Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 600: Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Frontier Camp Recruits and Trains 50 Million New Troops

"Li Cheng comes from the martial arts world and has good martial arts skills. He is capable of developing the Changyun Gang from a small gang."

"But I don't believe he could make such a decision to directly abolish the Nine Rivers and Eighteen Gates and cancel the tax collection."

The middle-aged scholar narrowed his eyes, a glint of shrewdness in them: "I suspect that the mastermind behind this is someone else entirely."

There is someone else.

Yao Baiyue smiled and nodded.

“Rao Ming, your observation skills have become much sharper during your time in Donghan County.”

The middle-aged scholar's face lit up with joy upon hearing this praise.

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Teacher, who exactly is behind this?"

He took a deep breath and spread his palms: "The most likely candidate is Marquis Qingyang, but Marquis Qingyang came to Donghan County to stabilize the eastern border. The matter of abolishing taxes is more harmful than beneficial to him."

"Unless, he is seeking benefits for the Jiuchuan Business Alliance and the Donghan Business Alliance."

"Just by cutting off the eighteen gates, given the current transaction volume, it is estimated that it can save the two merchant alliances hundreds of millions of taels of silver every day."

With a slight frown, the middle-aged scholar continued, "Logically, such losses should fall on the Qin state, so why would the emperor agree to it?"

It harms the interests of the nation; wealthy merchants gather to make money.

This matter seems to bring no benefit to either the Great Qin or the Marquis of Qingyang.

This is a question that not only middle-aged Confucian scholars don't understand, but countless people throughout the world don't understand.

It was precisely because they sensed that Marquis Qingyang had ulterior motives that the Censorate sent a flood of impeachments against him.

“It harms Qin’s interests…” Yao Baiyue sighed softly and shook her head. “Rao Ming, you still haven’t seen through Marquis Qingyang, you haven’t seen through the Qin Dynasty…”

The middle-aged scholar straightened his face, bowed, and said, "Please teach me, teacher."

His name is Rao Ming. He is a teacher at Caiwei Academy and his cultivation level has reached the Grandmaster realm. At his age, he is an absolute elite among his peers.

He was not an elite, nor could he possibly follow Yao Baiyue in cultivation.

He simply didn't understand what Yao Baiyue was saying at that moment.

Yao Baiyue's expression also became more serious as she looked out the window.

"What the Great Qin wants is not wealth, but more resources."

"Wealth, gold and silver, are just currency."

"To ensure the flow of goods, to enrich the people, and to produce even more goods—"

Yao Baiyue narrowed her eyes and said in a deep voice, "The Great Qin is accumulating its strength in preparation for a national war!"

Nation War!

Rao Ming shuddered, and his fingers trembled involuntarily.

How powerful was the Qin Dynasty? Who among the five kingdoms and three regions did not know?

Everyone maintained this situation only because they knew that the enemy of Great Qin was beyond the Great Wall in the north and did not pose much of a threat to the four kingdoms and three regions of Yongtian Continent.

"Nation War..."

Rao Ming's expression shifted, revealing a hint of fear.

Shouts could be heard from outside the window.

"The river management office has set a new price: 32 taels per basket of spring silkworm silk. This price is 40% higher than in previous years!"

"Haha, the spirit grain is fifty taels per catty, delivered directly to the dock. You can take as much as you want. Li Cheng, the head of the river administration, said that if merchants from other counties dare to bargain, he will kill them."

The people's calls were filled with joy, and baskets of all sizes and wooden carts stretched out of the city.

Merchants who had stocked up early were sending goods out in large numbers.

"Pricing power".

"The River Management Office, or rather the Prefectural Governor's Office of Donghan County, has obtained the pricing power."

"They will deliver real benefits to the people, making them prosperous, which will inevitably lead to a surge in production."

Yao Baiyue's face showed emotion as she spoke softly.

"From the wages of the laborers working on the river to the pricing of these supplies, the entire Donghan County is in a terrifying state of affairs..."

Rao Ming looked solemn and nodded slightly.

……

The River Management Office.

Inside the main hall, hundreds of scholars dressed in blue robes sat upright, with books and counting rods laid out in front of them.

"According to the quotes from 131 merchants, the price of Jiuchuan silver fish is 352 taels of silver per catty, and it is listed." "Red fire crystal sand is 3,000 taels of silver per tael, and 18 merchants will provide sand miners and sand mining equipment, and it is listed."

“Three hundred and sixty-three merchants quoted prices for Yuncangjiang salt crystals at fifty wen per jin, with a demand of ten million jin. The river management department will subsidize five wen per jin. The price is now listed.”

Each scholar wrote down the prices they were responsible for compiling on a wooden plaque.

One by one, the patrolmen of the river management office hurried along and carried the wooden signs to the square outside the river management office to hang them up.

As a patrolman was running, he stumbled and staggered a few steps, but was caught by Li Cheng, who was standing nearby.

"Jade sprout rice is 31 wen per catty, and 952 merchants are buying 50 million catties. I think it was 24 wen yesterday. The price has risen fast." Li Cheng muttered to himself as he looked at the plaque in the patrolman's hand. After saying that, he glared at the guard again.

"Damn it, He Yang, you're as steady as a rock even when the waves are three meters high, but when it comes to delivering a plaque, your legs go weak."

The guard dared not answer, and only lowered his head.

Li Cheng shouted, "You little brat, did you go out drinking and carousing last night?"

Hearing Li Cheng's words, the young guard said with a bitter face, "Chief, no, sir, let alone drinking and carousing, we can't even get a few bites of food."

“Look at this, just delivering the signs every day, we make hundreds of trips back and forth. The sign is put up one minute and the price has to be changed ten minutes later. Even if the brothers were made of iron, they couldn’t keep up.”

Li Cheng glanced around and snorted, "What, you don't want this job?"

The young patrolman named He Yang quickly shrank back and said repeatedly, "Do it, do it, why wouldn't we do it?"

"Ten coins a trip, that's several taels of silver a day. Anyone who doesn't do it is a fool."

"Besides, if the price on this sign changes by even one coin, it means countless people will earn an extra coin. When all that is added up, it becomes a huge sum."

The young man gripped the sign tightly, his face flushed slightly.

"I feel particularly at ease if I can run around a bit longer and earn more money for the people."

After saying that, he ran out quickly without waiting for Li Cheng to speak.

Li Chengli remained where he was, his expression revealing a sense of emotion.

“Young Master Tao, I never imagined that these fellows who make a living with me on the river would say such things.”

His gaze swept across the lobby.

The scholars in the hall held counting rods, calculating the prices of more than eight thousand kinds of goods traded between the entire Donghan County and various parties.

The river management department adds 10% to 50% to the purchase price before listing it on the market.

The price is transparent; it is visible to merchants, to ordinary people, and to everyone in the world.

The river management office doesn't pay taxes; it only secures an extra 10% to 50% profit for the people.

This was the plan of Marquis Qingyang.

"The three thousand scholars that Lord Marquis transferred to the River Conservancy Office are not just for calculating market prices," said Young Master Tao, dressed in a scholar's robe, standing beside Li Cheng with a light laugh.

Young Master Tao.

While Li Cheng appeared to be in charge of all matters, big and small, in the river management office, it was actually Tao Gongzi who stood behind him.

Tao Gongzi, representing the Marquis of Qingyang.

"Steward Li, please take a count and see if the supplies needed for the new army have been prepared."

Young Master Tao looked ahead and spoke.

Li Cheng nodded, picked up an account book, and after carefully comparing the entries, a look of delight appeared on his face.

"Young Master Tao, everyone's here."

Three days later, the Donghan County Prefectural Government issued a conscription order.

Zhang Yuan, the garrison commander of Donghan County and Marquis of Qingyang, recruited 50 million new soldiers for training in his capacity as deputy commander of the Eastern Frontier Campaign.

All supplies for the soldiers participating in the training were to be allocated by the Jiuchuan Business Alliance and the Donghan Business Alliance.

Fifty million troops were trained and eventually formed an army of five million.

One out of ten.

This level of discipline is comparable to that of the Imperial Guards of the Qin Dynasty.

In an instant, the Eastern Territory was in an uproar, and the whole world was in an uproar.

Two days after the Eastern Territory mobilization order was issued.

The official gazettes of the thirty-six prefectures of the Qin Dynasty were posted together, and one of them contained a sentence.

Written by the Emperor of Qin.

"Go to the eastern border."

(End of this chapter)