The Three Kingdoms began with island farming

Chapter 696: Piecing Together
Tian Ze nodded: "What do you think of the treatment of soldiers in our Great Qi, my son?"

“Quite generous,” Tian An said with a slight hesitation.

"Really?" Tian Ze raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully.

Tian An sighed softly: "Father, although the soldiers' pay is increasing, our Great Qi is also constantly developing and growing stronger, so the soldiers' pay is actually decreasing relatively."

"Although it's still not bad, it's not what it used to be. The soldiers understand, but they still have some complaints from time to time."

Tian Ze smiled slightly: "Well said. It seems that my time in the army was worthwhile; at least I saw some real situations."

Do you think this is fair?

Tian An gently shook his head: "It's a bit unfair. The soldiers of the Seven Kingdoms are now treated no worse than those of my Great Qi, and in some aspects they are even better. It's inevitable that the soldiers have grievances."

Tian Ze casually handed a military expenditure report on the table to Tian An and said quietly, "The soldiers' salaries and benefits have been increasing year by year, but now there are very few wars in our Great Qi. Many officials in the court have suggested reducing the number of soldiers and lowering their benefits."

"Who do you think is right and who is wrong between them?"

Tian An thought for a long time, his brows furrowed, and finally said, "There is nothing wrong with either."

Upon hearing this, Tian Ze smiled slightly.

However, at such a young age, without having experienced much real hardship, his performance was already quite good, so he wouldn't be too demanding.

His eldest son was not a genius, but just an ordinary person like him, though relatively speaking, he was already considered intelligent.

He handed over another report: "Look, this is the application submitted by the Ministry of Finance."

"This year, the national treasury has already experienced a huge deficit. It is recommended to cut military spending and relocation costs."

Tian An glanced at the Ministry of Finance's report, his expression becoming even more conflicted.

"So, putting these three things together, what do you think we should do?"

"With so little money and supplies, should we sit idly by and watch our resources dwindle, cut military spending, or reduce relocation costs?"

Tian An's hand holding the report trembled slightly, the dense numbers on the silk seemed to transform into countless ropes, tightly binding him.

“Father,” Tian An took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady, “cutting military spending will likely demoralize the soldiers. With frequent battles in the western border, the consequences are unimaginable.”

“An empty treasury is a matter of great importance to the foundation of the Great Qi Dynasty, and it is absolutely unacceptable.”

"In my humble opinion, the best course of action is to accelerate development and increase wealth; if that's not possible..."

"If all else fails, should we postpone the relocation plan?" Tian Ze said, his tone enigmatic, having discerned Tian An's thoughts.

Tian An lowered his head and remained silent.

Tian Ze gently shook his head: "Do you think there are any other good ways to accelerate the development of Daqi?"

"Over the years, I and several ministers have tried every possible method."

"Moreover, the current growth rate of Daqi's wealth is nearly 20% per year. Do you think there is still much room for improvement?"

Tian An lowered his head even further.

Accelerating development sounds easy, but if such a method existed, who would be willing to cut internal funding?

Offending people is never a good thing, and the Ministry of Finance isn't some mentally ill person who enjoys being criticized. If it weren't necessary, why would they bring up these things?

"As for your suggestion to postpone the relocation of people, take another look at this report." Tian Ze then handed over another report.

Having been tested time and again, Tian An was starting to panic. He carefully accepted the report. The address of the reporter was marked with two characters: Zhong Yao.

As Tian An read through the report from beginning to end, his face grew increasingly pale.

"Zhong Yao's report objectively analyzed the cost growth curve of relocation, the possible timing of large-scale voluntary relocation in the future, and the development of the seven countries outside of Daqi during this period."

"Furthermore, there are the consequences of not relocating the people, both domestically and internationally, the disadvantages of taking over Parthia and India, and the impact on powerful clans and wealthy families..."

Tian Ze's tone was full of admiration.

It must be said that these heroes who have made their mark on history have indeed possessed extraordinary qualities.

This report was not only comprehensive and systematic, but also very thorough and insightful, almost coinciding with Tianze's thoughts.

The policy of relocating people had a significant impact, and Tian Ze struggled with the decision for a long time before finally making it.

It wasn't that Tian Ze made the decision after a little thought, based on what Chen Gong and others mentioned at the court meeting.

Prior to this, Zhang Zhao had privately argued with Tian Ze several times about this matter until he persuaded Tian Ze, at which point he pulled Chen Gong and others together to finalize the matter publicly.

"After reading this policy essay, do you still think the relocation of people should be postponed?"

Tian An gripped Zhong Yao's report tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Putting everything else aside, he was very familiar with the situation of the Seven Kingdoms, having served under Liu Bei.

The policy proposal was almost identical to what he knew, and even the speculations were extremely reasonable. Even though he kept trying to refute it, he couldn't convince himself.

"Your Majesty..." Tian An's throat tightened, "Minister Zhong's words were like knives. But cutting military spending and relocation costs are both unfeasible, so how will we fill the national treasury deficit?"

Tian Ze looked at Tian An with considerable satisfaction.

“Indeed. You studied under Kongming for several years and came to understand the importance of people’s livelihood and the hardships of the common people; you fought alongside Liu Bei for two years and came to understand the importance of military preparation and the suffering of soldiers.”

"However, you did not experience your father's journey to conquer the Central Plains, so your understanding of the overall situation is still insufficient. It is already extremely difficult for you to see the brilliance of this strategy."

A hint of nostalgia flashed in Tian Ze's eyes: "I once experienced a time when the Ministry of Finance was extremely wealthy. No matter how much the soldiers' treatment was improved or how much the taxes on the people were reduced, it didn't matter."

"The wealth I have earned from foreign tribes and powerful clans is enough for me to squander at will."

"However, these good days are only temporary. The current financial strain is the norm."

Tian Ze stretched out his two hands and counted on his fingers one by one.

"Development, military, people's livelihood, science and technology, education... which one can be sacrificed?"

"The memorials you are looking at are only a small part of them."

"If you add up the money and supplies needed by all the departments, even if you multiply the Ministry of Finance's budget several times, it still wouldn't be enough."

"And which one can be given up? And which one is unimportant?"

"It's just a patchwork of scraps, enough to get by. It's impossible to be perfect in every aspect."

"The budget for the relocation policy is as follows: there is a relocation plan for 300,000 coins per person and a relocation plan for 100,000 coins per person."

"As long as we can hold the bottom line, the rest will be manageable. There is no right choice; the best approach is to see how capable each department is."

"Things can always be resolved."

(End of this chapter)