Chapter 1183

First Volume, Chapter 1183: Domestic Commercial Cooperation

Before troops move, grain and forage must come first; now troops have been amassed outside Gusu City, and efforts to consolidate logistics are in full swing.

Meanwhile, news reached the imperial palace in Jingdu.

In the Imperial Study, the Liang Emperor and the Six Ministries ministers were all present, jointly deliberating matters of the Nan Jing.

The Liang Emperor gazed at the imperial memorial before him, his eyes revealing deep gravity, and directly passed the problem to the Six Ministries ministers.

"Since the Prince of Qin personally arrived in the Nan Jing and won a battle, no further combat has occurred between the two sides."

"The Prince of Qin wrote with utmost clarity in his memorial: Gusu City is impregnable; a direct assault would inevitably lead to unacceptable casualties."

"A consumption war is now unavoidable."

"According to preliminary estimates, the Prince of Qin's series of logistical support measures will require at least Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver."

"Although our Shedynasty has finally achieved peace with the Northern Di, years of war have left our National Treasury with expenditures exceeding revenues."

"We have just endured a harsh winter and are now entering spring; all expenditures are tightly scheduled, and suddenly requiring an additional Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver is undoubtedly a severe test for the National Treasury."

"I wonder what advice my loyal ministers may offer?"

The Imperial Study fell silent; currently, the greatest difficulty facing Shedynasty is the word "money."

The Nan Jing is powerful, the Northern Border is blazing with activity, but everywhere else can only be described as "all things withered."

The entire National Treasury has less than Fifty Ten Thousand Liang of Silver remaining.

It seems like much, but sustaining the entire Shedynasty's operations has brought it to the brink of collapse.

At this moment, every tael of silver is critically important.

A sudden expenditure of Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver means many Yamen must tighten their belts; if this triggers a cascade of new problems, who can bear the responsibility?

Seeing the ministers remain silent, the Liang Emperor inwardly sneered.

These men always seem so decisive in daily affairs—yet at critical moments, they all fall silent.

In the end, the Liang Emperor's attention turned to Qin Tianhu.

"Grand Commandant Qin, what is your opinion?"

Qin Tianhu understands the situation in the Nan Jing best; since Qin Feng departed for the Nan Jing, he has sent multiple letters reporting developments.

Qin Tianhu pondered for a moment, then stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the measures to consolidate logistics are of great significance for both operations in the Nan Jing and future grain storage."

"In a good harvest year, such a plan would require no hesitation—we could immediately allocate funds to support it."

"But now, the National Treasury is empty; we must wait until the Autumn Harvest to recover our breath. A sudden expenditure of Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver is indeed a serious burden."

"If we could reduce the funding amount, it might be worth considering."

Qin Tianhu and Qin Feng, being father and son, are in complete agreement on policy.

Logically, asking Qin Tianhu's opinion makes no difference—his view would be identical to Qin Feng's.

But Qin Tianhu's mention of "reducing the amount" surprised the Liang Emperor.

He immediately became interested and asked: "How?"

"I am fully aware of the Prince of Qin's plan; merely land reclamation and subsidies for the Tuntian Soldiers alone require at least Two Ten Thousand Liang of Silver."

"Constructing twenty-seven strongholds requires another Two Ten Thousand."

"These Four Ten Thousand Liang of Silver are mandatory expenditures and cannot be reduced."

"Once the strongholds are built and the Tuntian Soldiers move in with their families, we must construct irrigation systems; otherwise, these strongholds will become dead cities, unable to endure long."

"With water, the strongholds can survive."

"The Prince of Qin's Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver logistical plan is not baseless; saving even a single tael of silver is extremely difficult."

Qin Tianhu smiled mysteriously; reducing funding was naturally extremely difficult.

But Qin Feng had already written ahead, informing him of the financial difficulties—Qin Tianhu had a plan.

"Your Majesty, the Northern Border is willing to invest in these twenty-seven strongholds."

At these words, the Liang Emperor immediately became interested.

"Invest? Explain."

Qin Tianhu did not beat around the bush—he laid out Qin Feng's plan in full.

"According to Feng's plan, these twenty-seven strongholds will serve not only as the first DefensiveLine against southern threats."

"But also as vital grain storage sites for Shedynasty."

"Each stronghold represents a Granary."

"If Your Majesty is willing to cede five of these strongholds to the Northern Border, they will provide Three Ten Thousand Taels; the National Treasury need only allocate Two Ten Thousand, and the entire plan can proceed smoothly."

As Qin Tianhu predicted, when he revealed Qin Feng's plan, the Liang Emperor's expression darkened.

The location of these twenty-seven strongholds is highly sensitive—it concerns not only Shedynasty's military deployment but also future food security.

Both points could determine Shedynasty's future direction.

Before the Liang Emperor could speak, Chen Zheng had already raised objections.

"Twenty-seven strongholds, initial funding of Five Ten Thousand Liang of Silver—the Northern Border contributes Three Ten Thousand to acquire five of them; on the surface, this seems a profitable deal."

"But in reality, it is an invasion of our borders, posing a serious threat to Shedynasty's national security."

"This deal must not be done!"

"The Prince of Qin guards the Northern Border and protects Shedynasty's territorial security—his loyalty is admired by all Manchu Civil and Military—but the Central Plains rear area is another matter entirely."

"One thing is one thing; they must not be confused."

Chen Zheng voiced exactly what the Liang Emperor was thinking; the Liang Emperor said nothing, watching Qin Tianhu, waiting for his next words.

Qin Tianhu had already anticipated this plan would provoke backlash.

He continued to explain calmly and deliberately.

"Minister Chen's concerns are not without merit; if control of all five strongholds falls entirely into the hands of the Northern Border, any future mishap will surely spark great unrest."

"But Feng'er cares only for grain and will never meddle in military or political affairs."

Only then did the Liang Emperor's gaze soften slightly, and he asked at once: "Prince Qin, are you so interested in these strongholds because you lack grain?"

Qin Tianhu offered no concealment, answering honestly: "As for lacking grain, it is not quite that dire, but we are indeed not wealthy in grain."

"To develop the Northern Border and Sangzhou, we must have sufficient population—but the more people there are, the greater the consumption of grain."

"In the past, the Northern Border was vast and sparsely populated; grain self-sufficiency posed no problem whatsoever."

"But now, grain barely suffices for daily needs; in the future, a grain crisis will surely arise, so we must prepare in advance."

"These five strongholds mark the beginning of cooperation between the Northern Border and the Central Plains—and it is a win-win situation."

"The Central Plains supply grain to the Northern Border, while the Northern Border, through its commercial hubs, sells commodities to the Central Plains."