Chapter 588

Chapter 588

After months of planning and preparation, I finally unveil my devious financial scheme to the world at large, and all I get is a smattering of polite applause and courteous smiles.

On the plus side, things could easily have gone worse. I half-expected some poncy nobles to decry the practice of selling land to commoners followed by a verbal spar in which I logic my way through their preconceived biases, but Luo-Luo assured me there wouldnt be an issue since there are plenty of farmers working their own lands. The thing is, those lands are usually a good distance away from proper civilization and of no commercial value, as any valuable real estate in or around an Imperial City is usually owned by the Emperor or was snapped up years ago by the wealthy bourgeois. The only thing controversial about what Im doing is cutting out the middleman, because by lending coin to commoners to buy land outright, I can then rely on them to supply the Imperial Army stationed at the new Western Wall.

Which turns out is a lot cheaper than paying a premium to entice workers to live on property adjacent to a violently contested border, or buying from merchants who collude to charge unreasonable prices. Who wouldve thunk it?

Personally, I still think my grand scheme is pretty clever and worthy of a gasp or three, but it feels like the crowd is still humouring me like Im some eccentric relative with more money than sense. Hopefully, people will see the brilliance behind the idea and still have faith in my War Bond venture, because I still have more plans and will need more money to see them through to completion. Hell, Ill probably need more money just to finish settling the Western Wall, but thats a problem for another time. Although Ive netted a tidy sum today, almost all of the investors are my family or friends, which means the general public still doesnt understand the value of War Bonds. That said, today was nothing if not success, as the initial batch of 400 War Bonds sold for 1.8x to 3x, or an average of 2.2x their actual value, netting my Office a total of 8.8 million gold. Add in my personal investment of a million gold, and I have almost 10 million gold to play around with, and a debt of 5 million to pay off in one years time, so I intend to make the most of this seed money and ensure its used to benefit the people of the Empire.

Though to be fair, I am technically one of those people, and so too are my friends and family...

On this note, before hobbling off stage to mingle and pander with the crowd, I bring Mom, Dad, Akanai, and Husolt aside and signal for a Sound Barrier. Hugging them each in turn so everyone just thinks Im privately thanking them for their sizable investments, I say, Sorry I didnt tell any of you about this in advance, but I had to play this one close to the chest. All four nod in agreement, but I can tell they dont wholly understand the significance of what Ive done here, or the idiom Ive used. Thats not great, because they, and therefore the People whom they represent, are not all too interested in putting down roots in Central, but times are a changing. We need to move fast now, before others figure it out. How many skilled tradesmen are living out at the farm? People who could make a living with what they contribute to the community? Scratch that, include people living in the citadel too, but exclude enlisted Sentinels.

If this had something to do with her Sentinels, Akanai would have an answer immediately, but she is less informed about Sentinel families, which is more in Moms wheelhouse. Dedicated tradesmen like Chakha? Mom asks, already tallying up the numbers in her head.

Huus dad is a carpenter, but hes not the only skilled worker in the family. Elia fits too, assuming shes interested in opening a commercial bakery. The way it is now, she only sells baked goods when asked and most days only prepares the dough and tends to the ovens, while every Sentinel household sends someone to make their own bread, buns, and whatnot. Communal efforts are great for bringing people close together, but at some point, specialization is just more efficient, and the People have long since crossed that threshold. No need for exact figures, just your best guess.

Three thousand easily, and perhaps thrice that depending on how wide your definition of tradesman stretches. Which is far more than I expected, considering we only brought fifteen-thousand Sentinels in total, but Mom looks less than pleased by the news. Does this have to do with what you just announced? Will you be needing the land back?

What? Why would I kick the Sentinels off my farm? No, I want to reorganize the entire area and sell land to those tradesmen.

Mom looks relieved and pats my cheek, but Akanais scoffs and scowls. The People are no farmers, boy, nor do we intend to put down roots in Central. There will come a time when the Defiled threat is lessened and Martial Law repealed, at which point I will bring my Sentinels and their families back home to the North.

Which is fine, but one, not everyone will go back, and two, even if they do, they can just resell the land. Husolt looks like hes getting it, but Im still getting blank stares from the other three, so I slow down to explain it in plain common. Purchasing property along the Western Wall right now is a risky proposition, but with how my Office is arranging things, all that risk is taken on by the Empire. Lets pretend I want to sell the land for one gold per square kilometre. Chakha applies for a loan and is approved. Rather than giving him one gold, I simply hand him the deed to the land, and he signs a contract promising to pay two silver a year for ten years. I take one gold from the War Bond funds and put it into my own pocket to pay for the land purchased from me, and Chakha walks away as the new owner of said land. Are you following me so far?Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

Everyone nods, but Im not sure if they actually understand or they dont want to admit confusion. Left with no choice but to press on, I continue, If the contract goes to completion, then hell have paid twenty silver, or two gold, at the end of ten years, which is twice what the land was worth on paper. Thats where the Empires profit comes in. However, if Chakha leaves at the end of this year, this means the Emperor has deemed it safe enough to repeal Martial Law, which means the land Chakha purchased with his loan will have appreciated in value. Blanks stares all around, even from Husolt who is the most business savvy of the bunch, so I dumb it down again. If the Wall holds, then people will feel safe living here again, so the land will be worth more, and Chakha can sell it for a profit even after paying off his loan.

Frowning, Dad points out the obvious. Then why take a loan and pay double the cost? Why not offer to let Chakha buy the land outright?

Because not all tradesmen have rich Martial Warrior wives, I reply, unable to resist poking fun at Ghurda, And more to the point, if he bought the land outright, then he would take on the very large risk that his purchase might be worthless by this time next year. Meaning the Defiled break through and Central is lost, though its unwise to ever say those words out loud. But, if the worst should come to pass, then Chakha and the Empire will both have bigger issues to deal with than a measly two gold debt. Its all the reward with minimal risk. If things go well, then by the time Chakha finishes paying back the loan, his land could easily be worth ten to twenty times what he paid for it, possibly more since this land used to be in the middle of nowhere and is now vital to the operation of the Western Wall. This will earn him a tidy little sum for doing what hes already doing, fulfilling carpentry contracts for the Imperial Army, which is why we need to move fast. Land and funds are both limited, so it would be best if we snatched up as much as possible. There are certain occupations that wont work, and Sentinels themselves cant apply since I intend to limit this to commoners, but tailors, coopers, tanners, brewers, and anyone else who might sell goods or services to the Army would be perfect.

I put a lot of effort into this, and the profits will be far more than twenty or so gold for early investors, which means if there ever were a time to buy land, its now. Thanks to the current war-torn circumstances and my vaunted Imperial Status, I was able to purchase every piece of valuable real estate along the Western Wall at bargain bin prices, but a square kilometre of land will cost significantly more than one gold by this time next year. In fact, with the status quo in place, owners were already considering if they should put their land to work again, and I almost had to borrow money to buy it all up, but then two weeks ago, my sugar beets started paying off in spades. Ive been selling rock sugar for about half the price of the standard sugar cane alternative, and while thats a significant discount for sweetener, its also a ridiculous profit because beets are dirt cheap to grow and process.

Now if only I could find maple trees and make me some maple syrup...

After sinking so much money into this gamble, even if I sell the land at a modest markup, Ill still earn enough money to buy myself multiple suits of Runic Armour from this venture alone. I should buy one for Mila, one for Yan, and I suppose one for Zian, to pay him back for the one I won off him. BoShui already has a Runic Breastplate, a Clan heirloom given to him by his father, and the same goes for Fung, though he doesnt wear his armour often and prefers fighting in fancy robes. I should get a set of Runic Armour for Dad and Akanai too, so they can look shiny when they go to war, but Im not sure anyone besides my wives would be willing to accept such an expensive gift. Face is complicated business, and even after learning so very much, I still have a long way to go before understanding all the complex nuances.

Leaving Luo-Luo with Mom to hammer out the details, I head off to greet my fawning public with a smile. While Ive yet to overcome my intense loathing of social interaction, being surrounded by bootlickers is oddly addictive. I mean, who doesnt love being praised and flattered? Luckily, I have my family, betrotheds, and friends to keep me grounded, but I can see why most young nobles let it all go to their heads. Its tough keeping my ego in check when strangers and acquaintances are always going on about how incredible I am, but I like to play this game when I force my bootlickers to be extremely specific. If someone tells me I look heroic, I make them narrow down exactly what about my appearance makes me look heroic. Do my new boots make me look taller? Or is it the rakish angle of my dragon circlet giving me an air of mystery? Maybe its my pose combined with the wind flapping through my cloak (which is the worst part of my Imperial ensemble considering Centrals stifling summers)?

Making people back their statements with objective proof has earned me something of a reputation for valuing honesty and sincerity, but really, I just like seeing people flounder for answers.

The best thing about today is that aside from friends and family, only my closest supporters and the most desperate of bootlickers stuck it out for this long, though I predict an influx of returnees once everyone figures out how profitable this War Bond venture will be. I mean, right now, Im the only one benefiting, since I own all the lands which are about to be sold, but most people will put two and two together and realize that not only do I intend to actually invest the gold in the Empire like Ive been claiming I would all along, those investments could easily benefit them as well, if they happen to know what Im about to invest in before I act.

Honestly, Im a lot better at making money than I thought Id be. To balance it out, Im even better at spending money, but I try to focus more on the good Im doing, rather than all the riches Im throwing away.

One such opportunity comes around as Taiyi ZhuShen steps forward to greet me with his Eldest Disciple in tow. Li TieGuai, or Iron-Crutch Li, is an aged and wizened Martial Warrior with ruddy, wrinkled skin, white, wispy hair, and a surprisingly bright gaze, signs his body deteriorated before its time. Iron-Crutch wasnt the name he was born with, but one he took up after his Mentors body-strengthening experiments rendered him unable to move without using crutches, a luxury he can no longer afford now that his symptoms have worsened. Despite his tragic circumstances, its clear Li TieGuai still adores his Mentor and adopted father, and smiles brightly as Healer ZhuShen wheels him about in his fancy new wheelchair, complete with shock-absorbing springs and fancy rubber wheels. Youre looking well, brother Li, I exclaim, once all the pleasantries are complete, and for once, I actually mean it. The fresh air and sunny skies are doing wonders for your complexion.

No, all this is thanks to you, Minister, and your esteemed Teacher. Grateful to the point of ignoring his Mentors face, TieGuai almost topples over while trying for a world record number of consecutive seated bows. Three months ago, I could barely move for fear of tearing muscles or rupturing organs, but look at me now, haha. Im getting better by the day, but even then, I would not be able to get around so well without your help, designing this chair and these wondrous rubber wheels. I barely feel a bump while going over cobbled roads, and I dare say I could survive being rolled down a flight of stairs!

Urged on by my stare and Cixis prodding, Cao Cuo stammers, What y-you m-mean to-to do. Sir Minister Lord Sir.

And what is that?

Again, Cao Cuo needs ample encouragement before hes able to speak up again, his ghostly complexion slick with sweat from nerves. You t-talked about it, during the Grand Conference, he whispers, eyes darting back and forth. About improving the lives of commoners through literacy and education. I thought it was all lip service, but then I kept reading and rereading, and then I did the math, and it just made sense. Youre looking to raise the standard of living for the common people, and in doing so, increase their spending power and tap into a previously untouched source of exponential wealth, a scheme from which everyone benefits, noble and commoner alike, but we are unsure of how to proceed from here.

Oh thank god. I thought he was going to say I wanted weapons to equalize the balance of power between commoners and Martial Warriors. The last thing I need is a group of wannabe rebels thinking Im their commander-in-chief, and I would very much like it if they could hold off on bloody revolution until long after Im dead and gone. A rising tide lifts all ships, I quote, and its gratifying to see how impressed Cao Cuo is. Hes a smart cookie, which kind of makes me nervous, because I spout off a lot of smart things, but I dont really understand the specifics behind them. Ive gotten away with it thus far thanks to luck and a dearth of questions, but Im less confident about keeping up the charade around big-brained Cao Cuo here. The wealth is gathered amongst the top 1% of the population, with Martial Warriors and their affiliated partners, but it does no good sitting in their treasure rooms. Increase the buying power of the bottom 99%, and theyll spend coin like water buying things they previously went without. Cast iron cookware, paper and ink for lessons, beet sugar for their tea, the occasional meal out, there is a vast fortune to be made from this, but I cant do it alone, which is why the people need to unionize, so they can work together to raise the value of their labour. Even a pride of lions must tread carefully when a herd of cattle is on the stampede, and if the people work together to demand higher wages and better treatment, the nobility will have no choice but to listen, and once they do, theyll see that even though they pay more upfront, their profits will soar higher than ever before.

Theres more to it, but thats the basic gist. Trickle up economics, because a million people spending one gold each does a hell of a lot more for the economy than one guy buying a piece of art for one million gold. Also, this assumes no new competitors rise up through the ranks, but healthy competition is the basis of a healthy economy, and we dont need a class of ultra-rich. Just regular rich is good enough.

At least now I know why the Chun-Qiu consortium put their money together to invest in War Bonds. They wanted to make a direct connection with me, and have someone help direct them on what to do next. Theyve worked out most of it for themselves by banding together in certain business dealings to secure better group rates, but theres still a lot more which could be done. With their contacts, I might be able to bypass all the wealthy, middle-man families who have their fingers in every piece of every pie in the Empire. Unfortunately, before we can even begin to get into the thick of things, Kuang Biao informs me Ive been summoned by the Legate, so my capitalistic agendas will have to wait.

Though the Legates office is in the building directly behind the stage, I still have to call for my litter because I cant do stairs. One of these days, I will become strong enough to make love to my wife without need for mechanical restraints, but until such a time, I will accept these bruises and fractures with pride. Well, actually, not really, because I am so deeply ashamed of these injuries I havent asked anyone to help Heal me. Im terrified that Tokta, Jibari, or even Abjiya will laugh me out of the room, and I cant go to Taduk. Hes like a second father to me, and will eventually be my father-in-law for real, so I can hardly ask him to Heal my sex-related traumas.

Still... totes worth...

Inside the Legates meeting room, I go through all the motions as per usual. First comes the greetings, then I pour his tea while we chat about rumours and gossip, until finally, it comes time to get down to business. I must confess, he begins, smiling as he leans back into his chair. A good sign, all things considered, because he tends to loom when hes angry, even if hes smiling. I never expected the promising young hero turned sacrificial pawn would move on to do such great things as Minister of Finance. I suspected you were up to something with all the purchased property, though this loan program came as a pleasant surprise. It leaves me in something of a quandary however, as the return on your investment will be years in the making and I have made time-sensitive promises to certain parties which I can no longer keep.

Meaning he needs the coin for bribes and stuff, so its time to make him an offer. If its a matter of compensation, Im willing to split the proceeds from the sale of land.

Excellent. Favouring me with an appreciative nod for understanding how the game is played, he says, Sale of land is a matter of record, so you cannot go overboard with the markup. Set the price at six times what you purchased it for, and we will split the profits in half.

Id only been planning to double the price, but I suppose we have different definitions of overboard. Then again, six times my buying price is still 30% of what it was worth one year ago, and thats when all of this was stationed in the ass end of nowhere. Now that theres a thousand kilometres of Western Wall to defend and several armies to supply, real estate prices have nowhere to go but up, barring any outright doom and destruction. This means good news for my soon-to-be debt-riddled farmers, so with luck, theres still plenty of profit to be made, both at their expense and for their benefit.

However one thing Ive learned in all my dealings with the Legate, and that there must always be a give and take. As I am now in the rare position of giving, its time I name my price. Ill need help. Clerks, mostly, but map-makers too, as well as planners and surveyors to divide the land into individual properties with room left over to build towns for centralized trading. Ill also need someone you can trust to guard the coin. Ive got a mix of Sentinels and loyal soldiers watching it for now, because Im pretty sure the Death Corps would let any random Imperial Scion stroll past them and pocket all the gold.

Ive some people in mind who are already in Central, and Ill have a division of Royal Guardians assigned to the Ministry of Finance. The Legate smiles and adds, Infantry, of course. No lions for you to spoil, Im afraid. Speaking of which, how do you intend to respond to Rang Mins insult? A poisonous viper is hardly subtle, even without the added cultural differences. Seeing my blank stare, he raises an eyebrow, then laughs. Oh. I see. The rumours were not true, merely a clever ruse and necessary precaution. Ill handle it then. While I still have no idea what hes going on about, the Legate smiles and says, You have not disappointed me, my Minister of Finance. Before today, your Office was seen as an empty title, a pretty ribbon adorning a lame horse, but how you proved them wrong. Not only did you convincingly exhibit the vast extent of powers your Office presumably holds, you also made it all but impossible to remove you from Office, not without raising you to a higher one. The people will love you for saddling them with debt and packing them in close to the border as a distraction for invading Defiled, and the nobles of the outer provinces will work even harder to kiss your boots, because who knows what profits your next venture might bring?

The Legates reasoning leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even though hes not wrong. Yes, if invading Defiled tribesmen break through the wall, theres a good chance they will stop to torture, pillage, rape, and kill if the population is large enough to keep them occupied. Technically, this would buy time for the Army to respond and deal with the threat before they scatter into the Empire at large, but... thats not why Im doing this.

Its just... an added bonus, I guess?

Seeing his inquisitive stare, I inwardly sigh while outwardly smiling as if all is right in the world. That last bit wasnt hypothetical, and the Legate wants in on my plans. Well, this initial program is primarily aimed at bringing farmers and tradesmen closer to the Citadel. More food grown here means less food needs to be shipped, less shipping means less spoilage and lower costs, which means more food and coin for the Empire as a whole. The end goal is one and a half million working families, but to ensure theyre more efficient workers, theyll require service industries to fill in the gaps. After weve settled in the first group of farmers and tradesmen, hopefully in time to plant and harvest a single crop before winter, our next step is to incentivize the creation of bars, schools, restaurants, inns, and more. This will also help with soldier morale as entertainment districts crop up to serve them, as well as move some population density out of the Citadels and forts to behind the lines of defence. I did some preliminary estimates, and another thirty million gold should be enough to allow the Western Border to enjoy a tolerable degree of self-sufficiency, which would be paid in full within...

While selling the Legate on large-scale gentrification, I keep one small part of my plan to myself. One and a half million families means at least that many potential militia recruits, and I intend to put a crossbow into the arms of every person who can wield one. Yes, those commoners might be bait for now, but lets see how long a Defiled army lasts with a million bolts flying towards them every six to twelve seconds. Its not a perfect solution, since Demons and Defiled Experts might make it through, and its an expensive one Ill be personally bearing the costs for, but its better than nothing.

Sadly, this is a world without perfect solutions. Coin spent on crossbows means less spent on charitable acts like schools and soup kitchen, and Im not too pleased about that. Still, even though my plan to enrich the lower classes comes at the price of strenuous labour and back-breaking debt, I believe this will set the Empire on a course to improve things for the better.

Because if not, then what in the hell am I doing all this for anyways?

On the plus side, once our long and lengthy meeting is over, the Legate sends for a Healer without question. Somehow, I feel like he already knows why Im walking with a limp, but its been... pleasant working alongside him these last three months, which more than anything, makes me worried for the future. Give and take once again, as Ive given him a clear course of action and a profitable venture to benefit from, so he must play his part as my Patron and protector, but the Legate is a man driven by benefits alone. The more benefits I provide him, the more he will come to expect, so what happens if someday, I fail to live up to expectations?

...Something tells me I dont want to find out.

Honestly, shit was so much easier when I was a Martial Warrior. To think, there was a time when I thought commanding a thousand soldiers was too complicated to handle. Oh what I wouldnt give to return to simpler times, when I was but a humble Warrant Officer with sword in hand and a position to defend...

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