Chapter 158: Fiscal Crisis

"How can Shouchun possibly sustain its finances?"

As soon as Lu Su finished speaking, a look of worry clouded his face as he gazed at Chu Feng. He was well aware of Shouchun's financial state; the already meager reserves had been almost entirely exhausted just to fund the subsidies.

With the Cao army having once again heavily devastated the fertile fields, it remained uncertain whether the Chu army would even have the funds and grain to launch a campaign. If things continued this way, the treasury would inevitably collapse. How could they ever speak of dominating the realm?

"What is your meaning?" Chu Feng asked.

"Reduce the expenditure on relief, cut all policies by half, and emulate Cao Cao by tightening the purse strings. Only in this way can the three armies have grain to march and balance the realm!"

Lu Su said solemnly, cupping his fists.

He was truly driven to desperation. Relief was certainly a wonderful thing, but in times of chaos, heavy codes must be used. Rather than spending money on these people, it would be better to directly have their wives and children remarry under new surnames and continue bearing offspring.

On one hand, this would stimulate the population; on the other hand, it would alleviate the pressure.

"Hmph, Lu Zijing, I think your mind has grown muddled."

"Home and country, home and country—there can only be a country if there is a home. If the officers and men of the three armies fight to the death and yet cannot even protect their own wives, children, and elderly dependents, how can anyone speak of fighting to the death?"

"Let alone giving one hundred thousand coins to each family, even two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand would be no more than right and proper. If I cannot even provide for the widows of the loyal and brave, of what use is it for me to conquer this realm?"

Chu Feng slapped the desk and rose to his feet, pointing at Lu Su and rebuking him angrily.

"But my lord, the army has no grain, and the state has no money—how can things operate like this?" Lu Su frowned, sighing inwardly. How could he not know what Chu Feng was saying?

Yet in troubled times, human life was as worthless as grass. How many people could afford to honor the fallen, and how many could live up to everyone's expectations?

Chu Feng furrowed his brow. "Is snowflake salt not finding a market?"

"Xuzhou has already begun to choke off trade, and coupled with the previous chaotic battles, Cao Wei has severed commercial ties. At present, apart from our own territory, we rely entirely on the commerce flowing from Jingzhou!"

Lu Su said with a sigh.

Snowflake salt was indeed excellent, but in the contests between warlords, unless someone's economic throat was being gripped by salt, no one would choose to subsidize an enemy.

"How much remains in the official treasury and finances?" Chu Feng asked with a frown.

"Less than fifty million coins. Furthermore, Shouchun is now awaiting revival on all fronts, and we must also relocate the capital to Hefei to build a new city, construct warships, and repair roads. It is fair to say that there is no money left in the treasury."

Lu Su saluted, cupping his fists, his heart trembling as he spoke.

He was not merely shouting doomsday warnings out of ungrounded fear. Chu Feng had been campaigning for half a year, and as the art of war dictates, a campaign of a thousand li drains a thousand gold per day. Shouchun was never wealthy to begin with, and right now that was truer than ever.

Hearing this, Chu Feng fell into slight contemplation, looked at Lu Su, and asked, "Do you have a method to resolve this?"

Lu Su pondered for a moment, then immediately said, "My lord, there is indeed one method to increase fiscal revenue and amass countless wealth."

"Let's hear it!" Chu Feng said with curiosity.

"Minting currency. My lord can mint coins to gather massive wealth, which can also be seen as offsetting the purchasing power of the common people's money, thereby sustaining fiscal expenditures."

Lu Su bowed with cupped hands and lowered his head.

Hearing this, Chu Feng's brow instantly darkened. He naturally knew how minting currency could amass wealth—back in the day, Dong Zhuo's coin minting had directly gathered countless riches, making him stinking rich.

Later on, if he remembered correctly, when Liu Bei invaded Sichuan, due to a lack of military funds, he likewise ordered the issuance of 'Zhibai' coins, amassing countless wealth in a very short time and filling the treasuries to the brim.

Chu Feng recalled that when he used to write about history online, there had been a bunch of Liu Bei fanboys who stubbornly insisted that Liu Bei was helping the common people, claiming that Sichuan lacked copper coins.

This left Chu Feng utterly bewildered. Wasn't overissuing currency simply diluting the money in the hands of the common folk? How could those fanboys possibly consider such a trick to be beneficial to the people?

On the flip side, Sun Quan, who carried out the exact same operation, was treated with utter contempt by this same group of people, who deemed Sun Quan as wantonly bleeding the fat and marrow of the people. Such personal bias was truly severe.

"The common people already have it hard enough; how can we harm them? Furthermore, overissuing currency is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs—it is a path to chaos. Now that Yangzhou is not yet pacified, we must not commit such foolish acts."

Chu Feng waved his hand and directly rejected the idea.

Although this method could gather wealth at a fast pace, the victims who shouldered the burden were the noble clans and the common people, and this did not align with Chu Feng's ultimate goal.

"Aside from this, Lu Su knows of no other method to rapidly replenish the treasury."

Lu Su shook his head, cupping his fists. If he were able to fill the treasury without harming the interests of the common people, he could well be considered a grand talent of the era, and the phrase 'a talent to assist the world' would not even be enough to describe him.

Chu Feng pondered slightly. "I will think of a way for this!"

Lu Su raised an eyebrow. Looking at Chu Feng's expression, could it be that he really had a way to make the treasury brim with wealth without harming the populace? Could it possibly be through commerce?

He did not dwell on it further and continued:

"My lord, it is said that Liu Bei has already arrived at Moling, and he is currently preparing for war and storing up grain. This man is a hero of the age, and under his command, Guan and Zhang both possess the valor of ten thousand men!"

"In my humble opinion, we ought to dispatch troops as soon as possible to eliminate him, pacify Danyang, and cut off future troubles!"

Chu Feng nodded. This Liu Bei indeed could not be allowed to run unchecked, but his three armies had suffered heavy losses and had fought continuous battles. At this moment, his heart was willing, but his strength fell short!

"Pacifying Liu Bei is imperative. However, this time various units have suffered heavy losses, and Liu Bei has nearly ten thousand troops in Danyang. To eliminate him is no easy task."

Chu Feng said with a grave expression.

Danyang already possessed several thousand troops, and coupled with Liu Bei's several thousand men, there was a force close to ten thousand strong. Although their commands were not fully unified and most were local commandery troops, Danyang was renowned for producing elite soldiers.

"My lord, why not promise benefits to the Shanyue tribes, having them attack Liu Bei on our behalf? When our army has a free moment later on, it will not be too late to go and pacify them."

Lu Su offered another suggestion.

"This matter is feasible; leave it to you to handle!" Chu Feng nodded. The Shanyue tribes were indeed still useful. Only by driving Liu Bei out of Danyang could he fully secure the whole of Yangzhou.

"Understood!" Lu Su nodded.

After a brief moment of thought, he spoke up again, "My lord, how do you plan to deal with the noble clans across Wu County? And what about Sun Ce's former subordinates, such as Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong?"

"What is your opinion?" Chu Feng inquired.

"Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong both possess heaven-shaking and earth-clevering talents, certainly no weaker than myself, and their administrative skills are perhaps far superior to mine. It would be a pity to discard them; my lord should send someone to bestow official posts upon them."

"As for the noble clans of Wu County and elsewhere, they can all be summoned to Shouchun to await official duties. Otherwise, if they remain entrenched in their local regions, turmoil will inevitably arise sooner or later." Lu Su narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice.

It was by no means a good thing for noble clans to hold too tight a grip on power. As long as Chu Feng's regime was fine, it would be tolerable, but the moment trouble struck, these very people would be the first to declare independence and turn their coats.

"Well said. It's just that I am pondering how to keep these people in check." Chu Feng nodded, a look of worry crossing his face as he felt somewhat irritated.

"My lord, once the noble clans of Wu County arrive at Shouchun, their local influence will be greatly diminished. My lord can easily balance the Jianghuai faction and the Jiangdong faction, thereby achieving a check and balance."

"Furthermore, my lord is distinguished as a descendant of the Yuan clan; they would not dare to act rashly." Lu Su chuckled, stroking his beard as he offered pointers.

"Then let us accelerate the absorption of this batch of talent." Chu Feng made a prompt and decisive decision. Previously, when he captured Wu County, because Shouchun was besieged, he could only settle the hearts of the people and rush things through hastily.

Now that Cao Cao had retreated, it was time to put things in order.

A place like Wu County, where noble clans were entrenched, had to be suppressed by some means; otherwise, if the locals only knew the four great families and not him, Chu Feng, wouldn't that be utterly absurd?

"Very well, see to it that these matters are implemented promptly."

"Understood!" Lu Su nodded in acknowledgment and strode away.

Watching Lu Su's retreating figure, Chu Feng fell into deep thought. He had to find a way to supplement the finances; otherwise, this vast territory really would fall into a state of stagnation.