Chapter 236 Annual Summary
With extra money in hand, Richard was ready to take out a sum of gold coins to buy extra oxen from nearby lords.
Throughout the winter, the caravans of Harland's territory traveled all over the three provinces of the northern border, and even entered the Duke of Jonathan's territory, and only bought a total of 4,000 cattle. Including the cost of transporting the oxen, it cost 26,000 gold coins.
Half of these 4,000 cattle were oxen, and the other half were bison. Bison cannot be used for plowing yet, and need to be domesticated for a period of time.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, during the spring plowing period, one ox can help four freemen to open up wasteland and plow the fields. If deep plowing is chosen, about 80 acres of farmland can be cultivated. On average, three to five acres can be cultivated every day.
If the cultivated land is cultivated, the plow is shallow, and ten acres of land can be cultivated every day. If shallow plowing is used, mules will plough the land faster.
If Warcraft war horses are used, because of their strong strength and good endurance, the efficiency of plowing the fields is ten times that of oxen. However, the Warcraft horses are extremely powerful, have violent tempers, and are relatively smart. They are not easy to use, and only professionals can control them.
There are only more than 100 iron-horned horses in the Harland Territory. Even if they are all used to plow the fields, it is a drop in the bucket.
The main force of spring plowing still depends on mules, horses, and oxen.
Four thousand oxen can cultivate 480,000 acres of farmland.
The Harland Territory originally had 3,600 oxen and more than 6,000 mules and horses for plowing the land. Now the territory has only 1.1 million acres of farmland. In the past three or two years, even if large-scale land reclamation is carried out, there will be basically no shortage of oxen.
This year is the tenth year that the Harland family has become a noble.
After ten years of development, by the end of the year, the population of the Harland Territory has reached 216,000.
This year, Richard did not buy slaves. Most of the 14,000 people who increased were newborns, and only 2,000 slaves were privately purchased contract servants.
All privately purchased slaves will be converted into contract slaves after entering the Harland Territory, and the territory will compensate the slave buyers after the contract expires.
After private slaves enter the territory, it is difficult for them to access the core secrets of the territory.
Generally speaking, most of the industrial and mining enterprises in the territory will choose slaves purchased by the Grand Duchy of Stannik when recruiting workers, and grassroots managers will only be selected from free people.
The leakage of brewing technology has caused a lot of losses to the Harland Territory. All factories with technological advantages are very guarded against the outside world. Even sales staff who often contact the outside world are now not allowed to enter Fort William and Fort Sophia. Business dealings are basically conducted through Fort Vick.
Because the sales staff leaked secrets, the territory summed up the lessons learned, and Richard ordered the sales staff to be rotated every three months.
Although doing so will affect the business, in order to prevent the sales staff from being bribed and lured, it can only be done this way. After all, there is nothing perfect in the world. Now, for the sake of confidentiality and safety, efficiency can only be sacrificed.
In November, the efficiency of the charging array increased to 6%. It took twelve hours to fill a magic crystal with magic energy. Relying on the magic well of the Flame Tower, the gross income of the Harland Territory was already 600 gold coins per month.
It only takes a small amount of money to buy abandoned magic crystals, and the cost is only 33 gold coins per month. To operate the magic crystal charging array, a magician and two magic apprentices are needed to look after it, and the monthly wages add up to seven gold coins.
The profit of more than 560 gold coins per month from a magic well is already very considerable for the Harland Territory.
In December, Richard summoned the officials in charge of the territory's finances. Report this year's fiscal revenue and make a fiscal budget for next year.
The first speaker was Gibson. In the past one or two years, Mrs. Aura has let go of business matters, and most of them have been handed over to Gibson and Mrs. Kelly for management.
As the Harland family becomes more and more powerful and produces more and more various commodities, the business of Black River Fort is getting better and better.
The Harland family's business in Black River Fort is very messy, including chain taverns, hotels, business stations, transportation companies, real estate properties, mills outside the city, grain stations inside the city, clothing stores, shoe stores, etc.
This year's income has exceeded 2,000 gold coins, which is definitely a huge sum for ordinary businessmen.
The Harland family is already one of the largest chambers of commerce in Black River Fort. Mrs. Aura is also planning to build a theater and form a song and dance troupe next year.
In recent years, Richard has not borrowed money from Mrs. Aura, and her small treasury has accumulated a huge sum of 5,000 gold coins.
The next person to report is Leighton.
A few years ago, Richard promoted Rooney to the civil affairs officer of Sophia Fort, and Leighton succeeded Rooney as the factory director.
In recent years, because there were no large orders from the outside world, the income of the brick kiln factory was very average. This year, a large number of free people have been added to the territory, real estate has begun to develop rapidly, the construction market is relatively active, and the profit has reached 1,300 gold coins.
Because the demand for real estate is relatively large, the output value of cement and glass has also increased, making a lot of money.
This year, the glass production technology in the Haland Territory has become better and better, and it has begun to produce a large number of flat glass with copper molds.
Many windows of houses have been replaced with transparent glass. In addition to the glass bottles needed for canned food and drinks, and the glassware needed for hospitals, schools, and laboratories, the income of the glass kiln this year has exceeded 3,000 gold coins.
The real estate chain of glass, bricks, wood, cement, etc., has a total income of 6,000 this year.
The steel industry is still very stable. The steel production in the Haland Territory this year has reached 1,300 tons, and the sales price of steel has fallen slightly compared with last year.
Now the retail price of steel has fallen to 25 gold coins per ton, and a kilogram of good quality iron ingots is sold for only nine copper coins.
The steel output value of Harland Territory has reached 32,500 gold coins. 1,300 tons of steel were produced, but only 800 tons were sold, and the remaining 500 tons were mainly used in the territory.
The 800 tons of steel sold brought in about 20,000 gold coins. In addition to the wages of hundreds of workers and the food consumed by the orc slaves in the mines, the net profit of the steel trade was about 16,000.
The profit of the wool spinning business exceeded that of steel this year. The number of sheep in Harland Territory this year exceeded 2 million, and the net profit of the wool spinning business was 23,000.
Grain planting brought in 40,000 gold coins, but the purchase of oxen consumed 26,000, leaving 14,000 gold coins.
This year, there are 60,000 free people in Harland Territory, who need to pay 15,000 gold coins in field tax, plus commercial taxes, house rents and other miscellaneous income, adding up to about 18,000.
The output of the brown sugar plantation has doubled this year, reaching 260 tons. Because the output has increased so much, the wholesale price of brown sugar has dropped a bit. Now the price of brown sugar in the Harland Territory has dropped to 12 copper coins per kilogram, and the external wholesale price has dropped to 10 copper coins per kilogram.
In the Harland Territory, brown sugar is no longer a luxury, and free families can eat it often.
But in the royal capital Nolan, the price of brown sugar is still high, and it is still a luxury like honey.
The next few years will be a few years of brown sugar production explosion. In three years, the output of brown sugar will exceed 1,000 tons, and in five years, it may exceed 2,000 tons.
Such a huge production capacity is definitely not enough to rely on the 200,000 or 300,000 people with consumption power in the northern border.
Richard made two preparations for the impact of the huge explosion of brown sugar production capacity. The first is to reduce prices and sink the market, and the second is to develop towards the royal capital Nolan.
This year, the profit brought by the brown sugar plantation has reached 5,500 gold coins.
Last summer, the Queen of Flame Spiders laid eggs and hatched new Flame Spiders. This year, they began to spin silk. The output of Flame Spider silk increased by half, and the income increased to 1,500 gold coins.
The output value of the coal mine continued to rise. This year, the coal mined reached 21,000 tons. The output value of the coal mine this year reached 7,000 gold coins, and the profit was 5,000 gold coins.
In order to allow coal to enter the homes of free people and reduce deforestation, Richard lowered the sales price of coal.
The price of one ton of coal is only four silver coins. If it is raised to eight silver coins, the profit will exceed 10,000.
However, if the price is high, many free people will not choose coal, but will cut down trees and burn wood for the winter.
With the increase in the number of free people, the income of fruits and preserved fruits has also increased a little, especially canned fruits. After several years of preparation, the sales have been completely opened up. The nobles like fresh fruits in winter, although the price is relatively expensive.
Relying on the large wild orchards on both sides of the Harland Valley, the net income has exceeded 3,000.
In addition, rose perfume was also successfully produced and sold to noble women through Mrs. Orla's channels. This year is the first year, and the income is still relatively small, only 800 gold coins.
The income from hemostatic ointment is very stable, with a fixed annual income of 3,000 gold coins.
Hunting monsters is now also an important income for the Harland Territory.
Last year, the demon hunting team went deep into the Eagle Mountains more than a dozen times and successfully hunted monsters three times. The territory earned 8,000 gold coins through dividends with the demon hunting team.
In addition, the four-wheeled carriage was manufactured last year, earning 1,400 gold coins. The Harland Territory used the four-wheeled carriage to form a transport team, and the profit was also 2,000.
The magic crystal charging technology developed by the Harland Territory is very promising. In a year, it charged 260 pieces of discarded magic crystals and earned more than 2,400 gold coins.
By next year, the magic well of the Flame Tower will bring the territory a net income of 6,500 gold coins, which is a lot of money. In addition to the Flame Tower, the Harland Territory also has the Lightning Tower.
The energy core of the Lightning Tower is the magic core of the legendary Warcraft, which can slowly absorb magic power from the natural environment. It can also be installed with magic crystal charging arrays. The two magic towers charge the abandoned magic crystals, which will bring more than 10,000 income to the territory.
This year, the cash income of the Harland territory is 160,000. Excluding the 40,000 gold coins from the Venus family, the territory's income is still 120,000.
The income of 120,000 gold coins is equivalent to half of the Southern Earl.
This year's cash income of 160,000 gold coins consumed 26,000 to buy cattle, about 40,000 soldiers' salaries, 10,000 military logistics supplies, 6,000 territory officials, and medical and education funds added up to 3,000.
The annual expenditure is about 75,000 gold coins.
By the end of the year, there were 85,000 gold coins saved in the treasury.
It is useless to keep so many gold coins in the treasury. Richard plans to leave 15,000 gold coins as a reserve, and the remaining 70,000 gold coins are all prepared to go to the Grand Duchy of Stannic to buy slaves.
Seventy thousand gold coins can buy fourteen thousand slaves. With these fourteen thousand slaves, the population of the territory will exceed two hundred and thirty thousand.
After entering autumn, the new recruits have completed their training. Richard mixed the eight squadrons of new recruits with the veterans of the third and fourth battalions to form the fifth and sixth battalions.
Richard, the captain of the fifth battalion, appointed Roland. Although Roland had a prosthetic limb, it was still a little inconvenient for him to fight on horseback. This time, the territory army was expanded on a large scale, and Richard took the opportunity to transfer him to the infantry to do his old job.
Richard, the captain of the sixth battalion, appointed Jennings. Jennings' talent was very outstanding. He was promoted to the fourth level at the age of 27, and his advancement speed was two years faster than William, Roland and other talented people.
This year, 46 soldiers were promoted to professionals, and all the new professionals were transferred to the fifth and sixth battalions by Richard.
Although these two battalions were newly formed, a large number of veteran officers were drawn, and their combat effectiveness was not weak at all. Because they received a large number of enchanted equipment from the Venus family, their combat effectiveness could be compared with the main legion.
With more and more troops under his command and higher and higher levels of professionals, Richard knew that the Harland family must be promoted to earl as soon as possible.
Nobles can only be canonized as nobles after being promoted to earls.
According to the noble law of the Kingdom of Grant, earls can be canonized as barons.
In the Kingdom of Grant, the lowest hereditary title is Baron.
The royal family will grant the title of Lord to the middle-level professionals of the Royal Guards, and give them a part of the land and manor. However, the Lord does not have the status of a member of the noble parliament. If his descendants cannot be promoted to middle-level professionals, they cannot inherit this part of the land and manor.
Professionals struggle all their lives, just for this title and land that can be passed on to their descendants, to open the door to the upper class and let their descendants achieve class transition.
If the development of the Harland family stagnates, the attraction to outstanding talents will be greatly weakened. Richard knows that the title, territory, and honor are the cornerstones of maintaining loyalty in this era.
Even though Richard promoted many professional officers from slaves and changed their fate, many people are grateful to Richard.
But if the channel for professionals to rise to nobility is blocked, I am afraid that when it develops to a certain extent, many people will still choose to leave Harland territory, join the main army or defect to other great nobles, and be promoted to hereditary barons.
This idea is determined by the social atmosphere of the Dawn Plane for thousands of years. As long as you live in this plane, you will be influenced by the mainstream values and it is difficult to change them by force.
Judging from the accumulated merits, Richard is not far from being promoted to earl. He has two viscount territories under his name, and he can be promoted to earl if he obtains another viscount fiefdom. If he can seize the opportunity to make military merits in the next orc invasion war, he should be able to become an earl.