You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 397 Let Time Eliminate Them

"Last month's total fiscal expenditure was 3358 gold coins?" Roman stared at the financial book in his hand. This wasn't a monthly meeting, but a routine report. Given the crude organization of Plenty City, holding a meeting once a month was far too difficult.

The old steward beside him nodded: "Yes, Your Highness, this number is absolutely correct."

The finances of both cities are very transparent, with monthly settlements and all funds accounted for.

Of these more than three thousand gold coins, nearly half were spent on military expenses, supplies, and pensions.

The expenditures of the remaining thousand-plus gold coins were more complex, including smaller items such as salaries of administrative officials, hiring of professional craftsmen, school education expenses, purchase of agricultural products, loans to farmers, special rewards, and subsidies for pregnant women.

These are complicated matters, and the expenses involve many aspects. If you were to list them all and roll them up, they would probably roll ten meters across the carpet.

Roman thought this was normal.

Every day when he opens his eyes, he sees over 200,000 people eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, all waiting for his service. Compiling all the detailed statistics is incredibly difficult. If it weren't for paper, everyone would have to count on their toes to find him, practically crawling on their bottoms.

Even so, more than three thousand gold coins is still a bit too many.

Two months ago, the expenditure was only a little over two thousand gold coins, but now it has suddenly increased by 50%, which seems terrifying.

"And income?"

Seth handed Roman another stack of documents. Last month, only a little over two hundred gold coins were deposited—mostly from Roman's department store, with a small portion coming from fines—totaling less than one gold coin, paid by those who violated the Origin Law.

With an expenditure of three thousand and an income of two hundred, anyone who sees this will feel their scalp tingle.

But as a lord, Roman doesn't need to care about how bad the data looks on paper, nor does he need to show it to outsiders. This is simply to give him a clearer understanding of the development of his territory and make it easier for him to control everything.

Last month, he mobilized a large amount of manpower and resources to deal with the war. There were two to three hundred medical nurses alone, and medical teams were organized to provide medical services to the wounded.

The significant increase in expenditures is understandable, but the main issue is the consumption of physical goods; hundreds of tons of grain have been completely consumed.

War is not production; war is destruction.

Imagine if everyone did something unrelated to farming; then everyone would just be wasting their time.

Moreover, they need to be fed enough rice, otherwise they won't be able to drive away the bandits.

'Compared to the consumption of goods, government spending is secondary,' Roman thought.

He had gold mines, steel, coal, and salt, which strongly supported his economic system and prevented him from becoming indebted, even though ordinary miners earned as much as five copper coins a month and senior miners earned as much as six or seven copper coins, along with substantial compensation guarantees.

But those expenses are just a drop in the ocean compared to the income from mining.

With the Conqueror Order collapsing, the right to mint coins that Roman had once desired was no longer so important; he could mint coins privately, and he had the final say in everything.

Even without metal currency, his territory is self-sufficient and can bear all financial expenditures.

He's no longer a newly arrived nobleman; with the development over the past few years, he's become self-sufficient and has entered a domestic circulation model.

The people would give Roman the goods they produced and processed, and he would then sell or give those goods to them. Even though he gave away a lot of things, Roman still had a large surplus in his monthly accounts.

Let alone spending three thousand gold coins a month, even five thousand gold coins would be acceptable to Roman as long as it helps with development.

“There aren’t enough department stores. We’ll open twenty more this year and hire more people,” Roman gestured to Seth.

Department stores are public enterprises and the only place where residents can make purchases.

But Roman was very dissatisfied with only receiving about two hundred gold coins a month, and he really wanted to punch them!
I pay you guys a salary so you can spend it!

Why keep them all?!

Hurry up and spend it!

Cured meat, sugar, staple foods, soy sauce, soap—you name it, I have it! Want some wild vegetables? I can even find someone to dig them up for you in the fields! A quarter of a copper coin can buy a huge pile. And if you buy enough, I'll even have Gevier grow a whole crop of high-quality wild vegetables!
"Your Highness, those people are all misers. Getting money from them is more painful than killing them," Seth pointed out clearly. They value money above all else.

"Moreover, the things sold in the store do not make them feel at ease."

Those were not necessities, but luxuries.

Some people are willing to buy, and they buy every month.

But most people would never do something as absurd as consuming.

Roman territory is paradise, but they are poor wretched, their minds rigid and incapable of evolution.

Roman couldn't force them to consume. He knew this. Human rights were the foundation of the territory's legislation, and he couldn't trample on anyone's human rights.

"Then let time eliminate them," Roman said, shaking his head slightly.

It doesn't matter if I can't make money off the old farmers; I just don't believe those old folks won't pass on their savings to the next generation.

If enough department stores are opened and integrated into the social environment, they will become commonplace for newborns. Sooner or later, when they grow up, they will pick up their old coins to buy new goods...

After finishing his business at the Ministry of Finance, Roman turned to talk to another official, the director of a textile factory, whose purpose for being there was quite simple.

Due to a shortage of textile raw materials, female workers had no jobs and had to work in the fields.

They don't mind working in the fields, but there's no pay for it.

A textile worker's daily wage was one-fifteenth of a copper coin. Although the income was meager, it was better than nothing.

This year, cotton has only been planted for a short time. Although the farm has raised sheep, the scale has not yet expanded, and the amount of meat and wool produced from slaughter is insufficient. In the past, textile raw materials mainly came from Icelandic wool.

The situation on the land gradually became chaotic. Iceland and the basin lost contact last year, which is understandable, since the King of Iceland died in battle on the Pegasus Plain, and the new king's ascension to the throne was bound to be fraught with difficulties.

Due to poor communication, Roman only knew that Iceland had allied with the pirate forces, but he was unaware of the situation in Iceland.

"Let them farm first," Roman thought to himself, considering how much autonomy Iceland actually retained in the dragon world. "Once they get through this period, I'll give them a raise based on their performance."

The textile workers' wages were rather low—of course, it would be fine if they weren't paid at all—everyone in the City of Abundance was originally a slave and had no right to discuss treatment with their masters.

But he prefers more efficient exploitation to endless, cruel exploitation.

The first priority is to provide everyone with food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities to improve their quality of life.

The textile factory manager left happily; no one dislikes a wage increase, and now he could give the workers a satisfactory explanation.

Roman then spoke with other executives, seeing one person off after another.

After seeing everyone off, before he could even have a cup of tea, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar, and finally, a travel-worn knight rushed in.

"Roman, I'm back!"

"Welcome back, Green."

Roman rose to greet his knightly brother. "How did things go?"

"Don't even mention it. I encountered a Dawn Knight who was as strong as a monster, and I almost died out there," the young knight said excitedly, without any sign of dejection on his face.

Green pointed outside, and before he could speak, a clear voice came from outside, the voices overlapping and sounding like one person.

"A close call. Your Highness Roman, the witch Lin sends her greetings." The twin witches stood side by side, their fingers interlocked, bowing slightly, their golden hair dazzling.

"I am Felicia from Gemini, and I have been looking forward to meeting you."

(End of this chapter)