ebookland #289 - The People's Congress
#289 - The People's Congress
Perhaps because it had been too long since he had eaten meat, Grossien's stomach immediately rumbled after finishing the potato and pea stew.
Led to the latrine by a servant, Grossien spent the entire noon there. By the time he emerged, the afternoon assembly of the faithful had already begun.
Upon returning to Victory Square and retaking his seat, he noticed a few more traces of worry in the previously lively atmosphere.
The faces of the once-active representatives now displayed a significant amount of bewilderment and fear.
"What's going on? Was the 'Holy Kingdom Land Edict' read? I didn't hear it." Squeezing through the crowd, Grossien steadied himself on the edge of the table, shaking off a considerable amount of dust from his clothes.
"They talked about things related to land distribution, saying they wouldn't allow usury... I got sleepy after eating, didn't hear it clearly. Let's wait for the Pope to explain it to us."
Before long, Grossien saw Hohen, having finished his meal, walking onto the wooden platform with the aid of his crutch.
"Ahem." Hohen cleared his throat, steadying himself on the scribe's desk that served as a makeshift lectern. "Our monks from the Holy Father Society have just finished reading the specific contents of the edict to everyone.
I know that, despite us reading the relevant edict, it is somewhat complex, and you may not fully understand it. I have simplified it and will read it to you again."
"Quiet down."
"Pay attention, stop fiddling with your needlework."
This time, without the need for the Night Watch, the representatives present spontaneously maintained order.
Hohen smiled slightly, flipping over a sheet of paper on the lectern:
"The 'Holy Kingdom Land Edict' is the first Golden Bull issued by Hohen, a sinner who is Pope, and its main contents are as follows:
First, all land ownership is returned to the Holy Father. As compensation, the right to use and the status of a monk are granted to the actual cultivators.
Second, the status system is abolished, and the principle of 'land to the tiller' is implemented. The land owned is determined by extrapolating from the taxes and tributes paid in the previous three years.
Third, all usurious loans prior to 1445 are forgiven. The annual interest rate on private loans after 1445 shall not exceed 20%, and the interest earned shall not exceed the principal.
Fourth, the Hundred-Household District Reform is implemented. Every ten households form a Ten-Household Joint Guarantee, and ten Ten-Household units form a Hundred-Household Joint Guarantee, serving as the lowest administrative unit.
Fifth, the 'Labor Law' is abolished, exempting everyone from taxes for one year, and allowing legal and free buying and selling of land.
Sixth, the lords' mountain forests and water bodies are opened for peasants to use, the household registration books are recompiled, and the conscription population is determined.
Seventh, the Holy Father Society is allowed to preach.
As for the scope of implementation, it is divided into two.
One is the Pious Special Zone directly under the Pope, including 5 towns and 89 manors around Jeanne d'Arc Fortress to Wild Spider Forest, as well as Great Marsh Township, implementing all the laws.
The other is the Holy War Special Zone directly under the Saintess, including 3 towns and 112 manors from Sour Gourd Town to Ibe Plain, implementing only items four to seven."
After speaking, Hohen paused for a few seconds, giving the representatives some time to think.
"If you have any questions, you can ask them now." After several wizards from the White Mountain Hermitage stood still, Hohen looked at them with a smile.
The representatives looked at each other, afraid to ask such important figures. The most important person they had ever met was just a bishop.
Here stood a Pope!
After a long while, an armed farmer representative wearing a tight-fitting, front-buttoned long coat took the lead to stand up, raising his hand to salute Hohen.
A monk who reads as a nature priest and writes as a wizard walked to the side of the armed farmer representative, making his voice clearly audible to everyone.
"Your Holiness, I would like to ask, what does it mean by all ownership belonging to the Holy Father? Does it mean that these lands no longer belong to us?"
"Did those lands originally belong to you?" With arms outstretched, Hohen seemed to embrace everything. "You must know that this world was created by the Holy Father, and everything belongs to the Holy Father, including the land, and even yourselves!
Why do you think you can own land?
Only the Holy Father can own land and people. All ownership of land and personal ownership of others is a theft of the Holy Father's authority. Only the devil would do such a thing.
Our Salvation Army demands equality and freedom to return the authority that originally belonged to the Holy Father!
We eliminated all the lords to let you face the true lord, the Holy Father."
"So, we still cultivate and harvest the land, but the lord becomes the Holy Father in heaven?" The armed farmer blinked and asked.
Hohen snapped his fingers: "You can understand it that way, unless the Holy Father and the Holy Lord unanimously decide to take it back, otherwise you will still cultivate and harvest it."
Hohen immediately heard a collective sigh of relief. They thought the Salvation Army was going to take away all their land.
As the supreme Father, He will surely judge fairly. The only reason for the land to be taken back is probably only if one is truly guilty.
Seeing that the armed farmer's question was answered, a citizen representative wearing a dark yellow woolen puff-sleeved jacket mustered his courage to stand up:
"Your Holiness, what does this 'status of a monk' mean?"
"Simply put, although a fellow monk is not a monk, they enjoy some of the benefits of a monk, such as not having to kneel and being exempt from taxes on agricultural and sideline products."
This is also to prepare for future national identity.
The Thousand River Valley people are not a suitable imagined community. "Monk" might be a good choice.
Isn't a Papal State with monks for all more pious than that damn Papal Court?
A shepherd villager representative wearing a shoulder-covering hood stood up, leaning on his sheep-herding staff, and asked the question that everyone was most concerned about:
"How is land distributed under the principle of 'land to the tiller'? Also, the lord is dead, so who does his land, I mean the right to use the land, belong to?"
Hohen held up his right hand and wiggled his fingers: "Eh, that's a good question. The purpose of this is to return the land to the hands of those who cultivate it, rather than being occupied by those who do not cultivate.
Let's use an example to illustrate.
For example, if you pay 90 pounds of grain in tithes to the church, according to the tithe ratio, then you should have 10 acres of land.
If you pay 180 pounds in tribute, then you should have 20 acres of land, so you have a total of 30 acres of land to use."
According to this algorithm, the peasants benefit considerably, because Hohen has included other miscellaneous taxes in the tithe.
Most peasants overpay taxes, so in return, this land distribution will allow them to receive more land.
As for the armed farmers and small landlords who evade taxes, if you pay less tax, then you will definitely have less land.
So not only will you not get land, you might even have to give up a lot.
If you don't want to give it up, then pay the tax grain you owed earlier. This grain will be used as Hohen's starting fund for work-for-relief.
The greatest purpose of doing this is to maximize the development and utilization of the land, and to support as many self-cultivating farmers as possible, rather than landlords who sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.
"As for the issue of the lord's land ownership, it is different in the two regions.
In the Pious Special Zone, the lord's land will be used as part of the land distribution. If there is any remaining, it will be managed by the Papal State.
In the Holy War Special Zone, the land will either be directly operated by the legion or sold to exchange for military expenses."
A clergyman-dressed representative raised his hand: "Is there no land distribution in the Holy War Special Zone?"
"The Holy War Special Zone faces the knight devils to the west and south, so only military personnel can be allocated land." Hohen said seriously, leaning his elbows on the lectern. "The Holy War Special Zone needs order and stability, not chaos."
In fact, even if Hohen wanted to distribute land in the Holy War Special Zone, he would not be able to implement it.
Because ordinary villagers are unable to complete the land distribution. Hohen doesn't have the manpower to guide them.
The group that can implement land distribution happens to be these armed farmers who have the time, energy, and knowledge.
In the end, if land is to be distributed in the Holy War Special Zone, the executor will become the one who suffers the loss of benefits.
With their level of awareness, Hohen does not believe that they can implement it well.
In order to restore order and unite forces to fight against the Ibe Knights to the south, we can only win over and transform this group of people.
To be honest, even in the Pious Special Zone, the difficulty of land distribution is not low.
100,000 people, 89 manors, an estimated million acres of property division, grassroots reconstruction, a shortage of manpower, and fierce small-scale armed struggles are bound to occur during this period.
It is even possible to fight the Ibe Knights to the south while presiding over the land distribution work.
Hohen expects to complete the land distribution work for 100,000 people within half a year, and then advance south to bring the remaining half of Langsand County into his pocket.
Only when it borders Black Serpent Bay and completely gets rid of the predicament of being surrounded on all sides will the Holy War Special Zone be transformed into a Pious Parish.