In the meeting hall, Yoshigami listened absentmindedly to Ishida Mitsunari's report, and his eyes occasionally glanced at Tachibana Kanade who was sitting next to him.
Her expression was cold, like an emotionless ice doll. Yiyin didn't know what her behavior last night meant in her heart.
Looking at her cold expression, Yiyin recalled Jill's burning warmth last night. Between ice and fire, he couldn't help but suspect that he had just had an unrealistic and strange dream.
Until Ishida Mitsunari called softly.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Yiyin came back to his senses and smiled.
"Where were we?"
Ishida Mitsunari bowed.
"The summer annuities have all been distributed in the form of food stamps, and the granaries in Spoland in the three places still have enough food for the time being.
However, His Majesty Oda has closed the Lake Biwa waterway, the Houriku Road trade route has been interrupted, and the transportation of grain to the three granaries has also had to stop.
You see, regarding the winter annuity payment, should it still be carried out as usual? "
Yiyin said solemnly.
"It must be sent as usual. No matter how tense the war is, one cannot be sent less."
The Shiba establishment represents Yiyin's favor to his samurai family and promises to share the income of the Shiba family with all Shiba's retainers. This is the biggest reason why the Shiba family's samurai are loyal to him.
With hard-core crops that guarantee harvests despite droughts and floods, the middle and lower classes of the Spocky Warriors are far wealthier and more stable than ordinary samurai groups.
The benefit of six stones a year does not seem to be a big figure, and the lowest salary for an official is thirty stones.
However, a Ji warrior who serves as an official needs to bear military service and armament. Just the maintenance of the sword and gun bag is not a small sum of money.
Therefore, for the middle and lower class warrior Ji, the six stones of welfare food can ensure that she and her family will not starve to death and have the most basic dignity.
The lowest human need is survival. All ideas, dignity, and pursuits are based on solving the most basic survival needs.
In this medieval samurai society, Yoshihiro did not have the courage to follow Oda Nobunaga's example of breaking the class ceiling and using the larger civilian class for his own benefit.
Things that undermine the interests of the ruling class are easy to do and die quickly. Yiyin carefully made appropriate adjustments, and its actions were always within the range that the Wu Family Group could tolerate.
Improving the living environment of the middle- and lower-class warriors and giving the middle- and lower-class warriors a chance to rise. Although this also offended high-level samurai, it was much gentler than Oda Nobunaga's innovation.
If the high-level warriors take less, and the middle- and lower-level warriors take more, the entire martial arts group will be more united and have more power to suppress civilians ten times their own size, so as to achieve long-term peace and stability.
The support of the middle and lower class Ji warriors for Yiyin is also an important reason why he calls himself the patron saint of the martial arts and his prestige is increasing.
If you fight well, everyone will only be afraid of you. Give benefits and everyone will love you.
Therefore, no matter how expensive and troublesome this war is, the Spo family's annuity benefits cannot be stopped.
This model project is the pie that Yiyin paints for the whole world to see. It is a key link in Yiyin's efforts to build Sibo's soft power and an important reference for the image of Sibo as a lighthouse for the Wu family.
The annuity is paid twice a year, three stones each in summer and winter. After the reform of the food stamp system, annuity payment has been completely transformed into food stamps.
Takada Yono accelerated the promotion of three economic plans, completed the monetization of food stamps, and worked hard to print food stamps. Ishida Mitsunari had no shortage of food stamps.
The problem is that logistics is interrupted, causing the grain stored in granaries in various places to fail to keep up with the number of food stamps exchanged. If there is a panic run because of the inability to exchange grain, it will be a big trouble.
The food stamps in Takada Yono's hands can be deposited in the stocks of Hokurikudo Trading Road and in the trading of Shiba Real Estate. In the short term, there is no need to worry about the large-scale exchange of food stamps impacting the market.
But Mitsunari Ishida had to pay for the welfare food stamps issued to Shiba's retainers. She had to ensure that the food stamps in the hands of the retainers could be exchanged for grain. Otherwise, what was the difference between food stamps and waste paper?
In retaliation for Yoshinoki's hostile behavior, Oda Nobunaga has closed the Lake Biwa water transportation. This resulted in the Hokuriku Road trade route operating only in the spring and autumn this year before being forced to close early.
Yiyin is raising supplies and deploying troops to prepare for the decisive battle with Oda Nobunaga next year.
Oda Nobunaga is also trying his best to extinguish the constant attacks in his territory, and wants to clean up the rear before the decisive battle with Yoshigan.
Both Shiba and Oda have actually tacitly agreed to a decisive battle next year, and it will be impossible to reopen the Hokuriku Road trade route before the end of the war.
As the head of Shibachu Fund, Ishida Mitsunari couldn't sit still.
Takada Yono can put all the responsibility for this year's operating losses on Oda Nobunaga, stop paying dividends on the grounds that the Hokuriku Road trade route is cut off, and deceive shareholders in the future.
It seems that the cutoff of the Hokuriku Road trade route has caused great harm. In fact, Takada Haruno is secretly working on financial realization. Maybe she will make more this year.
But Ishida Mitsunari couldn't play the trick of demolishing the east wall to pay for the west wall. She was all about hard payment and hard demand. Shiba's retainers had to exchange food stamps for food and go home to eat.
Welfare food stamps cannot be exchanged for food. If Samurai Ji, the Spo leader from three places, gets into trouble because of this, how will she explain it to Yiyin?
There was trouble during the war and the morale of the army was shaken. Even if Yiyin chopped off her head, everyone would applaud and no one would speak for her.
Therefore, Ishida Mitsunari must report and let Yiyin decide what to do with the subsequent benefits.
Ishida Mitsunari smiled bitterly.
“Your Majesty, you can get as many food stamps as you want.
But now that the Hokuriku Road trade route is cut off, Master Takada Haruno and Master Ohuma Asahide are desperately collecting military rations to meet the needs of next year's war. There is not much food that I can buy.
Now, the granaries in Spoland in the three places are unable to replenish their grain reserves due to logistics interruptions. Even if they can be relocated this winter, they will not be able to last until the beginning of next spring.
Farming is busy in spring, and everyone needs to eat enough to have the strength to work, so the amount of food stamps exchanged will definitely increase greatly.
Before the next wave of annuity payment pressure arrives next summer, the granary will be completely empty. "
Ishida Mitsunari's face was full of shame, and she had to pretend to be very ashamed at this time.
Because as soon as Yoshigage fell out with Oda Nobunaga, she took the initiative to meet him and vowed that she would not hold him back. After only a few days, she said that the granary was unable to support itself.
Before, I was rushing to show my loyalty, but now I am worried and thinking about the stability of the emperor's great cause. No matter how well my own affairs are done, I must act like a loyal minister.
Because the Shiba Chu Fund is so important to the Shiba family, Ishida Mitsunari's position can only be filled by a die-hard Yoshiin fan.
Therefore, she must be a die-hard loyalist of Yiyin, the kind of die-hard loyalist who resolutely obeys the leadership. There is no second way to interpret her personal performance line.
But after all, spirit cannot replace matter. No matter how loyal and sincere you are, you have to pretend to be pitiful when encountering practical difficulties, otherwise you will really not be able to survive this life.
Yoshihiro didn't want to embarrass Ishida Mitsunari. This person followed him from Kanto back to Konji and was an economic general he could trust.
Mitsunari Ishida deserves the most credit for the Shibachu Fund being able to get on the right track so quickly.
Yiyin thought for a while and asked.
"The welfare grain prepared by Sibo has been distributed for two years. In recent years, Sibo has received it four times, and the other Sibo has received it three times. Are retainers from all over the country still desperately hoarding food?"
Ishida Mitsunari said.
"Your Majesty is so kind and generous. How can they possibly finish the six dan of welfare food a year?
Last year, many Ji warriors were eager to take the food home as soon as possible, fearing that if they got it too late, the benefits would be cancelled.
As of this year, few people have redeemed the food stamps issued in the summer on the spot.
With so much food piled up at home, it would be really distressing if it gets moldy and rots if not taken care of well.
After all, the granary is managed by dedicated personnel, is anti-corrosion and mildew-proof, and the food is first in, first out, so it is better preserved than at home.
In addition, the granaries are reasonably distributed, so everyone can exchange them for food nearby, which is very convenient. Naturally, there is no motivation to drag it back all at once. "
Yiyin nodded, he probably understood the situation.
In recent years, Sibo Territory was the first to enjoy benefits. In the territory of 200,000 shi, more than a thousand people have received Sibo's establishment.
After two years, one person can obtain no less than 20 dan of food, and 1,000 people can obtain 20,000 dan. This is a huge number.
Because the Sibo Zhong Fund is a basic welfare food and does not count as part of the on-the-job salary, it is an additional benefit.
According to the land tax paid by the Sibo family of four citizens and six citizens, two hundred thousand dan can produce 160,000 dan of grain in two years. Based on the normal operation needs of the Wu family's territory, under normal circumstances, less than half can be saved.
In other words, taking the average Wu family leader as an example, a territory of 200,000 dan cannot save 8,000 dan of food in two years.
As for Yiyin, in two years, he spent more than 20,000 dan on basic benefits alone to enter the recent wave area.
As time goes by, there will be more and more redundant food. This is also the reason why Yiyin must carry out the Sibo New Life Movement in the first place to improve the consumption power of Sibo's retainers.
The low price of grain hurts farmers, and the value of grain will depreciate if there is too much grain. Sibo's retainers cannot consume so much grain, so they have to use the excess grain to upgrade their consumption and improve their lives.
For example, eat more white rice, white tofu, and white radish delicacies, buy more cloth to keep warm, and let cash crops from other places flow into Siboling to replace excess food.
The advantage of this is that all the samurai families in the world will envy the beautiful life of the Shiba family Ji samurai, and agree with the new samurai ideas proposed by Yiyin, and replace conquests in troubled times with peaceful development.
Now, Ishida Mitsunari's trouble is not that the Shiba family's warriors can't eat, because the food in Shiba territory itself is surplus.
Ishida Mitsunari was worried that the food in the granary would not be enough to support the exchange requirements of the Shiba family's warriors.
Once the granary is empty and a panic wave of runs occurs, things that were not troublesome at first will become very troublesome.
Yiyin said.
"Ishida Hime, I have two ideas. Please help me think about them."
Ishida Mitsunari bowed respectfully and said.
"Please give me your instructions."
As long as Shiba Yigen is willing to come up with an idea, no matter how bad it is, Ishida Mitsunari will agree to it.
With Jun Shang as the scapegoat, everything will be easier to handle and every obstacle will be easier to overcome. This is the purpose of her visit this time.
If your Majesty is willing to take the responsibility, her little shoulders can be relaxed and the sky will not fall down.
Yiyin knew her little thoughts very well. Seeing her relaxed expression, he smiled slightly and said.
"First, encourage the retainers in Spoland in the three places to use food stamps as much as possible and not to exchange them for food.
Now there is no shortage of food in the three places of Sibo, but the retainers are wary of danger in times of peace. They are too scared of the poor days in the past, and their minds can't turn around for a while.
A family only has a few stomachs, and when they are full, they are full.
Is it good to stuff excess food into the stomach? Why not use food stamps to exchange for cloth, salt, tea and other daily necessities?
Although the large flow of goods on the Hokuriku Road trade route has been cut off, there are also our allies and friends around the three Spur territories, and they now recognize the value of food stamps.
Encourage retainers to go to the surrounding Wu families to buy other people's cloth, salt, and local specialties.
Don’t forget that the Spo New Life Movement is just for everyone to live a good life.
If we can use consumption to drive the development of other surrounding Wu clans, other Wu clans will have a closer attitude towards us. "
Ishida Mitsunari hesitated and asked.
"Your Majesty, this is a time of war. Isn't it appropriate to encourage enjoyment?"
Yiyin shook his head and said.
"Just because Shiba's retainers have lived a dignified new life for Shiba, they will know how to cherish the present, and they will work harder to serve their justice and fight to the end for the Shiba family.
If anyone questions it, use my words to silence them. "
With Yi Gin's words, Ishida Mitsunari felt relieved, smiled and kowtowed to the ground.
"Hey, I understand."
Yiyin said again.
"Of course, not everyone likes to enjoy the present, and we should not force everyone to consume. If there are retainers who love to save, then provide them with better storage channels.
They have to worry about losing the food stamps if they are left there, and the food will get moldy and rot if they are left there. Since they don’t want to use these food stamps for the time being, they might as well leave them to the Spozhong Fund to take care of them.
Make a plan when you go back and do a reverse repurchase of food stamps. Allow Sibo's retainers to deposit their welfare food stamps back into the Sibo Zhong Fund.
If you save for one year, you will get 50% interest, which can be divided into monthly, quarterly, annual and three-year periods. The longer you save, the higher the interest will be.
Since they are unwilling to spend it, then don't put it in their hands. This will avoid trouble and you can invest it again if it comes back to you.
With the Sibochu Fund's absolute advantage on the Hokurikudo trade route, you won't lose money with the welfare food stamps with half-percent interest for a year, right? "
Ishida Mitsunari said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, this is a slap in my face.
As long as the Houriku Road trade route reopens, I will definitely make a profit from the reverse repurchase of food stamps, a low-interest loan with an annual interest rate of 50%. "
Yiyin nodded and said.
"You can make the specific plan for the reverse repurchase of food stamps by yourself. I have only one request, which is to guarantee the principal and interest.
This is a reverse repurchase of food stamps carried out by Sibo Zhong Fund to Sibo's retainers. Loss and failure to pay when due will never be allowed.
I don’t care how you operate, you must protect your capital and interest. "
Ishida Mitsunari smiled.
"Your Majesty, food stamps are not food.
How can Takada Harano-sama make a loss when he prints things every day? "
Yiyin shook his head and secretly said, "What a sin."
Takada Yono released this shameless thing called the money printing machine. I wonder if there will be big trouble in the future?
Human greed is endless. Even if she is still restrained now, who can guarantee what will happen in the future?
The banknotes of the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, which were not guaranteed to have value at the beginning, ended up being indiscriminately issued waste paper, and it was too hard to wipe the pimples.
Although Yoshigage felt vaguely that he was not ready for seconds at this time, facing Oda Nobunaga's aggressive strength, even if he drank poison to quench his thirst, he could only drink it bravely and get over the hurdle in front of him first.
(End of chapter)
