Chapter 512 This really won't work

Upon entering Qin Mo's tent, Xu was immediately treated as a top-class VIP.

A new chair with a special silk cushion was placed in the main guest's seat. It was extremely comfortable to sit on. After dismissing the attendants, Qin Mo personally brewed tea and served tea. More than a dozen kinds of tea snacks were laid out on the table, making even the straightforward and cheerful Xu Shi feel a little at a loss.

"Judging from your aunt's expression, it seems she has also received news about Yu Shi!"

"Of course! This girl has been keeping it from me all this time. If it weren't for the newly appointed Protector Su telling me, I wouldn't have known she was already at the Heavenly Realm! I must give her a good scolding next time I see her."

Although Madam Xu's tone was indignant, her face was radiant with joy, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and she exuded a proud air. A few months ago, when she saw Wang Yushi, Wang Yushi's melancholy appearance had saddened her greatly, but now that her daughter had become a Heavenly Realm expert, all her worries had vanished.

"Auntie, you've traveled a long way from Suyab, is there something important you need?"

"There's nothing important here. The autumn harvest is over, and they're just escorting military rations over for delivery."

"Oh! I forgot about that, nephew!"

When the Great Xia Western Expeditionary Army marched to the Western Regions, it naturally replenished its supplies nearby. As the westernmost important town of the Great Xia, Suyab City naturally undertook the heavy task of procuring supplies, which were supplied to the Northern Route Army of the Western Expeditionary Army.

“Your Prince Heng is wealthy and powerful, and your army has never had to worry about food shortages, so naturally you don’t remember these trivial matters.” Madam Xu put down her teacup and teased Qin Mo with a smile.

"Hehe, not at all!"

The army of Dayuan was well-prepared for this western expedition, carrying a large amount of valuable goods and money. Many locals brought cattle and sheep to the camp gate to sell, and the food supplies in all the camps were always plentiful. Unlike those poor armies that could only wait for the court to distribute supplies, and if the military rations did not arrive on time, they had to cut back on food or even run out of food.

"Aunt, the northern route army of the western expedition will soon be turning back, leaving only 100,000 men to garrison the new Protectorate. From now on, the military provisions should be solved locally, and you will no longer have to suffer the hardship of transporting provisions over thousands of miles!"

"I'm afraid...that might not be the case!"

“............”

"What do you mean by that, Auntie?"

Madam Xu straightened her posture and said with concern, "A few days ago, the newly appointed Protector-General of Kangju passed through Suyab City. He brought an official document from the Ministry of Revenue, which clearly stated that the expenses for the Kangju Protectorate and the Yuezhi Protectorate would be half raised locally, and the rest would have to be borne by the Four Garrisons of Parthia. The Western Regions are not as wealthy as Jiangnan, and the expenses for tens of thousands of people are not a small amount!"

"Hiss! Shouldn't the military pay for the garrison of the Protectorate be paid by the imperial court?"

"But the imperial court has no money! So they just painted a pie in the sky for us, saying that we wouldn't have to pay the transit tax anymore. But now the trade route to Xizhou is cut off, and there are far fewer merchants passing through than before. The tax collected isn't even enough for Suyab City's own use, so where would there be any money left for the Protectorate?"

Madam Xu sighed deeply and said angrily, "We from the four towns told the newly appointed Protector-General Su about our difficulties, hoping he could petition the court on our behalf. He actually asked us to increase the poll tax in the Anxi region. But increasing taxes is not so easy. These Hu people are inherently arrogant and poor. If we force them too much... they will rebel!"

"Auntie...do you have any plans?" Qin Mo asked Xu Shi tentatively. He couldn't understand Xu Shi's meaning for the time being. After all, given Wang Yushi's current status, she was not without ways to solve the problem. So why did she come to him?

"What plans can I have? A mother can't keep asking her daughter for money all the time! Prince Heng has the talent of Guan Zhong; could he point out a clear path for your mother?"

Qin Mo nodded, thinking to herself that this was the real purpose of the Xu family's visit today. In the past, Suyab was right next to the Silk Road, and caravans of merchants passed by all year round, making it easy to collect a lot of taxes. But now the westward trade route is cut off, and caravans can only go as far as Kangju and Yuezhi. If this continues, the prosperous Anxi Four Garrisons will inevitably decline.

Xu didn't want to keep dragging Wang Yushi down, so she asked herself, the person who was best at making money in the Great Xia, for help.

“Aunt, there are only two clear paths: one is to become a traveling merchant who sells goods, and the other is to build workshops using local materials and become an industrial merchant.”

"Could you explain this to your aunt in more detail?"

"Trading merchants are those who sell goods between two places. For example, Auntie can sell our Dayuan specialties in the Western Regions. Dayuan's sugar, wine, and tea are very popular among the Hu people in the Western Regions."

Xu smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "To be honest, my main source of income in Suyab City used to be the commercial taxes collected from passing through, which came from selling your Dayuan goods. But for more than a year now, Dayuan has cut off the supply to the interior of Great Xia, and I'm almost worried to death."

“Aunt, you’re wronging me. It was that…whoever has been opposing me that made me withdraw my merchants from Great Xia. Now that the Wang family’s shops have opened, large shipments will soon be arriving in the Western Regions.”

Xu couldn't help but roll her eyes. The only person in the entire Great Xia who dared to argue with Emperor Zhaowu was the one in front of her, but in the end, this kid still won.

"In that case, I will express my gratitude to His Highness Prince Heng on behalf of the four garrisons of Anxi. It is truly shameful that we have gone through so many twists and turns." Madam Xu stood up and formally bowed to Qin Mo in thanks.

"Auntie, you're being too polite today. Just say what you have to say. Didn't you say we're family?" Qin Mo quickly stood up to return the greeting. Although he was a prince, it didn't make him feel guilty!

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