108 Financial Troubles (1/2)
Although ice cream was very important to Corco on a personal level, for now, there were other, more serious issues to tackle. For example, his early implementation of bureaucracy was beginning to show its first troubling symptoms.
”King Corco, we cannot keep spending like this!”
Over the past few days, Corco had been on the run. Although he had cut his meeting about the new city layout short and escaped to Chukru, the second flank island of Rapra Castle, the accountants from the financial bureau had expected his move and passed him off as soon as he had left his study. Now he had to deal with their representative, again.
”Why not?” the king asked. ”The economy needs to be stimulated and our public works projects are doing wonders for money circulation.”
Without turning back to look at the annoying fly, Corco rushed past the new buildings made from wood and concrete. He really liked the new constructions, even though the black smoke in the distant sky stained the serene image. Still, the new foundry experiments were a core of Corco's modernization efforts, so there really was no way around the pollution.
”...King Corco, no matter how good your intentions, we are wasting far too much gold on these projects. The new roads might be nice to look at, but they are extremely wasteful. Our officials only need to visit these villages once a year to collect taxes, they do not require outstanding roads to take complete control of... the countryside.”
Throughout his speech, the clerk's voice had retained its self-righteous tone. However, towards the end he had begun to falter, in response to the king's actions. Rather than continue on towards the plume of smog in the distance, Corco had stopped dead in his tracks, annoyed by the constant bickering. This whole time he had tried to brush off the loudmouths of the financial bureau. Not only did he in fact want for his subjects to disagree with him, to offer their own ideas for the benefit of the country, he had also tried to create a harmonious atmosphere within his bureaucracy and done his best to avoid regal overtones.
Clearly, his attempts had failed, and now there were insubordinations he had to rectify before it was too late. His mind made up, Corco turned on his heels and stared at the silenced clerk, long enough for the man to squirm around and avert his eyes. Only then did Corco continue with a grim mien.
”So, from a financial perspective, you believe that the roads, the semaphore towers and the water wheels along the big rivers are a waste? They're the start of our industrial revolution, so how can they be useless? You work in the same building as the urban planning bureau. How have you not heard any of our plans for the territory? And if you have heard them, you can't seriously believe that we're just wasting money here, that these plans are unrealistic. In agriculture alone, we'll get an eighty percent increase in cultivated farmland over the next five years, and that's a conservative estimate. We'll triple the productive output per worker, be they farmer or craftsman. How will we achieve any of this if we don't invest early!? You want us to be stuck in this fucking swamp forever!? This is crazy!”
Animated by Corco's hands, the words of insult fired towards the stunned clerk, without remorse.
”King Corco... I never intended to be rude and the financial bureau is well aware of all the plans being worked on within the territory. However... there is simply not enough money. At this rate, we will run out of gold within months, maybe even weeks if our spending increases further... there needs to be more consideration for this issue. We are spending far too much on far too many separate ideas. While all of them might have been useful by themselves, none of them will be of any value with an empty treasury.”
”So what are we supposed to get rid of then?” Corco asked, another intense stare attacking the hapless servant. ”You want me to cut the new military?”
”Of course not, but their remuneration is far too generous. No army in Arcavia-”
”We're not in Arcavia anymore!” Frustration broke its dam as Corco began to rub his face and stare out into the new town around them. ”Fuck me, this is annoying. Look, here in Medala, things are different. Here, we don't have soldiers, or mercenaries, or levies. We only have warriors. Warriors are revered as the ruling class. You can't pay them like a levied Arcavian peasant. If you try, no one will fight for us and no one will respect us. In the first place, a standing army might be expensive, but it's necessary to facilitate central rule. Like, I mean, it's literally the one common good any country needs to provide at the bare minimum. There is literally no way around this.”
For some reason, the accountant stared right at Corco once more. Somehow, the warrior servant seemed to have found his spine, as he righted his posture and got louder himself, in defiance of the king.
”Then what about the payment to the prisoners? Their rations are excessive as is, both in quality and quantity. We ran out of food a good while ago. Only due to the good graces of Puscanacra's governor could we even buy enough grain and meat to sustain our work force until now. However, even these ludicrous rations are not the full extent of their payment. No, on top of all the food, these prisoners, these traitors, also receive a regular wage every ten days, to do with as they see fit. Why would we waste our money on slaves?”
Under a shattering sound, Corco kicked straight through a window frame which had leaned against the unfinished house besides them. His anger fully ignited by his clerk's poor choice of words, no considerations would hold him back anymore.
”Who's a fucking slave! There are no slaves here, there never will be and never have been!Not so long as I'm alive, you hear that!? That's why we pay them so much, because they are not fucking slaves, get that into your thick skull you dumb fuck! You know that those people have families too? How will they support themselves if they make no fucking money for five years? You know that we have four thousand prisoners at the moment? And that those guys used to live in Saniya? That's a third of Saniya's citizens right there! You expect me to just take away their rights and fucking enslave them?
”What will their families think, and their friends, and acquaintances!? Which, considering those four thousand also make up 5% of Chawir's entire population, is just about everyone! How would we ever rule in peace if everyone's cousin and uncle is our fucking slave!? How about maybe, just for one second, you stop thinking about the money in your hand and think about the fucking people instead. How about, for once, you don't consider your own job the center of the universe! Because while your job might not be, at least in this place, mine is.”
As Corco's rant blew away his usual restraint, all nicety and calm left the king with it, his choleric demeanor returned once more. Even though the clerk couldn't possibly know whether or not Corco's outburst was real or a calculated move to gain back respect back from the arrogant financial bureau, neither option was desirable to him. Step by step the middle-aged clerk backed up, until his back hit the waist-high wall of the unfinished house behind him. The terrified man leaned backwards, his back arching over the concrete wall, under the curious stares of workers in the distance. Once more, the accountant's eyes turned to the side, away from the king's vicious stare.