People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 269 Donation and Loan

Xu Chen on the front line was facing the dilemma of being surrounded, while Xuan Xia's rear was not idle either.

After Xu Chen's order arrived in Xuanxia, ​​Wang Dang immediately summoned a group of court officials and began to operate the state machinery to prepare to reinforce the front line.

The three counties of Youzhou started a new round of conscription, and this action immediately aroused the vigilance of all Xuanxia people.

They clearly felt the tense atmosphere. Almost all the military households in the grassroots villages had been withdrawn, leaving no room for reservation.

Although it was not uncommon for military households to join the army, they had not seen such a large-scale scene in recent years.

In the past, when the imperial court recruited soldiers, it never filled the military household quota. It was considered a lot if it could recruit half of the military households. This time it was obviously an unusual practice.

Of course, the people are not stupid. They can guess that the situation on the front line must be tense, which is why such a big fuss is needed.

At this juncture, the people did not say a word. The sons of the military households packed their bags and quietly followed their village heads to the county. Then the county led them to the capital Ji County. After a brief training, the new army was about to go to the battlefield.

However, the court's actions went far beyond simply recruiting soldiers again.

Soon, a large number of government officials appeared in all the towns and counties of Xuanxia. They all walked through the streets beating drums and gongs and shouting loudly to make announcements.

"Fellow villagers, our front line is in a tight spot. The soldiers need more money and food. We cannot lose this battle. If we fail, I don't know how many years it will take before we can fight again. No matter what."

The common people along the way all stopped to take notice. They were already feeling the tense atmosphere due to the renewed conscription, and now they were even more certain of their thoughts.

Most people's hearts tightened immediately. This seemed to be the most unusual campaign since the Yellow Turbans entered Youzhou. They had never been so nervous before.
Until now, the people have not felt much when Xuan Xia went to war, as they have become accustomed to the news of continuous victory.

The more this happened, the more they realized the intensity of the current war. They were afraid that the front line was really encountering difficulties, and this was enough to make all the people worried.

The people below listened and discussed the matter with concern.

Someone asked, "The court is out of money. Are they going to levy miscellaneous taxes?"

Someone answered: "It should be, otherwise the government would not inform us of these things. I am afraid that the situation on the front line is much more serious than we thought."

Everyone was silent for a while, but someone asked uncertainly: "Didn't Master Keke say that the imperial court would never levy miscellaneous taxes on the people? This..."

As soon as this person finished speaking, the people around who heard it all turned their heads, and most of their eyes were filled with contempt and anger.

"Do you still have a conscience? It's already this late, and you're still fussing over this. The Grand Master is understanding of us, so why can't we be a little understanding of him? The imperial court has been so good to us over the years. Are we just going to sit back and watch the war go bad now?"

"That's right, why do we need the imperial court to collect taxes? I can just donate it directly!"

"I will donate too, but I won't mention the kindness of the Great Heavenly Master. My son is in the army now, and I can't let him fight on an empty stomach. I will go home right away to fetch food and money!"

As the conversation progressed, the atmosphere at the scene suddenly became heated. Without even waiting for the official to finish speaking, the people began clamoring to donate money and supplies, with some even shouting that they wanted to go to the battlefield.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with chaotic shouting, and the noisy voices immediately drowned out the clerk's voice.

Some of them ran fast and had already carried the food back, which immediately caused cheers from the others. Then more and more people followed suit.

The clerk was sweating profusely and wanted to explain something, but few people could hear what he said clearly at this time.

Such a unique scene made everyone dumbfounded. Emiya and the other international students stared with their eyes wide open, completely unable to believe what they saw.

Although all this was happening before their eyes, they still found it difficult to understand why the people acted this way.

In order to avoid putting the government in a difficult position because of their previous promises, the people were even very "considerate" and offered to donate money and supplies.

What surprised Emiya and the others even more was that the enthusiasm of the people was even stronger than they had imagined, and soon the team donating money and supplies grew huge. They were all carrying large bags of food and holding thick stacks of French money in their hands, without any hesitation.

"The people of Xuanxia can actually achieve this!" Emiya was envious and jealous.

The other people all had the same reaction. If the people in their respective places could be so enthusiastic, they would wake up laughing in their dreams.

Just as he was sighing, Emiya suddenly raised his eyebrows. He suddenly found a familiar face in the crowd.

It was a somewhat thin figure, but Emiya was very familiar with him. It was his roommate Zhou Liang, a student majoring in agricultural science at Xuanxia Academy. The two had lived under the same roof for a long time. They were not very friendly, but they were familiar enough.

To Emiya's surprise, he saw Zhou Liang also holding a stack of Dharma coins and trying to squeeze to the front of the crowd, obviously intending to donate money.

Emiya frowned immediately, and after saying goodbye to the people around him, he walked over and grabbed Zhou Liang: "Why are you pretending to be so high-handed? You are so stingy even when it comes to your own food, how can you have extra money to donate?" Zhou Liang was stunned for a moment, but when he saw that it was Emiya, a familiar figure, he relaxed, and then laughed: "I can still save more, and it is still no problem to maintain my life and study. Now the soldiers on the front line need money and food more than us. This little money is not much, it can provide them with more food."

Emiya just found it unbelievable. Because they were roommates, he knew Zhou Liang's situation very well.

This guy eats rice soaked in water every day, and there is hardly a drop of oil in the bowl. His underwear is torn and he keeps patching it, but he is reluctant to throw it away. The only decent thing on his body is his school uniform.

Is this kind of guy willing to donate money to the imperial court for war?
Wei Gong glanced at the money in Zhou Liang's hand. There were only a few thin hundred-yuan French coins. These few hundred coins were just a drizzle to him, but to Zhou Liang, one could imagine how precious they were.

"Would the imperial court be short of these few hundred coins from you? Wouldn't it be better to use this money to eat something good?" Emiya looked at him and shook his head.

Zhou Liang frowned upon hearing this, but suddenly he remembered that Emiya was an international student, and he felt relieved. He then just smiled and said, "There are some things you don't understand. This money must be donated, even if it means I have to eat dirt."

Wei Gong fell silent for a moment. He thought Zhou Liang was stupid, but he was also inexplicably shocked.

Zhou Liang bowed to Wei Gong and continued to squeeze forward.

But at this moment, sharp whistles and the sounds of gongs and drums suddenly rang out in the center of the crowd. Once these sounds came out, they gradually drowned out the voices of the people, and the central officials finally had the opportunity to explain.

"Fellow villagers, the court knows your intentions, but it is not yet time for you to make donations!"

This loud shout finally made the people calm down. Everyone looked towards the center, and Zhou Liang stopped unconsciously.

Seeing that the situation was under control, the official breathed a sigh of relief and continued shouting.

"The frontline is indeed in a tight spot right now and needs more money and food, but you don't need to donate now. Of course, we won't break our promise and levy miscellaneous taxes. If the frontline needs money and food, it will only be in the form of loans!"

borrow?
When the people heard the word "borrow", they were all stunned. They didn't know how to react for a moment.

But then, they were moved.

The situation on the front lines was so difficult, but the court was still unwilling to make the people suffer. Even when the people were willing to donate, the court would not accept it and would rather collect money and grain through such an undignified method as borrowing.

As a result, the people felt ashamed and soon one after another said that they did not need to borrow money and that they would donate voluntarily without the court having to repay.

Fortunately, the clerk reacted quickly and spoke up to explain before the voice gained momentum.

"My fellow villagers, the situation on the front line is indeed not easy right now, but it is still far from the end of the road. Otherwise, if we really need to pay donations, the court will not be polite. Now the court only needs to issue bonds to cope with it. Don't worry, the front line is still stable!"

Following the official's words, the scene quieted down again, and the people felt more at ease.

If this is the case, the situation on the front line may be somewhat difficult, but it is not yet dangerous.

Although many people were willing to donate, after the officials had stated it again and again, they no longer felt forced. If lending money could help the court solve the problem, then there was nothing wrong with it.

"The amount of the official bonds issued by the court this time is 100 million coins. If the villagers are willing to buy them, they can go to the nearby Xuanxia Bank. Before the bonds are issued, everyone can buy them freely!
The government debt will have a specific repayment date, and the government will calculate interest for you. When the date comes, you can take the voucher to the bank to settle it!"

After hearing these words, the people finally understood what it meant.

Although this way of borrowing money is relatively new, it is essentially just borrowing money, except that the subject has changed from a general object to the government.

And there is interest on purchasing government bonds, so for the people, it is definitely a good deal.

While other people were still asking questions one by one, Zhou Liang had already reacted and turned around to leave.

Emiya was still amazed by this kind of debt-borrowing game. When he saw Zhou Liang leaving, he asked, "Where are you going?"

Zhou Liang smiled and said, "Of course I'm going to the bank, otherwise the queue behind me will be too long to wait."

Emiya also came to his senses: "Yes, I will go with you too!"

"You want to buy one too?" Zhou Liang was a little surprised and asked, "Aren't you an international student?"

Emiya laughed dryly: "Since I study in Xuanxia, ​​Xuanxia can be regarded as my second home. Now that Xuanxia is in trouble, I have to lend a helping hand."

Zhou Liang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he happily bowed to him: "Student Wei, let's go!"

Emiya nodded and followed him all the way, but what he was thinking about on the way was his guess about the interest on the government debt.
Considering the credit of the Xuanxia court, this official debt is definitely an opportunity to make money. It would be a shame not to buy it.

(End of this chapter)