After completing the test of the thermal ray gun, Gao Wen left the test site. Hetty, Amber Rebecca and Jenny also left with him and continued to optimize the rune group. Nicholas Egg was going to return to the Mechanical Research Institute to design a new production line. The two knights had their own tasks, so they did not go with Gao Wen.

The success of a new weapon inspired Gao Wen's spirit and made him feel happy. In a happy mood, he watched everything in the territory be much more optimistic than before.

Half the frost moon has passed, and the temperature is falling day by day. It won’t take long to go into the cold winter in this southern land, but the first batch of crops have completed a bumper harvest. In addition, the king’s promised food and food resources have arrived one after another, and the side food purchased from Tanzan Town is also piled up in the warehouse. The territory will not have to worry about hunger at all this winter.

The Cecil family may be the most generous in food. On other aristocratic lands, civilians often pay 70 to 80% of the harvest as taxes, and serfs even need to pay nearly 90% of the food. In this way, even with the assistance of druid spells or abundant magic, the poor lower-class people always live on the verge of famine. As long as the year is not good, starving people to death is common, and various wild vegetables, bark and even grass roots are frequent visitors to most poor people's pots. However, in Cecil's leadership, Gao Wen directly set the food tax to one-half.

The leaders were grateful, but Gao Wen felt that the tax rate was still too high.

Other nobles charged extremely high taxes, on the one hand, because they often did not really care about farming in the territory, nor improved farming techniques or carried out effective labor management, so that the harvest of their land was not high, and when the tax was low, they could not maintain their extravagant life. On the other hand, their luxury and extravagance were really sensational. A small baron would build a castle and provide for a housekeeper, a personal servant or maid, four first-class servants and four first-class maids, as well as a large number of servitudes, laundry maids, kitchen maids, grooms, etc., and would hold endless banquets and hunting activities. If a nobleman of faith would donate a large amount of wealth to the local church every year, and these would be converted into taxes and suppressed on the poor who had already had low harvests.

But Cecil doesn't need these.

And Gao Wen was also very clear about one thing: when the magic industry had begun, the economic output of the agricultural society would eventually be surpassed and replaced by industry. Farmland was once the main source of economic resources in the world, but soon gold coins would flow out of the chain of factories and commerce. He did not intend to continue the development model of absorbing nutrients from farmers, but now the magic industry is still just a sign, so he must maintain this situation temporarily.

The gold and silver stored in the treasure house in the mountains will be used up sooner or later, but Gao Wen is very confident that before the wealth is used up, the territory will be transferred from net expenditure to balance income. When the industrial output of the territory meets its own use and there is a surplus, it is time to send caravans to the outside world...

When passing the Baishui River, Gao Wen saw a large ship docking on the pier, and many ragged people were coming down from the boat to undergo routine registration and inspection. The clerks who were responsible for these affairs were the clerks drawn from the 100-person aid team and the literate soldiers on the territory: these people have been able to undertake this kind of work after a period of adaptation and learning.

The population of the territory is still increasing. After confirming this year's harvest, Gao Wen boldly gave way to the "Population Introduction Office" in Tanzan Town to add a new batch of serf orders and increase publicity on recruiting refugees. Now, almost every three or four days, a full boat of people is transported here from the upper reaches of the Baishui River and becoming new residents of the Cecil Territory. What is even more gratifying is that more and more refugees are appearing among these people.

This shows that those homeless people who are wandering outside have finally heard and believed the news about Cecil's pioneering land. As long as such things start, a continuous population migration will be formed.

In places where there is no shortage of population, refugees are indeed a major hidden danger that makes the sheriff's head a headache, but in Cecil, who has already lacked people, the refugees are simply gold flowing into the territory. If they can afford to support them, they will not be too much.

Compared to slaves with clear price tags and fixed costs, these refugees who will continue to flow in are the most stable source of population for Cecil's future.

"How is the housing security situation?" Gao Wen's eyes fell in the direction of the dock and asked casually, "The weather is getting colder day by day."

"The wooden house is enough. According to the new method you stipulate, the serfs or refugees who arrive in the territory do not have to participate in agricultural and factory labor at first, but start to build their own houses, and learn the labor system and common sense education in the process. This method is surprisingly good at their work and praises the kindness of the Cecil family. When they complete these tasks, the basic labor system and common sense of life have been firmly imprinted in their minds."

"Everyone will give his all to build his own home. It's a simple truth," Gao Wen smiled. "And the subtle education carried out in this kind of labor that is devoted to one's own hearts can be more deeply rooted in the hearts of people than any whip or scolding."

As he said that, he frowned slightly again: "But the wooden house is not as good as the brick and tile house after all, especially in winter... Even if we prepare enough hay and use mud to paste the walls, the house will still be cold."

"Your kindness is really touching, but the output of the brick and tile factory cannot keep up," Hutty shook his head regretfully. "There are too many new populations, and it is impossible to build brick and tile houses for everyone. In fact, if the logging yard and sawmill have not reserved a large amount of wood in advance, and the sawmill driven by magic engines is extremely efficient, I'm afraid we will find it difficult to ensure sufficient wooden houses..."

"Then at least ensure the supply of charcoal and let them spend the first winter," Gao Wen nodded, "Are the new building areas laid with honeycomb magic nets?"

"Yes, according to your requirements, even if the full area of ​​magic net is not laid, it will at least ensure that the honeycomb structure is connected into lines, connecting every building area, and leaving exposed magic net interfaces everywhere."

The so-called magic net interface is actually a small piece of magic guide material wands extended from the magic net unit. They are made of iron rods coated with a thin layer of mitral silver or cheaper black stone rods. One end is connected to the underground magic net, and the other end extends from the surface, which is the foundation laid by Gao Wen for future territory development.

Although Magic Network can perform "wireless power supply" and can transmit magic power in close range directly above Magic Network, this efficiency is not high. If many "magic network interfaces" are reserved, you can prepare for future urbanization development, such as connecting street lights or connecting magic power to every household.

"There is another question now," Hetty hesitated for a moment, or decided to say it, "it's about the night school education you are promoting."

Gao Wen frowned immediately: "Night school? Are they general education courses? What's wrong with it?"

"You require everyone in the territory to receive education, but now the population is influx, and basically all are poor people who don't recognize words and do not recognize numbers. The number of teachers is completely insufficient," Heti said in embarrassment. Both the central and western and southern regions of the territory have added learning places, and all the soldiers, craftsmen, and department managers who recognize words take turns to teach after completing the work, but they are still too busy. Each 'classroom' has limited people, and the new gang members lack discipline. Once there are too many people, the chaos in the scene is a disaster, and when there are fewer people... you need to add classes."

"Add a classroom means adding a teacher," Gao Wen frowned, "Didn't some secretary apprentices be sent here in Tanzan Town?"

"It has been sent to teach, but it is still not enough."

"Then recruit from the 'Hundred-People Aiding Group'," Gao Wen decided. "In addition to 'high-end talents' like Jenny, some ordinary craftsmen or apprentices are literate and should be interested in the additional subsidies for teachers. In addition, you need to start promoting recruitment news from steel factories, machinery research institutes, etc., telling the leaders that both free people and serfs can go to the factory to work, but they must recognize the number of words before they can register. Working in the factory can be like craftsmen, with additional food subsidies, so that they will have the motivation to maintain discipline and it will be easier to learn."

Hurty nodded slightly: "Yes, I understand."

Gao Wen thought for a while and asked, "Is there anything else I need to report?"

Hetty looked at Amber next to her: "She is really good at sleeping while walking."

Gao Wen was stunned and turned his head to take a look. He suddenly saw the half-elf following him with his eyes closed, as if he had been asleep for a long time.

"When did this guy fall asleep?!"

Hetty looked helpless: "When we first started discussing building a house."

Gao Wen looked surprised: "...In some ways, she is really a talent."

As soon as he finished sighing, he saw Amber slowly awakening. The half-elf-like lady rubbed her eyes, looked at Gao Wen and Hetty, and asked curiously: "You two have finally finished talking?"

Gao Wen's lips trembled and he looked at Hetty on purpose: "Let's talk about steel production..."

Amber closed her eyes: "Call me when the meal is ready."

Gao Wen suddenly had no choice. Just as he was about to grab Amber's ear and twist it around to see if she could wake up, he suddenly saw a soldier running towards her from the corner of his eyes.

"Sir!" The soldier ran to Gao Wen and stood at the sight of him. "A stranger came to the territory!"

"Stranger?" Gao Wen was stunned. He didn't know what was urgent about such a thing. "Are they refugees from the north? If you come to surrender yourself..."

"No, the man was wearing the clothes of the Holy Light Clan and seemed to be a missionary, but I don't know what's going on, he is working on the construction site now."
Chapter completed!