heaven money

King Chen nodded slightly and waited for the main topic.

"The root causes of Chen's danger are threefold. First, it is weak. In this era of tigers and wolves, there is no justice, and weakness is a crime. Second, it overestimates its own strength and often starts unjust wars, attacking small countries affiliated with Tang, which makes Tang wary. Third, the relationship is not beneficial to each other, which only benefits Chu and not Tang."

Meng Qi talked about it eloquently, saying that this was the result of the discussions among the five of them over the past month!

King Chen was surprised when he heard this:

"No benefit to Tang? Like a grass on the wall, swaying in the wind?"

"No."

Meng Qi smiled and said, without any explanation, from the beginning:
"If you are weak, you need to understand your will, respect ghosts and gods, and have the same desires as above and below. The lower ones respect the orders of the upper ones, and the upper ones respect the orders of the king. The king obeys the will of heaven, and we are one body!"

"If we want the upper and lower classes to have the same aspirations, we must love each other, open public schools, select talented people, and not look down on anyone because of their status."

"This is a long-term foundation, and its success cannot be seen in a few days or a short time. However, once this matter spreads throughout the world, won't the powerful people from other countries who are not valued flock to it?"

"This is a costly act, so at the beginning, the king needs to be frugal with the funeral."

King Chen agreed with what he heard, but when he heard the last sentence, he frowned:
"At the beginning?"

He knew very well that it would not be possible to sustain the expenses of opening a public school and recruiting powerful people just by saving money and frugality. But from what Mr. Su said, this was only an initial stopgap measure?
Meng Qi smiled slightly, but still did not explain, and continued:

"Not knowing one's own strength means having no love for all and only seeking 'self-interest'. Please tell all the nations not to start useless wars. If you disobey, you will be abandoned by both heaven and man and your ancestors will be disgraced. This will help to dispel the fear of all nations."

To be abandoned by both Heaven and man and to bring shame to ancestors is a more serious oath. Although it has no actual binding force, it is still quite credible in the eyes of others. Moreover, since the Mohists believed in "non-aggression", it seems to be reasonable.

King Chen looked gloomy. What was the point of strengthening the State of Chen if he could not gain benefits from other countries?
This is the traditional thinking of this era. People believe that only by attacking other countries can they gain benefits, but they do not know that the real profit lies in the development of farming. With food, the population will grow and as the population increases, the country will naturally move towards a strong fast lane, which will bring much more benefits than war.

If this matter did not concern the survival of his country, he would definitely not listen to the "non-aggression" advice.

Meng Qi seemed not to notice the subtle change in his expression, and turned back to King Chen's initial surprise:

"To benefit the Tang Dynasty, it is not necessary to be a fence-sitter, but to be useful to the Tang Dynasty."

"What's the meaning of this statement?"

King Chen still couldn't figure it out.

Meng Qi smiled and said:
"Chu and Tang have been at war for a long time, and their hatred has deepened. Has the trade between them been cut off?"

“Yes.” King Chen was able to become a master step by step, and he was not a stupid person. He vaguely understood something.

“Although Chu and Tang can trade with other countries, some natural treasures and magical medicines and rare flowers are only produced in the other country, such as the Yunze medicine of Chu and the Guanshan secret treasure of Tang. These are indispensable things for them. Even if they can be transferred through other countries or traded privately, the quantity is still insufficient to meet their cultivation needs.”

Meng Qi said proudly.

Since they hadn't gotten to the point yet, King Chen was a little anxious:
"Are you going to help Tang buy Yunze's medicine? But if we are discovered, Chu will definitely send troops to attack us!"

This kind of thing cannot be made public. Perhaps Chu and Tang would turn a blind eye to it under normal circumstances, but once it is discovered, Chu will never let Chen go because of the hatred developed from court discussions and wars.

Meng Qi shook his head:

"Why bear this infamy?"

After saying this, he suddenly stood up and saluted:

"I also ask the king to abolish all the customs taxes in Chendi!"

Countries often set up checkpoints at their borders and in their own countries, one for inspection, and the other for collecting taxes.

"Abolish all the taxes at the border? Mr. Su, don't open public schools to recruit talented people?"

Although King Chen didn't understand why the topic turned to this, he couldn't help but feel panicked, and a wind suddenly blew in the hall!
It is already difficult to support Shangxian's expenses for too long by just saving money and frugality in funerals. Now that the customs taxes have been abolished, how can he survive?
Meng Qi stood straight, like a pine tree, his wide robe swaying in the wind:

"Most of the customs taxes are privately set by fiefdoms and fall into the hands of nobles. They have nothing to do with the king. If all customs taxes can be abolished, will the merchants from Chu and Tang not come here for profit?"

"At that time, Shangying will surely become a place where merchants gather. The city tax will more than double. Merchants need food, clothing, shelter, transportation, singing and dancing, and entertainment. So why should inns and restaurants worry about not having good business? The only worry is that there are not enough guest rooms, so we need to build more! The only worry is that there is not enough wine and food, so we need to prepare more!"

"So the people's goods are not cheap, the shops are well-paid, and the upper camp is well-stocked with all kinds of treasures. Your Majesty, why should you worry about insufficient taxes, insufficient treasury, and no money to support your scholars?"

King Chen stood up suddenly, his hands trembling slightly, his expression slightly excited, and it seemed as if a new door had opened before him!
Is this okay?

But it sounds like it might actually work!

Meng Qi's voice became louder:

"In a place where so many merchants gather, how could there be no Yunze medicine and Guanshan treasures sent by the people of Chu and Tang? This is what they did privately. What does it have to do with the king? At most, it is the fault of not checking strictly enough!"

"With this, Your Majesty will benefit both Chu and Tang. It is a case of 'mutual benefit'!"

King Chen nodded repeatedly, having figured out the key point.

At this time, Meng Qi said in a loud voice:

"So, Chen is not weak. If you want to take it by force, you will lose yourself!"

"So, Chen State adheres to its principles and does not attack other states, which will not harm itself!"

"So, Chen State is useful, it is beneficial to me, and it is very convenient!"

"Why destroy a country that is advantageous, righteous, and not weak?"

"So if the outcome of the Chu-Tang war is not clear, then Chen will not have to worry. But now that the outcome is clear, Your Majesty still doesn't know what to do?"

The words were sonorous and powerful. Chen Wang's eyes became brighter and brighter, and his breathing became heavier. Finally, he walked out of the desk and personally supported Meng Qi:
"Sir, you are truly a rare talent. The State of Chen is fortunate to have your teachings. I wonder if you are willing to be the Grand Tutor of the State of Chen?"

Meng Qi and the others looked at each other. With less than a month left, there was finally a breakthrough.

"It is my wish, I dare not ask you!"

Meng Qi bowed and saluted.

…………

when!
A bronze wine cup was thrown to the ground, creating a deep hole and making a sound of metal.

Sikou Tian Heng's face turned pale. He looked at his eldest son Tian Guang in front of him and said with great sorrow:

"Absurd! Ridiculous! The king actually appointed Su Mo of the Mohist School as the Grand Tutor to make a change!"

"Abolishing customs taxes and employing talented people is going to cut off our foundation!"

Neither of them noticed that there was a young man sitting next to them, even drinking in front of them and listening to their conversation.

This person was Lin Xiao. He knew very well that in this era of reform, the first ones to step out to stop it would be the nobles. After all, this was cutting into the flesh of the nobles.

Although they were nobles of the State of Chen, who in this era didn't have relatives in other countries? Even if the State of Chen was destroyed, they would still be nobles, their fiefdoms would not change, and might even become larger.

Therefore, they didn't care whether the State of Chen was in crisis or not. What they cared about was whether their own power and interests were affected.

Therefore, Mo Xuan directly took action to monitor the Tian family who stopped Meng Qi in the original novel.

Tian Guang nodded solemnly:
"The child also feels heavy."

"I heard that the Southeastern Wu State has recently appointed a mountain idler named Wu Hao, who said he wants to abolish the fiefdom, use the fiefdom as food, and establish counties. As a result, the Wu State has fallen into civil war. I am afraid that Su Mo will eventually follow his example!"

"Abolish the fiefdom, use the fiefdom for food, establish counties and prefectures?" Tian Heng's eyes went dark, and he felt that he no longer recognized this world.

The sky is falling?

Tian Guang's expression was indifferent and resolute:
"I think we should get rid of the trouble as soon as possible."

"With the support of the King..."

Tian Heng frowned. The king is a master, the strongest man in Chen State. Who can get rid of the disaster under his nose? Could he contact the nobles of Chu State?
Tian Guangdao:
"If you don't want to live, you should have a chance to attack!"

"Guang'er, you?"

Tian Heng was surprised.

Tian Guang gritted his teeth, his expression still indifferent and resolute:

"In today's world, it's either you die or I die. As long as we can kill this trend, the world will be stable, and we will be stable."

"Hey, Su Mo himself said, where justice lies, I will go even if there are thousands of people against me!"

Obviously, this means that a gentleman can be deceived!

Lin Xiao sneered and shook his head. Meng Qi is not a pedantic scholar. If he is really provoked, he can also use his fists to reason with you!
After passing the Tian family's plan to Ruan Yushu, Lin Xiao did not leave. He was somewhat interested in Tian Heng's youngest son, Tian Kuo.

This young man, who was born into an aristocratic family but believed in Mohism, was very rare in this era.

What's more, nobles like this always like to bet on both sides. Since Tian Kuo is determined to follow the Mohists, it is also a way out for the Tian family. Lin Xiao knows that Tian Heng will not stop it.

The night breeze from the lotus pond brings fragrance and a refreshing feeling. Sikou Tian Heng stands with his hands behind his back, gazing at the slowly flowing water, his mind wandering to who knows where.

Suddenly, the family servant Tian Jian came hurriedly and reported: "My lord, the mayor of Yangcheng heard that Su Mo was the Grand Tutor and changed the recommendation to selection, so he has already defected."

The Mayor of Yangcheng refers to Tian Kuo. After he came of age, because his elder brother Tian Guangcheng became a senior official, he became the head of his own fiefdom, Yangcheng.

Tian Heng raised his head suddenly, his eyes wide open, as if he was filled with anger, but he immediately took a breath and his expression did not change anymore, as calm as a still pond.

"Let him go." He said indifferently.

Tian Jian was surprised: "My Lord, how can this be possible?"

Does the Lord mean to give up Yangchengzai?

Tian Heng glanced at him without any emotion and stressed, "Let him go."

Tian Jian didn't dare to express any more doubts. He bowed and said yes, then left the pavilion.

After looking at the lotus pond again for a while, Tian Heng suddenly sighed and whispered to himself:
"fair enough……"

…………

In Prince Chen's palace, Meng Qi, Jiang Zhiwei and others were heatedly discussing what to do next as they waited for the first court meeting.

Over the past month, they had repeatedly pondered and rehearsed what to say when meeting King Chen, so much so that they had no time to think about how to implement their "strategy to save the country" after King Chen adopted their suggestions. Even after discussing it all night, they still had many doubts.

"King Chen is a master himself, and he has the support of non-fiefdom officials and scholars. He has many powerful people from outside the country. As long as he can be determined and vigorously implement the national policy of abolishing customs taxes and promoting the virtuous and capable, at least no nobles in Shangying will have any strong reactions. The fear is that they will pretend to obey but actually disobey, and distort the implementation of good national policies, which will not only fail to achieve good results, but also offend the two countries of Chu and Tang or waste money."

As the crown prince, Zhao Heng has the most say in similar situations. In the past, when the royal majesty still existed, the top families loved to do this.

Qi Zhengyan, who had always been taciturn, began to express his opinions after taking turns to give lectures: "For the time being, the scope of promoting talents and employing capable people can be limited to the palace, a few important government offices, the officials of the upper camp, and the troops directly under the King of Chen, without excessively infringing on the "interests" of the nobles. This way, there will be fewer obstacles."

These are the places where King Chen has the strongest control, and the nobles cannot interfere even if they want to use small tricks.

As for the army, the world of Fengshen is different from the world of Meng Qi and others. There are many battle formations left over. As long as they select good players and practice more with the battle formations, and add corresponding precious weapons, they will be able to temporarily compete with the external scene. Therefore, there is room for the army to exist, but except for a very few special battle formations, most of them cannot fly. If it is a surprise attack, there are not many chances of them being used. They are good for garrison defense and head-on battles.

"Well, at the beginning, we must try our best to avoid exacerbating the conflict and attracting interference from the Chu State and the Secret Dao Sect. Once the 'benefits' and 'uses' are revealed and we have the tacit approval of the forces that have tasted the sweetness, we can make drastic moves!"

Meng Qi affirmed Qi Zhengyan's approach. Before the court meeting began, they would report the results of the discussion to King Chen again.

Jiang Zhi frowned slightly:
"The policies of promoting the virtuous and employing the capable and thrifty spending and funerals only involve King Chen and a small group of people for the time being, so we are not afraid of interference. However, the abolition of customs taxes requires the cooperation of the nobles of the fiefdoms. Otherwise, if they abolish it today and set it up tomorrow, or use other methods to confuse the issue, it will be impossible to implement it."

If the customs taxes cannot be abolished, merchants cannot be attracted. If merchants cannot be attracted, it will be difficult to see the "profit". Things that do not benefit can rarely be accomplished!

Convincing King Chen is just the beginning; the real hard part is yet to come!
"Strengthen patrols and make an example of others?"

Ruan Yushu blurted out something.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded and said:

"This is a good idea. As long as we can scare the 'monkeys' temporarily and make them not dare to cause trouble, we can implement it smoothly and things will be much easier."

As long as the new national policy shows attractive benefits, the 'monkeys' who dare not make trouble for the time being will no longer want to make trouble!

Fortunately, Lin Xiao will stay in this era, and no one will doubt Lin Xiao's ability. Otherwise, Meng Qi would also worry about leaving a mess for King Chen in this world.

"Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys? Kill what chicken?"

Hearing the two girls' opinions, Zhao Heng laughed:
"Most of the guards at the checkpoints have nine orifices at most. What's the point of killing them? The nobles have already cleared themselves of any involvement and may even help the guards escape, leaving us with no evidence to attack, and destroying the dignity of King Chen."

"Besides, there are too many checkpoints like this. How can we have so many people to monitor them? As long as such checkpoints exist for a few more days and the merchants suffer losses, they will doubt King Chen's determination to abolish the customs tax and no longer believe in it. Even if all the checkpoints can be cleared in the future, it will be impossible to make merchants voluntarily pass through Chen State in a short period of time."

"Without seeing any benefits in the short term, why would King Chen continue to trust us?"

This kind of problem in execution is the most troublesome. For a moment, Meng Qi and others were thinking hard but could not find a solution. It is really easy to kill the King of Hell, but it is difficult to deal with the little devils!
Suddenly, Meng Qi remembered a book he had read in the past. An idea flashed through his mind and he clasped his hands together:
"I have an idea!"

"What method?" Jiang Zhiwei and others looked at him.

Meng Qi regained his composure and smiled in a pretentious manner:
"This is not difficult to hear."

"Don't keep us in suspense. You don't have to show off in front of us."

Jiang Zhi cursed with a smile.

Meng Qi coughed:
"The fortresses at the borders with other countries are all under the control of King Chen. The taxes on these borders are the easiest to abolish."

Zhao Heng and others nodded slightly. This was the easiest part. It would not be difficult to do as long as they subsidized the experts who defended the pass or replaced them with selected people from their own team.

"So, we only need to issue an order from King Chen to the merchants when they pass through these fortresses, and most of the remaining checkpoints will not be a problem."

Meng Qi still smiled mysteriously.

"What order?"

Ruan Yushu's curiosity was piqued, just like a delicious meal right in front of him but unable to enjoy it.

Meng Qi laughed at first, then his face became serious and expression solemn:

"Anyone who collects customs taxes can be killed without guilt!"

"Is it not a crime to kill him?" Zhao Heng said in a lost voice.

Such an "order" was beyond his imagination.

Jiang Zhiwei was puzzled at first, but then she smiled and said, "That's great. There are many experts among the merchants who can travel between countries. They just pay the customs taxes obediently because of the intimidation of the strong men from various countries. By then, no one except the guards outside can stop them!"

The countries are in chaos, how can merchants who dare to travel between countries not have some experts and backers? As long as the order proposed by Meng Qi is implemented, they can "borrow" their power to alleviate the danger of their own shortage of manpower and help Chen State monitor various checkpoints! (End of this chapter)