Cao Mengde finally spoke with a hint of thirst for knowledge, asking Chu Anping: "Can you explain to us in detail why His Majesty made this decision? What is his true intention?"
When Chu Anping heard Cao Mengde's question, he knew that some of the ministers of the six ministries must not understand the reason. He then began to elaborate on his point of view:
"Do you truly understand the deeper reasons behind His Majesty's establishment of the war fund? It's not simply about raising military funds; its more profound significance lies in strengthening the cohesion of the State of Wei. His Majesty hopes that by allowing the people to participate in the war effort, their interests will be closely linked to the nation's success and failure, thereby inspiring the people's patriotism and a sense of participation."
Seeing that Cao Mengde and the others still seemed to be half-understanding, Chu Anping continued to explain, "If we follow the old ways, even if Wei wins, the biggest beneficiaries will only be His Majesty the Emperor, the ministers in the court, and the powerful class. Even some minor officials and local nobles will find it difficult to gain substantial benefits.
As a result, minor officials, local tyrants, and even ordinary people who didn't benefit from the wars became indifferent to the outcome of the country's foreign campaigns, and even resentful. They knew that no matter the outcome, they wouldn't benefit much, and might even suffer losses. Under such circumstances, the country's cohesion would naturally be greatly weakened, and the people would become dissatisfied and resentful of the court.
By establishing a war fund mechanism, the common people were able to directly participate in the economic activities of the war, so that if the war was victorious, they would receive a corresponding return based on their investment. This practice closely linked the personal interests of the common people with those of the emperor and the court, thus inspiring their active support for court decisions and making the soldiers more courageous and fearless on the battlefield.
Because the people knew that as long as they could win the war, the income of the war fund would increase, and their personal income would also rise, thereby improving the living conditions of themselves and their families. This direct economic incentive would undoubtedly enhance their loyalty and sense of responsibility to the country.
In addition, officials of lower status and local gentry and powerful people can also benefit from the war fund, which will undoubtedly further consolidate their loyalty and sense of responsibility to the country, because they understand that only when the country is strong can they benefit from it.
Against this backdrop, the Minister of Rites, Fu Youde, raised a crucial question: "Your Majesty has promised that once we conquer the Xiongnu and Qian states, we will treat the people of Wei equally. So, then, we will certainly not allow the army to harm the interests of the people in the newly conquered territories."
However, if the army is prohibited from plundering civilians, then even if we occupy these places, how much benefit can we gain from it? After all, on the Shengwu Continent, soldiers have always plundered enemy territory after victory in war, to compensate for the losses caused by the war, and even take the opportunity to obtain rich spoils of war.
Fu Youde's question touched upon the core of the problem, namely, after the victory of the war, if there were not enough benefits to satisfy the common people and gentry who had invested in the war fund, how could they feel satisfied and get the due returns?
Chu Anping now understood Fu Youde's concerns. After all, warfare on the Shengwu Continent was like this. If the Wei army was forbidden from plundering in any form during the campaign, the soldiers' fighting spirit would undoubtedly suffer a significant blow. After all, for these warriors who shed their blood on the battlefield, plundering spoils was a form of compensation and incentive for their risking their lives.
Chu Anping also realized that if Wei failed to provide adequate dividends and returns to the gentry and wealthy families who had invested huge sums of money in supporting the war, these influential social classes might become dissatisfied. If this dissatisfaction was not properly addressed, it would likely cause unrest within Wei and even threaten the stability and unity of the country.
Therefore, Chu Anping understood that Fu Youde was not only worried about the outcome of the war, but also the complex political and economic interests involved behind the war.
Chu Anping smiled wickedly at this time, and then he began to explain in detail: "Minister Fu, the concerns you expressed are actually unnecessary. His Majesty once made it clear that we should treat the people in the newly developed territories equally.
However, Your Majesty did not mention treating those in power equally. After all, we all know that within every nation's ruling class, those in power are essentially plunderers. If we plunder the wealth of the gentry and powerful in the newly conquered territories, as well as the nobles of those countries, I believe the people of these newly conquered territories will not be hostile to us, but will instead be grateful for lifting their oppression.
And it will not leave any burden in our hearts. In this way, we can not only satisfy the greed of the soldiers, but also ensure the interests of the war fund.
As for the common people, even if we plunder them, we won't actually gain much. Therefore, treating them with leniency will win their hearts and consolidate Wei's dominance in the new territory."
Chu Anping finally said seriously, "In fact, even in the current Wei State, the living standards of the people are obviously higher than those of the people in other countries on the Shengwu Continent. However, in essence, the relationship between the officials and the people of Wei State still maintains the inherent relationship of rulers and the ruled."
Chu Anping's last words made everyone present fall into deep thought.
In the State of Wei, almost all profitable industries were controlled by the royal family and court ministers, and ordinary people could only engage in some basic work to make a living and cover their family's daily expenses.
However, this practice was necessary for the stability of the country. The royal family and court officials possessed sufficient power to protect national security and order. If these profitable industries were opened up to the general public, social order might be disrupted, and national stability would be at risk.
An obvious example is that even if the production technology is completely open to the public, ordinary people may not have sufficient resources and capabilities to carry out large-scale production, and the ultimate beneficiaries may still be the nobles and officials who already have power and wealth.
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