of dead people, the total population of the three territories has just reached 20,000.
In addition, there are more than 2,000 orc slaves in the territory, which are not included in the household registration statistics.
By tomorrow spring, the first batch of slaves will become free people.
Once the contract slaves become free people, the territory's oppression of them will be reduced.
Free people cultivate farmland, and the tax is only 30%.
Collecting food from contract slaves, just leave them rations.
But in the long run, the free people have the consumption capacity, and there will be a market only when there are more free people, and productivity can be improved only when there is a market.
Even if the short-term benefits are reduced, Richard will still implement the contract slave law and slowly transform serfs into free people.
Richard plans to buy people with these 20,000 gold coins.
Twenty thousand gold coins can buy about four thousand people in the Kingdom of Grant.
Such a large number can only be provided by the slave market in Nolan.
Richard just offended the interest group behind Jerram, who has great power in Nolan.
Going to Nolan at this time, you need to be on guard against these people at all times.
Being watched by many people in secret, you may get into trouble at any time.
The slave market in the three provinces of the northern border controlled by the royal family is in Black River Fort.
This slave market is relatively small, and the total number of slaves in it is less than one thousand.
Moreover, there are many people behind the slave market, and Jerram, as the governor of the province, must have a share in it.
If Jerram takes the opportunity to arrange spies to mix in the slaves, resulting in the leakage of the advanced technology of the Harland territory, it will be more than worth the loss.
So Richard is not going to buy slaves in the Kingdom of Grant this time, but chooses to go to the neighboring Grand Duchy of Stanik to avoid the eyes of others.
Before leaving, Richard was a little worried about the territory and talked to Hayden in person.
"Jeram paid the ransom, and we have let Howard go. I plan to use the money to buy people. The capital and Black River City are not suitable for going. I am afraid that I will have to travel far this time. Other things in the territory are fine, and counter-espionage work is the top priority.
Especially the brick kiln factory, steel plantation, brewery, brown sugar tree plantation, and Zitoufeng breeding farm must be patrolled by soldiers, and the arranged garrisons cannot be easily mobilized.
Any strangers who appear in the above places must be arrested immediately and sent to the mines for mining. You manage the intelligence work yourself, and you must be vigilant about such things at all times, and you must not relax your mind."
After explaining Hayden, Richard talked to Sophia again and asked her to manage the spring plowing work on his behalf.
William, Bernie, and Ron are still in the army. Richard and Soros are preparing to go out. Powell is watching the construction of Sophia's castle. The decision-making in the territory can only be decided by his wife.