"Forget it, let's just pay up to avoid disaster. We can still make a profit this time!"
Everyone sighed; faced with Cao Cao, the emperor's favorite, they had no choice but to admit defeat.
Moreover, Cao Cao was in charge of the Ministry of Rites. Offending him would be a bad thing, as he had the emperor backing him and could easily manipulate people like us.
The once-powerful families of today are not what they used to be.
At this moment, Zhang Ruoyun looked at everyone and said mysteriously, "These are all minor matters. His Majesty said he wouldn't treat us unfairly. He never lies."
As a member of a prominent family who initially pledged allegiance to the Great Liang, he witnessed the emperor's transformative changes and how the emperor gradually built up the Great Liang.
Even if you said this man was a god, he wouldn't have the slightest doubt.
"Yes, yes, the Emperor said he wouldn't treat us unfairly, so there must be some benefits. We just don't know what they are?"
"Do you remember what His Majesty said?" Zhang Ruoyun's face was filled with fervor. This was probably because of the huge benefit that made the Emperor dare to say such a thing.
Grunt!
Everyone swallowed hard. Ten million strings of cash was just a drop in the ocean; how much money was this? It must be more than tens of billions!
Zhang Wanhao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "If that's really the case, then spending ten million strings of cash is totally worth it. It makes sense, the Emperor is arguably the richest man in Great Liang; following him is definitely the right thing to do."
We don't need much, just a few hundred million will do. Too much could cause problems.
"Ten million strings of cash is just the tip of the iceberg; it's unimaginable, making one both excited and worried." Some of the more rational people couldn't help but feel concerned.
With such huge profits, how much can be divided among so many people, and can these profits be protected? These are all questions.
Forehead!
Seeing the expectant looks on these people's faces, Wang Hui couldn't help but twitch his lips and said bitterly, "This is like hitting you with a stick and then giving you a sweet treat, Your Majesty, you really know how to play the game!"
"Business Law!!!"
In the palace, Lin Yi looked at the memorials handed to him by Cao Cao and Jia Xu, and fell into deep thought.
After the trade routes to the Western Regions were opened, business was slow at first, but under Mi Zhu's management, the caravans started operating, and the huge profits attracted many people.
In addition, his conquest of the Western Regions opened the door to trade between the Great West Empire and the Frostwest Empire, causing trade to expand more than a hundredfold in an instant.
As a result, the profits involved became even greater, causing countless merchants and even peddlers to head Western Regions, while the domestic economy slowed down, which was somewhat counterproductive.
Although there's not a big problem now, if this continues, it will become deformed.
He looked at Mi Zhu to the side, frowned and said, " Zizhong, what do you think?" As the Minister of Ministry of Revenue and the purse strings, he was the most qualified to speak.
"Your Majesty, with the strong support of the powerful families, the production of goods in the Great Liang Dynasty is now somewhat excessive, so exporting some is not a problem. However, if the export volume is too large, it may cause prices to drop!"
"As for the commercial system of the Great Liang Kingdom itself, it still needs the government's support to be healthier and more stable," Mi Zhu said after a moment's thought.
Forehead!
Lin Yi tapped the table, pondering the pros and cons. To put it bluntly, he was actually responsible for this whole mess.
If we hadn't conquered the Western Regions, this trade route would have been blocked due to the risks. But now that the Western Regions belong to the Great Liang and there are troops stationed there, there's no problem at all.
This significantly reduced the risks of trade, which is why it became so popular.
Foreign trade isn't a big problem, after all, the world is still very big and the demand is enormous; the only thing to pay attention to is the return of resources.
Gold and silver alone are not as direct as resources.
After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice, "You should work with a few important officials to study this. This economy still needs the court to take the lead, and then the Royal Bank should promote it. Money only becomes money when it's circulating."
As for foreign trade, besides using gold and silver for settlement, material resources are also acceptable.
To achieve economic stability, it's essential to balance various demands and avoid large, skewed imbalances, as these would lead the economy astray.
Foreign trade isn't a big problem; it's just a matter of acquiring the necessary resources, which isn't a big deal.
"Your subject obeys!" Mi Zhu nodded, accepting the task directly.
Even if there are deviations, that's a future issue; we can adjust things back to normal now. Given Great Liang's strong cohesion, there shouldn't be any major problems.
At this moment, Zhao Gao hurried over.
"Your Majesty, a letter from Qi Jiguang has arrived!" He rushed in, holding a slip of paper in his hand.
"Is there news about Qi Jiguang again?"
Lin Yi's eyes lit up. Qi Jiguang had already breached the gate earlier, so he must have captured Pingyu Pass by now.
He took the note and his eyes lit up immediately.
After a day and a night of sweeping, the two sides clashed nearly twenty times, and finally Lu Donghongri was killed by Zhang Fei on the road to Flying Hero Pass.
The entire army of 200,000 was wiped out, and the territory was cleared out, making it a remarkable victory.
"Hahaha!"
"Well done, Qi Jiguang! Well done, Zhang Yide! These two have certainly not disappointed me. Not only did they capture the entire Pingyu Pass, but they also annihilated an army of 200,000!"
Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, the ministers' eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but become excited.
"With Pingyu Pass captured, the army of Great Liang will be able to advance unimpeded into Flying Hero Pass, and the decisive battle will begin."
"According to intelligence, Zhennan is inclined to engage in a decisive battle at Flying Hero Pass, and this battle will determine Zhennan's fate."
The crowd was abuzz with discussion; Great Liang had already driven Zhennan into a corner.
Once Flying Hero Pass is also captured, the second line of defense in Zhennan will be completely destroyed. Their only option will be a decisive battle at Flying Hero Pass, otherwise they will be gradually eroded.
Guo Jia laughed and said, "According to the information, Zhennan is undoubtedly going to hold a decisive battle at Flying Hero Pass. They are constantly withdrawing their troops and have also conscripted a large number of civilians and prisoners. They probably want to keep my million-strong army of Great Liang trapped at Gourd Mouth!"
"Pah! He must be dreaming." Cao Cao sneered. Zhennan is overthinking things.
The group arrived at the Imperial Study, where there was a huge tactical sand table that included the terrain of the surrounding countries.
Flying Hero Pass was immediately apparent; a huge gourd-shaped structure appeared on the sand table, clearly representing the gourd-shaped terrain.
Lin Yi shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Has Nan Ke gone senile? Does he really think this broken gourd can stump my Great Liang?"
It is true that this is a natural gourd-shaped terrain, but hoping to trap Great Liang inside and attack using sheer numbers is somewhat unwise.
That would be a meat grinder!