Chapter 329 Year-end summary

Chapter 329: End of Year Summary
Hearing the request made by Richard, Salamo had a difficult look on his face.

“Lord Duke, the new alloy alchemy furnace uses a special spell formation, to expand the scale it needs to be redesigned, this is undoubtedly a big project, I’m afraid it will take a long time to succeed.”

“This matter will be handed over to your project team, if it’s not possible to cut some less important projects from it, and draw people from other project teams. Although the performance of the new alloy is very good, only by increasing the production and equipping more soldiers can we increase the fighting power of the army and play a greater role.”

Richard inspected the Alloy Research Institute for an entire day, had dinner with Salamo and other meritorious researchers, held a simple party, and returned home late into the night.

The time had already reached the end of the year, and the territory needed to do this year’s statistics and next year’s budget again.

Although there was a war going on this year, the war did not affect the level of economic development in Harland’s territory. After all, the flames of war did not reach Harland’s territory, and the allied forces of the four provinces harvested a lot of gold coins in Delong Kingdom, and the gold coins captured were already enough for Richard to pay salaries and reward his achievements.

According to the household registration statistics, this year, the population size of Harland collar already has 1.4 million people, such population size, ranked in the sixth place of the eight dukes’ collars, exceeding the two dukes’ collars of Fox and Guise.

Grant Kingdom most of the noble population statistics are very rough, most of the situation is that the castle bureaucrats go to the village to ask a question, get a rough figure, each castle and each region add up a summary. Unless there is a tight registry system like in Harland, there are enough bureaucrats to manage the registry to come up with a roughly accurate population figure.

One million four hundred thousand people, roughly equivalent to the population level of a small prefecture-level city in the previous world. However, the area of Harland Territory was already equivalent to a small province, and overall the population was sparse, the level of development was low, and there was a large amount of land that was barren mountains and wilderness.

Counting the 60,000 freeholders of East Grota County, there were already 440,000 freeholders in Harland Territory.

After taking East Grotta County, the officials of Harland Territory made new adjustments to the arable land, and distributed a portion of the land under the crown’s jurisdiction to some of the freeholders who lacked land, so that their arable land reached the level of six acres of land per capita.

Both sides of the Grota River were located in the southern foothills of the Eagle Mountains, and in general the land was vast and sparsely populated, with far more arable land than population, and dividing up the land to the local freeholders not only collected the people’s hearts and minds, but also rapidly increased the level of tax revenue.

After the exchange of territories was completed, it was already September, the fall harvest had been completed and the grain tax was being paid. After the exchange of territories was completed, the royal bureaucrats took away the floating wealth, and this year, the local 60,000-odd freeholders only contributed about 5,000 gold coins to the tax revenue of Harland’s Territory, which was at a low level.

The other three hundred and eighty thousand free folk are the elderly of Harland’s territory, they contribute more food tax, just the field tax alone can reach three silver coins per person on average, adding up to a total of ninety-five thousand gold coins in tax money.

This year, the field tax alone received 100,000 gold coins, plus business tax, customs duty, property tax, installment purchase payment and other miscellaneous taxes, the tax item received 143,000 gold coins.

By next year, the 60,000 free citizens of East Grota County will be integrated into the Harland Territory and will contribute at least 25,000 gold coins in taxes.

Moreover, next year is a big year for converting free citizens, it has been five years since the battle for the throne of the Grand Duchy of Starnik, and about two hundred and forty thousand people will be divided up into fields and converted into free citizens a few months earlier. The field tax brought by this part of the free citizens also amounted to sixty thousand gold coins.

According to the territory’s estimation, next year’s field tax would exceed 180,000 gold coins, and with the addition of various miscellaneous taxes, the tax revenue alone would be able to support more than 10,000 soldiers.

This year, the northern border region had a good wind and rainfall, and overall a good harvest was ushered in, and the Harland Territory’s natural potash extraction was raised to tens of thousands of tons, and the average acre yield was increased to two hundred pounds.

Counting East Grota County, Harland’s arable land area has exceeded eight million acres, and the overall grain production may exceed eight hundred thousand tons. According to estimates about thirty percent of the grain was dispersed in the hands of the freeholders.

According to the statistics, by the end of the year, the grain stored in the territory’s granary exceeded half a million tons.

Richard had asked Burien, who was in charge of the agricultural system, that this year’s grain harvest ratio in Harland’s territory could already reach twelve to one, raising it to a very high level.

Harland Territory has always emphasized on the level of agricultural development, and every year, they have to deploy indentured servants to repair reservoirs and engage in water conservancy projects.

Richard also attaches great importance to breeding, under Sophia there is a group of magicians to study breeding, and over the years there have been some results, improved wheat seeds, so that the wheat yield increased by about eight percent.

In addition, Harland discovered a natural potash mine, coupled with the large-scale use of farmyard fertilizer, this year finally let the average acreage of more than two hundred pounds.

Compared to other areas in the northern border, the average acreage of Harland’s arable land has increased by about thirty percent.

Although there are half a million tons of grain stored in the granary, but now Richard wants to feed one million indentured servants, even if an average indentured servant consumes four hundred and fifty pounds of grain, it will add up to twenty-two thousand five hundred tons. Moreover, next year, he would continue to reclaim the wasteland, and would need to leave behind seventy-five thousand tons of seed grain.

Today, Harland’s territory has 43,000 regular soldiers, and 30,000 auxiliary soldiers, security forces, and other second-line troops, requiring 35,000 tons of grain consumption.

Harland collar just has two brigade cavalry, the army owns the war horse, pack horse add up to more than eight thousand horses, as the saying goes, one horse tops three soldiers, even if the pack horse consumes a little less, mainly grass, the war horse plus pack horse consumes about 10,000 tons of grain add up to about 10,000 tons.

In addition, Harland also has a thousand beasts of war horses, beasts of war horses eat a lot of food, a beast of war horse consumption of food is equivalent to about ten soldiers, a thousand beasts of war horses consume about five thousand tons of food per year.

In addition to leaving behind indentured servant rations, military rations, and next year’s seed grain, brewing also needs to consume 6,000 tons of grain, plus 80,000 tons of grain stored in the territory in order to prevent natural disasters.

Although the 500,000 tons of inventory is a lot, the actual grain that can be used is only 60,000 tons and 4,000 tons.

This part of the grain Richard part of the sale through the Black River Fort grain station, sold to the Black River Fort citizen class, part of the sale to Vera and other Stannic Grand Duchy merchants.

This year, the drought in Stannic Grand Duchy lasted for a long time, the affected area was very large and the disaster was more serious. After the completion of the fall harvest, the northern border was filled with grain merchants from the Grand Duchy of Starnik.

Nowadays, the commercial interests of the Northern Border region were controlled by two groups of people, one group was the merchants of the Goddess of Fortune Church represented by Vera, and the other group was the Chamber of Commerce Flame Gargoyles directly controlled by Duke Jonathan.

The Flame Dragon Chamber of Commerce is the official business of the Grand Duchy of Starnik, with the Jonathan family occupying fifty-five percent of the shares, the other thirty-five percent being the direct bannermen who support Duke Jonathan, and the remaining ten percent being reserved for the management of the merchant fleets around the region.

Because of the Starnik purchase of food is very large, although the northern border grain harvest, the market is still in short supply, the price of food has also increased, Harland collar sold 64,000 tons of grain quickly sold clean.

This batch of grain, together, brought Richard 150,000 gold coins funds.

This year, the livestock industry’s vitality began to recover, last year, the Loxa Basin was captured, captured tens of thousands of sheep body people, the number of slaves to graze the sheep increased dramatically, this year, the scale of Harland Collar’s government-run ranches has already exceeded the level of its heyday.

The stock of government-run ranches exceeded two million heads, and there were one million eight hundred thousand heads in the slaughter. On the contrary, the private farmers, because of the sheep plague a few years ago suffered heavy losses, until now has not recovered, in addition to a small number of professional farmers, the private sector has not many sheep farmers.

A million and eight hundred thousand sheep in the pen had already exceeded the Harland Collar’s market consumption level.

Despite the massive expansion of the Harland Territory this year, the military’s consumption has increased dramatically, and the government has increased its orders to give welfare to public officials, and to give additional lamb to the families of injured and battle-dead soldiers, and eight hundred thousand sheep have been eaten before and after the war.

The remaining million sheep could not be digested on the market, and there were also sheep farmed by civilians competing with the officials.

Now that the Iron Lion and Grizzly Bear legions had gone south, the Northern Border region had lost about 40,000 families with spending power, which had a very serious impact on the economy of the four Northern Border provinces. Those who followed the main corps southward also had their immediate family members, which instantly disappeared more than 200,000 people with spending power.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Harland had increased the number of free people by 110,000, expanding the domestic market, and also selling goods to the newly built provinces in the south, the economy would have been severely affected as well.

One million head of sheep, relying on the two major markets of Harland’s collar and the northern border, only 200,000 heads were sold, and the remaining 800,000 heads Richard could only send people to drive the sheep to Nolan and the southern provinces.

On his way south, he needed to pass through many noble lands, and every noble territory he passed through needed to coordinate and pay taxes.

Richard promoted to Duke, in the Grant Kingdom played a heck of a reputation, the big nobles are to give face, small nobles do not want to offend the Duke of Harland, along the way transit tax greatly reduced, go to the south to sell sheep to have a profit.

Eight hundred thousand sheep although the sale of eighty thousand gold coins funds, along the way a variety of transit tax paid thirty-four thousand gold coins, in order to protect the sheep, Richard also sent more than three thousand shepherds, a brigade of soldiers. These people spent a month on the road, and the messy expenses also consumed six thousand gold coins funds.

In addition to the consumption, the animal husbandry industry brought sixty thousand gold coins of pure profit to the territory this year.

Because of the invention of the steam engine, Harland’s steel industry has developed very rapidly, and this year’s steel production has been raised to fifteen thousand tons. The workers in the steel mill and rolling mill have already exceeded five thousand.

Due to the steel production increased by sixty percent, the price of steel continued to fall, Williamsburg a kilogram of steel material reduced to five copper coins. Due to the surge in steel production in Harland’s territory, along with the iron prices in the northern border region also fell drastically, and the price of iron in Black River Castle even fell to six copper coins per kilogram.

In ten years when Harland collar was just established, a kilogram of steel sold for as much as one silver coin, equipping hundreds of soldiers with iron spearheads would make Richard feel heavy pressure.

Fifteen thousand tons of iron and steel production capacity is more than enough, but compared to the market demand of several million people in the vicinity, it is still far from enough, even after lowering the selling price, this year’s iron and steel sales have already exceeded two hundred and fifteen thousand gold coins.

Because of the large number of orc slaves used to dig mines, reducing labor costs, steel products brought Harland’s collar 180,000 gold coins of profit.

With the recovery of the scale of animal husbandry, the production capacity of the wool textile market is still rapidly increasing, this year’s production of woolen cloth has increased by 40%, the price is also slightly higher than last year, bringing a total of 48,000 gold coins of profit to Harland’s collar.

The profit of brown sugar trade is still expanding, this year the production of brown sugar in Harland collar exceeds five thousand tons.

According to the calculation of the territory’s sales data, on average, each free citizen consumes five kilograms of brown sugar a year. The domestic market alone would consume two thousand tons of brown sugar a year.

The remaining three thousand tons of production capacity, five hundred tons used in the army, government departments, the remaining two thousand five hundred tons can only rely on the external market, in addition to the traditional market in the northern border, now also opened up the Nolan market, the Grand Duchy of Starnik market, the south of the newly occupied area market.

In the whole year, the brown sugar industry brought 60,000 gold coins of profit to Harland’s territory.

Nowadays, the price of brown sugar has been lowered to five copper coins per kilogram in Harland, which is no longer considered as a luxury item, and it has entered thousands of families of free people.

This year, Harland’s other important income is minting income, after Richard was promoted to Count, Harland’s discovered copper mines and began to accelerate the development of Copper Hill Town. In recent years the mint has been specializing in minting technology.

Currency minting is not an easy thing, in the first few years, the mint minted currency of very low quality, Richard has not allowed large-scale circulation. With the invention of the steam engine, the Harland collar invented a new type of stamping machine, fine coins from this year began to circulate in the territory.

In the first year alone, minting copper coins brought Harland 60,000 gold coins profit, in addition to the discovery of silver mines in the Loza Basin, despite the fact that silver mining and smelting is very difficult, minting silver coins also brought 30,000 gold coins profit to the territory.

The two mints ran for a year and brought Harland 90,000 gold coins profit.

The minting of a large amount of coins did not bring inflation to the territory, but instead eased the money shortage and played an important role in economic development.

This year, the magic crystal charging efficiency did not improve, and the three mage towers brought twenty-eight thousand gold coins profit to Harland’s territory.

After controlling the Losa Basin and blocking several important passages, the central region of the Eagle Mountain Range fell under the control of Harland Territory, this year Harland Territory’s hunting team hunted more than a dozen magical beasts, captured more than thirty Iron Horned Horses, and the most important harvest was to successfully hunt down a seventh-order bipedal Flying Dragon, in addition to the rewards given to the hunting team, a total of 23,000 gold coins was brought to the territory.

The arms trade was also an important income for the Harland Territory, this year, four thousand alchemy bombs, sixteen hundred iron armor collars, and one hundred and twenty scorching ray guns were sold, which brought about fifty-four thousand gold coins of profit to the territory after costs were removed.

This year, new commodities appeared in Harland’s territory, and the most profitable one was porcelain, because of Richard’s policy of low price dumping, plus the domestic demand market, porcelain income brought Harland’s territory twenty-eight thousand gold coins of pure profit.

In the past, the sales of porcelain in the Kingdom of Grant were large multinational chambers of commerce, this kind of multinational large chambers of commerce are very strong, and will give the Grant royal family to share part of the profits.

The multinational chambers of commerce had complex shareholdings, controlling the business routes from the Sacred Radiant Empire to the eastern kingdoms, monopolizing the commodities sold in the Sacred Radiant Empire, and dealing in high-value commodities such as antiques, porcelains, silks, magical crystals, potions, and transcendental items.

There were only two multinational chambers of commerce that were active in Grant Kingdom, one was called the Flourishing Star Chamber of Commerce and the other was called the Cangqing Chamber of Commerce, according to Richard’s estimation, these two chambers of commerce could sell out about a few hundred pieces of porcelain every year, with sales of between 30,000 and 40,000 gold coins.

The porcelain business was also a large amount of profit for them.

If it wasn’t for Harland’s strong strength and Richard’s reputation for breaking through in the Grant Kingdom, Harland’s Collar’s operation of the porcelain business would definitely be targeted by the multinational chambers of commerce.

Although the strength of the transnational chamber of commerce is very strong, there are mercenaries with strong combat power under their command, and behind them there are also legendary level powerful people as backing, after all, in the Grant Kingdom is a dragon in the river.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon can’t suppress a snake, the strength of Harland’s collar nowadays is a few points more powerful than a snake in Grant Kingdom, even if the power of a transnational chamber of commerce is centralized, it may not be able to win over Harland’s collar.

Although the porcelain business has been affected, and earns less profit of 20,000 to 30,000 gold coins per year, the two multinational chambers of commerce have no merit to issue any statement, and have not targeted the Harland Collar.

With the expansion of the market, soap, soap business also increased profits, because the development of animal husbandry is better, animal fat raw materials increased more, soap, soap production expanded capacity.

This year, Richard brought his troops south, and with the Harland Collar commodities into the south, capturing a new market, the soap, soap business alone brought 36,000 gold coins profit to Richard.

Liquor business is also developing very well, although the distilled liquor brewing process leaked and lost the monopoly market, but Richard levied a heavy tax on imported liquor, and exclusively enjoyed the domestic market of Harland’s collar.

Relying on the domestic demand market alone, the liquor business can eat a belly full of oil, and Harland collar liquor in the Black River Fort, Flame Fort control a large number of markets, this year earned 32,000 gold coins profit.

This year, Harland territory’s medicine income has once again skyrocketed, first of all, the cultivation of a new queen bee, the production of hemostatic ointment has increased greatly, increased by about 60,000 copies. This increased portion of the hemostatic ointment can be sold in the market at a price of three silver coins a serving, which will increase the income of Harland Territory by fifteen thousand gold coins, and in addition to the cost of materials and labor, it will increase the net profit by twelve thousand gold coins.

In addition the territory also researched an internal injury treatment potion, although the production was relatively low, only three hundred copies a year, but the sales price was very high, Richard sold one hundred and twenty copies and received twelve thousand gold coins funds.

In addition this year the invention of painkilling pills sold very well, sold two hundred and twenty thousand bottles a year, even if the selling price was not high, the sales were as high as more than eighteen thousand three hundred gold coins, bringing about ten thousand gold coins net profit to the territory.

All in all, this year’s drug sales increased by sixty percent.

The revenue from the medicines brought sixty-four thousand gold coins of profit to the Harland Territory.

Coal mine production is also surging, the use of steam engine power, this year the coal mine improved conveyor belt, designed a steel drum coal mining machine, put into operation No. 3 mine, coal production increased by twenty percent.

According to the data reported by the coal mine at the end of the year, the coal mine capacity reached 200,000 tons. Due to the limitations of the deposits, it is difficult to find new mines, and it is difficult to continue to increase the capacity of this coal mine.

This year, the coal production capacity increased by twenty percent, but the mine did not increase the number of people, which brought 48,000 gold coins of profit to the territory.

Transportation industry, four-wheeled carriage manufacturing industry is relatively stable, this year Harland collar also received a portion of the military transportation orders, the two businesses bring profits with last year’s level, the total income of fifteen thousand gold coins funds.

Now the real estate industry is contributing more and more to the territory.

Because of the skyrocketing population, a large number of indentured servants become free citizens every year.

After becoming free people and earning money, of course they would not continue to live in wooden houses and simple shacks. Repairing a house requires the purchase of masonry, cement, glass, wood, and so on. These industries, this year, brought about sixty thousand gold coins of funds to Harland’s collar.

Although dyeing cloth is a new industry with a very big prospect, Richard expanded the southern market this year, and brought just thirteen thousand gold coins profit to the territory this year.

Perfume industry is a luxury product, luxury products as long as it occupies the market, the income is very stable, this year brought ten thousand gold coins funds to Harland’s territory.

With the increase of schools, the paper making business is also rapidly improving, this year brought a total of eight thousand gold coins profit to the territory.

In addition the fruit industry, fresh fish business, river transportation income and so on, added up to bring thirteen thousand gold coins profit to Harland’s territory.

This year’s southern expedition harvested a lot, several battles of capture plus scraping the land, has got more than 100,000 gold coins of goods, these floating wealth basically distributed to the soldiers of the southern expedition.

In total, this year, Harland’s cash income was 1,163,000 gold coins, roughly equivalent to one-third of the level of Grant’s royal family. Such a cash income has already exceeded the Dukes of Edward and Fox in the northern border, and even exceeded the Dukes of York, second only to the Crown of Grant and Archduke Jonathan.

With a sixty-seven percent increase in revenue, the territory’s expenditures were also elevated.

First of all, the expenditure of military pay, now the soldiers receiving pay in the army of Harland’s territory reached twenty-eight thousand, and also need to issue subsidies and pay for thirty thousand second-line personnel, and roughly four hundred thousand gold coins funds are needed for one year’s salary.

In addition this year’s war killed about three hundred people and disabled two hundred soldiers, the number of people receiving pensions increased to close to ten thousand. Last year, the pension standard was raised, and this year, thirty thousand gold coins were spent on this item.

The expenditure on logistic materials is also very huge, now Harland’s territory has 43,000 regular troops, the annual logistic expenditure needs 80,000 gold coins, in addition to raising auxiliary soldiers, security and other troops, these second line troops add up to 30,000 people, all kinds of logistic materials add up, the cost is also 40,000 gold coins.

The logistical expenses added up to a total of 120,000 gold coins. This is not counting food, meat, brown sugar and other internal transfer supplies, after all, a soldier has to be issued two outfits per year, a single coat, a cotton coat, in addition to the issue of quilts and tents. After expanding the army, they also need to issue weapons and build barracks, each of which requires a large amount of gold coins.

Only by guaranteeing sufficient supply can the fighting strength of soldiers be guaranteed.

In total, the cost of maintaining soldiers was 550,000 gold coins, accounting for 48% of the financial revenue. It was far below the level of previous years.

After taking East Grota County this year, the civil servants of Harland’s Territory have once again expanded massively, and now the civil servants of the government system, counting the village chiefs at the lowest level, are about eight thousand people, with a salary expenditure of about sixty-five thousand gold coins. Together with the various subsidies and benefits issued by the government, more than eighty thousand gold coins of funds were consumed.

Although Richard had always opposed it, the salaries of the civil servants were gradually raised to a higher level in the territory, and could gradually be compared to the soldiers.

In this year’s meeting, Richard got angry, clearly stating that next year will compress the government’s government expenditure, give civil servants a pay cut, and control the expenditure at the level of sixty-five thousand gold coins.

After all, this year and next year each year to expand the army by six thousand people, increase twelve thousand regular army, each year at least to increase the military expenditure of one hundred and sixty thousand gold coins.

The territory’s finances can’t be raised without limitations, except for steel, brown sugar, and medicines, other commodities are already getting weak. The government’s expenditure has to be unable to skyrocket every year.

This year, Harland collar built four new elementary school, a middle school, the teacher establishment increased by more than two hundred people, counting the fixed investment, the territory invested sixteen thousand gold coins in the education port, accounting for about one percent of the financial income of one point thirty-nine, which is considered to be a relatively low level.

In the medical sector, a new hospital was built and a specialized medical school was established, investing about ten thousand gold coins.

This year’s scientific research investment expanded quite a bit, the major research institutes got thirty-six thousand gold coins of scientific research funding, and the Harland Mage Association also got twenty-four thousand gold coins of scientific research funding.

Together with the salaries of the researchers and the mages in the territory, the total cost was seventy-four thousand gold coins, which accounted for about six and a quarter percent of the financial income, which was considered to be a very high level.

All in all, this year’s financial expenditure was 730,000 gold coins, with a balance of 433,000 gold coins.

Counting the balance from previous years, Harland’s treasury had already saved 600,000 gold coins, which was undoubtedly a huge amount of money even for a Duke’s territory.

With this huge amount of money, it was enough to support Richard’s army expansion in the next two years.

(End of this chapter)