Throne of the North - Chapter 480

After leaving Longshan City, Ryan followed Norton to the other party’s territory, a large village, but it was overcrowded because of the lack of houses. Many people lived in simple shacks and came and went every day. It was no wonder that Norton was so worried about the management of the territory.

“You just let them live in these places?”

Norton was no longer like a rookie at this moment, showing the demeanor of a noble in his own territory.

“These slaves can’t create wealth for me at all. They can’t even afford to buy wooden boards. These shacks are all lent to them by me, and I have to pay them back every month.”

Norton was very angry when he said this. He hadn’t received the rent of the slaves in full for a whole winter.

“How can they get wealth to pay you if they can’t work in winter?”

Ryan was speechless. It was a very simple truth, but it was difficult for the nobles to understand.

Not long after, Ryan met Norton’s butler, who was also a servant brought from the Earl of Clayton. He was not young, just like the old Beard at the beginning.

“Master, you are back.”

Norton nodded, and Ryan asked:

“He is your steward, responsible for everything in your territory?”

Ryan looked at the steward again and asked:

“What do you think about the village and town buildings with a population of 2,000 in the territory? They are piled up around the lord’s mansion in such a mess?”

“And those houses, I saw a forest and two mountains around, there should be a lot of dead branches in a winter. Regarding firewood heating, who do you use to supply firewood for the lord’s mansion?”

“Where are the dead buried? Are those sick people still staying in the sewage ditch? Not to mention that there are no patients in this territory, it is impossible for them not to get sick living in those shacks.”

“Most importantly, how is the food distributed?”

“Lord Norton should have a part of the ownership of the mine, which is almost the source of all the lord’s wealth. Why is all the money gone after a winter?”

Ryan asked a series of questions, and each question was asked in a place where the steward was caught off guard, and Norton’s eyes looking at the steward became fierce.

The butler was panic-stricken, not because he was embezzling or anything like that. The butlers of the nobles were the most loyal servants of the nobles. The reason for his panic was that he did not understand Ryan’s words quickly, and thus appeared flustered.

“Master, I, I…”

“Don’t worry, answer one by one.”

“Two thousand people, a town has about the same population.”

The butler finally calmed down, but still didn’t know what to say.

“Those damn mud legs, one by one, are lazy and can’t bring wealth to the master at all. They don’t deserve to own a house.”

Ryan turned his head, looked at Norton and said with a smile:

“You see, this is unprofessional performance.”

“When those slaves have nothing, how can they have motivation? How can they be afraid of losing more?”

“The only thing they are afraid of is that you hang them up and kill them. This is their only remaining fear.”

Ryan looked at the butler again and asked him to answer the next question.

“Firewood, firewood from the mountains and forests, all of them are the master’s wealth. Even if those peasants freeze to death, they don’t have the courage to steal the master’s wealth.”

For firewood, it is a precious wealth, which is not a problem, but the only function of firewood is to make fire.

“I remember when Norton asked me for help to get population, the population was very precious, but now, so many slaves are in your hands, but you haven’t played the advantage of population.”

Norton lowered his head. He only thought that with population, the territory could develop, but he didn’t expect that with population, it was only the first step in the development of the territory.

As for the second step, he himself didn’t know what to do.

“If nothing unexpected happens, the dead are buried casually, and the sick are not counted. Letting them live in shacks will only infect more people.”

“If you don’t stop it, another batch of people in your territory will die this summer.”

“They will keep dying until the population drops to a level that you, the lord, can manage.”

“You eat too much, and you don’t have the ability to swallow this benefit.”

Ryan looked at Norton, who blushed. He didn’t contribute much in the war. So many population and resource benefits were Ryan’s help. At this moment, Norton instinctively disagreed when he heard such words.

“Your greed is the same as before, but your ability has not increased at all.”

“As a lord, you have failed more than me.”

Ryan laughed, Norton clenched his fists, and he was not in a good mood with Ryan.

“Tell me what we can do!”

“It’s very simple. You need a group of people, professional people, to help you distribute food to these slaves, to keep them full and alive, but only alive.”

“You also need someone to help you arrange the construction of houses, at least to make them look good, so that other nobles will be willing to trade with you. The most important thing is that you have to lend your wood to these slaves, so that they have houses and stay in the houses, at least they are not prone to getting sick.”

“You also need someone to help you deal with the dead and manage the living.”

Ryan said one sentence at a time, but the butler next to him was anxious.

“Master, those are all my master’s wealth. How can we let those mud legs cut down my master’s trees and build houses for them? This is too good for the slaves.”

Norton also nodded. These damn slaves are not good people. They are greedy.

“So we need to find someone to watch over them. The number of trees for each person must be specified. And who said it was given to them?”

“Giving them houses is a loan. One house is equivalent to owing you ten gold coins. Is that enough?”

Ryan said again:

“And the mine. There are too many iron mines in the North Wind Province. If you sell the mines, you can’t just sell the mines. You have to organize people to process them.”

“With more than 2,000 people, you feed so many people, and use them all for farming? How can there be so much farmland for you to farm?”

“Organize people to open up wasteland and cultivate more farmland. Anyway, you can’t control it now. With so many people living here, it doesn’t matter if a bunch of them die during the land reclamation. Besides, isn’t it popular to capture orc slaves and sell them recently? “

“Most importantly, you need money.”

“You don’t have any money anymore, but you still need money, and then use the money to generate trade and production, so that the money can become more money, instead of relying on the gold coins grown on this land to fill your wallet, so that you will be poor in ten years.”

“More than two thousand people are enough for you to complete the initial accumulation with cheap labor.”

Norton opened his eyes wide, and asked a lame question after a long time.

“But, but they are all slaves, the wealth they create belongs to me, will they use my money to pay me back?”

“Are you so stupid?”

Ryan looked at Norton and said unhappily:

“How many hours do your slaves work a day?”

“From morning to night.”

“So, they have extra time, don’t they?”

“From morning to night, from sunrise to sunset, the wealth created by the slaves belongs to you, but in the extra time, they can create their own wealth.”

“But… even at night, their wealth belongs to me.”

Norton said unwillingly.

“Stupid, even if the slaves create their own wealth, in the end, won’t it still fall into your hands?”

“You give them a little wealth so that they can create more wealth for you.”

“Even if you are fishing, you have to put bait, right? When the slaves get wealth, they will be happier, and then work hard to create more wealth, so that you will be happy.”

Norton opened his eyes wide, I give wealth to slaves, and then I will be happy?

Is that so?

He didn’t understand, but he couldn’t move under Ryan’s power and didn’t dare to resist.

Regarding the exploitation of the ruled by the rulers, Ryan was not familiar with history and had seen and heard a lot.

But you have to know that even the means of exploitation he knew were paradise compared to these slaves. Look at the lives of the slaves in Norton’s territory. They eat weeds and bark every day, occasionally have a little food supply, live in the sewage tent brought by the melting snow in spring, and are unkempt and smoky every day. Let alone being exploited, the pigsty in the noble mansion is a hundred times better than their environment.

They don’t worry about being exploited at all, but numbly accept all these inhuman things.

Don’t look at Ryan’s words so directly, but if all of them are really realized, the happiness of the people in Norton’s territory will definitely rank in the top ten of the North Wind Province!

The slaves will be grateful to Norton.

“But, but…”

“I have no money.”

Norton lowered his head. He had no money. Ryan looked around. There were even several beautiful maids standing timidly with their heads down, holding exquisite snacks in their hands.

No mistakes, one post, one content, one 6, one 9, one book, one bar!

The nobles could not change their appearance and inner qualities. Ryan did not care about Norton’s extravagance. The nobles were like this. If they were not of high enough quality, they would be ridiculed by the nobles and excluded from the circle.

Marriage would not look for nobles who were living in poverty.

“You have no money, but I have money.”

Ryan laughed, revealing his devilish fangs.

“Not only can I lend you money, but I can also find some people for you. They are all qualified stewards who can help you manage your territory. In a year at most, your territory will be completely renewed.”

Norton exclaimed, and the steward next to him also widened his eyes, which seemed to be targeting him.

“Master, this won’t work. I’m your butler. I’ve been taking care of your life since I became Earl of Clayton.”

Norton was also hesitant. Indeed, the old butler was loyal, and the nobles also had feelings, especially for servants like butlers.

“I didn’t say I would replace you. What are you worried about? I’m looking for a few men for you. Look at your appearance. My previous butler, Beard, was much stronger than you.”

Ryan said speechlessly, and then spoke to Norton.

“You can have several butlers, or stewards who are below the butler and above the servants, just like the stewards in the Chamber of Commerce. They can help your butler and help you do things. One person can’t manage it.”

“Your territory is under the management of this old guy, and the result is not good.”

Ryan patted Norton on the shoulder.

“Think about it carefully. You know, besides my brother, who else would be willing to lend golden coins to others?”

“If your territory continues like this, I’m afraid it won’t take many years for your father to forget about you. You know, our father has many children.”

“The dragon heart should be his last gift to us.”

“It would be fine if you came out, but you are still a lord, the lord of the Earl of Clayton’s family. You have to return to the Earl of Clayton during the holidays.”

Ryan’s expression was meaningful. Norton is not a separate family now. He is still a retainer of the Earl of Clayton.

Some brothers and sisters in the Earl of Clayton’s family did not keep up with the education of the Earl of Clayton after he became powerful. Ryan’s experience in the imperial capital city has already shown that it is not uncommon to be bullied in the homes of great nobles.

In the circle of great nobles, the weaker the same kind, the more likely they will be bullied.

“I am your brother, how could I harm you? My mother asked me to take care of you, worried that you would not be well fed and well dressed in the North.”

Ryan said in a persuasive manner, and Norton finally made up his mind.

Borrowed 10,000 gold coins from Master Ryan.

“As my brother, you are of course treated preferentially. You can pay me back 12,000 gold coins within ten years.”

“If you calculate it this way, you only need to create… 1,500 gold coins every year, 120 a month, which is not a problem for you who has a territory that is not inferior to that of a baron, right?”

“Isn’t it 1,200?”

“Don’t calculate it this way, my brother. The extra 300 are not for me, but for your territory. Don’t you need to spend money?”

Ryan pointed to the exquisite furniture next to him.

“In a year or two, the forest world will disappear, and the price of meat will rise. Also, you may have to add a batch of maids in a few years. After all, as the descendant of the earl of Clayton blood and the dragon’s heart, you should understand.”

“You also have to entertain nobles, travel to attend gatherings in the North Wind Province, and even when you return to the south, you must bring some gifts back to your mother?”

Ryan looked at Norton, whose eyes were already dull. He counted, then looked at the maids on the other side and swallowed.

“Are three hundred gold coins enough?”

“Then you have to work harder, but I don’t think it’s a problem. At worst, I can ask a magician to arrange a piece of land for you to help me grow magic crops. I won’t let you go bankrupt.”

“By the way, you have been pursuing Baron Mellikin’s daughter recently, so you can’t let Mr. Baron see your financial difficulties.”

“As a brother, how about I personally give you another 500 gold coins? As funds to invite some noble friends to attend the banquet, Baron Mellikin will naturally see your ability.”

Norton was moved to tears, and he looked like Ryan was about to cry.

After all, this guy is a few years younger than Ryan.

Ryan said comfortingly:

“If a lord asks, you can ask him to come to me. After all, we all came to the North from the South, right? When I was still in the Imperial City, I might have known them.”

“I didn’t expect that in a few years we would live as neighbors in the distant North for the rest of our lives.”

He thought about it, and Ryan realized when he was in Longshan City that he was not alone here, and he also had his own circle.

To be precise, it was the circle of his predecessor. He had always ignored Ryan Clayton’s life for the past sixteen years.

It could be ignored before because it was useless, but it is unnecessary now, because they are all nobles who came to the North from the south of the empire alone. Their experiences are the same, and they are born in a circle.

Just like the decision of Marquis Sauron, it will greatly affect the native nobles of the land of the North Wind Province. Ryan, Norton, and the children of those great nobles have now become lords of the North Wind Province. They have a gap in origin with other nobles.

They don’t have it themselves, and Ryan can take advantage of it.

Because the lords were attached to the fifth-class nobles, Ryan could not completely win over these lords and nobles to stand with him politically, but in the North Wind Province, there was no such concern, and at the same time, they would gather around Ryan in the same way as Norton.

Norton was a natural ally, and it would be fine if he paid back a little every year, but other lords, if they borrowed 10,000, they had to pay back 15,000 anyway?

Then, after all this, in this long ten years, there was only one contract?

Having tasted the sweetness, the nobles must ask Master Ryan to lend more money?

Usury? Ryan blinked his eyes, bank!

“No, it should be said that it is a pawnshop, banks are still too advanced.”

But what do these people pawn?

Ryan is not worried at all. The quality of the nobles is very peculiar. When facing interests, the nobles are cunning and greedy. In terms of dignity and honor, the nobles can fight to the death.

The public opinion effect brought about by overdue debts may be more uncomfortable than killing them, and this price will accompany that surname for countless years.

It’s not like Master Ryan is incapable of dealing with a deadbeat.