Glutinous rice is a variety of rice, unlike wheat that is easy to cultivate in large quantities. The cultivation process of glutinous rice is intricate and delicate, hence only experienced farmers in the resettlement areas would undertake such cultivation.
Although there is a limited circulation of glutinous rice in the market, the quantity is scarce, and the prices are high. In general, households rarely purchase it, and in remote territories like Tian Shi City, it is even more uncommon.
Seemingly aware of Night Sange's predicament, Weng Ling suddenly spoke up, "Actually, maltose can be made without glutinous rice."
"Without glutinous rice?" Night Sange was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, we have potatoes in our region. I can use potatoes, but the resulting sugar won't be very sweet, and the taste might be a bit peculiar."
"Oh, I see." Night Sange pondered for a moment.
"Let's discuss this later; for now, let's return to Baiyan Village."
After all, he only had a slight interest in things that could stimulate his taste buds, much like the chili peppers he always kept in his pocket, chewing on them occasionally.
Night Sange habitually touched the pocket, only to realize he had already sold all the chili peppers to Yu Dafu.
However, after selling the peppers, the cart was essentially empty. With Sha Wencheng, who was severely injured, eventually agreeing to Night Sange's suggestion, they loaded the cart onto Steeltooth's back.
"Steeltooth, I'm sorry..."
Although having his mount pull a cart made Sha Wencheng feel somewhat shameful, it was still better than running dozens of kilometers while holding his head.
Yu Dafu also expressed his intention to move to Baiyan Village, but he had some unfinished business to attend to before making the move.
Night Sange and the five of them sat on the cart, tightly gripping its edges, enjoying the pleasant breeze on their faces. It had to be said that Steeltooth's speed was indeed remarkable, at least much faster than they could pull.
Watching the soldiers at the city gate gradually recede, the people on the cart looked at each other's heavily bandaged bodies and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
...
During the handover of Baiyan Village to Tian Shi Territory, no mischief was caused. The fixed structures were left intact, and as for the population, only a little over fifty villagers who hadn't moved remained.
Walking among this group of people, Night Sange furrowed his brow.
The remaining people were indeed similar to the situation in the initial Lolan City – mostly elderly, weak, women, and children. It seemed that the young and strong had gone to work in other places, leaving the elderly and weak behind to take care of the village.
"Lord Weng, may I inquire about the tax collection methods in this territory?" an elderly man, trembling and leaning on a cane, came out and asked.
Seeing that the luggage behind him was all packed up, it was evident that he was threatening Weng Ling. If the answer did not satisfy them, they would leave immediately.
Weng Ling looked somewhat embarrassed and glanced at Night Sange.
Night Sange cleared his throat and stepped forward:
"The tax in Lolan Territory is not high. The fixed residence tax is one gold coin per person, ten out of every ten in field tax, and no transaction tax."
"So high tax and you say it's not high?!" The elderly men and women widened their eyes.
Tax collection rights on the Holy Stone Continent are delegated to the lords, and the specific items can be configured at will. Only a portion based on the territory's area needs to be submitted regularly to the higher level, i.e., the corresponding duchy.
This gives the lords considerable power and places high demands on their management capabilities.
After all, there have been cases where lords could not develop their territories after receiving wool from their subordinates and lost even the lordship after losing the land deed.
Like the new tax proposed by Night Sange now, the fixed residence tax was a new type of tax.
But others hoped that the number of residents under their rule would increase, while Night Sange insisted on charging a gold coin for settling.
Madness!
Charging for the right to live here? Isn't this driving people away?
Moreover, the field tax was even more ruthless. What does ten out of every ten mean?
Plant a thousand kilograms of wheat and have to give away nine hundred kilograms, leaving only a hundred kilograms for oneself. The more you plant, the more you have to pay. The problem is, how much can these old arms and legs of theirs plant?
"You're even more ruthless than a stone scraping its skin! You're a vampire, a bone-chewing monster! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?" An old man pointed at Night Sange and cursed fiercely.
Stone Dagang also levied heavy taxes to support his Tai Sui, but at least it was used in the land deed competition. People could still make a living. The tax law introduced by Night Sange was simply forcing people to die.
"If you can't afford it, you don't have to live here. I haven't tied you up and stopped you from leaving. Besides, I don't even charge transaction tax. I'm already very merciful." Night Sange shrugged.
Typically, the transaction tax was the major source of income for territories, yet he went against the norm. However, those villagers couldn't appreciate the gesture.
They couldn't afford the residence tax, so what could they trade?
"Fine, fine, fine!"
The seemingly leading old man was so angry that his whole body trembled, looking at Weng Ling.
"Lord Weng, is this also your intention?"
Weng Ling looked at Night Sange, who remained indifferent, and bit her lip before nodding firmly.
"His words are my words!"
"Pah! Birds of a feather! It seems that when I called you a white-eyed wolf when you were a child, I wasn't wrong. A bastard born out of wedlock actually..."
Clang!
Night Sange drew his long sword, flicked the blade with narrowed eyes, and said, "If you can't talk properly, then shut up, unless you never want to talk again!"
The old man was startled by the glinting sword and quickly waved his cane towards the people behind him.
"What are you waiting for? Pay the residence tax! Let's go!"
"Xiao Qu, are you leaving too?" Weng Ling suddenly called out to a woman in the crowd.
It turned out that Xiao Qu had also mixed in with this group of people, looking helpless while holding a child.
"Ah, Lord... Lady, I can't afford the residence tax. I'll leave."
"I can help you pay." Weng Ling frowned.
Xiao Qu shook her head, glanced at the old man glaring at her, and tightened her grip on the child.
"No, no need. My husband has already arrived in Tian Shi City. I'll go find him."
Weng Ling sighed, "Alright, come play with me when you have time."
After the grumbling crowd left, Weng Ling looked around at the empty streets and fell into silence.
The territory was large, but the population was still just a handful of them.
"Don't worry; people will come here again soon."
After uttering a somewhat thoughtless sentence, Night Sange waved his
hand and summoned a group of goblins, starting to plow the already harvested wheat fields for planting next year.
Since the land deed competition was held after the harvest, it would help alleviate the resentment of those residents who were forced to move away. However, he didn't care about this at all.
Is ten out of ten too much?
My goblins don't make a sound even if they're ten out of ten!
The improved wheat cultivation process was straightforward; just throw it into the ground, cover it with a thin layer of soil, and water it a bit. After germination, it didn't need any further care and would mature naturally.
However, this would correspondingly reduce the yield. But with Weng Ling as an experienced farmer guiding them, this would not be a problem.
Baiyan Village had a large cultivable area, and Night Sange felt that he couldn't complete it in a short time. So, he waved to Sha Wencheng.
"Let's go, and take a look at our mining area!"