"I object!" Xu Xiang closed the note in front of him and said without hesitation.

What was placed in front of everyone was Shi Zhuang's remarks about continuing to use troops in western Hunan copied by the Secretary-General.

"Everyone, according to Shi Zhuang's report, this time the most cost-effective and smoothest military use in Xiangxi will cost millions. And this is only to allow us to occupy the cities with relatively convenient transportation in western Hunan. But this is just the beginning, and the next expenditure is the big deal. The supply required for large-scale troops stationed in these places cannot be raised locally, and it depends entirely on the input from outside. Although the economy of Yueyang and other places is developing well, the entire Hunan region can still be described as extreme poverty. It is simply unable to supply Shi Zhuang's army."

Wang Mingyi nodded repeatedly and said, "What Chairman Xu said is very much. Even the so-called convenient transportation place in Xiangxi is relatively more important. Compared to our side, it is completely in the sky and underground. If ten kilograms of food are transported in, half of it will be left. This does not consider other dangerous factors that may be encountered. According to General Shi, he will occupy the city this winter and next spring, forcing Ding Sheng into the mountains, and then slowly attack. The time required is calculated in years, and the final cost is probably ten times what he has calculated now. We cannot afford this money now."

You Yong disagreed: "Everyone, don't just look at the money. As long as money is spent on the blade, it is not worth it. I think what Shi Zhuang said makes a lot of sense. If Ding Sheng completely stood up in Xiangxi, suppressed and appeased the natives there, and connected the entire Xiangxi region into a whole, then our troubles will be greater. More importantly, once Guizhou and Yizhou are also involved in it, things will be more complicated. Now, it is the best time to drive them into the mountains and control all the major traffic routes. In this way, it will be more difficult for external forces to mix in. This matter cannot be delayed, and it will change."

"Where is the money?" Xu Xiang stretched out his hand and said, "Where do the money come from? You guys, you have read the memorials from Gansu and Qinghai? So far, there have been only two light snow. According to past records and the judgment of experienced locals, next spring, these two places will likely experience drought. Although the water conservancy foundation has been under construction, the foundation is too thin and it is difficult to fundamentally solve the problem in a short period of time. Once there is a severe drought in spring, there will be a big problem in the harvest next year. The court must be prepared for disaster relief and pensions. Even if labor-for-relief is used, the investment will be huge. In my opinion, instead of rushing to clean up barren land like Xiangxi, it is better to spend more energy on people's livelihood."

"Outside unstable, how can there be clear internal wind and clear moon?" You Yong said angrily: "Once the opponent forms a strong force in the western Hunan region, Hunan will be unstable. Which is more important than Qinghai, Gansu? Don't forget that Zhu Youzhen, Yizhou is ready to move now, Cao Bin is in Xiangyang and Tian Mantang is in Yiling, and will attack us at any time. Once western Hunan becomes bigger, the two lakes will be backfired."

Gongsun Changming knocked on the table and said, "I support Shi Zhuang's plan. Xiangxi must be controlled, otherwise, Yizhou and Guizhou will use Xiangxi as the front line to restrain and harass us. Once we control the Xiangxi area, the situation will be reversed. Shi Zhuang's plan is already the least expensive. Chairman Xu, you have worked in the local area and are also a military expert. You should know that if we control the convenient transportation cities, river estuaries, and market towns in the Xiangxi area, we will do more things. With these places as the center point, slowly spread out, Yixing Society and cultural education can all enter and carry out work together. In this way, I believe it can play a greater role than a simple military suppression."

"I also agree with Shi Zhuang's plan!" Zhang Hui was rarely consistent with Gongsun Changming: "It is said that people who are tough and barbaric are still an ignorant problem. The ignorant is fearless. In addition, it is a problem of poverty. As long as the livelihoods of the people there are solved and they will gradually become food and clothing, many problems will naturally be solved. Therefore, hunger and cold are aroused by the robbery. You cannot expect a person who cannot eat enough and die of cold and starvation to know etiquette and honor and disgrace. Therefore, we must maintain our existence here, and then use our inherent advantages to operate slowly. We must never let the Xiangxi region become a bandit nest. There is a radius of thousands of miles and tens of millions of people."

"Where is the money?" Xu Xiang said: "It's not that I don't understand this principle, but we can't abandon another place for one place. In my opinion, it's better to use troops in Xiangyang than to use troops in western Hunan. One round of artillery will cost less!"

"The recovery of Xiangyang is already in preparation." Li Ze said: "But we can't sit and watch in western Hunan. That place, as Shi Zhuang said, the more time goes by, the more trouble it will be. His plan is correct, first occupy the main city and the important road, and then use elite teams of troops to attack the bandits. Relying on the city and the army, we continue to attack, and the recovery of small areas will accumulate to a large extent."

Xu Xiang sighed, "If this is the case, then you can only compress expenses in other places."

"Think about other solutions!" Li Ze thought for a while and said, "Wang Mingyi!"

Wang Mingyi looked bitter and said, "Your Majesty, I really can't get out the money now. Those foreseeable income have already come to a destination, and they have already been decided. Once it is taken away, all the work done in the early stage will be wasted, and the losses will only be greater and will bring more deficits."

“Where is the loan?”

"Your Majesty, you can't borrow any more this year." Wang Mingyi shook his head repeatedly: "In order to support this sudden war, we have already borrowed a large amount of money. Now the national fiscal expenditure has reached its limit. No matter how much it is, it will exceed the red line. We have always been in debt operation. Once we cross the red line, it is easy to cause financial collapse."

Li Ze frowned for a moment, nodded slowly, and said, "Since that's the case, we can only relax some industries. Let the winemaking industry open, auction winemaking licenses, and the national reserve grain reserves will be released for one year. How much money can we raise for auctioning 100 brewing licenses nationwide?"

"According to past experience, the annual operating rights of a wine-making license are 50,000 silver dollars. But Your Majesty, it is easy to relax and difficult to recover. The large amount of wine-making will have a huge impact on grain. After all, the benefits of wine-making are more profitable than simple grain trading. In addition, the listing of a large amount of wine will also have a great impact on the current official wine price." Wang Mingyi said.

"In terms of grain, what do you say about Sinong Temple?" Li Ze's eyes turned to Liu Xin of Sinong Temple.

"Your Majesty, after the establishment of the Northeast Construction Corps, millions of acres of new fields have been reclaimed in the Northeast this year, which is enough to make up for the needs of brewing wine. New grain and corn have been planted on a large scale in the Construction Corps, and wine can be made of corn. This new grain is not very accepted by the people now, but it is excellent for brewing wine." Liu Xin said: "In terms of grain supply, don't worry too much. The entire country's grain reserves are now two years, and the Northeast land,

With the increase of population, at least millions of acres of land can be reclaimed every year. Moreover, as new fields become mature, the yield will only increase every year. In addition, varieties such as potatoes and potatoes have begun to become popular. Other staple foods such as rice and wheat are growing better. The yield of single fields is increasing year by year. Liu dares to pat his chest to ensure that as long as our Tang Dynasty does not suffer from large-scale famines, there will never be a grain shortage. The fluctuations in grain prices will also be controlled within an acceptable range."

"In this way, we have solved at least half of the cost of using troops this time." Li Ze felt better and then said: "In addition, I suggest that mines and other places can be appropriately relaxed and auctioned to allow private capital to enter these industries. Now, our annual demand for steel, copper, tin, coal, etc. has increased significantly every year, and the supply is in short supply, leading to a sharp rise in prices. Private capital can enter these industries, first, it can meet the domestic market supply and balance prices, and second, auctioning these mines can also raise a lot of funds. At the same time, these industries can also bring us more taxes."

"Your Majesty, food, salt, etc. have been relaxed. If the mines are released, it means that we will release almost all the important national weapons. Although we can temporarily raise a large amount of money, in the long run, if the country gives up its franchise power, the losses will only be greater." Zhang replied: "I think it needs to be cautious."

"It has been more than ten years since the establishment of the supply and marketing cooperative. In the early stage, the supply and marketing cooperatives have brought us huge benefits. Now the supply and marketing cooperatives have become increasingly rigid. Every time we open an industry, the profitability of the supply and marketing cooperatives shrinks by a little." Li Ze looked at Xu Xiang and said, "But our country's fiscal revenue has not decreased, but has increased every year. What does this mean? It shows that the relaxation of these franchises will not cause much loss to the country in terms of financial resources, but will instead promote the country's economy to prosperity. In the past, the supply and marketing cooperatives dominated the country, which led to many problems. Xu Xiang, I heard that you are preparing to make a knife for the supply and marketing cooperatives?"

"Yes." Xu Xiang nodded: "Supply and marketing cooperatives have developed to this day, and their internal operations have become extremely rigid. As Your Majesty said, as long as there is competition from the outside, they are no match. With more resources and more abundant personnel, they are defeated by private business. This is abnormal in itself and requires vigorous reform. If they should be severed and rectified, if they cannot help the court, then they will have no need to exist."

"It's too early to lay off and withdraw." Li Ze smiled and said, "Although his historical mission has almost been completed, the warehouse, transportation and outlets he has established over the past ten years are still very important. In economically developed areas, they are indeed shrinking, but in remote villages and economically backward areas, they are still irreplaceable. Merchants are pursuing profits, and they are unwilling to go to these places that cannot make money. So they should take it slowly."

"Yes, Your Majesty. The supply and marketing cooperatives are huge in size and cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Now they are still an extremely important part of our business system. Let's reform slowly and cut it off!" Xu Xiang said.
Chapter completed!