Lux's Farewell

Sambol couldn't believe his eyes.

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

At the time, Sambol also thought about introducing her to his nephew—although it was rare for out-of-towners to marry into Fossbarrow, he planned to try.

It's a pity that the other party refused very decisively at that time, which made Sambol reluctantly give up.

But now, it is still this smiling face, but the identity has changed from "maid" to "Count Laxana". The astonishing contrast makes Sambol, who is used to seeing all kinds of characters, unable to help being surprised.

However, he didn't foolishly show his astonishment—after a moment's hesitation, he simply lowered his head and greeted the arrival of the new lord of Forsbarrow respectfully.

........................

The process of Lux entering Fosbarrow went much smoother than expected. Although the attitude of the local people is not good, it is not bad either.

After receiving the news, regardless of what the Fossbarrow people think in their hearts, at least on the surface they have done their best - the place that belonged to the former Lord Fossbarrow, even if it has been transformed into a vegetable garden, Now it has been cleared out for Lux and everyone under her command to rest.

At the same time, Fossbarrow's "new representatives of public opinion" are also stationed around Lacus, always ready for roll call and consultation.

They seem to "hope to build Fossbarrow", but in fact they are eyeing the position of Fossbarrow taxpayer, hoping to please Lacus and obtain the status of taxpayer—even if Just short-term taxpayers.

The tax package system is not new.

In Demacia, apart from the territories directly under the king, quite a few places will adopt methods similar to the tax package system when collecting taxes.

Local taxpayers (mostly powerful businessmen in various places) spend a sum of money to obtain the power of tax collection 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 let go of it, and the taxpayer will be responsible for urging the payment. When the day comes, the taxpayer will hand over the full amount of taxes to the lord.

In this way, the lord does not need to go to the mud leg to pay the tax by himself, but can also get an additional tax-inclusive deposit.

Of course, the wool comes from the sheep, and the taxpayers are certainly not busy in vain.

During this process, for every additional copper that is called out, the income of the taxpayer will increase by one point—in Demacia, there are not many civilians who can read and write, and they don't know what they should pay. How much tax is paid depends entirely on the mouth of the taxpayer.

In this case, the taxpayer will naturally choose to add fuel and vinegar, and pretend to be powerful.

Especially for those newly promoted nobles-they are often "very simple" soldiers of origin and have no experience in governing the place.

Arranging troops, collecting taxes, and engaging in law and order are not the same track at all. The tax collectors are very good at serving such rookies. They often use sweet words to make these people happy. A layer of cruelty was scraped off the local residents.

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

If the taxpayers go too far, the local civilians will also launch anti-tax activities, and even directly pick up the pitchfork to give these bastards who are pretending to be powerful - in this case, although the taxpayers are very greedy, they are generally Don't dare to go too far.

In addition to taxation, taxpayers often act as brokers for lords everywhere. These long-sleeved businessmen have their own connections, which can help new lords gain a firm foothold in the noble circle, and they still sit on the ground. information dealer.

In many places, taxpayers and lords are already integrated standing cooperative organizations.

In a place like Fossbarrow, the taxpayers had little room to play—Lax was not one of those nouveau riche nobles who suddenly ascended to high positions, but she was the little princess of the Crown Guard family, surrounded by Augssa sent manpower.

Moreover, Fossbarrow is not a small place. Lux's fief area is quite large, and it is relatively barren. In fact, it may not be very profitable to engage in tax packages here.

If Lux followed Augsa's idea and arrangement and used the reliable staff of the Crownguard family to gain a foothold in Forsbarrow, these tax-paying merchants would not be interested in Forsbarrow either.

However, due to her own plans, Lacus did not receive much help from the Crownguard family - she planned to start from scratch and start a new business in Fossbarrow. Apart from the initial funds, she did not intend to be influenced by the Crownguard family. too deep.

As a result, the well-informed tax-paying merchants all rejoiced after receiving the news.

These people came to Fossbarrow one after another, and when Lacus arrived, they tried their best to curry favor with her, hoping to become her tax collectors—they had heard about the tax reductions and exemptions of Forsbarrows by King Jiawen III. News, everyone is very confident in convincing Lacus!
Your Majesty the King doesn't need you to pay taxes, so whatever we extract is yours!

........................

At the beginning, Lacus was very happy to find that many "enthusiastic residents" were willing to help her understand Fossbarrow.

It is undoubtedly very beneficial for the work to be carried out if there are local people who are willing to help. Although Ino and Shivana did the initial investigation, the help of the local people will definitely bring better results.

However... When Lux really started to consult, she found helplessly that these "locals" were not real locals at all!

Their understanding of Fossbarrow was not as clear as that of Lacus who had read the preliminary investigation report!

Facing Lux's skeptical gaze, these tax-paying merchants were quite helpless—although those who can become tax-paying merchants are well-informed, no matter how well-informed they are, they need to be collected in advance!

When Earl Laxanna opened her mouth, the question pointed directly at the specific situation of citizens from all walks of life in Forsbarrow, and it was somewhat tricky...

How does one answer this?

We are just tax-paying businessmen, not real locals, pretending to be locals is just hoping to draw distance and gain trust!

With Karya's reminder, Lacus quickly realized that something was wrong—she summoned Sambor, the president of the Forsbarrow Chamber of Commerce, and quickly confirmed the identities of these guys by comparing the two.

The tax-packing businessman engaged in tax-packing, and got it on his own head?
Still pretending to be a local, pretending to be cooperating with you?
After figuring out the situation, Lacus almost wanted to laugh!
Lacus, who was worried about how to get in touch with the Fossbarrow people, did not hesitate at all, and directly asked the soldiers who temporarily cameo as sheriffs to arrest these tax-paying merchants who pretended to be locals.

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

Knowing that they were tied up in chains, the tax contractors realized that something was wrong. Many people began to shout and cling to Lacus, and each of them said that they "are from Mithril City and used to work for the Crownguard family." and so on.

But Lux will care about you?

Working for the Crown Defenders?
Lux herself has personally killed her own family's scum!

After figuring out the job content of the taxpayer, she didn't have any sympathy for this kind of blood-sucking businessman.

After catching these taxpayers, Lacus found Sambol again, and said that as the new lord, he would give a speech in the central square of Fossbarrow tomorrow, hoping that Sambol and his Soldiers together, invite everyone to come and listen.

Sambol obviously didn't know what Lux was planning, but because Demacia has always had a tradition of giving speeches in the magnificent square after the king's succession, so after the succession of the king, the lords of various places gave speeches to the residents of the territory. 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 a day's rest, and began to call door to door.

Compared with the previous training, this kind of notification task is a piece of cake for them.

And because of the relatively close relationship between Fossbarrow and the Third Army in the North, the local people also have initial trust in the Demacia soldiers. In Sparrow City, those who had nothing to do chose to come to the agreed place, waiting for the new lord's speech.

Here, the platform for the speeches had been erected—and some fat-looking fellows were chained to posts beside the platform, shivering in the autumn wind at Fossbarrow.

Seeing this scene, the local residents talked a lot—at first, everyone thought that this was the new lord showing his power and taking someone out, but after chatting with each other, they found that these guys... It seemed that none of them were Fossbarrow native.

It's normal to kill chickens to warn monkeys, but what's the use if you don't kill local chickens?
Who knows who these guys are?
Among the crowd, there were more voices of discussion.

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

Although I don't know exactly what a taxpayer is, normal people don't want to pay taxes on their own heads. After Fossbarrow has no lord, the only advantage is not to pay daily taxes. Even so However, due to the remote location and extremely poor products, the lives of the Forsbarrow people are still miserable.

Now you have to pay taxes?

You deserved to be hung there!
As the news spread, the eyes of Forsbarrow residents looking at the taxpayers quickly changed from sympathy and worry to resentment and relief.

Well deserved!

To collect our taxes, why not hang you?
In this delicate atmosphere, when the time for the speech came, Lacus attended in full dress and stood on the high platform built in advance.

........................

For speeches, Lux is undoubtedly very good at it - when she was in Zaun, she had faced the people of Zaun many times and delivered speeches.

However, now that she was going to give a speech to the Fossbarrows, Lux still felt a little nervous.

Fortunately, with the "assistance" sent by these tax-packing merchants, after clearing her throat, Lacus 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 sun in the northern border, Lux's crisp voice, like a silver bell, appeared incomparably clearly among all the Fu Fu people in the square. In the ears of the Spiro people, "They are tax-packing merchants who specialize in helping the lords collect taxes for a living. They will collect excessive taxes from the common people and give some of them to the lords to make a profit."

The crowd was a little noisy.

Behind Lux, Fiona waved the red flag.

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

"what--"

"what--"

Amidst the chorus of thousands of soldiers, the originally noisy square suddenly fell silent.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lux finally spoke again.

"These greedy tax collectors are well-informed. They pretended to be our locals in Forsbarrow and came to me, hoping that I could use them to collect taxes." Lacus' voice was still very clear, with A wonderful magic that makes people want to listen, "Even if they know that His Majesty Jarvan III has agreed that Fossbarrow will not need to pay taxes for five years, they still hope that I can hide this news as they hope, and never give up. A few gold coins are collected in your pockets."

The crowd became noisy again.

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

Beside the podium, several tax collectors who were tied to the pillars were already starting to tremble.

If there were no soldiers blocking them, they would dare to say that these Forsbarrow country bumpkins would have rushed over and beat themselves to death!

"Obviously, I didn't agree." The waiting crowd was quiet for a while, and Lacus finally spoke again, "As the lord of Fossbarrow, I should stand with the Fossbarrow people."

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

However, seeing these trembling tax-paying merchants and learning the news of the five-year tax exemption from the new lord, the Forsbarrow people looked at Lacus quickly with a bit of satisfaction in their eyes.

"In my opinion, Fossbarrow is a land with great potential and a promising future." Lux continued her speech, "It is located in the northern border, guarding the northwest border of Demacia, and has rich Forestry resources are Demacia's largest blue ochre producing area and the main fur producing area, among the mountains and glaciers, special products such as Lingjiang, Fuwucao, and Cassia dorosacea are eye-catching."

"Whether it is the pickers climbing between the cliffs of the Feilongji Mountains, the hunters running in the dense forest, or the miners sweating in the mines, they are all the successors of the diligence and bravery of the Demacian ancestors." Lak With a smile on her face, Silk seamlessly integrated the content of the previous investigation into the speech, "Under the harsh natural environment of the northern border, the hardworking and brave Fossbarrows have guarded this land for Demacia. , you deserve a better life."

"And I came here to practice this."

"For five years I shall not collect a penny of Forsbarrow's tax."

"But I hope that everyone in Fossbarrow can work with me to open up roads and build water conservancy."

"With our joint efforts, Fossbarrow will surely become the brightest jewel in the northern border of Demacia!"