When Ying Yuan heard the wages of the laborers, he didn't think much about it.
He just thought that the money was too little.
There are now three hundred million taels of silver in the national treasury.
The inner treasury also had nearly 200 million taels.
Why be so stingy?
Otherwise, how should I spend this money?
You know, one of the main reasons why I decided to build the canal was that I wanted to spend money!
But he didn't realize it.
The country has too many areas where it needs to spend money.
If there is no cash flow as a strategic reserve.
Once a disaster occurs, it will be a calamity.
Of course, this is what he hopes will happen.
"One penny of silver is too little. They built the canal for me, so I can't treat them unfairly.
Let’s put it this way: each person will be paid one or two taels of silver per month and will have two days of rest per month.
If anyone escapes during the construction of the canal, he will not be held accountable."
As soon as Ying Yuan said this.
Cai Jing was stunned where he stood.
He seemed particularly shocked.
One ounce of silver per person...
In other words, the imperial court would spend tens of millions of taels every month on tens of millions of civilians?
This is a considerable expense!
God knows how long it will take to build this canal.
If ten years...
That's a huge sum of money.
"His Majesty..."
Cai Jing still wanted to persuade Ying Yuan.
But he was ruthlessly interrupted by the latter, "There is no need to discuss this matter further, just do as I command.
By the way, I have just drafted an imperial edict. I have decided to announce it to the world and spread the news that the court is building a canal."
Hearing the voice, Cai Jing frowned deeply.
The court had just come up with a general plan for building the canal, but it was finalized in such a hurry. Wasn't it a bit too hasty?
However, things have come to this point, and Cai Jing is unwilling to say anything more.
In his heart, he chose to believe Ying Yuan.
After all, he had firmly believed a long time ago that Ying Yuan was the only one to save and revive the Qin Dynasty.
...
Exit Xuanzheng Hall and come to the Secretariat.
The Minister of War and King of Wei, Cao Cao, came here and asked the emperor's opinion.
Cai Jing told him everything that happened in the palace.
After a moment, Cao Cao was shocked and said, "At this rate, the wages of the laborers alone will already be a heavy burden for the court.
Also, isn't it a bit too hasty to announce this to the world so soon?"
Hearing this, Cai Jing suddenly smiled and said, "This is exactly the brilliance of Your Majesty.
Your Majesty treats the people well because you do not want riots to break out in various places due to the construction of the canal. This move is intended to stabilize local public security.
The main reason for His Majesty to announce this to the world is that he wants to see the public's reaction. If the reaction is unfavorable, perhaps His Majesty will stop building the canal.
In short, Your Majesty is turning passivity into initiative, allowing the people of Daqin to make adequate preparations in advance."
"Your Majesty is wise."
Cao Cao bowed deeply toward the Xuanzheng Hall and said, "So, I now have some confidence in building the canal."
Cai Jing nodded and sighed softly, "I never thought that before I retire and return home, I could still do such a thing for the court and for Your Majesty. I have no regrets.
By the way, when you came to the palace this time, His Majesty did not specify the completion date of the canal construction, which gave us some buffer time.
In this way, there is no need to recruit too many civilians in the early stage, and some unpredictable risks can be minimized.
But we can't slack off. We must set a goal for ourselves and complete the canal. Otherwise, if His Majesty investigates us later, he will blame us for our incompetence."
"What do you think is the appropriate time for completion?" asked Cao Cao.
Cai Jing thought for a moment and said, "Seven years, at the latest seven years. The canal must be completed within seven years."
To be honest, Ying Yuan just forgot to give them a deadline to build the canal.
This undoubtedly gave the court some breathing space.
As a result, there is no need to rush into building the canal, and it can be done slowly and steadily.
In this case, I am afraid that Ying Yuan will find it difficult to realize the chaos that occurred during the construction of the canal in the Sui Dynasty in previous history.
The reason why Cai Jing did not die in the Xuanzheng Hall was that he persuaded Ying Yuan.
Because he wanted to give it a try by risking his old bones.
Can it increase the national fortune of the Qin Dynasty?
Everyone knows that the essence of building a canal is to gamble on the country's destiny.
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