Chapter 1214: Carrying on the Past and Opening up the Future (One Hundred and Four) Taking Risks

On the snow-covered road, several carriages were trudging along with some difficulty. The wheels dug deep grooves in the snow. Around the carriages, hundreds of cavalry were guarding them, even though they were traveling on their own country. , but their vigilance is still raised to the highest level. This time, what they are wary of is not enemies, but possible attacks from their own forces.

In the carriage, Fan Sui sat against the wall, covered with a thick blanket and holding a heater in his hand. Even so, he was still shivering from the cold. The man sitting opposite him was wearing armor. The steel knife with the unsheathed handle was placed across his knees.

"Master Chief Assistant, I have thanked you so much for letting you go back in such a simple carriage, mainly for the sake of safety. The carriage prepared by General Tan Feng for you is so conspicuous that the enemy will recognize at a glance which carriage you are sitting on. In the car." The man said modestly.

Fan Sui smiled and shook his head slightly: "General Zhuo, this is nothing. It is much better than when I arrived in Yingchuan half a year ago. At that time, I was sitting in a cage. There was heavy snow in the sky, the cold wind was so strong that even my beard was covered with ice. When I arrived at Yingshui, under the care of General Tan, it took me more than ten days to recover. Compared with that time, I recovered now. I think it’s pretty good.”

"Fan Daofu was wronged. As you know, the king had no choice at that time! Please don't hold any grudges, Mr. Zhuo." The general surnamed Zhuo explained.

"Of course I understand." Fan Sui chuckled, "Otherwise, I, Fan, would not still be alive. General Zhuo, how do you feel about going to Yingchuan this time?"

The general named Zhuo nodded: "I feel deeply. General Tan has only been in Yingchuan County for more than two years, but the changes in Yingchuan County are extremely amazing. In the past six months or so, the Chief Assistant has also helped A lot of work. To be honest, seeing the current situation of Yingchuan County, I have great confidence in defeating the Han Dynasty. "

Fan Sui lowered his head and was silent for a while, "Actually, Li Ru's idea is not wrong. Our Qin Dynasty is different from the Han Dynasty. Carrying out such a big reform will inevitably endanger the foundation and the country may be in chaos. This fact makes me and Tan The generals discussed it and came to the same conclusion as Li Ru."

General Zhuo was stunned for a moment: "Master Chief Assistant, you..."

"You want to ask, since we have reached the same conclusion as Li Ru, why should I insist on reform, right?" Fan Sui raised his head and stared at the other party.

"Yes." General Zhuo nodded.

"To put it bluntly, it is a risk. Because with the current situation of our Qin Dynasty, if there is no change, sooner or later the Han will be dragged to death. The national economy has reached the edge of collapse, the people are in poverty, and there is almost no overnight food, Han Gao Yuan said To put it another way, water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.

The people are the foundation of the country, if the common people cannot survive. Where did the powerful Qin come from? Li Ru wanted to continue the previous policy to accumulate national strength, but it was no longer feasible at that time. The economy of the Qin State has not been impacted by external impacts. It was only because of Li Ru's success. But now, you have also seen that in the Qin State, all walks of life are filled with Han products, and a large amount of gold and silver are traded. Living in the Han Kingdom, I didn’t know much about this before, but in the past two years, my eyes have been opened, and I finally figured out Gao Yuan’s sinister methods. The bilateral free trade agreement he signed with Li Ru, It is more dangerous than a direct war. If the two sides fight, we may not necessarily lose now, but may still win. However, this economic battlefield has already been doomed that we will lose completely even before it begins. "

"Since the previous one no longer works, then we can only seek changes. Change will make it feasible, and generalization will not hurt, even if we have to suffer from labor pain." Fan Sui's eyes flashed with determination, "Rather than be consumed alive by the Han people Death, and finally watching them take over the Qin Dynasty, it is better to take a risk and actively seek changes. Although there is a narrow escape, there is still a life, and if we continue with the current strategy, we may be able to survive for a few years, but Absolutely no life."

"This is the reason why I must insist on reform. Tan Feng is ahead of me. Under his governance, Yingchuan County has begun to recover. Of course, Yingchuan has its own special characteristics. Years of wars have made The destruction here is serious, and the rich and powerful families can either die or escape, but Tan Feng has the opportunity. Just like Gao Yuan back then, he did not encounter much resistance when he did these things. Now he has seen the results, and Tan Feng has achieved it. With the self-sufficiency of military supplies, in two years, Tan Feng will not need any military expenditure from the imperial court and still be able to maintain an army of tens of thousands. "

"Chief Assistant, I also observed carefully in Yingchuan. Yingchuan has indeed changed a lot, but many things, such as taxation, are tied to transactions with the Han people across Yingshui. Once the Han people cut off this line, it will still be difficult. very big."

"This is the cleverness of Tan Feng. Now he does not hesitate to take advantage of others, and it is also for this reason." Fan Sui sighed, "Have you gone to the other side to see it?"

General Zhuo nodded, "I secretly disguised myself and sneaked in to take a look. To be honest, I was shocked, especially their infrastructure, with roads extending in all directions. In such weather, even the snow on the roads could be cleared." It's clean. I heard that they paid people to do this, just to ensure transportation. This alone is probably a big expense. "

"The Han government has been in debt for years. I have never heard of how much surplus their treasury has. Where has the money gone? It is all invested in building roads, bridges, and water conservancy. It seems that it is a waste of money right now. into the water, but in the long run, it is a major event that benefits the country and the people. Gao Yuan said that if you want to get rich, build roads first. He really implemented this. The transportation arteries that cross the north and south have been built for many years. , and the traffic arteries that connect the east and west will be completed next year. With such a huge territory, Han Dynasty has completed such a magnificent project in just a few years. People have to admire the strength of these two traffic arteries. Connectivity not only promotes domestic prosperity and facilitates communication, but also has great strategic significance in the military. As a general, you should know the importance of transportation to the army. "

General Zhuo nodded, "Yes, it would have taken more than a month for the cavalry to go from Jicheng to Jishi City. This had to be ensured by the logistics system. But when General Li entered the grassland, it only took him more than a month. Within half a month, Gao Yuan mobilized a large number of troops to help. This is the reason. "

"The national strength of Han is far beyond what we have now." Fan Sui said sadly: "We are too far behind. Now that we are starting to reform, even if we succeed, we will have to make do with compromises for a long time. Stay small and wait for the opportunity.”

"Sir, are you too pessimistic?" General Zhuo said: "As long as our army is still strong, maybe a big victory can turn everything around."

"Maybe, but I don't see it that way." Fan Sui sighed: "The victory or defeat of a war cannot damage the foundation of the Han Dynasty. Their mobilization ability and their economic ability are destined to quickly mobilize a huge force. We can't afford to lose a battle."

"Master Chief Assistant, this time I dived into Yingshui and saw the new money of the Han Dynasty. Can the colorful paper bills be used as gold and silver? I see that neither the merchants nor the people there seem to be interested. Worry."

"The notes you are talking about are banknotes issued by the Central Bank of the Han Dynasty." Fan Suitou looked at the top wall of the carriage and pondered for a while, "I still don't understand the relationship between them, but when I think about it, it will be very important to the Qin Dynasty. There is absolutely no benefit. Think about it, Qin merchants came to Han to buy goods, and they got real money and silver in exchange for this kind of paper. To put it bluntly, this paper is actually worthless. If one day the Han government declares it invalid, this paper will be worthless. Paper is too hard for you to use in the toilet."

"Aren't their own people worried?"

"This involves a national credit issue. Gao Yuan's reputation is booming. People and businessmen all believe in him. He used to rely on loans to survive. He issued bonds every year and paid off the principal and interest on time. He has accumulated good credit. We might learn from this.”

"I saw many Qin businessmen also depositing money in Han banks. This is not a good thing. If Qin people use Han money in the future, I am afraid there will be endless troubles." General Zhuo shook his head and sighed.

"It's good that you can see this. In fact, you should also understand that many of the wealthy gentry in our Da Qin Dynasty quietly transferred their money to the Han Dynasty and deposited it in their central bank. From another perspective, that is to say Those of us in the country don’t even believe that our Da Qin can win, so we are looking for a way out for ourselves.” Fan Sui said sadly: “So, if we don’t change, are we still far from death?”

"It's also a sword to extend your head, and it's also a sword to shrink your head, so you can only take risks. Sir, is this what you mean?" General Zhuo asked.

"Yes. Even if this reform causes domestic unrest, we must persist. It is precisely because the king saw this clearly that he made up his mind. Moreover, Tan Feng's success in Yingchuan also gave the king confidence. "

"Cui Chief Fu and the others can't see this. Why do they have to oppose it?"

"Because the reform will make them lose their power and wealth, and touch their roots." Fan Sui said calmly. "Everything they have is based on the old system. If everything is changed, they will have nothing. Are you saying they want to kill me?"

General Zhuo nodded: "Yes, according to the news we got from Heibingtai, they do have this plan, and they may have already implemented it, that's why I appear here, but don't worry, General Tan. These five hundred cavalry are very good. They are protected in the dark places where you can't see them, and our Black Ice Platform will definitely allow the Chief Assistant to arrive in Beijing safely." (To be continued...)