Chapter two hundred and sixty-two, if you want to get rich, build roads first
Shen Ao nodded in agreement, and Zeng Tong said excitedly, "Master, leave this matter to me, I will definitely handle it."
"Okay." As soon as Shen Ao spoke, Shi Lei, the chief of guard, walked in hurriedly outside the main hall, "Young Master, Eunuch Yan Fu is here."
"Oh? You came so quickly." Shen Ao smiled and nodded, "Please."
Shi Lei agreed and walked out quickly. Zeng Tong also clasped his fists and left. There were some things he needed to do now. He wanted to see how Han Ce would respond to the methods of himself and his master.
Yan Fu came to the main hall under the guidance of Shi Lei, and saw Shen Ao standing there trying to fix his flaws. Seeing the relaxed look on his face, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
On the way here, Yan Fu got the news that Tang Xiu had left. Ordinarily, he could not show up at the Zhongguo Duke's Mansion, but he came anyway, just to tell Shen Ao and also to tell others that the emperor had nothing to do with him. Duke Zhongguo's attention cannot be defeated by some rumors.
"Eunuch Yan is here just in time. I have something to tell His Majesty, so I will go with you." Shen Ao's tone was relaxed, but when he spoke, there was a hint of gratitude on his face. Naturally, he would not think that Yan Fu came here without incident. He probably came in a hurry because he knew about Tang Xiu. For this concern, he wanted to thank him.
Yan Fu's ability to observe words and emotions was so powerful that he naturally saw Shen Ao's intentions. Then he also smiled and said: "Okay, then our family will go with Duke Zhongguo."
...
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
After Yan Fu's report, Shen Ao came to the palace and presented a memorial to the emperor. At this time, Emperor Qianwen was holding the memorial and reading it with relish.
Emperor Qianwen was a little angry when rumors surfaced. He was not worried about what someone would do to Shen Ao. With this son's ability, and with Xue Fei and others protecting him, it would be extremely difficult to hurt Shen Ao. The reason why he He was angry because someone wanted to deal with Da Gan Bank, an industry he was very optimistic about that could strengthen Da Gan's strength.
After this period of development, Daqian Bank has begun to get on the right track. Nowadays, banknotes are more and more widely circulated in the market. If this continues, Daqian Bank will become a habit for everyone. With this habit , the regime of the Daqian Dynasty will become more and more stable. After all, everyone’s money is placed in the bank. If Daqian is gone, the bank notes may become a piece of waste paper. If this is the case, even if it is to protect yourself It is in the interest of the people, and no one wants to see anything happen to Da Gan.
The effect of this in solidifying people's hearts was what the emperor valued most. Not to mention, the emergence of Daqian Bank could also drive so many industries.
Just like now, the memorial presented by Shen Ao clearly explained how to deal with the rumors this time and make some improvements in the following work. Many of the suggestions were for the sake of the strength of Daqian, especially those based on serving Emperor Qianwen was even more happy to see the repayment in lieu of military service.
Emperor Qianwen has been recuperating his energy in the seventeen years since he took office. Except for some minor wars on the border, he has never taken the initiative to fight overseas. This is a way of hiding one's strength and biding one's time. Facts have proved that the effect is still good. , there are more than 200 million silver reserves in the national treasury, which can ensure that if a war breaks out, there will be enough economic capacity to fight a war.
But after all, there was still no war for seventeen years. Even if King Jin caused such a big disturbance in Daliang City, Emperor Qianwen had no intention of sending troops away. If the soldiers did not go to the battlefield, their value would be very small, and with them My salary has not been increased for a long time.
Firstly, there is no need for everyone to work hard, and there is no reason for salary increases.
Secondly, Daqian is not too wealthy. Once military expenditures increase, it will be a big expense and put a lot of pressure on the finances.
As wages do not increase, the idea that good men should not serve as soldiers becomes more and more popular among the people. More and more good men would rather be rangers than join the army. This is not only because they do not want to lose their freedom, but also because after joining the army Unable to feed the family.
But this time, Shen Ao brought up the issue of increasing military pay, and also said that Daqian Bank would provide certain subsidies. In this way, the pressure would not be entirely on the treasury, and the impact would not be too great. In this way, one can obtain a weapon at the minimum cost. The result of elite soldiers.
Although Emperor Qianwen's title contains words, he has actually been on the battlefield and fought in the past. People who have led soldiers naturally like to have a strong army. Shen Ao can do it without too much money from the treasury. If this requirement can be met, why would he disagree?
This was what made the emperor happy. But there were also things that he didn't understand. For example, the memorial said that Shen Ao wanted to build roads, or that Daqian Bank wanted to build roads. And the roads that were built would be tolled in the future. Will this work?
Everyone knows that when bandits rob a road, they often say, I drove this road and planted this tree. If you want to cross this road, leave money to buy the road. What does Daqian Bank do with bandits? What's the difference?
"Mr. Zhongguo, what's the point of this? What is the purpose of collecting money for road construction?" Emperor Qianwen raised his own question.
If you were a later person, you would not ask such a question. After all, the benefits brought by the development of transportation have already been proven. The highways extending in all directions in China in later generations also explain everything.
Now in Daqian, no one has heard of such a thing. Even Emperor Qianwen is a little puzzled, which is understandable.
Shen Ao, who had been prepared for a long time, smiled confidently and asked, "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the saying that if you want to get rich, you must first build roads?"
"Oh, which saint said this?" Emperor Qianwen shook his head. He really had never heard of this sentence.
"Uh..." Shen Ao naturally couldn't say that this was the words of future generations, so he had to make a digression: "No matter who said it, this sentence is correct, isn't it? If the road is smooth, the goods can be shortened. time, it will greatly save costs, and it will indirectly increase business profits, and all of this is money."
"The benefits are not just these. After the roads are repaired and become wider and smoother, our goods in Daliang City can go out faster and get back some of the things we want. Not only that, one day the army will When we need to do something, the speed will also increase several times. Although I have never fought in a war, I have heard of the principle that soldiers are valuable and quick. And in this way, more people can be hired for our use. They have If you have a job and can get paid, you can increase consumption. If the money circulates, it will increase gd... and it will stimulate the market. Only when money circulates can it show its value. After everyone has money, The country will be more prosperous. In order to protect their own interests, the people will be more concerned about the cause, and this will ensure that the imperial power will last forever."
Shen Ao opened his mouth with a lot of benefits, especially the benefits to the imperial power and the emperor. Hearing this, Emperor Qianwen couldn't help but nod. Seeing that Shen Ao seemed to have finished speaking, he couldn't help but ask He asked, "After the road is repaired, how will the cost be recovered? Is it through tolls? Will those who are doing business give money?"
"Yes. It can save their time, that is, save their costs. Compared with tolls, they will definitely give it, and they will be very happy and willing. Besides, we only charge the carriage and horse fees, and people will not walk on it. There will be no charge, and not many people will be really affected, so they will be fine."
Shen Ao knows very well how profitable highways are. And there are no heavy trucks in this era. Just people walking around will not damage the foundation of the road at all. It will take dozens or hundreds of years to build a section of road. It will be nothing. Problematically.
"Well, that's feasible. But the road construction project is huge and requires a lot of effort. How much money can we collect just by collecting tolls? When will we get our money back?" Emperor Qianwen had obviously begun to seriously think about this issue. , otherwise there would not be such a question.
This question touched Shen Ao's heart. He immediately started to cry and said, "Isn't this also for the sake of Daqian's strength? It does take a long time to collect tolls like this, so I have the courage to ask your Majesty for the toll." The toll will be collected within a period of thirty years. As for the road being handed over to the state after thirty years, it is up to His Majesty to decide whether to continue tolling or whether it will be free."
Thirty years is enough time to recoup all the costs. After all, road construction now does not need to consider such a strong load as that of later generations, so the foundation does not need to be too deep. The cost of hiring manpower is also very low nowadays. Shen Ao is confident enough. The cost will be recovered within ten years. If business develops, this time will only be shortened. For this reason, even if Emperor Qianwen did not agree to thirty years, he could agree to it minus ten or eight years.
They say a child who cries gets milk.
When Shen Ao complained like this, Emperor Qianwen, who had no idea that he was powerful among them, became a little embarrassed. "I can deeply feel the loyalty of Duke Zhongguo to Daqian. But isn't thirty years too short? Don’t lose too much.”
"It's a bit long... huh?" Shen Ao originally thought that the emperor was going to bargain with him, but he unexpectedly said that thirty years was too short. Shen Ao was stunned for a moment, but then he realized what he was doing and said quickly: "It's okay to lose a little. It’s worth it. As long as the cadres are strong, we ministers can live a better life with His Majesty’s glory.”
"Haha, you can talk." Emperor Qianwen laughed, and Yan Fu beside him also covered his mouth and chuckled.
"Well, even if Duke Zhongguo insists, I will take advantage of you once and settle for thirty years. But I can't treat you badly. In this way, I also know that you are a person who wants to do things, and there is no one around you. How can you do it with enough helpers? I will give you a thousand followers." Emperor Qianwen thought about it and made this decision.