I'm not a lord

Chapter 129 Even the Duke of this Fort is Not Allowed to Enter
The next day, Lynn received news that the Duke's envoy was visiting the Shoal Territory.

Yagna wrote very clearly in the letter, telling Lin En not to worry, she would deal with the messenger.

Lin En was very confident in Yagena's eloquence. She had the "think tank" characteristic, and the messenger was her good friend, so it was not difficult to persuade her.

Judging from the identity of the envoy, it seems that Jinlu Fort does not want to make things bigger this time.

After all, Lin En didn't do anything too out of line.

He just saved a lost girl and did his best to help her regain her family property.

What's wrong with this?

These are simply the ten most touching deeds in the North!
As soon as Lin En put down the letter, Leah pushed the door open and walked into the study, handing over a financial document.

"Sir, this is a summary of the expenditures of White Bear Territory and Shoal Territory over the past two weeks."

The weather is getting colder, and Leah is wearing a thick light gray woolen dress today. Her face is slightly made up, and her figure is slender and upright. It's a pity that her chest is still a little thin, and Lin En needs to work harder.

Lynn glanced at the document carefully and didn't see anything unusual.

He knew the exact amount of food each soldier needed each week, and also knew the amount of food each serf consumed while doing corvee labor.

He was also familiar with the consumption of the blacksmith workshop and the carpenter workshop, so it only took him a few minutes to complete the review of this financial document.

Now Leah is responsible for the financial affairs of two baronies. Although the workload has doubled, she is still able to handle it with ease and has never made a mistake.

In addition to serving as the Chief Financial Officer, she also has time to educate the barbarian sisters Mira and Millie.

Although Millie has only been in the White Bear Territory for a week, she has been dressed up very well by Leah and can even call "Master Lin" sweetly in the common language.

After seeing Lynn sign the document, Leah prepared to leave the study.

But Lin En suddenly asked, "Liya, what do you think of the White Bear Territory's military service system?"

She paused, stood in front of the desk, and after a moment's thought, replied, "Your Excellency's military service system is similar to the chivalric system. Both use force to replace some taxes and corvée labor. The advantage is that it can stimulate the enthusiasm of soldiers and reduce the loss of tax revenue during circulation.

This naturally has its drawbacks. For example, these soldiers and their families will have a significantly higher status within the territory, which could easily lead to dissatisfaction among some citizens and could interfere with the taxation and labor service of other citizens.

Leah's words were a bit vague, but Lin En could still understand the general meaning.

Lin En tapped the table lightly with his right index finger and said slowly:
"Just yesterday, Old Albert told me about a similar problem. In the past, in White Bear Territory, all serfs had to pay taxes and perform corvee labor. But after the recruitment of soldiers, some serfs suddenly stopped paying taxes, and their entire families were exempted from corvee labor. This caused a small number of serfs to feel unbalanced, slightly affecting the progress of the project."

Leah nodded seriously: "The word 'unbalanced' is very accurate. I am now responsible for taking care of the two sisters, Mira and Millie. If I favor Mira too much, then Millie will definitely feel unbalanced, and vice versa."

Lin En pondered this and said, "So I'm considering abolishing the old military service system and removing some of the privileges these soldiers have. As compensation, I'll provide them with a higher, more stable salary, at least on par with those refugee soldiers. I'll also give them rewards during festivals and when war breaks out."

When Lin En first started recruiting soldiers in the White Bear Territory, the salt mine had not yet started production and the grain harvest had not yet arrived. The entire White Bear Territory was extremely poor and there was no way to pay the soldiers in cash or food as wages.

In order to gain the soldiers' loyalty, Lynn had to make concessions in other areas.

That is to say, giving soldiers a higher social status and exempting their families from corvee labor and taxes.

The situation is very different today.

The salt mine could bring Lin En a stable income of no less than 500 gold coins every month. He then occupied the Shoal Territory and earned a whole year's income from the salt mine in one go.

In addition, White Bear Territory had a bumper harvest this year, and the castle's granary was piled high with rye.

Therefore, Lin En is now very well-off, with both money and food.

Now that the army was about to be expanded on a large scale again, he naturally began to think about abolishing the military service system in June and July.

Exempting the soldiers from corvee labor and taxes has undoubtedly had a significant effect. These two hundred serfs are currently the most combat-effective troops under Lin En's command. They are tough and loyal, able to withstand high-intensity training, and can also form neat rows to fight against the oncoming cavalry.

But in the future, the sources of soldiers under Lin En will be very diverse.

For example, this time in the shallows, he recruited four feudal knights and a whole squadron of knight squires.

The one hundred refugee soldiers on the White Bear Territory's side were completely conscripted. They had no land, so naturally there was no tax or labor service.

In the long term, Lynn plans to standardize the treatment of soldiers.

All soldiers will be paid cash wages plus various kinds of goods, and some special treatment for their families will be cancelled. Taxes payable will no longer be exempted, and corvée labor will be reduced or exempted depending on the circumstances of their family members.

This will also facilitate the daily management of the territory by grassroots officials such as Old Albert.

Lynn naturally also considered the consequences of changing the military service system.

The answer is no consequences.

This system has only been implemented for less than half a year and is limited to the 200 soldiers in the White Bear Territory, so its influence is extremely limited.

Lin En has always been generous to his soldiers, and his wages and benefits are very high, so these 200 soldiers should not object too much.

It can even further consolidate Lynn's control over the army.

Because all military pay came from his financial system, Leah aptly suggested, "I suggest that you distribute salaries based on military service, not by region. They are all your subjects, and there should be no further distinctions between those from the White Bear Territory, the Shallows Territory, or those who are refugees."

The heavy armored soldiers at the front of the army must be higher than the light armored soldiers at the rear, and both of them must be higher than the archers. Cavalry training is the most difficult, so naturally they have the highest wages.

Lin En nodded slightly. "Well, your proposal is reasonable and in line with the army's existing salary policy."

It is only natural that you should get paid according to the work you do.

Heavy infantry carries the highest risk and requires the highest physical fitness from soldiers, so their income naturally exceeds that of light infantry and archers.

This can also motivate those who are physically weaker to double their training so that they can enter the threshold of heavy infantry as soon as possible.

As for the blurred regional divisions, this is also in line with Lynn’s future plans.

The White Bear Territory and the Shoal Territory are only about 60 kilometers apart, but they drink from the same White River and are people from the same place.

As for those refugees from other places, they all speak the same language, so they are naturally one family.

The only exception is the barbarians, whose appearance, customs and language are different, and it will take time for them to integrate.

But Lin En has set an example. He keeps two barbarian girls in his castle and often takes them on patrols of the territory.

If even the lord can accept the barbarians, then naturally the people under him can accept them as well.

Lin En has always encouraged intermarriage between the two races, and he and Manor No. 6 are proof of this.

After determining the strategy, Lynn quickly took action.

He first announced a new conscription plan in White Bear Territory, canceling the special treatment of the original 200 soldiers.

This did not arouse much opposition.

The serfs were used to being obedient. As long as their lives were not endangered, they would obey the orders of their lords.

Lynn then ordered Old Albert to recruit another hundred soldiers.

As long as they are selected, even the most basic light infantry can earn an annual income equivalent to the output of 20 acres of cultivated land, and the output is increased.

Not only that, the families of those selected as soldiers will automatically be freed from their serf status and promoted to free people. They no longer need to cultivate public land for the lord and will receive 60 acres of land.

Of course, the taxes that should be paid will not be reduced in the slightest, and the labor service that should be performed will not be neglected.

Although Lin En rewarded these soldiers with land, he would receive more food every year.

After all, the land belonged to the freemen, and after paying the taxes, the rest belonged to them.

The new conscription policy is still very popular in the White Bear Territory, and almost all non-free serfs have signed up enthusiastically.

Lin En selected 150 people based on their merits and handed them over to Lao Wu from the Northern Military Camp, asking him to eliminate 50 of them within a week and select the best from the best.

Two days later, the Duchess's envoy who lived in the Shoal Territory Castle left by boat. Lynn immediately went south to the Shoal Territory and announced the new policy to the 200 soldiers stationed in the Shoal Territory.

As he expected, the new policy did not arouse opposition from the soldiers.

Exempting the farmland tax? They just don’t want to farm anymore!
Most of these two hundred soldiers meet the requirements of heavy infantry, and the wages they receive alone are enough to easily support a family of five.

Moreover, their family still owned 120 acres of land, they just had to pay taxes.

With the current grain output of White Bear Territory, they are already a "middle-class family". The annual surplus grain can be used to improve their lives or converted into money for storage.

After dealing with the army, Lynn rushed to the Shallows Castle to discuss subsequent countermeasures with Yagna.

"Sir, my due date is February. Golden Deer Castle will most likely send an envoy before the due date to confirm the baby's gender on the spot. If it's a boy, then Golden Deer Castle will most likely acquiesce to my taking charge of the Shallow Shoal Territory. But if it's a girl..."

Yagna temporarily persuaded Susan, but when Susan left, she said that more messengers would come.

The new messenger's attitude would never be as gentle as hers, especially when Yagna gave birth to a girl.

Susan even hinted that if Yagna really gave birth to a girl, the Duke would definitely deprive the Shoal Family of their right to rule the Shoal Territory and would quickly send a new baron to take over the Shoal Territory.

There are so many landless nobles in the North, and the court knights under the Duke are extremely eager for territory.

"We can't stop the messenger from reaching Shoal Territory, but we can prevent him from leaving. Don't worry, even if you give birth to a girl, Shoal Territory will still be firmly in our hands!"

Lin En naturally disdained this and he was now going to recruit soldiers in the shallows.

By next spring, he had already turned this shallow area into an iron barrel.

Duke?

Even if the saints worshipped by the Three Saints Religion came, it would not be of any use, Lin En said!

(End of this chapter)