Chapter 448: Foundations of Rebellion

After all, he only had two months before he would have to participate in another campaign to suppress a rebellion. There was no way he could afford to go in unprepared.

"My lord, do you have any plans?"

Phield nodded slightly and swept his hand through the air with authority.

"Once we return to Nightfall Domain, we begin the western campaign."

"You mean Dawnfall Territory?"

"That’s right. Our control over Nightfall Domain is already strong enough to govern the territory properly. Most of the remaining Death Mist covers forests, mountains, and lakes. We have already brought the plains completely under our control."

"It is time to expand our territory and claim a second domain."

Phield clenched his hand as though grasping an invisible territory.

"Wonderful!"

Ashina was just as interested in expanding their lands. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she unconsciously moved closer.

"But we do not seem to have a legitimate claim to Dawnfall Territory. What if the Empress demands it from us later? Wouldn’t that mean we conquered it for nothing, only to hand it over to her?"

In the empire, claims and noble law were extremely important. A piece of land did not automatically belong to whoever conquered it by force.

The principle was not difficult to understand.

If land within a country could simply be seized through military force, what would be the point of having a government? The moment the provincial authorities demanded it back, or even the local authorities decided to intervene, the pressure would become impossible to withstand.

"Exactly. I originally intended to purchase it, but after thinking it over carefully, I decided against it."

Phield’s voice turned cold.

"Nobles have incredibly sharp instincts. The moment I spend a fortune purchasing land that appears completely worthless, they will immediately become curious and start swarming around us, doing everything they can to cause trouble."

Besides, he was growing increasingly displeased with the Empress.

When the day came that he could no longer hide his intentions, he would simply declare war.

Claims, laws, etiquette, legitimacy, none of that would matter once he went from being a mere bandit to commanding a massive military force.

Three days later, Phield returned to the Starnight Grand Estate.

Ashina looked around in amazement. Almost every time she came back, the town had undergone some kind of major change.

The paper mill in the industrial district had finally been completed. Several towering earthen structures stood in the distance, belching thick clouds of black smoke as countless workers moved back and forth throughout the area.

What surprised her most was the residential district that had been under construction for several months. It was finally finished.

Row after row of one and a half story brick houses stood neatly south of the city hall, each complete with its own private courtyard. From a distance, the entire district looked remarkably impressive.

"It finally feels a little like a real city."

Phield nodded in satisfaction.

Previously, the residential areas had been filled with nothing but shabby wooden huts and mud houses that looked more like a slum.

Now, the new houses looked like something straight out of an anime. They were practically luxurious mansions.

"How much do these houses cost?"

Even though Ashina lived in the castle, she could not help asking.

"I haven’t decided yet," Phield replied honestly. "Five gold coins, perhaps? That feels a little expensive. Maybe three gold coins and eighty silver coins would be a better price."

If a house cost five gold coins, and the territory’s workers generally earned between fifteen and twenty five silver coins a month, it would take roughly three years of savings to afford a single house after food, living expenses, and taxes.

That went against Phield’s plan to rapidly improve the living standards of his people.

For free citizens from outside the territory, the situation would be even worse. Residents of Bull Territory, for example, generally earned only three to ten silver coins a month.

"That’s too cheap!"

Ashina gritted her teeth.

"A house this beautiful should cost five hundred gold coins. My parents have lived in a cave their entire lives. If they could live in a house this nice, they would be overjoyed."

"Excellent. You already have the black heart required to become a merchant."

Phield burst out laughing.

"It isn’t that cheap. The residents will still have to pay for water and electricity... Well, water fees, property taxes, annual land taxes, and other long term expenses. It all adds up."

Besides, Phield’s ultimate goal was to build modern commercial housing out of reinforced concrete. These little brick houses were merely temporary accommodations.

Ashina pouted.

"That still doesn’t sound like much."

"Once people have a stable home, they will be willing to have more children, invest in education, purchase goods, and help defend the territory."

Phield smiled.

"We have to take things one step at a time. Greed is a loan. Eventually, it will always find some incredible way to make you pay it back."

"Ohhh."

Ashina did not really understand what Phield meant, but she still nodded obediently.

"I’ll listen to you, then."

"My lord, you’re back! You must be exhausted!"

Kaor came rushing over with a huge grin not long after they entered the city.

"You want to buy a private residence, don’t you? You must have made quite a bit of money."

Phield immediately saw through him. After all, Kaor was rarely seen around the territory under normal circumstances.

Kaor rubbed his hands together with a comical expression.

"I managed to save up a few gold coins."

"All right. Before that, I need you to take care of something. Raise the taxes."

"Has the Goddess kissed my ear today? My lord, you have finally awakened the blood of your ancestors!"

Kaor jumped excitedly, tears of emotion streaming down his face.

"We are finally going to start squeezing the people dry! Wonderful! A proper noble should be doing exactly this!"

Phield wiped away his sweat.

"It is the Empress’s order. Spread the word. Her Majesty demands that our territory contribute two hundred thousand gold coins. Everyone’s taxes are to be increased by ten percent for one year."

"Huh?"

Kaor froze, his face turning red with anger before Phield’s eyes.

"I protest! My dear Baron, the Empress cannot do this! Even if we sold the entire territory, it wouldn’t be worth two hundred thousand gold coins!"

"This is an order from Her Majesty the Empress."

Phield showed him the conscription order and spoke sternly.

"Remember this. You are to personally lead people throughout the territory and inform everyone that this is Her Majesty’s order. Every person must pay her. As for whatever remains of the two hundred thousand gold coin requirement, I will cover it personally."

"This... this..."

Kaor was speechless.

After mentally cursing the Empress countless times, he finally stormed away in frustration.

Ashina came closer, curiosity written across her face.

"My lord, didn’t you say you had a way to deal with the two hundred thousand gold coins? Why are you suddenly collecting taxes?"

"I never intended to give the Empress that money. But I want to plant a seed in everyone’s hearts."

A seed of dissatisfaction toward the Empress.

Phield gave a wicked little smile.

"If the day ever comes when we truly have nowhere left to go, those seeds will cause all the resentment that has been building up to erupt."

If he quietly covered everything himself, the people might end up thinking the Empress was some benevolent saint and continue believing in her.

"We will collect the taxes under one name, then distribute the money under another as public welfare."

Phield took out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Provide subsidies to the families of fallen soldiers. Give nutritious food to the children of the territory. Winter is coming in the second half of the year, so buy blankets as well. We should make sure no one freezes to death this winter."

"My lord, you really are the most unusual noble I have ever seen."

Ashina was deeply moved.

Other nobles only cared about piling gold into their treasuries, even when their coins had already accumulated into mountains.

"I am no saint. I am not going to throw money away for fun. There will be returns in the future."

Phield waved his hand indifferently.

"Put the little angel in charge of supervising this. She has a lot of credibility with the people."

"Oh, right. We need to settle the mermaids in the pool. We cannot let them suffer from being kept out of water."