Chapter 587: Raising Money

"The Hetao is about to move!" Jiang Jiaquan took the military report from Sun Xiao of Dayan City in the Hetao. He was a little excited and a little nervous. He maintained the status quo of no rebellion and no war with the Yan State outside, helping the Zhao people to take Shannan County and isolate the Qin people. , formed a private alliance with Jiang Xinliang of Yuyang County, and did not hesitate to use war horses and weapons to stabilize this friend and enemy. Inside, they promoted agriculture and business, vigorously developed people's livelihood, accumulated wealth, accumulated food, and strengthened the army. , is to have a life-and-death fight with this powerful enemy in the east. If you win, the sky will be high and the sea will be wide. If you lose... Bah! Jiang Jiaquan spat heavily in his heart, how could the Eastern Expedition Army be defeated? Of course victory belongs to us.

Of course, faith is faith, and it must eventually return to reality. As a counselor, a chief auxiliary, he has done everything he should do in domestic and foreign affairs. Now it's up to the army to conquer the East.

From now on, the victory of this duel is no longer in his hands, but in the hands of the frontline soldiers, those soldiers who fight to the death.

What he can do now is to continuously send food, weapons, and soldiers to the front line.

"It's a little early!" Gao Yuan, the governor of Zhengdong Mansion, leaned in front of the sand table and looked at the hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers near Pioneer City. He felt regretful, "If we had waited another two months, what Xu Yuan would have planted today The food is about to be harvested. Now, if the war breaks out, these crops will be destroyed. That guy must be jumping around at this time! "

Seeing Gao Yuan's calm and unfazed face, Jiang Jiaquan felt that he had not cultivated his moral character enough. He was already so old and could not compare to the governor, a young man in his twenties. He was really ashamed. However, this was just what ordinary people did. The difference with Overlord, right?

"Indeed, if we survive this year, even if the Hetao area is still not self-sufficient, it will be no problem to bear more than 60% of its own food. It will ruin this season. Our harvest will be delayed for another year. The household department will be in deficit for another year!" Jiang Jiaquan nodded.

Gao Yuan laughed, "Did Wang Wu directly cry in front of you again? What does he want to do this time?"

"Wang Wucheng means to fight against Donghu. This is a national war. All the people under the Eastern Army, whether officials or civilians, must deal with it as one. He wants to levy a war tax." Jiang Jiaquan stroked his gray beard and said, "But the political affairs hall I feel that this is a serious matter and I don’t dare to make a rash decision, so I would like to ask for your guidance.”

"War tax?" Gao Yuan shook his head and said, "It's absolutely not feasible."

"This is just a stop-gap measure. Commander, Wang Wudi has been going crazy from poverty for more than a year. The constant influx of refugees who need to be resettled, the production of weapons, and the huge military expenditure are almost crushing him. We The agricultural tax in the area controlled by Zhengdong Mansion is extremely low, and it is completely unable to cope with this war by relying only on commercial taxes and the income from international trade. Wang Wu has been relying on the old foundation to support it. That's it." Jiang Xingquan said: "We will levy a war tax and wait until Donghu is defeated before canceling it. Zhengdong Mansion is currently in financial difficulty.

The people under the rule should also bear the responsibility as one! "

"Today there is a war with Donghu, you levy a war tax, and tomorrow there is a war with Yan State, will you continue to levy it?" Gao Yuan shook his head and said: "If you use this excuse to levy a new tax for anything, that is a bad way. This is absolutely unacceptable.”

"If we can't collect taxes, where will the money come from? The battle with Donghu is long-lasting and cannot be won in one or two years. We can barely survive this year. What about next year?"

"As long as we survive this year, things will be better next year." Gao Yuan said with a smile: "We have been developing Jishi City for several years. The three-year tax exemption agreed with the people at the beginning will expire next year. As time goes by, our wealth will become more abundant. You must know that Zhengdong Prefecture now has millions of people under its jurisdiction. Western Liaoning is still the bulk of our tax revenue, but next year, Hejian County will also be able to make a contribution. "Wu Cian is an extremely competent official. I predict that this year and the first half of next year will be our most difficult period. After this time limit, things will get better day by day."

"But how can we survive this period of time?" Jiang Jiaquan frowned.

"Borrow!" Gao Yuan raised his eyebrows.

"borrow?"

"Yes, borrow, borrow from the private sector, borrow from the merchant gentry." Gao Yuan said with a smile: "In the name of Zhengdong Mansion, we will issue bonds and grant them three-cent interest, and the time limit is three years."

"Bond?"

"Yes, the bond is to borrow money from the private sector with Zhengdong Mansion's credit as a guarantee." Gao Yuan said. Gao Yuan briefly explained to Jiang Xingquan what a debt instrument was. Jiang Xingquan understood the meaning immediately, and it was not unfamiliar. In this era, it was not uncommon for kings to borrow money from wealthy businessmen and feudal lords. But that was all in the name of an individual. This was the first time he had ever heard of borrowing money in the name of the government.

"Do the people buy it?" Jiang Jiaquan was a little worried.

"First of all, it depends on whether the people under my Zhengdong Mansion have confidence in my Zhengdong Mansion. If you have confidence, you believe that in the coming year, you can take it back with interest. If you don't believe it, you won't be able to sell it. "Gao Yuan laughed, "Secondly, it depends on the efficiency of your political affairs hall."

Jiang Jiaquan thought about it for a few times and then understood Gao Yuan's intention, "I understand, Governor, how many of these bonds are we going to issue at one time?"

"It's your first time, don't do too much. One million taels of debt is enough. It's enough to support half a year's war. With the original foundation, it can still sustain a one-year war."

"What about this time next year?"

"Discover new debts!"

“But this year’s debt hasn’t been repaid yet. If new debt is issued, who will buy it?”

"Then let's pay back the old ones first, and then give out the new ones!" Gao Yuan said with a smile: "Next year we will give out three million taels. Not only can we pay off this year's ones with the original letter and letter, but we can also have a balance of more than one million taels. ”

"Three million taels?" Jiang Jiaquan swallowed. Now the two counties under the jurisdiction of Zhengdong Mansion still have huge grasslands, and their annual income is not three million taels. This amount is a bit too scary. "If we can't pay it back when it's due, it will collapse. I'm afraid it will cause chaos."

"As long as everything goes well in the war, there is no need to worry about this. In this year's battle with Donghu, we will be passively defensive. We only need to defend Pioneer City, Tongwan City, and Dayan City. By this time next year, the horn of counterattack will sound. Jiang Yizheng, when we counterattack into the east bank of the Liao River, I guarantee that your three million debt will be robbed, because by that time, no one will doubt that we can't repay the debt, I'm afraid we will. If you can’t buy this bond, with an annual interest rate of three cents, where can you find such a good thing? And with my Zhengdong Mansion’s endorsement, everyone will rush to do it.”

"The key is still on the battlefield. If the fight goes smoothly, everything will be there. If the fight doesn't go smoothly, there will be trouble." Jiang Xingquan murmured.

"So, I'm going to leave for the Hetao." Gao Yuan reached out and knocked on the sand table. "After all, Sun Xiao has never commanded such a big war. Without me in charge, I'm afraid they will be in a hurry."

"If the Commander-in-Chief goes to the Loop in person, then my bonds will definitely be easy to sell. Who doesn't know that the Commander-in-Chief is a military god, victorious in every battle, and never defeated?" Jiang Jiaquan's confidence suddenly increased.

Gao Yuan laughed, "It's just rumors spread out there, but you actually believe it? How can a general in this world be victorious? If I were really such a person, I wouldn't have fled from Jicheng in embarrassment and lost my troops in Donghu. This The battle is very painful!”

"It is indeed more difficult. We are fighting for the big with a small amount, but if we succeed, it will be a matter of ten thousand profits!" Jiang Jiaquan said.

"At this stage, the Hetao Plain is the main one, but Helanxiong also needs to open up his posture to attract the strength of the Donghu people. Opposite him is the Agu tribe. This tribe has some problems with Thorpe, so we can take advantage of it. Gao Yuan said: "The Niulan Mountain camp is backed by Fufeng, so we have no worries about logistics or replenishment of soldiers. But on the way to Hetao, we must be extremely careful about logistics. Once something goes wrong, it will be a disaster." "

"This battle is no small matter. Tiancheng Yiyou has been coordinating the army's logistics. Later, he retired to avoid suspicion. Will he be invited back this time to help temporarily and take over this task?"

Gao Yuan shook his head: "Now that you have retreated, don't let him get involved again, otherwise it will only cause controversy. As for how to do it, you can discuss it with Yan Shenghao and Wang Wuyi!"

"I understand." Jiang Jiaquan nodded. "As for money, in addition to bonds, I think you can also borrow money from Jiang Xinliang and Zilan. You can borrow as much as you want."

"Okay, no one wants too much money, as long as you can borrow it!" Gao Yuan said with a smile.

In the backyard, Ye Jing'er was packing some personal items for Gao Yuan with tears in her eyes. Seeing her coming and going with her big belly, Gao Yuan was a little unbearable, "Jing'er, there is nothing to worry about. Didn't you say that I am A victorious general, I will be back soon."

Ye Jing'er turned around and looked at Gao Yuan, "You lied to me again. Dong Hu is not an easy enemy to deal with. If you go away, you won't be able to come back in a short time!" She gently stroked the high bulge. Lower abdomen, "It's not that I'm worried about you, I just feel sorry for my child. When he is born, you will definitely not be around. "

Gao Yuan stood up with a smile and gently held Ye Jing'er in his arms, "I will use each victory as a gift to the child we will be born."

"Doctor Qiu said that my pregnancy will definitely be a boy." Ye Jing'er looked up at Gao Yuan and whispered.

Gao Yuan chuckled in his heart. In this era, you can tell whether the fetus is male or female just by diagnosing the pulse. Naturally, you have to use a mask. Both left and right have a 50% accuracy rate. Qiu Debao knows Ye Jing'er's thoughts. Of course he has to guess the boy. Is it difficult? Couldn't it be said that it was the girl who made Ye Jing'er hate him?

"I have asked Zhang Yi's wife Cuihua to come in and take care of you. She is also an old man in the house. She has given birth to children and has experience. I can rest assured that she will take care of you." Gao Yuan said with a smile.

"Yes!" Ye Jing'er nodded, "Bring Yanzi with you!"

"Ah?" Gao Yuan didn't react for a moment.

"Take Yanzi with you!" Ye Jing'er said quietly: "She is not as powerful as Jing'er. She has great martial arts skills. By following you, in addition to being your bodyguard, she can also take care of your daily life. Women, always have to be careful.”