I, a Celestial Dragon!

Chapter 411 Everywhere

"Any island?"

The kings were somewhat frightened by Gawain's words, and they all fell silent.

During this period of silence, they roughly calculated the expenses.

No matter which world it is, the cost of building roads will never be low, so this kind of plan puts a lot of pressure on the kings.

So, immediately a smart king King Gao Wen asked.

"Wait, Gao Wensheng, can this so-called sea train really greatly increase the scale and speed of transportation of various types of goods as you said?

If it is possible, haha, then of course I would be willing to lay it. Maybe one day in the future, I won’t need to take a boat to Marijoa for meetings anymore.

You see, I absolutely support your decision, and you shine as brightly as the sun in my eyes.

But... Your Highness, I hope you can understand my difficulties.

Our country is really out of money right now. The gold in the sky is really too heavy. In order to pay back the gold in the sky, we have really gone bankrupt!"

After the words fell, the king looked at Gawain cautiously, and then he made an embarrassed expression.

At the same time, after a moment's silence, the other kings immediately spoke out to support the king who was crying poor again.

For a time, these kings, who were wearing gold and jade, and each wore a crown worth at least billions of berries, and who had just recently been buying luxury goods and fashion slaves in Shampoo, were all crazy.

They themselves described themselves as migrant workers who barely survived by sleeping under bridges.

I don’t know if they are poor or not, but they definitely have a dream of becoming an actor…

On the side, seeing the kings' performances becoming increasingly exaggerated, Gawain raised his hand and gently patted the table.

"That's enough, everyone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain placed his right hand on the table, and countless arcs of electricity burst out.

The kings who were crying poor were startled by the harsh sound of electric arcs, and they quickly sat up straight.

Seeing that they had quieted down, Gao Wen withdrew his right hand and smiled.

“I understand your difficulties, but you also need to understand my difficulties.

Tian Shang Jin has been the core rule since the establishment of the World Government. Even I cannot easily break such a rule.

If it were just the heavenly gold of individual countries, then I might be able to ask for a reduction.

But there are seventeen kings sitting here, including kings who have never arrived here in the Grand Line, and representatives of raw material exporting countries in the Four Seas who have no right to stand here.

Adding all these together, I'm afraid there will be forty to fifty countries that will gradually join our cooperation in the future!

This is nearly one-third of the allied countries in the world. I am powerless and cannot propose a proposal for so many kings to temporarily retain the Tianshang Gold and refuse to hand it over.

You should be able to understand this!"

After he finished speaking, Gawain glanced around coldly. His eyes made everyone he saw lower their heads.

But even so, the kings will not shut up easily.

After all, in the eyes of the kings, if they were to spend a large sum of money on Gawain's plan, their behavior would not only lower their own lives by at least one level, but would also cause complaints from their nobles!

In particular, the kings felt that Gawain was being too vain.

If their men earn less, they will never run to Gawain to complain.

After all, it is these poor kings who are regarded as thorns in the eyes of those people!

In short, even though the kings were trembling with fear, they did not accept Gawain's explanation, and one of the kings immediately spoke to Gawain cautiously.

“But, sir, I…ah.

I really want to support you, but I really don’t have the ability!

After all, as everyone knows, our Kingdom of Alabasta has just experienced a drought that lasted for several years. I still have to rely on the aid and assistance of others to barely keep the civilians alive."

Having said that, Cobra gave Gawain a meaningful look, and at the same time, he continued to speak to the people around him and Gawain with his full acting skills.

"The common people in our country really can't afford to eat. There is no money to be made from them. If you don't believe me, I can even hand over the economy of my entire kingdom to you, my lord!"

Having said that, Cobra adopted a desperate attitude, and started dancing with a bitter face.

"As long as you don't move me and the treasures of my nobles, then the financial power of our country can be handed over to you at worst!

The shops of the nobles under my command can pay taxes to you, but in addition to the normal business taxes, if you plunder the wealth of our nobles too wantonly, even if you are a Celestial Dragon, we will bring the case to the Five Elders.

In short, this is what I mean. You send people to manage our country's finances, and you collect taxes from the shops of our common people, that is, other people excluding nobles.

Then, you will be responsible for paying the heavenly gold for our country. Is that okay, Your Highness Gao Wen?

You know, I have handed over the financial power to you. Whether it is how to deduct money from the civilians or how to set prices and import and export tax rates, if all those are decided by you, you will always make some profit.

But I still want to emphasize that I will not give you the right to manage the nobles!

And the most important thing is that this kind of management can only last until the sea train is fully established!

Do you think this is okay?"

After saying that, Cobra made an interested expression, and then he glanced at the kings around him.

To be honest, a smart king immediately became interested in this plan.

For the kings, the little money in the hands of the common people was just a drop in the bucket.

Especially for the civilians nowadays, haha, the tax money deducted from them is barely enough to pay the gold in heaven!

They also have various industries of their own, and those industries are where they make the bulk of their money. As long as they don't touch their industries, their treasures will always continue to increase.

In particular, if Gawain were to send someone to take charge of the taxation of those low-class civilian garbage, he could not only save money on the heavenly gold, but also save money on building the sea train!

Don’t the kings know that if something like the sea train is developed on a large scale, it will be a good thing for everyone and will make the cake bigger?

Of course they know, but those good things are good things in the future, but they will cost them money now.

Admittedly, if this thing succeeds, they will earn more in the future.

But they don't feel they need to sacrifice the present.

Although money is important to them, they also want to earn more.

But no matter what, they don't want to bear even a moment's loss!

When Emperor Chongzhen was rebelled against by Li Zicheng, the emperor personally took the lead in seeking money from civil and military officials to borrow money for the war, but in the end he couldn't even raise one million taels of silver.

Everybody is poor!

As a result, after Li Zicheng entered the capital, he simply overturned the plate and ransacked his mother's house.

This seizure brought in hundreds of millions of taels of silver. They were so rich.

They are the smartest people in the entire Ming Dynasty, almost all of them are the top scorers in the imperial examinations. Don’t they know that they can earn even more if the Ming Dynasty continues to exist?

Didn’t they ever think that once Li Zicheng invaded, their wealth might really disappear?

Are they just looking at Li Zicheng with a lucky mentality?

Some people say that people at the top of the wealth ladder sometimes do not pursue making themselves richer.

They just need to keep the common people poor.

Because as long as the civilians are poor enough, there will always be someone to cultivate their land and someone to serve them.

As long as the lower class is poor enough, the upper class will still be served by the lower class, even if they earn less or have less savings.

Although this statement has some truth to it, facts over the years have proven it.

The superior people never make choices, they want them all.

Why should I suffer the slightest loss of my own wealth, while I keep the inferiors poor?

No, I want them to be poor, and I want myself to be richer, that’s their logic!

History has proven that the true truth is always that the richer a person is, the more he cannot let go of the wealth he has already obtained or is about to obtain.

Just at this moment, looking at the kings around him who were gradually becoming restless, Gawain was really looking forward to the day when he could completely get rid of them.

Although Gao Wen particularly admired Qin Shihuang, he had to admit that Gao Wen's favorite way of governing was that of Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty.

Since officials have obtained the qualifications to manage others and a status higher than that of ordinary people, they should stick to the spirit of poverty and not think about accumulating unimaginable wealth!

Even if someone embezzles a few dozen taels of silver, he will be dragged out, skinned and stuffed with straw, and his head will be thrown out!!!

Of course, compromise is an inevitable choice now.

So Gawain sneered in his heart, but smiled at the group of expectant kings.

“Haha, Cobra actually made a good suggestion.

Like Cobra's current idea, I have actually considered a similar plan for some time in the past.

You all should hand over the economic sectors of your respective countries that are facing the civilians to me, and let me help you exploit those unruly people under your control!

I am a Tianlong. Even if they dare to resist you, even if they dare to pretend to obey you but actually disobey you, they will never dare to do anything to displease me!

I will deduct more money from them, and then I will bear the heavenly gold that you each need to pay, and I will also bear a series of investments for you to build the sea train!

You guys are so lucky to have met a generous man like me. All you have to do is follow me and enjoy yourself!

But there is one thing that is very important.”

Gawain raised his hands to the people around him.

"You must understand that I am not here to do charity, I also want to make money, everyone!

Without money, how can I outfit my big ship, or feed my maids and guards?

And those popular slaves, you don't want me to be unable to afford them, do you?

So, everyone, don't think of kicking me out of this plate just as the sea train is completed!

The Sea Train is destined to be a big money business, and I'm counting on making a fortune from it!

My Xuanniao cost me a full two trillion Baileys. You should understand what kind of number that is!

So, three years, I don’t ask for much, just three years!

In the three years after the construction of the sea train is completed, I will still hold your financial power!

Besides, I will not continue to pay any heavenly gold for you during those three years!

Can you understand?"

"Of course!"

"Haha, we understand very well. Lord Gawain is a good man!"

"Your plan can be implemented immediately. You can even send someone back with me. I will let the leaders under your command control the financial power.

But it’s only in the last few years, sir, please don’t go offside.”

"Your Excellency is so generous. Haha, it's just the taxes of a bunch of civilians. We can make the same profit as usual, and we don't have to pay for the sky gold or the money for building the sea train!"

"Yes, it feels like a great benefit has fallen on us. How much money can those lowly people get? This is all Lord Gawain's care for us!"

"I will worship your statue when I get back!"

“I’ll provide the photos.”

"Long live the Lord, the Five Elders have never been as generous as you, they only know how to issue Demon Slayer Orders!!!"

"Long live my lord!"

For a moment, under the tacit leadership of Cobra and others, the kings even began to cheer in the conference room.

They will not lose any money, their country will have countless more jobs and import and export trade channels, and they will not have to pay the heavenly gold for the next few years!

For these big shots, this is simply a blessing from heaven. As for what they have to pay, it is nothing more than making the lives of the inferiors under them a little worse!

As for what you said, why don’t they think that those inferior people will live better under Gawain’s manipulation, and even do something under Gawain’s coercion to attack them, the superior people, or even directly rebel.

Haha, stop joking, no king would think like that!

Because Gawain is a celestial dragon!

The kings knew the Celestial Dragons too well. The Celestial Dragons didn’t even treat them, the kings, as human beings, let alone mere inferiors?