NCCnovel Chapter 433 The Cold in the North.
Chapter 433 The Cold in the North.
Wei Caiqin stood aside and said with a smile:
"I have no money either. My dowry has been spent, and I can hardly carry out my work as a woman. The salaries of more than 100 people under my command have been in arrears for two months. If this continues, my subordinates will rebel."
Ye Kun smiled bitterly: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. We will hold a meeting of nine departments tomorrow to discuss how to get the money."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Ministry of War came to ask for help again.
One hundred thousand soldiers stationed in Yanshan need winter clothes to survive the winter, so let's prepare them as soon as possible.
Because Ye Kun's army has always been in the south, where it is not that cold, they don't need to prepare too many winter clothes.
It’s different now. The coldness in the north is unbearable for people in the south.
Ye Kun immediately sent someone to convey the order, asking the winter clothes in the Ministry of War’s warehouse to be sent to Yanshan first, and then to let the major military workshops rush to make the winter clothes.
Because of lack of money, Ye Kun couldn't sleep, so he went to visit Zhuge Feng at night to seek for advice.
Coincidentally, Sang Buyi was there too.
Zhuge Feng smiled and said, "My lord, you came here so late at night. Is there something important going on?"
"No more money." Ye Kun said bluntly with a sigh:
"We have conquered the Central Plains and are building everywhere. When the people have nothing to eat, we give them food. When the people have nothing to wear, we give them clothes. Now, the treasury is empty and many projects are in serious need of money.
Winter is coming, how can we ensure that the people don’t starve or freeze to death?”
Zhuge Feng thought for a moment, frowned and said, "There is still money, but it is all in the hands of the wealthy people in Jiangnan. For example, Yu Guinong, Yan Jun and others are all rich enough to rival a country."
When Jiangdong was conquered, Yu Guinong, Yan Ju and other Jiangdong gentry remained unscathed and even took advantage of the situation to embezzle many assets of Jiangdong.
In order to win them over, Ye Kun gave them many rewards.
Therefore, Yan Ju and others are now richer than they were back then.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he is rich enough to rival a country.
Ye Kun smiled bitterly: "I know that the Jiangdong gentry are rich, but how can we get them to take out the money?"
We had made it clear back then that the interests of the Jiangdong gentry group must be protected.
If Ye Kun turns against him now and kills the local gentry in Jiangdong, his credibility will be lost, which will be detrimental to governing the country in the future.
Sang Buyi pondered for a moment and whispered, "Don't worry, my lord. We can do it in many ways and slowly."
"What do you think."
"First, appropriately increase the prices of goods, such as salt, iron, porcelain, sesame oil, tea, etc. Second, borrow money from civil and military officials in the court to deal with the emergency temporarily. Third, stop some less urgent construction projects."
Ye Kun smiled and said, "Borrowing money is a good idea. How about this, after the meeting is over tomorrow, I will invite the civil and military officials to have dinner and cry about my poverty."
Zhuge Feng nodded: "If we really can't borrow money, then we have no choice but to be ruthless and deal with some of the gentry."
There were no wealthy people in the Central Plains because they had all been plundered by Xiahou Chang.
The gentry that Zhuge Feng was referring to were the Jiangdong Group.
Ye Kun returned home and tossed and turned all night, still thinking about how to make money and how to take out the wealth of the Jiangdong gentry for secondary distribution.
Xie Baochan accompanied Ye Kun tonight and asked, "Husband, is there anything bothering you?"
"I just lack money, nothing else is wrong."
Ye Kun smiled and explained the current situation.
Xie Baochan said: "In fact, the lives of the people in the Central Plains have been much better in the past two months. It is unlikely that they will freeze to death or starve to death in the winter. The people are not fools, and they will find a way when the time comes. You sometimes act too hastily. Governing the country and developing the Central Plains cannot be accomplished overnight."
Ye Kun acknowledged what Xie Baochan said and said with a smile: "Madam, you are right. I am too impatient."
Xie Baochan smiled and said, "I still have some private money. I'll give you another 1,000 taels of gold as a gift to the people of the Central Plains. One tael of gold can buy three sets of winter clothes, which can help 3,000 people."
"Madam is so righteous, Ye Kun is moved."
Ye Kun hugged Xie Baochan and said with a smile, "I have to thank such a good lady."
"How can I thank you?"
"What did you say?"
The two of them were whispering, and gradually it became inaudible.
The next day, a meeting was held with ministers from all nine ministries and all the civil and military officials in the court present, and Gongsun Zhang was also invited.
After the discussion, Ye Kun smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, everyone. Today, several ladies in our Han Palace have cooked some fresh dishes. I would like to invite everyone to come to my place and have a drink."
Everyone was unaware of the plot and went there happily.
Jiang Yourong, Xie Baochan, Liu Yuejuan, Wei Caiqin and others actually cooked themselves, prepared several tables of dishes and served fine wine.
Ye Kun raised his glass and invited everyone to drink together.
After a few bombs exploded, Ye Kun put down his wine glass and suddenly sighed:
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, I, Ye Kun, am incompetent and have been overwhelmed recently. I feel that I can no longer support myself. Therefore, I request to retire and return home to farm. I beg Your Majesty and gentlemen to grant my approval."
Everyone was shocked!
Gongsun Zhang stood up and said, "Brother Crown Prince of Han, why do you say that? We are all fully supporting you. Is there any difficulty that you cannot overcome?"
Everyone also asked the reason.
Ye Kun sighed again, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, everyone, I am now like a housewife without rice. I have no money, and I can't do anything."
Wu Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, and then gloated:
"King of Han, we are in too much of a hurry and too big a step. I have warned you before, but you didn't listen. All the fiscal revenues from Yizhou and Jiangdong have been transferred to the Central Plains, but it is still not enough."
Yu Guinong smiled and said, "The King of Han is too good to the people of the Central Plains. He gives them too much money. He exempts them from taxes for a year, distributes salt and iron, and pays for the people to repair their houses and upgrade their ventilation stoves. To be honest, even a mountain of gold cannot withstand such spending."
In order to stabilize the hearts of the people in the Central Plains, Ye Kun directly announced a one-year tax exemption.
A large amount of salt, sesame oil, and iron farm tools were also distributed, all free of charge.
If you spend money like this, of course you won't have enough money to spend.
Ye Kun clasped his fists and smiled bitterly, "I accept everyone's criticism, but things have come to this point and many tasks cannot be stopped. What should I do? It's useless to kill me. We still have to find a solution."
Everyone was silent.
Only Qin Chou was the most honest, and his relationship with Ye Kun was the most sincere. He stood up and said:
"King of Han, I have about 1,000 taels of gold at home. You can use it. Although it's not much, it's a token of my appreciation."
Ye Kun clasped his fists and said, "Master Qin, thank you for your support. I'll lend you this thousand taels of gold."
Jiang Yourong came over with several ladies:
"King of Han, we sisters still have some jewelry and furniture. You can sell them and get some money to govern the country."
Ye Kun shook his head repeatedly: "Governing the country and maintaining peace is our business, the business of the court ministers. How can we ask you to sell jewelry?"
Xie Baochan smiled and said, "The country is the country. Only with the country can there be a home. When the country is in trouble, every citizen should support it."
Gongsun Zhang could no longer sit still, so he stood up and said:
"For so many years, I have been taken care of by the King of Han and he has given me a lot of gold and silver. I don't need so much, so I will take out 5,000 taels to govern the country!"
Ye Kun was overjoyed and bowed to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty loves the people like his own children. The people of the world will always remember your kindness!"