The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Emperor Qianwu, enraged, laughed and glanced sideways at Xiong Zhen:

"Tell me honestly what benefits you gave to those old immigrants! I don't believe that immigrants who have been on the run for several years would be so kind as to take the initiative to help their fellow villagers back home!"
Xiong Zhen repeatedly clasped his hands and begged for mercy:

"Nothing can be hidden from His Majesty! To be fair, the immigration policy offered by Kansai is the best. The immigration villages will be under construction in the spring, building courtyards for new immigrants to live in for free for three years."

New immigrants, like the old immigrants, were all allocated 20 mu of land per household, and were also exempt from taxes for three years! After three years, each mu was taxed only two dou of grain per year (one dou equals eighteen jin).

High-yield grain seeds, oxen for plowing, and various farm tools were all distributed free of charge by the garrison.

Even if they miss the spring planting season, it doesn't matter, the main road between the ten garrisons in Kansai will be under major repair next year. When these new immigrants arrive in Kansai, the men go directly to work on the construction sites, and the women in their families can even get an advance on their wages for living expenses.

New immigrants, even if they arrive in Kansai empty-handed, can immediately be allocated housing, land, and wages.

Secondly, it comes down to interests! Old immigrants and new immigrants are a community of shared interests.

For every adult new immigrant (regardless of gender) introduced to Kansai by an established immigrant, the immigrant would receive a referral fee of one tael of silver after the new immigrant settled down.

However, the introducer is also a guarantor. If the later immigrant commits crimes, the introducer will not only have to return the referral fee but will also be subject to certain penalties.

Hear this.

Emperor Qianwu couldn't help but gasp:
"A referral fee of one tael of silver per person? If you refer everyone from your hometown village to Guanzhong, you'll make a fortune!"
This isn't just a referral fee, it's a huge investment! The long-time immigrants will rave about Kansai!

Xiong Zhen: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Those old immigrants went far beyond praising life in Kansai.
They practically said Kansai was a paradise on earth, a heavenly realm!

This tactic of introducing the new to the old is truly insidious.

The imperial court could not prohibit people from seeking refuge with relatives and friends, nor were there any laws or decrees stipulating that people could only live in one place and were not allowed to leave.

It's possible that some of the old immigrants from Kansai have already returned home in glory.

Take, for example, the kind of thing where people take a tall horse-drawn carriage back to their hometown.

He was dressed in new clothes and adorned with gold and silver jewelry. He then presented the official document stamped by the Guanxi Garrison.

Needless to say, everyone knows what kind of scene it will be!
After the New Year, the court should soon be filled with memorials impeaching the Kansai faction.

This has really put him in a difficult position!

Who exactly is Xiong Zhen?

Their eyes lit up, and they offered another treat.

"Regarding the development plan for Kansai next year, the first major event is that General Gan plans to build a new city in Weilumu and the Iri River Valley after the spring for border trade. At that time, the Ministry of Revenue can be asked to send a tax collection officer to reside there."

Emperor Qianwu thought he had misheard: "Are you asking the tax officials to go to Guanzhong? Is this to collect commercial taxes for the court?"

Xiong Zhen nodded in confirmation of his doubts:
"Your Majesty, the Weilumu region is located in the middle of the north and south of the snow mountain. It is a natural pasture. There are hundreds of thousands of herders scattered around the north of the snow mountain. Their lives are inseparable from buying and selling."

Needless to say, the Ili River Valley is inhabited by non-Han peoples, foreign merchants, and even Russians to the west. If new border trading cities are established in the Ili River Valley, the booming trade there is unimaginable.

General Gan meant that, for these border trading cities, the Guan army could guarantee the personal safety, property security, and product quality of merchants from various countries.

Correspondingly, the tax bureau can also levy higher commercial taxes on border trade goods, and these taxes will all be turned over to the national treasury!

He spoke with great righteousness, but in reality, he was heartbroken.

If these commercial taxes are not turned over to the Ministry of Revenue, they will ultimately go to the Logistics Revenue Center.

But General Gan is right. If the court wants to support the development of border trade in Guanzhong and expand its influence, the court must reap the benefits of border trade.

High tariffs are the most direct benefit!
This is not.

The emperor, who had just been complaining that he had caused trouble, was immediately delighted by this sweet treat.

That's because Xiong Zhen doesn't understand that the tax authorities can only collect a very limited number of taxes now.

Not a single provincial administration commissioner proactively generated revenue or increased business for the imperial court.

Many local officials are constantly asking the imperial court for resources.

Those civil officials had long wanted to get involved in the governance of the Kansai region.

This time, it was Kansai that proactively offered a good opportunity.

Emperor Qianwu was overjoyed and hadn't even had time to praise Xiong Zhen when Xiong Zhen threw another thunderbolt at him.

The bearded man guarding outside the imperial study heard his master's hoarse voice.

"What? Kansai wants to build a military academy that studies firearms?"

The bearded man's ears twitched, and his feet involuntarily moved closer and closer to the door.

Closer.

The conversation inside was much clearer.

Old Xiong's voice held an indescribable mix of indignation and smugness:
"Your Majesty, haven't you noticed something strange about the schools in this world? Scholars have access to education from a young age, and they often have to study hard for more than ten years before they can pass the imperial examination and enter the emperor's court."

But what about us military officers? Where are there schools that specifically teach us how to fight? And who is born knowing how to fight? If we have to rely entirely on going to the battlefield to learn, then the cost of learning is too high.

Furthermore, firearms will be the key to dominating the battlefield in the future. General Gan's purpose in establishing the military academy was to train a force of firearm soldiers for the Yongtai Dynasty.

Today we can build the General's Cannon and the Second General's Cannon, and tomorrow we can improve the range and power of the musket.

After several years of this group of students who spent their days studying firearms and practicing their aim with them, most of them became true sharpshooters.

There was a hint of anxiety in his master's voice:
“Your ideas are certainly good! I also value the improvement of firearms, but Old Xiong, have you ever thought about how the court would allow such a school, which is thousands of miles away and mainly focuses on the research and practice of firearms, to exist?”

After a few slaps to the chest.

Old Bear continued his arrogant mic-pong:
"Your Majesty, the Guansai Military Academy accepts instructors and teachers appointed by the Imperial Court and recruits students from all provincial administrations! All teaching materials can be made public to the Imperial Court."

General Gan's only requirement was that the student's ideology and politics be sound. Students with no criminal records within three generations of their family were given priority, especially those who were descendants of military households, and they had to pass the school's entrance exam.

Students will study in a closed environment for no less than four years, but tuition and all school expenses will be waived, and various competitive scholarships will be provided in stages.

Most importantly, graduates of the Kansai Military Academy prioritize the needs of the imperial court.

Upon hearing this, the bearded man's breathing became somewhat rapid.

A school for learning about firearms?

Tuition is completely free!

What happens to the students of this military academy after they graduate?

That's why all the major camps are scrambling to get them!
This is clearly training military talent for the imperial court for free! (End of Chapter)