The Knight's Journey to the Empire

February 4877, 2 in the Gregorian calendar of the Knight Continent, this is the day when Soran decided to start his journey north.

The cold winter has not ended yet, but the weather has begun to gradually warm up and there is no heavy snow falling from the sky anymore.

Or there are days when it doesn’t snow.

This time, Soran and his entourage went north with more than a hundred people, plus twenty baggage wagons.

The road stretches for two or three hundred meters and moves forward in a mighty manner.

This time, the journey is heading north, and the destination is the White Bear Territory, the territory that Sauron was granted.

The White Bear Territory is the territory that Soran named for himself and is waiting to be registered.

……

Among the team of one hundred people, there are three of Soran's trusted men, namely Martin, Javier and Adam.

Of the remaining people, fifty were slaves.

Among them, there were thirty male slaves and twenty female slaves, all of whom were young and strong between the ages of fifteen and thirty.

These slaves were all selected by Soran himself.

There were also more than thirty free people recruited by Soran in the city of Connacht.

They are complicated and have different identities.

Some are beggars, paupers, street urchins, some are illegitimate children with no inheritance rights in the family, and some are speculators who want to take risks in another place, and so on.

The only thing they have in common is that they are all cheap young and middle-aged labor.

Soran only collected 3-tenth of the tax for reclaiming wasteland in the new territory, and used this preferential policy to bring them into the team.

The remaining twenty or so people were either bastards or illegitimate children sent by the donor families to serve Soran, or they were seeking a way out.

Soran temporarily reorganized them into two teams, led by Martin and Javier, to serve as guards along the way.

The combat effectiveness of the two teams may not be very good, but they can intimidate the team and maintain the team's discipline all the way north, and that's enough.

Originally, Soran didn't have very high expectations of them.

It is worth mentioning that these second sons, concubines' sons, and illegitimate sons may have all experienced the blows of reality.

So far, Soran has not found the kind of arrogant and frivolous dude.

This has brought considerable convenience to Martin and Javier's leadership work.

Besides, Martin and the other two have been on the battlefield and seen blood, so their deterrent power and leadership abilities are still good.

The social form of this world is mainly a slave society, and the feudal social form is also beginning to show signs.

The general tax level for civilians throughout the world is normally around five-tenths.

Some stingy and greedy vampire lords might receive seven, eight, or even nine tenths.

Of course, the taxes here refer only to agricultural taxes, and have nothing to do with other kinds of levies and taxes.

And Sauron promised to collect only three-tenths of the tax, which could already be considered a relatively merciful lord.

Although the harvest from newly opened virgin land is certainly not as much as that from cultivated land that has been cultivated for many years, this is still a very favorable policy!

Therefore, if Soran wanted, he could actually recruit more free people!

But he thought it would be better for him not to take any risks.

First of all, for the lord, whether it is free people or subjects, their existence itself is a kind of wealth.

Because they can create wealth, and once wealth is created, the lords can collect taxes.

If Soran recruited more free people in Connacht, he would definitely be resisted by Count Lopez, who might even send troops to expel him.

Because this was poaching Count Lopez's power and a provocation to Count Lopez's authority, which was intolerable to the great nobles.

And Sir Jose would not agree because it might implicate the Lipton family.

After all, Sauron's territory has not yet been developed, and Conant City is still the family foundation that the Lipton family must not give up.

So Sauron didn't dare to take the risk, and about fifty people were within the acceptable range for both sides.

After all, the Lipton family has served the Lopez family for such a hundred years, and they have indeed made contributions but have also worked hard.

Count Lopez would not embarrass the Lipton family because of these freemen.

(Except for slaves, who were private property and could be given away at will according to the owner's preference, and no one else had the right to interfere)

Secondly, Soran felt that he did not understand the situation in the territory yet. If he rashly took so many people north:

First, safety on the road is an issue.

After all, the journey is not short, it crosses two counties.

Second, the issue of personnel placement after arriving at the territory.

He actually didn't know whether the territory could accommodate so many people.

Although the weather is getting warmer now, it's still chilly and three times colder. We can't let people sleep on the ground outside, right?

It will really kill people!

In the end, Sauron did not completely block the road, but told others: You can wait until the weather is warmer and go north in groups on your own. After you arrive in my territory, as long as you register your certificates, you can also enjoy such preferential policies.

I did not actively recruit these free people who went north on their own. They left in pursuit of a better life.

You can't blame me for this!

Of course, if it is really feasible at that time, the Lipton family will definitely play a role in secretly fueling it in private.

……

The weather warmed up and the ice and snow melted. Although there were some gravel paving the road, the dirt and gravel road heading north was still bumpy due to the mud crushed by the carriages.

Twenty large baggage wagons left a series of winding ruts of varying depths on the dirt road.

In some places the filling was too deep and the packhorses were not strong enough, so human power was needed to push it.

Fortunately, most of the people in the team came from poor families, so they didn't complain or get angry because of this.

Instead, we help each other and overcome difficulties together.

As a result, the relationship between the team members was gradually developed through this kind of unity and mutual assistance!

In fact, among these twenty carriages, only ten were loaded with daily necessities and luggage for more than one hundred people.

The remaining ten vehicles were all loaded with southern specialties.

This is the advice given by Adam, Soren's chief economic advisor and good brother.

Adam advanced Soran three thousand gold coins as start-up financial funds, and bought ten carriages of southern specialties from stores that offered preferential prices from donor families, intending to sell them in the east to make a profit from the difference.

He conducted market research, asked businessmen who did business in the East, and investigated the prices between the two places.

He calculated that the profit from such speculation would be between five hundred and one thousand gold coins based on the supplies in his ten carriages.

Of course, the prerequisite for making a profit is to be able to reach the eastern part of the kingdom safely.

The White Bear Territory that Soran was enthroned to was in the eastern County of Ganise.

The trip starts from Ulster County in the south and passes through Carter County and Dalman County along the way.

Not only is the journey long, but you may also encounter robbers who rob you on the road.

Seeing that Adam was so enthusiastic, Soran did not discourage him and gave it to him directly.

Maybe this decision was a bit hasty. After all, it was three thousand gold coins, which was of considerable value.

But Sauron did not regret it either, because he would know whether it was a gain or a loss later.

But now, he can see his brothers' efforts.

Support is a must!