Chapter 808

He suppressed this doubt and went out to greet the guest. The Reception Official, Lord Wang, came to find He Lingchuan to convey the Emperor's will.

The Yuan Royal Court proposed to increase the tax of the Red Cliff trade route for thirty years as a supplement to the loan collateral. That is to say, if the Yuan Royal Court cannot pay back the money, the tariff revenue of the Red Cliff trade route for the next thirty years will belong to Rongshan.

And in order to ensure its own rights and interests, Rongshan can also send people to the local area to manage and collect it on the spot.

According to He Lingchuan's understanding, this is allowing the stationing of troops. If you want people to pay you willingly, you must have a complete set of violent institutions in the local area.

Generally speaking, no sovereign state would tolerate other forces stationing troops on its own territory, but the Red Cliff road has two major peculiarities:

First, it is on the western border of the Yuan Nation, not in the hinterland of the Yuan Nation; it is also far from the Rongshan homeland and cannot get real-time support and replenishment from the Rongshan Sect.

Second, it is the Yuan Monarch's little thoughts; if it weren't for He Lingchuan's special understanding of the Red Cliff road, he might not have been able to discover it:

The Panlong Desert is not only one of the culprits leading to the poverty of western Yuan, but also its protective umbrella. With the disappearance of the sandstorm season and the normalization of the Panlong Desert, the biggest threat to foreigners entering and leaving western Yuan has also disappeared.

If external forces are restless—Heishuicheng was recaptured by He Chunhua from external forces—the Yuan Nation, exhausted by civil war, is likely unable to resist foreign insults. Once the Rongshan Sect controls the Red Cliff trade route, it will naturally also provide protection.

That is to say, the Rongshan Sect instead guarded the western gate for the Yuan Nation.

This is the same as He Chunhua's duty as the Qiansong County Governor before.

It seems that after He Chunhua left Heishuicheng, his successor did not do very well either.

But in any case, the Yuan Monarch being able to agree to He Chunhua's plan also shows that He Chunhua's influence on the Yuan Royal Court is getting bigger and bigger.

This was originally content discussed by the He father and son, so He Lingchuan naturally had no objection, only nodding to the Reception Official: "I still have to find the Rongshan people to estimate, but in my opinion, this method should be feasible."

He sighed slightly in his heart; even if the Yuan Nation had any other way, they wouldn't have taken such high-quality assets as collateral.

The Yuan capital didn't know its actual value, but He Lingchuan did. All he could do was strive for a fair price for the Red Cliff trade route.

The next day, under the operation that everyone knew, the assessment of the Red Cliff trade route passed smoothly.

The He father and son and the Minister of Agriculture all arrived at the Fenglong Bank, where He Lingchuan presented the data, the special envoy token, and the documents, and signed the first installment of the Rongshan Sect's aid to Yuan here.

The Minister of Agriculture directly received 1.9 million taels of real silver, and the remaining 1.8 million taels were military supplies. He Lingchuan had sent a secret letter before, so a portion had already been entrusted to government merchants to transport into the country, and the Yuan Nation would receive this batch of important supplies in advance.

Upon learning this, the Yuan Monarch summoned He Lingchuan into the palace again, praised him fiercely, and gave him some rewards.

With military aid arriving, the entire capital breathed a long sigh of relief.

All kinds of visiting cards and invitations flew to the He Mansion like snowflakes, either for He Chunhua or for He Lingchuan.

Yes, the "Rongshan Special Envoy" had officially entered the vision of officials of all sizes in the Yuan capital, not only having the power to sign funds but also to supervise the use of the loan.

In the Yuan Nation, at this subtle moment, even the Yuan Royal Court had to look at He Lingchuan's face and wait for him to nod to give money.

How could officials not enthusiastically pay a visit to such a person? He Chunhua simply pulled He Lingchuan along, either holding banquets for guests at restaurants or inviting official friends to the mansion to listen to operas and enjoy the gardens, as if indulging in sound, color, dogs, and horses, and lights and wine.

He even ignored major military and political affairs; once when attending a military meeting, he was actually reeking of alcohol.

He Chunhua's unusual behavior also made the entire Yuan capital talk.

These things kept Lady Ying busy; at dinner, she complained to her two sons that the family had been spending money like water recently.

He Lingchuan was at home today. He was sitting with his legs crossed, grabbing big red strawberries and stuffing them into his mouth: "The money spent on human feelings and gifts, no matter how much is spent, can come back later, and there can be extra additions to give you interest. Mother, you are not transparent."

Lady Ying glared at him fiercely: "Who are you saying is not transparent? Put your legs down, sit with a sitting posture, what kind of decorum is this!"

He Yue also took a strawberry: "The military supplies from the east are arriving soon, and Father is seizing the time."

The Rongshan people began to assess other collateral, and He Lingchuan also had a rare two days of leisure: "How is the court meeting these two days?"

The dignitaries of the Yuan capital were infinitely enthusiastic about him, and those beautiful girls of marriageable age were either tripping by his side or falling into the water in front of him.

There were also many noble ladies and young ladies showing favor to Zhu Xiuer, wanting to inquire about his news.

Even He Yue, who was already engaged, could encounter young girls secretly sending autumn waves on the road.

Everyone could see that the old He family was preparing to ride the wind and rise.

He Lingchuan was annoyed, and after attending two banquets, he hid back home. When Lady Ying asked why, he only said that it was much easier to kill with a knife than to deal with women.

"The court meeting was in a mess arguing about the use of military supplies," He Yue's news was already very well-informed, "The Monarch wants to distribute most of the supplies to the northwestern front, after all, the northwestern front has been lacking food and clothing for a long time; but a group of old ministers insisted that the southern rebellion must be quelled with thunderous momentum, and only by finishing it early can the whole country's strength be used to deal with Dong Haoming, so the logistics supply of the southern line must be sufficient; the war on the northwestern front cannot be finished in a day or two, and besides, these 3 million-plus taels are just the first installment, and there are another 3 million-plus later, so General Ke will not be short of it."

He Lingchuan was a bit surprised: "Are these old ministers all standing on Father's side?"

How long had He Chunhua been in the capital, how could he have supporters?

I'm afraid he started planning and operating when he was in Xiazhou. This father of his has a long-term vision and ambition that is also extraordinary.

He had a goal long ago.

"Not all. But State Preceptor Yan supports Father."

He Lingchuan gave a long "Oh." That's right, the relationship between Father and State Preceptor Yan Lixin is extraordinary, and this should be the result of mutual support.

No one can fight alone in the officialdom.

"There are also many ministers who strongly support General Ke and demand that the northwestern front be supplied first," He Yue shook his head, "There are also those who say that the official granaries in various states have been dry for a long time, and official offices at all levels cannot pay salaries. Officials also need to eat, so it is best to distribute a little first."

The official granaries are mainly used to supply official salaries, that is, to pay salaries to officials at all levels. Including but not limited to silver, cloth, silk, and firewood.

He Lingchuan looked at the bright red strawberries on the table upon hearing this.

Even in the Yuan capital, this thing is not something a small official's family can afford to eat.

In fact, after coming to the Yuan capital as the Rongshan Special Envoy and dealing with officials at all levels, He Lingchuan truly felt how embarrassed this country was.

The Yuan Nation at this time is like a dry sponge, and it can no longer squeeze out water.

(End of chapter)