The annual salary of their apprentices is fifteen gold coins, which is considered a high-income group. However, this is only on paper. The actual salary of workers and craftsmen at all levels is another matter. Many miners, when persuaded by Tia's "good friend", could not stop talking. They cursed the acting governor and the militia captain for colluding with each other and withholding their wages, deducting the food expenses of the coolie camp, and even dared to take advantage of the craftsmen. A master chef died of illness three years ago, but David concealed the fact and embezzled the master chef's annual salary of 50 gold coins. He then distributed his share of the chef's work to other chefs without increasing the pay. Perhaps because he thought the emperor was far away, David was so arrogant that he didn't even bother to hide it. Sometimes he even did it on purpose for the people below to see, in order to intimidate the miners and make them think about their families. After listening to Tia and Lily's reports, Dick pinched his chin and fell into deep thought. The information the two had gathered was indeed evidence of David's guilt, but to be honest... this evidence was a bit too light. Looking at the entire empire, only a minority of people did not do things like withholding food and wages, and it had reached the point where the law did not hold everyone accountable. The old Emperor Hesse VII was incompetent and the chancellor was in a clique, and if this crime was reported, at best he would be punished with three glasses of wine, and if he was not careful, it would bring unnecessary trouble to Dick himself, making people think he was "meddling". After thinking it over, Dick asked Tia and Lily to rest first and wait for the information from the Ninja Group. At this time, Befa came to Dick with some documents and pointed at the data on them. "Master, I looked at the local household registration, and there are big problems with the employment structure of Laguge's population."
"Does it mean there are too many miners?" "Yes. The entire territory has a population of 53,000 people, but there are only 22,000 men aged 14 and above and under 60 who are able to work. Of these, 19,000 are engaged in mining and metallurgy. There is a serious shortage of agricultural population, but we do not lack land." "I know that, but Laguge is a cold iron producing area with annual production targets, so it's inevitable that the main labor force will be inclined towards mining." "But here's the problem. With so many workers invested, the production of cold iron in Laguge has only barely met the target in the past three years. The casualty rate in the slave labor camp is also abnormally high. Four thousand in three years. This data doesn't seem right no matter how you look at it, right?" After hearing Befa's reminder, Dick understood it immediately. He immediately checked the account book and compared the number of miners and the cold iron production capacity in the local area over the past 30 years. It was found that during these three years, there were no natural disasters and no epidemics, and despite the investment of a large amount of labor, the output barely met the target. The comparison between input and output was a bit too low. Dick, lost in thought, slapped the table lightly. David's corruption and withholding of food and wages were indeed not serious crimes. But if he is greedy and starts to covet important military supplies like "cold iron", then even if he has several heads, they will not be enough to chop off. What we need now is evidence to see who he sold the cold iron to. While Dick was looking through the account books, David was sitting restlessly in his dirty and messy temporary residence. He came thinking that Dick could not reach Lagouge, and did not even think of moving out of the Governor's master bedroom. As a result, when the messenger rushed into the city and informed all the officials and gentry in the city to go out of the city to welcome the new governor, Dick's team was less than an hour away from Lagouge Castle. There was no other choice but for David to hastily ask people to pack up and make room for Dick, while he himself hastily moved out of the main castle with his "assets" that were not visible to the public. David was very puzzled. What happened to the "accident" that was promised? What about the agreement that he should continue to stay in office and serve as the Governor of Laguge for at least another three years? How on earth did Dick survive? Now he only hated himself for being so stupid and foolish. He trusted the person who brought him the news and didn't even have time to deal with so many important evidences in the archives. And that kid was also a weirdo. When he arrived in Laguge, he didn't take a rest or attend the reception dance prepared for him by the local sages. He sent people straight to the archives to check the account books. He didn't even say hello to him, the former governor, and asked his men to move things. The group of soldiers followed a maid, and they were familiar with the place as if they had known where the archives were for a long time! A normal noble, even if he wanted to cause trouble and intimidate him, wouldn't do it this way! ? unless……
When he thought of that possibility, David, who had been slumped on the sofa, sat up suddenly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Damn it, damn it! This little bastard is trying to kill me!" It was as if he had suddenly figured out what the problem was, and David felt "suddenly enlightened". After thinking for a moment, David found a hooded cloak and went out in the night. He wanted to talk to his old friend and old partner, the Saxon Knight. Early the next morning, a new notice was suddenly posted on the official notice board of Lagug Fort. In order to take care of the illiterate people, two servants were specially arranged to take turns to publicize it. Everyone then realized that the new governor had decided to hold a "martial arts tournament" three days later to select those with superb martial arts skills to join the private army. The top three would be able to receive the title of "Apprentice Knight". This was the highest title Dick could be conferred as a regional governor, because he himself was only a fiefdom governor appointed by the Duke, with an additional title of "Honorary Knight" which was actually useless. The governor can appoint an apprentice knight, who will then serve a one-year probation period. At the end of the period, he must report to the Duke, and if approved, he can become a formal knight. The knights were given a small hereditary fief, but it was really just a small piece. Like the local Saxon family, his ancestors were knights of the royal guard who had fought in wars with the Duke of Qiandai, so he directly granted a village of one hundred or eighty people and became a wealthy manor owner. For an ordinary newly promoted knight, the fiefdom might be just a barren wasteland or a river. The land is yours, but you have to figure out how to develop it and make money. But don't forget to bring your own horse equipment and at least one squire when the lord summons you to war. But even so, a knight is at least an entry-level noble, a youthful version of a lord. Becoming a knight means crossing the class and taking a step from a commoner to a lord. This is why, even though the empire is in its current state, once a foreign war is launched, the lower-class civilians will still actively participate, because this is a great opportunity to change their destiny. So as soon as the announcement came out, it quickly caused a sensation and a large number of people flocked to the registration office. Even though the staff repeatedly stressed that participants had to bring their own horses and equipment to participate in the competition, and that those without horses should not come, it still couldn't stop people's enthusiasm. They asked themselves if it would be okay if they had a mule and a dung fork as a weapon? In fact, it was not only the common people who were interested in this, but also some wealthy families in the local area. Because they were relatively wealthy, they could afford better horse equipment. Moreover, it was clearly written on the notice that although only the top three winners of the tournament could become apprentice knights, the tournament also had sub-events such as fencing and shooting, which were used to select soldiers. Because the governor ordered that in order to deal with the increasingly rampant banditry in Laguge, the private army must increase its combat effectiveness and expand to 500 people, so it needs to absorb 217 new recruits. In addition, taking into account the climate and environment of Laguge, the governor increased the treatment of the private soldiers out of compassion for his soldiers. The increase was not actually much, only two silver coins per month, but the governor was a man of his word. The day the notice was issued was the day for salary payment, and all the money and things promised by the governor were handed over to the soldiers, which moved many people. Some smart people discovered that the governor cared a lot about the regular soldiers, but did not mention a word about the existing "militia self-police corps" in the local area. That is also an armed force of nearly 200 people, but the governor seemed to treat them as if they did not exist. This kind of disregard is not as simple as simply forgetting. In addition, there was a sentence in the notice: "In order to deal with the increasingly serious bandit problem, the governor decided to integrate all military forces in the territory." Just this sentence alone made many people who had long been fed up with the arrogance of the Saxons ready to wait and see the joke.
008. Eighteen this year, fear of assassination "Master, it's just as you expected. David went to find the Saxons." "What are they going to do to me?" Dick, who was writing and drawing at his desk, asked without raising his head. "Send someone to assassinate him." "Is it really that uncreative?" Looking up at Befa who was making a report, Dick's expression was actually a little lost.
And Bei Fa just complained speechlessly. "Master, are you expecting a group of landlords and bullies to be smarter than demons?" "Well... not really. I just think... it's a bit boring to see all the same assassinations." "It's not all assassination. Jonah Saxon has also prepared a honey trap. It seems that he and David are not on the same page. He wants to test you before taking action." Rita, who came into the room later, told Dick a "good news" with a smile, but Dick looked at the pair of maids in front of him who had perfect looks and figures, and he really didn't think he could fall into the beauty trap. "Who is that guy going to use to seduce me?" "A woman from Earth whom he summoned. Hongye, who sneaked into Saxon's house, had seen her. Her name was Park Ae-jeong. She was Korean and she was indeed pretty. But..." "Just what? Plastic surgery?" "Not only did she have plastic surgery, but...she was also Jonah's lover." "what!?" Dick was shocked! He even felt like he was being deliberately disgusted. That old man actually used his "leftovers" to seduce him? Dick did not take the counterattack of local evil forces too seriously. Thanks to the efforts of the spy group and the ninja group, they now have one-way transparency in intelligence. David conspired with Jonah that day, and within 20 minutes of their conversation, Hongye repeated the content of the conversation to Dick word for word. They thought Dick looked young and must be easy to deal with, so they planned to join forces with local gentry in two days to hold a welcoming banquet for Dick and seduce him with the South Korean girl that Jonah had grown tired of playing with. Dick couldn't help but sneer in his heart. Do you really think that I look like a minor and am a naive young man who knows nothing about the world? Although Dick is not the kind of sex-hungry ghost who can't control his lower body, he is not a herbivore who dares not eat meat even if it is right in front of his mouth. As long as the feelings and atmosphere are in place, it will be a matter of course. There are currently three girls who understand Dick's "capacity", namely Belfast, Rita and Tia. The two maids even "jointly fight" together. It is equivalent to the collaboration between "Honkai Impact 3" and "Azur Lane". So far, Dick has carried out five summons in total and has ten two-dimensional girls under his command. If these girls were just his harem and bed partners, then the number would be too large to fit into one bed. However, Dick summoned the girls not just because he was lustful, but because he lacked talents who could assist him in governing his fiefdom, and that was far from enough. Because he is a soul traveler, Dick naturally distrusts the Hessians. Moreover, in the Hessian Empire where there is no compulsory education and the illiteracy rate exceeds 90%, there are beasts everywhere but very few talented people. Ironically, among the summoned earthlings, some have suggested to their masters that compulsory education should be implemented and that people’s wisdom should be awakened. But without exception, anyone who made such a suggestion disappeared without a trace the next day. Because compared to what people on Earth call "industrialization", the nobles are more afraid of the "Great Revolution"! Dick has a plan to cultivate local talents, but right now he can't wait for the newcomers to grow slowly. It is more cost-effective to directly summon ready-made talents. He was making a development plan for his fiefdom when a black-and-white gunman wearing a cloak came in from outside. The main castle is now completely controlled by Dick's own people. The old people who originally belonged to David have been dispersed and exiled to other places under various names. They are afraid that there are spies of the opponent around them. After the two female knights entered the room, they took off their cloaks. White Altria still stood obediently in front of Dick's desk, while Black Altria walked to the coffee table and sat down, poured herself a glass of wine, and drank it happily. "This wine is great, why haven't I seen it before?"
"It was sent by the Saxon family. His estate specializes in growing grapes and making wine. I heard it's very profitable." “Can grapes be grown in such a cold place?” "It's a matter of variety. The kind of grapes his family grows are called Bingzhu. It's said that they make very delicious wine. They're sold at a very high price in the capital." "Oh! Then when are you going to raid his house?" "Blake, do you think I am a bully who likes to rob others? Even if I want to rob his house, I need sufficient evidence before I can do it." "Tsk! Then you still have to copy it! What a high-sounding statement." "Blake, do not be rude to the Master!" Seeing Black Altria's frivolous tone towards Dick, White Altria felt a little displeased. Although the two looked very similar, their personalities were very different and they were somewhat incompatible. By the way, the two of them signed up for the competition in a few days as "wandering warriors". Black Altria used the alias "Black Pendragon" and Altria used the alias "White Pendragon". The two are twin sisters. When they went to register, they attracted a lot of attention because they rode tall horses and wore very gorgeous plate armor. Unfortunately, when they registered, they deliberately lowered their voices to make it hard to tell whether they were male or female, and they did not take off their helmets, otherwise their two beautiful faces would have caused more trouble. As the heroic spirit who was summoned, did Black and White Gun Dai ask Dick what his wish was? Dick confessed that he wanted to stand out in the coming chaotic world! “Is this country going to end?” "The old king is foolish, the prince is unvirtuous, the nobles and ministers have their own ulterior motives, the internal troubles are so severe, and the external troubles are even more threatening. Unfortunately, all these crises have been covered up by the false prosperity brought by the time travelers. I am not a loyal minister, and I have no interest in being buried with those corrupt and decadent royal families. Besides, they are already beyond salvation. I want to live for myself, and I also want to lead those who are willing to follow me to live together and live like a human being!" Dick's remarks were basically short of saying "I want to rebel". Faced with these two-dimensional beautiful girls summoned by him, Dick did not intend to rely on the coercion and deception of the slave contract to make them work for him. What matters is "repaying sincerity with sincerity"! Because of the emotional empathy of the slave contract, his current mood will be transmitted to all the contractors. As for the flashing Death Star of the Hessian Empire, Dick was not the only one who noticed it. It's just that some people want to be paperhangers and save the collapsing empire, some people live a life of drunkenness and dreams, and want to be happy every day, and there are also people like Dick who are ambitious to become heroes in troubled times. They are all accumulating strength in secret, waiting for the fall of the Hessian Empire, and then dividing up this dead giant. It's ironic that Dick had thought about saving the empire at first, but he soon came to his senses and realized that the Hessian Empire was not his real homeland, China. This corrupt dark empire still practices slavery to this day, persecuting the native subhumans and civilians, as well as the poor time travelers who were forcibly captured from Earth. Dick himself was often looked down upon because of his quarter-elf bloodline, and he dared not reveal his identity as a soul traveler. Even some favored servants of the Duke's family dared to look down on him, the fifth young master, in private. Save such an empire? I'll pull your grandmother's leg! That evening, Dick was invited to attend a dinner party organized by local gentry at the Saxon family's mansion. His family was the richest in the area. Although the house they built was not as tall and majestic as a paramilitary castle like Lagug Castle, the luxury of the interior decoration was even more so. The local gentry bowed their heads in front of Dick, praising the wisdom and bravery of the little governor in a corny tone and flattering him in all kinds of ways. Dick was not too nervous to handle such a situation. Even the dishes on the banquet were a little difficult for Dick to handle.
There are Chinese stir-fried dishes, Italian pizza and American fried chicken, but the South Korean steward of the Saxon family named Park Deyong always proudly adds in front of the dishes when introducing them, saying that these are traditional foods invented by our Great Cold Nation on the far side of the earth. Dick wanted to curse several times. He traveled through time for 18 years and never thought that one day he would be almost exposed because of a shameless Korean. wdnmd! Even if I'm not Italian, I can't stand your kimchi pizza!
