I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 764 I, the general, send money! (Combined chapter 5K8)

On the day after the wedding, in the Secretariat, Grand Tutor Lu Zhi bluntly expressed his concerns to Su Yao.

There was a hint of deep fatigue in Lu Zhi's tone.

This was certainly not because he had been squatting here since early morning, at dawn, and had stayed there until nearly dusk, and he had no dissatisfaction with the newlywed life of the empress and the general.

But he still found it difficult to adapt to Su Yao's hands-off behavior.

To be honest, Lu Zhi didn't expect Su Yao to give up power so thoroughly.

As for the affairs of state, Su Yao simply issued a few instructions.

One is the reform, the other is the imperial examination, these were all previously planned plans.

And the third one actually asked for money directly, asking them to guarantee military expenses and various expenditures.

Apart from this, Su Yao could be said to have not asked any questions and simply left everything to their current leadership team.

This guy made Lu Zhi very worried.

A few days ago, the Queen ascended the throne and Su Yao got married, so he didn't want to spoil the fun. Today, he saw Su Yao had a lot of things to do, so he immediately rushed into the palace and blocked him until now.

"is it so serious?"

The Han Dynasty is going bankrupt?

Indeed, what Lu Zhi said was by no means alarmist.

Financial problems have always been one of the main reasons for the demise of a dynasty. The Han Dynasty was no exception, and its situation was even more serious.

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, social contradictions were acute and Wang Mang's reforms led to chaos in the world. During the restoration of Emperor Guangwu, a large number of people died in the war, which eased the contradiction between population and land and finally extended the life of the Han Dynasty for nearly two hundred years.

However, since there was no change in the system, Liu Xiu relied more on the aristocratic families, local land annexation was fierce, and the Han-Qiang war was protracted. When the time entered the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, the financial crisis of the Han Dynasty had become urgent.

In the end, the solution that Emperors Huan and Ling came up with was to sell official positions and titles in order to delay the explosion of the financial hole, which led to the collapse of the dynasty.

Even during the reign of Emperor Ling, not only were official positions sold, but officials had to pay money just to be promoted.

It has to be said that this is a policy of chronic suicide.

It was also under the implementation of this policy that the shortage of officials in the Han Dynasty became increasingly serious. A large number of clean officials had no money to be promoted and would rather resign and leave.

To this end, the emperor established a market in the palace, solicited tributes from all over the country, and then personally invited wealthy people from aristocratic families to purchase these tributes to replace the increasingly inefficient policy of buying and selling official positions.

It has to be said that this policy has been somewhat effective.

After all, the emperor invites you to the palace to buy things, who dares not to buy? Even if it’s forced buying or selling, so what? As long as you want to be an official, you have to pay me!

Therefore, after implementing this combination of money-making policies, the financial crisis of the Han court was somewhat alleviated, and the size of the central army, which had been almost completely destroyed after the defeat of the Xianbei, was partially restored.

However, at this point, the emperor could be said to have completely lost face and offended the aristocratic families who were the foundation of the dynasty's rule.

Then, the Yellow Turban Rebellion came with great fanfare.

After a long period of natural and man-made disasters, plagues were rampant in China, and the displaced people rose up and issued their final roar.

Although they ended up in a miserable defeat due to the joint efforts of local princes and aristocratic families, this uprising undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the central government of the Han Dynasty.

In order to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty delegated power to local governments and allowed prefects and governors to recruit soldiers for self-protection.

At the same time, the Rebellion of the Ten Eunuchs and the tyranny of Dong Zhuo followed one after another, and local governments in various places soon gradually cut off their tribute obligations to the central government under various pretexts.

Although Dong Zhuo is dead now, there is no doubt that the hole he left behind has been inherited by Su Yao.

"Taifu Lu, what is the specific situation? How big is the fiscal deficit of the court?"

Hearing Su Yao's words, Lu Zhi sighed and said in a deep voice:
"General, the court's fiscal deficit has reached an alarming level."

"Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, local tributes have gradually ceased, and the court's income has dropped sharply."

"During the period of Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule, he plundered the people's wealth, causing the people to suffer and the national treasury to be empty."

"Although you, the great general, have quickly recovered Guanzhong and did not cause much damage to the area, the expenses of the enthronement ceremony and the wedding ceremony, as well as the costs of opening warehouses to release grain, providing relief to disaster victims, reorganizing the army, and rewarding the three armies, the court's finances are already in a desperate situation."

"Considering the various expenses that will be incurred in the future, such as reorganizing the official system and holding the imperial examination, we may not even make it to the autumn harvest, let alone this summer."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this.

He had a rough idea of ​​the financial issues, and this was also a problem that the Han court had to face.

Among these, there is another big item that Lu Zhi did not mention, which is the palace expenses for supporting the royal family and the salaries of court officials.

In the past, after Cao Cao welcomed back the Han Emperor and accepted the Han imperial court, due to the sudden increase in expenses, in order to make up for the financial shortfall, he established military ranks such as Fa Qiu Zhonglang Jiang and Mo Jin Xiao Wei, who were responsible for robbing tombs and stealing money to subsidize military pay. As a result, archaeologists in later generations said that "nine out of ten Han tombs are empty."

Now, such a huge hole has fallen on Su Yao's head, and how to solve it has become the first problem he has to face next.

In response to Su Yao's question, Lu Zhi first said:

"General, in my opinion, the court is in financial distress right now, and the most urgent task is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

After Lu Zhi pondered for a moment, he slowly said:

"The so-called opening up new sources of revenue is to increase the court's sources of income. Right now the court can start from several aspects."

"The first and most important thing is to restore and strengthen the collection of local taxes."

"Now that the princes in various places are fighting for their own interests, many of them are in arrears with the tribute to the court. The general can send capable officials to various places to urge the local governors and governors to pay taxes on time to ensure that the court has stable financial income."

Su Yao frowned slightly when he heard this.

He knew very well that the local princes had become too powerful to be controlled. It would not be easy to get them to pay taxes obediently. It was not something that could be done by just sending a few officials.

At present, the only territories he can control and that pay taxes stably are the two capitals' Sili, in addition to a few counties inside and outside the Hedong River. Although Liaodong can also be controlled, the journey is too long and it is not a wealthy place. It would be good if he does not need transfer payments from the court.

Seeing that Su Yao didn't say anything, Lu Zhi naturally knew that this was not something that would work quickly, so he quickly made a second suggestion:

"The second is to issue new currency and rectify currency circulation."

Lu Zhi continued:

"The currency market is in chaos now. During Dong Zhuo's chaotic reign, low-quality coins were minted on a large scale, leading to severe inflation."

“Therefore, the general can order the minting of new coins to regulate the circulation of currency, and at the same time set up a special agency to be responsible for the issuance and management of currency, so as to increase the seigniorage revenue of the court.”

These words made Su Yao's heart move. Issuing new currency was indeed a good idea. In later generations, many dynasties issued new currency to regulate currency circulation and increase fiscal revenue.

However, this also needs to be done with caution, otherwise once it triggers currency depreciation, it will cause greater chaos.

At the same time, although Lu Zhi did not say it, Su Yao knew very well that a large amount of copper was needed to mint coins. Based on his many years of gaming experience, there were no major copper mines in the area under his control.

"Although what the Grand Master said is good, I'm afraid these are policies that are unlikely to be effective in the short term."

Su Yao touched the tip of his nose, frowned and asked:
"I'm afraid it's impossible to solve the court's financial crisis in the short term with these policies, right?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhi nodded slightly.

These two policies are fundamental solutions, but the current expenditure is extremely high and there is no time to wait for these policies to take effect. Therefore, the only way at present is to cut costs.

"Reducing expenditure?" Su Yao paused, "Then where does the Master want to start?"

"General, saving money is not a long-term solution, but it is a helpless move at the moment."

Next, Lu Zhi made a lot of boastful speeches, but the result was nothing more than saving royal expenses, cutting court expenditures, streamlining the harem staff, delaying the payment of officials' salaries, suspending punitive wars, etc.

"Among these, the official system reform and the imperial examinations that are about to be implemented will cost a lot of money to recruit personnel, purchase materials and support students, and will also significantly increase the already heavy bureaucratic expenses."

"Therefore, in my opinion, based on the current financial situation, the official system reform and the imperial examination should be postponed until after the autumn harvest next year, when the court's finances have improved."

Su Yao's eyes flickered slightly when he heard that.

If he had not had a certain understanding of the court's current financial situation through the system panel, he would probably have suspected that these officials were making trouble again and wanted to delay or even terminate his reforms.

"Official system reform and the imperial examination are the top priorities of the court this year. The imperial examination in particular is a major event we promised to students all over the world before the empress ascended the throne. How can we change it so easily?"

"If you lose your trust like this, won't that destroy the people's hearts and the country?"

Su Yao spoke in a firm tone, looking at Lu Zhi with sharp eyes.

Lu Zhi sighed, and Xun Yu hurriedly advised: "General, the Grand Tutor did not intend to obstruct the reform and the imperial examination. It is really that the court is in financial difficulties and it is difficult to support it."

Indeed, this is not intentional obstruction; the difficulties at hand are real.

"Official system reform can be implemented gradually, but the imperial examination must be held as usual!"

Su Yao waved his hand and said decisively:
"If we don't have enough manpower, we mobilize students and ordinary people to serve as volunteers. If we don't have enough supplies, we ask merchants to donate money to support us."

"We use honors to motivate students and the general public, and allow businessmen to undertake some projects and reserve advertising space for them."

"Such a world-class academic event, I don't believe no one would be interested!"

Lu Zhi and others were slightly stunned by Su Yao's words. They didn't expect that there was such a method.

"General, this is a brilliant plan!" Lu Zhi stroked his beard and praised:

"Mobilizing students and civilians to serve as volunteers can not only solve the problem of insufficient manpower without spending a penny on the government, but also inspire their patriotic enthusiasm, which is really killing two birds with one stone."

“It’s even smarter for businessmen to raise funds and contract projects!”

Xun Yu was also greatly impressed when he heard this:
"The imperial examination is a major event in the world. Merchants have a low status. Just allowing them to participate in it can attract many people, not to mention letting them contract projects and giving them an opportunity to promote their own business to students all over the world."

Hearing everyone's praise, Su Yao laughed.

This would certainly solve the problem.

This is an important way for modern countries to solve the huge cost of the Olympic Games.

In fact, if it weren't for the seriousness of the imperial examination, Su Yao would have wanted to make a fortune by selling sponsorship rights.

But, don't worry.

The first imperial examination was a grand event, giving those who were waiting and watching a little demonstration.

When they found out that those merchants who actively participated in the event made a lot of money through the event, Su Yao would not let them participate for free next time when he held other events.

After solving the problem of the imperial examination, Su Yao had already found some other solutions to the subsequent financial difficulties.

"Auction???"

"Yes, it's the auction."

Su Yao smiled and nodded, with a shrewd light in his eyes:
"Taifu Lu, Minister Xun, have you ever thought about how many people in this world are willing to go bankrupt just to fight for a rare treasure?"

Lu Zhi and Xun Yu were both slightly stunned when they heard this.

Although there are no auctions in this era, it is not uncommon for wealthy people to compete with each other in wealth and spend lavishly on their loved ones.

At the same time, pawning was very common among the people in the Han Dynasty. Sima Xiangru once took his robe to the market to buy wine on credit at Yangchang's home, and then redeem it when he had money.

So it only took them a moment to roughly understand what Su Yao meant:
"Does your Excellency wish to pawn the palace jewels?"

Lu Zhi pondered and said:
"Of course this can help alleviate some of the immediate problem, but Emperor Xiaoling sold off a large amount of the palace jewels in response to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. I'm afraid there isn't much left to sell or pawn right now, right?"

Su Yao nodded slightly after hearing this.

Indeed, after experiencing all the chaos, there were no more treasures left in the Luoyang Palace to sell.

The only good news was that after defeating Dong Zhuo, suppressing the rebellion of the Luoyang aristocratic family and destroying the Hongnong Zhang family, he gained a lot of spoils.

In recent days, Zhen's Company has been helping him sell and cash in, but the results have been slow.

Therefore, Su Yao thought of the auction house.

On the one hand, by telling stories and creating gimmicks, some of the high-end collections in hand can be increased in value and monetized.

On the other hand, grand gatherings can attract a large number of wealthy families and wealthy merchants to gather in Luoyang, bringing sufficient flow of people to speed up the realization of ordinary spoils of war.

The key is:

"In addition to the collections in the palace and the spoils we captured before, we can also collect treasures from princes and aristocratic families in various places."

"They must have a lot of treasures in their hands. As long as we offer enough benefits, I believe they will be happy to take them out for auction."

"All we need to do is set up a royal auction house and collect some storage fees and commissions from it. This will be a business that can be run for a long time and is guaranteed to make a profit!"

Su Yao's words made Lu Zhi and Xun Yu's eyes light up. They didn't expect that Su Yao could come up with such a clever way to solve the financial crisis.

"General, this is a brilliant plan!" Lu Zhi stroked his beard and praised, "Through the auction house, we can not only solve the current financial difficulties, but also bring a long-term and stable source of income to the court."

Xun Yu also nodded in agreement: "That's right, this plan can not only demonstrate the authority of the court, but also attract the world's wealthy to gather in Luoyang, bringing prosperity and business opportunities to the court."

Su Yao smiled slightly and continued, "Moreover, the auction house can also play a more important role, which is to unite people's hearts and demonstrate the majesty and strength of the court."

"Oh? What does that mean?" Lu Zhi asked curiously.

Su Yao explained: "Just imagine that the world's rich people gathered in Luoyang to compete for treasures. This in itself is a recognition and respect for the court. And through our auction house, we can not only show the wealth and strength of the court, but also take this opportunity to strengthen the connection with the princes and aristocratic families in various places."

"More importantly, the auction house can also serve as a publicity window for the imperial court, attracting more talents and resources to the court by showcasing the court's new policies and achievements."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi and Xun Yu's eyes sparkled with excitement.

They knew very well that Su Yao's plan not only solved the immediate financial crisis, but also laid a solid foundation for the future development of the court.

"The general has a far-sighted vision, and this plan is truly a stroke of genius!" Lu Zhi exclaimed sincerely.

Xun Yu also nodded and said: "If this plan can be successfully implemented, it will surely bring unprecedented prosperity and prosperity to the court."

Su Yao smiled slightly and said, "Since everyone has no objection, let's start preparing for the auction house right away."

"Yes, sir!" Lu Zhi and Xun Yu responded in unison.

Next, Su Yao, together with Lu Zhi, Xun Yu and others, began to prepare for the auction house.

They first established the Royal Auction House, with Su Yao personally serving as the president, responsible for the overall operation and management of the auction house.

Then, they began to collect treasures from princes and aristocratic families from all over the country, and sent out invitations to invite them to attend the opening ceremony of the auction house.

At the same time, Su Yao also ordered the Zhen family business to vigorously publicize the news of the auction house in Luoyang City to attract more wealthy people and businessmen to participate.

Not long after, the Royal Auction House opened grandly in Luoyang City.

On the opening day, the city of Luoyang was bustling with people.

Although the world was not stable, not many wealthy merchants from afar went to Luoyang.

But the noble families and merchants from the Central Plains and Guanzhong who came out of curiosity and wait-and-see attitude were enough to make this first auction a success.

The auction house was packed with people and noisy.

Inside the magnificent exhibition hall, there are all kinds of treasures, from precious antique paintings and calligraphy to rare treasures, all of which are dazzling.

Most of these treasures were obtained by Su Yao from the rebellious families during his previous property raids, and some were collections brought from homes by the Lu, Zhen, Xun, Zhong and other families.

Some of them are genuinely here for the auction, while others simply want to join in the fun and put an exaggerated price just to show off their own treasures.

As a result, unexpectedly, Su Yao had people write exaggerated and bizarre stories for these exquisite collections, which increased their value by several times, and some people actually spent a huge amount of money on them.

"I didn't expect these noble families to be so wealthy!"

In the mysterious VIP seats on the second floor of the auction, the little empress who came to join in the fun was astonished.

She looked at the fierce bidding scene below and marveled inwardly.

She originally thought that it would be great if the auction organized by the general could solve a small part of the financial crisis, but she didn't expect it to be so popular, far exceeding her expectations.

In particular, there was a jade hairpin given to her by her father when she was a child, which did not seem surprising at all.

However, under Su Yao's beautification, it turned out to be a treasure with mysterious metaphysical power, attracting people to compete for it.

"It's really... too exaggerated." Princess Wannian, now the Empress of the Han Dynasty, covered her mouth with her hands and looked at the fierce bidding scene below with surprise.

It was originally just a small gadget that her father, the emperor, had casually given to her when she was a child. In her memory, apart from its exquisite style, there was nothing special about it.

However, under Su Yao's arrangement, and after careful packaging and rendering by the auctioneer, this ordinary jade hairpin was unexpectedly endowed with mysterious power and became a focus of the auction.

"The general made up this story, and even I almost believed it." The empress chuckled, with a cunning light in her eyes.

Although she was an empress, she was young after all, and found Su Yao's unique way of making money both novel and funny.

"However, the effect is unexpectedly good." The empress murmured to herself, her eyes fixed on the bidders below.

The jade hairpin that she had forgotten in the corner was now rising in price at an alarming rate, and was eventually bought by a wealthy businessman at a sky-high price.

"It seems that our great general is not only a great martial artist, but also a great money-making expert."

The empress chuckled at Hong'er beside her, and her admiration for Su Yao increased a little more, and her longing for him was even deeper.

Missing you, that’s right.

While the Luoyang auction was being held successfully, Su Yao, who had no time to rest, had already embarked on another journey.

If you want to stabilize the financial difficulties of the Luoyang court, it cannot be solved by taking shortcuts and organizing some small money-saving activities.

The real fundamental issue is to restore the court's control over the local areas and collect all taxes and fees that should be collected.

So, after arranging matters in Luoyang and ensuring that his hometown would not be bombed for the time being, Su Yao immediately took Wang Ling and the Jinyiwei, which consisted of only two hundred people, and headed straight for Hanoi.

His purpose is very simple, just one sentence:

"I, the general, send you money!"

(End of this chapter)