Chapter 404 Persuasion

In February 1994 of the Holy Calendar, the lords of Arda, Bailding, Portree, Larnaca, and Manda once again gathered in Lake Town.

Soon after, a joint declaration from the five lords spread throughout the surrounding area - the North West Customs League was established.

According to the statement, the purpose of the alliance was first to promote the development of trade among member territories, and secondly to fight against foreign goods and protect the nascent manufacturing industry in the northwest.

Each lord promised to gradually reduce and eventually eliminate tolls in each other's territories, and adopt the same tax policy for the outside world, and the collected tariffs would be used as public funds for the alliance and reasonably allocated for use.

As soon as the statement came out, it quickly caused a huge storm in the northwest land of the Aldo Kingdom.

Because the content in this statement is not only about the establishment of the Northwest Customs Union, but also includes:

1. Abolish the tax collector system that widely exists in various territories. From now on, various taxes will be paid directly to the respective lords;

Second, knights, squires and other manor owners in various places shall not restrict the personal freedom of farmers (including serfs) on their own land, and allow farmers to move between villages and towns;

Third, private punishments are prohibited, private private courts are abolished, and all cases, large and small, are heard by legal officials appointed by their respective lords.

It's so unreasonable, so inhumane, and the lord is so inconsiderate to his people - this is the unanimous thought of gentlemen everywhere.

Let’s not talk about the customs union, which has been discussed for a long time. The other three things in the statement are also unacceptable.

Abolish the tax farming system? Our family has served the lord diligently for hundreds of years. Aren’t we the ones who hand over everything the lord eats, drinks, and uses? Who is the one who works tirelessly to collect taxes from door to door? It’s us! Who is being called a vampire every day and takes on the resentment of the mud-legged people on behalf of the lord? It’s us!

After such hard work and taking the blame, what's the point of leaving a little money as a reward? Isn't it the right thing to do?

Can’t the free movement of mudlegs be restricted? Do the lords know why their positions are so secure? It’s not because we prohibit them from connecting with each other and preventing them from clumping together. Besides, all the mud-legged people have gone to work in the city. Who is planting crops in the fields? Everyone is going to drink the northwest wind?

Ban the death penalty? If you don't have the power to punish mud-legged people, what else can you call me? Isn't this land in the northwest immediately in chaos?

In short, everyone shook their heads and stamped their feet, and everyone agreed that this was bad governance.

As Paul expected, someone immediately came to the door to admonish him.

"That's what you two want to say? Sit down first."

Paul smiled and ordered the servant to fetch a seat.

"Thank you, Lord Count."

After the two bowed, they sat down carefully.

These two people, one named Fergus and the other named Erdo, just made a big statement in front of Paul.

Fergus was a "knight" who used to serve the Grayman family, and he also followed him to conquer pirates, so he was considered a meritorious person. It was just that after Paul improved the army, system and discipline, he felt that he could not adapt to the new army and returned to his manor in the countryside to idle.

As for Erdo, although he is a manor owner, strictly speaking, his manor is under the name of the Graiman family. Erdo's family only "manages" it, but several generations ago, it gained the favor of the then lord. Pleased, the lord gave a "half reward" to his ancestors for the manor he managed. He only had to hand over a certain proportion of the harvest every year, and the rest belonged to Erdo's family. In Arda, there are many landowners like this. The land belongs to the lords in name, but the actual controllers are the servants of these lords.

In short, one of them is a family knight and the other is a family servant. They are both people who are relatively close to the Graiman family.

"My lord, don't be seduced by the villain's slander. Such an approach will seriously damage the loyalty of the people in your territory."

After sitting down, Fergus continued to persuade, and the look on his face was sincere, not fake.

"Yes, yes, what Knight Fergus said makes sense. Treating the people of the territory so harshly will cause people to be dissatisfied."

Compared with the knight with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a strong physique, Eldor is not very pleasing in appearance, and he always agrees with Fergus.

It seems that these two people were selected by the landlords to admonish me, Paul thought to himself.

According to his intuition, Fergus was not entirely out of his own interests, but more out of his insistence on the ethics and morals of the old era, and that Eldo was mostly out of personal interests, because the guy was always timid. Shrinking, not daring to look at himself.

But people's hearts are separated from each other, so who can say for sure.

"I will seriously consider your opinions and discuss them in detail with the other lords."

After trying to look like he was listening carefully and listening to their exposition of their shortcomings, Paul replied like this.

Fergus and Erdo looked happy, and it seemed that the young lord could still listen.

Paul arranged wine and food for the two of them, and saw them off after they were full.

A week later, the five major lords gathered in Huxin Town again, and after some discussion, they hurriedly dispersed.

Then various lords announced one after another that they would stop some of the measures in the previous statement.

Take Alda and Bailding as examples:

The tax farming system will not change;

The free movement of farmers is suspended, but if there is a member of the family who joins the army, the relocation of relatives shall not be restricted;

There is no mistake in every song, one post, one content, one 6 one, one book, one book, take a look!

Safement is still maintained, but if there are those who join the army in the same family, they must be transferred to the Lord Court for interrogation.

However, the establishment of a tariff alliance was reserved by the five lords.

So most people were relieved.

In the manor of Grand Township, the landlords, the landlords gathered again.

Old Valen said with a gloomy face: "This is a strategy. The count is a method that has been retired. We must find a way to stir the tariff alliance."

"It's so rude, pay attention to your identity."

Fergus immediately objected: "All the justaries that have just been released are abolished. What is the face of the Earl? It is not easy to make such a concession. How can we violate the five lords with the Duke of Northwest. "

"Yeah, yeah, we are his people after all, how can we have the truth of the lord."

Baden, Erdo and others agreed with Fergus, and the compromise of the count has made them very satisfied.

"Huh, I'm afraid that the Earl Master take a step back today, and two steps forward tomorrow. I remember that I said this sentence, and when the things in your hands were all taken away, I don't know if I can still be glad."

Old Valen picked up his alcohol and poured his belly, and his eyes flashed with a faint light.

"this……"

"No ..."

The crowd present looked at each other.