Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 19: Tax increase? (Continued)

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"Actually, for the citizens of the kingdom today, paying a little more tax will not have much impact on their lives." Anta Auris spoke again soon afterwards, how could he only let Cypros be more beautiful Qian: "I just asked Burcos and the financial officer Archibides, just take Turri as an example. Ordinary citizens here have at least 20 acres of land, and the food harvested every year can not only meet their own needs, but also About 300 to 700 drachmas were obtained through the sale (depending on the harvest and the changes in food prices), but this is not the bulk of their income. Because Turiyi is the center of the kingdom, there are a large number of foreigners, and the demand for housing is strong. , Many citizens can earn one or two tarients every year by collecting rent alone.

If the citizens of Turii are special, let’s take a look at the small town of Siculi in Sicily. The population there is less than 4,000. The main income of citizens is farming. The food harvested by each family every year, according to the Ministry of Finance According to statistics, when converted into money, there are at least 600 drachmas, which does not include the cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, pigs and other livestock they raise. In addition, don’t forget that they often go to the workshops to help part-time workers during the slack in the farming period, and they can earn a lot of money.

So what do these citizens who have a lot of wealth in their hands do? In addition to daily expenses and participating in military training, they also spend money on sports equipment and participate in various competitive trainings; spend money to watch games, and even buy a lot of "Tino’s Blessings"; they drink a lot of alcohol, and they don’t visit restaurants. Occasionally I have to take a dip in the hot spring baths, and the business of the women’s branch hospital is also very prosperous. Many citizens even buy ** as concubines...

So how much tax do citizens pay for the kingdom each year? "Anta Auris opened two palms and smiled contemptuously: "On average, I'm afraid there are less than 10 drachmas!" Perhaps some people are opposed to tax increases. If the people are already impoverished and new taxes are imposed forcibly, they will not only have grievances, and even riots, but the current situation in the kingdom is that the country is poor and the people are rich! Your Majesty and our officials are working hard to maintain the operation of the kingdom, stingy with the expenditure of every treasury. Even some public buildings have to rely on donations from the people to build... If this situation continues, the kingdom will The treasury is tight and unable to maintain it. What good is it for citizens? !

In the past 20 years, in the favorable environment created and maintained by the Kingdom, many citizens have changed from poor refugees to rich and dignified Dionian citizens. Now is the time for them to give back to the country. NS! Even if the tax is increased by 5%, it will only make citizens pay less than 50 drachmas, which is still a small sum of money for them, but it is indeed a great help for the kingdom, you say right? ! "

"Good point!" Daves once again praised, and once again glanced at the officials with a deep gaze, and said loudly: "Everyone, regarding the issue of'an additional tax increase for the formation of a new border army', there is also Any objections?"

"Your Majesty, I have no opinion." Lucias saw Daves clearly expressing his support, but the crowd was moved, and they did not dare to block any more, and bowed in response.

"I agree to increase taxes!" Hermon, Sedorum and other ministers also gave affirmative answers one after another.

"Okay!" Daves slapped the armrest hard, and said: "Since we have reached an agreement, then Anta Auris and Cypros will take the lead, Alexis and Archibides will assist. To formulate a detailed tax increase bill, how much tax to collect? How to collect it? Where is it used? ... All must be written clearly in detail so as to be able to respond to the questions of the veterans.

Here, I would like to solemnly remind everyone that before the two bills of'formation of a border army and tax increase' are submitted to the Senate, anyone must strictly keep confidential and not disclose it to outsiders. If the information is disclosed, it will be investigated by me. Who revealed it, I will never be merciless! "

In the last few words, Davers said so murderously that the ministers were chilling, and they couldn't help but secretly remind themselves to be vigilant.

Daves retracted his awe-inspiring gaze, calmed down his tone, and said: "Alexis, I thought about it carefully. The number of soldiers recruiting free foreigners will not exceed two legions for the time being. After all, we have to consider To the citizens’ feelings, don’t let them feel that we are going to replace them with mercenaries and prevent them from serving in service."

Getting the reminder from Daves, Alexis suddenly understood what he had overlooked, and immediately responded with a heartfelt convincing response: "I understand, Your Majesty."

In fact, Davers's concerns are more than this. Knowing the history of his previous life, he is even more worried that these recruited free people who are not yet loyal to the kingdom will gradually become privately owned, thereby threatening the safety of the royal family and the kingdom, so he must always be vigilant.

Next, Daves said: "Anta Auris, Cipros, when you are discussing how much tax to increase, don't just use the two legions I just mentioned as a benchmark, but set the height appropriately. In order to leave enough room for the future, try to get it in place at once, otherwise, when the finances are tight in the future, there will be frequent tax increases. Not only will the Senate be sad, but the people will also be uneasy."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The two looked at each other and responded in unison.

Davers stood up from the wooden chair, straightened his body, looked at everyone, and said forcefully: "Everyone, I still said that. The kingdom is developing and the environment is changing. The old traditions and laws are not necessarily It can be applied to the new situation, but it may become a hindrance. Therefore, you, as the elites of the kingdom, manage all aspects of the kingdom. You must have flexible minds, sharp eyes, timely detection of problems, and timely elimination of ills in order to ensure our Please bear in mind that the kingdom will continue to prosper for a long time!"

Davos's thoughtful remarks aroused everyone's thoughts.

"What time is it now?" At this moment, Daves felt a little bit in his stomach, and asked the clerk Hernipolis next to the steps.

Henipolis glanced at the water clock in the corner of the temple: "It's past noon."

"Let the kitchen bring all the lunches you have prepared, you can't continue the discussion when you are hungry."

"Yes."

After a while, the guards placed a small dining table in front of the ministers, and then the servants brought up a large exquisite pottery bowl, filled with steaming thick soup, floating a piece A piece of beef of the same size, a handful of evenly thin noodles deposited in the soup, as well as countless fine spices and vanilla powders, all kinds of aromas are mixed together, and the aroma is tangy, which makes people mouth-watering.

This is a new delicacy launched by Christoya Restaurant in the past few years. The flour is fermented, and water is repeatedly kneaded into a tough dough, which is then cut into thin noodles with a knife. Boil it in boiling water, then pour it into the already cooked beef broth, add seasonings to eat...Because it is easy to make, smooth and refreshing, and tastes delicious, it can also be used according to diners’ preferences. Feel free to add auxiliary materials, such as some vegetables, so it is very popular with people in the kingdom.

However, all the kitchens in the palace come from chefs invited by Christoya Restaurant. Not only do they have an extraordinary level of cooking, but the selected raw materials are naturally the best:

Sikuli’s highest quality wheat flour. The city of Sikuli is located at the foot of Mount Etna. The land area is small. Some people in Sikuli reclaimed part of the flat land on the mountainside. The wheat grains are full, and the taste is very good after being ground into flour, and because the yield is scarce, the price is expensive, so even if the Siculians join Dionia and regain a new share, there are still very few people willing He went to the mountainside to grow the land without hesitation, and the wheat he obtained was basically bought out by Christoya's restaurant to supply the royal family.

One-year-old beef cattle produced in **Mentum in Lukaria-recognized by the people of the Kingdom of Dionian as the best beef cattle in Lukaria, because it is close to the city of **Mentum There is a big lake in the south-Lake Patusino. The water is extremely clear and the lakeshore is covered with grass. The calf of Mentum just grows up drinking the lake water and eating the grass on the lakeshore, so the meat is plump...

Everyone had a meeting for a long time, and they were a little hungry. When they were seduced by the fragrance of the noodles, they immediately increased their appetite. Not only did they finish eating the noodles and the noodle soup, some people even ordered an extra bowl.

The palace gathers ministers and ministers to hold important administrative meetings at least three times a month. It is usually a day when they are opened. Lunch is provided by the palace. The ministers have long been used to it, so naturally they are not so restrained when they eat.

After everyone had finished eating, they took a short break, and the Minister of Construction Heraclid said: "Your Majesty, there is a problem with the repair of Enrona-Roman Avenue."

"What's the problem?"

"The Sidi Sini people in the mountains north of Campania hindered our construction. Not only did they fail to provide labor and food as agreed, but the road construction materials we transported there were often lost... Our construction process has been greatly delayed."

"I remember that in the road construction agreement that was signed three years ago, the Sidicines also participated. Not only did they agree, but they also signed it." Lycias interjected.

"Maybe this mountain race feels that the avenue passes through their territory. In the future, there will be more people going north and south, which will affect the security of the territory, so they regretted it." Ancitanos said sternly, "Your Majesty, Please allow me to send diplomatic officials to Sidicini to protest to him and ask him to abide by the agreement and help us complete the road as soon as possible."

"In the past, the Sidicines were caught in the narrow hills of the two major forces of Wolsey and Campania. They were conservative and xenophobic, and they were also very sleek. Just condemning them with words might not be effective. "Daves said in a deep voice: "Alexis, your military department informs the Twelfth Army Corps (the army's source of troops is in the eastern plains of Campania, and the barracks are built in Abella) to gather and go to Capua. Military training is carried out on the edge of the northern mountainous area to increase the momentum."

"Yes."