"Do you want to know why the Gratitude Market is called the crown of the Holy Alliance's commerce and industry?"

Seeing Alexei's interest, the old man with a limp also became intrigued.

He glanced at Alexei, "My mouth is dry, I'm not very keen to talk."

Alexei quickly called a guard to buy a cup of home-brewed beer from the shop for the old man to rinse his mouth, only then did he begin to speak.

"To understand this, you need to first know how the Priestly Order's fiscal revenue is generated, and to know that, you must understand how the Hundred Households District's fiscal revenue comes about."

"Why all the unnecessary talk?" The guard couldn't hold back and muttered.

But the old man with a limp glared, "Others want to know, I won't tell them."

He continued rinsing his mouth with beer and then started speaking again, "From 1450 to 1452, during these three years, the villages did not submit grain, to recover from the decline caused by the war.

Of course, not submitting grain only meant not giving it to the Priestly Order; plenty of grain was used for the Hundred Households District's public treasury as it was for their own use.

Generally, for the Hundred Households District's public treasury, it is one-tenth, and one-tenth is submitted to the Priestly Order.

Do you know how many tons of grain one-tenth means from the Hundred Households District to the Priestly Order's granary?

Note, this has to be subtracted from the rations since it's calculated from surplus grain outside of rations."

"Two tons?"

"Two tons? Twenty tons!" The old man seemed overly excited, coughed, "78 Hundred Households Districts, totaling 1,700 tons of barley and wheat, and even more beer."

In fact, with the combination of good seeds and fertilizers, the yield per acre of barley broke through 120 pounds, and wheat's yield per acre broke through 100 pounds.

However, the local yield statistics reflect mainly 110 pounds for barley and 90 pounds for wheat.

Firstly, the mountain climate is indeed challenging, and secondly, most farmers practice extensive farming.

It's not that they don't want to farm meticulously, but rather the field areas are too vast to manage well.

After the cycle of floods-war-floods-war, Shangruifo County's population only recovered to just over 150,000 this year.

Back when Horn was an accountant in High Castle City, there were 120,000 people in High Castle Town alone.

This year, under High Castle Town's jurisdiction, there are two Priestly Orders with about 80,000 people.

While Tree Hedge Village and Red Branch Village have merged, each has only one Priestly Order, and Honey River Town similarly has only one Priestly Order.

The two towns combined just over 70,000 people.

On average, almost each household has 130 acres of land, everyone is essentially a small landlord.

A family of five cannot possibly manage 130 acres of land; even if they forcibly farmed, it would be a waste of land.

Thus, there is town and village consolidation, controlling one household's four-field crop rotation land area at about 100 acres.

The excess 30 acres are basically used for planting all sorts of economic crops and raising cattle and sheep.

Of course, due to the convenience of river valleys' irrigation, in Shangruifo County's four-field crop rotation, winter wheat can be planted after legumes within a year, followed by autumn barley the next year, then turnips in the third year.

This means within the 100 acres, the proportion of food crop planting increased from 50 acres to 66 acres.

Under the four-field crop rotation system, a household in Shangruifo County can produce an average of 2,970 pounds of wheat and 3,630 pounds of barley a year.

Subtracting 1,500 pounds of wheat for rations (tax relief to attract the population), each household submits 147 pounds of tithing wheat, 290 pounds of barley, and 10 gallons of beer.

The Priestly Order in Laver Town totals 7,800 households, which is 570 tons of wheat, 1,100 tons of barley, and 325 tons of beer.

The old man with a limp slapped his thigh, "With such numbers, how to transport so much grain? And how to store so much grain and beer?"

"Then receive currency, of course."

"Farmers don't have currency at hand."

"Then let merchants purchase it."

"Merchants would force pressure on prices, equivalent to requiring more grain as the tax, turning good governance into bad governance."

"Then collect grain."

"...Are you even awake?" Staring at the guard who bickered all the way, the old man's eyes flickered with doubt and self-doubt for the first time.

But Alexei swiftly dispelled his doubts, "I get it now, let the Gratitude Market purchase grain for money... no, wait, it's still acquiring grain and shipping it, but where does the currency come in?"

"It's different now, the reason is simple, the tax collection period is short and the currency is light, while the grain purchase period is long and the grain is heavy."

Needless to say, Alexei is quite smart, quickly understanding the point.

That is, leaving tax grain with farmers, and when there's a demand for grain, the Gratitude Market just puts up a purchase sign.

EITHER small vendors OR the Hundred Households Captain organizes the Defensive Army to transport the grain to the Priest Town.

Farmers get money, then submit the money to the Hundred Households Captain and Town Hall during tax collection season.

Moreover, it's more flexible this way.

Because aside from grain submission, they can also exchange money with beer and self-produced agricultural goods.

For example, the oil press in Priest Town would sign agreements with nearby farmers to purchase rapeseed.

Besides grains, the Gratitude Market will also purchase a large amount of other products according to the town and upper-level market demands.

For instance, rapeseed oil, fresh vegetables, livestock meat, etc.

Although not all taxes are paid in currency, at least two-thirds of taxes are paid with currency.

"It's equivalent to transferring part of the storage and transportation costs to the farmers... but this way, grain prices are highly susceptible to market fluctuations..."

"At the end of last year, the Priest's divination association of the Holy Alliance will calculate this year's normal maximum and minimum grain prices.

Secondly, those collecting and selling grain without a food license are committing a serious illegal act, punishable by at least two years of imprisonment.

Finally, the Gratitude Market will build poverty relief storage near transportation hubs in the Hundred Households District, purchasing grain at slightly above market minimum prices.