The open-pit mining went very smoothly. Richard mobilized hundreds of slaves in their prime and could mine 500 tons of coal in one day.
It is more difficult to transport coal to castles such as Depot Castle, Sophia Castle, Vicksburg, and Iron Mountain Castle.
Richard could only use a wheelbarrow to cross the mountains. Fortunately, the furthest distance between these castles and the coal mines was only sixty or seventy kilometers, which was not too far.
Even so, the transportation costs are considerable.
Because the threshold for mining coal is very low, in order to prevent private digging and illegal mining, Richard has formulated strict laws. Anyone found to be mining illegally will be fined ten times.
If you don't have money, you have to sign a contract and become an indentured servant to pay back the money.
Coal mine revenue is part of the territory's fiscal revenue. Anyone who dares to poach from this will be in trouble with Richard.
Time passed slowly like this and we entered December.
Richard once again summoned the officials in the territory to make a year-end summary.
Attending this year's meeting, in addition to last year's participants, there were also two newcomers, Flora and Otto.
Flora was responsible for the education work in the territory and served as the principal of Riverbank Primary School.
Otto was the judge of the territory. He was accompanied by several underage students. He studied law with Otto, memorized the code of law, and was an assistant judge beside Otto.
The laws of the Harland Territory mostly followed the Grant Kingdom Code.
However, Richard believes that many of the legal provisions in the Grant Kingdom Code are problematic. The administration of citizens is too lenient and too strict, and the enforcement is selective. There is not much fairness at all.
The state is the tool of the ruling class, the army is the violent machine of the ruling class, and the law is the embodiment of the will of the ruling class.
Richard knew this when he was in middle school.
Otto studied law for thirty years and gradually understood the mystery behind the law.
Because he was relatively lenient in governing the people of his territory, Otto was also more tolerant during trials and would not readily copy the law and execute erring people for minor crimes.
The cases tried by Alto, except for vicious cases such as murder, injury, robbery, and rape, will be punished with the death penalty.
Generally, fines will be chosen for minor cases such as theft, fights, and damage to property.
If there is no money, they will be sentenced to a short-term slave contract until the compensation is paid off.
Otto was responsible for managing the law, and his brother Rogge was appointed by Richard as the civil affairs officer of the territory, responsible for managing most of the civil affairs in the territory.
Because the fruit wine is selling well, the industry managed by Mrs. Olla has a net profit of 1,200 gold coins this year, which is slightly higher than last year.
Although the fruit wine has only been brewed for more than three months, it has already brought a lot of profits. Together with the liquor industry, this year's income is 13,000.
The output value of the brown sugar plantation this year has exceeded 500 gold coins. Sales are far from saturated and are still developing rapidly. Next year's output value will exceed 800 gold coins.
There are not many orders for brick kilns, lime kilns, wood retorting kilns, and coke-burning kilns this year. The territory does not sell cement or coke to outsiders. This year, it barely breaks even and makes little money.
The glass kiln is developing well. It not only competes for the market with the glass kiln controlled by Viscount Rome, but also opens up new markets by manufacturing high-end fruit wine. This year's net profit has reached four hundred gold coins.
As the technology of burning glass in the territory continues to advance, Richard decides to end excess profits next year, reduce the price of glass by half, continue to compete with Viscount Rome for the market, and wait for the summer to open a fruit canning factory to manufacture new products and promote new products.
industry.
Even if the canned fruit he just produced has no sales, Richard will stabilize orders through military purchase contracts and support the development of this new industry.
Coal mining is a new industry in the territory this year. After only three months of coal mining, the output value reached 600 gold coins. As the population increases and the free people become richer, this industry will continue to develop.
The Zitoufeng industry in the territory has returned to its heyday this year, with the production value of honey reaching two thousand and royal jelly one thousand.
Zitoufeng royal jelly is one of the main materials for refining second-level healing potions.
Richard exchanged the formula for the second-level healing potion from the Church of Dawn, and after giving it to Sophia, he successfully refined a batch of healing potion.
This year, Richard did not exchange the royal jelly for gold coins.
Even the money from selling honey was spent to buy other materials for refining the healing potion, and gave it to Sophia to refine the healing potion.
This batch of therapeutic drugs is basically used to treat the wounded.
Besides liquor, the largest industries in the territory are grain and steel.
This year's steel production is still increasing. Because of the war, the steel business is particularly good. The net profit for the whole year reached 18,000 gold coins, almost double that of last year.
The reason why Richard was able to expand the number of recruits in ten squadrons at once was entirely because he had money this year.
The recruits have not made any military exploits and are still indentured servants for the time being, so they do not need to pay. However, the clothes the recruits wear, the weapons and armor they use, and the golden drums and flags in the military camp all require money.
Food, drink, diarrhea, and daily training also cost money.
Most of the ten infantry squadrons and cavalry brigades in the territory have made military exploits this year and have become free citizens.
There are nearly 1,500 veterans, and including officers, the annual salary exceeds 15,000.
In addition to the hundreds of disabled and disabled soldiers who died in battle, they need pensions. This year's pension expenditures, including supplies, are already 2,000.
The cost of food for more than 3,000 soldiers is also a lot of money.
Because the training intensity is high and breathing techniques need to be repaired, nutrition is indispensable.
On average, a soldier needs two kilograms of grain and one kilogram of meat every day, plus the cost of fuel, salt, condiments, and pickles. The food he eats is far better than that of ordinary people, and he consumes three copper coins a day.
One month is three silver coins, and three gold coins are consumed to support a soldier for twelve months a year.
Of course, you can also skimp on food, but soldiers who are undernourished cannot practice breathing techniques at all, nor can they practice them every day.
The Mad Lion Legion where Richard once served spent two gold coins and four silver coins on food for each soldier every year.
Even if the logistics are a bit messy, it's basically not much different.
The soldiers in Harland's territory eat better than the main army. There is no shortage of meat every day. The lambs saved by thousands of sheep-headed men are grazing, which makes them cheaper for the rough guys in the army.
Although the new recruits have been in the army for less than a year, the investment in raising the army this year has exceeded 10,000 gold coins.
There was still a bumper harvest of food this year, and despite the war, no war broke out in the Harland territory.
The influx of people into the territory last year has opened up 12,000 hectares of dry farmland this year, which translates into 180,000 acres.
Even if the dry land relies on the sky for food, this year the goddess of dawn has given her a meal, and the territory's grain output has reached 18,000 tons.
If all this food is sold, it can earn thirty-six thousand gold coins.
It is impossible to sell grain. To feed more than 50,000 people, 12,000 tons of grain are needed.
The remaining 6,000 tons of grain need to be brewed into liquor and used as grain reserves to prevent disaster years.
Because he has raised more than 3,000 soldiers and has the gold-eating beast of the army, although his income this year is very large, exceeding 30,000 gold coins, which can be called explosive growth, Richard still does not have much cash in his hands.
The balance at the end of the year was less than three thousand gold coins, which was just enough to pay off Mrs. Ola's debt.
If there is no war next year, steel sales will definitely drop sharply, and the military's expenditure will increase. If he wants to avoid a deficit, Richard will have to find ways to continue to make money.