Soshiyang's seemingly casual compliment was already the best reward for this brave young noble. The governor nodded quickly and said:
"You have given me a reward. The young man is ignorant and talks about the overall situation. I hope you don't take it to heart. I will punish him severely when he goes back."
"Hey, he's right again. He shouldn't be punished. I've said it before. People here can talk about the Empire. Many places have this bad habit. They are afraid to speak and are not allowed to speak. It seems that everyone has spoken. It’s like something big is going to happen? In fact, the nest won’t collapse even if people talk.”
Then he put his hands behind his back and took two steps back and forth, raising his head slightly as if he was thinking about something. After a few seconds, he suddenly said:
"What is the current official food reserve of Naisen-5?"
The Minister of the Interior immediately replied:
"Currently, there are a total of 6.237 billion tons of food in emergency supply warehouses."
Soshyan tilted his head and looked at the other party.
"Are you sure? If you are sure, I will immediately send someone to check one by one."
"It is true that there may be some discrepancies in the actual statistics, because some foods are regularly put on the market, and new ones are added."
Looking at the sweaty Minister of the Interior, Soshyan raised his hand.
"No need to explain. I didn't pursue it in the past, but now, I'll give you three hours and give me a new number. After that, this number can't change in any way. Do you understand what I mean? How do you rectify it yourself? It’s your Ministry of Internal Affairs matter, but I won’t be so tolerant of corruption in the future.”
Taking his eyes back from the back of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was hurriedly leaving, Soshyan also fell into thinking. Obviously, everything he did on Naisen 5 required the investment of huge resources. The problem of children is indeed a problem of food in the final analysis, which is why he did not The reason why children over the age of 12 are directly blocked from working is that food is always the most practical. If their parents cannot support them, they have to fend for themselves.
"From now on, all orphanages in the Nessen system will be managed by rescue organizations affiliated to the Chapter."
After announcing a policy again, Soshyan thought for a moment and looked at the governor.
"In order to make up for the food gap after child laborers leave the factory, additional food subsidies for children under 14 years old must also be carried out immediately. I will ask Nathan No. 4 to allocate a batch of food to support here as soon as possible, but this gap is huge. Governor, you also need more. Think of ways to."
Although King Willeton nodded in agreement, one word was written all over his face——
Disaster!
Knowing that it is really difficult to rely on the Governor alone, Soshiyang glanced at everyone. Although the Mechanical Order has many industries, they rely more on servitors and machinery. Their share of food is actually very low. At most, there are some food processing plants. But they only produce and do not reserve large amounts, so currently, there is only one family left in the hive capital that has huge food and resource reserves——
State religion.
During the Maelstrom Expedition, Soshyan had seen the vast financial resources of the state religion. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of millions of jihadists could be organized at will. The pilgrim ships were filled with hundreds of billions of tons of food supplies for these fanatical believers. .
After all, they don't have to pay taxes, and they can continue to receive donations from nobles and various religious incomes from civilians. They don't have to raise an army, so their wealth can easily reach astonishing scales. For example, the luxurious church is probably no better than a large one. How much cheaper is a battleship?
For Soshyan, keeping this wealth in their hands is a waste. It would be better to use it to feed the emperor's people.
Seeing Soshiyang staring at him, the archbishop of Naison No. 5 immediately understood. Although his expression seemed calm and he kept turning the rosary in his hand, he was angry and helpless in his heart. Who dared to attack the church before? idea? Even if he is a governor, he can slap an excommunication on the head and then make the other person kneel on the ground to beg him, but there is nothing he can do about Soshyan, an Astarte.
Because that was the Astartes, the Angel of the Emperor. From a religious perspective, he was superior to all members of the State Church, not to mention that the other party was the de facto lord of the planet.
But he still had to struggle a little.
"Ahem, since the chapter leader has this determination, as the apostles of the Throne, we will naturally also contribute. However, recently the believers hope to organize a pilgrimage to a nearby holy land world. The church's expenditure is very large. We will try our best to scrape together and see if we can provide you with 200 million tons of food.”
Soshyan did not respond, but turned to the governor and asked:
“Are there any statistics on the church’s tithe payment in the past ten years?”
There are many types of taxes borne by the residents of the empire, but generally there are three major items: the imperial tithe, which is the most basic official direct tax that covers everyone, and the second is commercial tax, including stamp duty, which is an indirect tax. The third type is the church tithe. Although it is also a direct tax, it was not mandatory in the earliest times. It was a "donation" that believers had to actively pay after going to the church. However, with the reform of the treasonous religion, The church tithe has become a semi-official compulsory tax. The church even has its own huge tax collector system, which is more efficient than the imperial government. It can knock on doors and collect taxes. Generally speaking, the parish also means The tax area.
The governor glanced at the archbishop not far away, gave him a "I can't help it" look, and replied honestly:
"In the past ten years, the church tithe collection rate has basically reached 90%."
"What about the ratio?"
"Usually it's 8% to 9% of the imperial tithe payable. If converted into food, we can receive about seven to eight billion tons every year."
Church tax does not belong to the financial revenue of the hive government, nor is it included in the reports of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the governor is well aware of it. It is obvious that he has always paid attention to the income of the church, and perhaps even borrowed money from it. ——
It is not uncommon for the governor to borrow money from the church. After all, the empire's tithes sometimes come suddenly and heavily. If there happens to be trouble in the hive city, the people are all destitute, even if they are pressed with a steamroller, it is impossible to squeeze them out. No matter what kind of trouble comes out, the governor who is desperate at this time will often turn to the state religion for help.
"Archbishop Radhoyane, three billion tons, including what the war group borrowed from the church, will be returned in full after five years."
Although Soshiyang sounded like a request, his tone was that he could not refuse. Although he looked a bit suspicious of a "rich man", he actually didn't ask for too much. After all, the state religion had to maintain its operations and had to feed so many mouths. Soshyan can understand this, so he thinks this number is quite reasonable.
Even the transcendent State Church could only bow its head in the face of Lord Astartes.
"Yes, I will count all the holy treasuries as soon as possible and get them together for you."
"Five days. It just so happens that I have to go to Naisen No. 6 and No. 7 for a tour. When I come back, I hope to see that this policy has begun to advance."
As he spoke, he looked at the Governor.
"Governor Willaton, you will personally supervise this matter."
As he spoke, his eyes swept over the big nobles, big factory owners, and big mine owners.
"If there is still a gap, you can find a way to solve it yourself. I believe everyone here will fully support you."
His meaning was obvious, and the governor immediately lowered his head and responded:
"yes"
Soshiyan then announced that he would hold an expanded meeting at the galaxy level on Naisen 5, and would invite the governor and senior management of Naisen 4, the sages of Ulan Huda, and all legal expert representatives from the Ministry of Justice. , collectively discuss and announce a series of programs and issues related to trade, industry, people's livelihood, education, defense, and military construction.
The meeting was held not on the surface of the planet of Nessun 5, but on the satellite of Nessun 5, Gaimaru 2. This is also the main "resort" for the Nessun nobles, with magnificent palaces and many leisure activities. Recreational facilities.
However, this will take time. Before the meeting, Soshiyan will first visit the other two worlds in the Naisen Galaxy.
So, after staying at Naisen No. 5 for two days, Soshyan immediately set off for Naisen No. 6.
