Report

After entering Stone Castle, Victor went to a side hall he had arranged like a meeting room, which was always used for meetings.

Victor found a chair and sat down, then said to Steward Boon, who had followed him in, "I'll rest here for a while. Notify all the directors to come here in two quarters of an hour and report to me. I want to know how the territory has been doing while I was away."

Boon hurriedly said, "Young Master, you've just returned home. You can go to the manor and get some proper rest first. Your mother is waiting for you as well."

Victor waved a hand. "I've already sent someone to notify the manor. I'll go back after I understand the situation. Just inform everyone to prepare their reports."

Boon sighed. "Yes, Young Master. Rest for a moment. I'll make the arrangements right away."

With that, he left the meeting room and called over an attendant, telling him to prepare some food for the young master and arrange the few people who had accompanied him to rest in the guest rooms.

Boon then went to the main hall and said to the people still standing there, "The young master wants to hear about every aspect of the territory during this period. Organize your information yourselves, then go to the meeting room together in two quarters of an hour to make your reports."

He then said to a soldier standing nearby, "Go notify Knight Ron. Tell him the young master has returned and have him come make a report as well. The young master will certainly ask about him."

The soldier saluted in acknowledgment and left at once.

Boon looked at the others and said again, "The young master is sharp. He's not like me, an old softhearted fool who's always turned a blind eye to you. Report anything directly. If you hide something, it won't be as simple as a whipping afterward."

The directors nodded repeatedly and said yes.

Boon then returned to his office and began organizing the materials for his own report.

Meanwhile, Victor ate the food the attendant had just brought while thinking.

This war shouldn't have had much impact on the territory's normal production. The territory has a relatively abundant labor force, so reclamation and road repairs may be affected. Hmm, the caravans may also be affected. War affects material prices, after all. Commercial taxes and caravan profits probably won't be high during this period.

Father agreed to let me take over authority. Now I can prepare for the territory's next round of reforms. It would be best to thoroughly sort out that eastern exclave while the troops are returning.

The eastern counties had been established for over a hundred years. Their populations had multiplied, nobles were everywhere, and there was little room left to expand territory. Whenever noble families wanted to increase their lands, exclaves often appeared. Even when the Grand Duchy granted fiefs, it would pick out scraps of worthless land for the nobles.

Golden Sunflower Territory had one such exclave. It was fairly large, located more than twenty kilometers east of the main territory. It was a hilly region of nearly ninety square kilometers, amounting to one-fifth of the entire territory. It had been granted by the Grand Duchy after Victor's grandfather earned merit while helping suppress the invading fleet of the East Sea Alliance.

By rights, this land was not bad, but it lay far from the original territory, already near the edge of Bole County. It was separated by the territories of other nobles, had no navigable river, and all supplies had to be transported overland. Developing it was extremely troublesome.

Since receiving the land more than twenty years ago, Golden Sunflower Territory had built only two manors there, covering no more than three square kilometers. The surrounding lords also liked driving bandits and refugees into the area, sometimes disrupting even the manors' normal production. As a result, two infantry squads and one hundred standing troops were permanently stationed there. They had not even been transferred away for this war, all to protect those manors.

Because of these factors, the land could basically be said to generate no profit. The manors' earnings merely offset the expense of the garrison.

Golden Sunflower Territory had always wanted to exchange the land, but the surrounding fief-holding nobles had been unwilling, so the matter had only dragged on.

Maybe this time there's a chance to settle it completely. The barony separating the two territories belongs to a branch of Earl Great Oak's family. Its lord is Thorne Green Oak, a mediocre man. This time, he actively answered his main family's call and committed everything to the war. He was pulled into Earl Brian's First Legion to fill out the ranks, so his losses are probably substantial. And Earl Brian will definitely receive special attention. His fief might even be reduced. When the time comes, I can work something out and arrange a land exchange.

Victor calculated.

Ah, this is really hard work. There are endless matters to deal with in the territory, but at least Father has loosened the reins. I can finally carry out large-scale reforms.

For the remaining time, Victor continued thinking over some of his plans for the territory.

Soon, two quarters of an hour had passed, and there was a knock on the door.

Victor came back to himself and called, "Come in."

Steward Boon soon entered with several directors.

Victor looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

"Everyone is here. Then we'll start with Linde, the agricultural and forestry director. Report in order. Steward Boon will go last."

"Yes, my lord," everyone replied together.

"My lord, I will report on the situation over the past month and more. Spring plowing at each manor has basically been completed. The five thousand mu of land newly reclaimed last year has begun its first round of cultivation. Soybeans are currently being planted there. After the harvest, fertilizer will continue to be applied to nurture the soil, and it will be switched to Golden Sunflower next year. The horses purchased in the north at the beginning of the year have now basically adapted to the territory. Of the three hundred Draft Horses, twenty-seven were lost, keeping losses to around ten percent. Fourteen mares are already pregnant. The next step is to try producing the heavy plow you provided and train the Draft Horses to plow with it. Following your previous instructions, the Plant Cultivation Institute conducted trial plantings of Bitter Bamboo, Big Leaf Chrysanthemum, and three other plants suitable for making bandages for external wounds. The first stage of the trials has now been completed. Bitter Bamboo and Big Leaf Chrysanthemum grew the best among the five plants. Next, we plan to focus on trial planting Bitter Bamboo and Big Wild Chrysanthemum. My report is complete." Linde finished quickly. That was Victor's requirement: efficiency.

Victor nodded. "Spring plowing is over. Next, remember to continue following last year's plan and mobilize the serfs to reclaim more land. Fertilize and weed the plots resting this year as well. There's no rush to make the heavy plow. Wait until I personally go to the Weaponry Workshop to guide you."

The climate across the eastern counties was somewhat similar to northern Europe. The soil was wet and heavy, and there was a lack of large livestock such as cattle. Farming had previously relied mainly on human labor. Fortunately, wheat in this world had high yields and strong disease resistance. As long as fallow periods and soil cultivation were ensured, yields were not bad. Combined with the use of farm manure, wheat could currently yield four hundred jin per mu, which was basically the upper limit without chemical fertilizer. With enough chemical fertilizer, this excellent variety and natural conditions could produce at least seven or eight hundred jin per mu.

Drawing on the knowledge and experience from his previous life, Victor planned to adopt European horse plowing and use the Saxon Wheel Plow. However, while he knew the general design of this wheeled plow, he was poor at drawing and worried the craftsmen might make mistakes. He had decided it would be better to guide them personally.

Next was Civil Affairs Director Powell. "Following your instructions, after half a year of work, the population census for the entire territory was finally completed last month."

Hearing this, Victor immediately perked up. The territory lacked enough clerks, and the census had lasted half a year. Now that he could finally obtain detailed data, it would provide tremendous help for carrying out the next stage of his plans.

"At present, the territory has two towns and eleven villages, with more than 1,608 Freemen households and a total population of 9,117; fifteen manors, with 2,817 serf households and a total population of . The figures may not be completely accurate, as the census took a long time and there were births, aging, illness, and deaths during that period. Following your requirements, wooden household plaques have been made for Freemen households, recording the residents' information and type of work. They are currently being distributed. Offices have also been established in Linshui Town and Dadong Town. If there are changes in a Freemen household, they must go to the office within one month to update their household plaque. If they are found not to have updated it in time, they will be fined three Copper Coins. Changes in serf household information are handled by the stewards of each manor. Civil Affairs has already handed the materials over to the manors." Powell quickly finished his report.

At last, I have these figures. Before, whenever population data was involved, those stewards could only give vague estimates. Last time, I arranged for eight hundred serfs to serve as camp laborers and auxiliary soldiers with the army, but only six hundred showed up before departure. We had to draw another hundred each from the two nearest manors to make up the numbers.

Victor excitedly pumped a fist, then said, "Very good. Robo, have Finance allocate funds to give every clerk from the Civil Affairs Department who took part in this census a bonus. Four Silver Coins each."

Robo, the Financial Director, wore a bitter smile and nodded in agreement. The young master is good in every way, except he always loves handing out money and supplies. First he wanted to revise the compensation standards, then he wanted to pay the farmers at the Plant Cultivation Institute wages. What a waste—shiny silver coins handed straight to the poor.

Victor continued, "As for the fines, once a violation has been confirmed, the Civil Affairs Department will notify the Taxation Department. Enrique and his men will arrange for tax officers to handle enforcement. The Civil Affairs Department is not to take part in fine collection."

Enrique, the Taxation Director, immediately expressed his agreement.

He then made his report. "This month's commercial taxes have been collected, totaling eleven Gold Coins. Because there have been fewer merchant ships due to the war, the dockage tax from the wharf was only five Gold Coins this month. Since you canceled the spring tax and the road tax, these are currently the Taxation Department's only receipts. The funds have already been transferred to the Finance Department."

Previously, the bulk of the territory's tax revenue had come from road checkpoints and various levies. By analyzing the market with his own abilities, Victor had changed the product category of sunflower seed oil and expanded the sales channels for the territory's Sunflower Oil, greatly increasing its revenue. He had therefore persuaded Baron Wembley to change the territory's taxation model, abolishing the original taxes aimed at Freemen farmers. Agricultural taxes would now be collected only after the summer and autumn harvests, based on land area, primarily in currency, reducing the direct collection of agricultural produce. After all, the agricultural products produced by the territory's manors were already abundant enough. There was so much old wheat in the granaries that even the livestock could not finish eating it.

Only five Gold Coins in dockage tax for a month. The war's impact must be severe. There are far fewer caravans.

As the great river running through the entire Grand Duchy of Vera, the Blackwater River had highly developed inland water transport. The area around Linshui Town was particularly suitable for ships to dock. Combined with Golden Sunflower Territory's distinctive sunflower seed oil and its excellent wharf facilities, it attracted many passing merchant vessels.

To raise selling prices, the sunflower seed oil of Silver Sunflower and Oil Sunflower Territory was also transported to Linshui Town for sale. By providing free warehouses and guaranteed minimum prices, Victor had obtained distribution rights from both families, directly monopolizing sunflower seed oil shipments throughout the Eastern Four Counties. With reasonable prices and high quality, he had won the favor of many merchants, making Linshui Town's wharf extremely prosperous. In normal months, dockage taxes could reach thirty Gold Coins. The monthly upkeep of the territory's eighty cavalrymen and more than seven hundred infantrymen, including salaries and supply losses, totaled only fifty Gold Coins. Under ordinary circumstances, dockage and commercial taxes alone could basically cover the cost of maintaining the troops.

Victor scratched his head. "Robo, how much money is left in the Finance Department's treasury? Will there be any problem paying the officials' salaries this month?" No matter what, the salaries of the territory's public officials had to be prioritized to ensure normal operations.

Robo replied, "Rest assured, Young Master. There are still eighty Gold Coins in the treasury, enough to cover two months of salaries."

"That's good," Victor said.

I forgot. The troops sent out were funded directly by the territory's Inner Treasury. The troops and clerks remaining in the territory only require thirty Gold Coins in monthly salaries altogether. Victor slapped his forehead.

"Boon, do you have anything else to report?" Seeing that the others had finished their reports, Victor asked Steward Boon directly.

"Young Master, the stewards of the various manors are all at their estates, so there wasn't time to notify them to come report. Other than that, there is nothing. The territory has remained stable in the month and more since the master and you left. Nothing has happened, except that the caravan sent north has not yet returned. I've already sent people to contact them."

Victor frowned after hearing this and asked Boon, "When did this happen?"

"They left a few days before the master and you did, heading north to Bria County. Following your instructions, they were continuing to purchase warhorses. Under normal circumstances, they should have returned after a month and a half, but it has been nearly two months now, and there has been no news," Boon replied.

That was roughly when the Northern Alliance marched south. Perhaps they were delayed because of that.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door, interrupting Victor's thoughts.

Boon went directly to open it. The visitor was a tall, burly man wearing leather armor and breathing slightly heavily, as though he had arrived in a hurry.

"Young Master, Knight Ron has arrived," Boon said.

The visitor was Golden Sunflower Territory's chief knight, responsible for the entire territory's defenses while the lord was away. He was also Victor's uncle, Ron Edelweiss.