Laoshan Palace, Huangji Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Chongqing has no choice but to establish a vassal state because His Highness is already heavily in debt, has nearly 4,000 warriors to support, and the land he controls is desolate and barren. He can only sell a few dollars after establishing a vassal state. The title of a hundred barons can be exchanged for a little money to make life easier. At the same time, it can also repay the pension money owed to the Supreme Emperor... His Highness's move is not only to protect the country's borders, but also to provide for the Supreme Emperor's retirement. It is really loyal and filial. It’s the best of both worlds!”
The person talking nonsense is the profiteer Yao Daqiao!
This profiteer was also a character, he didn't panic when he saw Tian Yan, he spoke so fluently, and even praised the stupid king Zhu Cihuan as a man of loyalty and filial piety.
Zhu Cixiang glanced at Zhu Yihai, King of Lu, who was sitting nearby, and said expressionlessly: "King Lu, you are the order of the clan, what do you think?"
Zhu Yihai is the hereditary "Kenan Prince" and a prince. He has also supervised and led troops in Shandong. His wealth is far beyond that of an ordinary prince, let alone a "5,000-acre county prince." However, his family has a big business and a lot of people at home. Not only do he have a bunch of brothers and nephews who need to be taken care of, but there are also a group of sect members who have lost their ancestral status and they also need to be supported by him, so money is tight. I just heard Yao Daqiao talking about Zhu Cihuan. The method of getting money actually made me a little excited. Now when Zhu Cixi asked, he blurted out: "I never thought that the prince of Chongqing could find such a way to make money..."
Zhu Cihong glanced at him and said to himself: Are you envious of him? How about you also gather some of your old troops to create a vassal state?
Zhu Yihai was glared at by Zhu Cixiang and knew that he had made a mistake. He quickly changed his words and said, "I'm afraid that someone will imitate me! The Chongqing County King has neither ability nor capital. There are too many people in the clan who are better than him... He was able to use the prestige of the Celestial Empire to build up a team and gain territory, so others should be able to do the same, right?"
Yes, you can do it! Zhu Cixiang thought to himself: You have been a warlord after all, and you have many old subordinates. Your son Zhu Honghuan is also a bit promising. He was admitted to the Army Martial Arts Hall. Now he has graduated and is working as a staff officer in the Generalissimo's Mansion. He is much more capable than Lao Wu.
Zhu Yihai added at this time: "Actually, there are pros and cons to this matter... At best, it can open up new territories and reduce the burden on the court. It's really two birds with one stone! Now there are so many sons of the emperor. , and they are still giving birth. There is no guarantee that the number will exceed two hundred in the future, but one hundred and fifty cannot be stopped. These are all county kings. One king is given 5,000 acres of land, and one hundred and fifty kings are 750,000 Mu!
Your Majesty, you will definitely have hundreds of sons and grandsons in the future. How much land will these sons and grandsons give you? How much rent can you collect from ten thousand acres of land? Can it support the dignity of a royal family? "
Ten thousand acres of land, even paddy fields, if rented out for one year, would be a net income of five to six thousand taels of silver. Less is a lot, but it is definitely not generous... After all, the royal family is not an ordinary rich family. All kinds of entertainment and face-saving expenses are indispensable, otherwise the "old Lai Wang" Zhu Cihuan will not be able to live up to his expectations. It would be so tight.
"And sooner or later, the princes of each family will be full of descendants. Now the princes who cannot overcome the difficulties have to surrender, and there is only one son who can attack the prince." Zhu Yihai frowned and said, "The descendants of this full house have to find a way out! If it remains the same as in the past, and all the descendants of the prince's family have the wealth inherited from their ancestors, who would be willing to cross the ocean to trouble a vassal state?"
It turns out that being raised as a pig is also very happy! Glory and wealth are at your fingertips, and you can have them all just by lying still. Unlike the descendants of Emperor Chongzhen, who started with 5,000 acres and a house, the 5,000 acres were dry land in the north, and the houses were located in increasingly remote areas... If you want to live a better life, you have to work hard. ah!
"Not everyone can have the luck of the Chongqing County Prince!" Zhu Cixiang thought for a moment and then said, "The Chongqing County Prince hit the wind. If he hits the wind, even pigs will fly!"
To paraphrase later generations, Zhu Cihuan caught up with the colonial expansion of the Celestial Empire, took the "human life venture capital" of the Japanese devils, affiliated himself with the United States of Xinzhou, and then burnt people's lives to create a vassal state!
"Wind outlet? Pigs can fly..." Zhu Yihai really didn't understand what this meant, so after tasting it, he followed his own thinking and said, "Your Majesty, other clans do not have the qi of the Chongqing County Prince. Luck doesn't matter, you can work together to make a contribution. If one prince is not enough, what about ten princes? The princes' paths are relatively broad, and they have some savings. If everyone pools money together to find a way, won't the chances be greater? In fact, there is no need. If we build a country with a square area of 15,000 li, it would be enough to have a country with a square area of 5,000 li.”
Well, this is about crowdfunding a country! Zhu Cihong said to himself: King Lu, are you going to join others after you leave the palace?
Zhu Cixiang nodded, "King Lu, you are more thoughtful. Crowdfunding is a good idea. Everyone pools money together, and the risks can be shared, and it can also reduce mutual fights."
Zhu Yihai laughed: "Your Majesty, is the request from the Chongqing County Prince accurate or not?"
"Alright!" Zhu Cixiang nodded and said with a smile, "I still have so many younger brothers who want to join forces to establish a vassal state. How can we not be allowed to do so? King Lu, let's go to report the good news to the Supreme Emperor together! By the way, please ask him to come to Chongqing The prince’s vassal state will give him a name.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Yao Daqiao again and said, "Yao Daqiao, come with me... How will this Chongqing county prince owe the Supreme Emperor 250,000 taels of pension money to pay back? The Supreme Emperor has been thinking about it!"
Yao Daqiao replied: "Your Majesty, as long as the vassal state of Chongqing County Prince can be opened and the title can be sold, there will be money to return to the Supreme Leader."
"How long do we have to wait?" Zhu Cixiang smiled, "No need to go to so much trouble, just give the emperor twenty-five barons with ten li fiefdoms. There are so many bastards in the emperor, maybe some people want to go to the New World and the Chongqing County Prince Here’s to keeping you company!”
...
"Father, I would like to congratulate you. My fifth brother has sent people back from the New World to pay off his debt!"
In the Renshou Palace, Emperor Chongzhen finally heard the long-awaited good news!
"Is it true? Ci Huan really sent someone to repay my pension money?" The Supreme Emperor, who was sitting on the throne, almost smiled crookedly. "I knew he was a filial son and he was pretending to be mine!"
"Father," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "you have lost your ears. What I said was to repay debts, not money."
Chongzhen was stunned, "Isn't this the same thing?"
"Of course it's different!" Zhu Cixiang said, "To pay back the money, you need to pay cash. To pay off the debt... then you may not necessarily have cash."
Chongzhen was a little disappointed, "No cash? Can you pay with something?"
"Use the title and land to pay off the debt," Zhu Cixiang said. "Lao Wu is very promising this time. He has built a 15,000-mile-square territory in the New World. He wants to create a vassal state so that he can sell the title."
"What?" Chongzhen was stunned, "Isn't this the way of the United States?"
Zhu Cixiang smiled: "Absolutely!"
"Then Lao Wu wants to sell my title and then pay me back the money?"
"Of course not," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "Fifth brother knows that my father has too many sons and worries about their future all day long, so he wants to share some of the burden with you... He plans to give you 25 of them. The quota of barons in the city. One such quota is worth ten thousand taels, and 25 of them is worth 250,000 taels."
The smile on Chongzhen's face disappeared instantly.
What is this! Why do I worry so much about my son? Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cixiang and said in his heart: That is what you should worry about!
"Can the baron of a city ten miles away be given to my son?" Chongzhen asked calmly.
Zhu Cixiang smiled and replied: "The titles sold by Lao Wu can be combined. If there are five barons and one viscount, five viscounts and one earl, the earl will have a city of 250 miles square, which is 100,000 acres of land. ...There is a lot to be done! Father, the seventh child is not young anymore. It’s time to make him a count. Or should we make him an earl under the fifth brother?"
Sealed to the New World? Chongzhen said in his heart: Have you saved 5,000 acres of land and a house?
Zhu Cixiang glanced at Chongzhen and said: "Father, Lao Wu is alone there. He is surrounded by samurai from Japan. If he doesn't have relatives to rely on, he will be ignored by the Japanese sooner or later. That's why I want to Let Lao Qi go. Of course, you can't let Lao Qi go alone. I will find him a good match...Father will give him tens of thousands of taels for travel expenses, so that everything will be safe."
