After waiting for the carriage to move for a while, Alfonso crossed his arms across his chest and said to Huggins: "Tell me, what is going on?"
"Before you leave Duxi City, you should know that there is a textile brand in the city called Liliel, right?"
"I know that Queen Mary created the brand. What does this have to do with what I saw?"
Huggins shrugged: "Don't worry, I haven't gotten to the point yet. The success of Liliel's brand has made a large number of businessmen in Twilight City see the business opportunities."
"Business opportunity?"
"You don't know? Liliel brand textiles, whether in the northern land, the eastern holy city, or the southern empire, have become hot commodities that are in short supply." Huggins pointed to the tailoring on his body.
Fitted clothes: "A men's suit with a price tag of six gold suns in Liliel's store can be sold for twelve gold suns when shipped to the Papal State."
Alfonso asked in confusion: "How could this happen?"
"Do you remember those paintings that His Majesty once gave to Queen Mary? Those paintings from heaven."
"I remember."
"It was those paintings that set off a wave of Renaissance in the city. Artists of different styles and schools found inspiration in this city and applied these inspirations to actual business and life, including textiles.
...So, on the one hand, it is the success of the Liliel brand, and on the other hand, the added value of goods brought by the Renaissance, making the textile industry a pillar industry in Duixi City."
Alfonso was a little impatient: "You have said so much, but you still haven't mentioned why there are citizens begging on the streets."
"My friend, be patient." Huggins said with a smile: "I will continue to explain... Before, the Knights of Muxi defeated the Southern Empire and ensured the safety of the western route. Merchants were able to expand the scope of trade through sea transportation.
.All these factors added together,
It directly led to the rapid rise of the clothing and fabric industry; and the rise of the industry created a shortage of textile raw materials, such as flax, ramie, jute, and wool; and the demand for these raw materials directly led to the lack of a scarce resource——
land."
Alfonso frowned and repeated: "Land?"
Huggins leaned back and breathed out softly: "Yes, without enough land, there is no way to plant hemp plants or raise sheep... However, because Muxi City is close to the seaside, there are no
There was not much free land available, so businessmen in the city turned their attention to farmers who owned farmland."
Alfonso shook his head: "Businessmen took the land of those farmers?"
"The word "seize" is not accurate, it should be said to be "purchase". Due to the decree issued by His Majesty before, as long as you engage in agriculture outside the city for a certain number of years, you can not only obtain the qualifications of a citizen, but also permanently have the right to use the land. Therefore, farmers have the right to use the land.
Someone who has absolute control." Huggins
Opening the curtains, I saw a group of men and women in gorgeous clothes gathering together and talking loudly: "In order to obtain land from farmers, businessmen have raised the prices of seeds, livestock, fertilizers, and tools through business alliances and industry guilds.
, and depressed the selling price of traditional crops."
"During last year's wheat harvest, the purchase price of a ton of third-grade wheat in Muxi City was less than four silver months. Listen, four silver months! In Silver Ring City during the war
, this amount of money can’t even buy a bag of wheat bran!”
Alfonso frowned: "What did those farmers do next?"
"Some farmers think that the price is too low, and would rather store their agricultural products at home than sell them. As a result, the stored agricultural products slowly rot and become worthless in the end; some farmers unite and want to charter a boat or a fleet of vehicles to transport the agricultural products to the farmland."
Their respective products were shipped out for sale, but the ports and inns controlled by the major chambers of commerce rejected the farmers' requests. Some people were finally forced to sell their land to merchants. "
After hearing what Huggins said, Alfonso gritted his teeth and asked: "Is the cabinet turning a blind eye to these things?"
Huggins replied with a wry smile: "The cabinet has tried to intervene, including actively purchasing agricultural products, building temporary agricultural product storage points, and warning and punishing businessmen who acquire land. The cabinet has done all these things. When the conflicts were at their most serious,
The Prime Minister, Lord Emerson, even tried to enact a bill prohibiting land sales."
"Then what?"
"The decree was not passed at the cabinet meeting or the enlarged meeting of the Knights. Because of this, Prime Minister Emerson got furious in the office and later became seriously ill."
Alfonso felt strange: "Mr. Emerson was given power by His Majesty, how could the bill he proposed not be passed?"
"Before the Muxi Knights sent troops to Lone Rock City, the Prime Minister ignored all cabinet members and used the wartime cabinet method to forcefully pass the war bill. This incident aroused the dissatisfaction of the vast majority of cabinet members and honorary knights. Many people were behind the scenes.
Accusing Emerson of being dictatorial
, to seize the royal power. After that, the Prime Minister became extra cautious in handling affairs and no longer dared to make decisions on his own. Therefore, he did not dare to make any independent decisions regarding the bill prohibiting land sales this time.
To listen to the advice of the cabinet members and knights of honour."
Alfonso made a fist with his right hand, smashed it under the seat under him, and said angrily: "Then just watch those businessmen seizing the land?!"
Huggins sighed: "Academics publish works and need financial support from businessmen to help publish their journals; scientific researchers need to seek funding from businessmen to conduct experiments to purchase experimental supplies and pay assistants; artists need
Businessmen provide money to build studios and hold personal exhibitions; even the cabinet’s expenditures on public finances rely on taxes paid by businessmen.”
"Not only that, cabinet members, honorary knights, nine out of ten of these people's families are running more or less industries. Just look up the positions behind them, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, director of the Maritime Alliance, industrial
Standing Advisor of the Raw Materials Association...there may be more than ten or even twenty people with this title..."
Huggins shrugged and said helplessly towards Alfonso: "What's more, compared to those dull farmers, businessmen are indeed better at persuading... You know that at the hearing of the knights who banned land sales, business
How did representatives of the alliance defend themselves?”
"What did they say?"
"They produced a 300-page analysis report and told everyone present how huge the difference is between an ordinary piece of land and whether it is used to grow wheat or to raise sheep. Considering the products comprehensively,
Factors such as value, employment rate, tax payment, national competitiveness, population diversion, etc., the contribution that land can create when harvesting woolen raw materials is dozens or even a hundred times that of farmland!"
Huggins closed his eyes and said slowly: "So, the businessmen's land annexation of the farmers has won the support of most people. The latter have to sell their land to the businessmen at the so-called 'assessment price'. These
If the money leaves the high-priced Muixi City, it may be able to support it for a while, but if it stays, any farming family will spend it all in less than half a year... So, those beggars you saw before,
They are farmers who have run out of money and lost their livelihood.”
Alfonso stood there motionless. After a long time, he scratched his forehead in distress: "There are some things I can't understand, but I always feel that something is wrong."