Eagle Byzantium

“This kind of plow can only cultivate shallow soil, and is useless when it comes to land that needs to be deeply plowed; this kind of horse harness will slip and strangle the horse’s neck once the horse exerts too much force, which not only hurts the horse, but also reduces its effectiveness. It will be greatly reduced; look at these farm tools, they are all 'antiques' left over from centuries ago, and they are neither suitable for large-scale farming, nor suitable for intensive farming by farmers." Gawain actually squatted beside the princess and Ag. In front of Nisi, the farm tools were reviewed one by one and she spoke in a clear and logical manner.

Then he looked at Anna, who looked a little surprised, and said, "I also ran a small farm in the land of Varyag before. I have some experience and knowledge about livestock and farm work, which is considered a trivial specialty."

Hearing this, Agnes also came over, held up two of the farm tools and looked at them for a while, agreed with Gawain's opinion, and said to Anna, "Indeed, the maintenance of these farm tools is very poor, many of them are in poor condition. The parts should have been replaced, but they were in disrepair.”

At the same time, Gawain pulled the head of a threshing flail, and the chain was almost loose. He tapped Agnes twice on the head, "Look, it should be like this to thresh the millet." Very difficult.”

Agnes held her head, dared not speak out in anger, and immediately shrank next to Anna.

"Tell me, Lord Barbarian, why do noble Jinat nobles still lack money to purchase farm tools?" Anna was a little confused.

Gawain stood up, ignoring the very embarrassed expression of the farm steward over there, and raised three fingers to Anna, "When I was in Bari City, I had seen cane sugar imported from the Levant and Egypt. This The crops are grown in large quantities and sold on various land areas connected by the ocean, and the profits are astonishing. However, large-scale and sophisticated agricultural cooperation is required to grow them, so the Crescent Sect. The faction is willing to spend money on this, and their water conservancy, cooking tools, farm tools, and plows are all top-notch. But why do these Imperial Jinats not care about these? The answer is revealed now. Let me ask you the first question, if 80% of the output of a field comes from you who do not work at all, will you have the motivation to manage it? "

Anna and Agnes both thought about it, looked at each other, and shook their heads for a long time.

Yes, if a landowner with military merit does not need to make any effort at all, he can keep 80% of what the tenant farmers cultivate as his own. Then he must have little interest in agricultural management. Things that come too easily will not be cherished at all.

"Second question, do you care about the yield of your field and find ways to improve it?"

Anna continued to shake her head. For those Ginat whose real estate was so huge, they would only be satisfied with the total output and didn't even bother to consider how much more or less they could collect from a piece of land. If the output per unit field is not enough. He can completely make up for it through "extensive" means: either occupying more land, or intensifying the exploitation of tenant farmers.

"The third question, are you still concerned about whether the excess barley should be combined with hops and brewed into wine to obtain more and greater profits?"

"It shouldn't be...excess wheat is usually given to the housekeeper and sold directly. Then the money earned is used to go to market towns or cities to directly buy various kinds of fine wine." This question made Lian Ah Gnis responded in this way. Only now did she understand how many nobles lived their lives as they pleased.

Gawain nodded. "It's the same surplus wheat, even if it's hops. The investment required to build a workshop is nothing compared to the income from brewing beer and selling it to the port. There can still be 50% or even double the profit, but This group of ginats has no idea or bother to think about improving agriculture. You can count on them. We might as well hope that the pigs can climb to the top of the poplar tree to give birth. Even if there is a bad harvest year, they feel that their income for buying silk, jewelry and fine wine has been reduced. The first thing that comes to mind is Why not raise more taxes on tenant farmers? Why not increase their free labor days by two weeks? ?" Then Gawain pointed to the river land under the valley, "Look, the upper reaches of the Sarlev River originally came from the Taurus Mountains. What a good water source, but there are no artificial irrigation canals on these two banks. ——There are only two roads, they should be relics from a long time ago, and they are now abandoned due to disrepair. , so these farms slowly moved to the hillside under the long inertia, because there are more cheaper mountain springs, but no one wants or is willing to put it into practice, that is, if they open a few irrigation canals, The output of the land in the valley is several times that on the hillside, and it can support more labor. "

In the wind, Anna and Agnes held their chins and listened quietly to what Gawain said, especially Her Royal Highness. Although she had read several agricultural books, this was the first time that she had Gawain's fundamental insights. I once heard that the connotations of many of the empire's agricultural laws were covered in vague theological language, making it difficult to discern. But anyway, Anna now believes that the existence of Jinate Real Estate is actually a huge obstacle to the improvement of agriculture.

At this moment, the dusk began to dissipate, and Gawain was about to leave, "It is getting very late, and today's inspection is over. We will go back to the barracks outside Seleucia to rest, and tomorrow we will go to the Arahant Monastery area."

"Why would you rather be far away than near? Isn't this place very close to the settlement of the Paulists? It's just across a river." Anna's skirt was blown by the wind, and she pointed to the woodland and settlements on the other side of the mountains and rivers and said, Age Nisi smiled knowingly, "Yes, this way we can find a place to rest before night."

Then Xiao Nizi's eyes became a little sharp, and she looked at Gao Wen who pretended to look up at the road, "Guilty..."

Gawain did not answer, but called several housekeepers in front of him, and then quietly took out a few large gold coins from the money box. Regardless of the other party's hypocritical resistance, he just pulled them back and forth enthusiastically. , stuffed it into the other party's bag, and then whispered, "What's the matter with this inspection?" , tell your master immediately that General Stratigos has paid the tribute, so as not to make him feel uneasy - and also, on the day when the barley is sold, contact the city of Seleucia... "Many war horses need these feeds, and the agency's fees will be easily negotiable."

The stewards all accepted the gold coins and nodded in approval. Gawain smiled mysteriously, got on the horse, and guided Anna and the entire team along the hillside toward Rum where the Paulists gathered.

During the journey, Anna had not lost her curiosity, "Big Barbarian, why did you use part of the money from the tribute to bribe the housekeepers, and also asked them to ask for something? Is it possible that this group of low-class people also adjudicated the affairs of the Mutt Valley?" power?"

Gawain burst out laughing, "Anna, do you and Agnes really think that the so-called 'lower people' like the housekeepers and deacons are slaves driven entirely by the Ginaite nobles? You are wrong, they are the ones who The real uncrowned kings of this land, even though their virtues are not worthy at all.” (To be continued~^~)