Chapter 33

"But just when linen paper prices drop, if we introduce straw paper of superior quality as the next iteration and continue selling it for fifteen coins, the people will accept it!"

"Wait another year, introduce Xuan paper, continue selling it for fifteen coins, lower the prices of both linen and straw paper, and the people will still accept it!"

"In this way, our Great Qin, relying solely on selling paper, can guarantee annual treasury revenues exceeding ten million coins, which is even more than the taxes collected from the common people!"

Li Si shouted; at that moment, he felt as though he would explode from excitement.

Annual treasury revenues exceeding ten million coins—this surpasses the treasury income of any single year during Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign.

Just by selling paper, Ying Su could earn a fortune!

While he was overcome with excitement, Ying Su simply smiled and nodded: "Agreed!"

"Agreed?"

Li Si became even more excited!

After all, Ying Su had adopted his suggestion!

However, Ying Su's next sentence nearly sent Li Si soaring to the heavens with excitement.

"Prime Minister, my lord, I am placing a heavier burden upon you; from now on, you shall establish a government office or found a merchant house to handle the exclusive sale of this paper!"

PS: Begging for flowers, begging for rating tickets!!!

027. A Reward of One Hundred Thousand Gold to Capture Zhang Liang; Black Powder and Smoothbore Cannons!

"What?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Si was stunned.

Need it be said, this concerns selling paper!

And how enormous are the profits from selling paper?

This is a business yielding at least ten million coins annually!

Moreover, this is Ying Su's sole source of income for the next three years!

And now... Ying Su was handing full authority over this to him?

Just how much did he trust him!

Need it be said, just a few days ago, he had still been pondering how to deal with Ying Su, and how to pledge loyalty to Emperor Qin Shi Huang once the Emperor returned!

But now... he actually...

"Your Majesty!"

Li Si's voice choked; in that instant, he threw himself down with a thud before Ying Su, beginning to kowtow and knock his head against the ground!

"Prime Minister, there is no need for this!"

Ying Su moved to help him up.

Li Si's voice trembled; he wanted to say something, but... he forcibly choked back every single word!

Indeed!

What could he say? What was there to say?

Faced with such unconditional trust from Ying Su, what could he possibly say?

Should he speak words of serving like an ox or horse, of spilling his brains and blood, to prove his loyalty?

But is loyalty something spoken?

It is something done!

"Your Majesty, just watch the future, just watch the future!"

Li Si's heart trembled violently!

As if swearing an oath, he spoke fiercely to Ying Su!

Yet equally, he offered not the slightest refusal, immediately accepting this heavy responsibility!

Afterwards, he could only accept the order and depart.

Simultaneously, he dispatched men to carry away all the paper!

Watching Li Si's retreating figure,

Ying Su smiled.

Because, at the very moment Li Si walked out, Ying Su's points increased again!

"Ding! SS-rank Divine General Li Si's loyalty has increased to ninety percent; congratulations, Host, for obtaining one hundred points!"

"Excellent!"

Ying Su chuckled, utterly delighted.

At this very moment, he was already imagining the points he would earn upon acquiring the Three Heroes of the Early Han, as well as Fan Kuai, Lu Wan, and others.

Only... would Zhang Liang be so easy to find?

Ying Su frowned.

But he soon smiled again.

Just two days ago, the moment he left Wang Jian's residence, he had already issued a wanted proclamation!

"Across the entire nation, anyone capable of capturing Zhang Liang alive shall be rewarded with one hundred thousand gold!"

This was far more generous than whatever reward of one thousand gold Emperor Qin Shi Huang had offered.

One hundred thousand gold!

The purchasing power of this one hundred thousand gold, if placed in the modern era, would equate to one hundred million!

Spending one hundred million to place a bounty on a single person—even scanning through all of history, who else has ever wielded such grandeur?

But Ying Su believed Zhang Liang was worth it!

The Sage of Strategists!

Merely based on those two words, 'Sage of Strategists,' it was worth spending so much money!

He was at least a talent on par with Li Si!

Facing Ying Su looked forward to meeting him!

But anticipation aside, Facing Ying Su was not idle at this moment.

Soon after Li Si departed, he began working with Cai Lun on something else!

At this moment, he and Cai Lun were together, carving back and forth on a wooden board.

What were they doing?

Since they had already produced paper, one of the Four Great Inventions of Huaxia, the accompanying movable type printing technique naturally could not lag behind!

Although he hadn't drawn Bi Sheng, well... he had Cai Lun!

He understood the theory of movable type printing, while Cai Lun was a master of practical operation!

He was responsible for explaining the theory, while Cai Lun was responsible for carrying out the practical operations.

With the two of them cooperating, the movable type printing technique was now almost fully researched!

Currently, they were in the process of carving templates for every single character!

Yet during this period, he had not been working with Cai Lun solely on movable type printing.

Together with Cai Lun, he had also created quite a few excellent things!

And one of them was steel!

Steel?

Yes!

Do not assume that steel only appeared in modern and recent times!

In fact, steel already existed as early as the Han Dynasty.

Furthermore, Cai Lun had not merely invented paper; he had also invented many, many other things!

For instance, the first forged steel knife in history was created by Cai Lun.

And the Shangfang Bao Jian mentioned in many films and television dramas was likewise created by Cai Lun.

This person was a formidable figure who valued practical application and possessed a tremendous spirit of exploration!

Moreover, while together with Facing Ying Su, he was also researching gunpowder!

Indeed, although modern alchemists had already discovered gunpowder through alchemy.

But... how to put it, this kind of gunpowder was extremely unstable.

He wanted to create black powder!

And with black powder, along with steelmaking techniques, what could be made?