Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Time flies so fast!"
Paul reclined lazily in his office chair, striking a pose reminiscent of Ge You (a famous Chinese actor known for his slouching). He let out a sigh of reflection.
Outside the window, the courtyard was already golden. The wind blew, and the leaves on the trees fell one by one—another autumn had arrived.
The slightly melancholic atmosphere affected the Earl as well.
Since his soul had crossed into this world, similar to Earth's medieval era, or since he had awakened memories of his previous life, it had now been three years.
What had he accomplished in these past years?
Abolished slavery? No, there were still vast numbers of serfs struggling under the exploitation of landlords in his territory.
Overthrown the feudal aristocracy? No, in fact, he himself was part of the feudal aristocracy.
Improved the status of commoners? No, the commoners in his domain still trembled in fear at the sight of a noble and dared not even utter a word.
Weakened the power of the church? No, the people still had to pay tithes to the church in addition to the taxes they owed to him, their lord.
Although he had set up a few workshops and helped create a budding manufacturing industry, it only alleviated his financial difficulties. No significant changes had truly transformed society.
Whenever he attempted to carry out his grand plans, one group would oppose him, or another would. Really, he was clearly doing it for the future of human society! History on another planet had already proven his ideas were correct, so why couldn't these people make a small sacrifice?
The large-scale reforms were already hard enough, but even a trivial customs union met with opposition?
He kept hitting walls at every turn—such a disgrace to the name of a "transmigrator!" His initial grand ambitions were being eroded bit by bit by reality. If this continued, he feared he would degenerate into just another ordinary noble, content to idle away his days.
As Paul reflected, he realized that the little political knowledge left in his head boiled down to one thing: the backwardness of social productivity. The base of society determines the superstructure.
"Lord Grayman, what did you just say?"
Paul's musings had piqued everyone's curiosity.
The lord's office was filled with the heads of the various important departments of the administrative council, all here for the weekly meeting. However, unlike usual, the meeting was not held in the hall but rather in Paul's office.
According to Bernard, the lord's chief secretary, Earl Grayman hadn't left his chair all morning except to go to the bathroom—it seemed the lord had been feeling a bit down lately.
Paul raised his eyelids. "Hmm? I was saying, time is like the shuttle on a loom, passing by in a flash, never stopping."
Everyone found it odd. After all, the Earl was only 16 years old.
"What makes you feel so sentimental?"
Hansel voiced the question everyone had on their minds.
Paul struck a pretentious pose, looking like a melancholic intellectual. "I saw the autumn leaves falling just now, and it made me think. If a person's life is spent merely wasting time, in the end, it's just like those leaves on the tree, falling swiftly and pointlessly."
"So, Lord Grayman, how do you think one should live to avoid wasting their life?"
Hansel's question hit Paul's soft spot. The thought of making a grandiose speech surfaced in his mind.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat loudly, adopting a serious demeanor.
"The most precious thing in life is life itself. A person only has one life. The way I wish to live is such that, when I look back, I will not regret wasting my time, nor feel ashamed of my inaction. This way, when I am called upon by the Lord, I can say without guilt: 'I have devoted my entire life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world—to...'"
Paul suddenly got stuck. What exactly was he fighting for? Could he really say, in front of all of them, that he was fighting for the liberation of humanity?
By now, everyone in the office had been captivated by his impassioned speech, looking at him expectantly, eager to hear what great cause their lord was dedicating his life to.
Paul moved his stiff tongue and said, "To fight to fill the stomachs of my people!"
Damn, compared to the original version, this sounds so much less impressive!
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
Old Ford, the chief steward of the State Council, was the first to applaud, followed by everyone else in the room.
Nodding his head, Old Ford said, "Lord Grayman, this is the ideal that a great lord should possess."
Only those living in this era truly understood how distant the goal of "filling the stomachs of the people" really was. They knew it better than Paul, who came from 21st-century Earth.
Hansel, however, poured a bit of cold water on the excitement. Shaking his head, he said, "But unfortunately, no one has ever achieved it, not even those legendary heroes and wise kings throughout history."
Although Hansel was born into a prestigious family from the capital and never had to worry about food growing up, he had served as a tax officer for the royal family, giving him some insight into the hardships of common people.
Guy Burns looked at Paul with admiration and said, "But as long as we strive in that direction, even taking a small step forward will save many lives."
"Haha, let's work together on this."
The encouragement from everyone gave Paul a great boost in confidence. The low mood he had been feeling due to his unsuccessful reforms vanished, replaced by a sense of boldness.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that the reason so many people are starving ultimately stems from insufficient productivity in human society. Therefore, we need to focus on greatly developing our productivity."
"Productivity?"
Once again, the group heard a new term from the lord's mouth, but it wasn't too difficult to understand.
"Do you mean the capacity of the land to produce crops?" someone asked, as they were all naturally thinking about farming given the recent discussion on filling bellies.
"Well, that's just one aspect of it. More broadly, it should be understood as 'the ability of labor and the means of production to combine and transform nature' or 'humanity's ability to create new wealth.' So it's not just about farming. For instance, mining, weaving, pottery, and so on—these can all be called manufacturing or industry. In addition to agriculture, these industries are also directions I plan to vigorously develop."
Old Ford said, "But these industries don't produce food. Even if they develop, the amount of food remains the same. How would that solve the issue of hunger? So, Lord Grayman, I suggest you still encourage the people under your rule to open up more farmland. That would be the wisest course."
Paul raised an eyebrow, "Oh, Chief Steward, even if we try to open up more land, the amount of cultivable land will always be limited. Based on the current amount of farmland, in a year without natural disasters, can you really say there's not enough food to eat?"
"Well..."
"If I were to issue an order to forcibly collect all the grain from Alden, Byerldine, and Emden, and then distribute it equally to everyone, regardless of wealth or status—including myself—do you think anyone would starve this year?"
Everyone was shocked, alarmed at such a crazy idea from the Earl.
"Haha, just kidding. Don't be so nervous."
Old Ford let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "There shouldn't be starvation, but the reason for hunger is mainly..."
"It's mainly because of the unequal distribution of food," Paul finished for him. "The large landowners' granaries are overflowing, while the poor starve to death."
With a pained expression, he sighed, "How shameful!"
The group fell silent. After all, who was the largest landowner in Alden? Wasn't the Earl scolding himself?
(End of the Chapter)
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