Chapter 1072
"Actually, for the citizens of the kingdom today, paying a little more in taxes does not have much impact on their lives." Antares then spoke again. He would not let Cypross take the lead. "I've asked Burcos and the treasurer, Archipedes just now. Take Turií as an example. The average citizen here owns at least 20 acres of land. The annual harvest of food is not only enough to meet their needs, but they can also earn about 300 to 700 drachmas by selling it (depending on the harvest and the price of food). But this is not the majority of their income. As Turií is the center of the kingdom, there are a large number of foreigners, and the demand for housing is high. Many citizens can earn one or two Taliente a year just by collecting rent.
If the citizens of Turií are special, let's take a look at the small city of Sicily. The population there is less than 4,000, and the main income of the citizens is farming. According to the statistics of the finance department, the annual harvest of every family, when converted into money, is at least 600 drachmas, and this does not include the cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, pigs, and other livestock they raise. In addition, don't forget that they often go to the workshops to help out during the slack season, and they can earn a sum of money.
So what do these citizens with a lot of wealth usually do? Other than daily expenses and participation in military training, they also spend money on sports equipment, participate in various competitive training, spend money to watch competitions, and even buy 'Tino's Blessings'. They drink a lot of wine, visit a lot of restaurants, and occasionally go to the hot springs. The business of the women's brothels is also very good, and many citizens even specially buy female slaves as concubines …
So how much do the citizens pay for the kingdom every year in taxes? " Antares opened both of his palms and smiled disdainfully. "On average, I'm afraid it's less than 10 drachmas! Perhaps some people are opposed to raising taxes. If the people are poor, and a new tax is imposed, not only will they be resentful, they might even riot. But the situation of the kingdom now is that the country is poor and the people are rich! His Majesty and the officials like us are trying our best to maintain the operation of the kingdom. We are stingy with the expenditure of the national treasury. Even some public buildings have to be built with donations from the people … If this situation continues, the kingdom will be unable to maintain the national treasury. What good will it do to the citizens?
Over the past twenty years, the Kingdom had worked hard to create and maintain this generous environment. Many of its citizens had turned from impoverished refugees into wealthy, dignified citizens of Diónia. Now it was time for them to give back to their country! Even if we increase the tax by 5%, the citizens will only have to pay less than 50 drachmas. It's still a small amount of money to them, but it's a great help to the kingdom, don't you think?! "
"Well said!" The Devers praised once again and swept his deep gaze across the ministers again. He said in a clear voice, "Everyone, is there any objection to the 'additional tax increase for the formation of a new border army'?"
"Your Majesty, I have no objections." Seeing that the Devers had clearly expressed their support, Lucias did not dare to stop them anymore and bowed in response.
"I agree with the tax increase!" Hemont, Sedorum, and the other ministers also gave their affirmative replies one after another.
"Good!" The Devers slammed hard on the armrest and said, "Since we have all reached an agreement, then Antares and Cypross will take the lead, and Alexis and Archipedes will assist. We will formulate a detailed tax increase bill. How much tax to collect? How to collect it? How will it be used? … Everything must be written clearly in order to be able to answer the questions of the senators.
Here, I would like to solemnly remind everyone that before the 'formation of border army and tax increase' bill is submitted to the Senate, everyone must keep it strictly confidential. Do not disclose it to outsiders. If the news is leaked, and I find out who leaked it, I will not let them off lightly! "
The Devers's last few words were filled with murderous intent, causing the ministers to feel a chill in their hearts. They could not help but remind themselves to be vigilant.
The Devers withdrew his stern gaze and softened his tone. He then said, "Alexis, I have thought about it carefully. The number of foreign freedmen soldiers to be recruited will not exceed two legions for the time being. After all, we have to consider the feelings of the citizens. We cannot let them feel that we are going to completely replace them with mercenaries and prevent them from serving."
With the reminder from the Devers, Alexis suddenly realized what she had overlooked. She immediately responded with sincerity, "I understand, Your Majesty."
In fact, this was not the only concern of the Devers. As someone who was familiar with the history of his previous life, he was more worried that these recruited freedmen who were not yet loyal to the kingdom would gradually be owned by private individuals, which would threaten the safety of the royal family and the kingdom. Thus, he had to be vigilant at all times.
Then, the Devers said, "Antares, Cypross, when you are discussing how much to increase taxes, don't just use the two legions I just mentioned as the benchmark. You have to set the appropriate amount higher so that there is enough leeway for the future. Try to get it done in one go. Otherwise, if we have to increase taxes frequently in the future when the finances are tight, not only will the Senate be upset, but the citizens will also be uneasy."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The two of them looked at each other and replied in unison.
The Devers stood up from the wooden chair, straightened his body, and looked at the crowd. He said in a sonorous voice, "Everyone, I will still say the same thing. The kingdom is developing, and the environment is changing. The old traditions and laws may not necessarily be suitable for the new situation. Instead, they may become obstacles. Thus, as the elites of the kingdom, you have to manage all aspects of the kingdom. You must have a flexible mind and a sharp vision. You must discover problems in time and eliminate them in time. Only then can you ensure the long-term prosperity of our kingdom.
Please bear this in mind, all of you! "The Devers's sincere words caused everyone to ponder.
"What time is it now?" At this time, the Devers felt a little hungry and asked the clerk, Henepolis, who was standing by the stairs.
Henepolis glanced at the water clock in the corner of the hall. "It's already past noon."
"Let the kitchen serve the prepared lunch. We can't continue the discussion on an empty stomach."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After a while, the guards placed a small dining table in front of the ministers. Then, the servants brought out large and exquisite ceramic bowls filled with steaming hot soup. Pieces of beef of the same size floated on top of the soup. In the soup, there was a thick and uniform layer of dough, as well as countless tiny spices and vanilla powder. All kinds of fragrances mixed together. The aroma assailed everyone's nostrils and made them salivate.
This was a new delicacy introduced by Christoya's restaurant in recent years. The dough was made by fermenting flour and kneading it with water repeatedly. Then, the dough was sliced into thin slices and boiled in boiling water. After that, the slices were poured into the beef soup that had been prepared beforehand. Seasonings were added to it, and it was easy to make. It was smooth and tasty, and the customers could also add supplementary ingredients such as vegetables according to their preferences. Therefore, it was very popular among the people of the kingdom.
However, the chefs in the palace were all from Christoyah's Restaurant. Not only were their cooking skills extraordinary, but the raw materials they chose were naturally the best.
The best wheat flour from Siculi. The city of Siculi was located at the foot of Mount Etna. The land area was small. Some of the people of Siculi had already reclaimed part of the flat land on the mountainside. It was very hard to go up and down the mountain every day. But because of the volcanic ash on the mountain, the land was very fertile. The wheat that was planted was plump and tasted very good after being ground into flour. Also, because of the low output, the price was very high. So even if the people of Siculi joined Diónia and regained new land, there were still very few people who were willing to go to the mountainside to farm. The wheat they obtained was basically bought by Christoyah's Restaurant to provide for the royal family.
The beef cattle produced in Lucaria was more than a year old from Grumentum. The people of the Kingdom of Diónia recognized it as the best beef cattle among the Lucaria cattle. This was because there was a large lake to the south of the city of Grumentum — Lake Patucino. The lake was extremely clear, and the shore was covered with grass. The calves of Grumentum drank the lake water and ate the grass on the shore as they grew up, so their meat was fat …
After a long meeting, everyone was already a little hungry. When they were tempted by the smell of the noodles, their appetites immediately increased. Not only did they finish the noodles, but they also finished the noodle soup. Some people even asked for an extra bowl.
Every month, the palace would gather the ministers of various departments at least three times for important administrative meetings. Often, the meetings would last for the whole day. Lunch was provided by the palace, and the ministers were long used to it. Naturally, they were not so restrained when eating.
After everyone finished eating, they took a short break. Heraclides, the minister of construction, said, "Your Majesty, there is a problem with the repair of Enona — the road to Rome."
"What problem?"
"The Sidi Ceni in the mountains to the north of Campania are obstructing our construction. Not only did they not provide labor and food as agreed, but the materials we sent there for the construction are also often lost … This has greatly slowed down our construction progress."
"I remember that the Sidi Ceni also participated in the construction agreement signed three years ago. Not only did they agree, but they also signed their names," Lucias interjected.
"Perhaps this mountain race feels that the road passes through their territory, and the security of their territory will be affected if there are more people coming and going from the south to the north, so they went back on their word," Ancitanos said solemnly. "Your Majesty, please allow me to send a diplomatic officer to the Sidi Ceni to protest to them and ask them to abide by the agreement and help us complete the construction of the road as soon as possible."
"In the past, the Sidi Ceni were sandwiched in the narrow mountains between the Wolsey and the Campania Alliance. They are conservative and very tactful. I'm afraid that just verbal condemnation won't have an obvious effect." Devers pondered and said, "Alexis, your Ministry of Military Affairs, inform the 12th Legion (the legion's source is the eastern plains of Campania, and the military camp is built in Abella) to gather at the edge of the mountains to the north of Capua for military training. Make it more imposing."
"Yes."
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