City Lord's Mansion, Council Hall.
The high-level council of Qi Kingdom convened once again.
Compared to the first council meeting, several newcomers had joined this time: first was Gu Min, who brought thirty thousand soldiers; next were Hart He, the governor of Yian Prefecture, and Jason Ye, the garrison general; as well as Gongsun Shouxin, governor of Fan Prefecture, and Miao Peng, the garrison general.
Ian Song glanced around the room and announced in a clear voice, "I've called everyone together today to announce two things. But before that, I have some good news: the paper we've produced has caused a sensation in Chu, and so far, just from selling paper, we've already received thirty-seven million cash."
Hearing the figure of thirty-seven million cash, Gu Min, Bruce Meng, and others didn't react much, but those in charge of internal affairs—Sean Song, Shen Du, Hart He, and others—were utterly shocked.
For reference, the annual tax revenue of a mid-rank prefecture is only about ten million cash.
Thirty-seven million cash is equivalent to the combined annual tax of three prefectures.
Ian continued, "The papermill is currently expanding rapidly, but security must also be ensured. After all, wealth moves men's hearts, and who knows if other kingdoms will send people to steal our papermaking technique." At this, Ian turned to Bruce Meng. "General Meng."
"At your service!"
"Effective immediately, assign three thousand troops to guard the papermill for me."
"Rest assured, Grand General. I will personally ensure the papermill is well guarded," Bruce Meng replied excitedly. The papermill was now Qi’s golden goose, and Ian entrusting its security to him was a mark of great favor.
After settling the papermill matter, Ian shifted topics: "The first thing I want to announce today is a reduction in taxes. From now on, the farm tax will drop from fifty percent to just ten percent."
"Grand General, isn’t ten percent a bit too low?" Shen Du reminded him.
"Not at all. The Shenzhou Continent has been wracked by war for decades, and commoners have had a hard time. From what I know, more than half the people can’t even get enough to eat. If they’re starving, how can they work?
Of course, the tax cut isn’t entirely free—there’s a condition. Any commoner who wants the reduced tax must reclaim three mu of wasteland for the state. If the reclaiming household wishes, they can farm the new land themselves and enjoy three years of tax exemption.
After three years, the tax rate returns to ten percent.
Everyone’s eyes lit up at this. Such a tax exemption would massively boost the commoners’ enthusiasm, and after three years, the state would have gained millions of mu of fertile land.
"Grand General, brilliant!"
"Grand General, such foresight!"
Everyone hurried to flatter him.
Ian waved his hand and began the second announcement: "The second thing is the construction of schools. The state will fund and build a public school in every county town across the three prefectures. Any child aged seven or above may attend and study for three years free of charge.
If their grades are outstanding, they can advance to the prefectural academies in the three prefectural capitals. Those who pass the examinations will be eligible to serve as local officials."
In this world, literate people are extremely rare, and those who can afford schooling are all children of noble families. Most commoners are illiterate.
That was exactly why Ian established the public schools.
Aside from Bruce Meng, Shen Du, and Sean Song, everyone else had already been enslaved by Ian’s Puppet Mastery Divine Art. Naturally, none of them opposed his proposal, so the matter of building schools was quickly settled.
The Grand General’s two decrees quickly spread among the commoners of the three prefectures.
When people learned that reclaiming three mu of wasteland would reduce their field tax to just ten percent, they were overjoyed. Crowds flocked to government offices to register, eager to clear land.
While the land reclamation campaign flourished, school construction also proceeded smoothly under government supervision.
Meanwhile, all of Zhao learned of Gu Min’s defection to Qi, and the loss of Yian and Fan Prefectures to Qi spread across the kingdom.
For a time, the entire country was shaken. In the Zhao palace, several wine cups were smashed in anger, and in a fit of rage, the king even drew his sword and killed a concubine.
Meanwhile, the Grand General of Qi, Ian Song, became a household name throughout Zhao.
According to spy reports, both mass defections occurred after Ian met with the commanding generals and senior officers of the two armies.
Just by negotiating, Ian managed to make two entire Zhao armies defect. It sounded unbelievable, but it had happened nonetheless.
As a result, spies from all kingdoms spread the news to their own countries.
In no time, Ian Song became famous across the Shenzhou Continent.
Though the King of Zhao was furious, he did not send more troops against Ian. Who knew if those soldiers would be swayed and defect to Qi as well? Besides, excluding auxiliary forces, Zhao had only about two hundred thousand battle-ready soldiers. Ian had already taken over fifty thousand, leaving just over one hundred forty thousand. With one hundred thousand tied down in garrison duty, only about forty thousand were actually available.
Could forty thousand men really stand against Qi’s fifty thousand-strong army?
The King of Zhao certainly didn’t think so.
Three months passed just like that.
Paper sales had fully opened across the Shenzhou Continent, and merchant caravans traveled to Lingshui Prefecture every day to ship paper to all kingdoms.
Because Ian exchanged the money from paper sales for grain, after three months, the granaries of the three prefectures were overflowing. Feeding a hundred thousand troops for five or six years was no longer a problem.
Seeing such an abundance of grain, Ian had a new idea: brewing high-proof liquor.
In this world, not only was wine cloudy, its alcohol content was extremely low—lower even than real-world beer.
Ian wrote out the brewing steps and necessary equipment for Sean Song, then left the whole matter to him.
Sean did not disappoint. In less than half a month, he produced crystal-clear, high-proof liquor.
Since the granaries were overflowing anyway, Ian decisively allocated half the grain for liquor production.
Once the high-proof liquor was ready, Ian had no intention of selling it wholesale.
Instead, he planned to use it to launch a chain of taverns.
So, half a month later, three taverns named Tianxia Tavern opened simultaneously in Yian Prefecture, Fan Prefecture, and Lingshui Prefecture.
The dishes at Tianxia Tavern were similar to those at other establishments, but its liquor was extremely expensive—a small bottle sold for one hundred cash, a large jar for nine hundred. It was said that this wine, called Immortal Brew, was created by the famous Grand General of Qi, Ian Song.
Thanks to the tax cuts and school-building, Grand General Ian’s prestige in the three prefectures was sky-high. Some families even enshrined his longevity tablet at home.
So when people heard that Immortal Brew was invented by the Grand General, anyone with spare cash went to Tianxia Tavern to try it.
With just one taste, its rich fragrance and spicy kick conquered them instantly.
Many, after a single sip, would slap the table and exclaim, "Now this is real wine—the Grand General truly is a genius!"