Could You Make a Sacrifice? Collecting Twenty Years of Taxes in Advance
Qin Wu looked at the united and indignant expressions of the civil and military officials in the hall, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Regardless of their motives, as long as they don't want to become A Mortal...
Decades later, his lifespan ended, and he turned into a handful of yellow earth.
Or perhaps they fled the Qin State, lost their government salary, and their cultivation progressed slowly thereafter.
Of course, one can also brave wind and rain to work hard and earn Energy Points for the Dissemination System.
If they don't want this, then destroying the Demonic Flame Sect is their only option.
"Please be quiet, everyone."
Qin Wu raised his hand to smother the flames and said in a deep voice, "The Demonic Flame Sect already knows about the existence of the Fairness System, and has even sent the person who attacked the capital just now to investigate the system's details."
Although he was suppressed, this matter could not be hidden for long.
Do any of you ministers have a good strategy to defeat the enemy?
The hall fell into a deathly silence. The officials looked at each other, their expressions grave.
The Demonic Flame Sect is incredibly powerful; with the Qin State's current resources, it is simply powerless to contend with them.
The only feasible solution is to emulate the Xin State and recruit the world's top experts to assist them.
However, the Energy Points required for this are astronomical, and the imperial court does not have sufficient reserves.
After a long silence, Prime Minister Lü Zixuan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty, I believe we should emulate the Xin State and solicit Energy Points from all its citizens."
"We will then recruit top experts with generous rewards to jointly attack the Demonic Flame Sect. What does Your Majesty think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the other officials echoed him earnestly:
"Your Majesty, Lord Lü is absolutely right!"
The only way to avert this national crisis is to recruit powerful experts to annihilate the Demonic Flame Sect. Otherwise, our Great Qin is in imminent danger!
Qin Wu swept his gaze calmly over the crowd, his tone composed yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:
"The national conditions of my Great Qin are completely different from those of the Xin State."
Do you think that many people in our country are willing to donate Energy Points?
Even if a few were willing, that number would be a drop in the ocean, far from enough to recruit enough experts to deal with the Demonic Flame Sect.
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials exchanged glances, their expressions growing increasingly solemn.
They all knew in their hearts that Qin Wu's words were true.
The Xin State is a harmonious social system where the people are the masters of the country.
The Qin State was a monarchical autocracy. Even though it had Fairness System, the class boundaries, while not as strict as in the past, never truly disappeared.
Would ordinary people really be willing to donate money just to recruit experts to fight against the Demonic Flame Sect?
Perhaps some people are willing, but certainly not everyone.
If forced or misguided, a large number of people may choose to flee the Qin State.
With population loss leading to a sharp decline in tax revenue, Energy Points will only become more scarce, making matters worse.
Qin Wu, seeing the helpless expressions of his officials, suddenly sharpened his gaze and swept his imposing gaze over everyone in the hall:
"I have come up with a way to solve the Energy Points problem, but it requires all of you ministers to make some sacrifices."
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials immediately tensed up and became vigilant, secretly wondering what Qin Wu was up to.
Lü Zixuan reacted the fastest, immediately bowing and cupping his hands in a sincere tone:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate all my Energy Points to help Great Qin recruit experts to deal with the Demonic Flame Sect!"
Kong Yuan followed closely behind, loudly echoing, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is also willing to offer everything he has, hoping only to annihilate the Demonic Flame Sect and ensure the Great Qin!"
Seeing this, the other officials also stepped forward to express their willingness to donate all their Energy Points.
Seeing that everyone had misunderstood, Qin Wu smiled faintly.
"I will accept the donations from my esteemed ministers."
However, what I just said was not referring to this matter.
He paused, his gaze hardening. "I have decided to collect taxes for the next twenty years ahead of schedule."
If the people pay their taxes for the next twenty years in advance, they will not need to pay taxes for the next twenty years.
Of course, if people cannot come up with the full amount of Energy Points at once, they can pay in monthly installments.
This way, their donations wouldn't be wasted, but rather deducted from their future tax payments, which most people would likely be willing to do.
Furthermore, all the taxes collected this time must be used to recruit top talents, therefore...
He then changed the subject, his tone becoming solemn. "The imperial salary will be suspended for the next twenty years."
My beloved ministers, are you willing to make a sacrifice for the survival of Great Qin?
Qin Wu sighed helplessly to himself; how could he have wanted to resort to such a desperate measure?
However, there is really no other way to quickly raise a massive amount of Energy Points right now.
Even if one were to borrow money from someone in the lending business, such an astronomical sum would be impossible to raise.
Over the next twenty years, his cultivation progress will slow down due to a lack of Energy Points.
But compared to the complete annihilation of the Great Qin by the Demonic Flame Sect, what is this sacrifice?
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials in the hall were stunned, their faces filled with astonishment.
Using tax revenue from the next twenty years to raise Energy Points is indeed a brilliant idea. It solves the immediate problem without making the people pay for it in vain.
But the thought of not receiving a single penny of salary for the next twenty years weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, causing them immense pain.
This would be a far greater loss than donating all your Energy Points now!
Although the system will automatically generate enough Energy Points to sustain daily cultivation, we will definitely have to make ends meet in the days to come.
Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury, it's truly hard to accept the sudden need to tighten one's belt and endure hardship.
But upon further reflection, this is already the optimal solution at present:
It's much better than the Great Qin collapsing, becoming a victim of the Demonic Flame Sect Sect's blade, or being forced to leave one's homeland and wander aimlessly.
It's simply a matter of enduring twenty years of hardship, not that we can't survive.
Lü Zixuan was the first to regain his senses, stepped forward, and said loudly:
"For the safety of the Great Qin Dynasty, and to eradicate the Demonic Flame Sect, this mortal threat, I am willing to forgo my salary for twenty years and stand with Your Majesty in this national crisis!"
Although the other civil and military officials still felt reluctant, they were well aware of the critical situation and could only suppress their personal feelings, echoing each other's sentiments:
Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty's decree.
A smile spread across Qin Wu's face. Whether the people were sincere or not, their agreement was enough.
"I am aware of the sincerity of my ministers. With your concerted efforts, Great Qin will surely overcome this calamity!"
After he finished speaking, his gaze turned to Lü Zixuan, and he gave the order in a deep voice:
"Minister Lü, this matter is now entirely in your hands."
An imperial edict was immediately drafted to announce to the people of the whole country the advance collection of taxes for the next twenty years and the suspension of officials' salaries for the next twenty years, while also properly advancing the collection of Energy Points.
A recruitment notice for top players will be released simultaneously, with compensation and benefits on par with those in the Xin State.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command! I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations!" Lü Zixuan bowed and accepted the order, his expression solemn.
Qin Wu's gaze swept across the hall, then he changed the subject, throwing out another encouraging piece of news to reassure everyone:
"I have another matter to inform you, my beloved ministers: our Great Qin has reached a cooperation agreement with the Supreme Profound Sect, and we currently have experts stationed in our capital."
They will also send powerful warriors to support us in our fight against the Demonic Flame Sect!
Upon hearing this, the officials' eyes lit up, their previous solemn expressions vanished, and their spirits lifted.
It turns out that the person who captured the Demonic Flame Sect expert was actually a powerful figure from the Supreme Profound Sect.
Now that the Qin State has the assistance of such a powerful sect, its chances of defeating the Demonic Flame Sect have undoubtedly increased significantly.
"Your Majesty's vision is superb, and your strategic planning is brilliant! Our Great Qin!" A chorus of heartfelt praises immediately filled the hall.