Chapter 65: Reform
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Reform
With the end of the first round of conflict, the three factions on Black Forest Island entered a brief period of peace.
Duane’s men were gradually taking control of the areas of Broken Wave City and Lingang Village, discovering many landlords like Monbodt in the process.
They were either members of the Broken Wave Gang or the Holy Hand Association, or had cultivated ties with the two organizations.
Duane dealt with this group decisively.
He had most of the landlords’ fields confiscated, leaving them only about twenty acres to farm.
As the land confiscation progressed day by day, the acreage under Duane’s name grew.
He had effectively become the largest landowner on Black Forest Island.
With so much land, the hundred-odd people he had brought with him were no longer enough to work it all.
He had no choice but to rent out much of the land to the island’s serfs.
Come harvest time, he would collect a portion of their grain as rent.
A few weeks later, Julian brought Agricultural Officer Haien to the Baron’s study to report on their work.
"Baron, we estimate that the total cultivated land in Broken Wave City and Lingang Village is nearly 50,000 acres. Based on past crop yields, this is enough to provide rations for the populations of both areas."
Julian added, "You don’t need to be overly concerned about famine from food shortages."
Duane nodded slightly.
He wasn’t actually worried about famine. He was more concerned with development.
Black Forest Island was vast. Duane had no intention of staying confined to this small corner in the northwest; he needed to expand.
And to expand, he needed a larger population—and a quality one at that.
In a fight, a thousand cold and starving serfs were probably less effective than a hundred strong, able-bodied men.
If Duane wanted more men like that, he had to ensure they had more to eat.
The current situation, with daily rations of less than a pound of food per person, was unacceptable.
But Black Forest Island was filled with serfs who not only had to surrender fifty percent of their harvest but also perform mandatory labor and pay a head tax, among other things.
Most of them lived in a state of perpetual hunger. They were far from being adequately fed and clothed, let alone being of "quality."
Duane said thoughtfully, "Julian, I want to implement land and tax reforms on the island."
The island’s population was small, and its power structures were not particularly complex.
It was far less difficult for Duane to enact reforms here as Lord than it would be for nobility with vast territories and populations.
If he waited until his domain had grown to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people, implementing such changes would become a far more complicated affair.
General Affairs Consultant Julian was taken aback. "My Lord, what do you mean?"
For a nation or a High Lord, reform was a gamble.
A single misstep could cause the entire nation or noble house to collapse.
Therefore, reform was not something to be discussed lightly.
Duane explained, "Right now, the taxes on my people are too high, and their standard of living is too low. I want to lighten their burden."
Julian frowned, choosing his words carefully. "My Lord, we are well aware of your benevolence. However, you may not know that serfs in the territories of other nobles live under much the same conditions."
He said, "They are serfs; it is their duty to serve you. You need not concern yourself with their hardships. Leaving them with fifty percent of their harvest is already a blessing."
During his time as the Civil Servant for Lakefront Manor, Julian had opportunities to converse with his counterparts from other noble houses.
That was the reason for his perspective.
He believed the Lord should be focused on how to extract greater profit from these people, not on reducing their taxes so they could live a little better.
’After all, they’re still alive. They haven’t starved to death or caused any trouble, have they?’
Duane shook his head.
Julian was thinking from the perspective of the Nobility as a class, ignoring the immense power that would come from developing the population at large.
Duane voiced his thoughts.
"The previous Lords of Black Forest Island failed to develop it because they were either too ambitious and rushed for quick results, or they simply lacked patience."
His eyes shone with confidence. "But I am different. I will create an ambitious, long-term plan to develop Black Forest Island, and the key to that plan is population."
"There are no major wars right now, and we lack the funds. Relying on taking in refugees or purchasing Slaves is completely out of the question."
Even if he had a way to bring in refugees or buy Slaves, Duane’s current finances wouldn’t allow for much of an increase in population.
Duane said very seriously, "The only thing I can rely on is the thirty-thousand-plus people already on this island."
Julian understood. "My Lord, you want the islanders to have more children to expand the population quickly?"
He added, "You just need to issue an edict that every household must have a certain number of children, with punishments for non-compliance. I’m sure it will be effective very quickly!"
Duane was speechless. ’Why is my General Affairs Consultant so obsessed with coercion?’
’Besides, ninety percent of Black Forest Island’s residents are already struggling so much. What more punishment could be inflicted upon them?’
’Make them pay more taxes?’
"Julian, you need to change your way of thinking. Otherwise, you won’t be able to keep up."
Duane was grateful that Julian had agreed to follow him to Black Forest Island, but if he was going to develop the island, certain things had to be made crystal clear.
Julian’s expression turned serious.
The new Baron had not been on Black Forest Island for long, but his actions had already won everyone’s admiration.
They were realizing that following Duane was not the dead-end prospect they had initially believed it to be.
"Baron, I await your instruction!"
Duane nodded slightly. "I don’t just want more people; I want more strong, healthy people. To do that, I must ensure they are better fed and better clothed than they are now."
"You suggest issuing an edict to force them to have children. While that might be possible, if we don’t make other adjustments at the same time, it will only increase their struggle to survive, which is the opposite of my intent."
Julian couldn’t argue. His method would mean this group of already starving serfs would have even less to eat.
"So, My Lord, you wish to adjust the tax structure?" he asked.
"Yes. First, I’m lowering the head tax to five Copper Coins per person. Additionally, children under the age of thirteen will be exempt."
"That will represent a significant loss of revenue," Julian pointed out.
Currently, the head tax is ten Copper Coins per person per year.
With this change, Duane would lose over ten Gold Coins in revenue each year, at a minimum.
He had actually considered abolishing it entirely, but taking certain factors into account, he decided to just cut it in half.
As for the exemption for children, his goal was, of course, to encourage families to have more.
"In addition to the head tax, the agricultural tax must also be adjusted. Currently, the serfs are required to hand over 50% of their harvest as rent. I plan to lower that to 35%. For freeholders, the tax will be 15%; for tenant farmers, 25%; and for officials, 10%."
Julian and Haien were shocked.
If all 50,000 acres were planted with rice, assuming a yield of 350 pounds per acre, a reduction of this magnitude meant Duane would collect over two million fewer pounds of grain each year.
"Baron, this reduction is far too drastic!"
Julian couldn’t help but protest, "Even for freeholders, it’s rare for any nobility to set a tax that low!"