Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 473 Kneeling to beg for food? Wild Hunt is online (6200)!
To be honest, Byron is almost numb now.

Just one moment he was feeling proud of how Rheinmetall had defrauded the royal party of a sum of military funds, and the next moment the royal party actually shifted the war expenses onto him?
What you call colonial taxes are essentially my money, aren't they?!

Not only do they collect taxes, but they also collect taxes for the next three years all at once!
An image immediately popped up in Byron's mind: "All the taxes in Goose City were collected ninety years later, in the year 2010. The people have become poor ghosts, and there is no more money to be squeezed."

Moreover, this is not something like "moral integrity" that is unimportant to the pirate nation, this is a huge amount of money.

"Boss, is there a possibility? It may not be possible in one or two years, but after three years, this place will most likely not be yours.

You use my land and population to collect your taxes, and then use this money that will belong to me in the future to buy my current weapons.

This originally wonderful war profit ended up turning into... I bought myself?
Even though we're separated by the entire 'First Gyre', your abacus beads are about to fall on my face!"

The most depressing thing is that there were no colonies when the Magna Carta was born.

The king's power to raise taxes was limited at home, but it was unlimited here.

In addition, now that the Earl's Party has withdrawn from the royal capital, even the parliament has been left to the royal party, so it is easy to formally pass a Stamp Act.

But Byron had been a loyal minister for so long, and all he needed was the final leap. He couldn't fall out with Edward IV over this matter.

After a brief pause, he immediately bowed and said:

“Your Majesty, as you wish.

I will strive to gather the military funds in the shortest possible time to ensure the royal party's ultimate victory."

After hearing this assurance, Edward IV's stern face finally showed a hint of smile:
"Very good, Lord Tudor.

I have always trusted your loyalty and even more so your ability. With you in charge of the colony, I don't need to worry about it at all."

Then he changed the subject and talked about another thing:

“By the way, Duke Richard has already told me that your Standard Whale Oil Company needs a large investment in infrastructure, right?

I will take this opportunity to provide you with the first investment."

Before Byron could feel happy, he was severely poured with a bucket of cold water:
"I allow you to keep one-tenth of this tax as my investment in Standard Whale Oil Company. Is that okay?
I know that heavy assets have a slow return on investment, so I can accept dividends after a year."

Byron felt even worse when he heard this.

'Do you mean to treat that 10% tax as my commission to encourage me to work harder and earn more?
And it’s not the money that is given to me directly, but you use my money to invest in my industry, and then use it to make money for you?

Who is Party A between us?

Are you trying to get something for nothing here?

Okay, okay, you guys want to play with me like this, right?

Byron actually knew that these guys were not short of money.

They took advantage of the downfall of the Lancastrian nobles and enriched themselves with food.

He is just extremely greedy and wants to win the civil war but doesn't want to spend his own money.

I just don't know if Edward IV is aware that Queen Elizabeth's Woodville family is plotting to swallow up the Earldom of Stromgarde and the Earldom of Grenville through marriage.

I'm afraid that this couple also has their own little plans. Add in the [Devil Duke] Richard, this family is full of ulterior motives and are all up to no good.

Fortunately, the water in Byron's stomach is worse than theirs!

He agreed without hesitation:
"Your Majesty, that's no problem."

He sent off Edward IV, who returned satisfied, with the impeccable attitude of a loyal minister.

Byron walked out of his study, leaned on the railing on the second floor of the Governor's Mansion, and fell into deep thought as he looked at the Jamestown Royal Port in front of him, which had become increasingly prosperous and bustling with people since he took over.

Now colonial taxation is divided into two main parts.

Part of it was the church's tithe.

After Byron won immunity for the Kingdom of Hattings, the tax standards did not change and remained exactly the same as before.

In fact, Edward had bad intentions from that time on.

As long as Byron collected taxes diligently, he would not be able to win over the people's hearts. Even if he had large tracts of fiefdom in the colonies, it would be impossible for him to become too powerful to be controlled.

Once the accounts were audited by the religious monks stationed in the colonies, he would inevitably be used as a scapegoat, just like the Marquis of Norwich York, the former Marshal of the First Fleet.

The money belonged to Edward IV, but Byron bore all the infamy.

If Byron had not mastered the art of "Miss Nun, you don't want anyone to know that you are investing public funds in stocks, do you?", he would have long become Edward IV's scapegoat.

Byron also colluded with Sister Teresa to modify the profit sharing ratio by falsifying accounts.

The church, Edward IV, Byron, and Theresa divided the profits respectively at 6:2:1:1, and they all made a profit.

In addition, in order to support Byron's development of the southern continent, the royal family's 351% of the tithe tax in the second half of the year was given to Byron (Chapter ).

The other part is secular taxation.

In addition to the 10% stolen goods tax collected by the Maritime Court, which makes the proceeds of privateering legal, there are also property taxes, head taxes, tariffs, consumption taxes, etc., involving all aspects of people's livelihood.

However, the [Iron Law of Royal Authority] had been castrated in the first place, and it was castrated again when it went overseas, making it extremely weak. Moreover, the colonial folk customs were extremely fierce. It was unknown which farming civilians were extremely vicious criminals in their homeland.

In order to collect the full amount of taxes, the governor can only send troops to conduct armed collection.

It’s the same thing that the “Armed Tax Inspection Department” of the Pioneer Colonial Trading Company did on the East-West route.

However, the latter mainly targets foreign merchant ships and is part of privateering activities. Through consumption transfer, all members of the same faction can share the benefits.

The former is different. Collecting three years' taxes at one time would offend everyone.

The kind that people will remember even after decades.

Not only that, many industries in the colonies were backed by domestic dignitaries. If their taxes were collected as well, they would not only lose their mass base, but would also be isolated by all the upper-class aristocrats.

By that time.

The most Edward IV could say was, "I was not aware of it, it was all a sudden cough, and the Earl of Stromgarde did it behind my back," and then he could push the responsibility away cleanly like a non-stick pan.

For Byron, it was a loss no matter which choice he made.

Although civil war broke out in his homeland, Edward IV took time out of his busy schedule to dig a big pit for him, waiting for him to jump in.

Who made him rich, have territory and a high reputation?

No matter how loyal he is, Edward can't sleep well unless he makes trouble for him.

Now it seems that Byron only has one choice left.

——To pollute oneself! And to be in cahoots with the men!
Byron stroked his chin and murmured:
“When the governor took office, he created various pretexts to win over the wealthy and powerful and solicit taxes and donations.

Only after they pay can ordinary civilians follow suit. After getting the money, the gentry's money will be returned in full, and the civilians' money will be divided into 30% and 70%.

Oh no, it’s a 91-9 split, 10% is for investment, and in the end 100% belongs to them.

Even more cruel than any other gangster.

I am too familiar with this set of tricks. What a pity."

He reached out and knocked on his knee, but it was harder than iron.

You want me to beg on my knees?

My knees are too stiff. I can’t kneel down.

"No taxation without representation", "Boston Tea Party", "Coercive Acts", "Colonial Independence", "Thunder on the left and fire on the right, irises help me", "Please die", "The white rose is dead, the red rose shall stand".
A series of response plans and even ready-made scripts kept flashing through Byron's mind.

In the end, he rejected them all.

Looking to the north, his eyes are burning:
“The reason why the Yorkists are so reckless now is that in Edward IV’s opinion, the Lancastrians, led by [Eye of the Enemy] Beretania and [Unbreakable Fortress] Sam Leopold, have been completely wiped out.

The Blue Dragon King, carrying the Lancaster Undead, was also completely killed.

Now they had no external enemies except the Earl's party.

As long as he wins the war, he can do whatever he wants with the colonies. There won't be any trouble at all."

“But don’t forget.

In fact, there is another person who can threaten their status—the last Lancaster of [Son of the Devil], and [Wild Hunt]!
If they appear separately, they may not be significant enough, but what if these two identities are combined into one, combining righteousness and power?

It's time to take off the mask and let "Wild Hunt" Byron Lancaster give Edward IV a little shock from his feud again.

If Byron Lancaster, the only person qualified to compete with you for the throne, attacks the colonies and steals taxes, will you be prepared to take care of your head or your butt?

Not only will I not give you this money, you will also have to pay me an additional amount of military expenses for "suppressing bandits"!"

The most comfortable days for workers in the bald eagle industry are when the polar bears have not yet fallen.

People can't be too idle, they must have an enemy.

Even if there is no enemy, you have to create one. This is the supreme business strategy of the "military-industrial complex".

Byron made up his mind and immediately acted decisively.

“It’s not a bad thing to take this opportunity to bring the 27-point legendary Wild Hunt back into the public eye.

However, in addition to Bruch, the [Guardian Knight] who is also wanted and serves as the Wild Hunt's assistant, they also need to find a reliable third-level warrior who has never been shown to outsiders to serve as a thug.

Otherwise, when you return as the king with the precious land of Black Sail Harbor, you will still have to deal with those ignorant minions by yourself, which will be too cheap."

Just as he was thinking about which pirate officer would be more suitable.

Bang!

A shiny object suddenly fell to the ground from nowhere, right at the foot of the second floor where he was standing.

"Huh? It looks familiar." It was a blue metal fragment about the length of a dagger, which seemed to be part of a weapon.

Its information was immediately displayed in the logbook.

[Level 0 Holy Relic: Sea King's Trident] (fragment):
“The halberd blade representing gas: it allows the holder to change into a myriad of forms, to transform into different marine creatures, and to dominate other marine creatures.

Destiny: You must be a philanthropic "Sea King" in every sense, loving the entire marine biosphere. It will also enhance the holder's fertility and occasionally cause the monsters around you to become restless within a certain range. "

Byron had just seen the trident, a symbol of solidity, in his mother's hand. No wonder it looked familiar.

"Shouldn't this be the Level 0 holy relic that little brother Salant has?
How could such an important thing just fall to the ground?

Judging from this angle, you're not going to attack me while I'm picking up soap, bah, bah, or the trident, right?"

When he mobilized his [Divine Vision], he discovered that there was indeed a figure hiding in the corner and peeking at him.

I immediately understood the intention of my cousin Salant.

Apparently he had heard his own name, "Byron Tudor".

He wanted to use the characteristics of the [Trident of Poseidon] that could only be used by those of Poseidon's bloodline to verify whether this "Tudor" was related to their "Tudor".

Byron was also about to confront Salant. After experiencing the "Death Stranding" incident in the royal capital Kingston, he at least confirmed that Salant's character was still very reliable.

He jumped down from the second floor and picked up the fragments of the trident as if nothing had happened.

As expected, just like the one that had previously touched mother Hathaway, there was no resistance at all.

Just as I straightened up, I heard an excited voice behind me:

"captain!"

When he turned around, he saw Salant, with an excited face, standing behind him.

His eyes were slightly red, and it was obvious that after suffering such a disaster, he was extremely excited to meet his relatives thousands of miles away from home.

However, he pursed his lips twice and finally suppressed his excitement, and did not continue to reveal his identity.

Because the two core survival taboos of the Eastern Continent: "Everything that is said must be known; it is not people who pursue knowledge, but knowledge that pursues people." have been deeply rooted in his bones.

Any leaked information may become a bridge for the spread of pollution.

Moreover, the disaster encountered by the Mermaid Kingdom is not something that a mere fourth-level mythical creature can resist. If one more person knows about it, it will only mean one more victim.

Instead of revealing his identity, it is better to maintain the status quo. Maybe Byron, who knows nothing, can continue to live peacefully in the Old World for another hundred or eighty years.

Salant confirmed Byron's identity this time just to prepare for his own funeral.

There were too many forbidden secrets in his mind, and he had even seen the indescribable thing in the deepest part of the sea.

If the material world continues to slide toward the "intertidal zone", he will sooner or later be caught up by the knowledge that has come alive.

At that time, the zero-level holy relic fragment [Sea King's Trident] passed down from generation to generation in the family will be entrusted to Byron to improve his survival rate in the Luo Yan Era.

Finally, I said nothing, but sighed in my heart:
"Forgive me, Byron, and let me, your brother, bear all this.

I will do my best to protect you before I die."

Byron saw the conflicted expression on Salant's face and the anchor chain that suddenly grew thicker between the two of them, and immediately guessed what he was thinking.

However, just like he never took the initiative to ask his father about his mother's past, he would not let down Salant's kindness and cause trouble for himself.

The most annoying people are those who have no idea of ​​the situation, who just sing the opposite tune of "I don't, I don't, I just don't", and ultimately mess things up.

Once you have the strength to overturn the small boat, the waves will be just a joke in front of the huge ships and cannons.

So Byron simply returned the halberd in his hand to his cousin without any regrets, and casually reminded him:
“Mr. Salant, is this what you lost?
Put it away and don’t lose it next time.”

To be honest, he was somewhat interested in the [Trident of Poseidon], one of the most powerful relics of the Luoyan Era, but after seeing the destiny of "Poseidon", he immediately shook his head.

A "tentacle fetish" rooted in this has continued to this day.

What if there is also "coelenterate fetish", "lamprey fetish", "sea urchin fetish" and so on? Wouldn't it be fatal?

Let Salant enjoy this blessing slowly.

Then Byron patted his cousin on the shoulder with a smile:

“Mr. Salant, you came at the right time.

I'll take you out to play today. Let's go to the pirate city Black Sail Harbor and let you see what a real pirate is."

By the way, I called my queen, Violet:
“Miss, scientists should stop doing engineers’ work all the time. They should learn to focus on the big picture and give others a chance.

Hand over the industrialization of bolt-action rifles to those firearms engineers and come out with me.

It’s time for the Taiwanese Princess and Wild Hunt, who have disappeared for too long, to come back online.”

later.

On the edge of the Devil's Triangle, in the Bahamas, which has more than 700 islands and 2400 reefs, there is the pirate city of Black Sail Harbor.

The air was filled with the smell of freedom and decadence.

They are not as homogeneous as the Gulf pirates or the Barbary pirates, which are a combination of race and profession.

This notorious pirate port is where most of the Bantaan pirates live, and their origins are extremely complex.

There are free pirates from various countries, privateers holding privateering licenses who only serve a certain country, and various black or gray smugglers.
There are bounty hunters who call themselves Robin Hood of the Sea, indigenous extraordinary people whose families have been destroyed, countless black wizard societies, degenerates, and spies from various countries.
Judging from the population and area alone, this place can be regarded as one of the largest cities in the Bantaan Islands.

But as we all know, as long as the majority ethnic group does not have an advantage in numbers, public security will definitely not be good as various forces fight for power.

This can be seen from the nickname of Black Sail Port: "one of the most depraved places on the ocean."

At this time, there were many pirate ships in the harbor, surrounding a strange warship, the Cathedral of Suffering, like stars surrounding the moon.

This warship is a standard large galleon with a tall tower and the stern deck has been transformed into the appearance of a small church.

But what is enshrined there is neither a cross nor a statue of a saint, but a life-size bronze statue of a one-eyed dragon, the shape of which is exactly the same as that of a cult.

There are recruitment banners hanging on the ship, and it seems that the ship is taking advantage of the opening of the southern continent route to continue recruiting people to do something big.

The fourth-rank pirate warlord [Dung Eater] One-eyed Owl, who looked exactly like the bronze statue and was also the owner of this pirate ship, was standing on the protruding stern gallery, giving a passionate speech to his crew and the large group of free pirates:
“Opportunities only come to those who are prepared.

As long as you prepare enough money, you can meet many wise men and learn their wisdom, then use this wisdom to make more money, and then use this money to meet even wiser people.

If you keep repeating this cycle, you will be able to spiral upwards by stepping on your right foot with your left foot. In the end, you will be wiser than the wisest person and richer than the richest person.

Understand the applause! "

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Led by the enthusiastic crew members, the large group of pirates who were staring at him applauded together.

“Now an opportunity lies before you.

To join my pirate group, each person only needs to pay ninety-nine gold coins as a membership fee, and I will pass on my wisdom to you.

The old crew members all know that many crew members have betrayed me.

But what about me? I just gave him a thousand pounds.

I will give a thousand pounds to anyone who betrays me, and in the future, those who are loyal to me will easily earn tens of thousands of pounds. Listen to the applause!"

“Everyone remember, the amount of money you waste determines how magnanimous you are.

If tens of thousands of pounds are wasted, then getting hundreds of thousands of pounds for real work is just a joke, isn't it? Applause for understanding! "

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Amidst thunderous applause, many free pirates generously donated money and sold themselves to the "Church of Misery" for ninety-nine gold coins.

And I don’t know if it was an illusion, but when they chose to throw themselves into the arms of this “wise man”, all the distress and worries in their hearts suddenly disappeared, and their hearts were gradually filled with high and fanatical will.

Only one word remained echoing in my mind: "Success! Success! Success!"

This is exactly the title ability of the dung eater [Great Impurity]:
"He can eat up other people's negative emotions and all kinds of spiritual filth, chew them up, and then feed them to other people or other things in the form of language.

Eventually, it can produce a memetic contamination effect, creating artificial corrupted beings or cursed creatures, while he himself remains unharmed.

Most of those unlucky souls who have been polluted will become fanatical followers of the One-Eyed Owl, and will complete his orders even if it means losing everything and risking their lives. "

[Dung Eater] One-Eyed Owl looked at the effect of this speech and nodded with satisfaction:

“When we were exploring new routes in the Broken Isles, we wasted too many believers. Now we can finally make some comeback.

Now that the southern continent has been opened up, there are a total of four fourth-level pirate warlords who have chosen to return to Black Sail Port to develop, including me: [Captain Goat] Alex, [Thief Baron] Valerian, and [Candy Witch] Ivanka.

With this combined strength, even the treasure fleet of the Kingdom of Castile cannot be touched.

Unfortunately, although we would follow each other unwillingly when the treasure started to come every year, we had never been able to catch its tail.

The title special effect [Key to the Treasure Ship] really has no loopholes and is completely unsolvable.

We still don’t know who the three secret keepers arranged by the Castilians are, and whether we will have a chance to take action.

Even if there is a one percent chance, I really don't want to let the world's greatest treasure slip away from me.

Once someone can do the impossible and successfully plunder a fleet of treasures that no one has ever plundered, the Pirate King of the Bantaan Islands and the Sapphire Sea will be born, right? "

When the One-eyed Owl was looking forward to the beautiful scene happening upon his head, he suddenly heard exclamations from all around and subconsciously turned his head to look at the sea outside the port.

Suddenly, a level 4 "nominal battleship" with a standard fifty-gun configuration was spotted slowly approaching.

There is also a very iconic figurehead of a girl holding a red rose on the bow.

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes:
“This is the [Flaming Rose] owned by Violet, the daughter of the Pirate King [Whale Hunter] and the Bay Princess?!

Why is she here? "

(End of this chapter)