Count Paul let out a massive sneeze.
This sneeze was quite untimely, given that the count was currently seeing his guests out.
Paul pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his nose, thinking to himself, “I wonder which young lady is missing me from afar.”
He flashed an apologetic smile to the congregation; these were affluent villagers or, rather, local gentry who had been invited to the lord’s manor for a banquet.
“Count, the nights have been quite chilly lately. Please take care of your health,” said a splendidly dressed and portly individual, hurriedly advising him.
Paul nodded, “Haha, thank you for the reminder, Mr. Baden.”
“Not at all, not at all,” Baden replied with a servile smile.
With the guests gone, Paul turned and asked the four men behind him—Malron, Old Ford, Hansel, and Old Philip—what they thought about the attitudes of the visitors.
That day, Paul had invited prestigious local gentry from all over to promote his customs union proposal.
The manor’s steward, Philip, shook his head in dissatisfaction, stating, “Count, though they are wealthy, they hold no titles, not even knighthoods. For you and Count Ganard to host them is a significant honor. It is beneath your dignity to escort a bunch of commoners to the door. Word of this could be laughed at if it got out.”
“Philip, I wasn’t asking about that!” Paul thought, exasperated by the old steward’s focus.
Old Ford, the seasoned head of the Administration Council, stroked his beard and said, “Most of them were just paying lip service, with only Baden seeming genuinely enthusiastic.”
Ever since Paul had severely dealt with Baden during the saltworker rebellion, Baden had been exceedingly attentive to any of Paul’s “instructions.”
As the four returned to the great hall where the banquet had taken place, the servants had already cleaned up the chaotically strewn tableware.
Paul stated firmly, “We must have a blueprint for the customs union by next year. The Heller family from Portry and the Parker family from Lanaka have already reached a preliminary intention with me. As initiators, we cannot lag behind.”
The reason there were opposing voices in Alda and Baylding related to the passive rule historically enforced by the Grayman and Ganard families. By contrast, Paul didn’t worry about newly-acquired Emden, where the landlords dared not even let out a peep since their previous ruler, Count Kent, had been a forceful sovereign. Thus, to them, Count Grayman—who had defeated the Kent family—was akin to a devil incarnate.
By word-of-mouth agreement among several lords, Paul proposed that Alda authorize the use of several technologies, including paper-making, canning processing, printing machine manufacturing, shipbuilding, and salt drying, as well as external sales of agricultural machinery like seed driller, harvester, threshing machines, and labor-saving devices like the flying shuttle loom and spinning jenny, in exchange for support of the patent system and the customs union. Since these civilian goods had already taken root and were being produced in private workshops, keeping them secret was nearly impossible, making it only a matter of time before they spread beyond the Administration Council’s jurisdiction. Better, then, to exchange these for a consensus on the patent system—even if it was merely superficial.
Highly profitable porcelain, the iron refining technology that secured Paul’s industrial dominance in the northwest, coke production techniques, and the much-sought-after firearms manufacturing technology, however, remained strictly confidential.
“Hmph! If they don’t come to their senses by next year, we’ll see which is harder: their heads or my bullets,” Paul said with hatred.
Hansel remarked, hinting at a possible tactic, “Count Grayman, in our past conversations, you’ve often revealed many of your intentions. What exactly have you decided to do? Especially regarding the rural areas?”
“Yes, I want to liberate those poor serfs, I want to abolish the disgusting tax-farming system, I’m putting an end to private courts, I’m reclaiming judicial powers, and I intend to confiscate…”
Paul, having had a bit to drink and being in the company of like-minded progressives, didn’t hesitate to disclose his inner thoughts. However, he stopped short when he got to “confiscating church properties.”
Hansel, mulling over the matter, suggested with a smile, “Count Grayman, since that’s the case, why not employ the ‘three steps forward, two steps back’ strategy?” 𝙍𝘼Nọ𝖇ĘＳ
Curious, Paul asked, “What is the ‘three steps forward, two steps back’?”
Hansel explained, “When I was a tax officer for the king in Crystal Shine, I remember one year the government urgently needed to raise taxes. After the first decree was issued, the public was furiously upset. After some time, a second decree came out, slashing the new tax by two-thirds. Suddenly, public discontent waned considerably, and many even began to praise the king’s benevolence. But according to what I learned from a friend afterwards, the government still collected the planned amount of tax.”
Paul’s eyes brightened, “Are you suggesting?”
Hansel nodded, “Exactly. Perhaps you could float more of your intended reforms or even directly issue decrees. This will certainly provoke a wave of opposition. Then, you can make a show of compromise by retracting the less critical objectives, leaving the crucial ones intact, hopefully encountering less resistance.”
Paul stroked his thin mustache, “Start high to negotiate and settle for what you want?”
Old Ford was worried, “Frequent changes in reforms might undermine the count’s authority as a lord.”
Hansel clarified, “This is called adaptation. A lord’s power stems from what he ultimately accomplishes, even if the process is somewhat circuitous.”
Malron offered a middle-ground suggestion, “Perhaps it’s better to go for ‘two steps forward, one step back,’ making less of a concession.”
“That sounds good—let’s follow Malron’s proposal, or else it will be too much of a loss of face,” Paul decided.
The customs union was the current primary goal. As for which other goals could provide cover, further consideration was necessary.
After meticulous discussion until nine in the evening, Hansel took his leave, while Malron and Old Ford stayed. The source of thɪs content is NoveIＦire.net
Paul stood by the window, watching Hansel’s departing figure, and asked his comrades, “What do you think of Hansel?”
In his mind, Malron summed up, “A very capable person. The speedy completion of land consolidation owed much to him.”
“Indeed, his suggestion just now was good,” Paul acknowledged.
He sighed, “It’s a pity that he’s ultimately someone the royal family sent to our side. Perhaps his experiences in the northwest bay are but a brief passage in his life.”
Malron chuckled, “But it’s precisely because of that he can act decisively without reservation, having offended many when overseeing the inspection of lands.”