Chapter-17 A long Discussion

After the work, Otto took a rest for some time.

When he felt that he had recovered from his tiredness, he called his butler, Michael, to his room.

"What is your order, Your Highness?" Michael asked.

"I want to visit Alexandros Mavrokordatos," Otto said. "Since you are going to accompany me, prepare some common civilian clothes for you and me. I want to do this visit without any hype. Let the royal guards also accompany us in civilian clothes."

Michael bowed. "Of course, Your Highness. I will have the clothes ready shortly."

"Your Highness," Michael urged, "I advise you to take an ordinary carriage instead of walking on foot. The roads are not in good condition, and it would be much more comfortable to travel by carriage."

"I appreciate your concern, Michael," Otto persistently said, "but I would like to walk. I want to see the people and the countryside."

"But Your Highness, it is not safe to walk ," Michael said.

"It will be fine," Otto said. "I have my guards with me."

Michael bowed. "Very well, Your Highness. I will have the clothes ready shortly."

Some time later, Otto and Michael were dressed in simple civilian clothes. Otto wore a white shirt, a black vest, a brown fustanella, and black leather shoes. Michael wore a white shirt, a black vest, a brown waistcoat, and black leather shoes. The royal guards also wore simple civilian clothes, consisting of white shirts, black vests, brown trousers, and black leather shoes.

The group set out for Mavrokordatos's house. The royal guards blended into civilians to protect Otto and Michael. When he was walking, he saw the overall situation of the roads. The roads were not well-maintained, and they were often bumpy and dusty. The people they passed were dressed in simple clothing, and they seemed to be going about their daily lives. Some of them stopped to stare at the group, but most of them just kept walking.

As they got closer to Mavrokordatos's house, they could see that it was a large and impressive building. It was surrounded by a high wall, and there were guards posted at the gate. The group was admitted to the house, and they were greeted by Mavrokordatos himself.

Otto and Mavrokordatos talked for several hours. They discussed the political situation in Greece, and they also talked about their personal lives. Otto was glad that he had decided to visit Mavrokordatos in civilian clothes. It allowed them to have a more relaxed and informal conversation.

When it was time to leave, Otto thanked Mavrokordatos for his hospitality.

"I am glad I came to visit you in civilian clothes," he said. "It was much more enjoyable than a formal visit."

Mavrokordatos smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he said. "Please come back and visit me again soon."

Otto then said ,

"I hope you will not forget your words, Mavrokordatos."

Mavrokordatos gave him a light bow and said,

"I dare not, Your Highness. I will take the position of Foreign Minister. But I also hope that you will grant us a way out tomorrow."

Otto and his group left Mavrokordatos's house. As they walked back, Otto thought about the conversation he had just had. He was glad that he had been able to talk to Mavrokordatos in a more relaxed and informal setting. He felt that he had a better understanding of Mavrokordatos's views, and he also got the confidence that they could work together to improve the situation in Greece.

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The next day morning

Otto was sitting in his seat in the massive hall room. His ministers were seated around him, each in their designated spot. Alexandros Mavrokordatos had honored Otto's invitation and joined them.They were now waiting for the invited family heads to arrive.

Moments later, the family heads entered the hall room.

Otto stood up and welcomed the family heads. He thanked them for coming, and he explained the purpose of the meeting.

"As you know," Otto said. "Our country has been struggling economically for many years. One of the main reasons for this is the unequal distribution of land. We know that a small number of wealthy families own most of the land, while most of the people are landless. The government also gave them a lot of land because of their contribution to the independence of our country. At that time, we never expected that this would lead to poverty and inequality in our country. We have also learned from a recent analysis that this unequal distribution of land has already become an obstacle to the growth of Greece."

Then Otto called Minister of finance, Augustinos Kapodistrias

"Minister of finance, give everyone of them one copy of those reports."

Augustinos complied with his words and delivered them the reports. The family heads listened to Otto's words, they also saw those properly but they did not look happy. Because if the words of the report were true then they needed to give up a lot of lands which could decrease their property and influence throughout the whole country.

"We understand your concerns, Your Majesty," said Stavros Kanaris, little brother of Greek diplomat Konstantinos Kanaris and one of the family heads. "However, we do not believe that land reform is the answer. We have worked hard to build our businesses and acquire our land. We do not believe that it is fair for us to be forced to give it up."

"We understand your concerns, Mr. Kanaris," Otto said. "However, we believe that land reform is necessary for the long-term health of our country. We are not asking you to give up all of your land. We are simply asking you to give up some of it so that others can have a chance to own land."

"But Your Majesty, what about our taxes?" said Boris Kountouriotes, another family head. "We already pay a high rate of taxes. If we give up land, we will have to pay even more taxes. This will make it even harder for us to do business."

"We understand your concerns, Mr. Kountouriotes," Otto said with a smile, " We have been thinking about making a tax rate of 82% for you all, since you all have highest amounts of lands in your hands. However, we are willing to make a compromise. We will reduce the tax rate on land from 80% to 60%. But you also need to give up 66% of the total lands in your hands. This will give you some relief, but it will still allow us to raise enough revenue to fund the land reforms."

The family heads looked at each other, and then they turned back to Otto.

"We are willing to consider your proposal, Your Majesty," said Alexandros Mavrokordatos."However, we would like to see the details of the land reform plan before we make a final decision."

"Of course, Mr. Mavrokordatos," Otto turned towards him and said. "That's why we are here together."

"We would also like to know what will happen to the land that we give up," said Constantinus Ypsilantis, another family head. "Will it be redistributed to the poor? Or will it be sold to the highest bidder?"

" Mr. Ypsilantis, the land will be redistributed to the poor. Some lands also will be used for governmental projects. " Otto said. "We believe that this is the best way to ensure that everyone has a chance to own land."

"We agree that land reform is necessary, Your Majesty," said Alexis Voulgaris, another family head. "However, we believe that 66% is too much land to give up. We would be willing to give up 40% of our land."

"We understand your concerns, Mr. Voulgaris," Otto said. "However, we believe that 66% is the minimum amount of land that we need to collect enough revenue to fund the land reforms."

The family heads argued back and forth for a long time. Finally, they agreed to give up 58% of their land and pay 60% of their income in taxes. This was a major concession, but they believed that it was necessary to ensure the future of Greece. They also pledged to support Kingdom of Greece when the necessity would arise.

However, the reforms also caused some resentment among some the wealthy landowners. This resentment would eventually lead to some political instability in Greece which will give Otto some headaches in the future.

The land reforms were a major step forward for Greece. They helped to reduce poverty and inequality, and they also helped to create a more stable and prosperous society.

The land reforms were a complex and controversial issue. However, they were ultimately a success.

The land reforms were a major turning point in Greek history. They helped to create a more equitable society, and they also helped to lay the foundation for Greece's future economic prosperity.