Chapter 520
My Villains Episode 520
67. Lord of Icebovald(13)
To govern the cities, manors, castles, and fortresses given to them, lords often appointed their relatives as military commanders or officials..
The lord's cousins and their children make good vassals because they do not have much influence on the succession structure and are trustworthy, and the wife's family or in-laws can also provide excellent human resources in some cases. This is the reason why prominent noble families recommend fertility to their members. In chaotic times, there are few people who can be trusted as much as blood relatives..
In this respect, Prince Depelken's lordly family has a great weakness..
Whatever the reality, Prince Poynix is known to have been a mercenary with no blood relatives. Since the only member of the Depelken family is the head of the family, there is no blood relative to use as a talent..
The good news is that the count had a private army of well over a hundred men even before he was given the title..
This group of soldiers, including the count's nine knights, became the core of the fiefdom army, the 'Battle Brigade', the 'Red Guard', Eisvowald's city guard, and the count's personal guard unit, the 'Guard Guard'. A strong bond was established between the comrades who rose up through blood together, and Poynix, who was at the center of this bond, was able to obtain a firm command..
On the other hand, it was difficult to solve affairs related to the management and administration of the territory by taking control of the military..
Not only that none of Poynix's soldiers have received proper training, but in the first place, managing a territory is a difficult task to handle unless you are familiar with the territory..
In that sense, it was very fortunate that Hayla, who received a high level of education as the daughter of a prestigious and historic ducal family, was by the prince's side. Both to Phoenix and his fiefdom..
Hayla, who took on the role of mistress of the Depelken family as the 'official fiancée' shortly after Phoenix sat on the count, was the first to actively persuade the judges who were the main rulers of Eisbowald..
Soon after the formation of a small bureaucracy centered around judges and their able ministers, she suddenly abolished all the manors belonging to the princes..
Some nobles, including landowner Romon, rebelled against this, but were crushed under the hooves of Bicorn in just six days and suppressed. 80% of the conquered manor was transferred to the direct fiefdom of the Depelken family, and the count's nine knights took up the remainder..
Heila appointed some of the newly acquired officials as magistrates and circuit judges and dispatched them to every corner of the province. It was to secure control over the territory..
Meanwhile, through Theodora, she interacted with the clergy of the Council of Ministers and persuaded artisans and merchants to cooperate with her rule..
Now, almost two years later, the noble strongholds that stood tall in every large town have become ministers of the great government, churches have been established even in backwater villages, taking on the role of government offices, and the Red Guard Guards have been established. The peace officers sent by the government even reached out to small settlements..
The system created by Heila quickly stabilized..
She invited various officials to the Lord's Hall to discuss the affairs of the city and the territory, and at some point, the meeting even came to be given the plausible name of 'Leader's Meeting'..
The citizens of Eisbowald regarded those attending this meeting as representing the entire city. Of course, Heila was the de facto ruler of the Prince. It was natural that the responsibility was great since I could tell her about the city's situation and exchange opinions face-to-face with her..
It was a heavy responsibility but also a great honor. Also, at some point, it seemed to be considered power in itself, Heila thought. She was well aware that many ambitious people were fighting behind the scenes for the seat at the leadership meeting..
“••••••miss?”
“hmm. Continue.”
When Hayla nodded slightly, the man who was looking at her with a puzzled expression continued speaking..
“In short, it can be said that the fundamental cause of this incident lies in the bill of exchange, or more precisely, in the transaction itself using the bill of exchange..”
The man who spoke while looking back at those gathered in the hall of the lord’s residence, ‘Walder’, was a low-ranking nobleman who had laid down roots in this region for generations. Although he was a nobleman, he did not own a significant amount of land, and during the time when Mayor Passihos, the representative of Duke Avilambus, ruled Aisbowald, he served as a treasurer to make a living..
“Looking at the contract presented by the merchants on the Korean side, I found that there were no problems with the contract itself. The payment they made to the Oros pottery dealers for the goods was clearly one of the bills specified in the contract..”
In a chaotic situation where the city was changing hands, he took the opportunity and took the position of city treasurer. As in any city or palace, the provincial treasurer in Eisbowald was a very high-ranking official and was able to attend leadership meetings. Among the officials gathered here, most of those who were not judges would have attended in a similar way to Walder..
“So what was the problem??”
The person who asked the question was ‘Willem’, an old man wearing a stylish chaperone hat. He was the head of the woodworking union and, along with several other union leaders, attended meetings as an advisor..
Since Bang Baek-ryeong's main export products were high-quality wood from Zelntree and furniture made from it, he could be said to have a significant role in the city. He was also considered the representative figure of all handicraft guilds..
It was because of such circumstances that Walder continued his explanation politely..
“It was a bill of exchange issued by Topal's mint..”
“ topal?”
“yes. As you know well, Topal's mint began pouring out defective currency after 'Black Bear' Royad sat on Duke Strom in place of his father, who had gone into hiding. It was last summer that, after a series of public rumors, the major merchant houses of the empire and kingdom declared that they would not accept Topal's silver coins and drafts of exchange..”
“Yes, I did..”
The old carpentry union leader clicked his tongue and laughed at the young elector..
“What a foolish bastard. No matter how urgently you need money, you can't help but kill the goose that lays the golden eggs..”
The person who answered was not the treasurer, but another union president..
“Didn't they lose a lot of territory and pay quite a bit of compensation? It must have been to make up for that blow..”
“Anyway, why are you being unreasonably greedy? What if you lost your silver ore and couldn't afford to run a foundry?.”
Even though Hayla, the city's second most powerful person and fearsome 'Blood Mage', was present, the atmosphere was not that heavy..
Leadership meetings were convened once every two weeks at the most infrequent, and this frequency made attendees familiar with the woman at the head..
Moreover, the prince's first fiancée had a rather gentle personality, contrary to her cold impression or cold aura. He is not a mean-spirited man like Mayor Passyhorse who punishes him for making a mistake in his words. Even as the conversation diverged, Hayla quietly listened to the voices of others. Treasurer Walder, seeing their relaxed attitude, waited patiently and finished the union leaders' story..
“Coming back to this incident, it is understandable that the pottery merchants of Oros were dissatisfied. The Topal draft they received is worth less than half of its face value..”
“But didn’t it say in the contract that you can pay with the draft? I shouldn't have made such a stupid contract in the first place..”
“It is true that it was the pottery dealers' mistake. Two years ago, when the value of Topal's silver coins and bills of exchange were still intact, transactions were continued based on the renewed contract..”
“Tsk tsk - that's right then.”
When the head of the woodworking union shook his head, those sitting nearby also added their words..
“Anyway, they seem like ignorant dirtbags..”
“If you do business in a haphazard way, it is doomed to failure..”
“What can I do? I did things like that.
Then you have to take responsibility yourself..”
While the artisans and their representatives added a few words, the merchants remained silent with a slightly awkward look on their faces. On the other side, officials, including judges, were casting a sympathetic gaze toward such merchants..
Treasurer Walder swallowed a bitter smile and opened his mouth..
“However, it is true that something that could be considered immoral occurred during the transaction process. That's why you called this meeting..”
The eyes of those attending the meeting turned towards the merchant representative who was the party involved in this incident. The merchant representatives kept their mouths shut and focused their attention on a middle-aged man. He was the head of the Spice Merchants' Guild and also the representative of the City Merchants' Guild..
He hesitated as he looked at Hayla's gaze and opened his mouth with a reluctant expression..
“……It's immoral. Treasurer, refrain from speaking. The merchants clearly complied with the terms of their contract..”
“That's an obvious fact.”
Walder shrugged his shoulders regretfully and added,.
“As soon as you noticed the problem with the contract, you bought up 4,500 coins worth of Topal's bills of exchange. It's not enough to just rip off what you brought in, it's a shame to put in as much of a lead order as possible and then take a penalty for not accepting it.……
“It was a bit harsh. Of course, you probably didn't mean to do that, but there are probably many people who think you made up your mind to take it off and eat it..”
“Sigh. Even so, I don't know if it's something that should be brought up to this point.-”
Jang Han, who was sitting quietly on one side, and Dylan, the leader of the Red Guard, frowned..
“Dozens of people from the pottery merchant’s group flocked to the Yeongjugwan and caused an uproar. Risking death without even a sword. But that's it?”
“that.”
Dylan has a very ferocious look and even his nose has been cut off, so he has a hideous face. When he growled, the representative of the City Merchants' Association flinched and trembled, but continued to protest, believing that Hayla would mediate..
“Yes, but Sir Dylan, that's what the guards do.……
“Is it our job to beat up merchants and throw them in jail? think so?”
“no, that's.”
Click.
At the sound of the teacup being put down, both Dylan and Hernt fell silent. The scary-looking security guard quickly became expressionless, and the middle-aged merchant turned his eyes to a rabbit and squinted towards the head of the table..
“I didn't call you to reprimand anyone..”
The merchant representatives inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as they heard Hayla's quiet voice. I had become accustomed to her through many years of experience, and I could tell that her voice was as gentle as usual..
“However, I just wanted to convey my hope that you will not act as foolishly as Royad. It means don't make mistakes by focusing on immediate profits..”
There was something strangely magical about the low voice that rang out from the head of the table, and those attending the leadership meeting were listening in a relaxed manner without realizing it..
“As someone said, the pottery dealers in Oros had little knowledge and ran their businesses in a haphazard manner. However, they are sincere and trustworthy, and the quality of their products is not bad. It can be said that their goods account for 30% of the pottery supplied to the city and are essential for Nieusbowald..”
Those who attended the meeting responded in their own way, such as nodding their heads, and Hayla made eye contact with the merchant representatives, including Herant..
“Is there any need to make such people your enemies? You will see great profits right away, but you will not only lose a stable supplier but also lose your reputation..”
Herant and the merchants wanted to protest, but they could not go against Hayla's will when the situation had come to this point. All you had to do was find a new supplier of pottery, and you could bear the loss of reputation, but going against her wishes would cost too much..
“……“I’m sorry, miss.” In the end, Herrant bowed his head..
“It seems that some energetic merchants made a mistake because they were blinded by the profits that were just around the corner. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to the city..”
“I understand. As a senior with experience, I hope you will mediate well..”
“Of course. I will make sure that you do not feel dizzy due to related matters in the future..”
“Good. I'm always grateful.”
Those gathered at the conference hall could easily figure out why Heyla had summoned them. It was a succinct warning that their business should not harm the city..
As such, the meeting held within a week ended so quickly that it seemed like nothing. Feeling that Hayla seemed to be in a hurry, the attendees left the hall in a hurry..
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