"Da da." Shang Wen kept tapping on the table with one finger, and there were a lot of telegrams on the table. Shangwen frowned and looked at the telegram with his chin supported.

The telegram sent by King Qin made it difficult for Shang Wen to relax. Because Shangwen also felt that he didn't look comprehensively on the issue of the Western Regions. For example, this time, Feng Quji had a much better view than himself. The establishment of the Duhu Mansion in the Western Regions is found in ancient history books, but Shangwen did not expect it. What Shangwen thought was that merchants could solve these things by themselves. Shangwen didn't care much about what happened in the Western Regions, that is, this kind of careless heart made Shangwen overlook a lot of things at once. The Western Regions need a unified organization that can handle all foreign affairs in a timely manner.

"The Protector of the Western Regions. Does such an institution really need a government agency to set up?" Shang Wen shook his head.

"I think that without this need, the government has great powers, but it also brings a lot of trouble. The establishment of a government agency will still cost the government. This is definitely not what the Qin government hopes to see. The Qin country should find a way to solve the problem. Instead of focusing on the problem and leading the solution. This method is good. It can solve the problem. However, it costs a lot and lacks autonomy. It is very different from the policy of the Western Regions of the Qin Kingdom. Contradiction. I think it's better not to." Shang Wen thought for a while and said, shaking his head.

"On the other side, the Western Regions of the Qin Kingdom really need such an institution to exist, but this institution may not be a government institution." Shang Wen continued.

Shang Wen said while holding the meeting minutes, it looked like a telegram.

"This idea was put forward by Feng Quji. Perhaps Feng Quji still analyzes according to Qin's previous management model. To solve it, this is one of his limitations." Shang Wen said.

"At present, the Qin government definitely does not manage as much as possible. If it manages as much as possible, and there are many prohibitions, then the enthusiasm for developing the Western Regions will be greatly frustrated. This is definitely not the result we want to see. This result is right. No one is good." Shang Wen thought for a while and wanted to say.

"I think we still think of a way to solve the whole problem from another angle." Shang Wen said. Then Shang Wen began to read the telegram carefully.

"However, they are right. The Western Regions do need such an institution to deal with all the problems, but it can't kill government agencies. First, the government expenditures of government agencies are not enough. The state governments do not have enough financial funds to develop. Don't mention spending such a sum of money on management. Obviously, Feng Quji's idea is good, but it is not very good to use it on this." Shangwen said.

"However, if you don't use government agencies, is there any way to solve the complicated and flexible diplomatic situation. In terms of military means, the Qin army has a lot of initiative, but it is impossible for the Qin army to be deployed all the time. It will cause a lot of financial expenditure, which is absolutely detrimental to Qin." Shang Wen thought for a while and said.

"Since the government agency fails, then is there any way to solve it." Shang Wen thought for a while.

"Or, the problem needs to be solved from a commercial point of view." Shang Wen said.

"The state of Qin currently relies mainly on commercial armed forces in the Western Regions, but the commercial armed forces are too scattered. Although the armed forces of the Qin State have gathered in the Western Regions this time, it also exposed the inability of the Qin State's commercial armed forces to organize. Strong factors, and the development of the Western Regions requires comprehensive upgrades in all aspects. To enhance a military power, is it not walking on one leg." Shang Wen said with a smile. Speaking, Shang Wen shook his head again.

Commercial solutions are a good idea, but there are still great difficulties in solving them, because of the capital contribution and the distribution of benefits. These are all inherent shortcomings of commercial methods. Think about it. Commercial armed forces would not take the initiative to send troops if they did not propose export tax rebates and tax reduction or exemption. Even if they send troops now, will they be in the future when the benefits are distributed? Is there no problem? Obviously it is impossible. But Shangwen has no good way to solve this problem.

"Perhaps there is another way." At this time, Shangwen began to think about all the factors. Shang Wen sat quietly on the ground. He spread all the information he got on the ground. Qin's situation is a bit complicated, but there are certain connections between certain matters. These connections need to be carefully considered. Shangwen's eyes turned to see, and then he fell into contemplation.

Inside the Xianyang Palace.

"Did the prime minister send a telegram?" King Qin walked in the arcade and suddenly asked Zhao Gao when he turned his head back.

"This." Zhao Gao was frightened.

"It doesn't seem to be. If there were, the telegram would have come long ago." King Qin said.

"However, after such a long time, I still haven't called. This makes the widow wait so anxious." King Qin continued to walk, and Zhao Gao watched King Qin walking like this. He didn't know what happened to King Qin today.

Xinzheng, South Korea.

"What does Li Mu want to do?" Han Shu put down the telegram and said to Zhang Liang.

"The minister thinks that Zhao Guo's is learning from Qin Guo." Zhang Liang said.

"Oh." Han Shu was a little surprised, she didn't think of this.

"Qin State is building a large number of railways. The construction of these railways will be of great benefit to Qin State’s economic construction. Zhao State uses Qin State banknotes and has a large amount of Qin State financial support. Therefore, build a railway. It should be possible to transfer Zhao's surplus labor force, and at the same time to stimulate Zhao's economic development. Li Mu should be able to see this benefit." Zhang Liang said.

"Well. As for the specific reason, I think we don't need to pay too much attention to it. What we should pay attention to is what is their current situation?" Han Shu said.

"If Zhao Guo, don't if anymore." Han Shu thought for a while and wanted to say. Since Zhao Guo can send a telegram, it shows that Zhao Guo has made up his mind to build this railway.

"After the successful construction of this railway. Handan and Xinzheng will open to traffic. How significant is it for South Korea?" Han Shu asked.

"Zhao’s coal resources can quickly go south to Korea. In addition, the minister heard that Zhao has built a large number of iron smelting plants. The iron from these iron smelting plants can also be quickly transported to Korea. Korea can process The finished product is sold to the people of the Qin country, or to the western regions of the Qin country via the Western Region Railway of the Qin State, and sold to the people of the Western Regions. We can process the parts and then sell them." Zhang Liang said.

"In addition to these, Chen believes that there is one more thing that needs our attention, that is, the establishment of important transportation points for the Xinzheng railway hub." Zhang Liang said.

"What do you mean?" Han Shu asked Zhang Liang.

"My lord, what the Qin Kingdom currently faces in Xianyang is north and south. It can be reached in all directions. To the south, you can reach Bashu, Guanzhong, and the Yangtze River valley. To the east you can reach the vicinity of the Wei State beam. To the west you can reach the western region of Qin. North, you can reach the edge of Mobei." Zhang Liang said. Han Shu nodded. She only noticed this when Zhang Liang said this. Had it not been for Zhang Liang, Han Shu would definitely not have thought of this. According to Zhang Liang's words, Han Shu began to think about where she could reach. But when I think about it, Han Shu feels something is wrong.

"To the west, we can only connect with the people of Qin, and to the north, we are still connected with the people of Qin by rail. Even Handan may not be able to reach." Zhang Liang said.

"If we develop eastward, we may not even be able to reach the border of Qi. In addition, South Korea should develop southward, but if it develops southward, Chu may not arrive. In the future, one of our key markets in South Korea is Chu. In the domestic market, if this is not necessarily done, South Korea’s situation is really not very good." Han Shu said.

"Yes, my lord, this is what the minister is worried about." Zhang Liang said worriedly.

"If Qin needs it, it will cut off the transportation in Korea, and our situation in South Korea will be very bad. This is in the case of war, and if commercial trade is peacefully developed, Qin only needs to set up roadblocks. , Then South Korea’s development situation will definitely not be better.” Zhang Liang said worriedly.

"Yes. You are right, we are too dependent on Qin." Han Shu said.

"Qin's railway development is of course very important to us, but our South Korea cannot be limited to Qin's country. Qin's railway has the convenience of railways, and our South Korea also has it." Han Shu made up his mind.

"If it hadn't been for Li Mu's reminder, I think it would really not be able to solve this problem." Han Shu said.

"Railway is actually a financial problem. With railways, there will be a lot of taxation, transportation and logistics, and the subsequent commercial development, and the increase in taxation will naturally increase financial strength. This is what we hope to see. "Han Shu continued.

"Your Majesty, Chen believes that South Korea is not only seeing these, but should increase cooperation." Zhang Liang said.

"Most of the railways built by Qin State are internal. And I build railways in South Korea, so there are so many. However, I have a special geographical location in South Korea, which occupies an important transportation hub." Zhang Liang said.

"South Korea should use its geographical advantages and make use of such advantages. We can jointly build the Handan-Xinzheng railway with Zhao Guo. In addition, South Korea can also unite Wei and Qi to build South Korea's Xinzheng and Wei State beams. The railway line from Linzi to the coast of Qi State is more than just these." Zhang Liang paused and said.

"South Korea should also contact Chu in the south and build a railway to reach Shouchun in Chu. In this way, a convenient railway transportation network can be established, and Xinzheng, South Korea, can become an important transportation hub after Xianyang. The coal and iron of the Northern Zhao Kingdom can be sold to the Western Regions, Qin, Wei, Qi, and Chu after our processing, while the silk of Chu can be sold to Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Qin China, the Qin Kingdom and the Western Regions. In this way, the economic development of South Korea will grow rapidly." Zhang Liang suggested. Heard such suggestions. Han Shu suddenly became excited. The idea given by Zhang Liang fits Han Shu's intentions.

"Well. This idea is very good, I think it is necessary to carry out it." Han Shu said, patted the table.

"It's just." Zhang Liang said with some embarrassment.

"Just what?" Han Shu asked.

"It's just that building a railway requires a lot of funds. Without sufficient funds, these things are difficult to accomplish. To the north, there is Zhao, east, Wei, Qi, and south, Chu. These countries are all Half of the funds can be solved, but the half of the funds are concentrated in our South Korea, and our South Korean funds are under great pressure." Zhang Liang said.

"Huh." Han Shu exhaled heavily. She felt that the funding gap was like a big mountain that pressed her out of breath.

Shang Wen was still sitting on the ground, and Shang Wen kept frowning, one question after another pressing over.

"The situation is really difficult." Shang Wen said with a sigh.

Just as Shang Wen sighed, Shang Wen suddenly noticed one point. On his left, there was a report. Shangwen picked up the report casually. It looked like it was a report on the government's purchase of shares in Wenyang Bank. The specific content is very detailed. How many shares of Wenyang Bank have been purchased, how much they occupy, and how much is worth. The specific content is still not interesting at all. What he noticed is how much money the Qin government has injected into Wenyang Bank. Wenyang Bank is expanding rapidly. Almost all countries have their business, but it is precisely this pioneering role that makes Wenyang bank funds extremely tight. As a last resort, Wenyang Bank will not sell its own shares. of. Because doing so is a bit disadvantageous to Wenyang Bank. Shang Wen heard that the competitive relationship between the Royal Bank and Wenyang Bank is extremely fierce, and the intention to acquire Wenyang Bank, if it reaches a certain level, will have a significant impact on Wenyang Bank.

However, at this moment, Shang Wen suddenly thought of something. Qin Guo wanted to solve this matter. In fact, it did not specifically set up a government agency to manage this matter. If it was handed over to a commercial organization, this kind of commercial organization could pass the shareholding system. For example, the Qin government can obtain certain rights by injecting funds. With these rights, the Qin government can influence decision-making, the rights generate benefits, and further liberalization solves the problems of the Western Regions.

"It's like an East India Company. The government is also the investor and the beneficiary, but the development and other projects, and the specific operations are left to businessmen. The government's burden is extremely small. When the time is right, it will be Qin's A colony. And then expand the influence." Thinking of this, Shang Wen felt that this is consistent with the previous thoughts.

At the same time, there is another factor that needs to be considered by Shangwen, that is, the injection of a large amount of funds, the lack of sufficient funds in the market, and the Qin federal government has already lowered the bank interest rate a lot, which will cause the market currency to increase, but the actual situation is that the federal government The government has not increased the money supply in actual actions, and the funding gap is still large. This requires the Federal Government to inject funds. How to inject funds. Shang Wen wants to buy banks directly through the Federal Bank, and inject shares of large enterprises into them, instead of directly investing them. In this way, the Federal Bank may become the actual state of Qin State. The central bank’s functions will be further clarified, which will play an important step in Qin’s historical development.

Wenyang Bank and Royal Bank are actually only commercial banks of the State of Qin. One belongs to the princess and the other belongs to the king of Qin. There is no essential difference between the two. The federal government cannot increase the amount of money through commercial banks. In this way, the federal government needs a channel. What is this channel is the central bank in the hands of the federal government. Federal Bank.

"Yes. That's it." Shang Wen figured this out, and quickly picked up the pen and paper and began to write.

Qin State Xianyang Railway Station.

"Mengxiang, you are finally back." Zhao Gao anxiously waited for Meng Yi at the train station. As soon as Meng Yi got off the train, Zhao Gao rushed forward.

"Oh. It's Father Zhao." Meng Yi handed over.

"The king is anxious to discuss the matter with the prime minister. I am specially ordered to meet the prime minister." Zhao Gao explained his intention.

"Yeah. Let's go now." Meng Yi thought that King Qin let Zhao Guo come. It must have happened to Qin State. So regardless of the bumps on the train, he followed Zhao Gao to Xianyang Palace.

"My lord, my lord. The prime minister's telegram is here." An attendant came in anxiously. Because the telegram reception room was urged by King Qin, and after receiving Shangwen's telegram, he quickly submitted it. At this time, he didn't care about the rules.

"Bring it." King Qin quickly took the telegram and looked. King Qin glanced at ten lines, looked over at once, his face became heavy, and then looked carefully.

"The king. The deputy Meng is here." Zhao Gao whispered.

"Well. Go and find Feng Xiang too." King Qin ordered.

"Yes." Zhao Gao retired slowly as he said.

"What's the matter with this Commonwealth Bank?" King Qin handed it to Meng Yi as he said. Meng Yi was blinded all of a sudden. He didn't know when a federal bank appeared.

Meng Yi took a look at the telegram and understood Shang Wen's meaning. Shangwen once mentioned that to increase the supply of money, this must be one of Shangwen's financial instruments.

"My lord, this may be a non-governmental organization set up by the prime minister to increase the amount of money." Meng Yi thought for a while and explained.

"Oh. Look at this. What do you think the prime minister did?" Qin Wang handed a meeting record to Meng Yi. After Meng Yi quickly read it, he realized that King Qin came to him to solve the Western Regions. problem.

The issue of the Western Regions is no longer a purely military issue, but has risen to a comprehensive issue of military, diplomacy, politics, and economy. It is also the complexity of this issue. The Qin State needs a special protection government in the Western Regions. In fact, it is still a special military area of ​​Qin, but this military area has a strong political and diplomatic nature.

"The minister does not approve of the establishment of the Duhu Mansion." After reading Shangwen's telegram, Meng Yi felt that Shangwen's ideas were better. The establishment of the Duhufu was too expensive and had too many jurisdictions. The most important thing was that the Duhufu mainly focused on the political, diplomatic, and military nature, which actually did not help the Qin Kingdom to open up the market in the Western Regions. .

"Why?" King Qin learned from the telegram that Shangwen did not agree to the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate, because he repeatedly emphasized that doing so would be a burden on Qin's finances, so he firmly opposed it. Therefore, King Qin did not understand.

"After reading the prime minister's telegram, the minister thought that what the prime minister wanted was a non-government, but there was an organization like a merchant organization. This organization could bring profit and at the same time had some of the rights of the Western Regions Protectorate. This part of the right is very tilted." Meng Yi explained.

"Go on." King Qin listened patiently.

"My lord, the minister believes that the Western Regions protects the government and emphasizes the institutional capabilities of the government. The focus is on politics and diplomacy, and emphasizes the status and prestige of the Qin State in the Western Regions. For this, the Qin government needs to provide a lot of funds Come to support the Western Regions Protectorate, but the current Qin State’s finances are relatively tight. Even if the Qin Government’s finances are not tight in the future, if the situation changes, the Western Regions Protectorate’s status will rapidly decline a lot. This will affect the Qin State. It's very big. Once the Qin forces withdrew, it would be a waste of time to think about coming back." Meng Yi said worriedly.

King Qin nodded and agreed. According to Meng Yi’s opinion, the establishment of the Western Regions Protectorate is indeed a bit unwise. This requires the jurisdiction of several nearby states, especially the Western Regions Protectorate. In the military area of ​​China, the Qin army is outside, and there are very few mobile units in the central government. Although there are telegrams to maintain communication, what should I do if the communication is not connected? King Qin frowned when he thought of this, which he did not expect.

"The prime minister has another idea. This idea is Qin's Federal Bank." Meng Yi continued.

"Yes. This Federal Bank has made the widow be puzzled. The widow does not know what this Federal Bank is going to do?" King Qin asked Meng Yi.

"Wang, in fact. The Federal Bank is the general bank that manages all commercial banks. The minister understands that commercial banks are responsible for specific operations, and their commodities are currency. The Commonwealth Bank does not operate specific currency businesses. The business is also currency, but the target is a commercial bank." Meng Yi explained.

"Commercial banks are dealing with economic organizations, and the Federal Bank is dealing with commercial banks. What does this mean?" Qin Wang thought for a while and said.

"Increase the money supply." Meng Yi said at this time. Meng Yi boldly guessed Shangwen's specific ideas.

"At present, Qin State needs a large amount of paper money. The supply and demand of paper money are temporarily balanced. However, recently Zhao State has developed rapidly. Yan State and Qi State have sent telegram loans one after another. Yan State State intends to join our Qin State Banknote System. In addition, Chu’s attitude was extremely ambiguous. As a result, Qin’s money supply suddenly became tense. This is also the reason why the prime minister continuously reduced interest rates.” Meng Yi explained.

"In this way, Qin will put a lot of paper money, right?" King Qin asked.

"Yes. King, you need to put a lot of banknotes. This function cannot be done by the federal government, it can only be done by the Federal Bank, a non-governmental organization." Meng Yi explained.