Please Experience "the Future"!

An hour later, Joseph walked out of the reception room looking relaxed.

Just then, Beaumont had agreed to sign the "Contracting Agreement," handing 40,000 hectares of church land over to the Minister of Agriculture for management. The fee would be raised by 6% over the current tenant rents, though the specific plots would be selected by the Minister of Agriculture.

Although Beaumont could not command the archbishops of other regions, as long as he considered it feasible, the other archbishops would generally accept it as well.

Joseph boarded his carriage and hurried toward Versailles Palace.

France's spring wheat and spring barley were generally planted in March. He had to finalize the matter of "contracting" church land with Venio as soon as possible, so the farmers could be made to switch to sugar beet before planting season.

In fact, Joseph also intended to use this "contracting" matter to pry open a corner of the church's landholdings.

If they could continue controlling church land through contracting, they could gradually abolish the tenant system on those lands. After it had been implemented for a dozen years or so, it would become an established custom, and even if the church wanted to change it back, it would be too late.

After that, they could find excuses to reduce the contracting fees, ultimately achieving the goal of reclaiming church land.

However, the French Church held more than two million hectares of land. Contracting all of it would inevitably be a very long process.

But the church's land, and even assets such as shares and bonds, had to be gradually reclaimed. The church absolutely could not be allowed to become a stumbling block on France's path toward the Industrial Revolution. A peaceful solution would be best; if driven to the wall, carrying out religious reform would