WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Medieval Heretic King is Too Good at Developing ◈

Chapter 75: The Peasant King (5)

──────

The audience chamber was heavy with silence.

It was so quiet that not even breathing could be heard.

The nobles who had been shouting about God's order and the rights of the aristocracy moments ago had lost all their spirit.

With their heads bowed, they stared at the floor, their expressions a mixture of submission and humiliation.

As I looked over the crowns of their heads, I thought to myself.

'This should be enough.'

A frightened dog bites its owner when cornered.

If I crushed them any further, terror might drive them to take extreme measures. Rebellion, perhaps. Assassination.

No matter how much I commanded the army and cannons, I couldn't run a country after turning every noble in it into my enemy.

I'd cracked the whip enough. Now it was time to offer them a carrot.

"Don't worry too much."

I leaned back on the throne and softened my voice to ease the atmosphere.

"I am the King of Bohemia. Just as the peasant tilling a field is one of my people, all of you who govern your domains are also Bohemian subjects under my care."

"......?"

"Do you think I issued this edict to starve you to death? You're wrong. I intend to show you a new way to survive amid the great waves of change."

The nobles, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly raised their heads. A faint hope appeared in their eyes.

"A new way, Your Majesty...?"

"There are countless ways. You simply can't see them because you're bound by old customs."

Then, a portly southern noble who had been watching from the end of the line raised a hand as though they had made up their mind.

"Your Majesty! There is something I wish to ask!"

"Speak."

"Through your edict, Your Majesty said you would distribute land to the people of Bohemia. Then... does that mean those who are not Bohemian subjects are excluded from its benefits?"

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Legally speaking, yes."

"Then I have a splendid solution!"

The noble looked around at the others and proudly declared, "I hear German refugees fleeing the war in the Empire are pouring in near the border. Most of them are exhausted by hunger and would do anything for a piece of bread."

Their voice grew louder.

"They are not subjects of Bohemia! Therefore, they are not covered by Your Majesty's land distribution edict. Why not bring those Germans in and have them fill the empty fields on our estates?"

Exclamations broke out among the nobles.

"Oh...! What an excellent idea!"

"Exactly! They're drifters with nowhere else to go. They'll be grateful if we simply feed and house them!"

"We won't need to give them land, and we can work them cheaply. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Voices of agreement sprang up from every side.

"Your Majesty! Please grant us the refugees at the border!"

"We will take in those poor souls and have them plow our fields!"

I watched the spectacle in silence.

Their mouths spoke of charity, but greed gleamed in their eyes.

'What a creatively vile way of thinking.'

They saw human beings as replaceable parts.

Since they could no longer exploit their own people, they wanted to enslave foreigners instead.

I let out a deep sigh and spoke.

"That is not permitted."

At my firm refusal, the nobles' faces stiffened again.

"B-But why? They are not Bohemian subjects, and they are on the verge of starving to death. Wouldn't it benefit everyone if we took them in?"

"Have you forgotten why those who fled the Empire escaped in the first place?"

My rebuke cut through the chamber.

"They crossed the border in search of freedom because they could no longer endure tyranny and exploitation. And now you want to replace the German lord's leash around their necks with a Bohemian lord's leash? I'm sure they'd be delighted."

Only the source of oppression would change. If they were forced into the same life of slavery, where would the arrows of their anger be aimed?

Bohemia, not Germany, would burn.

'Besides, why would I hand such valuable manpower over to the nobles?'

Labor had practically walked in through the door.

They were industrial workers who needed to run factories in Sternberg, mine coal, and lay roads.

I had no intention of letting such precious human resources rot away in the nobles' wheat fields.

"B-But then, Your Majesty! What will become of our estates?"

The Count of Plzeň cried out with a miserable expression.

"The tenant farmers are leaving, and you won't allow us to use the refugees... Are you telling us to leave those vast fields abandoned? Do you truly wish to see my land become a wasteland covered in weeds?"

"That's right! How can we farm without people?"

I rebuked the clamoring nobles.

"Then don't farm."

"Pardon...?"

Their eyes widened as though they might pop out.

Don't farm?

To landowners, that was no different from telling them to starve to death.

"Your Majesty, surely you aren't telling us to starve..."

"Of course not. If you lack people, then do work that doesn't require people."

"Work that... doesn't require people?"

I nodded.

"Raise sheep."

The nobles stared blankly at me.

"Sheep... Your Majesty?"

"Yes. Livestock farming. And not only sheep. Let cattle, pigs, and horses graze on the empty land left behind by the tenant farmers."

I began explaining the new business model to them.

"Think about it. To grow wheat, you need at least a hundred workers to plow the fields, sow seeds, weed, and harvest. But what do you need to raise a hundred sheep?"

I raised one finger.

"One shepherd and one smart dog. That's enough."

"......!"

It was a solution already proven by history.

The Enclosure Movement that would occur in England in the sixteenth century.

It was the social phenomenon that prompted Thomas More's lament, "Sheep eat men," as lords drove peasants from their farmland, fenced it off, and raised sheep.

At the time, it had been a brutal process of capital accumulation that drove farmers from their land. Yet applied to Bohemia's current circumstances, it became a remarkably effective solution.

The peasants were leaving to become independent farmers.

The lords left behind lacked workers.

All they had to do was shift land use from labor-intensive agriculture to land-intensive livestock farming.

"Besides, there is no comparison when it comes to profitability."

I tossed out bait to stir their greed.

"Wheat is finished once it's harvested, but sheep produce wool every year. You can milk them and make cheese, and their meat sells for a high price. Above all, the most profitable product is wool."

High-quality wool was exactly what merchants from Venice were desperately seeking.

Fifteenth-century Europe stood on the verge of explosive growth in the textile industry.

Weaving workshops in the Netherlands and Italy always suffered from shortages of raw materials. Wool was no different from white gold.

Yet the nobles still looked uncertain. The Count of Plzeň spoke with a troubled expression.

"I understand what Your Majesty means, but... where are we supposed to get sheep right now? Sheep and cattle are expensive. It will take an enormous amount of initial capital to fill the land with so many animals."

It wasn't wrong.

Livestock were costly assets, and when winter came, there was always the risk of having to slaughter them because of a shortage of feed. His hesitation was only natural.

But.

"I'm not telling you to buy sheep immediately."

"Pardon?"

"Until this year ends, persuade the remaining tenant farmers and finish the harvest somehow. I will need that much time to distribute the land as well. But once this winter passes and next spring arrives, Bohemia's livestock market will enjoy an unprecedented boom."

The nobles asked in confusion.

"A boom in the livestock market? What will be different this year?"

"Because of the new farming method I will introduce. Livestock that grow through the winter eating turnips without starving will breed, and their numbers will explode. Cattle and sheep that would otherwise have been slaughtered will flood the market."

"T-Turnips...?"

I spoke with certainty.

"When supply rises, prices fall. That is the law of the market. By next spring, you will be able to buy high-quality ewes and cows for half their current price. Then you can release livestock onto the empty land."

The nobles began whispering among themselves.

Cheap livestock.

If it was true, the burden of initial investment would fall sharply.

Still, one suspicious southern lord narrowed their eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, lower prices would be welcome, but where will we sell all the wool and hides produced in such quantities? If merchants from Venice don't arrive in time, the goods will rot in our warehouses. Won't the burden of that inventory fall entirely on us?"

It was a sharp question.

Entering a business without a secure market was no different from gambling.

"Don't worry about that. I'll buy it all."

"Your Majesty will?"

"Yes. The Crown will purchase the entire output."

As though I had been waiting for the question, I continued.

"I will soon establish a large textile mill in Sternberg. Not something as small as turning a few spinning wheels. I plan to operate water-powered spinning machines using the force of the river and produce enough cloth to dress the entire kingdom, with plenty left over."

I waved my hands as if sketching a massive factory in the air.

"A factory needs raw materials. A great deal of them. So the wool, hides, and even animal fat that you produce, I will buy it all at the established market price."

"All of it?"

"All of it."

At the King's guarantee that he would purchase all of their output, greed immediately gleamed in the nobles' eyes.

They only had to produce without worrying about sales?

It wasn't a business opportunity. It was a privilege.

"Supplying the Crown... that changes things."

"If it requires less labor and sales are guaranteed... it's worth trying."

"No, it may be better than farming. We won't need to worry about droughts!"

It was almost possible to hear the clicking of abacuses in their minds.

I pressed the advantage.

"That is not all. You don't need to cling to livestock farming alone. Since labor has become scarce, why not try entirely new crops? What about grape cultivation?"

"G-Grapes?"

"Yes. The southern hills may not be suited to wheat farming, but aren't they ideal for growing grapes?"

Bohemia was a country of beer.

Yet nobles, the Church, and the wealthy still preferred wine.

"Who says only the French and Italians can make wine? Cultivate vineyards on the sunny southern slopes. Wine sells for a far higher price than barley."

I raised another finger.

"Forestry would also be good. Sternberg's Blast furnace always needs charcoal and lumber. If you manage forests and supply high-quality timber, that too will bring you enormous wealth."

I looked over the gathered nobles and declared solemnly.

"The times have changed. The way land is used must change as well. I don't want my subjects to wither away clinging only to old wheat fields. The Crown promises generous support to those who do not fear change."

Murmur, murmur.

The nobles gathered together and began whispering.

This time, they were discussing excitedly rather than complaining.

"Those tenant farmers only consume food and never listen anyway... If we send them all away and raise sheep instead..."

"Almost no labor costs, and the Crown will buy all of it? It's practically making money without lifting a finger."

"If we're raising sheep, we must start by putting up fences. I should speak to a timber merchant."

The anger and resentment vanished from their faces, replaced by anticipation of new profits.

It was a far more elegant way to make money than struggling with tenant farmers and squeezing taxes from them. They could hire a few shepherds, release flocks of sheep, and supply the Crown.

After a while.

Cenek of Vartemberk stepped forward again as their representative. His once-stiff expression had softened like melting spring snow.

"Your Majesty's foolish servants failed to understand your profound intentions and, blinded by immediate profit, committed disloyalty. Your insight, telling us to send away tenant farmers and fill the empty land with sheep and grapes... can only be called Solomon's wisdom."

Cenek bowed respectfully.

"We can only be moved by your mercy in opening our eyes to our foolishness and opening a path to survival. In accordance with Your Majesty's will, we Bohemian nobles shall actively take part in these new farming methods and industries."

The nobles lined up behind him all bowed at once.

"Long live King Ulrich, the sun of Bohemia!"

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

Praise filled the audience chamber.

I looked down at their bent backs with a faint smile.

They did not know.

When the wool they so carefully raised was processed in my factory and generated immense added value, they would be reduced to subcontractors supplying me with raw materials.

It was the moment feudal lords became parts of capitalism.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried