Ch.86Bourgeoisie (2)

“Silence, everyone! His Majesty has issued a new decree.”

“Again?”

“He must be busy with the university matter… Is this related to that?”

“Hmm… must be about the passage tax.”

The citizens of Dijon tilt their heads curiously at the soldier’s announcement, speculating about the contents of the rolled-up notice in his hand.

Some of them grimace knowingly, having a good guess about what might be written there. It’s been an open secret that officials have been actively studying the various impacts of increasing the gate passage tax.

Those with even the slightest connection to government workers couldn’t help but know what was coming.

“The gate passage tax will be increased. All vehicles capable of transporting goods, including wagons and carts, will see a twenty percent increase in the passage tax when passing through the gates. Those without such vehicles will continue to pay only the individual passage tax as before. Of course, citizens residing in Dijon will still enjoy tax exemption from such passage fees.”

“Oh, finally we’ll see fewer of those damn outsiders.”

“What? That’s it? Nothing major.”

“What did you say? Wait, what about the goods I ordered?”

“Obviously, you’ll have to pay according to the increased rate. Even if you ordered it, someone else is bringing it in.”

“This can’t be…”

The citizens show various reactions to the announcement. Those who had complained about Dijon becoming too crowded rejoice, those with no connection to carts remain indifferent, and those who frequently trade with areas outside Dijon are shocked as they consider the losses this new policy will bring.

“Silence! We’re not finished yet.”

As the citizens grow noisy, the soldier standing on the platform quiets them and continues speaking.

The citizens, who thought the announcement was over, fall silent immediately. After all, no one in Dijon is brave enough to defy the representative of His Majesty, who was cruel enough to throw nobles into the “pig slaughterhouse.”

“His Majesty is concerned about the hindrance to commerce, so permission has been granted for commercial facilities that trade with areas outside Dijon to relocate outside the walls. Of course, this measure also includes other facilities that depend on such trade, like inns and restaurants. Additionally, foreign merchants selling goods outside the city walls will no longer need to pay the passage tax, though additional taxes will be implemented to make up for this.”

“What? Move outside the walls?”

“This is essentially city expansion.”

“The land is cheaper and logistics can be handled outside, which sounds good… but isn’t it dangerous?”

Unlike their previous calm or excited reactions, this time all citizens who hear the decree show animated responses.

Dijon, surrounded by walls, has already reached its spatial limit, causing property taxes to skyrocket. If building outside the walls is permitted, everyone can see that these excessively high costs would normalize.

Just the news of moving some commercial facilities outside is shocking enough, but the soldier continues with even more surprising announcements.

“Additionally, affordable housing will be built outside the city walls for citizens who would otherwise move to other regions due to financial constraints. From now on, they can stay in Dijon without having to relocate.”

“What? Damn… I just took out a loan to buy a house, and now property values are going to drop.”

“Good! I’ll only ever live inside the walls, so I can move to a better house for cheaper.”

“Hmm… I can’t just sit still. I need to buy land outside the walls before prices rise further.”

“Even if it’s outside the walls, it’s still better than living in a cramped, rotten house.”

“Why didn’t that bastard tell me this important information when he told me about the passage tax?!”

The citizens’ reactions grow even more heated. It’s clear that these policies will bring enormous changes.

Despite not having heard a proper explanation yet, citizens focus on the topic of building outside the walls, imagining different futures with mixed emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.

“Quite the commotion.”

Claude smirks as he observes the excited crowd from the palace balcony.

So many people showing such varied reactions to what I’ve done—is this what power feels like?

I’ve been cooped up inside the castle until now, so I haven’t really felt this way before. It feels surprisingly good.

“Your Majesty, the professors of medicine have all gathered and await your instruction.”

“I understand. I’ll go now.”

Well, I’ve already handed down the policies and designs to my subordinates, so they should be able to handle things from here.

……….

“We should be able to see Dijon soon… Huh? What’s that?”

“What is it?”

“No, the landscape looks very different from when I was here before. What are they building?”

A merchant arriving at Dijon blinks in surprise at the suddenly changed scenery.

All sorts of materials are laid out in front of the gray city walls, making them stand out prominently, allowing their shapes to be clearly visible even from a distance.

Processed lumber, logs, foundation stones, and many other materials are scattered in front of the walls, with temporarily erected tents beside them. Under those tents, various goods are displayed.

People who appear to be workers are carrying these scattered materials around or carefully placing them on the ground following certain patterns.

‘Are they building barracks or something?’

No matter how he looks at it, it appears to be a construction scene.

Since it’s being built outside the walls, it must be some military facility…

“Aren’t those fruits over there?”

“Fruits?”

“Yes, under that tent on the side.”

“…You’re right. Looking closely, there are not just fruits but also textiles and furniture.”

Is it not just construction?

Why would they need to bring such goods outside the city walls? Hmm, I don’t know. Well, I’ll find out when I get there.

………

“What? Outside the city walls?”

“Yes, the inside of the walls is already at capacity, so they had no choice. It has been too cramped for a while. The citizens’ complaints were considerable.”

“Um… but it seems a bit dangerous. Are they not building walls?”

“I’m curious about that too… Well, it should be fine. If enemies come, we can just grab our bodies and property and evacuate inside the walls.”

“That’s true, but… what about the possibility?”

So those tents were temporary structures, and those materials were not for barracks but for various buildings…

Is this right?

I know that Dijon was almost exposed to the rebellion led by the king’s uncle not long ago.

Besides, having so many buildings around the walls means they could be used as cover, or torn down to make ladders or siege weapons.

I’m from Caroling, so I don’t really need to worry about it, but it’s a bit concerning.

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Foreign enemies are too afraid of our Lotaring army to approach Dijon.”

‘Who is this person?’

I was in the middle of a conversation with another merchant trying to buy goods when a patrolling soldier suddenly interrupted.

His tone is extremely intimidating, but that intimidating tone carries tremendous confidence. He doesn’t seem to doubt what he’s saying in the slightest.

“I’ll tell you something just between us—there are other reasons for allowing buildings outside the walls besides the overcrowding issue.”

“And what might that be?”

“The pathetic army of the Caroling pigs and the Imperial forces, whose foundation has been destroyed by civil war, are no match for our Lotaring army, are they?”

“Umm…”

I’m not sure if he should be saying this to me, a Caroling person.

Anyway, I understand what he’s trying to say. The armies of other countries will never reach Dijon, so it doesn’t matter if there are no walls. That’s roughly it.

Tsk, tsk. While Lotaring is indeed strong, such arrogance will become poison.

“Above all, though such a thing would obviously never happen, if Dijon were to be attacked, wouldn’t we seek reinforcements beforehand? It would be the same as if Lutesia, the royal capital of Caroling, or Vindobona, the imperial capital, were attacked.”

“Hmm… that’s true, but…”

“It’s not like we’ve completely abandoned the walls either. If things really get dangerous, citizens can take refuge inside the walls.”

There’s nothing wrong with what the soldier is saying.

If the capital is in danger of being captured, a temporary relocation of the court is possible, but by then the war situation would already be heavily tilted. And if Dijon were truly besieged, the citizens could still evacuate inside the intact walls. Of course, everything outside the walls would be plundered.

“Uh… well…”

“Oh my, I apologize. I seem to have gotten a bit excited because our noble duty was being questioned. Everyone, please continue with what you were doing.”

The soldier gives an awkward smile seeing the uncomfortable Dijon merchant, then resumes his patrol.

It’s quite confusing how the noisy soldier suddenly appeared and then left just as quickly… but I can’t just stand here, so I should force myself to continue the conversation.

“Ahem… let’s resume our business.”

“Ah… yes, let’s. You said these are all Caroling cowhides?”

“To be precise, they’re from 18-month-old cattle. Being not fully grown, the leather is extremely soft. The tanning and drying processes are already complete.”

“May I touch them?”

“Of course.”

The merchants, resuming their trade, instantly forget about the soldier and focus on their business.

The leather seller uses all means—eloquence, information exchange, and more—to get even one more coin, while the leather buyer does the same to pay even one less coin.

Even though some facilities have been pushed outside the walls, Dijon continues to enjoy prosperity.