Chapter 404 Persuasion

Chapter 404: Persuasion
In the month of February 1994 of the Holy Calendar, the lords of the five lands of Arda, Bairdin, Potteri, Larnaca, and Manda once again gathered in Lakeheart Town.

Soon after, a common statement from the five lords spread throughout the neighborhood – the Northwest Customs Union was formed.

According to the statement, the purpose of the alliance was to promote the development of trade between the member territories, and secondly, to fight against foreign goods in order to protect the manufacturing industry of the Northwestern region, which was just starting to pick up.

The lords promised to gradually reduce or eliminate tolls between their territories and to adopt the same tax policy towards the outside world, and the collected tariffs were to be used as public funds of the alliance and to be distributed appropriately.

The declaration quickly created a huge storm in the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Aldo.

Because the content of this statement was not only about the establishment of the Northwest Customs Union, but also included:
First, abolish the tax payer system that widely existed in each territory, and pay all kinds of taxes directly to their respective lords in the future;
Two, the local knights, squires and other estate owners were not allowed to restrict the personal freedom of peasants (including serfs) on their own land, and peasants were allowed to move between villages and towns;

Thirdly, private punishment was prohibited, private civil courts were abolished, and all cases, large and small, were heard by legal officials appointed by their respective lords.

Too unconscionable, too inhumane, too unsympathetic to the people of the lords – this is the unanimous thought in the hearts of the lords everywhere.

The Customs Union is not to be mentioned, it’s been a long time in the making. The other three things in the statement were also unacceptable.

Abolish the charter tax system? Our family has diligently served the lords for hundreds of years, and don’t we pay for everything the lords eat, drink, and use? Who went out of their way to collect taxes, door to door, it was us! Who was scolded as a vampire every day and took on the resentment of the mudbloods in the place of the lord, it was us!

What’s wrong with leaving a little bit of money in return for all this hard work and back-breaking, isn’t that the right thing to do?

Can’t we restrict the free movement of the mudbloods? Do the lords know how they’ve been able to hold on to their positions so well? It’s because we forbid them to join forces with each other and prevent them from forming groups. Besides, if all the mudbloods go to work in the city, who’s going to plant crops in the fields, and we’re all going to drink the northwest wind?

Banning the death penalty? Without the power to punish the mudbloods, what’s a lord for? Wouldn’t the northwest be in chaos?

In short, those who shook their heads shook their heads, those who stomped their feet stomped their feet, and everyone agreed that this was a bad policy.

Not surprisingly, Paul’s expectations, immediately someone to the door to advise.

“Is that all you two want to say? Sit down first.”

Paul smiled and ordered the servants to fetch seats.

“Thank you, Lord Earl.”

The duo saluted before carefully sitting down.

These two people, one called Fergus and the other called Eldo, had just spoken a great deal in front of Paul.

Fergus is the previous service in the Greiman family “knight”, also followed him to conquer the pirates, is considered to be meritorious people. Only after Paul perfected the army and the system and discipline, consciously do not adapt to the new army, back to the countryside manor idle.

As for Eldo, although it is a manor owner, but strictly speaking his manor is the name of the Gleeman family, Eldo’s family is only “management” only, but in several generations ago because of pleasing the then lord’s heart, the lord will be managed by the manor “half-appreciation But a few generations ago, because he was pleased with the then lord, the lord gave his ancestors “half a reward” for his management of the manor, and he only needed to pay a certain percentage of the harvest every year, and the rest went to Eldo’s family. In Alda, there are many other landowners like this, the land is nominally owned by the lord, but the actual controller is the lord’s servant.

In short, one of them is a family knight and the other is a family servant, both of them are people who are closer to the Greiman family.

“Lord Earl, don’t be tempted by the slanderous words of a villain. This way of doing things will seriously hurt the loyalty of the lords.”

After sitting down, Fergus still continued to persuade, and the look on his face was one of sincerity, unlike hypocrisy.

“Yes, yes, Knight Fergus has a point. Treating the lords so harshly will cause resentment.”

Compared to the thick-browed and robust knight, Eldo was less pleasant looking and was echoing Fergus every time.

It seems that these two are the ones those landowners elected to admonish me, Paul secretly thought this in his heart. In his intuition, Fergus is not all for his own interests, more out of the old times of ethics and morality, and that Eldo is for personal interests, because the guy is always cowering, do not dare to look at his own.

But the heart of the people, who can say.

“I’ll seriously consider what the two of you have said, and I’ll also discuss it in detail with the other lords.”

After endeavoring to make some serious listening, and after listening to their painful presentation of the drawbacks, Paul replied in this way.

Fergus and Eldo’s faces showed joy, it looked like the young lords were still able to listen in.

Paul arranged for the two men to be entertained with wine and food, and sent them away after the meal was over.

A week later, the five lords once again gathered in the center of the lake town, some discussion and then hastily dispersed.

Then one after another, each of the lords announced that they would stop some of the measures in the previous statement.

Take Arda and Baildin for example:

The charter tax system will not be changed;

The free movement of peasants is suspended, but the relocation of relatives may not be restricted if there is a person in the family who has joined the army;

Lynchings remain in place, but likewise families with enlisted men must be turned over to the Lords’ Court for trial.

The establishment of the Customs Union, however, was retained by the five lords.

And so most people breathed a sigh of relief.

At the estate of the great squire Valen, the landlords assembled again.

Old Valen said with a grim look on his face, “This is strategy, the Count is using the method of having retreated, we must find a way to stir up the matter of the Customs Union as well.”

“Too rude, mind the tone of your position.”

Fergus immediately objected, “To repeal all the decrees that have just come out, where is the count’s honor? It’s already not easy to make such a concession, we have to sympathize with Lord Gleeman. Moreover, this matter also involves the other four earls and Lord Duke of the Northwest, how can we defy the five lords.”

“Yes, yes, we are his people after all, how can we force the lords like this.”

Baden, Eldo and the others agreed with Fergus, the earl’s compromise had satisfied them.

“Hmph, I’m only afraid that the Earl Lord will take one step back today, and then resume two steps forward tomorrow. Remember my words, gentlemen, when all the things in your hands are taken away, I don’t know if you will still be able to celebrate.”

Old Valen picked up his own wine and poured it down furiously, his eyes shining with a ghostly light.

“This ……”

“No way ……”

The people present looked at each other in disbelief.

(End of chapter)