Chapter 80:

Fortunately, the village chief did not faint, and he recovered quickly after being frightened. No matter how much the Count had to spend, the territorial residents made a lot of money.

He didn't care about being polite anymore, and directly asked the soldier: "Is it true that every registered person can receive a piece of candy? No matter how big or small?!"

"Of course." It's posted, how can you go back, look at what we brought, it's all for you."

Then he lifted the baskets to reveal the neatly stacked candy cubes.

Hank, whose registration was interrupted, also said, "The candy is very sweet and tastes very good. You can bring the children in your family to register for the candy, they will like it, otherwise, we will lose their share after the registration is finished. It's over." The

village chief looked at the candy cubes in the baskets, listened to Hank's words, and saw that the two soldiers were also clear, and he knew that they could see what the villagers were hiding.

The village chief's face was embarrassed. It's not their fault. Don't we all worry about the same thing? After all, the earl suddenly gave such an order. Who is not afraid that his order will be deceitful? The subjects are still very unfamiliar with him, they don't know enough about him, and naturally, they don't trust him enough.

If it wasn't because of the changes in Sardinson County over the past year, the residents could see clearly and know that everyone's life has improved because of the new Count and Madam, which made them trust the Count's character. The order has some expectations, I am afraid that these soldiers and children who have come to register will not be greeted so eagerly when they arrive at the village.

The little secret was revealed, but it was told by a little boy. The village chief couldn't bear it, but he looked down at the candy cube still in his hand, and he immediately forgot about it.

There is nothing more tangible than the benefits of having it in your hands.

Seeing that he didn't move for a long time, the soldier frowned impatiently and reminded: "If the order of the Count is not registered this time, it will be fined to make it up later, and the fine will be doubled if you owe it. If you are willing to pay double the tax later, you can continue to hide it and tuck it away."

Another soldier also said: "Don't think that the count has graciously reduced the tax now. Those who are found to have not registered will pay the new tax, and the fine will be calculated according to the previous tax. Think about which one. It's worth it." He said this to name everyone's careful thinking, I'm afraid many people think that since children under the age of seven don't have to pay taxes, then they will look at the situation and determine the authenticity of the new law before Register your children, so you don't have to pay. Now the words of the soldiers tell them directly that it is impossible not to register. If they register late, they will have to pay the previous poll tax and double it. If they calculate the amount a little, they will have to pay the count of how much service they have to serve to make up for it. Come on, if I can't make it up, will I be arrested and become a slave? The more the villagers thought about it, the more afraid they became, but they were undecided, and they all looked at the village chief. The village chief was also woken up at the moment, and with the temptation of sugar, he didn't hesitate anymore, turned his head and shouted to the villagers: "Everyone goes back and brings the children over to register, don't miss anyone." He raised his hand high and let the villagers see the sugar cube in his hand, and continued: "Look at what they brought, this is sugar, it tastes as sweet and expensive as honey, then the price of a piece of sugar is It's worth one person's poll tax for a year. Since the Count can give us such a precious thing, how could he lie to us." The villagers widened their eyes because of his words and looked at the candy in his hand. His eyes started to get hot. Sugar, that's an expensive food they've only heard of and never seen before. If someone has eaten even one bite and can brag about it for years, how could they not know the name of such a good thing? This time, everyone wanted to grab candy from the village chief to see if it was delicious. The quick-responding villagers immediately called their wives/children who were lining up with them to go home. All the younger children brought them here: " Hurry up, don't miss one, one piece of candy per person, what if you run too slowly and run out of candy?" The teenagers behind their parents watched the candy and gulped, then ran away like the wind.

When one person moves, it reminds everyone else that the words of the villagers are still ringing in their ears, yes, who knows how much these candies are, and will those who are slow will not be able to receive them?

So, what are you waiting for, hurry back and call everyone?

A group of people immediately emerged from the well-formed line, and people from every household went back to call for people. The scene was spectacular.

And Billy, who had the best grade at the earliest, also wanted to leave. The queue was arranged by house number. He was the first, followed by his wife and eldest son. The people behind this situation will be willing to let them jump to the first place in the queue - it is better to go back and bring the rest of the children as he is registered.

But before that, the ratio looked at the soldier who made sugar.

"Lord Soldier, if the candy is taken by the village chief, it is his own, right? Can I take another piece?"

He saw that the candy was licked by the village chief. Didn't it take advantage of his family? So he has to get a new one.

The village chief is angry, he hasn't disliked him for dirtying the candy, and he doesn't know what his hand has caught before!

Billy successfully got the new candy, but he was reluctant to eat it. He just licked it like the village chief. After confirming that it was really sweet, he hurried home and called the rest of the children.

Oak Village suddenly became lively, and voices were calling for children to look for children. It didn't take long for the children who were originally asked to hide by the adults to come out. Among them, there are a lot of babies who are just born and still swaddling, and almost every family has carried one out.

"Last year, the life of the residents was much better than in previous years, and the birth rate of newborns also increased. According to statistics, there were 365 newborns born around this winter. In addition, according to the team that went out to register, the number of newborns brought back. According to the news, many women are pregnant, and many new babies will be born this year."

The race that loves to have children is not only the Chinese people. The same is true in Europe during this period. The poorer the place, the more children are born. Everyone thinks that this is the way to get rid of poverty. Of course, a high number of newborns died. rate is also one of the reasons why they are keener to have children. In the past, the residents of Sardinson County were not rich, but as long as they did not reach the point where they could not be revealed, they would still work hard to have children, hoping to raise some to add more labour to the family and make life better. But now, life in Sardinson County has begun to improve. As long as you work hard, there are job opportunities everywhere. Whether it is joining the road construction team to build roads or going to the town to do some hard work for the merchants, the reward you get is Enough to feed your family. Life is good, and you don't have to worry about not being able to support the child after the birth, so what are you waiting for if you don't take advantage of the better conditions at home and give birth to a child when the winter is more leisurely? So this year, the birth rate in Sardinson County can be said to have reached an all-time high. Almost one in three households have a newborn, and the remaining two are either about to give birth or preparing to conceive. It's like jumping on the trend of having children. After most of the team completed the population registration, the data were integrated and sent to Felix and Wei Wei, and they found that the population growth in Sardinson County was higher than expected. "Fortunately, they brought some more candy bars in advance, otherwise they would have to make a trip if they were not enough." That would be a waste of time. The double temptation of adding sugar and deducting taxes is unstoppable, at least for now. After learning that there are sugar collars registered, the citizens have been very active, and even a woman with a big belly came to ask if they could Including the child in the womb, the due date is only a few days away anyway, so they felt that if they didn't take advantage of this registration to get a little more candy, they wouldn't have such a good opportunity shortly. Of course, this kind of thing is not allowed, and of course, there will be no sugar in the future. After all, it is a benefit given to the newlyweds of the count, and I will give it later. Is it to encourage him to get married a few more times?

"But you can consider giving some other benefits." Wei Wei pointed at the table with her pen, making a slight and rhythmic sound.

The data returned from the statistics gave her new inspiration. Now Sardinson County must encourage production. Although raising children is expensive at first, when these children grow up, the population increase is very considerable.

"If there are new babies born in the future, you can consider sending them some food or something. What do you think?"

Wei Wei turned her head to ask Felix and saw that he was looking at her with a look of anticipation on her face, and she couldn't help but wonder. : "What's wrong?"

Probably because he saw the information being stimulated, Felix blurted out: "When will we have a baby, okay?"

Wei Wei didn't expect him to suddenly mention this.

According to Wei Wei's own opinion, she feels that her body is still young now, it is too early to give birth to a child, and it is best to regenerate it in a few years.

But thinking about Felix, it's not that he couldn't understand his expectations.

Felix is 25 this year. For future generations, he may still be a young man who has just left society. It is too early for some people to talk about marriage, not to mention having children.

But this is not the twenty-first century, but the thirteenth century. People in this period generally have short lifespans, with an average lifespan of fewer than fifty years. Felix has already passed half of his life, and the Williams family's life expectancy is not long. The situation is there again, except for him, there is no male. If there is no heir, it will be a disaster for the entire family, so it is indeed normal for him to expect the birth of offspring.

From his point of view, Wei Wei thought about it and felt that it was acceptable to have a child earlier. Anyway, she didn't hate children or even called them a favourite. Of course, the premise was not a bear child.

She thought a bit too much, and suddenly fell silent again, and Felix mistakenly thought she didn't want to have a baby.

Felix loves Wei Wei, but he doesn't want to have a dispute with Wei Wei because of this kind of thing, and this is what he brought up out of the sudden rise. Before he was more planning to let the flow take its course, so seeing that she didn't want to give birth, although he was a little disappointed, he still said: "Of course, you are still young now, and we can prepare for a few more years to regenerate."

Wei Wei came back to her senses, just in time to catch his pretended indifferent tone, her eyes blinked, and the corner of her mouth curled into a smile: "Really?"

Felix saw her smile, and even more convinced that she didn't want to have a child, and nodded: "Of course."

"That's a pity." Wei Wei slowly turned the pencil in her hand: "I thought you would expect to have one. Healthy child, I am planning to take some time to recuperate my body and prepare for pregnancy, since you don't want it, then wait a little longer, anyway, we are so busy now, we have time to take care of the child."

Felix paused for a while, Suddenly, he posted it excitedly, with a look of anticipation: "Are you going to have a child? Really?"

Wei Wei betrayed: "It was originally planned."

Felix only listened to the key points, and she agreed.

He suddenly leaned in and kissed her fiercely, then stretched out his arms to hug her whole, and strode out.

Wei Wei, who was suddenly hugged by the princess, exclaimed and subconsciously put her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling: "What are you doing?"

"Go back to the room to have a baby." On

that day, they should have worked and left a large pile of papers, stayed in the room all day, and didn't show up at the dining table until noon the next day.

Seeing them again, everyone up and down the castle unanimously showed a touch of aunty smile.

The relationship between the count and his wife is really good

. Although the population registration took only a few days to complete in the rush of a group of children, the integration check after the event and the adjustment of the new tax is not what they can do. The steward in charge of the household registration is slowly making it.

On the contrary, most of the candies received by the residents were not eaten, but they were collected together and taken to the town to exchange for money. Although you don't have a lot for one piece, I can still make up a few kilograms in a village, and exchange money. Take a cent, it's much more affordable than sugar.

Of course, not all of them are sold. More or less, I will leave a piece or two for the children to taste and let them remember the taste.

At the same time, foreign businessmen also learned that Sardinson still produces sugar.

The Prady Empire itself does not produce sugar, they eat cane sugar, which is shipped from other countries, and it is expensive, but more or less wealthy merchants have eaten it, and they have tasted Sardinson The sweetness of sucrose is lower than that of beet sugar, and the taste and aroma are slightly different, so it is easy to distinguish.

It can give candy to tens of thousands of people, even if there is only a small piece per person, the total amount will not be small, and the merchants who are staring at the castle have not found that the earl has bought so much candy, so, What could it be that they did not produce by themselves.

I don't know what this sugar is made of. Sardinson is not a place where sugar cane can be grown, and they haven't seen a convoy that transports sugar cane through here.

Many people are curious about the origin of these sugars, but more people are thinking about the production and price of this sugar, and whether they can buy a batch from Sardinson County. After all, foreign businessmen do not go to Prady every day. Run, the market often wants to buy but can't sell sugar.

It didn't take long for this idea to begin when the businessmen living in Dingle discovered that there was another shop quietly in the town, which sold this kind of candy, and it was a lot of weight.

Some merchants came in and asked the price, and found that the price of these sugars was much lower than the price of sugar set by foreign merchants.

The shopkeeper said: "This is the wholesale price. It is only for merchants who buy sugar in large quantities. The starting price is one hundred kilograms. If it is retail, it will still be at the market price."

The wholesale price is relatively low because merchants have to transport it themselves after buying it, and they have to pay taxes and sell it to the destination, which is a lot of money, and the price of beet sugar cannot be higher than that of sucrose. If the price is fixed If it's high, they won't make a profit from the price difference, so naturally they won't buy it. Of course, this wholesale price is still very high for Satinsonburg. After all, how much is the sugar beet worth, and what is the price of sugar, one in the sky and one in the ground, they will not lose money no matter how they sell it. The sugar price in Fort Sardinson stimulated these merchants. The first day the sugar shop started nutrition, there was a situation of rushing for goods. Some merchants with deep pockets could not wait to wrap up all the sugar in the shop, but unfortunately, at most, there are only allowed to buy 100 catties of sugar, and they also want to make an order with the store manager, pay the deposit first and then wait for the shipment. It cannot exceed 1000 catties at a time, and after the order reaches a certain amount, they will not sell it. They were allowed to order because new beets were delivered. The best merchants who signed the contract with Wei Wei sent a large batch of beets, which amounted to tens of thousands of kilograms. This year's harvest season. Therefore, the sugar business can not be done at any time. Wei Wei will start to squeeze sugar from the beet harvest season, and then squeeze it until the end of winter in the new year, and will not do it at other times. And the question they are considering now is whether the sugar business should be done alone. Wei Wei: "I'm afraid that sugar beets can be used to squeeze sugar and can't be kept secret for a long time." Felix nodded, and now people in Sardinson Castle are closely watching every move, and it is impossible for them to keep the news of their large-scale purchases of beets kept secret. Going down, even if they don't say it themselves, the beet seller may leak the news. And by the time those staring at them discover that none of the new products in Fort Sardinson are sugar beet-related, they might guess that the vegetable has something to do with sugar. After all, sugar cane extraction is not a secret. It's just that the Prady Empire is not suitable for sugar cane cultivation, so no one does this business. However, it is impossible for businessmen who often do business across borders to not know the origin of cane sugar. Not a secret.

So, instead of trying to keep this unlikely secret, they want to trade beet sugar for the greater good.

Felix took out the map of the Prady Empire, swiped his fingers in several counties near Sardinson, and finally stopped at a territory by the sea.

"Sloot County, a county adjacent to Melk Town, is nearly half the size of Sardinson. The people in the county mainly live by fishing at sea. This county originally belonged to an earl family, but that family was offended After the great nobles, the title was downgraded to a baron, and most of the territory was taken back, and now it is considered a land without lords." The

title is not static, if a noble offends the king and the real power of the noble, they will be demoted or even directly deprived of the title. There are all of them, and after the title is downgraded, the extra territory will naturally be recovered, leaving only the territory and population that fit their status, and the recovered territory will be distributed to other nobles as fiefs depending on the situation.

Now Felix is looking at it.

Sloot County is not a rich county. own resources are limited. Although it is a county near the sea, there is no dock built in the county. No foreign merchants will dock there, and naturally, it is impossible to attract business opportunities. The owner is not good at business, so the place is really poor.

In such a place, other nobles who have little choice would not choose such a poor and unpromising fief, so it has been without a master for many years, and only the king's tax officer will make regular trips to collect taxes.

Some people may think that it is a good thing that there is no lord in the territory because then everyone does not need to serve.

But the truth is, their life is more difficult than others, without the guards of soldiers and knights, the beasts cannot be driven out, the robbers can go in and out and loot at will, and they still have to pay taxes, but the king's tax collector only collects money and food, Do not accept labour instead of taxation. In this case, people often have to starve to death after paying enough taxes. If they hadn't fished and hunted, they wouldn't have to pay additional taxes, and they could barely survive without food. Time to make ends meet, I am afraid that after all these years, there is not even a living person there.

Many free people who can walk have moved to other places, leaving only a few old, weak, sick and numb people who can't walk to survive day after day.

They desperately need a lord.

And Felix, it's just such a place.

"Do you want to compare the price of sugar with the king for this territory?" Wei Wei easily caught his thoughts.

"Yes, many of the royal territories are in the western part of the empire, where beets are the main producing areas. I know that a lot of beets are also grown in His Majesty's territory, and the formula for making sugar will be a big temptation for him. , to exchange such a territory, he is very likely to agree."

Wei Wei looked through the information about Sloot County organized by Felix and found that this place did not look very good, but Very promising.

Sloot County is a coastal county. It has a large seafront area, and according to the detection results, there is an area that is very suitable for building a wharf. It turned out that the original lord did not want to spend this effort, or he was originally poor. It can't be repaired, but if you can get this land, with Felix's financial resources, you can build a good dock.

"It's a good idea, but the size of Sardinson County should be a standard earldom, right? Can you have other territories?"

"Of course." Felix knew that she didn't understand this, and explained carefully: "Although the bright side is The size of each noble's territory should be fixed the real estate of a real noble is never just the specified area."

"It is not uncommon for a noble to have two or three standard territories at the same time. For us, it's just a matter of adding a title of nobility."

"Take Alan's father, Duke of Devonhill, for example. He now has three titles. Three lands, one dukedom, and two earls, although there is one earl that nominally belongs to his wife it belongs to the Duke of Devonhill now and will belong to Ellen in the future."

So It's not difficult to think of an extra piece of territory, it just depends on whether the king is willing to give it.