The spring breeze blows gently, and the trees with green buds sway, and flowers bloom, attracting bees and butterflies.
Deep in the garden, with the rippling lake waves and a pavilion on the shore, Lin Ze tensed up and stared at the small stove and kettle on the stone table in front of him.
Before the water in the kettle boiled, Lin Ze calculated the heat and quickly reached out to lift the kettle and brewed two new cups of tea.
Lin Ze closed his eyes and sniffed the scent of tea that filled the air, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
Opening his eyes, Lin Ze handed one of the new cups of tea to the other side and said with a smile: "Drink tea."
Sitting opposite Lin Ze, it was Chen Ping who had just arrived from the Western Regions in a hurry. His face could not hide the look of dust, except for a pair of eyes, which were very bright and dazzling.
Chen Ping took the tea cup with both hands, lowered his head slightly, and said respectfully: "Thank you, Lord, for the tea."
Lin Ze waved his hand to indicate that there was no need to be polite. He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. His lips and teeth were filled with fragrance and endless aftertaste.
After thinking about it, Lin Ze put down the tea cup, looked at Chen Ping solemnly, and said: "I have always been obsessed with practicing Taoism. You have to manage these thousands of miles of fertile land in Yanzhao. Are you ready?"
Hearing this, Chen Ping hurriedly put down his tea cup and said with a wry smile: "I'll tell you the truth, my lord, if I suddenly acquire a county or a county, I promise to take care of it in an orderly manner and not let my lord waste any time."
"But now there are dozens of counties and hundreds of counties. With the ability of the minister, I may not be able to start in a short time."
Lin Ze picked up the teapot and filled Chen Ping's tea cup to seven points, and said nonchalantly: "You don't have to worry. If you need people, I will give them to you. This time, I plan to recruit more than 2,000 officials at all levels.
Is it enough for the Western Qin government?"
"If you want money, Gu will give you money. Not to mention the taxes collected every year, the goods brought out from the Qin State's treasury last year, converted into materials, 10% is enough to support the people of Yanzhao for more than ten years. I will give you 30%.
,enough?"
"If you need time, I will give you time. One month is not enough, how about I give you a year?"
When Chen Ping heard this, instead of feeling relieved, he sighed and said: "My lord understands the righteousness so well, I am very grateful. However, I am worried that I will not do well enough and let my lord down."
Lin Ze drank the tea in the cup in one gulp, poured another cup, and said calmly: "Chen Ping, this is a bit unlike your usual character. You can be the prime minister of the Qin State, are you still afraid of the Prime Minister taking charge of the land of Yan and Zhao?
"
Chen Ping said with a solemn expression: "When I serve as the prime minister of Qin, I only need to maintain the normal operation of the court. I don't have to worry too much. If I encounter problems, I will have my lord to help me."
"Now that my lord has entrusted all the affairs to me, I feel really unsure. I hope my lord will forgive me."
As soon as Chen Ping said this, Lin Ze was stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook his head and said, "You Chen Ping, you are actually going around the corner to plot against me."
"Okay, Gu will make a promise to you today. You just go ahead and do it. If things are not decided, you can let Gu make the decision. If things are not harmonious, as long as you didn't do it intentionally, I won't blame you. How about that?"
The serious look on Chen Ping's face disappeared, and he changed to a smiling face and replied: "I obey your order. I will offer you a cup of tea instead of wine, my lord."
After saying that, Chen Pingsha took up the tea cup, stood up, bowed, and drank it all in one gulp.
Lin Ze also picked up the tea cup, raised it high, gestured, and drank it in one gulp.
Putting down the tea cup, Chen Ping bowed to Lin Ze and said, "May I ask, my lord, what is the current situation in the world? I stand at the foot of the mountain and cannot see clearly. I hope my lord standing on the top of the mountain can clarify my doubts."
A hint of complexity appeared on Lin Ze's face, and he replied: "Since you want to know, it's okay to tell you. Now that the general trend of the world is gradually becoming clear, the situation of Qin is over, and the three pillars of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism will be established."
"Next, Western Qin has two main ways to go. One is to absorb the "legacy" left by Qin as much as possible and improve its strength when Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism destroy Qin."
"Second, accumulate strength and compete for the world with Zhao Tuo, who is supported by Buddhism, and Liu Ji, who is supported by Confucianism."
"Zhao Tuo, Liu Ji?" Chen Ping said with a look of surprise on his face: "How virtuous and capable are these two, that they dare to compete with the lord for supremacy?"
"Have they forgotten that they were chased by their lord and had no way to go to heaven? They hid in the mountains and forests and were in fear all day long?"
Lin Ze smiled and shook his head and said: "There is no need to flatter Gu, who can enter the eyes of Confucianism and Buddhism, how can he be an incompetent person? How can he be the lord when he is ahead for a while? When the world is determined, it is not too late for you to say this again."
Chen Ping thought thoughtfully and nodded in response: "This is my minister Meng Lang. My lord taught me that I should not despise the heroes of the world."
Lin Ze poured another glass, and while drinking, he slowly said: "Sit down and tell me how you will govern the land of Yanzhao?"
Chen Ping sat down as he was told, thought for a while and said: "Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. People in different regions have different habits. Only by adapting to local conditions can the world be peaceful and the country prosperous and the people strong."
"The land of Yanzhao has experienced wars for a long time, the government has changed several times, and the prestige has been greatly reduced."
"Inside, select talents and promote talents, allocate places, take the lead in organizing the people, promote agriculture and mulberry trees, repair water conservancy, recuperate and recuperate. Within a few years, the treasury will be full and the people will be loyal."
"From abroad, select elite soldiers and strong generals to defend the borders to prevent foreign enemies. When the country becomes strong, and then sweeps the world with majestic power, the world will be settled."
"I wonder what my lord thinks?"
Lin Ze gently touched his palm and said with a smile: "This is a great kindness. I will have two great joys in this life. One is that I met you in Chang'an, and I will have no worries about domestic affairs from now on. The other is that I found Han Xin in Sishui County, and I will have no worries about war from now on."
"You two, one inside and one outside, are both lonely ministers. It is really a joy to the world."
Chen Ping showed humility: "My lord, that's a compliment."
Then he asked tentatively: "I wonder if my lord has a good strategy for governing the country and teaching his ministers?"
Lin Ze chuckled and said, "I have a few rough thoughts that I want to tell you."
"The so-called governing the country actually means governing the people. The people will obey the country and the country will be safe, the people will be prosperous and the country will be strong. If the people are in chaos, the country will perish. Therefore, we should put the people first."
"As you said just now, the land of Yanzhao has been war-torn for a long time and is in urgent need of recuperation. This policy coincides with Gu. According to Gu, we should be exempted from tax for three years and live with the people."
"Encourage the reclamation of wasteland and register newly reclaimed fields, which will be tax-free for five years. After five years, the tax will be halved for three years."
Chen Ping was startled when he heard this, and then he said with joy on his face: "My lord is wise."
Lin Ze couldn't deny it and continued: "Just now you said that there were dozens of counties suddenly, and I didn't know how to start. One county after another was picked up at my fingertips. Gu Shen took it for granted."
"Then you start from Handan County, rebuild the government one by one, and then spread out. In time, wouldn't you master them all?"
Chen Ping's eyes lit up and he responded happily: "My lord's plan is very good. I will definitely live up to my expectations."
Lin Ze explained extremely seriously: "You must remember, I don't ask you to make the land of Yanzhao prosperous, but I ask tens of millions of people to praise the government and regard it as a sage."
Chen Ping heard a hint of realization in his heart: "Master, are you seeking fame rather than profit?"
Lin Ze smiled and said, "You can teach a kid."
Lin Ze has this idea not because he wants to be a wise king.
But the people's support will greatly increase the luck of the Western Qin Dynasty.
Xi Qin's luck has skyrocketed, and Lin Ze can improve his martial arts cultivation by consuming the scattered purple luck.
In the final analysis, Lin Ze still cares about improving his martial arts cultivation.
In comparison, whether the Western Qin government could achieve a balance of payments was not at all within Lin Ze's consideration.
With the support of Qin's treasury resources, there will be no problems in the next few decades.
Lin Ze didn't believe it. The land of Yanzhao had been recuperating for decades, and the normal taxes collected were not enough to balance the income and expenditure.