RPAGF #630 - Finances of the Thousand Valleys
#630 - Finances of the Thousand Valleys
This fiscal conference, held in the golden autumn of October, lasted for a total of 4 days and was truly remarkable.
First, two county governors fought over the budget without success, and one of them angrily seduced his competitor's wife at night. After being discovered, the two engaged in a courtroom brawl.
Then, because the right to issue road and bridge bonds was allocated to the Boussac's Evangelium, a Meggidi merchant was deprived of his agency rights and attempted to attack Boussac's residence at night, but went to the Jeschka's residence by mistake and was killed on the spot.
Subsequently, two tribunes quarreled back and forth over the road and bridge bureau and tariffs, slapping the table and cursing each other, even to the point of storming out in anger.
However, with the example of the beer hall riot, under the political consensus of non-proliferation of political infighting, both sides were still in a state of fighting without breaking.
There were sensible people in both of their camps, who each recommended a second-in-command to mediate, which suppressed the dispute.
The final result was the establishment of a "Road and Bridge Bureau" to manage tariffs, with Privy Council Speaker Catherine concurrently serving as the Director of the Road and Bridge Bureau, responsible for the construction of roads and bridges on the one hand, and the distribution of tariffs on the other.
If it weren't for the statistical financial report sent the next day, the participating county governors and cardinal bishops would have almost forgotten what the meeting was for.
After politely saying goodbye to the monks who brought the report and the Truth News, Silvis turned around, and a male servant in the room quickly stepped forward to continue tidying up his clothes.
While drinking hot milk, Silvis quickly flipped through the financial report, occasionally pausing to click his tongue.
After finishing his grooming, he did not rush to read the Truth News, but instead picked up his teacup, walked through the long corridor, and went to find Hermann, who was staying in the guest room.
Those who came to the Holy See with Melia were, in addition to Hermann, several county governors from the Mountain County.
These county governors all had one characteristic: they were all from the North Munder County nobility, belonging to the ascending chickens and dogs who carried the Fleur-de-lis flag into Feiliu Fort and lived their entire lives.
They were all arranged in the guest rooms of the Holy See Building, which has nearly 100 rooms, 30 of which are specifically used to accommodate foreign guests.
Even Horne himself lives in the Holy See Building, only going to the Mechanical Palace for vacation on weekends.
As an old nobleman, the century-old Earl of North Munder County, Silvis had to say that this palace was new, but it was too simple after all.
The corridor's skirting line had no patterned tiles, the top had no dome and paintings, and the sides had no ceramic vases and murals, not to mention this marble floor without carpets.
Compared to a Thousand River Valley Patriarch or a Pope in the eyes of the common people, this place was more like a stingy new home of a rising noble family.
After all, if you want both beauty and solidity, but don't want to spend too much money, then you have to neglect the interior decoration.
"Good morning, may the Holy Lord bless you, Lord Hermann." Knocking on the door of the Black Horse Knight Hermann, Silvis sat down on the hardwood chair without ceremony.
Sitting by the window, Hermann was reading a stack of Truth News, and in just three to five days, he had almost formed a habit.
Since the independence of Thousand River Valley, Truth News began to expand from within the Salvation Army and quickly gained popularity among the citizens.
Through movable type printing, Truth News is published weekly.
The main contents include five sections: current affairs news, official announcements, theological science, commentary articles, poetry jokes, etc., which are interspersed with shipping schedules, transaction advertisements, and so on.
At least in several towns in Langsand County, reading Truth News has become the most fashionable behavior for the citizen class.
The Truth News tucked under the arm has become a fashionable item for citizens, because it means that you are literate and not engaged in heavy physical labor, and you have the leisure to read the newspaper.
Some master craftsmen who are illiterate will even buy a copy of the newspaper and ask a young apprentice to read it to them.
It can be seen how popular and widespread this newspaper is.
In this era of information blockage, being able to know things thousands of miles away and the attitude of the powerful through a small newspaper is quite attractive to the citizen class.
"Have you read the latest financial report?" Spreading the Truth News on his lap, Silvis asked first.
Reading the newspaper together is a fixed activity for several of their entourage. It is more like chatting in a group than reading the newspaper in a group. The newspaper is only used to provide topics.
But today Silvis obviously has many other topics.
"Read it." Taking advantage of the morning light shining in from the window, Hermann sat by the window with his legs crossed, flipping through the Truth News. "This year, there is a deficit of almost 100,000 gold pounds, but fortunately it is only temporary."
"That's terrible." Silvis couldn't help but click his tongue. If it weren't for the gold pounds seized from the Feiliu Fort Church, the Thousand River Valley would have gone bankrupt in its first year of independence.
According to the report, this year's expenditure in 1446 was actually 149,000 gold pounds!
Fortunately, it included debt interest and a large number of one-time expenditures, so the meeting expects to reduce expenditures to 90,000 gold pounds next year.
The annual income in 1446 was more miserable. Hotam County was about 20,000 gold pounds, Lower River County and Kashia County together were only 10,000 gold pounds, and the five mountain counties together were only 10,000 gold pounds.
In addition to some miscellaneous manor real estate and trade income, the financial income of Thousand River Valley in 1446 was about 55,000 gold pounds.
The annual tribute paid by Thousand River Valley to the Leia royal family is about 60,000 gold pounds. 55,000 gold pounds seems to be only a little less, but it is actually a cut in half.
Because Thousand River Valley does not have to pay taxes to the church now, that is to say, the tax of at least 60,000 gold pounds sent to the Pope of the Holy See City does not have to be paid anymore!
According to the current tax register analysis, if Thousand River Valley can collect taxes in full, it should have more than 120,000 gold pounds in tax revenue.
But there is no way, the Thousand River Valley War has destroyed the economy, not to mention that the nobles are still blocking roads on the border, trying to prevent foreign trade in Thousand River Valley.
"War, war." Silvis said jealously, "To say that in the war, the only one not affected is probably this Langsand County."
Because in the financial report, reducing a large number of middlemen and tax chains, the Salvation Army's tax revenue this year reached a full 25,000 gold pounds.
Like real estate and asset income, commercial tax income, etc., Horne did not mention in the financial report, but Silvis estimates that there are about 20,000 gold pounds, then the total is 45,000 gold pounds.
This one county added up is almost catching up with the other eight counties. The former Langsand County was just mediocre.
When did it become so rich in these short two years.
But Silvis and the others can forget about this money, because this belongs to the church income of His Holiness the Pope, which can basically be regarded as the independent income of the Salvation Army.
"Can this hundred-household district really have such a big effect on tax revenue?" Flipping through the Truth News, Hermann asked casually.
Hermann just asked casually, but Silvis had a lot to say: "Lord Hermann, I think the hundred-household district is just a guise for the monastery. What if a hundred households are grouped together?
It is said that it can collect more taxes, but this year's taxes have decreased instead. Those monasteries have made a lot of money by reselling wool and yarn, but we can't get this money.
Now they want to establish a road and bridge bureau. I originally wanted to make a profit from the wool by setting up checkpoints to collect taxes, but now there is no hope at all.
Alas, Lord Hermann, I regret it a bit. If I had known this, I shouldn't have cooperated so much. My reputation is notorious among the nobles, and no one wants to get close to me."
Listening to Silvis's words, Hermann just smiled indifferently. He only knew how to sell pity, why didn't he mention that he took the opportunity to kill several long-time enemy families?
Silvis said so, but even if he knew it earlier, he would still have to cooperate honestly.
In this appointment system of bureaucracy, his power is greater and more concentrated than before.
But if he doesn't do well, Melia has countless reasons to pull him down, and there are many people waiting for his position.
If he doesn't do it, there are plenty of people who will.
Not to mention, that Earl Sampoli, who didn't even get the position of county governor, is full of complaints.
"It's all for Thousand River Valley." Hermann still focused on reading the newspaper.
Silvis still did not continue reading the newspaper, but rolled his eyes and asked Hermann: "Lord Hermann, what do you think of road and bridge bonds?"