"Your Excellency, the Prime Minister has shown me immense kindness. If I were to betray you, it would be an unforgivable offense. Therefore, Your Majesty, I can only refuse your offer!"
At this point, Xiang Yu realized that what he had just said was inappropriate, and immediately added a sentence.
It's okay if we don't add this.
One additional point.
The First Emperor's gaze toward Li Lin held an even stronger mockery, as if he were ridiculing him.
[Damn it, that damned Xiang Yu! Bringing you into my household was the worst decision I've ever made. If it weren't for you, I'd still be cuddling with my wife in bed right now, instead of being here attending the morning court. And to be mocked like this by His Majesty is just too much!]
He had no choice.
Why did Xiang Yu inflict double the damage after Han Xin tricked him?
It's like rubbing salt into a wound; you can't imagine how painful that is.
"Your Majesty," I say, "while Xia Jie possesses unparalleled bravery, military campaigns rely on experience. How can those who dispatch troops and generals, lacking knowledge of astronomy, geography, and human nature, lead a large army to victory? In the past, the Confucian sage Confucius established private schools in an attempt to educate the people. Now, I propose that a military academy be established in the Qin Dynasty, where all frontline generals receive moral education, learning the ancient wisdom of warfare and the basic methods for assessing situations in the present day!"
"Minister Li, this military academy you mentioned seems to have some merit. If it's really as you say, Great Qin will have no shortage of soldiers!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, the purpose of establishing military academies is to educate our soldiers. Only educated soldiers will not be afraid of the enemy's schemes and tricks!"
"In that case, I may establish this military academy, but the instructors..."
"We can let veteran generals in the army continue to contribute their expertise after they grow old by serving as instructors in military academies, with a monthly salary equivalent to their highest rank before leaving the army. In this way, the battle-hardened experience of these old generals can be passed down, and the number of experienced generals in the world will increase. Why should we worry about not being able to sweep across the Roman Empire in the future?"
"Very well, Minister Li's method is excellent, I think it's wonderful!"
The First Emperor smiled happily, and even changed his address for Li Lin from Prime Minister Li to Minister Li, as if his attitude had returned.
"Your Majesty, there is something I am unsure whether I should speak of!"
"What's wrong? Han Meng, the Junior Steward?"
"Your Majesty, although the Military Academy sounds impressive, the court simply doesn't have the funds to build one. Your Majesty's previous policy of non-interference has reduced taxes on the people and provided substantial funds for conscription and severance pay, leaving the national treasury nearly empty. We probably have less than 100,000 strings of cash left!"
"What? Less than 100,000 strings of cash?"
"What should we do?"
"Yes, yes, how could the national treasury suddenly be empty? I remember last year there was a surplus of two million."
"The national treasury is empty, so nothing can be done properly now!"
[Huh? The Qin treasury is empty? Isn't that normal? Qin has been running like a war machine at high speed for years; it would be strange if it had any money left over. Since there's no money, then open a bank! Qin has a state-owned bank, issues Qin currency, national bonds, and a fiscal deficit to stimulate the economy. That seems like it could revive the people's livelihood, right?]
Li Lin suddenly thought of something.
He previously believed that the problem with the Qin Dynasty was a systemic problem.
In retrospect, that was only half right, because the real problem was the economic one.
The economy is the foundation, while politics and culture are the superstructure.
The economy determines politics and culture, and conversely, politics and culture support economic development.
"Minister Li, you seem to have some good ideas?"
The First Emperor's gaze softened again.
When you need something from him, he becomes a kind-faced old man.
His Majesty's ability to change his expression is truly astounding.
"Your Majesty, it's very simple. I can guarantee with my own head before all the ministers and you that within a month, we can get the Qin Dynasty's finances running again and make the Qin Dynasty's treasury have tens of millions of strings of copper coins appear out of thin air!"
"What?"
"Is Prime Minister Li just bragging again?"
"Zhang San, are you stupid? When has Prime Minister Li ever boasted? Last time he said he was going to tinker with the Four Great Inventions, but didn't woodblock printing come out? Now the cloth merchants of the Great Qin have already purchased the printing tools from the Construction Bureau on a large scale to dye their own cloth. It is said that in just these few days, the Construction Bureau has made a net profit of more than one million strings of cash!"
"What? It's that profitable?"
The surrounding people were talking, and their voices were quite loud.
Both the First Emperor and Li Lin heard it.
The First Emperor was unaware of this matter.
Li Lin already knew about it, but he didn't say anything.
After all, even a fool knows that you should keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly.
Moreover, Zhang Han was a sensible man who knew that he shouldn't forget his roots after making money, so he split a considerable portion of the profits with him on a 30/70 basis.
certainly.
He is number seven, and Zhang Han is number three.
"Minister Li, what happened today was my fault, I was wrong. If you have any suggestions that you are not satisfied with, you can discuss them with me privately, and I will make proper arrangements for you!"
[Huh? Why has His Majesty's attitude changed again? Why did he suddenly admit his mistake? Wait a minute, this isn't how the script is supposed to go. Shouldn't you be the one to dismiss me from my position as Prime Minister? Then Xiang Yu should mistakenly believe that I have a serious conflict with His Majesty, and then Xiang Yu should recruit me into his camp, and I should use a counter-espionage scheme to fish in troubled waters? But what's going on here?]
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