If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1213 The Crazy Fiscal Deficit

"Grand Tutor, Your Highness greets you." King Lieyang's attitude was much more respectful than it had been a few months ago.

In fact, not only him, but Li Si and Feng Quji also felt that although they hadn't seen Grand Tutor Yu for several months, he still looked as dignified as ever, but his majesty was much more solemn than before.

This is both an illusion and a fact.

Grand Tutor Yu's aura is more natural and restrained than before, and theoretically he will not give people too much psychological pressure.

However, the things that Grand Tutor Yu has done recently, one after another, from the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill to the destruction of the Four Rivers, are all too shocking.

It's important to know that Xingyang is located at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Ji River.

The deaths of the River God and the Dragon King of the Ji River did not seem obvious to the people of Xianyang, but the shock to Xingyang was immense.

Even when the River God died, blood rain and a foul wind drifted into Xingyang City, and the river outside the city was stained crimson.

Later, Li You, the prefect of Sanchuan County, received an order from the Grand Tutor to lead troops into the Dragon Palace, drag out the dragon's corpse, cut off its flesh and bones, and let the disaster-stricken people on both sides of the river enjoy it.

Grand Tutor Yu herself hasn't changed much, but she's done so many ruthless things that they now hold her in awe.

Now, when I face her, I feel that her authority is growing stronger every day, and I can't help but be more cautious.

After exchanging greetings, King Lieyang immediately took the initiative to apologize, saying, "The loss of Chen County is my fault."

I misjudged Chen Sheng's strategic intentions and placed a large force in Pengcheng, resulting in the defenses of the counties in Chen Commandery being weak.

The Commandant and Prefect of Chen Commandery were not even located within the city.

The prefectural commandant mobilized 50,000 troops and went to Pengcheng. The prefectural governor led 30,000 elite soldiers to garrison Ruyin.

Ruyin is to the south, and Pengcheng is to the north, with a highway running between the two cities. Dazexiang is located between the two cities, near the highway.

The army will certainly save time and effort by marching along the imperial road.

King Lieyang believed that Chen Sheng would follow the imperial road straight to Pengcheng. If Chen Sheng's forces were defeated outside Pengcheng, he would most likely retreat along the imperial road. In this way, the army in Ruyin could cooperate with the Qin army in Pengcheng to encircle and annihilate Chen Sheng's forces.

The plan was excellent, but Chen Sheng didn't follow it at all. His main force split into two: one headed west, entering the poorly defended Chen County; the other headed southeast.

Both teams perfectly avoided Pengcheng and Ruyin.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Actually, I knew Chen Sheng would go to Chen County."

Didn't you notice? Jiang Lü was enfeoffed as the King of Nanyang, west of Chen Commandery, not on the border of Sishui Commandery.

The King of Wu went to Tongling, which was separated from Sishui County by the Jiujiang River and was located in the east.

There was also the King of Hengshan, who was separated from Sishui County by the Jiujiang River and was located in the south.

In the north, there were also the King of Lu and the King of Zhao, among others.

When Chen Sheng was in Sishui County, he was separated from the feudal lords by at least one county.

Now, having advanced triumphantly into Chen County, he is now being attacked from three sides.

King Lieyang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Earlier, when I saw King Nanyang, King Hengshan, and King Chenliu, they happened to have surrounded Chen Sheng of Chenjun. I thought it was a coincidence and was extremely relieved that the overall situation had not yet collapsed."

Unexpectedly, the Grand Tutor had foreseen the future and accurately predicted Chen Sheng's strategy.

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head and said, "It's not about prying into the secrets of heaven. Right now, the Qin Dynasty is the official government, and Chen Sheng is a bandit."

Bandits are like a flood, flowing to wherever the terrain is low.

You've stationed a large force in Pengcheng. Chen Sheng isn't stupid; of course, he won't confront the court head-on right after starting his uprising.

Anyway, he's a rebel; wherever he fights, it's considered rebellion.

King Lieyang sighed and said, "After being reminded by the Grand Tutor last time, I have been reading 'The Old Story of the Investiture of the Gods' for the past few months, analyzing the strategies and tactics of the Xiqi army in the Investiture of the Gods war."

The Xiqi army marched eastward, heading straight for Chaoge, with a very clear objective.

If I consider Chen Sheng as an ordinary bandit, I wouldn't overlook Chen Commandery.

But I thought he was destined for greatness, with the Four Friends of Qionglin, four quasi-Great Luo Immortals, and hundreds of immortals by his side.

Such a powerful force, representing the Mandate of Heaven, would be a betrayal of their ambition to overthrow the Qin Dynasty if they didn't attack Pengcheng.

"Are you out of your mind?" Xiaoyu said with disbelief and contempt, "During the Investiture of the Gods period, Jiang Ziya's 'Taigong's Art of War' was still being explored and summarized step by step."

None of the four great military strategists were ever born.

The military tactics and strategies of that time were far behind those of today.

The reason I asked you to read "The Investiture of the Gods" is to teach you to look at things from the perspective of destiny.

It's not about learning ancient battle formations.

A mid-to-high-level military commander today would have been able to easily defeat Jiang Ziya 300,000 years ago.

If one were to travel back to the ancient times tens of millions of years ago, one could even use military tactics and formations to chase after the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors everywhere.

But you went and tried to learn the tactics of the ancients.

"It's not about learning tactics, it's about studying strategy. Tactics can be improved, but strategy is a way of thinking."

I'm trying to figure out what the shaman behind Chen Sheng was thinking.

I think they will send a large army straight to Xingyang. They will destroy Xingyang first, and then enter Guanzhong,” said King Lieyang.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "To destroy the Great Qin, we must first destroy Xingyang and enter Guanzhong. Don't worry about such grand strategies. Just focus on the present, and you will have accomplished your mission."

Li Si asked, "Chen Sheng has now entered Chen County. According to reports from scouts, a few days after entering Chen County, Chen Sheng summoned the three elders in charge of education, as well as the famous heroes of the county, to a meeting to discuss the restoration of the Chu state."

The three elders spoke frankly, believing that Chen Sheng, armed and ready, had rendered great service by fighting against the tyrannical Qin dynasty and restoring the Chu state, and therefore deserved to be called king.

Chen Sheng was delighted, but deliberately declined, saying he needed to consider it carefully.

Clearly, his day of becoming king is not far off. There are even rumors circulating about a new kingdom, something like 'Zhang Chu'.

Xiaoyu asked curiously, "Did Chen Sheng only rejoice in his heart, but the spies also knew?"

—That's not the point! Grand Tutor, didn't you hear me? Chen Sheng is going to declare himself king! Who wouldn't be happy if he declared himself king?
Before the debate at Mount Hua, he would definitely have been sarcastic and given a couple of cold laughs.

If it were before the River God died, Li Si would have also been unable to resist muttering a few words.

He only grumbled inwardly, his face expressionless, and said, "It's only natural to be happy when one is about to become king."

"So, this is just speculation, and not a case of Chen Sheng verbally refusing but outwardly unable to suppress his joy?"

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, "If he can't control his expression, it means he's not very shrewd. A shallow mind won't go far."

If he appears sincere and insists on declining three times, it indicates that he is very shrewd and knowledgeable.

You must be very careful when formulating plans targeting him in the future.

Li Si paused, a look of annoyance appearing on his face: With my shrewdness and wisdom, I didn't need Grand Tutor Yu's reminder at all! I should have questioned the spies in detail long ago, and determined Chen Sheng's temperament and character through his expressions and behavior.

Why didn't I think of that before? Could it be that the calamity interfered with my thoughts? (ps) King Lieyang said: "Chen Sheng did not become famous only today. Based on his performance over the past ten years, it can be concluded that he should be a great hero who is tenacious, respectful to the virtuous, and tolerant of others."

It's impossible to overemphasize his importance.

Grand Tutor Yu gave him a strange look.

After ten years of observation, you've come to this conclusion? What kind of eyesight do you have?

Her past life's Chen Sheng once said some very famous things, one of which was "If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you."

Then Chen Sheng killed the friends who came to seek refuge with him.

She knew about this.

Even if King Chen Sheng hadn't killed his friends in this lifetime, Xiao Yu could still be certain, through the incident at the City God's Domain in Fuli County, that Chen Sheng's "nature was hard to change" and that he was a mean and ungrateful person.

Today, Chen Sheng's reputation in Dazexiang is like Song Jiang's "acting on behalf of Heaven" banner in Liangshan.

Anyone who actually believes that is a fool.

However, it is better to overestimate Chen Sheng than to underestimate the enemy.

Grand Tutor Yu did not correct his viewpoint, but instead nodded in agreement, saying, "I am relieved that the King of Lieyang has such a clear and calm understanding."

"Does the Grand Tutor have a grand plan to quell the rebellion?" Prime Minister Feng asked.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "You yourselves are the most outstanding generals and the most experienced prime ministers, and you can decide on the specific military plans and the court's countermeasures yourself."

I'm just providing you with a general direction.

In terms of policy, the focus should still be on restoring people's livelihoods.

Ten years of benevolent governance should continue to be promoted.

Not only should it be promoted, but it should also be widely publicized among the general public.

Even if things aren't done perfectly yet, the people should still hear about it and know that the court wants them to live well.

In addition, the Central Plains have been plagued by continuous floods this year, and although the River God is dead, it is already late autumn.

Farmland production should have decreased, and it has already decreased.

The imperial court must increase disaster relief efforts. Don't be afraid to spend money; the more money spent, the better, as long as it's used effectively.

At this point, Grand Tutor Yu couldn't help but point out Li Si, saying, "Prime Minister Li, you've done a great job over the past few months. You truly deserve to be called the great prime minister who assisted the late emperor in establishing the 'First Dynasty in the World'."

Just as Li Si revealed a reserved smile, Grand Tutor Yu's tone changed, and he said, "But your ideas on finance are not quite in line with the current situation of the Qin state."

You are too concerned with the balance of income and expenditure, fearing that the court will be unable to make ends meet.

This kind of thinking severely hampered your efforts in promoting benevolent governance and even disaster relief, preventing you from fully utilizing your wisdom and the court's full potential.

Li Si was somewhat agitated and said, "Grand Tutor, do you know that the imperial court has a deficit of at least fifteen million taels of silver this year?"

Grand Tutor Yu said, "If you can't make the imperial court lose two hundred million taels of silver, you haven't done a good enough job!"

"Two hundred million taels?" the Grand Councilors exclaimed in surprise. "Is there really that much silver in the Xianyang Treasury?"

Li Si said with certainty, "The silver ingots in the treasury amount to at most 130 million taels."

"A deficit of 200 million in one year, and the imperial court will starve the following year?"

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "How much silver was spent on building the Epang Palace?"

"The direct cost in silver was not too much; most of the precious spiritual materials were plundered from overseas or were tributes from foreign countries."

Moreover, the Epang Palace has been under construction for over two hundred years and is still not finished. In the past, a little work was done each year, so the cost wasn't too high," Li Si said.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "That's right. All the wood used in the Epang Palace was rare and precious materials transported from overseas immortal islands."

Even if you dismantle the sacred materials and turn them into coffins, you can still sell them for a billion gold.

The Epang Palace has a towering 'Cloud Palace' that stands a thousand feet tall. The bronze pillars that support its towering height are made of refined bronze and forged with Taoist fire, weighing a staggering 80 million catties.

Dismantle it, melt it down into copper ingots, and you can exchange it for billions of taels of silver.

The construction of the Epang Palace may have cost less than a billion, but its total value is well over a hundred billion or even a trillion.

With such a large business empire located in the Qinling Mountains, are you still worried about not having enough money?

“But the Epang Palace was the imperial palace, the face of the court, and the reason why all foreign merchants exclaimed, ‘China truly deserves to be called the Heavenly Dynasty on Earth!’” Feng Quji said.

"What is face worth? If the Great Qin really falls and you all follow me in a hasty escape to the west, then we will truly have no face left," said Grand Tutor Yu.

Emperor Huhai, suppressing his heartache, waved his hand with feigned generosity and said, "Since my father-in-law has said that the Epang Palace needs to be demolished, and the Epang Palace is mine, I am not heartbroken or afraid of losing face. My beloved ministers do not need to feel heartbroken for me!"

Grand Tutor Yu said, "There is no need to demolish the Epang Palace at present. The amount of gold and silver ingots in the treasury is indeed not much."

But these rare and precious treasures, if added together, would cost more than a billion taels of silver.

I said I lost 200 million a year because I was worried that too much money was being spent and the market couldn't absorb it.

The land lacks sufficient resources, yet it has consumed two hundred million taels of silver.

To put it bluntly, Jambudvipa's GDP is insufficient.

"Prime Minister Li, your wisdom and experience in governing the country are worthy of the title of 'a renowned prime minister throughout the ages'."

I have conducted investigations in various counties in the south, and in recent months, the prices of grain, salt, and iron have remained relatively stable without a significant increase.

After a few months of benevolent governance, the people of the Central Plains did indeed reap tangible benefits.

But that's not enough; you need to change your mindset.

Imagine this: you've amassed a fortune of billions, but before you can spend it all, you die and your entire family is wiped out, and all your gold and jewels fall into the hands of your killer. Wouldn't you feel incredibly frustrated?
We must live each day as if it were our last.

Li Si's expression changed several times, and after a long while, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "I understand. In addition to continuing to reduce taxes, I will increase foreign trade."

The imperial court used its treasures to purchase large quantities of relatively valuable daily necessities such as sesame oil, silk, refined iron, and rock sugar from the surrounding barbarian lands.

Ordinary people cannot afford to wear silk and brocade clothes, or eat sesame oil and rock candy during festivals.

After the imperial court purchases these goods, it will resell them to the people of the land at a low price, which will undoubtedly greatly improve their living standards and allow them to truly experience the benefits of the Qin Dynasty's "ten years of benevolent governance."

King Lieyang also said, "Since the court is not afraid to spend money, I can use the treasures of Xianyang to bribe Chen Sheng's trusted generals."

"The Ying family is very wealthy, so there's no need to worry about spending money. You can decide how to spend it."

"I only want to remind you of one thing: the benefits that the Ying family provides should, as far as possible, reach the common people, and not be embezzled by nobles and officials," said Grand Tutor Yu.

“Of course,” Feng Quji nodded.

　(PS: Many characters in the book say "the calamity enters the brain" out loud. At this time, it is not the reader's God's perspective, but may be the character's self-comfort and justification.)

　　For example, Li Si at this moment simply didn't expect it; it had nothing to do with the calamity energy entering his brain.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)