At this point, the wicked man's voice was like a gong struck by a heavy hammer, deep and resounding: "Those who died in battle will not be forgotten!"
"To prevent the heroic spirits from drifting like a lone boat, their souls without a place to rest..."
"I would like to petition Your Majesty to erect monuments to the fallen heroes in various places, so that the fallen soldiers may have a place to rest their souls, and so that the elite soldiers of our Great Qin will not become helpless, lonely souls."
The study fell into a deathly silence, as if time itself had frozen. The generals all looked sorrowful. “Grand Commandant, this is a brilliant move. So many soldiers died far from home. This monument to their fallen heroes… at least allows them to return to their hometowns.”
The wicked man sighed repeatedly. Since he transmigrated here, he had fought in the south and the north, and countless brothers under his command had died or been wounded. Even though he had tried his best to avoid casualties, the number was still like a heavy boulder, making it hard for him to breathe.
He always downplayed the past, simply because he didn't want to mention it too much.
"These fine young men are the pillars of their families! The monument to the fallen heroes is, in the end, nothing more than a symbol of honor, and cannot provide any real benefits or welfare. The court cannot ignore their families and relatives!"
"If any male only son in a family dies in battle, the imperial court shall be responsible for supporting his parents until their old age and exempting his family from agricultural taxes until his children come of age. The imperial court shall bear all the costs of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical treatment, and so on."
“If a person is not an only child and has no offspring, then his or her brothers shall be exempted from agricultural taxes for ten years to support their parents in their old age and to provide for their elderly parents’ medical care and medicine.”
“If he is an only son, with no parents above him and no offspring below him, then his village shall be exempted from agricultural taxes for three years, his village shall be designated as the village of heroes, and he shall be given ten oxen for plowing.”
Having said that, the wicked man raised his eyes and scanned the assembled generals, "Do any of you have anything to add, or any objections?"
The generals all shook their heads; they had nothing to add, as the wicked man had already resolved the core issue.
Feng Jie then whispered, "Grand Commandant, this is a good move, but it's giving too much, which will inevitably place too heavy a burden on the court!"
These words immediately drew angry glares from the military officers, who believed that Feng Jie, as a civil official, thought their lives were worthless and was using this as an excuse.
After all, the wicked husband brought back land and gold and silver from both countries. What is there to be ashamed of in such treatment?
"The great undertaking is not yet complete, and there are many places where money is needed. Such a high standard of support may be difficult for us to bear."
"snort!"
Upon hearing his explanation, the military officers present couldn't help but snort coldly, their anger subsiding slightly, but they were still furious.
They always believed that these civil officials, who were detached from life and death and lived high in the imperial court, only knew how to scheme for the world and had no idea about the suffering of the soldiers at the bottom. They were simply talking without understanding the pain of the situation!
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the wicked man quickly spoke up to appease them, saying, "Please calm down, everyone. What Feng Jie said makes sense. There are indeed some conflicts between the great cause and the protection of the soldiers."
Seeing his demeanor, the generals' spirits immediately dampened. Although they were military officers, they had long served in the court and were quite knowledgeable about certain matters. Naturally, they understood that this guarantee placed immense pressure on the court.
Wouldn't this put us in a dilemma?
Whether the wicked choose to wait until the great undertaking is completed before making further plans, or to temporarily shelve the great undertaking, it will make them feel extremely uncomfortable.
Moreover, with Ying Zheng behind him, whatever decision the wicked husband makes, whether it can ultimately be implemented, will depend on Ying Zheng's choice and will.
After all, they were just subjects; they could share the emperor's burdens, but how could they make decisions for him?
"Haha, everyone, there's no need for that."
The wicked husband slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone. "Don't forget, I, the wicked husband, have plenty of ways to make money. Only children make choices; I want them all!"
"I need to ensure the safety of my soldiers, and this great cause must not be delayed."
These confident words, like a bright flash of lightning, instantly illuminated everyone's hearts. Their eyes brightened, and they looked at the wicked man with anticipation, waiting for him to continue.
“I have something that is colorful and is most loved by foreign tribes.”
"This product is inexpensive to produce and can be used as an inexhaustible money-making tool, allowing one to earn a lot of money in foreign trade."
"Next, we just need to take over the Western Regions, quickly establish a distribution market, and then use this product to attract wealthy merchants and powerful families from various countries, thereby making the distribution market famous in one fell swoop..."
At this point, the wicked man revealed an extremely confident smile, as if he could already see the mountains of wealth piled up. "At that time, money... will be nothing more than a simple number to my Qin state!"
Being stuck in the past and only producing and selling your own products makes money too slowly. How can you make money as quickly as taking money from other people's pockets?
After a long silence, Huan Yi suddenly roared, "Yang Duanhe!"
"General, what's wrong?" Yang Duanhe was startled and asked quickly.
Huan Yi looked directly at Yang Duanhe and said in a deep voice, "You are still young. Why don't you let me handle the attack on the Western Regions? I can settle everything quickly and decisively so that the Grand Commandant's plan can be implemented as soon as possible."
Yang Duanhe's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively felt some resistance. However, Huan Yi was mature and prudent, a veteran general who had been famous for a long time, and his abilities in military affairs and other aspects were superior to his own.
After a moment's thought, he made a choice between the soldiers' treatment and his own future. "Alright, if the old general can shoulder this important task, we will certainly give our full support," Yang Duanhe said sincerely.
Huan Yi nodded slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes. "In attacking the Western Regions, I will certainly live up to the Grand Commandant's trust and take them down with swift, accurate, and ruthless methods, so that those foreign tribes can also witness the sharpness of my Great Qin's iron cavalry."
The wicked man sneered, "Since the General is not afraid of hardship, I am naturally happy to do so!"
He was personally appointed by Ying Zheng to lead military and state affairs, so the matter of changing generals was really nothing; he just needed to inform Ying Zheng later.
The duck that was almost in his grasp flew away, leaving Yang Duanhe looking somewhat disappointed and dejected. His wicked husband took in his expression and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Old Yang, don't be so downcast!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Duanhe gave a forced smile, "Grand Commandant, I'm not depressed!"
Well, still stubborn!
The wicked husband pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. At this moment, he finally understood the king's helplessness. It was already difficult enough to treat everyone equally.
"Old Yang!"
"Grand Commandant, please speak!"
The wicked man sneered, "Now that two of the six states have been conquered, Qin's territory has greatly expanded. Your Majesty's ears and eyes are easily fooled."
"If we don't prepare in advance, when the world is unified in the future, won't we find ourselves in an awkward situation where the emperor is far away and his reach is limited, and we can deceive both the emperor and the people, relying solely on our words to make it difficult to distinguish right from wrong?"
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