When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 589 Constitutional Convention (Part 4) (Part ) (k chapters)

"Only when the public book farmers have the right to perpetual lease will they be willing to improve the land and agricultural technology. Their output will increase, and you will get more rent, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense." Count Nathaniel snorted. "There are only so many fields. The yield per acre has been the same for hundreds of years, and the output has increased. Please stop talking nonsense. Agriculture is difficult."

Armand smiled slightly, returned to his seat, took out a stack of bound booklets, and distributed them to the left, center, and right seats in turn.

As Armand walked past the three people who were listening with the booklet in hand, he was stunned at first by the unfamiliar faces, but then he handed the booklet to Rufiel with a smile.

Opening the booklet, the first thing Lu Feier saw was the bold words "Thousand Valley Agricultural Survey Report".

“Please look at the second page of the booklet in your hands. In the Nauan River Basin, the wheat yield per mu in the Golden Plains area can reach 120 pounds or even 140 pounds. Why is it that here it is only 80-90 pounds?
In the two hundred years from the migration of Kush to the Thousand Valleys Kingdom period, the per-acre wheat yield in the Thousand Valleys increased from 40 pounds to 80 pounds. Now, high-yield rice and wheat crops must be rotated to increase the per-acre yield to 90 pounds.

In other words, in three hundred years, not only has there been no progress, but there has even been a regression.

What happened at that critical juncture? Wasn’t it feudalization that transformed tribal people into serfs on a large scale?
Why can't we do what our ancestors did a hundred years ago?"

Armand walked slowly to the nobles who owned vast estates in Plain County and said, “Counts, you have enough land. If the yield of only a part of the land is increased, it will bring huge long-term benefits and there is enough room for error.

The perpetual leasehold right encourages farmers to invest and improve agricultural technology. For you, this is a sure win.

If the yield per acre of land increases from 90 pounds to 120 pounds, your income will not only increase by %, but will double because no additional management is required.

You know, the next step is to select the county governor and the sheriff. If you spend a lot of time on agriculture every year, I'm afraid it will be difficult for His Majesty the Despot and the future county governor to consider you, right?"

Several earls were disdainful at first, then their expressions began to change slowly. After hearing the words of the county governor and the sheriff, they were stunned.

Klowen immediately sensed something was wrong, and immediately grabbed their arms, asking in a stern tone, "Improved agriculture? Can you guarantee that it will increase from 90 pounds to 120 pounds? Improve, improve, the more you improve, the cooler it will be!"

"It's very simple." Armand held up a page of the booklet in his hand, "Change wheat to rice, and change from wheat to wheat-green manure/beans-rice crackers-potato root rotation.

Rice crackers do not require a stone mill and can be eaten by just sifting the shells. Beans and green manure can be used to fertilize the land, potato roots can be fed to livestock, and can also be eaten by oneself.

But this requires the farmers to be careful and work hard themselves. If it is not their own land, will the farmers devote so much energy and time?

Look at the achievements of our Langsand County. Last year alone, the production increased by 20%. There were % more meat, eggs, milk and other agricultural and sideline products on the market than in previous years. Where do you think the food supply for Rapid City after the war came from?"

Now, even the petty nobles in the middle seats began to whisper.

"What's the point of you saying so much?" Herman crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. "Our mountain area is so cold and the land is so barren that wheat has to be planted every other year. How can we grow rice crackers?"

Facing Herman's questioning, Armand flipped through the booklet and walked towards Sechinger at the end of the first row: "Count Enrico, the agricultural director of our Holy Scythe Monastery, has invented a new Enrico rotation method, which is specially used in mountainous areas. Each field rotates four crops in the following order: beans, wheat, green manure, and barley.

30 acres of land is enough to feed a group of up to three adults and three children. Wheat can be used to make bread, barley can be used to make wine, and cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens can be raised to provide meat, milk, eggs and other agricultural and sideline products.

Am I right, Count Sechinger?"

While secretly cursing Enrico for not getting any good results when he came to him, Sechinger forced an ugly smile and said, "I have contracted one of my family's estates to the Holy Scythe Monastery and signed a bet agreement. The results will be seen in the fall."

"Mr. Herman, you also know that the mountainous areas are barren. It is difficult to improve the living standards by relying on the traditional rent and tax model, and you can't move all the mountain people to the plains.

If grain production in the Plains increases, prices will fall, and you will be able to exchange more food for livestock, furs, timber, and minerals from the mountains.

If transportation issues are taken into consideration, private checkpoints are no longer allowed. Except for North County, other mountainous counties have waterways to reach the plain counties.

North County is also about to build a mortar road. I don't understand why you are against it?"

Herman was stunned at first, his eyes rolled around, he muttered something for a while, suddenly put down his crossed legs, leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes and rested.

The other nobles all knew that this meant they were not going to speak out in opposition.

Sampoli, who was almost convinced, suddenly turned his eyes and screamed as if he had just realized it: "No, rice crackers and potato roots need to be steamed. You almost got lost."

Hearing this key word, the nobles who had been hesitating suddenly realized and immediately shouted.

"I was just saying there's no such good thing."

"I was almost fooled by this kid."

Rice crackers need to be steamed, which requires firewood, but there are not enough forests in cities and plains, so firewood must be transported from farther away.

Common people cannot afford this expense, but nobles can.

But the benefits brought by the increase in production are only slightly greater than the losses caused by the revocation of forest privileges.

"Your County of Langsand has many forests and is close to the Mountain County, where you can transport timber by water. So you can do that. But what about us in Hotam County, Lower River County, and Kasha County?"

"We have also considered this issue. Please turn to page 18 for an introduction to peat." Armand said with a smile, "The price of one ton of honeycomb briquettes is 20 to 18 dinars, while the price of one ton of firewood is around 26 to dinars. If the market scale expands, the price can be even lower.

One ton of honeycomb coal can be used for about a year for cooking rice crackers, boiling water and heating, and can be used for two years if used only for cooking rice crackers.

A ton of firewood will last less than six months, and we don't need to use all honeycomb coal.

We will spend another 2 pounds to continue dredging the waterways in Daze Township. Timber and ore from the three northern and southern Mound counties can enter Plain County via the Ibe River waterway and canal. "

The nobles began to make noise. They rested their heads against the backs of their chairs and talked in low voices in twos and threes. The number of those who agreed and those who opposed was surprisingly evenly divided.

As time went by, two nobles even tore their robes and broke off relations on the spot, and the voices of support gradually became louder than the voices of opposition.

The nobility was not united, especially the mountain nobles and the plain nobles, who were not on good terms with each other.

The increase in grain production and the drop in grain prices are definitely good news for importers.

Looking at Armand's smiling profile and the nobles whispering, Rufiel started laughing too.

This little brother was quite capable. He actually managed to convince this group of stubborn nobles little by little.

"Excuse me, please allow me to interrupt for a moment."

Rufair suddenly turned his head and looked at Venise who stood up in disbelief.

Ignoring Lufeel's anxious tugging at his clothes, Venise, as a descendant of a famous Fran family, couldn't help but point out a mistake to these people:
"Excuse me, but the empire's grain market is limited, and it has been overwhelmed by the grain from the Flesh and Blood Royal Court along the coast. You have increased grain production, but you are unable to sell it. You have spent more time, but the gains are limited."

"Who are you?" Horn, who was sitting on the throne, looked at him with a smile. This was not a trustee arranged by him. "I am Venise Gargandos." Venise emphasized the name Gargandos.

Catherine stood up and smiled bitterly: "These three are Aiel scholars who came to visit because of our reputation. I arranged seats for them in the audience."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we're just listening and shouldn't be talking. We'll leave right away." Staring at Venise fiercely, Lufeil with a red face tugged at the corner of his clothes.

"It's all right, it's all right." Armand was not angry at all. He laughed and walked over to invite the three to sit down again. "If you don't argue, you won't understand. If you have any questions, I can answer them for you. Please look at page 12 of the booklet."

Sitting down gratefully, Rufeel said to Abaz beside him, "Page 12."

Holding the booklet titled Agricultural Report, Abaz turned to page 12, glanced at it casually, and couldn't take his eyes off it.

He was absent-minded at first, but gradually, his eyelids opened almost above his eyebrows.

As soon as Armand opened his mouth, Abaz jumped up nearly half a meter high and said, "You have mastered the technology of purifying brown sugar?!"

"Abaz! Why are you like this too?!" Rufair was almost looking for a hole to crawl into.

"Yes, we have mastered the technology for purifying brown sugar." Armand was still not angry and continued to confirm Abaz's statement, "Not only that, we are also conducting tariff negotiations with Black Snake Bay to reach a customs union or duty-free zone.

As you all know, Black Snake Bay is very short of food. We exchange food for brown sugar from Black Snake Bay, which we process and purify into white sugar and then sell to the Kingdom of France.

Unlike the collapsed grain market, sugar is an absolute seller's market with supply exceeding demand. By exchanging grain for sugar and sugar for money, we will have enough foreign exchange to support our internal reform and construction.

In addition, we can also set up food processing workshops to process perishable foods, such as canned sugar-pickled fruits, air-dried salted ham, etc.

You all know how much the shepherds in the Gravel Plains are in need of fruit, not to mention the Bearburg Territory in the north.

In addition, after the implementation of perpetual lease rights, farmers will need start-up capital. We will form the Holy See Agricultural Bank with the Magedi Chamber of Commerce and the Fran Royal Trading Company to provide loans to farmers on a monastic basis.

Then the Order must have placed a large order for iron farm tools, including plows and rakes. Wouldn't that be a large order for the ironworks in North Moundshire?"

"Ahem... hm?"

The dwarf representative on the right seat was yawning at first, but when he heard the last words in a daze, he suddenly jumped up from his seat.

The eyes that were about to close together widened even more: "How big is the order?"

"An order for three million Gongben farmers."

"I support perpetual lease!" The mine owners and dwarves immediately rebelled.

After hearing Armand's words, the previously neutral mine owners and dwarf workshop owners immediately stood on Armand's side.

Seeing Armand talking so eloquently, Horn and Meliati both smiled with satisfaction.

The little kid who used to play tricks with garlic has now grown up.

In fact, although the perpetual lease may seem simple, Horn’s most important intention lies behind it, which is to liberate agriculture.

If agricultural surplus output cannot supply sufficient industry and urban population, there will be no industrialization.

From a political perspective, strengthening the economic power of the peasants was strengthening the power of the Horn.

Because Horn's real supporters are the three million public farmers and laborers in the Thousand Valleys, but they currently have neither the will nor the ability to give their support.

Although what Horn is doing now is not to remove the shackles, but at least it has loosened them and added fuel to the engine of alchemy and gear industrialization.

Do you need cheap fuel to grow rice crackers and wash potato roots? Then there is a market for peat.

Iron smelting pots and heating stoves need fuel, right? There is still a market for peat.

If grain is to be commercialized and marketed, does it have to be frequently transported and exchanged? Does it have to build roads and waterways? Does it also have to have mortar?

Since we need to build roads, do we need to recruit construction workers? Do we need to recruit coachmen for transportation? Do we need to recruit small shop owners and merchants for sales?

Not to mention the sugar industry, which is the main foreign exchange product and is used to earn foreign exchange.

Then the scale of the three basic light alchemy, mortar, sugar and peat, will inevitably expand with the expansion of the market, and the power of labor will be strengthened.

The increase in the size of the workforce is not additive but multiplicative, because these products are industrial chains.

A sugar workshop needs three plantations and a slime alchemy workshop, a mortar workshop needs five quarries to supply sandstone, and product transportation requires porters, merchants, or accountants?
As the economic strength of these groups grows, they can be smoothly transformed into political and military discourse power through correct guidance and political means.

The simplest thing is, after the conversion from wheat to rice is implemented, when Horn, as a national trust, can cut off a county's peat supply with just one word, guess who the county governor will listen to?
"We have understood the suggestions of the representatives." Meliati's voice was not loud, but she suppressed the discussions of all the noble representatives. "Please wait for the results this afternoon."

…………

After a full day of constitutional convention, the delegates walked out of the palace in twos and threes.

Several vendors from other places were still discussing the new charter bronze pillar at the door, which was engraved with the newly-released Article 4 of the Constitution.

Mixed in the crowd walking out of the Central Palace, Armand, carrying the mahogany briefcase used by senior monks, had just walked out of the archway when he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Wait, little monk, wait a minute." A clear female voice came from behind.

Armand turned around and saw the female companion of the Aiel who had interrupted him in the meeting earlier, running towards him hurriedly, holding her hat on her head.

"What do you want?"

"It's like this. I'm sorry that my companion interrupted you several times." Rufeel lifted her hair from her temples and lowered her head shyly. "I want to treat you to a meal as an apology."

"Well, actually, my friend and I have an appointment..."

"You can come along." Rufeel rolled his eyes. "Actually, I want to write something about the deeds of the Savior Army, because there are many rumors about it in the Empire. Perhaps you can help me dispel some of them?"

After thinking for a moment, Armand immediately put on a polite diplomatic smile, shook Ruffier's hand and said, "Then I'll obey your command. Let me introduce myself. My name is Armand, Armand-Jean Richelieu Cosset."

"I'm Rufair, Rufair Larkin."

(End of this chapter)