Ever since Song Yanqing told Lu Qiqi that the military camp was short of food and pay, he has been in a bad mood.
No matter how invincible and brave the soldiers at the front are, if the supplies from the rear are not timely.
There will always come a day when our hands and feet are bound by constraints.
How long will these soldiers who are fighting so hard on the battlefield be able to guard the border?
She thought about it carefully these past two days and finally came up with a good idea.
When she ran to find Song Yanqing, she saw Qin Shiyu walking out of the commander's tent.
After the two nodded to each other, Qin Shiyu, dressed in heavy armor and with a sword at his waist, quickly walked away.
Since Song Yanqing began to suspect General Wu, General Qin has been visiting the commander's tent more and more frequently, leading Lu Qiqi to guess that the two are plotting something.
The guard lifted the tent flap, and she strode inside. She saw Song Yanqing with his hands on the edge of the sand table, his eyes fixed on a certain spot.
Lu Qiqi didn't say anything to disturb him, afraid of interrupting his thoughts.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she was sitting at the low table watching the ants with nothing to do when a deep, husky voice came from behind her.
"What brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi abruptly turned her gaze away from the ants and looked up at him, saying, "I've come to discuss the matter of military funds and provisions with you."
Upon hearing this, Song Yanqing released the sand table and walked towards her.
He was very interested to hear what solutions she had for the financial and food shortage.
An Yi stood to the side, wishing he had four ears so he wouldn't miss a single word spoken by the Lord of Kang Le Township.
After Song Yanqing sat down, Lu Qiqi turned to face him, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "Haven't you considered that there are many wealthy merchants in the border town? We could get some silver from them to get through this winter."
As soon as he finished speaking, An Yi sized up the two people sitting opposite him.
This morning the Crown Prince had just asked him to start arranging this matter, and now, before noon, the Prince of Kang Le has come up with the exact same idea.
Are you sure these two didn't plan this out in bed last night?
They were able to perfectly match the intended meaning word for word.
Seeing that Song Yanqing remained silent, Lu Qiqi thought that something was wrong and quickly gave her an example.
"Since ancient times, when armies went to war, the national treasury was depleted, and taxes were increased by 30%."
This war has dragged on for so long that the Jin Dynasty's Ministry of Revenue is probably running out of ammunition and supplies.
The late emperor also asked aristocratic families to donate grain and money; we are merely following his example.
The Great Jin Dynasty had so many parasites living off the people, and the stipends they received each year were enough for ordinary people to live on for a lifetime. The late emperor made them bleed profusely with one move.
For the next ten years or so, these powerful families, while not exactly law-abiding, did not dare to openly cause trouble.
Even now, powerful families still fear that the current emperor will follow suit.
Seeing that Song Yanqing remained silent, Lu Qiqi continued, "Based on my experience of examining women in various households these past few days..."
They discovered that the wealthy merchants in this region who made their living from salt were all very influential.
They were either the second sons or brothers of high-ranking officials in Xinjing, or direct descendants or branches of aristocratic families.
Although the Great Jin Dynasty had a Salt Transport Bureau, the officials protected each other, and inevitably all the money from salt trading ended up in the pockets of these high-ranking officials and powerful families.
Song Yanqing understood all the reasons she gave, but what he didn't expect was that she could learn about the profit chain behind the salt merchants by helping people with their medical treatments.
Song Yanqing looked at her with interest. "What do you want to do?"
If you want to get donations from the salt merchants in the border town, you need to have some tricks up your sleeve. Those guys are all seasoned veterans, each one more shrewd than the last.
The slightest carelessness could result in severe damage, ranging from a loss of money to the risk of death.
However, with him there, she wouldn't be in any danger.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lu Qiqi assumed that he had been persuaded.
So he said, "If these wealthy merchants claim to be poor and are only willing to donate a very small portion, it's just a drop in the ocean, and there's nothing we can do about it."
Why don't we put on a show for them, and then take advantage of their misfortune?
An Yi didn't understand the lord of Kang Le Township's wildly imaginative ideas, but Song Yanqing chuckled and asked, "How do you plan to take advantage of the chaos?"
How to make money quickly? By stealing money from other people's pockets, of course.
Lu Qiqi said, "Previously, a salt merchant in the border town had all his property stolen overnight."
Within half a month, the entire family was slaughtered, leaving not even a dog behind. To this day, it remains a miscarriage of justice.
We can make a big deal out of the salt merchants. First, we can have people go door-to-door to encourage them to donate money, and then we can spread the news that their property was stolen and their entire families were wiped out.
Under normal circumstances, one would definitely guess that this was your doing.
Generals in the field may disobey orders, and even if they have the ability to appeal to the emperor, it will be of no use.
Would you rather have all your possessions wiped out overnight, or donate more money and food to ensure your safety?
These wealthy businessmen would likely choose the second option.
They even rushed to donate more money, fearing that if they donated too little, they would be punished.
After all, with an army of 70,000, their triumphant return to the capital would be a powerful force capable of shaking the very foundations of the court.
After hearing what the village chief of Kang Le said, An Yi stood aside, speechless with astonishment.
Their heir and the village head of Kangle are both incredibly ruthless.
Both of them were glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame seeds!
They appear harmless, but they're actually quite wicked inside!
Just when Lu Qiqi and An Yi thought the matter was a done deal, Song Yanqing poured cold water on their hopes.
He said, "This approach will not only fail to secure donations, but it will also unite these powerful families against external threats."
The scions of noble families were not merely parasites in the eyes of others; in order to perpetuate their honors, they had done countless despicable things in private.
Such trivial tricks are far from enough to make them submit.
Otherwise, if the late emperor had failed to completely sever the control of the powerful families over the court, the current emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty would certainly not be able to do so.
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