Chapter 12: Inquire about news

Count Carlos has a courtyard here, which is the temporary residence of the tax officer when he comes to collect taxes. However, the courtyard was so small that he couldn't live with so many people at all, and Chen Hansheng had to pack a nearby hostel for the caravan.
Dark bread, bacon, and boiled beans, crowded among narrow long tables and benches, finished a typical local lunch. Chen Hansheng approached the boss of the hostel and asked about the local situation.
"Sir, it turns out that about 50% of the surrounding area is the earl's land, and another 40% belongs to the baron of O'Farrell. Earl Carlos is not the lord of the baron. Lord Baron is loyal to the Duke of Greenwood in the south? Solanas. But last year, the Earl and Baron made a deal and sold all the land to Baron Offarrell. This is something everyone knows. "
"Obviously, the king's ministers don't know." Chen Hansheng said.
"It means that the transaction was carried out in private and the king capital was not notified," Kalanda said. "The most likely reason is that the earl did not want the matter to be known there. For example, the money would be used to buy weapons or recruit army."
"He is not afraid of being discovered?" Chen Hansheng asked.
"In such remote places, Wang has no time to care about, how could he be found. Even if it is found, just say that he failed to report it in time." Kalanda explained.
"These twists and turns are still relatively clear to you. It seems that your empire is not as good as that."
"The nobility and the nobility are carved in one mold."
"What kind of person is Baron O'Farrell?" Chen Hansheng asked the boss again. Hesitant to see the other party, he took out a gold axe and pushed it to the boss, "Don't worry, your words won't come out of this room."
The boss was very happy. This gold coin was worth the two-day package fee. He respectfully put away the gold axe and said to Chen Hansheng: "Sir Baron is in his 60s, he is from the Solanas family in the Greenwood City. It ’s said to be the uncle of the Duke of Parsa. In the early years, he was just a knight, you know, that kind of knight who was everywhere in the noble family and could not inherit the knighthood. Later he went to the battlefield to fight the empire and belong to The kind with a good life not only came back alive, but also earned the title of the baron. He started to live here ten years ago, and he is the largest house in the town.
The baron is a very strict person, he always said that people on our side are not disciplined, and it wouldn't be a rule not to kill a few. Whipping villagers is common. Another thing is that he never tolerates tax owe, because it was not one or two who was killed or hanged by him. The boss lowered his voice. "When the earl sold the land to the baron last year, he wanted to sell the serf together." But those mud legs refused to live or die, and they knelt down on the ground at night to beg the servant. So later they were taken away by the supervisor. "
"Is the tax heavy here?" Chen Hansheng asked.
"Of course heavier! At least half of the gold axe you gave me will belong to the baron. Open door tax, room tax, employment tax, magic crystal tax, fire tax, mule tax, and many other special case taxes. If I elaborate with you, I can't finish talking at night. "
"Wait, I didn't understand? What are the door tax and room tax?" Chen Hansheng wondered if he had heard it wrong.
auzw.com "The door opening tax is that you have to pay the opening of the store. It is calculated according to the size of the door. Now my hostel will be levied a monthly opening tax of six silver coins. You did not find the hostel Is the door a little small? Because it will open up and you have to pay twice as much.
The room tax means that there are several rooms in the house, and several taxes must be paid. Although each is five copper shields per month, it is not too much, but there are many rooms in the hostel.
The employment tax is naturally that I hire a helper to pay extra tax. Fortunately, my son and daughter do not have to pay. There is such a sentence between the people who open our hotel, and we can only make big money by having more children.
The magic crystal tax is that the use of magic crystal lighting in the room is subject to tax. The fire tax is collected for cooking fires or warming the room.
The mule tax depends on how many mules there are at home ... "The boss came one by one and opened the eyes of Chen Hansheng and others.
"These have not yet counted the worship of the Temple of Nature and the monthly work of eight days a month."
The worship of the natural temple is known to Chen Hansheng, and it is essentially the same as the tithe on earth. It is necessary to give one tenth of the income to the temple. In this way, the income of the hotel owner is really stripped away so that there is not much left.
"Freemen like me are better. Half of the harvest of the serfs is to be handed over to the baron, and then they have to pay various taxes. You must know that the lords around you can confiscate so much. They receive up to four There is work, and the serfs have to work for the baron for ten days a month, but where can the baron make them so easy, there are always all kinds of errands, and there are rarely 15 days. when."
On such a day, it is not bad to describe with deep water and hot water. There is potential for starting things. Chen Hansheng deliberately thought about it. He asked again: "What strength is the baron, how many troops he has in his hands, how many masters are you, do you know?"
"Adult, this kind of thing, we little people don't know about it. But the baron has five sons and two daughters. Last year, he just had a big banquet to celebrate his four sons becoming middle-level soldiers. He taught it himself. Recently, it is said that he is preparing to hold a banquet to celebrate his favorite little daughter and become a magic apprentice who has officially become the Red Lotus Tower. "
"Red Lotus Tower? What kind of magic tower was that that I haven't heard of before?" Glad interjected.
"I know that in the southern part of Montenegro, the two most famous magic towers are the Red Lotus Tower and the Thousand Nian Tower, and the one close to us is the Red Lotus Tower. They seem to be good at flame-type magic."
"Cut, elemental magic." Glad pouted, and in his view elemental magic is a far cry from the rules involved in the Seven Towers.
"We can't underestimate these people. Although the baron is a little noble, but look at it, just ask a few words and it has already involved a lot of relationships." Chen Hansheng said, he asked the boss again: "Then he left What are the sons and daughters doing? "
"I only know that the second and third sons of the baron are not around. I heard that they seem to be in an army. The eldest daughter is already married and married to Baron Suarez in the east." Said the hotel owner.
Chen Hansheng asked some questions before sending the boss away. He and his companions said: "The situation here is much more complicated than we thought before we came. We need to discuss carefully how to proceed."