fynovel Chapter 241 High-Level Meeting
Chapter 241 High-Level Meeting
Summer June 25th.
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The next morning.
The sky is dimly bright.
Richard awoke from the soft, spacious cashmere bed, groggily opening his eyes to find his arms tightly wrapped around him.
Turning my head, I saw Betty, her long hair scattered on the pillow, her cheeks still flushed with the faint blush of sleep.
Richard was slightly taken aback.
and many more.
Didn't you sleep with Masa in your arms last night?
When was the person changed?
never mind...
They're all my precious darlings anyway, so what difference does it make which one I hug?
Richard shook his head, tiptoed out of bed, and found two Snow Rabbit maids waiting outside the bedroom. Upon seeing him come out, they quickly brought him warm water to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
The table was already set, with golden-brown soft-boiled eggs, freshly baked wheat bread, and a large glass of warm milk.
After finishing their meal slowly, they descended to the lord's hall on the first floor.
A row of people was already standing in the center of the hall.
Chief Minister of State Wendy, Legion Commander Carl, Minister of Crafts Owen, Dean of the Mystic Academy Felix, Chief Engineer of Infrastructure Henry, and Serf Steward Fanny.
All of them are the heads of their respective core departments, and today they have gathered here for the first truly significant high-level meeting since the establishment of Qifeng Territory.
They seemed to have been waiting for some time, chatting idly, when the lord appeared, and everyone bowed and greeted him in unison.
Good day, my lord.
Richard gave a faint "hmm" and walked to the lord's seat to sit down.
Let's get straight to the point.
He brought up the idea of administrative reform that he had considered yesterday, and reorganized and upgraded all the previously loose teams into formal functional departments.
"Wendy, you will personally select and appoint the heads of each department, giving priority to those from the Chiffon Citizens."
The scope of the administrative reform was extremely broad, affecting almost everyone present's jurisdiction. After Richard finished speaking, a murmur rippled through the hall.
Richard did not interrupt them, allowing them to discuss privately until the conversation calmed down before issuing further decrees.
"Shops in the city can now be rented out. There are no restrictions on tenants, and outsiders are welcome. The rent is set at three silver coins per month, and the shops will be allocated by lottery."
"The commercial tax will be collected as previously agreed, and the rest will be handled according to tradition. Only those who have rented shops can purchase food in bulk from the city hall."
For a stable yield of crops and all profits, the lord who owns all the farmland is the largest grain merchant in the territory.
The vast majority of lords either operated their own grain shops to sell directly, or packaged the grain as a whole and wholesaled it to merchants or individuals for distribution.
Free citizens with resources or skills would buy food, process it into beverages or other products, and then sell it to others.
On a larger scale, some private workshops would establish themselves, wholesale various raw materials from lords, and then produce the goods.
In this way, compared to the lord selling grain on his own, there would be an extra commercial tax, and the shops would be rented out as much as possible.
Of course, some lords will also set up their own workshops, but once they monopolize too many industries, the drawbacks will also become apparent.
If some free people cannot profit from crafts such as processing or forging, they will certainly not want to stay in this territory.
Over time, the territory's commercial economy will only become narrower and narrower, since in this era, the skills that can make money are nothing more than a few.
To maintain economic balance in a territory, it is necessary to open up some industries and give ordinary people room to make a living.
These are actually experiences that other territories have gradually learned from their mistakes and pitfalls.
Chiffon cakes face similar challenges.
The quality of the fruit wines, juices, jams, pickles, and textiles produced by the artisan department far surpasses that of those produced outside.
This will inadvertently squeeze the living space of scattered folk artisans.
If the private trades are completely monopolized, blocking the way for ordinary people to make a living independently, and all labor is done by hiring people from the territory, the vitality of the territory will eventually be completely exhausted.
This is also why Richard set a high salary of ten silver coins for his subjects; this was a consideration at the time.
For them, a high-paying job is a low-risk path to survival, but it's unlikely to make them rich.
Other crafts that do not conflict with the output of the Chiffon Craftsmen Department include blacksmiths, leatherworkers, shoemakers, carpenters, stonemasons, pastry chefs, and so on.
Richard supported and encouraged them, allowing private processing, workshops, and sales, while the territory only collected rent and commercial taxes from them to maintain a certain commercial balance.
...
After discussing this topic, Karl suddenly stepped forward.
"My lord, you just mentioned that the city hall is going to undergo departmental restructuring. I humbly request that a group of attendants be allocated to serve the legion."
Previously, there were fewer people and the necessary conditions, but now that the population has increased, Karl's Legion has also completed the necessary configurations.
War mounts are precious in this world. The Knights Order does not have a retinue, but there are grooms and servants who follow along to handle logistical tasks.
They routinely help with mundane tasks such as wiping warhorse saddles, maintaining military equipment and armor, organizing training targets, cleaning training grounds, and moving military supplies.
When they go out, a small number of superhuman soldiers will accompany them to help with logistics.
However, since each member of the legion possessed a unicorn, and there was no distinction between knights and extraordinary soldiers, this issue became a blank.
The city defense troops are responsible for guarding towns, patrolling territories, and maintaining order. It would be confusing and inappropriate to have them serve the legion.
However, Richard had already planned for this.
"With the population of the territory now booming and a sufficient number of new young and able-bodied men, the legion system also needs to be adjusted accordingly."
"Karl, take charge of recruiting five hundred citizens to form the city's defense force and improve the town's defensive capabilities."
After the militia was reorganized, the city defense force only had a little over 100 people. Now, with more than 3,000 soldiers' families, the force can be expanded.
But that's not enough.
Richard looked at Carl and continued:
"Secondly, I plan to form another conscripted army as a third-tier reserve military force, with recruits drawn from the local population, tentatively numbering two thousand."
"The future Chiffon Legion will be divided into three parts: the Royal Guard composed of veterans, the City Defense Army mainly composed of Chiffon citizens, and the Servant Army composed of ordinary citizens."
"You need to establish a daily duty roster and training rotation system for the three legions. Most importantly, you need to develop a complete and clear promotion ladder system."
"Outstanding servants can be promoted to the city defense army after passing the assessment. Those in the city defense army who are exceptionally talented and reliable are eligible to be selected to enter the Imperial Guard."
At this point, Richard paused before directly answering Karl's request.
"As for the Imperial Guard personal attendants you need, there's no need to recruit additional people separately; they can be drawn from within the Imperial Guard on a rotating basis."
"Let these lower-ranking reservists have close contact with Chifeng's top military forces, broaden their horizons, and inspire their ambition."
"Barrett will temporarily serve as the commander of the Servant Corps, and Im will temporarily serve as the commander of the City Defense Corps. I will make further arrangements when a suitable candidate for commander is found."
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