Adisha's tears remained on Oran's clothes.
When she calmed down a bit, Oran led her out, ordered the servants to take good care of her, and whispered to her that we would have a "second child."
The anger in the woman's heart subsided a little.
When Olan was left alone, his body became a little weak and he clutched his chest.
"Your Mightiness!"
"It's okay, I'll just take it easy for a while."
Returning to the study, he stayed quietly.
On the table, there is a rough estimate of the casualties caused by the Viking invasion of England last year.
About 32,000 people.
Northumbria accounted for seven thousand people.
More deaths are expected this year.
Revenge would require the elimination of so many nobles and hundreds of lives, seriously shaking the rule.
"No monarch wants to be a tyrant. I must become a great emperor. Since I can't repay my debt, I can only owe you more, Adisha."
Oran said to himself, tears naturally falling from the corners of his eyes without wiping them away.
It seemed like he was willing to lower the bottom line for Adisha just now, but it was actually a rejection.
Life is not created equal. Even in a couple, one party has to pay more.
He lied to her again.
…
April has passed and summer has entered May.
Every day, as long as Oran is done with his work, he will take some time to let his servants follow him to patrol around King's Landing.
Occasionally, when he didn't have time to return to his house, he would light a fire and rest on the spot.
He knows his own territory better than the Vikings.
The climate gradually warms and the vegetation revives.
On the rural roads, there are more and more ripe fruits and flowers.
This is an important month.
Farmers loosened the soil, weeded and harvested, and planted wheat, onions, carrots and other foods into the soil.
Harvest strawberries, celery, etc.
There are many festivals taking place during this month.
To celebrate Our Lady and commemorate the Ansa tradition, even the localized Vikings on the island also have unique celebration ceremonies.
In the south, Wessex expanded its May Day festival to boost morale.
The wanderers who came to King's Landing also put on their biggest smiles and made garlands and ribbons out of flowers and plants.
Treat water as wine and follow the celebration for many days.
This day.
Oran came to a town of 400 people in Aldborough County that was originally under the jurisdiction of the Royal City Sheriff.
This is already considered a big town, so one of the Oran Guild's strongholds is located here.
Oran dismounted from a distance, leaving two people to guard him, and entered wearing a festive mask.
Farmers filled the market with strawberries and cheese and exchanged necessities with others.
From time to time, laughter could be heard from the tavern, and someone walked out, and then someone else rushed into the empty space.
The carpenter was humming while helping to build the roof.
Oran saw many people dressed up as bronze horses, singing and dancing.
The artists who passed by this place and performed in exchange for accommodation also played the simplest lute, playing the most pleasant notes on the street.
Kunsang followed him, but because he and the other retinues all wore masks, they didn't attract any attention.
The group of people wore ordinary clothes and looked like noble guards or merchants.
This scene attracted Oran, who came to the square and watched quietly.
Seven young girls put on their most beautiful and expensive clothes. When the voting ends in the evening, the top supporters will be crowned by the "local sheriff"
Become this year's "May Goddess" and keep vigil to pray to God for a good harvest in the coming year.
As a lord, he felt particularly satisfied when he saw his subjects peaceful, calm and happy.
"Gu Gu? What is this song about?"
Oran doesn't quite understand local songs mixed with proper nouns.
But several of his subordinates didn’t understand either.
"Let me ask, Your Excellency?"
"No."
"Summer is here, bird, sing."
"The seeds sprout, the grass blooms, sing."
"The lamb cuckoos after the ewe, and the calf cuckoos after the cow."
“The bull leaps, the stag crowns his antlers, sing.”
"Praise, bird, feel it all and sing forever."
Olan listened to it over and over again without asking anyone, and the corners of his mouth rose more and more as he listened.
Haoheng entered the tavern, which had a leaky roof and was dark inside. He approached the inner counter and said, "I'm going to treat you. I'll take out all your drinks and share them with everyone."
The shop owner was stunned when he saw several masked men coming in.
"Sir, which family are you from?"
Oran just let the shop owner settle the score.
But when the shopkeeper compared the numbers, Oran discovered that the four men behind him gathered together, and only five people had four copper coins, plus a little bit of broken silver.
Oran has never had a money bag with him since he became the county chief.
As for Kunsang and others, if they go with Olan to any place in the kingdom, as long as Olan "swipes his face", no one will charge them any fees.
After boasting about Haikou, but only able to take out a few black coins, the wine that was originally intended to go out, went back again.
A drinker who was close enough to hear it started making fun of Olan and others.
But the tone was very light, and they were all playful words.
Under the mask, Olan was not displeased. He chose a table and sat inside.
Ordered half a jug of rye.
When the young wine girl brought it to the table, she also put a box of shriveled beans.
This is a free dish prepared by the owner for guests.
When the mask was taken off, the wine girl was stunned.
What a good-looking man!
So he secretly brought two plates of beans so that he could have a few words with Oran.
Flies flew on the wine glass, and Oran had no desire to drink.
But Kunsang and the others were used to it.
"Who is the Sheriff here?"
"Gomeng.
"How could it be him?"
"Your Excellency, Frank caused a rebellion. Many people died and some seats were vacated. You ordered us to reward according to merit. That day, Gemen led a group of Vikings to follow Adisha. He also tried his best to break through the siege. , go in and save you.
He was baptized religiously and married a young widow from Ansa,
More than a month ago, when you were still socializing in Mercia, he came here with some of the baptized people. "
One of the guards told Oran the complete story.
"Okay, as you heard in the square just now, there will be an event to celebrate the Goddess of Joy later. Let him order that all drinks and food here be dispensed with today."
Oran waited for more than an hour, and four riders appeared on the hilly ground outside the town.
They passed through the gate and came to the square immediately after entering.
The village leader shouted, and then the big bell rang, and everyone immediately said hello to the Sheriff.
Oran put on the mask and came outside under the eaves to look at Gomon in the distance.
"Lord Gemeng, welcome to your arrival."
An old man with a certain status among the town people came forward to help Ge Meng lead the horse.
brush!
The horse whip was whipped, but it didn't hit anyone, but it frightened the old man quite a lot.
"Stop talking nonsense and ask you to prepare the "spring tax". If you keep delaying it, do you want to hold you back?"
As a Viking, Gomon must be more active and loyal, so this year's spring taxes must be collected immediately.
Then an eight-man spear team also entered through the gate.
They also carried short swords and prepared to collect taxes by force.
"Today is May Day, Lord Gomon, please give me a few more days."
Gomon put his fingers into his ears, dug them in and popped them out.
As for the riders beside him, Olan recognized that there were Mi Qiao who was originally Shi Meng's subordinate and was instigated by him to rebel, and there were also hospital riders who were once affiliated with him.
"A bunch of thugs!"
This sentence was not said by Gemeng, but by the former hospital rider.
He was originally a commoner, but now he has gained a higher status due to his military exploits, and he respects Oran's orders like a god.
He also resisted the violent conquests of the manor owner.
When he obtained a small estate and had the power to enforce the law, he thought that these illiterate citizens were full of evil.
"You can celebrate the festival comfortably and joyfully because we defeated the Viking wolves from across the sea on the battlefield. My brother died in the battle, and my back is full of scars. Now, let you pay taxes. Cry poor to me, I know your dirty thoughts too well."
If you don’t pay taxes, you’ll die!
The rider rode his horse in a circle, and the person who caught his eye lowered his head in fear.
"A lord must be more terrifying than a lion and more cunning than a fox in order to rule over the unruly people in his territory."
The rider said something that Oran once said when discussing state affairs with Sals.
They did it. They spread the word first, postponed the spring tax, and when the celebration started to get busy, they directly brought people to collect it.
Taxes were imposed on a per capita basis, and for those who could not be paid, goods were confiscated, beaten, and even relatives were taken away to force them to submit.
"Is this how these people collect taxes?" Olan's tone was obviously dissatisfied.
"Sir, everyone is like this. It's the Vikings to blame." Kunsang was straightforward. He didn't feel that Gemeng had done anything wrong.
"Tell him to stop and tell him to come in and see me." After Oran finished speaking, he walked into the house. The other guards drew their weapons from behind their cloaks and asked everyone to get out.
Gomen was about to wreak havoc when he saw Kunsang approaching with a mask on. He pulled off the mask for a few seconds and almost felt weak in his legs.
He ordered everyone to stop and quickly rushed into the tavern.
"Your Mightiness!"
"sit down."
Oran asked for a large pot of rye, and then poured a glass for Gomon.
After Gomen finished drinking, Olan poured it, and after finishing it again, he continued pouring...
Gemen could hardly bear the taste of this low-grade rye that burned his mouth and stung his stomach, but he still took it with trembling hands.
The other riders also came in and stood to listen to the instruction.
"That's why I asked you to collect taxes?"
"Your Mightiness……"
Gemen endured the discomfort, Oran glanced over, and the riders lowered their heads.
After a while, Olan asked about the scope of the spring tax they collected.
They collected land rent taxes, customs duties (allowed trade), handicraft taxes, market taxes, and poll taxes.
For stability after the Frank incident.
Oran is exempted from forest land tax and game tax this season, and has also opened up the right to use its direct territory (escrow territory) for a period of time.
But in order to support Nanding against the Scots and prepare for the Viking war,
A poll tax has just been imposed.
With this collection and exemption, the leaders and people paid less. Olan gained reputation, and his men were all responsible for the reputation.
This is not counting the "Atonement Scrolls" he collected like crazy before. This was also one of the main reasons why the county chiefs couldn't stand the pressure and simply turned against him.
Oran remained silent and resisted pouring another drink for Gemeng.
I can show kindness and let Gemeng leave, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?
If only this town is exempted from the spring tax, what about other towns?
The lord cannot harshly criticize his loyal subordinates because of temporary emotions. This will only make them dissatisfied.
Brother Meng collected regular taxes, and other lords did the same, so that he could collect enough money to maintain his standing stock and build King's Landing.
Oran himself is the one who shouldn't be there.
I wanted to tell Gemeng that some of the profits from the paper could be shared here, but I finally held back.
A righteous group accused Gomen, and then the people cheered, shouting that the lord was righteous.
Change what?
No!
After a while, the Vikings fought fiercely, and they still sent their men to attack violently, leaving no chance for the Vikings to rob.
I can't be a bitch and build a memorial arch again.
Thinking of this, Oran remained silent.
"Don't cause commotion. It's customary to pay them all before June. It's a rare grand ceremony and let their laughter stay on their faces for a longer time."
Gemeng nodded, and walked out smartly and shouted, "I thought of Lord Oran and said that the lord should be as merciful as a goat, so I will forgive you today and continue to celebrate."
As Olan walked out the back door, he heard his name being shouted.
But he was no longer interested in the Gugu lyrics celebrating the harvest...
