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Chapter 136 - 136 104 Baojia System_1

136: Chapter 104, Baojia System_1 136: Chapter 104, Baojia System_1 The large group of people journeyed onward, garnering envy and jealousy along the way, especially as they entered Layton County, where they attracted countless gazes.

The Counts of Layton and Wharton, with their population exceeding ten thousand, belonged solely to the Hudson family.

This alone was enough to stir envy, but the current commotion drew even more resentment.

If it hadn’t been for the recent economic sanctions imposed by Earl Piers, the aftermath of which was still lingering, they might have even faced robbery en route.

But these thoughts were only harbored in secrecy.

The number of nobles powerful enough to rob this convoy was limited.

Unless it was a joint operation, any house contemplating an attack would need to thoroughly weigh the risks.

The issue was not whether they could succeed but the sizable cost they would have to pay.

Few could shoulder such a burden not to mention the fear of retaliation afterward.

Theoretically, the best approach would be to impose a toll tax, legally claiming a share of the profits.

The native nobles, out of consideration for public sentiment, couldn’t do this.

The Nobles of the North wouldn’t need to pay any respect to the “Divine Archery Knight”, but they were wary of the potential backlash.

The wave of economic sanctions had just subsided and the northern nobles who tried their strength don’t want a second round.

If anyone were to start robbing again, attracting neighboring lords to follow suit, it would surely backfire on them in the end.

The most tragic scenario would be if they didn’t make their toll collection and instead received a sound beating.

That would truly be a tragedy.

After all, on the Continent of Aslante, only the strong had the privilege to impose taxes, whilst the weak paid.

There was never an exception.

Particularly if you wished to collect taxes from nobles, your force had to be stronger than theirs.

Otherwise, it would be unlikely to collect any.

Even though Hudson’s logistical preparations were very comprehensive, the convoy still suffered two-digit casualties when they arrived at their territory.

This distance was only about four hundred miles, it was unimaginable how much those large-scale immigrants without any logistical support, had to pay for thousands of miles of journey.

Following the rules of the mercenary world, Hudson promptly paid out the stipulated contract money and delay fees, and bid farewell to the reluctantly departing knights.

With more people came more complications.

Although Hudson had prepared in advance and had promptly instructed his people to build houses, because the number of people greatly exceeded their expectations, in the end, serfs had to make do with temporary accommodations.

Housing was a minor issue.

As the lowest stratum of society, serfs never held high expectations.

As long as the homes provided shelter from the wind and rain, cramped living quarters were not a problem.

Besides, the difficulty was temporary.

The generous Master Hudson was never stingy about providing land for everyone to build houses.

Food stockpile was available, and a lot came with this wave of migration, so immediate concerns were minimal; Cookware could be produced locally and had never been in short supply; Firewood was abundant in the mountains, and even fallen leaves could be used as fuel which the serfs could easily gather themselves.

Material difficulties were essentially nonexistent.

The real problem caused by population growth was the challenge of management.

Without any hesitation, Hudson introduced the primitive Baojia system.

Households were used as basic units, managed by a head of household; ten households formed a “jia”, managed by a “jia” head; ten “jia” formed a “bao”, managed by a “bao” head.

Moving up the hierarchy, the only option was for the Manor House to take direct control.

There wasn’t a lack of trust among the serfs, but rather a dearth of capable administrators.

One talented enough to manage a hundred households was a rare find among the serfs, imposing additional responsibility on them could potentially lead to chaos.

After all, there were only about three thousand households in the entire territory.

By handling thirty-plus “bao” leaders, the administrative pressure on the Manor House was significantly eased.

The system of collective responsibility was undoubtedly implemented as well.

Each household was given a wooden sign that displayed the family’s headcount and occupational status.

Each household was obliged to register the whereabouts of anyone going out or having visitors with the “jia” head and “bao” head, reporting any suspicious persons to the Manor House.

All households jointly guaranteed one another, and if a family committed a crime not promptly reported, other households within the same “jia” or “bao” would share the punishment.

It was an unequivocally feudal system—the epitome of feudal governance.

However, Hudson had no time to ponder—having a system was better than none.

Looking at the behavior of the serfs, it was clear that they showed little resistance toward this excessively strict system.

For serfs, the majority of the restrictions within the system were virtually non-existent.

Unless summoned by the lord, most of them would never leave their territory from birth till death.

Their entire social circle and relationships were confined within the territory.

Everybody knew one other in their close-knit community.

The family education that they received since childhood led them to despise anything out of ordinary.

If not for the complex origins of the population in his realm, Hudson wouldn’t have bothered instituting this compliance system.

It wasn’t that the system was bad, but rather it was simply unnecessary to complicate things.

Under the closed economic model of the territory, if the lord can manage to keep people fed, order is assured.

Fixed social classes and long-term indoctrination curtail the development of the serf’s thoughts.

Once people become accustomed to their surroundings, it becomes difficult to venture beyond their cognition.

Hudson, concentrating on construction, naturally had no time for ideological revolution.

Changing the world is such a grand task, better left until he stands at the pinnacle of the world.