When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 686 The Secret Party Can Be Divided Infinitely
The layout of Black Snake Bay is different from other places in the empire, especially the three counties of central, southern and eastern parts, which still retain the pure form of the original wilderness, with more than 70% of the land being rainforest and swamp.

Almost all the available land and settlements in these three counties are distributed along both sides of the rivers. There are even a large number of indigenous savages in the rainforest swamps near Tiannv City.

Therefore, some secret parties close to the Lilac Corridor can take advantage of the river and collect bridge tolls through threats or even robbery.

But the reforms Horn demanded forced them to dismantle all tax checkpoints, but would allow the Holy Axis to set up trading ports and checkpoints, and even station troops there, which they could not accept.

"It's very simple." At this point, Horn naturally couldn't let Seromis answer. He stepped onto the podium and said, "Because this way you can get more benefits."

"You made money, but we in Black Snake Bay gained more benefits? Isn't that a bigger loss?" Instigated by his companions, a fat-faced secret party member stood up and said, "Sir Horn, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"Can you represent the entire Black Snake Bay?" Horn motioned Seromis to sit aside and stared at the secret party with burning eyes, "Your tax card does make you profit, but this profit is short-sighted and limited. Why?
Because the tax rates on the tax cards are different, and the tax rates are added layer by layer as you go deeper into the river, this environment makes merchants unwilling to go deep into Black Snake Bay.

The southern counties can indeed enjoy the benefits of these tax cards, but please think carefully, what about the central and northern counties? Aren’t they considered Black Snake Bay people? "

After a short silence, the secret party member just opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sharp-eyed Horn, who continued to narrate: "Merchants in the north and central regions could have brought more markets and demands for your spices and brown sugar, but now they are blocked by you.

In other words, you have blocked your own financial path and the future of the entire Black Snake Bay.

So I propose to remove the tax gates and set up a unified tariff and trading port, so that everyone can do business with peace of mind and convenience, and the market of the entire Black Snake Bay will prosper as a result. "

“But, didn’t the Holy Axis still make the money? We originally had a profit, but now it’s gone. Isn’t that a loss?” The secret party member still insisted on this point.

In the eyes of those secret party members who make a living from the river, this is the income they rely on for survival. Horn can take it away, but he must be compensated.

"Did you originally have the profit, or did the profit never belong to you and now it is just returned to its original owner?" Horn snorted coldly, "You think you are making a living by taking advantage of the tax card, but what is the truth?
Your profit is only superficial, because the real price-setting power for spices is held by the nobles of the Clove Corridor! They monopolize the spice trade.

Why? Because of the bad business environment, outside merchants are unwilling to take risks.

If you transport it yourself, you will be exploited by their tax cards and can only sell it to the nobles of the Lilac Corridor at the lowest price. If you are unlucky, you will even sell it at a loss.

Under this situation, how much profit can the planters who work hard to grow pepper and sweet potato still make?
In essence, you are helping the nobles of the Lilac Corridor to obtain the income that should belong to other wizards who have worked hard to grow crops!"

After these words were spoken, the wizards who were originally standing up for these secret party groups were suddenly stunned. After going over the whole process in their minds, they suddenly realized.

You know, the sweet branch is a very unique plant. Unlike sugarcane, it is a herb, but a woody plant. To be precise, it is the new bud branch of a woody plant.

So it can be planted once and harvested for many years, reducing the need for repeated tillage and seeding, and can even adapt to the heavy rains and flooding during the rainy season in Black Snake Bay.

There are only more than 130 sweetgrass plantations in the entire Blacksnake Bay, two-thirds of which are in the southern county, especially two large sweetgrass plantations with an area of ​​more than 250 hectares and an annual output of 2250 tons.

According to the literature data provided by Seromis and Otatira, Black Snake Bay can produce about 4 tons of brown sugar every year, and at least 2 tons of brown sugar in the imperial market comes from Black Snake Bay.

Even if we calculate the profit of 2 dinar at the price of 1 dinars per pound of brown sugar, the trade income is still 37 gold pounds, not including the part exported to the Furnace Plateau and the northern grasslands.

As spices are grown in a haphazard manner, there are no specific figures available, but judging by the number of spice ships, 300 tons of various spices were exported to the Empire and the Royal Court last year alone.

Just counting the spices for which exact figures are available, the trade revenue should be close to 40 gold pounds, calculated based on the imperial market price.

So how much did the plantation owners benefit from this? In short, if they didn't smuggle grain, they could barely survive without going bankrupt.

I used to think that the nobles of the Lilac Corridor were too greedy, but now I see——

No wonder you can’t make any money, it turns out that all the profits from the spice and sugar trade were taken as kickbacks by you old guys who do nothing!

Some hot-tempered wizards immediately stood up and started to curse at the group of secret party members and wizards who were complaining. Some even became more and more angry and rolled up their sleeves, climbed over the fence, and ran to the wizards who were shouting.

"What are you going to do? Go back, you hear me!"

"Fighting is not allowed in the venue. Stop me."

But under the suppression of the two witches, Seromis and Lulos, the chaotic situation in the field calmed down.

However, the wizards and alchemists who ran the plantations still stared at the secret party that collected tolls.

Given the character of the people in Black Snake Bay, there will definitely be a "small meeting" outside the venue after this conference.

With a cough, Horn knocked on the table and brought the topic back to himself: “Well, now, after this war, the situation is different!
As long as we join the Customs Union of the Holy Axis, our trade routes will open to the northern markets, and we will have the power to set prices for spices and sweet potatoes.

We can sell spices at a higher price and get more food with less money. With more food, can we free up more land to grow high-value cash crops such as medicinal herbs and spices? Isn't that better?"

Even before Horn had finished his words, the wizards who were mainly engaged in planting stood up and applauded, while the wizard secret parties who made a living from the river did not look so good.

However, the wizards of these plantation owners still had their own concerns. Soon someone asked, "Who will own our plantation after we take it back?"

The wizards of the circulation faction immediately responded in a sarcastic tone: "The plantation was taken back by the Salvation Army, and you want to take it back without doing anything. Of course it belongs to them."

"Hahaha." Horn smiled and shook his head. "They don't belong to me because I don't know how to run a plantation, so these plantations should be returned to their original owners. But I have a small request that I hope you can satisfy."

"Just tell me!" Upon hearing that they could get the occupied plantations back, these profitable plantation owners immediately patted their chests and made a promise.

"First, I hope to obtain the priority purchase right of these spices. That is, if the bids are the same, you can give priority to selling them to our Holy Scythe Monastery." Horn raised his second finger. "Second, I hope you can allow my Father Worship Society to enter the Southern County."

Hearing this, even though he had expected it, Seromis' heart still sank.

The wizards present looked at each other in bewilderment: "We can accept the first condition, but the second condition..."

"I know what you are worried about, but the Holy Axis is built on the shoulders of the Holy Word monks. If you resist it, then everything that has come before is in vain."

Horn said slowly to the people present in a deep voice: "I don't ask you to regard the faith of Mircella as the state religion. You can regard the Holy Father as one of the many gods in Black Snake Bay.

I can even accept dual beliefs. I am not asking you to accept it, but I just ask you not to resist or even ignore it. What do you think?"

The plantation owners began to whisper among themselves, but slowly, through word of mouth, one voice finally came together - "accept."

Especially after hearing from the holy grandson that he "regarded the Holy Father as one of many gods" and "accepted dual beliefs", many wizards felt that Horn was the reverse evil of the Messiah religion.

But they did not say "agree" directly, but turned their attention to Thelomis. After all, she was the one who was most opposed to the church's missionary work.

Sitting in everyone's sight, Thelomis was actually panicked for a moment. She lowered her head in confusion and looked at her toes in her straw sandals.

There was dust and dried blood between the fingernails. Which was more important, the past or the future?
Before the confused Thelomis could figure out what was going on, he heard the sound of hurried running.

She looked up and saw an officer trotting over and handing Horn a letter with a red feather on it.

Horn flipped open the letter, glanced at it, and then smiled and waved the letter in his hand to them: "Everyone, two days ago, the God's Punishment Army launched a surprise attack on Dragonfly Bay, cutting off the retreat of the Fran army stranded in the Southern County. If nothing unexpected happens, this war is over!"

(End of this chapter)