When handing over finances, it is best to check the accounts first, otherwise you will definitely regret it.
This experience was gained with the blood and tears of countless people. I don’t know how many people have suffered losses due to carelessness in financial handover.
Otto didn't think that Mrs. Kelin would make some small moves at this time. The reason why he was so anxious to check the accounts was entirely because he was short of money.
Building a castle and supporting a two-hundred-person army was still a bit too much for Otto. Otto's own territory's output is absolutely unaffordable.
If it hadn't been for the large sum of money he had swindled from Mrs. Kelly, Otto would have become one of the many bankrupt nobles.
However, even though he was prepared, Otto couldn't help but sigh when he actually got the account books and checked the family's financial situation.
Damn, why are you so poor!
Judging from the book figures, Otto's Aracholf family is not poor. It has a vast direct territory, dozens of large and small castles and manors, and there are piles of food in the castles and manors everywhere, as well as Considerable scale of weapons and equipment.
It can be said that using poverty to describe the Alahorv family is not appropriate.
But the problem is, in terms of gold, silver, currency, and wealth in circulation, they are really frighteningly poor.
No wonder Mrs. Kelin, who had been defrauded of a large sum of money by Otto, felt so sad. The sum was almost half of the family's funds.
"Why is there only such a small amount of money in the account?" After flipping through the thick account book, Otto couldn't help but ask Simon the steward.
"Master Otto, you really only have this little money." Butler Simon, who was responsible for the handover, had a wry smile on his face.
Otto was a little puzzled. Hasn't the debt been paid off long ago? In the past few years, except for the count's expedition, there has been no big expenditure. With the wealth of Argau, how could it be possible to save such a small amount of money.
Faced with Otto's doubts, Butler Simon patiently explained, which also gave Otto a certain understanding of today's aristocratic wealth and taxes.
During this period, the taxes received by the nobles were often various physical objects, mainly agricultural and animal husbandry products. These physical objects were often difficult to realize when commodity circulation was underdeveloped. Usually, it can only be sold to other nobles or specific merchants.
This has led to a problem, that is, many big nobles have mountains of food in their warehouses, but they cannot spend any money to recruit a reliable mercenary force.
This is not a joke, this is a real fact.
In an era when the commodity economy is underdeveloped, taxation in kind means we have to face this embarrassing situation. You can collect taxes in kind, but when you distribute money, you can't also distribute it in kind... not many people will buy it.
It was not until the rise of a series of trading towns, especially the emergence of business alliances, that a large number of merchants traveled between various territories, that the situation of the noble lords' lack of money gradually improved.
As for now, neither Novgorod and the Hanseatic League in the north, nor Genoa and Venice in the south, have yet to be formed. A small number of merchants are simply not enough to meet the needs of trade.
Therefore, if Otto wanted to quickly cash in the physical objects he owned, the best way would be to find a regular buyer or form a caravan.
After hearing Butler Simon's suggestion, Otto directly rejected the idea of forming a caravan.
Although setting up your own caravan is highly profitable, the corresponding investment is also high and the risks are not small. The merchants who could organize caravans during this period were not simple people. They often had good relationships with the church and the nobility, so that they could travel to and from the territories of various lords unimpeded.
This situation obviously cannot last. As the number of merchants and caravans gradually increases, many lords will begin to collect transit taxes and so on, and profits will be greatly reduced.
Therefore, instead of taking risks to form a caravan, it is better to find a regular buyer. Although you will earn less, you do not have to take risks.
As for the buyer, Otto had a suitable candidate in mind - the church. The church is very wealthy, and often pretends to be charitable and helps the poor, and has a great need for food.
In fact, most of the excess food in Algaol was sold to the church. During this period, the monasteries and churches, because the powerful Carolingian dynasty still had power, had not yet begun to truly intervene in secular affairs, and they cleverly seized large amounts of land from the nobles.
After confirming that the accounts were generally fine, Otto closed the thick account book and rubbed his sore eyes.
Good guy, there are so many entries and confusing types in the single-entry accounting method that even Otto, who has a high level of knowledge, looks dizzy. It seems that we need to find an opportunity to promote the double-entry accounting method. Otherwise, each audit will be time-consuming and prone to errors.
No wonder the profession of housekeeper can be passed down from generation to generation. The difficulty of managing accounts eliminates the possibility of ordinary people interfering. This is not good.
Historically, it was not until around 1300 that Italian merchants invented the double-entry accounting method. Now, if Otto invented it instead, there is nothing wrong with it. Anyway, double-entry accounting is not difficult to explain.
But the time to take it out is not now. At least, it must be done by a mathematics-related talent that Otto trusts. Bud is loyal enough, but if he is asked to manage the accounts, Otto may not know when he will go bankrupt.
Although the single-entry accounting method is a bit more complicated, at least it is more difficult to make false accounts. At least Barton can rest assured that he can continue to let Butler Simon assist Barton in managing the accounts.
Otto was not in a hurry to empty out the warehouses and warehouses of the old castle. He ordered Bud and Simon butlers to sell a batch of grain for money, and then prepared to visit Baron Charlie.
Now that you have the power, don't delay. Start setting up a card to collect taxes as soon as possible. The earlier you collect taxes, the earlier you make money. If you are so poor, time does not wait for you.
When he found Baron Charlie, he had just finished chatting with Baron Dillon, and was probably making some simple handovers.
After Baron Dillon saluted Otto, he said goodbye and left.
"Master Otto is looking for me, do you have any instructions?" Baron Charlie looked very respectful, showing no dissatisfaction with being taken away from the position of military commander of the territory.
In fact, he was not only dissatisfied, but also very happy. The two hundred recruits were recruited and trained by Otto himself, and he was appointed commander-in-chief. This represented Otto's trust in him and regarded him as one of his own.
It is conceivable that as Otto's position becomes more stable and his control over the territory increases, his status and power in the territory will also increase.
"Nothing else, I just want to talk to you and Knight Wade about how to open up new sources of revenue for the territory and set up checkpoints to collect taxes."
Otto didn't know if they could trust the one hundred guards drawn from the old castle guard, but they were all elite soldiers and it would be a waste if they were not used. It just so happened that his new soldiers hadn't finished training either.
It just so happens that we take advantage of this opportunity to send these people to collect taxes. If you want to successfully collect taxes from the merchants in the caravan, you can't just set up a card. Without certain military protection, it is not so easy for merchants with guard protection to pay.
"Collect taxes?" Baron Charlie was stunned and quickly tried to dissuade him. "Master Otto, the taxes in the territory are already quite high. If taxes are increased, many farmers may starve to death. Master Otto should not be so impatient even if he lacks money to build a new castle."
