qwwera

Chapter 227: The national treasury was empty, and Confucius's gift to

Ye Guyi left with Ye Cheng.

With Ye Cheng's status and position, although he was a priest of the Holy Spirit Church, he also had his own savings and a small courtyard in Mingdu, where every inch of land was worth a lot of money.

The two had the same last name and chatted along the way, but neither could discover any connection.

Ye Cheng felt a little regretful, but he just smiled. After all, this harvest could be regarded as fulfilling his wish for the rest of his life.

"Uncle Ye... Xu Cheng is the Holy Spirit Religion's Holy Son, so why doesn't he look evil?"

Inside the soul guide car.

Seeing that this "family elder" had a kind temper, Ye Guyi gradually opened up to him after chatting for a few words and asked curiously.

"Call him Your Highness!" Ye Cheng frowned slightly and reminded softly.

"But I won't join the Holy Spirit Church..." Seeing that Ye Cheng's tone was a bit heavy, Ye Guyi shrank his neck and said.

"I'm not asking you to call him His Royal Highness the Saint Son, but His Royal Highness the Prince. His real identity is the eleventh prince of the Sun-Moon Empire. He now commands a large army and has tremendous power... Of course, I'm saying this just to ask you to show him the minimum respect and not cause any trouble." Seeing this, Ye Cheng explained in a soft tone.

"Oh." Ye Guyi had wandered in the Tianhun Empire for a period of time since she was a child, so she was not a rich girl who had never been involved in worldly affairs. Instead, she had truly witnessed the darkness and cruelty of the underground and had a deeper understanding of the power of these truly top dignitaries.

"No wonder even that woman has to bow down to him." Ye Guyi nodded slightly.

"Remember, watch less, listen less, ask less, and just do your own thing. Otherwise, if you get into trouble, even I will find it difficult to solve it." Ye Cheng continued.

"You are a Super Douluo!" Ye Guyi stared at Ye Cheng in surprise with her beautiful eyes.

Although she would not cause trouble, this sentence really frightened her.

"This is Mingdu. Different from the imperial capitals of the three kingdoms in the original continent, this is where real crouching tigers, hidden dragons and crouching tigers are everywhere. The forces are mixed and intertwined. Although I have practiced for a lifetime and relied on my talent to gain some strength that can be used, I will not cause trouble at will." Ye Cheng shook his head.

"Also, when you meet that person, you must call him His Highness! Remember?" His voice was a little serious.

"Oh..." Ye Guyi nodded.

The girl looked out of the car window cautiously.

This was the first time since she came to Mingdu that she leisurely appreciated the style instead of falling into darkness... Looking at the tall buildings outside the window, the soul guide vehicles whizzing across the road, the strange people carrying strange soul guides, and the huge mechanical cat head, with only a street shop inside, she felt like she had entered a magical country.

"Does the future of the continent lie in Mingdu?" she suddenly asked.

"Under his leadership, Mingdu will lead the continent and become a true pearl..." Ye Cheng nodded slightly.

"What a high evaluation..." Ye Guyi exclaimed.

"That's the truth."

…

"What did you say? The national treasury is empty?!"

Xu Cheng was dumbfounded.

Just this morning, Xu Zhen received a letter from the palace asking him to come in.

I didn't expect to hear such exciting news as soon as I stepped into the door.

After all, with the strong development of the Sun-Moon Empire and its dominance in the soul guide device market, and the fact that it is the region with the richest metal resources on the continent, it is impossible to connect this with the deficit in the national treasury!

"It's normal. A country is a huge soul guide. If you want it to keep running, you have to repair it, replace parts, replenish soul power, repair the core of the formation, etc. Do you think these things cost money? As an emperor, you are a soul guide. Think about how to repair the parts at the lowest cost and with the highest efficiency, so that the soul guide of the country can run without any problems."

Xu Zhen was fishing leisurely while answering Xu Cheng's questions.

"That's true." Xu Cheng smacked his lips.

He was just sighing, after all, in ancient history, there were only a few days when the national treasury was full.

This requires money, and that requires money too. In addition, corrupt officials cannot be eradicated, resulting in the national treasury allocating five million yuan. After layers of exploitation, it ends up in the people's bowls and becomes chaff and straw.

There are also many jokes like "They took two million of my money and I took one million, and I have to thank them."

Of course, there are also various funding research projects. Only Xuan Ziwen can not deduct a single cent, and can even hand in extra funds after completing the project. This is why he was excluded...

"In recent years, the soul guide technology of the Sun-Moon Empire has exploded. Just to repair the missiles you proposed and for various basic soul guide research, hundreds of millions of gold soul coins have been burned. In addition, our Sun-Moon Empire's awakening plan and subsidies for the initial soul guide plan have been continuously burning money. Now you have stopped the export of soul guides, and the little that was left in the treasury was gone a few days ago." Xu Zhen sighed.

"You might as well take this treasury in advance, just as a practice."

Xu Cheng: "…"

So you're waiting for me here?

But that's true. War costs money, and scientific research costs money. The problem is that he lets the Sun-Moon Empire only fight and not plunder, and doesn't use war to support war. If this continues, even if the Sun-Moon Empire has a rich family background, it will be squandered sooner or later.

No, it's all gone.

Although the achievements are remarkable, it is undeniable that... the treasury is out of money.

This also means that if he needs to allocate gold soul coins again in the future, he only needs to say a few words and do it with confidence. The days of being extravagant without having to worry about money are gone forever.

"I understand." Xu Cheng nodded slightly.

"Oh, you've figured out a solution?" Xu Zhen glanced at him with interest, and the fishhook in his hand seemed to move, causing ripples in the lake. A fish was about to be hooked...

"Or... the provincial dukes these days."

"Yes, it's them. I have investigated some dukes a long time ago. They are all very wealthy, with assets starting from hundreds of millions of soul coins. After all, they directly control the military and political power of a province, and can even raise private soldiers. This power is so great that it is not an exaggeration to say that they are a small kingdom. Their relationship with us is simply 'dependence'. When there is a war, they send troops to 'help', as well as some pitiful tribute every year." Xu Cheng stared at the carp that was lifted up, his voice flat.

"It seems that you have been dissatisfied with them for a long time. I'm afraid this so-called gathering..." Xu Zhen said with a smile.

"I won't kill them. I will keep those who dare to come to the meeting calmly, until after a few generations they gradually assimilate into Mingdu nobles through marriage. The resources they carry will slowly flow into Mingdu, and they will slowly integrate and become a part of Mingdu. Why should we be radical when we can use gentle means?" Xu Cheng shook his head.

"Of course, as for those who use excuses not to come but are actually preparing to rebel, I will naturally leave their bodies intact and confiscate their property and exterminate their clans..."

The waiter standing by turned pale and trembled as he listened, as if he was afraid that he would be dragged away and chopped for hearing something he shouldn't have heard.

"We have to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. If we don't kill a few, those monkeys won't honestly hand over the real things." Xu Zhen nodded with deep concern.

"Of course, this can only resolve the current urgent matter. There will be no worries within two to three years. After all, these provincial dukes have money, but they are far less wealthy than the old nobles in the original continent, or even the three countries in the original continent. Whether it is various resources or gold soul coins, I am very envious..." Xu Cheng said with a smile.

"No worries in two to three years..." Xu Zhen's eyes twitched.

Just by plundering these dukes, at least tens of billions of gold soul coins can be obtained. Is this not enough? What exactly does Xu Cheng want to do?

Research various generations of mechas, launch satellites, explore the ocean, etc., and these things cannot be completed overnight. They require a lot of talent, resources, funds, etc.

To be honest, Mr. Cheng's project originally required a huge amount of funds.

Fortunately, he found a sponsor, and the Star Forest is vast and rich in resources, with direct supply from the production site, no middlemen to make a profit from the price difference, which saved a lot of money.

But despite this, the more than 400 million gold soul coins he had extorted from the Xingluo Empire had almost been spent, which shows how huge the funding chain required for scientific research is.

Besides, this is an acquaintance, so there is no corruption...

"Not enough, far from enough." Xu Cheng waved his hand.

The ultimate goal of the soul guide is the sea of ​​stars.

Moreover, he also planned to rely on the rapid development of soul guides to help him quickly generate a powerful force that could resist the gods. This might give him more confidence in the future when the gods' world encounters space storms.

"Forget it, as long as you are happy." Xu Zhen waved his hands helplessly.

"I have no intention of interfering with the subsequent matters. You can handle it yourself. I hope I can spend my old age in peace and leisure until I die."

…

On the way back to the college.

Xu Cheng pondered.

Regarding "harvesting" and business wars, the history of previous lives is a case study. There are so many examples to learn from, so many that you can't count them on one hand.

The Golden Soul Coin system has a history of at least tens of thousands of years on the continent and has long been deeply rooted. After the collision with the Sun and Moon Continent, it has slowly been integrated into the land of the Sun and Moon Empire and is deeply bound, so it must never be taken by force.

Otherwise, the consequences will be extremely serious. If the monetary system collapses, even the Sun-Moon Empire will not be able to escape.

Outside the laboratory door.

In the long corridor.

Xu Cheng met Mr. Kong. The old man was quite tall, more than two meters tall. He was particularly conspicuous among the crowd of soul masters whose average height was 1.8 meters. He felt quite pressured standing in front of people.

Looking up and seeing the warm eyes of Mr. Kong, Xu Cheng couldn't help but think of someone's "words".

If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening. These are classic quotes.

"I am honored that you have condescended to come here." Xu Cheng laughed and threw aside the strange muscular Master Kong in his mind.

"The research at Mingde Hall cannot be interrupted. Your Highness must not favor one over the other." Old Kong looked at Xu Cheng meaningfully.

Under the tall figure, the latter broke out in a cold sweat.

No wonder my father called me over early in the morning. It seemed that he was giving me a shot of prevention. I was afraid that my father had already experienced the fear of facing an old man.

He just put the blame on himself and then leisurely hid aside to fish. He is worthy of being the emperor. His tricks are hard to guard against.

Xu Cheng secretly gritted his teeth and calculated himself...

"Haha, what Mr. Kong said is not true. Mingde Hall is the foundation of the Sun and Moon Empire and its primary development. How could I cut off my own foundation?" Xu Cheng grinned.

"Alas, too many emperors forget the way they came after they have achieved success. However, I am not taking advantage of my age. The national treasury is empty now, and there are too many places where money is needed. Although I don't have much money, I have accumulated a lot of soul guides in my inventory. If you need them, take them."

Seeing that Xu Cheng did not seem to be faking it, Kong Deming finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed him a high-level storage soul guide.

"What are you doing..." Xu Cheng was slightly surprised. He took a quick glance at the inventory in the ring and was stunned for a moment.

There are a large number of basic soul guides, a wide variety of high-level soul guides, and even dozens of level nine soul guides. Among them are some defective and semi-finished products, which are obviously rings used by personal soul guides... I'm afraid that before taking it off, this ring had been on Mr. Kong's finger for more than decades.

A true private collection.

It can be said that he has spent all his family assets.

The value of this storage soul guide alone is enough to rival the combined wealth of all the dukes, or even far exceed...

Is this the pillar of support for the Sun-Moon Empire, the value of the continent's number one soul mentor?

However, holding this ring in my hand, it felt as heavy as Mount Tai.

The value is secondary, what is more important is the meaning.

True recognition from Confucius.

After all, although Confucius was a member of the royal family and everything he did was for the Sun and Moon royal family, when Xu Zhen was in power, even during the most difficult period, he never received any support from Confucius, let alone this...

But my cheap father pushed me out at this moment. Is there any deeper consideration, such as...

"Don't think too much. I help you because I see the future of the Sun-Moon Empire in you. Over the past few years, I have been paying attention to you all the time. Every minute and every second is a test, but fortunately, today, you have handed in a nearly perfect answer." Kong Deming chuckled.

"…"

Looking at the heavy ring in his hand, Xu Cheng had a complicated expression.

It seems that the elders are afraid of misunderstanding and use clumsy methods to make up for it...

I'm afraid Mr. Kong would never have imagined that his goal has never been to harvest the lower classes of the Sun and Moon Empire, but the three kingdoms of the original continent.

The term "financial warfare" is still too advanced for people on this continent.

"I have never had any children in my life. I have devoted my life to scientific research and the sun and the moon. However, because my vision is too high, I have not found a suitable successor. So you have to keep this ring. After all, it will be handed over to you sooner or later."

Kong Deming smiled and pointed to the office.

"Okay, now it's your turn to have a headache."

"People who flirt with other women all the time should pay the price for their actions."

Seeing Mr. Kong's wanton smile, Xu Cheng felt something was wrong.

The office door slowly opened.

Two graceful figures, one big and one small, walked out from it.

Although they were of different heights, one was 1.78 meters tall and the other was 1.68 meters tall, but their beautiful faces were exactly the same, with waist-length light blue hair that flowed like waves, and a pair of angry light blue eyes that were fixed on Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng's mouth twitched.

We met so soon?

(End of this chapter)