SFS Chapter 593 Everyone is worried about money
Chapter 593 Everyone is worried about money
Life is always full of surprises and unexpected events, and ordinary people cannot predict these unexpected events, so naturally they have no way of knowing whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.
Take Liu Shan for example. His discovery of the sugar business opportunity was absolutely prescient. The global sugar market is currently untapped, and as long as sugar is produced, one can make money effortlessly.
That's why Liu Shan mustered all his courage in over a decade of life to invest in building factories and make a fortune, but who could have imagined that Shi Hui would rebel?
This grandson rebelled, and the 20,000 strings of cash that Liu Shan sent to Jiaozhou with Mi Wei not only failed to build a factory, but instead became an asset to the enemy. If Shi Hui used his money to defeat the Han army, the Crown Prince would have to bear the responsibility. What kind of situation is this?
Thinking about how Shi Hui used his own money to fight against his own army, Liu Shan felt a tightness in his chest and muttered like a broken record, "Anguo, why is my life so miserable? Why did that grandson Shi Hui have to rebel? Where did he get the confidence that he could withstand the imperial army's suppression of the rebellion?"
Guan Xing pondered, “I was thinking about this issue on the way back. Although His Majesty did not carry out land reform in Jiaozhou after ascending the throne, he did not do nothing. Instead, he sent many officials to Jiaozhou to try to strengthen control over the region. However, this move aroused dissatisfaction among the native tribes of Jiaozhou, which is why they elected Shi Hui as their leader and instigated him to rebel.”
"Jiaozhou is an area where ethnic minorities are concentrated, and there are very few Han people in the area. They cannot form an overwhelming advantage in terms of the dominant ethnic group. Since the ethnic minorities live in tribal form, they naturally do not want the court to interfere too much, thereby affecting the power and status of their leaders. In this way, conflicts arise. The southern barbarians cause trouble every year, which is normal."
In Guan Xing's view, Shi Hui's rebellion was most likely not Shi Hui's own intention, but rather he was coerced by the leaders of various tribes in Jiaozhou.
After all, Liu Bei had just ascended the throne and the new Han dynasty had just been established. Ethnic minorities would have to test the strength of the new court before deciding on their attitude towards it!
Moreover, it is not uncommon for ethnic minorities to elect Han people as leaders to rebel against the Han. The former Liangzhou warlords, such as Ma Teng and Han Sui, were initially forced to become Qiang leaders by the Qiang people, who held knives to their throats, and then turned against the Han. It was only later, after they had secured their leadership positions, that they gradually changed from being forced to doing so voluntarily.
These barbarians are really something. If they wanted to rebel, why didn't they just pull up a pole? Why did they have to find a Han Chinese to be their leader?
Guan Xing continued, "Furthermore, I think that the rebellion of Qu Lian, the former clerk of Xianglin County, who established the Kingdom of Linyi and proclaimed himself king, also gave Shi Hui confidence. Both of them rebelled against the Han Dynasty, but Qu Lian was a good king and the court did nothing to him. If Qu Lian can do it, why can't I, Shi Hui, do it?"
Liu Shan said irritably, "I didn't ask you to analyze the reasons for Shi Hui's rebellion. I just want my money back. How can I get my money back?"
Guan Xing smiled bitterly and said, "There's nothing we can do but wait for Governor Lü Dai to quell the rebellion. Once the rebellion is quelled, the money will naturally be recovered."
Liu Shan immediately retorted, "Give me a break! Even if the rebellion is quelled, this money will still be confiscated. Do you think Lü Dai will return it to me?"
The current imperial court is dirt poor. Even when Lü Dai quelled the rebellion, he had to raise some funds himself. Even if he successfully quelled the rebellion, he would still need money for post-war reconstruction. Lü Dai was also dirt poor. It would be a wonder if he could return the 20,000 strings of cash he had finally obtained to Liu Shan.
Furthermore, Liu Shan, how can you prove that the seized money was your 20,000 strings of cash? Was your name written on it?
The thought that even if the rebellion was quelled, there was no guarantee of getting the money back made Liu Chan feel a pang of heartache. He said with a pained expression, "Anguo, this hole needs to be filled. You know my father has been looking at me rather badly lately. It's not worth beating me up for this. Why don't you lend me some money to fill the hole first?"
Although Liu Bei agreed to the sugar issue, it was Liu Shan himself who made the decision. Besides, does a father need a reason to beat his son?
If one day Liu Bei remembers the 20,000 strings of cash and feels the pinch, and then whips him, what can he do? Can he fight back?
Besides, he couldn't beat his father, who had off-the-charts fighting skills.
Upon hearing the word "borrow money," Guan Xing immediately felt a chill run down his spine and became alert. He quickly said, "Don't look at me like that. You know that because of my father's matter, I still owe my sister-in-law several thousand bolts of cloth. I'm counting on you to lend me some."
Mentioning this, Zhang Bao couldn't help but chuckle, laughing and scolding, "Second Uncle, that's just setting his son up for failure."
Guan Xing rolled his eyes and said, "You're not married and don't have many expenses, why don't you take some out to help everyone out in a pinch?"
Liu Shan looked suddenly at his brother-in-law, his eyes full of anticipation.
Zhang Bao said with a bitter face, "Don't look at me. My mother collects all of my and my father's salaries on our behalf. She only gives me half a string of cash for pocket money every month, and the rest is used to buy a house for my uncle."
His uncle Xiahou Ba has no assets in Jiangnan, and Guan Xing has artificially inflated the housing prices in Jiangling, making it impossible for Xiahou Ba to afford a house with his meager salary in the short term. He is currently staying at Zhang Fei's house. Staying there for a short period is fine, but not in the long term.
Besides, Xiahou Ba can't stay alone forever. Xiahou Shi is planning to help Xiahou Ba take in a few concubines to take care of his daily needs, which all require money!
The money could only be squeezed from the salaries of Zhang Fei and his son.
Guan Xing was speechless and couldn't help but mock, "Third Aunt, isn't this just like Voldemort?"
Zhang Bao angrily retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! You're full of clever ideas, aren't you? Now is the time to test your wisdom. Hurry up and think of a solution."
Guan Xing spread his hands and said, "What can I do? Even if you want to make money, you need start-up capital."
After saying that, a sly smile appeared on his lips, and he leaned closer to Liu Shan and said with a smile, "Your Highness, why don't we go and talk to His Majesty again, and ask him to borrow some money from the Empress? The Empress is very wealthy."
Liu Chan shook his head vigorously, refusing immediately: "Absolutely not. What kind of man would ask his wife for money all the time? Doesn't my father have any pride? Besides, my father is already in debt because of me. If I lend him more, he'll go ballistic."
This huge debt of 20,000 strings of cash made the already impoverished life of the Liu family even worse. If they borrowed any more, they would be crushed by the enormous debt.
Thinking of Liu Bei, who was already old, having to shoulder tens of thousands of strings of debt for his son, Guan Xing and Zhang Bao shook their heads and sighed at the same time, "Alas, what a troublesome son!"
Hearing this, Jiang Wei, who was standing behind Liu Shan, couldn't help but laugh. Guan Xing had a father who ruined his son, Zhang Bao had a mother who ruined her son, and Liu Shan was a son who ruined his father. The three of you are really something else.
Liu Shan, his face dark, scolded, "Stop your sarcastic remarks, you two. The three of us shouldn't laugh at each other. We must find a way to plug this 20,000-string hole. If we can't, what will the court officials think of me? How will Liu Feng ridicule me? How can I hold onto my position as crown prince?"
The loss of 20,000 strings of cash is not important; what matters is how to handle the aftermath. The court officials are all watching Liu Shan closely, wanting to see how he can salvage the situation and prove his abilities. If he can recover the losses, everything will be fine; if he can't, then Liu Shan's abilities are questionable.
As the crown prince, it's not scary to encounter problems. The key is how you handle them. Only those with the ability to handle problems deserve a high position. Otherwise, what's the point of having you if you're useless?
Guan Xing frowned and said, "Your Highness is right. We do need a windfall. Although a gold mine has been discovered in Japan, mining will take time and requires initial investment. Where can we get this start-up capital?"
The Great Han now has various lucrative businesses such as steelmaking, papermaking, and weaving, and even a gold mine, making its future promising. However, that money is for the future and cannot solve the current crisis. To survive until these businesses generate profits, some funds must be prepared to weather this winter.
This is like taking on a huge project worth tens of billions. Once it's completed and settled, you can become rich overnight. But you have to advance the funds yourself before the settlement. If you can't, you'll lose not only future profits but also your previous investment.
Therefore, they urgently need funds to weather this difficult period.