Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 310 - 221: Another Use for the Refugee Map (10,000-Word Update, Asking for Monthly Pass)_5

Chapter 310: Chapter 221: Another Use for the Refugee Map (10,000-Word Update, Asking for Monthly Pass)_5

General Wang Wenchuan remained unmoved as he looked at the Emperor with unyielding determination.

The Emperor was silent for a moment before nodding, "Very well, let us proceed as Prime Minister Wang suggested!"

After leaving the court, Chu Ge returned to the Political Affairs Hall.

There was one last thing he needed to do.

He had to transfer Zhang Renxia far away from the capital and demote him significantly.

"If I’m to play the villain, I might as well go all the way!"

With a stroke of his pen, Chu Ge put a decisive end to this incident.

...

The mist before him gathered and then dispersed once more.

The familiar prompt appeared in front of Chu Ge again.

[Three years until the battle of Niuzhu]

At last, almost everything was settled.

Chu Ge had finally managed to navigate Wang Wenchuan’s path through a strategy of "deep deceit appearing loyal."

According to historical records, four years after the implementation of Wang Wenchuan’s new laws, the interest from green seed money reached three million strings of cash, and seven years later, the surplus money after corvée remittance (pure surplus after paying the duty money) reached four million strings.

Together, this added approximately seven million strings to the annual fiscal revenue.

Of course, the Qi Dynasty had significant expenses due to three redundant issues at the time, with annual fiscal expenditures reaching several tens of millions of strings, roughly equal to the fiscal revenue.

Some might think that an extra seven million strings a year, only amounting to one-tenth of the expenditures, would not make much of a noticeable impact; this clearly overlooks the effect of having "surpluses."

From barely breaking even in revenues and expenditures, and often encountering fiscal deficits, to then having a surplus of seven million strings each year was indeed a tremendous improvement.

Furthermore, Wang Wenchuan’s reforms included measures to cut expenditures, which further reduced national fiscal expenses and enhanced the treasury’s reserves.

Historical records mention that Wang Wenchuan’s reforms eventually accumulated wealth that could be used by the court for twenty years (provided that the annual tax revenue was submitted normally), and the Northwestern Army regained the Five States, extending the land by two thousand miles.

Even years later, the Qi Dynasty was still using the money saved through Wang Wenchuan’s reforms.

However, historically, Wang Wenchuan’s new laws were quickly abolished, and the court fell into the chaotic party strife between the new party and the old party, laying the groundwork for the decline and demise of the Qi Dynasty.

At this moment, the reforms led by Chu Ge as Wang Wenchuan had been in place longer and implemented more forcefully than the original historical reforms, thus the fiscal revenue obtained was naturally much greater.

After Wang Wenchuan used the cosmic resonance to counterattack in a campaign, the old party’s influence was further diminished, and the reforms that had been halted midway were able to continue.

Thus, Wang Wenchuan, with a stroke of his pen, approved all these military funds for Yu Jiaxuan to train the Flying Tiger Army.

Whatever money, personnel, or provisions the Flying Tiger Army needed were generously provided.

This scene couldn’t help but remind Chu Ge of a similar pair of minister and general in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

From the outcome perspective, General Deng Yuanjing’s pair of ministers and generals were much more fortunate than Wang Wenchuan.

Although it also ended with the death of the individual and cessation of the policies, at least in their time, the reforms were successful, eliminating bandits and deterring the Northern Barbarians from invading.

Wang Wenchuan, on the other hand, was much less fortunate, not only having his reforms fail mid-way but also never managing to find in the court a reliable and powerful general who could expand the Qi Dynasty’s territory and recover the Yan regions.

Thinking about this made Chu Ge sigh deeply.

History indeed had too many unresolved grievances.

In these last two or three years, Chu Ge no longer needed to do much; he just had to patiently wait, handle some routine duties, maintain his position as the prime minister, and continuously provide military resources to Yu Jiaxuan.

Though this instance had two paths, it didn’t force the player to perfect both.

If one excelled in one path, it was entirely natural to let the other follow its course.

Chu Ge patiently awaited the arrival of the battle of Niuzhu.

At the same time, he was somewhat curious.

He wondered what kind of account the historical records would present of Wang Wenchuan after such efforts.

...

Meanwhile, Zhao Haiping, acting as Yu Jiaxuan, was training the Flying Tiger Army.

The military camp was bustling with activity, the purchased war horses were well cared for, and the smithy operated night and day, forging the arms and armor required by the Flying Tiger Army.

Compared to Chu Ge, Zhao Haiping did not focus his main efforts on playing the role of Wang Wenchuan. He only acted in a few critical steps to ensure that the new laws developed as they had historically, which was sufficient.

His main efforts were concentrated on the role of Yu Jiaxuan.

Since the Yu Jiaxuan he played had been meritorious in suppressing bandits across various regions and had effectively governed the localities, he also managed to coordinate considerable military funds for the Flying Tiger Army.

Although these military resources were certainly not as ample as those provided by Chu Ge playing Wang Wenchuan, the fact that Zhao Haiping’s Yu Jiaxuan was personally responsible for the military exercises allowed the shortage of funds to be compensated for with stricter training.

Up to this point, the Flying Tiger Army had reached a strength of five thousand men.

Although this number was not large, as the saying goes, the quality of troops matters more than the quantity.

The Qi Dynasty’s redundant soldiers had become chronic, and although there were many troops, only a few regiments were effective in combat.