Lux's Magic Penetration Rod

Sambor couldn't believe his eyes.

The smiling little girl in front of me is clearly the "little maid" who followed her caravan all the way from Mithril City to Forsbarrow, because her smile is so contagious, clean and pure It's like the morning sun, with the freshness of dew.

At that time, Sambol also thought about whether to introduce her to his nephew - although it was rare for outsiders to marry into Forsbyro, he still planned to try.

Unfortunately, the other party refused very decisively at that time, which made Sambol reluctantly give up.

Now, she still had the same smiling face, but her identity had changed from "maid" to "Count Laxana". The shocking contrast made Sambor, who was used to seeing all kinds of characters, couldn't help but be surprised.

However, he did not stupidly show his surprise - after a moment's hesitation, he simply lowered his head and respectfully greeted the arrival of the new lord of Forsbarrow.

……………………

The process of Lux taking over Fosbello was much smoother than expected. Although the attitude of the locals was not good, it was not bad either.

After receiving the news, no matter what the people of Forsbarrow thought in their hearts, at least on the surface they had done their best - the place that belonged to the former Lord Forsbarrow, even if it had been transformed into a vegetable garden, It has now been cleared out for Lux and her men to rest.

At the same time, Forsbarrow's "new public opinion representatives" are also always at Lux's side, always ready to consult by name.

They seem to "hope to build Forsbarrow", but in fact they are eyeing the position of Forsbarrow's tax collectors, hoping to please Lux and obtain the status of tax collectors - even if Just a short-term tax collector.

Tax farming is not new.

In Demacia, in addition to the territories directly under the king, quite a few places will adopt methods similar to the tax farming system when collecting taxes.

Local tax collectors (mostly powerful businessmen from various places) spend a sum of money to obtain the power to tax from the local lord, determine the amount of tax to be paid to the lord, in exchange for the power to collect taxes locally.

After confirming the tax contract, the local lord can leave it alone and let the tax collector be responsible for collecting the tax. When the time comes, the tax collector will hand over the full amount of tax to the lord.

In this way, the lord does not need to go to the mud-legged man to collect taxes, but can also get an additional tax-covering deposit.

Of course, the wool comes from the sheep, and the tax collectors are certainly not working in vain.

During this process, for every additional copper that was collected, the tax collector's income increased. In Demacia, there were not many civilians who could read and write, and they did not know what they should pay. The amount of taxes depends entirely on the tax collector's mouth.

In this case, the tax collector will naturally choose to add fuel to the fire and use false pretences.

Especially for the newly promoted nobles - they are often from "very simple" military backgrounds and have no experience in governing local areas.

Arranging troops, collecting taxes, and maintaining public security are completely different from each other. The tax collectors are very good at serving these newbies. They often use sweet words to make these people happy. After obtaining the right to tax collectors, they can turn around and start from there. Local residents were scratched with a layer of ruthlessness.

Of course, Demacians with strong martial arts are not so easy to fool.

If the tax collectors go too far, local civilians will also launch anti-tax activities, and even directly pick up pitchforks and give these bastards a hard blow. In this case, although the tax collectors are greedy, they are generally greedy. Don't dare to go too far.

In addition to tax farming, tax collectors often also played the role of brokers for lords in various places. These long-sleeved businessmen had their own connections and could help new lords gain a foothold in the aristocratic circle, and they were still sitting on the ground. information dealer.

In many places, tax collectors and lords have become integrated standing cooperative organizations.

Originally, in a place like Forsbarrow, there was little room for tax collectors to develop. Lux was not one of those nouveau riche nobles who suddenly ascended to a high position. She was the little princess of the Crownguard family, and there were many Ogeshas around her. Sent manpower.

Moreover, Fosbello is not a small place. The area of ​​Lux's fiefdom is quite large, and it is relatively barren. If you engage in tax farming here, the benefits may not be very high.

If Lux follows Ogesha's ideas and arrangements and uses the reliable manpower of the Crown Guard family to establish a foothold in Forsbarrow, these tax-paying merchants will not be interested in Forsbarrow.

However, because she had her own plans, Lux did not accept much help from the Crown Guard family - she planned to start from scratch and start a new business in Forsbarrow. Apart from the starting capital, she did not intend to be influenced by the Crown Guard family. too deep.

As a result, the well-informed tax collectors were all happy after getting the news.

These people came to Forsbarrow one after another. When Lux arrived, they tried their best to please her, hoping to become her tax collectors - they had heard about Jarvan III's tax exemption for Forsbarrow. News, everyone is very confident in persuading Lux!

Your Majesty the King does not need you to pay taxes, so whatever we squeeze out is yours!

……………………

At the beginning, Lux was very happy to find that there were many "enthusiastic residents" who were willing to help her understand Forsbarrow.

Having local people willing to help is undoubtedly very beneficial to the work. Although Ino and Shyvana did the initial investigation, the help of local people will definitely be more effective.

However... when Lux actually started consulting, she was helplessly discovered that these "locals" were not real locals at all!

Their understanding of Fosbairo was not as clear as Lux's, who had not read the preliminary investigation report!

Facing Lux's suspicious gaze, these tax merchants were quite helpless - although those who could become tax merchants were well-informed people, no matter how well-informed the information was, it still needed to be collected in advance!

When Count Laxana opened her mouth, the question pointed directly at the specific situation of citizens from all walks of life in Forsbarrow, and she was somewhat cunning...

How does one answer this?

We are just tax collectors, not real locals. We pretend to be locals just in the hope of building distance and gaining trust!

After Kalya's reminder, Lux quickly realized that something was wrong - she summoned Sam Bol, the president of the Forsbarrow Chamber of Commerce alone, and after comparing the two, she quickly confirmed the identities of these guys.

Tax-farming businessmen engage in tax-farming, have they brought it upon themselves?

Are you still smart enough to pretend to be a local and pretend to cooperate with yourself?

After figuring out the situation, Lux just wanted to laugh!

Lux, who was worried about how to build a relationship with the Forsbarrow people, did not hesitate at all and directly asked the soldiers who were acting as temporary security guards to arrest these tax collectors who pretended to be locals.

As for the reason, it is very simple - forging identity and defrauding the nobles.

Only after they were tied up in chains did the tax merchants realize that something was wrong. Many people began to shout and get involved with Lux. Each one of them said that they were "from Mithril City and used to work for the Crownguard family." So much.

But would Lux ​​care about you?

Working for the Crownguard family?

Lux herself has personally killed the scum of her own family!

After finding out what the tax collectors were doing, she didn't have any favorable impressions of such businessmen who sucked blood from both ends. She arrested them all without letting anyone go.

After catching these tax collectors, Lux found Sambor again and said that as the new lord, he would hold a speech at the Central Square of Forsbarrow tomorrow, hoping that Sambor could communicate with his Soldiers together, everyone is invited to listen.

Sambor obviously didn't know what Lux was planning, but because Demacia has always had a tradition of kings giving speeches in the grand square after taking the throne, lords from all over the place gave speeches to the residents of the territory after taking the throne. Also very common.

Therefore, Sambol naturally agreed to Lux's request and agreed to come forward.

The next morning, following Lux all the way north, the hard-working soldiers took action again after just a day's rest and began to notify people door to door.

Compared to their previous training, this notification task was a piece of cake for them.

Since Forsbarrow has a relatively close relationship with the Third Army of the North, the locals also have initial trust in the Demacian soldiers. Under such circumstances, on the morning of the third day, at the time Lux agreed to give a speech, the entire Forsbarrow In Sparrow City, people who had nothing to do chose to come to the agreed place and wait for the speech of the new lord.

Here, a stage for speeches has been set up - several fat-looking guys are being chained to the pillars next to the stage, shivering in the autumn wind of Forsbarrow.

Seeing this scene, the local residents talked a lot - at first everyone thought that this was the new lord showing off his power and attacking people, but after chatting with each other, they discovered that these guys... none of them seemed to be. A native of Forsbarrow.

It’s normal to kill chickens to scare monkeys, but what’s the use if you don’t kill local chickens?

Who knows who these guys are?

There was more discussion among the crowd.

Then, news came from nowhere that these people were tax collectors and wanted to take on Forsbarrow's tax collection task.

Although I don’t know what a tax collector is, normal people don’t want taxes to go to their heads. After Forsbarrow lost his lord, the only advantage was that he didn’t have to pay daily taxes. Even so, , due to being located in a remote area with extremely poor products, the people of Fosbello still live a miserable life.

Now you have to collect taxes?

You deserve to be hung there!

As the news spread, the eyes of Forsbarrow residents looking at the tax collectors quickly changed from sympathy and concern to anger and anger.

Damn, deserve it!

If you want to collect our taxes, why don't we hang you?

In this delicate atmosphere, as the time for the speech came, Lux dressed up and stood on the high platform built in advance.

……………………

Lux is undoubtedly very good at giving speeches - when she was in Zaun, she had given speeches to the people of Zaun many times.

However, now that she had to give a speech to the people of Forsbarrow, Lux was still a little nervous.

Fortunately, with the "assist" sent by these tax-paying merchants, Lux cleared her throat and chose to skip the red tape and speak in the simplest and most down-to-earth way.

"Everyone should have seen these despicable people trapped on the pillars." Under the cold morning sunshine in the north, Lux's voice, as crisp as a silver bell, appeared clearly to all the blessings in the square. In the ears of the people of Sbyro, "They are tax merchants who specialize in helping lords everywhere to collect taxes. They will collect excessive taxes from the common people and give part of them to the lords to make profits."

The crowd was a little noisy.

Behind Lux, Fiona waved a red flag.

The next moment, after seeing the flag, the soldiers maintaining order around the square subconsciously slammed their weapons on the ground.

"ha--"

"ha--"

Amidst the cheers of thousands of soldiers, the originally noisy square suddenly became quiet.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lux finally spoke again.

"These greedy tax collectors are well-informed people. They came to me disguised as locals from Forsbarrow, hoping that I could use them to collect taxes." Lux's voice was still clear and clear, with a A kind of wonderful magic that makes people want to listen, "Even if they know that His Majesty Jarvan III has agreed that Forsbarrow does not need to pay taxes for five years, they still hope that I can conceal this news as they hope. A few gold coins are collected from your pockets."

The crowd became noisy again.

But this time, Lux wasn't demanding organizational discipline - she was just smiling, waiting quietly for the Forsbarrows to vent their emotions.

Next to the podium, several tax merchants who were tied to pillars were beginning to tremble.

If there were no soldiers stopping them, they dared to say that these hillbillies from Forsbarrow would have dared to rush over and beat them to death!

"Obviously, I didn't agree." After the crowd became quieter, Lux finally spoke again, "As the lord of Forsbarrow, I should stand with the Forsbarrow people."

If this sentence is said without any foreshadowing, I am afraid that the Forsbarrow people will just regard Lux's words as nonsense.

However, watching these trembling tax merchants learn the news of the five-year tax exemption from the new lord, the Forsbarrow people quickly looked at Lux with a bit of satisfaction.

"In my opinion, Forsbarrow is a land with great potential and a bright future." Lux continued her speech, "It is located in the north, guarding the northwest border of Demacia, and has rich resources. Forestry resources are Demacia’s largest source of blue ocher and a major source of furs. Among the mountains and glaciers, specialty products such as ling ginger, poria grass, and Cassidorus flowers are eye-catching.”

"Whether they are the pickers climbing on the cliffs of the Feilongji Mountains, the hunters running in the dense forests, or the miners sweating in the mines, they are all inheritors of the diligent and brave spirit of Demacia's ancestors." Lark With a smile on her face, Silk seamlessly incorporated the contents of the preliminary investigation into the speech, "In the harsh natural environment of the north, the hard-working and brave Forsbarrow people have protected this land for Demacia. , you deserve a better life."

“And I am here to practice this.”

"I won't collect a penny of Forsbarrow's taxes for five years."

"But I hope that all of you in Forsbarrow can work with me to open roads and build water conservancy projects."

"With our joint efforts, Forsbarrow will surely become the most dazzling gem in the northern part of Demacia!"