bookcurios Chapter 150 Ways to Make Money
Chapter 150 Ways to Make Money
When Yelu Qi woke up, it was already noon.
"Where am I?" Yelu Qi murmured.
"Head, we are on our way to escape to the grassland."
"Have they all escaped?"
"Captain, while you were unconscious, we had nearly 30,000 men. Suddenly, an army of about 20,000 men arrived and surrounded the previous 20,000. We fought hard to break through the encirclement, and that's how we managed to keep 10,000 of our brothers here."
"Li Weize and... forget it, let's go to the grassland to find our tribe!"
In this battle, Yelu Qi was defeated. He had been cutting through thorns and bushes all the way and was invincible wherever his sword pointed. But for some reason, when they were about to reach Chang'an, they were faced with a ruined city like Jingyang and were unexpectedly defeated.
In this battle, Yan Ruxiang was also deified, and the generals who had previously turned against their side were also held accountable.
This is not what Yan Ruxiang should think about.
Yanqing Prefecture was recaptured, and Yan Ruxiang was officially named the General of the Escort Flag, commanding 50,000 troops. He was also appointed the General garrisoning Yanqing Prefecture, with 20,000 troops.
A few years later, Yan Ruxiang made many military achievements at the border and was finally transferred to Chang'an, becoming the commander-in-chief of both places.
It is equivalent to the position of commander-in-chief of the army group.
Li Weize and Connie Qiwa went north and came to Liangzhou, so they simply established a country there and named it Liang State.
At that time, there was no buffer zone on the border of Qin, and a small country with a population of tens of thousands appeared across the border. No one cared about it. Just establish diplomatic relations, and the letter of credence only reached Qin and was not spread outside.
Everything is as it was yesterday, the past events are still vivid in my mind.
Yan Ruxiang withdrew his thoughts and looked at the three people in the prefectural hall. Just like when he met the Jingyang garrison commander, they all looked glorious on the surface.
In fact, if they had not looked down upon his achievements, it would not have been his turn to serve as the garrison general in Yanqing Prefecture.
"I came here today to get the military pay for the 100,000 men of the border army, as well as the equipment for the government troops. If another fight breaks out, the crappy stuff they have won't be able to withstand a single round of attack."
What he said was all true, and Sima Ling knew it very well.
"General Yan, you and I are both old men in Qin. I think you know better than me what's in the Chang'an prefectural treasury. The prefect can't even make a living just relying on that little head tax."
As she spoke, she pretended to cry and wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeves.
Seeing this, Zhao Qin thought to himself, if the leaders of a region are like this, what can I, the King of Qin, do?
"Old General, do you have any good ideas? I support everything you do, as long as it doesn't disturb the people."
"King Qin, the Xingyang and Bingzhou expressways are now under guard. I heard that the Chang'an Prefecture soldiers also have a stake. So, should the road from Chang'an to Yanqing Prefecture be taken over by our border troops and the prefectural soldiers?"
"There is such a thing?" It was the first time that Zhao Qin heard of it. If the prefectural government could conceal this matter, there must be a benefit.
"Oh, King Qin, this is what happened. It started with a letter from Xingyang. The person who took the lead in this matter was the legitimate wife and the prince consort. The emperor issued an edict to all places for support.
I originally thought it wouldn't cost money, but I didn't expect the prefect would have to pay for the construction of the post station. In the end, this money would be converted into shares, and the prefect would profit, as would the soldiers sent out. They would all get dividends in the future."
Sima Ling said this in one breath, his tone tinged with nervousness.
Seeing this, Kong Sijin added, "What Sima said is right. I originally thought it was just a water drift, but I didn't expect it to be a spiral drift. I have seen the return of money. Compared with the cost, it may not be much, but such income will pay back within three years."
After hearing their explanation, Zhao Qin turned around and looked at Yan Ruxiang and asked, "Do you mean we can do this?"
Sima Ling heard this and said, "We've thought about it this year. Building roads isn't cheap. They're building an expressway, and it seems carriages can't pass through. Even if we pay the toll, the transportation cost is much cheaper."
"Yes." Kong Sijin interrupted, "They have a transportation group, and their transportation costs are half as cheap as those of the escort agency. When they encounter a waybill that requires additional bodyguards, the freight is higher, but it is only the same as the cost of a normal escort."
"Then it can't be done according to your idea?" Zhao Qin felt a little discouraged after hearing what the two said.
"We can follow General Yan's suggestion and build post stations in various sections. Then, the government soldiers from each section can participate in the escort and charge a small fee. After all, the government soldiers are idle in the barracks anyway."
"It seems this is the best solution. What do you think, General Yan?"
"Your Highness is right, but I think the tariff should be raised. The tariff for outbound travel is still 40%."
"Huh? What's going on, Sima?" Zhao Qin couldn't stand not making money.
"King Qin, this is in accordance with past practice. Qin is a poor land. If the customs duties are too high, they will choose to go somewhere cheaper."
"Sir, the most expensive tax rate right now is 10%, and the normal rate is 16%. Ours is a bit ridiculously cheap. The most important thing is that it's such a remote place, and the officials collecting taxes don't even have enough to cover their salaries. Is it really necessary to station people there?"
Yan Ruxiang's words were heartbreaking, and his implication was that how could it be possible that the taxes collected by the tax officials were not enough to cover their salaries?
Zhao Qin obviously understood the hidden meaning.
"Ahem, well, there's no need for a full-time tax collector for this kind of tax. General Yan, let the border troops do it. We'll approve a figure, and you can just pay it according to the approved amount."
This is the fixed amount of tax payment, a typical new tax evasion law. Although Yan Ruxiang did not understand it, he could see the King of Qin's intention.
"I will definitely get this done."
Looking at Yan Ruxiang who was saluting, Zhao Qin nodded and said, "I am confident that you can handle the affairs of the General. I will write a letter to the Ministry of War later to urge them to do so."
Yan Ruxiang understood the meaning of the words, and from now on he would be the King of Qin's man.
Sima Ling suddenly lost a way to make money, and he felt extremely angry.
"Sir, some things cannot be kept. After all, things that belong to the master are only truly owned when the master gives them into your pocket. Things that are obtained through trickery will have to be returned sooner or later."
"I just can't accept that after running this for so many years, the result is..."
"So what if you're unwilling? The emperor has changed, and the prince has grown up. With your assistance, we can eventually make a good ending."
"We'll see when the time comes. I really can't bear to give it away like this..."
Kong Sijin looked at the stubborn Sima Ling, shook her head helplessly, and walked away staggeringly.
"It seems I need to leave myself a way out. He'll just go down this path and end up in a dead end. That boy has grown up, and it's only a matter of time before he takes action."
"Master Kong, I know what you are thinking, but the master said that you only need to do it with a clear conscience. The storm is too strong and you can't control it."
"Who are you?" Kong Sijin broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't even know there was someone behind him.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I am always behind you."
The voice gradually drifted away.
Come and go in a hurry!
So weird!
Kong Sijin vowed that in the future, he would try to speak in open areas, or even in the center of the lake, but never in places where there were Tibetans.
It's really uncomfortable to be stared at anytime and anywhere.