To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 689: Chapter 309: Increasing Revenue and Reducing Expenditure_2

“Hmm.”

Seeing that all the ministers nodded in agreement, Lu Yuan nodded and did not say much about it. Instead, he continued: “At present, Chu State’s local prefectures and counties, the central forbidden army, and the navy are all expanding their forces. As of now, the total number of troops in the entire country has reached 382,000.”

For these many soldiers, their annual military expenses alone require more than 27 million silver tales.

If there are wars, it can even reach 30 million silver tales.

At the same time, the basic expenses of the local government offices and the central court also require about five million silver tales a year.

And there’s the ongoing immigration project, which requires one to two million silver tales a year.

However, with the current fiscal revenue of the court, including the annual tribute of three million silver tales from Nanhai Country, it is only 23 million silver tales a year.

By this calculation, there is a deficit of about ten million silver tales each year.

Although I’ve campaigned in the southwest, I’ve collected more than 50 million silver tales from many Yi people. Previously, Huang Xuan took over Jianchuan and got more than 20 million silver tales.

With that 70 million silver tales, it will last at most seven years.

After seven years, when the accumulated wealth is used up, the court will face the dilemma of having no money to use.

So how to increase resources and reduce expenditure as much as possible within these seven years and achieve a financial balance is the top priority now.

If you have any solutions, please share them now.”

By this point, Lu Yuan was also somewhat headache-ridden.

Since he started his rebellion, the issue of money and food has always been the biggest problem.

Even in the early days, in order to obtain military expenses, he even deceived Dan Ding Path, making an enemy of himself.

Later, as Changsha transitioned to Chu State, the balance of income and expenditure was barely reached in recent years, and the financial situation was finally no longer stretched so thin.

But as Xichuan and Qianzhong counties were developed, along with the massive expansion of Chu State’s army, the financial balance was instantly broken, continuing to develop with an annual deficit.

Moreover, the scale of the deficit seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

Naturally, Lu Yuan was worried about this situation.

Therefore, at today’s strategic planning meeting for the next three years, he put this matter on the table as a key issue.

The aim was to pool wisdom, draw on the intelligence of everyone, and find a solution together.

“Your Majesty, regarding this matter, the chiefs of our three provinces and six departments have already discussed it and developed several solutions,” said Cui Changqing, facing Lu Yuan’s concern. “To solve the financial deficit, there are only two ways – increasing income and reducing expenditure.”

As far as reducing expenditure is concerned, the military is constantly expanding with increased troops, the production of arms, and the building of warships. This is fundamental to national defense and cannot be reduced.

The court offices are also selecting new officials for the administration of newly conquered territories, which is also indispensable.

On the other hand, the immigration projects are now spending nearly two million silver tales each year on moving people to Qianzhong and Xichuan counties, which is quite costly.

But at the same time, as you mentioned before, 650,000 people will be relocated to Xichuan and Qianzhong counties within the next three years.

Once these migrations are completed, the annual budget of two million silver tales will be naturally saved.

This is the part about reducing expenditure.

What’s left is increasing revenue.

According to Your Majesty’s first national policy, after relocating hundreds of thousands of people to Xichuan and Qianzhong counties, these two counties will naturally be developed.

By that time, these two counties, with their three million people, will be managed for a few years, and they will be able to provide ten million silver tales of annual taxation.

Just this item alone is enough to balance the deficit.”

Cui Changqing said this with evident confidence.

When Chu State had only three prefectures and 17 counties, with 5.7 million people, its annual tax revenue could reach 20 million silver tales.

Now Chu State has become four prefectures and 34 counties, with more than 8 million people, doubling its territory and increasing its population by nearly half.

With such a large scale, as long as it is fully developed, it will simply be more than enough to increase annual tax revenue by 10 million silver tales.

Even if Xichuan and Qianzhong counties are developed well enough, the annual increase in tax revenue will not be limited to 10 million silver tales, and it will not be a problem to increase it by another two or three million silver tales.

With the well-trained bureaucracy that Chu State has developed since its founding, the competence of the court ministers, and the wisdom of the monarch, Cui Changqing has the confidence to develop the two counties to the level he mentioned within five or six years.

Lu Yuan was moved by his words and said: “If it can really be so, then when my Great Chu goes to war, there will be no shortage of money and grain.”

Cui Changqing smiled and continued: “It’s not just that. In addition to developing and managing Qianzhong and Xichuan counties, there are several other ways to increase revenue.

Qianzhong County has many mountains, and there are many minerals in the mountains.

I have looked through the books and found records in the histories of Yangzhou of the southwest Yi people being rich in gold, silver, and copper mines.

After Your Majesty established Qianzhong County, I also sent officials and craftsmen to search for mines there.

After some investigation, we indeed found a lot.

In Qianzhong County alone, the mines previously opened by the Yi people include one gold mine, three silver mines, and seven copper mines. The value of the gold, silver, and copper produced each year is not less than two million silver tales.”