A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

Following the imprisonment of the dozen or so big businessmen who monopolized the business of the entire Wangcheng, and the complete defeat of the powerful ministers who were involved with the big businessmen in the court, all the trading houses in the Wangcheng seemed to be about Well, in general, in the name of internal rectification, the door is closed at the same time, and all commercial transactions are stopped.

Without warning, the business chain of the entire royal city was suddenly broken.

The caravans who rushed to Wangcheng excitedly found that they had no place to sell their goods, let alone a place to buy large quantities of goods.

As a result, the business in Wangcheng became chaotic.

This is the last card of those big businessmen and their backers.

Wangcheng is a city with extremely prosperous commerce and trade. The daily throughput of goods and money in this city is unimaginably huge.

Among them, small trading places like bazaars only occupy a very small part of it, and the giants of commerce are still concentrated in the hands of those merchants that handle large quantities of goods.

It can be said that once all these trading houses go on strike, the business in Wangcheng will be paralyzed.

As a result, there will be great chaos in Wangcheng.

…………

"Don't worry, King Garlan will back down."

In the depths of a gorgeous mansion in the royal city, a middle-aged nobleman said so.

As a brown-skinned senior nobleman, as an aristocratic family with a long history, his family has a huge industry in the royal city, and almost the entire herbal medicine industry in the royal city is monopolized by his family.

As long as the caravans who came to Wangcheng had herbal medicines in their goods, they could only sell them to his store, and all the doctors in Wangcheng could only buy herbal medicines from his store.

For a long time, Wangcheng's medicines have remained high.Many poor civilians can't afford herbal medicines. When they get sick, they can only endure it. If they are lucky, they can survive it. If they are not lucky...

After ascending to the throne, Garlan beat the nobleman several times overtly and secretly, asking him to lower the price of the herbal medicine.

However, relying on his family's long history of ten generations of dynasties and its huge power, he pretended not to understand, and deceived Garlan to be young and ignorant, finding various excuses to perfunctory him, and even shamelessly asked Garlan complained that the family business would collapse if the price was lowered, but he refused to lower the price of herbal medicine anyway.

Of course, among the big businessmen who were captured this time, there were also his retainers.

He was very smart not to show up in the court, but kept watching silently, and the stunned young nobleman who jumped out was taken away by the priest of Shamash the next day.

He scoffed at it.

Isn't it good to poke around behind the scenes?Why bother jumping out and being the bird who was shot down by an arrow?

In fact, although those big businessmen were arrested, it had little impact on the operation of the firm.

However, under his secret liaison, all the businesses went on strike.

Wang Cheng was about to fall into chaos.

Even the tough King Garlan would definitely back down in order to avoid chaos in the royal city.

In all fairness, neither he nor the others were actually willing to confront King Garlan.

After all, the opponent is King Aaron Landis.

But he knew it, and so did the others.

They and King Garlan had come to a close encounter.

The young king wants to take away their wealth—cutting people’s wealth is like killing their parents—and if they want to keep their own wealth, they can only hold together and fight against King Garlan with all their strength.

"All the merchants have been closed, and the business is paralyzed, and the royal city will soon be in chaos."

"When the time comes, King Garlan will have to let him go."

"So, don't worry, we just need to be patient and wait."

The middle-aged noble said so confidently.

Listening to his words, the people sitting next to him nodded.

They are also very confident.

In any case, it was impossible for King Garlan to watch the chaos in the royal city.

When the middle-aged nobleman spoke so confidently while sitting on the main seat, the young man standing behind him frowned slightly.

He is the eldest son of a middle-aged nobleman.

He didn't agree with his father's approach, and persuaded him several times. He thought that although King Garlan was young, he was not easy to fool, and it was better for them to follow in the footsteps of the king honestly.

But the father is determined to go his own way and fight against King Garlan in order to keep his money, and he doesn't want to be more fond of the father who loves the youngest son.

At this moment, an attendant rushed in from the outside in a hurry, and whispered a few words in the young man's ear.

The young man's face changed slightly, his eyes became serious, and then he sighed as expected.

"Father."

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his eyes, and there was no expression on his face.

He said: "Just received the news that at noon, more than a dozen caravans from Tozes City arrived in Wangcheng, and all of them have now entered the Commerce and Trade Department."

"what--?!"

Amidst the surprised and angry questioning of the middle-aged nobleman, the young man still stood there with a calm expression.

Lost.

he thinks.

His lord father, and those people like his lord, those who controlled the business in the royal city, lost completely this time.

There is no chance of turning over.

His heart was a little dignified.

He thought that perhaps the pressure from his father and adults to close the business was within the expectations of the boy king.

Do not……

More likely... this was originally part of the Boy King's plan.

…………

The business transaction chain in Wangcheng was broken for only one day.

Those people who are secretly connected together have been proud of it for less than a day.

The appearance of the large caravans from Tozes City, which had arrived at the Royal City one after another and deliberately went to the remote part of the Royal City with great fanfare, gave them a severe slap in the face.

They thought that closing the trading house and breaking the chain of transactions would put pressure on Garlan and force him to back down.But now it seems that, instead, he lifted a rock and shot himself in the foot.

It was precisely because they closed the merchants that those caravans who could not sell or buy goods were getting angry when they saw the appearance of several large caravans in Tozes City, they immediately boiled and fried. .

Tozes City is the largest maritime trading city in Aaron Landis, and its commercial prosperity is no less than that of the Royal City.

In addition, there is no need to go by land from Tozes City to the Royal City, and they all pass through the bay and use large ships to transport goods, so every time its caravan comes to the Royal City, even if there is only one large caravan, The quantity of goods to be traded, or to be purchased, is enormous.

But this time, four or five large caravans came in one breath, and there were more than a dozen small and medium caravans.

There are so many caravans in Tozes City, which can completely solve the needs of all caravans stranded in the royal city at the moment.

At this time, they didn't care about paying more commercial taxes at the Commerce and Trade Department, and they couldn't wait to flock to the Trade and Commerce Department.

As a result, the Department of Commerce and Trade, which was extremely sluggish the day before, became crowded and crowded in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the territory is large enough to barely accommodate all the incoming businessmen.

Tal, who had anticipated this situation a long time ago, made complete preparations a few days earlier, increased the manpower of clerks in advance, and specially asked a group of city guards to guard and maintain order.

Under various arrangements, the Department of Commerce and Trade finally maintained a busy but not chaotic situation.

And when those businessmen came to the Commerce and Trade Department, they were already ready to be slaughtered.

I was feeling pain in my heart, but I went to the Commerce and Trade Department to have a look. They were pleasantly surprised to find that the price of the goods sold here was much lower than what they had bought at the trade office before.

After asking again, I was happy to find that the price of the goods purchased here is also higher than the price given to them by those merchants.

This entry and exit, even if a large amount of business tax is paid, the profit is not the same as before, or even a little more.

When the news spread, those merchants who were still waiting to see the situation, fearing that the backers of the merchants would become angry, no longer cared about anything else, and flocked to the Commerce and Trade Department.

The merchants who swore that they would never go to the Commerce and Trade Department were now crying and scrambling to squeeze into the Department of Commerce and Trade.

Especially when they heard that the first batch of caravans stationed in the Commerce and Trade Office had preferential tax treatment, each of them beat their chests and regretted not coming earlier.

Even the merchants in Wangcheng followed closely behind.

After all, if the store is not open, they have to continue to do business, and of course they have to find another source of goods.

When I came here to see, the price of the goods was actually much cheaper, and I was able to shop around here and choose a good one, and I was immediately happy.

As for those caravans of merchants, they sold the goods they brought in at the Commerce and Trade Office and bought enough goods. After leaving the royal city, they finally discovered something belatedly.

Ok?

They didn't seem to pay the tribute fee this time, did they?

Yes, honorary fees.

This is an unwritten rule that all businessmen have tacitly understood.

Every time they go to a city, they must donate a lot of property to those in power as a tribute fee in exchange for the protection of the other party.

Moreover, they all have to give some favors to officials, to the captain of the city guard or to the clerk.

If not, the caravan will be troubled by people with various excuses, and they will be deliberately blocked, making it difficult for them to move, and they may even be unable to leave the city.

But this time, they just paid a business tax, and then successfully completed the transaction, and left Wangcheng smoothly.

No one made things difficult for them.

The clerks of the Commerce and Trade Department are all business-like, and all their actions are handled openly and publicly. No one would be so stupid as to ask for a bribe under such circumstances.

There is no need to worry about those people deliberately charging too much business tax, after all, they can figure out how much business tax they need to pay.

It is said that there is also a small Shamash Temple on the side of the Commerce and Trade Department, and there are lower-level priests guarding it. If someone asks for a bribe or deliberately overcharges business taxes, you can directly go to the priest to file a complaint.

After finishing the calculation, these caravans suddenly came to their senses.

Although the business tax collected by the Commerce and Trade Department is not low, it is much less than the tribute fees and benefits that had to be distributed up and down when no business tax was collected before!

In addition, the goods were sold at a higher price than before, and the needed goods were bought at a lower price than before.

Calculated in this way, although they paid the commercial tax, they made more profits than before.

After thinking about it again, they suddenly realized.

The so-called business tax is actually the same concept as the favor fee they gave to those dignitaries and officials they handled in the past.

It's just that now they don't need to give favor fees to so many people, as long as they give Wang alone is enough.

A sum of business tax was exchanged for the king's protection, and it was much less, so it was a good deal no matter how you looked at it.

Hmm... It is said that there are some special goods, such as herbs, that can reduce part of the commercial tax. You have to remember this carefully, and bring more things that can reduce commercial tax next time...

Some businessmen began to ponder over it.

Moreover, to be honest, the Commerce and Trade Department is a pretty good place.

Everyone is gathered together, and it is very convenient to buy and sell.You can also shop around and choose the one that is cheap and good.

You can also spend some money to rent the warehouse inside-the Commerce and Trade Department is a department under the royal court, guarded by city guards, thieves and robbers would have the guts to come here to commit crimes, and the goods are stored here, which is very reassuring.

In addition, there are some practices that make them feel very practical.

For example, if you need a certain kind of goods or want to sell special goods, you can spend a sum of money to buy some kind of "advertising banner", which is the tall square pillar in the middle of the hall, and write down your needs. Put it on a note and hang it up, so everyone who comes to the lobby can see it.

before……

Only those with a sick mind go to the Commerce and Trade Department to pay an extra business tax!I will not go even if I die!

just now……

The Department of Commerce is really fragrant~~

As a result, the commercial tax, which was feared by businessmen before, was easily accepted.

Not only did the ministers worry about the impact on commerce and trade, but after a period of time, the commerce and trade in Wangcheng became more and more prosperous.

The merchants were satisfied.

After a period of time, the people in Wangcheng also became satisfied.

Because they found that the prices in Wangcheng, which had been high, were slowly dropping.

Especially the high price of herbal medicines in the past has dropped a lot, and many poor people can afford some cheap herbal medicines after they get sick.

With the price drop, people can buy more things and live a better life.

Of course the people are happy.

As for why those large commercial houses in Wangcheng suddenly closed their doors.

The evil deeds of those big businessmen who had been bullying others were suddenly exposed, and their homes were ransacked for questioning.

During this period of time, a large number of officials and nobles in the royal court fell one after another, were arrested, tried and punished by the priests of Shamash, and those who committed the most heinous crimes were directly sentenced to death and all their property was confiscated.

Also, several powerful aristocratic families suddenly changed their heads, and their behavior was much more restrained than before...

……

The above-mentioned things about the big figures in the upper echelon are just new to the public, and they don't take these so-called 'big things' seriously at all.

What they care about is...

It is said that King Garlan has ordered to build three small temples of the God of Wisdom, Solga, in the royal city.

At that time, anyone can go to the temple, and Solga's apprentice priests will teach them how to read and do simple arithmetic.

King Garlan issued a decree to convert those business houses into orphanages, specially raising those orphans who wandered and begged on the streets without parents.

It is also said that King Garlan intends to issue a decree to reduce agricultural taxes in the coming year.

These are the things that people are most concerned about.

All they need to know is that the young king treated them well and made their lives better than before, that's enough.

This is a matter of course.

Formerly 'Wise Prince'.

Ascending the throne now, one will naturally be a 'wise king'.

This is something a child can figure out.

is not it?

…………

All of the above are things that will happen in the future.

And at this moment, in Garlan's palace, Garlan was listening to Tal report the results of the Commerce and Trade Department this week.

The huge amount that Tal proudly reported to Garlan surprised Shemuer and Taputi beside him.

In fact, Xie Muer disagreed with Garlan's private manipulation of the Commerce and Trade Department.

In his perception, Garlan should, like the kings of all dynasties, first work hard on politics and military affairs, and firmly hold these two rights in his hands, instead of fiddle with business.

But, now, at this moment, the High Priest of Shamash changed his mind.

A week.

Just the city of Wangcheng, the commercial tax collected in this week has already offset the agricultural tax of the entire country of Aaron Landis for a year.

Seeing the paperwork from Thar newspaper, the huge amounts on the paper, Shemuer couldn't help but to breathe fast.

He suddenly understood why those guys were so desperate that even King Aaron Landis tried to fight against them in order to keep their money.

Such a huge amount of wealth will indeed make people lose their minds.

The big businessmen who have accumulated these huge wealth in their arms for a long time have become incomparably rich.

But now, all the crimes committed by those big businessmen in the past have been exposed.

Seeing the various crimes committed by those merchants, no one dared to say that King Garlan arrested those innocent people just to vent his anger.

After the trial, several big businessmen who committed extremely bad crimes were executed and all their property was confiscated.

The property they own is not inferior to Aaron Landis's treasury. After calculating the amount, the director of the Finance Department couldn't help but feel emotional.

Anyway, the treasury is greatly filled.

At this moment, looking at the amount of commercial tax, the high priest turned into a staunch supporter of the Commerce Department at this moment.

Shemur has never been the kind of rigid and unreasonable guy.

He who has been assisting King Kamos in governing the country understands the importance of money better than anyone else.

Without money, all governance is empty talk.

He was still a little puzzled: "The business office has reopened the next day, why do those merchants still prefer to go to the trade office where they need to pay business tax?"

"There is no commercial tax and less money to pay. On the surface, it seems to be beneficial to merchants. But without a formal commercial law as a guarantee, it is actually even more detrimental to merchants."

Garland said,

"Because any powerful person can reach out to merchants who don't have any protection, and wantonly squeeze and search. Let the merchants choose, they would rather spend money to buy a guarantee."

"Actually, this is the legal system of Shamash that you all admire."

Gallan, who had long been psychologically prepared for the huge business tax, looked at the figures on the paper with satisfaction, feeling happy.

Well, rich.

he thought happily.

The construction of roads has already started. Although the royal family has accumulated a lot of wealth in the past, it is definitely not enough to support the construction of roads across the country.

Now that there is a commercial tax, there is no need to worry about not having enough money.

He pondered secretly.

Once you have money, of course you have to spend it, and you can do everything you need to do.

Building roads is just the beginning.

Next...water conservancy projects have to start, especially those places where the river often floods.

For commercial convenience, in addition to roads, it is best to open canals...

Looks like we'll have to try to free some more slaves...

In addition, Solga's temple, which is similar to the function of the later school, must be built more.

And, military defense projects such as fortresses and city walls on the border also need to be built...

…………

and many more.

It seems a little strange.

Why do you keep thinking about repairing this and that after thinking about it?

The wise king, who had no idea that he would be dubbed an infrastructure madman in later generations, was thinking rather puzzled at this moment.