Mayor House hurriedly summoned all the people working in the town office to greet Brian at the gate.

Brian on the horse nodded slightly, turned over and dismounted, and asked them to go in and talk to him. He came to take his seat in front of the round table in the lobby and asked Jack directly, ignoring the trembling Mayor House standing next to him.

"You are the garrison commander here, right?"

Jack almost knelt down again, but he still remembered his duty and immediately gave a royal military salute and said.

"Yes, my subordinate is the first officer of Phoenix Town named Jack."

"How could you tell at a glance that I am the new lord? It seems that you have never seen me before."

Jack didn't dare to hide it. He knew that for a lord like Brian who had received an aristocratic education, his tricks were useless and sincerity was the best answer.

"Although I haven't met the Lord, I have met Horton Knight, and Phoenix Town has already been notified.

The king will send Sir Brian, son of the great Duke of Horthman, to lead Lanesburg.

Although you are disguised, I can feel your extraordinary temperament from afar.

There is also a Hawk knight beside him for personal protection, so he must be the new lord."

Brian didn't expect that in this era when education was almost monopolized by the aristocracy, a little man who didn't even have a surname could be so astute.

No wonder Jack, as an ordinary person who can't even display his fighting spirit, can reach his current position.

But for a guy who likes to be smart, he still needs to give it a good beating before using it, he said sternly.

"You are worthy of being called 'Smart Jack'. It's a pity that you are just trying to be smart. Why should you be blamed for disrupting my inspection plan?"

Jack was straightforward in facing the reprimand. He knelt down on one knee and said heartbrokenly.

"Dear Lord, I don't know that you intend to hide your identity. I hope you can forgive me because I have no merit but hard work in protecting Phoenix Town."

Looking at Jack who was bursting into tears instantly, Brian gave him a thumbs up.

Needless to say, this acting skill is definitely better than those in the previous life. Especially with the sincerity and remorse in his eyes, he can be included in the Beijing Film Academy textbook.

The knights around Brian all felt that the other party was a truly loyal person and persuaded Brian to forgive Jack.

Horton Knight whispered in Brian's ear.

"Chief Jack probably made an unintentional mistake, so please stop blaming him."

Mayor House also said.

"Dear Lord, Jack, as the garrison commander, has been working diligently over the years to guard the city gate. No gangster has ever sneaked into Phoenix Town and disrupted the public order here. He is also responsible for the prosperity of Phoenix Town."

Seeing so many people interceding for Jack, it was almost time for me to establish my authority, so I said in a gentle tone.

"Since so many people are interceding for you, I will forgive you this time, and remember never to act smart in front of me.

I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. If you make a contribution, I will definitely reward you. You will not be reused just by flattery."

Jack pretended to have changed his mind and solemnly promised.

"I will always remember your teachings and pass them on to my descendants, so that they will always be bathed in your kindness."

It seems that flattering has become Jack's language habit, but I have to say, it sounds really comfortable.

He waved his hand and asked Jack to get up quickly. He also asked this kind of person to find a place to sit down and asked Mayor House about the specific situation of Phoenix Town.

This world does not have a complete household registration system, but population mobility is almost non-existent. Many people never leave the village where they live throughout their lives. Serfs have no right to leave the land unless they are recruited by their lords.

The economic structure is basically internal circulation, and the only economic exchanges in each territory are the never-ending caravans and the chamber of commerce in the region.

If a good lord wants to collect more taxes, he must know how many people are in his territory?

Mayor House may have predicted in advance that the new lord might come here to inspect, and he prepared detailed documents and had them brought to Brian.

Brian had already read the information about Phoenix Town when he was in Lanesburg, but he also wanted to hear it from the mayor, Mayor House, personally.

Monkey skillfully pulled out a parchment from the pile of documents in front of him, spread it out in front of Brian and explained.

"Dear Lord, when we collected taxes last month, I already counted the permanent population of Fenghuang Town at 18,400.

There are probably less than 2,000 caravans, mercenaries and other people coming and going, and Commander Jack has records.

Jack answered immediately.

"Yes, Lord Lord, I have a backup here for all strangers from outside. I will never give any suspicious persons a chance to sneak into Phoenix Town."

Brian did not comment on their boasts. When reporting to his boss, he should not embellish his own performance. It is also necessary to make the report more beautiful.

Brian then asked Mayor House to dig out last month's account books to find out the income and expenditure of Phoenix Town.

Captain House was well prepared. He took out the account book from the file and quickly turned to the contents of the previous month. He showed it to Brian and introduced it.

"The main taxes in House Town are divided into two categories, one is the gate fee when entering the city, and the other is the tax on shops in the town.

There are probably more than 700 gold coins every month. Last month, the income of 720 gold coins was deducted from the soldiers' salaries, the expenses of the town office and the daily maintenance of the town, mainly the repair of the city wall and the dredging of the sewers.

The balance of 500 gold coins has been handed over to Lansburg."

The towns and villages on this continent also have a dual system. The towns mainly provide taxes, which are gold coins, and the rural areas provide head taxes and agricultural taxes, which are grain.

This was the main source of finance for a noble lord.

Small towns like Phoenix, Lanesburg and Maple Creek.

The two towns can provide Lansburg with an income of 1,000 gold coins every month, which is Brian's main income now, but the 1,000 gold coins need to be handed over to Aunt Lina.

Landsburg is already in a remote location, and having a town of two sizes is already the limit, making it difficult for the population to increase.

Without major changes, such as the influx of a large population and the development of precious resources, it will be difficult to achieve greater development.

Brian did not casually glance at the account book like other lords, but really looked at it carefully.

Before time travel, he worked in accounting, and bookkeeping was his specialty.
Chapter completed!