The Imperial Study was brightly lit.
The emperor's brows were tightly knitted as he stared blankly at the man speaking so fluently before him, who might not be his biological son.
Phew~
Lin Xiao let out a long breath.
"What I will discuss next, Father, is how to increase revenue."
"Only thriving commerce can drive development across all trades and industries. To standardize market operations and safeguard ordinary people's private property interests as much as possible, introducing economic laws and using them to regulate trade is the highest priority...
"Second, allow and encourage our people to engage in overseas trade, actively encourage foreign merchants to trade, and implement various incentives for them.
"Establish Maritime Trade Bureaus at major ports to handle overseas trade specifically, collecting levies in kind and taxes on merchant cargo, among other duties.
"Only by making the cake bigger can we ensure everyone has a chance to taste it..."
Lin Xiao pursed his lips and offered his final summary.
"As the saying goes, methods belong to methods, and the Way belongs to the Way.
"To change the Way through methods, those methods must first accord with the Way.
"It is like trying to turn the tide of a battle between armies through countless small squad-level tactical victories.
"Those countless small victories must at least reverse the balance of forces, or bring about a strategic reversal by securing or creating favorable terrain, opportunities to strike, and so forth.
"But under Great Xia's broader circumstances, we cannot expect one or two reforms, or one or two squad-level victories,
"to completely reverse the course of an entire campaign and save the whole nation.
"What we need instead is sustained reform, the cultivation of talent, and influence over thought and culture.
"It cannot be accomplished in a single stride. Only by