This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 522: This time coming back from the front line, what I need to do can be summarized in one thing

Chapter 522: Chapter 522: This time coming back from the front line, what I need to do can be summarized in one thing

Chu Guang could understand Old Charlie’s complaints.

His players were stirring up such excitement at the front line; meanwhile, the situation behind the scenes was becoming increasingly tense.

It’s no exaggeration to say that in the past few months, nearly all the financial institutions in the Alliance, from the League Central Bank to the Ministry of Finance and the Merchant Guild, have been covering the Army’s shortages. So far, there haven’t been any major issues in production and economics, thanks to collaborative efforts across various departments.

Of course, the key to it all was his fulfillment of an earlier promise to end the war before the year’s end.

"Let’s start with the first problem," he said.

Chu Guang looked toward Minister Sun Ruicai at the other end of the table, who was looking nervous, and continued in a gentle tone.

"Do you remember the last question on that test paper?"

Sun Ruicai paused, then quickly understood which test Chu Guang was referring to and immediately responded.

"I remember! The question was... if we borrowed money from the Looter, should we pay it back?"

Chu Guang asked, "What was your answer?"

"At the time, I wrote that we should..." Sun Ruicai nervously said, "I think it’s better to pay back the money first and then take it back, rather than simply defaulting on it. Otherwise, others might worry that borrowing money from us could result in being labeled as Looters."

Chu Guang nodded appreciatively and then looked at Old Charlie.

"Unfortunately, he’s the only one whose answer somewhat satisfies me. Some examinees were being argumentative, claiming the Alliance would never deal with Looters, so the premise is invalid. Others think we can just write off the debt, as no one would sympathize with Looters. However, if things were that simple, we wouldn’t need a Ministry of Finance; we could just hire a ’Butler’ to handle everything."

Looters are different from Mutants; you can’t tell them apart at a glance. Conversely, it can also become a pocket that fits everything.

The consequences of confiscating Looter property and proclaiming the creditor as a Looter are starkly different.

Of course, the reason Chu Guang was only half satisfied was that there was, in reality, a better approach.

Instead of using force to seize the debt certificate from the creditor, a more clever way is to make the certificate held by the creditor worthless through proper methods.

Old Charlie coughed softly.

"I didn’t say you would default on the debt... That was just an exaggerated expression, hoping you would understand how serious our current financial situation is."

Chu Guang nodded with a smile.

"I understand how you feel, and we definitely should repay the money, not default on it. This leads to the second problem we need to address... how to repay this debt."

He then looked toward Sun Ruicai.

"How much in total do we need to repay by the end of the year?"

Sun Ruicai promptly answered.

"The total debt size is 510 million chips, with repayment periods ranging from twenty to fifty years, amounting to a total of 10.17 million chips in principal and interest!"

Chu Guang nodded, then suddenly sighed.

"That’s too little."

The debt size and the principal and interest to be repaid are both too little!

If they had a billion to repay at the end of the year, Melvin, the bank manager of Giant Stone City Bank, would have been waiting for him right under the airship before he even came down from it.

Instead, what he dealt with after standing for half a day were only Afni and Boss Xia.

Sun Ruicai was stunned, and Old Charlie also froze for half a second.

"Too little...?"

"Yes," Chu Guang nodded, looking sympathetically at the two of them, "During my time at the front line, you’ve been too hard on yourselves. Minister Sun Ruicai just mentioned that the deficit from military funding contributions accounts for 76.9% of the Alliance’s total deficit. Even if our current total industrial output has a high military component, that financial report is very unhealthy."

So you’re aware it’s unhealthy, too!

Old Charlie couldn’t help but interject.

"That’s after the logistics departments have been as frugal as possible..."

Chu Guang continued while looking at the elder.

"This is where the problem lies; the deficit from military funding contributions has reached 9 billion. If our investment in infrastructure also reached 9 billion, wouldn’t the ratio drop from 76.9% to 50%?"

After hearing what Chu Guang said, Old Charlie was completely dumbfounded. Sun Ruicai by his side was equally agape.

What kind of logic is this?

And weren’t they discussing how to repay the debt?

Why was he now complaining that they hadn’t spent enough?

"Just a joke to lighten the mood, but the principle remains the same," Chu Guang said, facing the speechless Old Charlie and Minister Sun.

"I went to all that effort borrowing money for you to improve the residents’ lives in the Alliance, not to tighten our belts to repay debts. So when you tell me that we need to adopt a more conservative economic strategy for the next three years, to make everyone suffer a little, to cut down the debt size before expanding our business, my heart aches... If that’s the result in the end, why did I even fight this war?

"An individual can reduce debt by cutting back on expenses, but a collective cannot do so. Debt is a noose; once it binds us, we will become slaves to our creditors. If we try to solve the problem by shrinking our balance sheet, do you know what that means? It means that the entire Alliance, for the next three to five years, will have to work for Giant Stone City! Is this what a victorious nation should do? We are the ones who owe money; we are their fathers!"

Old Charlie looked at Chu Guang, befuddled by the convoluted logic.

One second he was saying debt is a noose for slaves, and the next, he was saying that the debtor is the father of the creditor?

Minister Sun Ruicai was equally dumbstruck, but in another sense, he grasped a bit of the Manager’s reasoning.

"...You mean to say, debt is like a rope that the creditor can use to bind us, but conversely, we can also use this rope to pull... them back?"

Chu Guang picked up his cup and took a sip of water, making his throat a bit more comfortable, and his tone more gentle.

"Exactly."

"So before we discuss how to repay the debt, I must first change your mindset and tell you that the path of reducing the balance sheet to repay debt is ’absolutely’ impassable, at least for us. To repay the debt, to ensure the credit of the Alliance government, we must not reduce the balance sheet. On the contrary, we should continue to increase spending and spend more money!"

"However, how to spend money is an art, we can’t emulate the nobles of Giant Stone City or simply copy the experience of Ideal City, we have to use our own model."

After a pause, Chu Guang continued.

"The task I have to do upon returning from the front line can be summarized in one action."

Old Charlie swallowed his saliva.

"...What?"

Chu Guang said with a smile.

"Share the spoils of war with the citizens of the Alliance!"

Minister Sun Ruicai was startled for a moment, not catching on.

"Sh... Share the spoils of war?"

"Yes," Chu Guang nodded, "The victory of the Alliance cannot be achieved without the support of all citizens. Our army cannot win against those hyenas with fists alone. We’ve acquired two vassal countries, two trading partners. Our residents can clearly feel that food is cheaper than before, where once an hour of work could not exchange for even a pound of corn, now it can exchange for a kilogram... But this is not enough, it is far from enough for the victors!"

Saying that, he raised his voice.

"The tables of Alliance residents shouldn’t only have corn and potatoes, it’s not just pigs and sheep that thrive on corn cobs and nutritional cream. Their tables should also have meat, eggs, and milk. We need to make these affordable and available to them, and then let them eat as they please, to their hearts’ content!"

"It’s not just about eating but also about clothing! Last winter we stuffed old money into our quilts as stuffing, and I promised that was the last time. Now, I will fulfill that promise. This winter, everyone will have real cotton quilts, clean and warm cotton clothes and leather boots, and live in houses that don’t leak wind—"

"And it is far from just that!"

That resonant voice echoed in the conference room.

After hearing this speech, Minister Sun Ruicai felt a burning enthusiasm in his heart and couldn’t help but quietly applaud under the table.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it because this man promised a better life for everyone that he chose to stay instead of continuing his wandering lifestyle?

He felt ashamed for having even momentarily entertained the idea of making everyone tighten their belts to repay the debt.

Repaying debt is only right and proper.

But he is the Minister of Finance for the Alliance, and it’s his duty to come up with a better method!

Unlike the excited Minister Sun Ruicai, Old Charlie didn’t show much reaction, just watching Chu Guang intently.

He admitted.

This man’s eloquence possessed a captivating magic.

If this were a public speech rather than an internal discussion, the applause would likely have lifted the ceiling.

People would stand up and cheer for him, shout his name in tribute, and even regard him as a living god, willing to lay down their lives for him... In fact, many people were already doing so, becoming a part of the Guards Corps was almost every young man in the Alliance’s dream.

In the Wasteland, what could be more attractive than a full stomach and warm clothes?

And what he promised was not only to feed and clothe the residents of the Alliance but also to allow them to live with dignity... to let everyone live with dignity, something the City Lord of the Giant Stone City wouldn’t even dare to claim.

Or rather, the only ones who could truly deliver on such a promise might be the people of Ideal City.

But Old Charlie thought about it and then let it go.

This wasn’t the biggest ’pie in the sky’ that Manager had ever drawn.

Compared to "building a new Ideal City on the ruins" and "returning to the Prosperity Epoch," this boast seemed quite modest.

Chu Guang smiled at Minister Sun Ruicai, seeing that he had something to say, he slightly raised his hand, indicating that he had not yet finished speaking.

After a pause, with a softer tone, Chu Guang continued.

"I sometimes entrust my assistant to observe how our residents live... Of course, this does not include their personal privacy."

"For instance, there is a girl who works at the trading station, she has to work six days a week from seven in the morning until seven at night, with only one hour break at noon, and she can’t return to her village by Rhombus Lake to reunite with her family until Saturday evening, then back to work on Monday morning."

"In the past, we were short of people and had to inconvenience our workers to work longer hours, but now we’ve passed the hardest of times, and I think it’s time to give them back the time that originally belonged to them."

"So while I was still on the front line, I communicated with the person in charge of the trading station, asking him to increase staff by 50%, adjust everyone’s daily work hours from 12 to 8, and adopt more flexible scheduling."

"This system has been in place for half a month, and the facts have proven that it works!"

"Employees of the trading station will engage in their work with more enthusiasm, treat each customer more patiently, and not only will traders from all walks of life leave with a good impression of our people, but our employees will also have better lives. After work, they don’t have to lie in the dormitory drained of all their energy; they can go out more, whether to study at the library, walk around the snack street, socialize with friends, or do things that young people should do."

"Of course, we need to resolve not just one person’s issue but everyone’s. The trading station is just a pilot project. From now on, all factories, institutions, and facilities within Alliance territory, whether collective or private, should operate in this manner! I plan to enshrine it into law, and for this, I’m prepared to double the budget."

After a pause, Chu Guang looked at Old Charlie and Minister Sun Ruicai, sharing his idea.

"Not only do we want to give the Alliance’s residents time, but we also want to make them wealthier. Currently, our minimum wage is 1 Silver Coin; that figure is no longer keeping pace with the Alliance’s economic growth. I plan to raise the Alliance’s minimum wage to 3 Silver Coins by the beginning of next year, gradually increasing the median to 5 Silver Coins."

"When the residents of the Alliance have both money and time, they will have the capacity to consume and engage in more activities. As long as we can keep inflation within a reasonable range, this will become a fast-growing market full of business opportunities."

"And to earn more interest, the nobles of Giant Stone City will not only refrain from pressuring us to repay the debt but will also rush to deliver their accumulated stakes into our hands. After all, we will soon be using these stakes to buy their goods, letting them earn their stakes back. In this process, even if Giant Stone City Bank doesn’t print a penny, the stakes in their pockets will double, or even more!"

Minister Sun Ruicai held his breath.

Old Charlie looked at Chu Guang with surprise.

By now, he had essentially fully grasped Chu Guang’s thoughts.

This guy not only hadn’t planned on reducing the scale of the debt but was actually intending to borrow even more money.

He planned to use the borrowed money to develop the economy, invest in infrastructure, improve the lives of residents, and thereby further expand the economic scale of the League, and then attract even more hot money.

There was just one loophole in all this...

Old Charlie said cautiously,

"But we ultimately have to use the chips we earn from them to pay off Giant Stone City’s debt; we can’t possibly use silver coins to pay them back."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ruicai also calmed down,

"...Indeed, their residents used to have purchasing power, but now they even have to skimp on nutrient paste."

Seeing the worried pair, Chu Guang nodded approvingly.

"Noticing this shows that you’ve been diligent, and it also indicates that our plan has successfully entered the second phase. A massive amount of chips have been concentrated in the pockets of the Giant Stone City nobles, indirectly driving up inflation in Giant Stone City. If you were a noble of Giant Stone City and saw those around you getting richer, the number of chips in your pocket increasing but going less and less far, what would you do?"

Sun Ruicai pondered for a moment, and then his face showed a sudden realization as he said excitedly,

"Preserve value! I need to acquire some appreciating commodities or industries before the chips depreciate!"

Chu Guang smiled and nodded,

"That’s correct, though not quite comprehensive."

Blind investment is one of the side effects of an overheated economy; people lose their senses in the frenzy, making rash investments to ensure their money outpaces inflation.

Because the money is coming so easily.

As if you could make it even with your eyes closed.

Slowly, people would worry more about missing out on an investment opportunity than losing money.

"...There won’t be a more worthwhile market to invest in than the League throughout the whole Southern River Valley Province, and they probably aren’t interested in wasting their money on those poor souls who can’t even afford nutrient paste; I hadn’t planned on making money from those people to pay off debts."

"Besides investment, the consumption habits of the nobles from the Inner City will also become even more extravagant than before. We just need to give them a little opportunity to encourage them to think bigger, and they’ll bring the money to us themselves. For instance... developing tourism and the entertainment industry, letting them compete with the people from Ideal City on who can squander their money more egregiously. Another example is issuing more bonds to attract the hot money they can’t find investment opportunities for."

"As for the residents of Giant Stone City... it’s a pity, but that’s something for Giant Stone City to worry about. If even nutrient paste becomes unaffordable, these people would naturally come to the League to nibble on corn."

Chu Guang truly sympathized with their plight.

Those survivors were also suffering individuals of the Wasteland.

But he had also said that he would prioritize the League’s interests and couldn’t possibly sacrifice his own people’s interests for the sake of others.

However, if they were willing to come, he wouldn’t mind sharing a portion of the leeks he’d harvested from the Inner City nobles, to help them start new lives.

After all, that was originally the fruit of their labor.

"...To unify the management of the League’s external debts, and to allow our debt holders to exercise their rights more conveniently and efficiently, I plan to have the League Central Bank join forces with Giant Stone City Bank to issue a ’bond’ valued in chips."

"It could partially replace chips, and whether or not Giant Stone City Bank recognizes its monetary status, we will redeem it according to the face interest rate when it matures. If the nobles of Giant Stone City don’t mind, they could even use this promissory note as money."

Old Charlie hesitated,

"Would Giant Stone City Bank agree to this?"

This is clearly a huge pitfall...

Chu Guang chuckled and said,

"Trust me, even if I don’t bring this up, they would take the initiative to ask me for a similar scheme, so they can circulate their debts like cash."

Old Charlie was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed lightly, remarking,

"It seems I truly am getting old."

Chu Guang shook his head,

"Not at all, what I can offer is only the macro strategy; the details will need your research and discussion for improvement."

"I’ll try my best to keep up with your pace," said Old Charlie, glancing at Sun Ruicai, and then continuing, "about today’s meeting... I suggest it would be better to keep it confidential."

In a way, what they were discussing wasn’t about paying off debts at all, but how to reap more leeks from their neighbors.

If word of this got out, it probably wouldn’t boost the confidence of the debt holders; they might even consider jumping off a building.

Sun Ruicai nodded seriously, clutching the meeting notes on the table.

"Understood!"

Chu Guang said nothing, giving tacit approval to Old Charlie’s suggestion to keep the meeting content confidential, even though he thought it didn’t really matter whether it was kept secret or not.

Many things were clear as day.

Someone would definitely notice that the asset bubble in Giant Stone City was continuously growing as well as the risks hidden within the bubble.

Like the president of Giant Stone City Bank.

That person would notice if they took the time to reconcile the books, they’d find that the chips circulating in Giant Stone City even exceeded the total issued by Giant Stone City.

However, those who spot the problem surely won’t pop this bubble voluntarily because there’s no benefit to doing so, only trouble.

Before the bubble bursts, making the last bit of profit is the "smart" thing to do.

If the last stop is a cliff, then it’s best to get off at the penultimate station...

The closed-door meeting lasted only a short hour before it ended.

Many had heard that the Manager had called such a meeting to deal with the debt issue upon returning, but no one, except for the three participants, knew what was discussed at the meeting, let alone what instructions the Alliance’s Manager had given to the Merchant Guild and the Ministry of Finance.

As the merchants from Giant Stone City speculated whether the Alliance was out of money to repay its debts, the City of Dawn Town Hall issued an announcement the day after the meeting ended, which smacked everyone in the face.

The entire announcement was tens of thousands of words long, but in summary, it could be encapsulated in two words—

That was bidding!

And it was bidding across multiple sectors at once!

Firstly, about transportation.

City of Dawn Town Hall was willing to spend five million silver coins to acquire fifty electric buses, injecting them into the existing six public transport routes, as well as four new ones, to replace the trucks originally used for hauling goods and transporting troops, aiming to lower the commuting cost for residents to under 1 silver coin and to do so while "sitting" in the bus with dignity, without dirtying their trousers.

And it wasn’t just buses; there were related amenities.

Included in the City of Dawn Town Hall’s bidding plans were fifty kilometers of concrete roads and four new charging stations.

But this wasn’t the most eye-catching piece!

The most eye-catching announcement had become the headline of the day’s Survivor Daily...

Early morning.

In a cottage in Linghu Wetland Park.

Looking at the freshly printed Survivor Daily in his hand, Fang Chang, sitting at the dining table, had a face full of surprise.

"Gosh... This is gonna be a good amount of silver coins."

City Lord Luka of City of Dawn announced that to accommodate the continuous influx of survivors into City of Dawn and to improve the living conditions for city residents, the Town Hall planned to issue a bid to build 1,000 apartment buildings on the wasteland to the northeast of Clear Spring City, with a requirement of an average area over 40 square meters per unit, accommodating at least 48 households and no more than 60 households per building.

According to past conventions, players could also participate in the design and bidding process.

He was willing to bet.

Given the enthusiasm of the players with life professions for earning money, this matter would certainly dethrone the "Floor B6" controversies to dominate the top spot on the Forum homepage as the hottest topic of the day!

The newspaper also came with a map that circled in almost the entire open space to the east of Embassy Street, and two of the new bus routes were included there.

But then again, with all this road construction and house building.

Where’s the money coming from?

They claimed an almost completely realistic economic system, yet it felt like these NPCs were all not playing by the rules...

Wait.

Fang Chang had a second thought and realized he had instinctively defaulted to real-world thinking.

In fact, the situation on the wasteland was entirely different from reality.

What’s the most valuable thing here?

Black Boxes?

Technology?

Neither!

It’s people!

People are doing the research, the design, the screw-turning, and the farming, as well as descending into mines and exploring ruins.

With people, you have the ability to excavate relics and recover treasures from the pre-war civilization. Without sufficient manpower, you wouldn’t just be unable to fleece your neighbors; you’d also be on the losing end when selling hyena meat.

As long as the Alliance could continuously siphon manpower and wealth from the surrounding Survivor Settlements, this kind of quantitative easing strategy was utterly feasible.

If you are looking for a reference point in reality, don’t look in the 21st century; rather, you should look back to the century before the 19th...

As Fang Chang concentrated on pondering over the newspaper, Dolly quietly approached him, leaned over, and pecked him on the cheek, placing the steaming newly bought buns on the table.

"Someone’s looking for you outside."

Having closed the newspaper in his hands, Fang Chang looked up with a smile and asked,

"Who?"

Dolly wrinkled her nose.

"He says his name is Kishu, and he claims to be the son of the Giant Stone City Bank president... but I don’t think he seems like a good person. He gives off a weird vibe."

She really didn’t like the frivolous look in that man’s eyes, but she still politely asked him to wait at the door for a moment.

Kishu?

Hearing that name, Fang Chang’s eyes instantly brightened, and he smiled as he pushed back his chair to stand up.

"You’re right, my dear, that guy is indeed no good, but... that doesn’t stop him from doing good things."

"Doing good things?" Dolly tilted her head in confusion.

She really didn’t think that guy, who seemed to look down on everyone, was capable of doing good things.

"That’s right, everyone should do a good deed or two in their lifetime, otherwise it’s just too pitiful. And as it happens, I can lend a hand..." Fang Chang said with a smile, gently touching her hair, "I’ll go see him."