Apocalyptic Dragonborn Lord

Chapter 20 Open Source III

Although relying on the land tax paid by farmers alone can guarantee that they will not die of starvation, it is unnecessary to expect to make a fortune from farming.

So Stannis still needs to find another way to make a fortune.

Although his three subordinates, including the kind-hearted Maester Romond, have been suggesting to him that robbing the caravan is the fastest way to amass wealth, but Stannis resolutely rejected their suggestions.

A blatant robbery is too unskilled, and Stannis wants to 'rob' in an elegant and dignified way.

The next morning, Stannis took his 'staff team' and started wandering around his territory again.

"Old man." Stannis flipped through the self-made report in his hand.

"Yes." The bachelor Romon behind him hurriedly approached. Although Korodov and Robert dismissed the statistics he made, as a grand maester, Romon could already vaguely feel what Stannis was doing now. will mean something.

"I saw that there is a commercial tax input in the territory every year, although it is very small. But it seems that it is not based on the money collected from the sale of goods, but more like tolls collected?"

"Yes, your Excellency, you are right. These cunning merchants have never been willing to buy or sell goods in our territory, they just pass through the territory. There is no way. We can only stop them to make them pay a little money. Even so Let them whine all day, so I think it's time to rob them and teach them a lesson."

Korodov and Robert agreed.

"What's the future of fighting and killing people all day long?" Stannis scolded, and then he began to rub his chin to think, "So are there many caravans coming?"

Bachelor Romon stroked his gray beard and thought for a while, "There are quite a lot, because our place is big enough and located in the center, so there are endless business teams from south to north and east to west."

Traffic arteries, this can be used.

Just as they were talking, they saw several caravans resting in the center of the large square in front of the castle, and their ox carts were full of goods.

As soon as they saw the owner of this territory approaching them, those merchants immediately loaded up their goods and dispersed.

"Why are these guys so afraid of seeing us?" Stannis asked strangely.

This time it was Robert who said, "I know, boss, because according to the law, the food materials these guys buy from your territory are also subject to tax, but these profiteers sneak in to buy in order to avoid paying tax, so Seeing us is of course like a mouse seeing a cat."

"Oh." Stannis nodded, and then ordered, "Korodov, bring me a merchant back, he wants to live."

"Yes!" Korodov lashed a horse with a whip, drew out his sword and shouted long live the gods, and rushed up.

After a period of chaos, the knight commander returned triumphantly with a short and fat businessman.

The little fat man was abandoned by his companions because he was too late to load.He bowed his head sadly, huddling into a ball, not even daring to look at Stannis.

The count got off his horse, and he drew out the sword at his waist and shook it twice in front of the merchant, "Little fat man, you run pretty fast."

"My... my lord, please forgive me." The fat businessman's face turned blue from fright.

"Say, see why I'm running!" snapped Stannis.

The fat businessman rolled his little eyes, until now he hadn't lost his cunning, "How dare we lowly people appear in the sight of the noble lord, of course we should disappear as soon as possible with self-knowledge."

"Ha ha." Stannis snorted at him.

At this time, Korodov pulled over the bullock cart driven by the fat businessman, which was also full of bulging sacks.

Stannis stirred it with his sword, and little green peas leaked out.

"You didn't collect all these things from my territory, did you?"

The fat businessman quickly nodded and bowed, "Of course not, my lord, I bought these from other places, and I just passed through here."

"Oh, so that's the case." Stannis waved his hand immediately, "Knight Commander, drag him to the river and chop him up, I'm dizzy with blood."

Korodov rested the sword on his neck.

The little fat man was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground, "My lord, please forgive me, I didn't do anything!"

Stannis shrugged, "I hate liars the most in my life. If you want to live, I'm giving you a chance to organize your words. It's not every day that you meet me in such a good mood."

This trick really worked, the fat businessman told the whole truth like a bamboo tube pouring beans, "I said, I said, my lord, you are so wise and powerful, you can even see the details of this kind of thing."

"Don't talk about these nonsense, answer me quickly!"

"Yes, yes, my lord, these are all sold to me by your subordinates. I was also confused and found that my car was full of these goods." The fat businessman rubbed his head and said.

He is eloquent, maybe it would be useful to keep him.Stannis thought.

"What's your name? Fatty," he asked.

The businessman was startled. Could it be that the lord wanted to execute himself in public?But he still said his name honestly, "Albert, son of Abel."

"What about your last name? Don't dare to say your full name, lest I write a notice and hang you!"

The three of them stared at Stannis strangely, and Robert said, "Boss, you are living a foolish life. This guy is from Lanana, and he only has a name but no surname."

[Lanana people] are a commercial nation. They don't have their own country and can only wander in the Westland. Their clever minds make them the most famous businessmen, but their harsh and xenophobic characteristics have also attracted the hatred of most other nations. .

"Didn't you see it all at once?" Stannis laughed, "Okay, little fat man, I want to ask you something."

Albert was still trembling uncontrollably, "You...just tell me."

"I want you to go back and deliver a message for me." Stannis stroked his chin and paced back and forth, he was considering his own words, "Well, you go back and tell them that you won't be charged tolls for walking from my territory in the future. gone."

"What, boss, you are crazy, this is real money!" Robert was the first to jump out to object.

Stannis ignored him, and continued: "And I will also exempt you from all taxes and fees that you should pay when buying and selling grain in my territory."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, and everyone was shocked by his thoughts.

Yes, he wants to build a duty-free zone in this era.

Of course, people in this era will definitely not understand. For example, Robert was angry and wanted to reach out and grab his collar, but Korodov and the bachelor desperately stopped me, "Don't stop me, I will beat the boss, let He's awake!"

Albert was also dumbfounded, but Stannis patted him regardless, "Did you hear clearly?"

"Yes, yes." The fat businessman came back to his senses.

"But you have to inform all your compatriots, let them go out of my territory as much as possible, and I will build a big market on the open space where you rest just now, so that you can purchase, sell, load and unload goods conveniently. Even overnight meals can be resolved.”

"Yes yes yes." Albert Chick nodded his head.

Stannis nodded in satisfaction, and then let go of his hand, "Then you can leave, remember to help me promote, otherwise."

He flicked the long sword in his hand again.

"Definitely!" The overjoyed businessman quickly climbed into his ox cart, "Don't worry, my lord, if you can really provide such good conditions, even if I don't need to advertise, all my people will gather here!"

(End of this chapter)