I'm not a lord

Chapter 66 Financial System
Recruiting soldiers is not a skill; being able to feed them is the real skill.

Although fifty soldiers may seem few, it cost Lin En a huge price.

Excluding the 60 mu of land that each household has, Lin En has to give out 3,000 mu of land alone.

These must all be high-quality cultivated fields, and we cannot use wasteland as a substitute.

Fifty young and strong soldiers represent fifty serf households, which means that the White Bear Territory will lose a full fifty households of labor.

Distributing land is only the most basic thing. Lin En also has to prepare protective gear and weapons for them.

Given the current economic situation of the White Bear Territory, they can only wear armor that costs 5 silver coins each for the time being.

Two sets of armor per person, that's twenty-five gold coins.

This thing is made of about ten layers of linen. It has some defense, but not much, but it is better than nothing.

As for weapons, Lynn plans to equip them with axes and spears for the time being.

Every household has an axe, and it can be used effectively without much training.

The spear is cheap and easy to use, very simple to make, and one of the most powerful weapons for infantry to use against cavalry.

A blacksmith who can make kitchen knives and axes can definitely make spearheads.

As for the spear shafts, the road construction happened to have cut down a large number of oak and birch trees. These woods were hard and flexible, and were most suitable for making spear shafts.

Lynn took little Albert and Finn out of the road construction camp and immediately summoned the blacksmith Qihe and the carpenter Tolima after arriving at White Bear Town.

"Make two hundred spears, with shafts three and a half to four meters long and heads twenty-five centimeters long, shaped into a prismatic shape."

Lynn still gave orders directly.

The two craftsmen leaders were already used to it, so they immediately took the order and left. After all, Lin En never failed to pay them the wages they deserved.

According to Lin En's estimation, the final cost of a wrought iron spear would not exceed ten copper coins, and two hundred spears would cost less than ten gold coins in total, making it the highest quality and cheapest weapon.

The problems of salary and weapons were temporarily solved, but Lin En still had to solve the problem of food and accommodation for the soldiers.

The problem of housing is easy to solve. What the White Bear Territory lacks the least is land and houses. Now there is enough wood, so it is easy to build a mud house military camp.

As for eating, that's a bit difficult.

As we all know, if people want to grow muscles, they must consume enough protein.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of meat in the White Bear Territory nowadays.

First of all, you can hunt in the forest. If there are fewer prey in the north, you can go to the west to hunt.

Hunting activities can also be used to train soldiers' ability to coordinate and cooperate.

In addition to hunting, there are also a large number of goats in White Bear Territory.

In the past, each serf household had to exchange at least ten goats for salt every year.

These goats will not remain in the White Bear Territory, but will be transported to Sanhe City by merchants.

Lynn planned to purchase these surplus goats to supply the soldiers.

Based on 600 households, at least 6,000 sheep can be purchased.

Each soldier was supplied with half a pound of mutton every day, and it would take two days to eat an entire mutton, which was more than enough.

In addition to meat, the supply of rye, dry peas and various vegetables cannot be stopped.

Fortunately, these white bear territories have production and sufficient inventory.

The problem facing Lin En was how to purchase these foods and how to ensure that these foods could reach the soldiers' mouths?

Moreover, the White Bear Territory is about to face transformation, from a single agricultural feudal manor to an open territory with diverse sources of income.

With the development of salt and asphalt mines, more and more merchants, serfs, and craftsmen will move into the White Bear Territory. The population composition of the territory will become increasingly complex, and the sources of income will inevitably become more diverse.

He believed that he needed to take advantage of the opportunity of military expansion to reshape the financial system of the territory.

At noon, Lynn returned to the castle and immediately called his two mistresses, Leah and Yagna, to the study.

"Liya, starting today, I officially appoint you as the treasurer of White Bear Territory. You will be responsible for all tax collection and financial expenditures within the territory. Your brother Leon once praised you to me, saying that you have an amazing talent for accounting. I believe that with your abilities, you are definitely capable of this important task."

Lynn thought about this appointment for several days and finally chose Leah to take on this important task.

There was no way. He had too few talented people at hand, and that group of bandits really couldn't do such delicate work.

He is capable, but he can't stay in the castle every day to settle accounts.

Only Leah, who came from a wealthy merchant family and had received an excellent education, could be qualified to be the treasurer.

Leah was wearing a white long dress today, with her long brown hair tied into a braid hanging down in front of her chest.

Hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she bowed slightly, her tone full of gratitude:

"I will definitely do my best and never let you down."

She has the [Fundraising] trait, is Lynn's mistress, and has a loyalty of 95 points, so she is a perfect fit for managing taxes and accounts.

Leah herself is unwilling to be a vase. If Lin En doesn't take the initiative to bring it up, she will also whisper in Lin En's pillow to find some work for herself in the future.

Yagna, who was standing next to her, suddenly looked gloomy. Before Leah came, she was in charge of the finances and warehouses of the territory.

However, Lin En did not let her feel lost for too long, and then ordered:
"Yagna, you will continue to serve as treasurer, responsible for all warehouses in the castle and the territory. You will also manage the land contracts, loan contracts, etc. of the people in the territory."

The abilities required of a treasurer are lower than those of a financial officer. After all, he only needs to manage the warehouse and documents. The most important thing is to be loyal enough.

Yagna's loyalty has now reached 100 points. She is completely dependent on Lin En and is most suitable to be the treasurer.

The treasurer and treasurer are somewhat like the accountant and cashier later.

The two check and balance each other, but must also work closely together, otherwise the company or territory will be in chaos.

Even if they wanted to fight, Lynn hoped that the fight would stay in the bedroom and be handled privately.

Once they left the bedroom, they were important officials under the lord, and official business had to be handled in an official manner.

"I won't let you down, sir." Yagna wiped away her resentment, folded her hands on her lower abdomen, and bowed slightly.

During the two days that Lynn left the castle, she had several conversations with Leah, and the two women had a deeper understanding of each other.

Yagna doesn't think she is worse than Leah.

She is just a woman from a merchant family. How can she compare to me who studied in the Duke's court?
Her figure easily crushes hers. The lord is just trying something new and will definitely favor her more in the future.

Of course, Yagna also understood Lynn's style of doing things and knew that these disputes must never be brought out of the second floor of the castle.

Leah thought more than Yagna.

In her impression, the positions of treasurer and treasurer should not exist in a small barony.

In a territory of several thousand people, there is no need to distinguish positions so finely. The lord's wife or the territory steward usually takes on both jobs.

Usually, it is only necessary to establish sub-official positions in earldoms and higher-level duchies.

In a duchy, the term "treasurer" is not used, but rather "chief finance minister", "second finance minister", etc.

When she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

This seemingly simple personnel appointment actually has far-reaching implications.

(End of this chapter)