Literacy Classes and Land Distribution

Edgar had previously established literacy classes for soldiers in the barracks of various Tunbao in order to improve the quality of the army.

Karl decided to extend this benefit to all the minor children of wounded soldiers. In addition, there were hundreds of children among the vagrants in the Shantytown Area who spent their days idly running around and playing, wasting their time and posing a safety hazard.

Perhaps we could find a few teachers to try setting up some simple literacy centers in the Shantytown Area.

Karl shared his ideas with Edgar.

"We don't need to be as formal and systematic as the schools planned in Tunbao Village. That would be too costly, and we currently lack sufficient teachers and facilities. We can be more flexible."

"For example, in several large gathering places of refugees, find a relatively open, safe place that can shelter from the wind and rain, such as a large empty shack, under the eaves of a sheltered house, or even a clean, leveled area."

"Then, find a few literate vagrants, such as down-on-their-luck scholars, accountants, sons of impoverished nobles, or wounded but educated veterans, devout and literate monks—in short, people with some education, reliable character, and a willingness to do something."

"Every day, not necessarily all day, even just an hour or two in the afternoon, we provide the simplest tools: a few blackened wooden boards as blackboards, some charcoal sticks as pens, and perhaps some sand trays for the children to practice writing."

"Let these 'teachers' teach the children who volunteer to recognize the simplest dozens or hundreds of characters, and to do the simplest addition and subtraction. They can create their own teaching materials, just teaching the most commonly used words and phrases in daily life, and teaching them to do simple accounting."

"This is not just about teaching them to read and do math; most importantly, it's about subtly guiding and educating them in their thinking throughout the process."

"They need to know who gave them food and shelter when their families were destroyed and they were displaced? Who is working hard to build a place where their parents have work, land to cultivate, and hope?"

"It was Carnford, it was Lord Karl, it was the order created by countless ordinary people like their father who fought and toiled together."

"The education and values a person receives during their youth often influence their entire life. Today's children, running around in Shantytown Area with confused eyes, could benefit greatly if they received proper guidance."

"If they understand their connection to this land and develop a sense of identity and belonging to Carnford, then in ten or twenty years, the best among them may become the backbone of various fields in Carnford."

"Even if they don't become pillars of society, they can at least become law-abiding citizens who identify with their territory and possess basic production skills."

"Even if all we end up with is teaching them to write their own names, recognize the word ' Carnford,' and understand the most basic principles, that would be a huge success."

"Moreover, this matter will not cost much; providing teachers with a small stipend or food allowance and the simplest teaching aids will suffice. However, its effect on calming public sentiment and stabilizing society is incomparable to simply distributing relief food."

Edgar listened attentively, his eyes showing appreciation. "Your insight is brilliant! This is indeed a win-win situation. I will immediately look for suitable candidates and pilot it in several large refugee settlements, so that children will have a place to go and something to learn, and their parents can work with greater peace of mind."

After addressing the initial ideas for the resettlement of wounded soldiers and the popularization of education, Karl turned his attention to a more fundamental and more unifying issue: the distribution of land.

This is not only crucial for restoring production, but also the core of fulfilling his promises to his people and consolidating the foundation of his rule.

He walked to the window, gazing at the vast plains below, where large swathes of dark brown new soil had been plowed under the spring sun. He said to Edgar, "Edgar, I've seen the settler teams working day and night for the past few months, making rapid progress. The newly reclaimed land area is already quite considerable. It's time to fulfill our promise and carry out the first large-scale land distribution."

Edgar immediately understood Karl's meaning and nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir. The newly reclaimed land is fertile and just in time for the tail end of spring planting. Distributing it will reassure the people and greatly stimulate their enthusiasm for production."

Karl turned around and gave the order clearly, "The distribution principles must be clear, reflecting fairness, and also rewarding merit."

"First, these best cultivated lands that have already undergone initial clearing should be allocated preferentially to the oldest and most hardworking residents who followed us the longest. Each household should be allocated ten acres as a standard allocation; this is what they deserve."

"Secondly, for families of martyrs who died in battle, families of wounded soldiers who were disabled in the war, and individuals or families who made great contributions in previous city defense battles, refugee management, and engineering construction, additional land should be allocated on top of the ten acres, such as fifteen or even twenty acres, as a reward and compensation for their sacrifices and contributions."

He paused, considering the large number of migrants. "As for the largest group of new migrants, we don't have many job opportunities for them right now, and we can't keep feeding them with just rations."

"Just allocate the abandoned land to them and let them cultivate it on their own. Each household will be allocated about five acres as a basic guarantee."

Karl particularly emphasized the incentive mechanism. "For migrants who have high Work points, outstanding performance, and extra contributions during the land reclamation process, you should formulate detailed rules to reward them with an additional portion of land. Everyone should see that hard work and contributions to the territory will bring tangible benefits!"

Finally, he considered the survival issues of the refugees in the early stages. "All refugees who have been allocated land, whether they are old residents or newcomers, will continue to receive basic rations per person from the Lord's Residence after the land is allocated, until their own land yields a harvest this autumn. After the autumn harvest, the distribution of rations will cease completely, and they will have to begin to be self-sufficient."

Edgar quickly took notes while calculating in his mind, then looked up and replied, "Sir, your allocation plan is very comprehensive, and I fully agree with it. Ten acres of land per household, if cultivated carefully using Four-field crop rotation system, can yield approximately five to seven hundred kilograms of rye by the autumn harvest."

He proposed a specific tax plan. "Following convention and the tax rate you previously set, we will levy one-fifth of the rye per acre as land tax, which would amount to 100 to 150 kilograms per ten acres."

"In this way, an elderly resident family can still have about 300 to 400 kilograms of grain left after paying taxes. With their own vegetable garden and possible sideline businesses, it's enough for a family of five to live on with a small surplus."

"As for the families of martyrs and wounded soldiers that you specifically mentioned, in accordance with our commitment, they will be completely exempt from taxes for the first three years to help them get through the most difficult period."

Karl nodded in agreement. One-fifth of the tax was not a heavy tax; some kingdoms even levied one-fifth of the tax. However, it was still not an easy task for the farmers.

However, Carnford cannot allow the people to rest now; he must impose heavy taxes to support his army. Once his army achieves more victories on the battlefield and the threat from the Sauron gradually diminishes, he will appropriately reduce taxes.

Karl approved. "Very good, do it your way. The families of martyrs and wounded soldiers will be exempt from taxes for three years. This policy must be implemented thoroughly so that everyone can see that those who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for Carnford will never be treated unfairly."

Karl concluded by urging that the allocation of land deeds must be fair and just, and that the deeds be distributed to every eligible household as soon as possible.

Edgar accepted the order with great enthusiasm and immediately set about carrying it out.