To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck - Chapter 717

Chapter 717: Chapter 318: Accumulating in Changchun_3

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However, thinking about the long-lasting youth, no one would find this time too long.

Even if it’s decades later, who would refuse the temptation of eternal youth until the end of their life?

As for Lu Yuan,

As soon as he had spread this technique within the palace, he didn’t pay much attention to it.

He broke free from the happy entanglements of the concubines and returned to the right track, focusing on important matters.

…

Shenwu’s ninth year, July 20th.

On this day, the nation’s annual summer tax was reported and summarized. At the same time, the household registration conducted by Lu Yuan at the beginning of the year was finally completed.

So, Lu Yuan convened the ministers for a discussion in the Palace of Positive Yang.

Palace of Positive Yang.

The officialdom of Chu gathered together, led by Sun Siwen below the monarch, Lu Yuan.

About three months ago, after completing the accumulation of his physical and spiritual foundation, this friend of Lu Yuan’s smoothly broke through the Innate Realm and officially became the sixth Innate in Chu State.

At the same time, Left Prime Minister Cui Changqing, who had been working hard for the country, suddenly fainted on his desk one day.

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When Lu Yuan heard the news, he was greatly shocked and sent an imperial physician to look into the matter.

Finally, they got the answer: Left Prime Minister Cui had worked too hard, and his energy was exhausted; he wouldn’t live much longer.

If he went home to rest now, he might live for a few more months.

Lu Yuan had great respect for the Left Prime Minister, who had worked hard for him for more than ten years.

Therefore, when he learned of the situation, he ordered Cui Changqing to go home and rest, disregarding Cui’s pleas, so that he could prolong his life, even if only for a while.

With the position of Left Prime Minister vacant, the court could not do without a leader.

Right at the time when Sun Siwen broke through the Innate Realm, Lu Yuan let him return to the court to take charge of government affairs.

After familiarizing himself with the responsibilities during this past few months, this friend of Lu Yuan’s had become highly efficient in handling various domestic affairs, greatly easing Lu Yuan’s burden.

“Your Majesty,”

As Lu Yuan sat on the throne lost in thought, Sun Siwen stepped forward and, after paying his respects, reported, “This summer’s tax revenue reached a total of thirty-seven million silver tales from the land tax, nineteen million silver tales from the property tax, and ten million silver tales from the head tax.

The sum of these three items is sixty-six million silver tales.

In addition, the total income from domestic customs duties reached twenty-four million silver tales, and foreign customs duties generated thirty-one million silver tales.

These two customs duties totaled fifty-five million silver tales.

Moreover, business tax collected from markets and city shops amounted to twelve million silver tales.

The remaining miscellaneous taxes added up to nine million silver tales.

So, including the land tax, head tax, property tax, customs duties, and business tax, Great Chu collected a total of one hundred forty-two million silver tales in taxes during the first half of the year.

This is the income from taxation.

Besides that, the imperial court also operates thirteen mines for gold, silver, and copper in Qianzhong County. The income from these mines in the first half of the year amounted to thirty million silver tales.

Moreover, the three Southwestern tributary nations of Kunhai, Chilih, and Jianchuan contributed a total of twenty-seven million silver tales in tribute this year. Nanhai Country also contributed thirty million silver tales in tribute.

These four countries combined provided fifty-seven million silver tales in tribute.

With tax revenue, mining income, and tribute combined, Great Chu’s total income for the first half of the year was two hundred and twenty-nine million silver tales.

Furthermore, by the second half of the year, winter tax revenue will increase, possibly reaching a total of one hundred eighty million silver tales.

However, during the cold winter months of November and December, the mines in Qianzhong will be unable to operate, and the expected mining income for the latter half of the year will only be twenty-five million silver tales.

There will be no income from tribute during that period.

Therefore, Great Chu’s total income for the second half of the year should be around two hundred and five million silver tales.

The total annual income will be around four hundred and thirty-four million silver tales.

Now, for the expenditures:

At present, Great Chu has three hundred thousand forbidden army soldiers, fifty thousand naval forces, fifty thousand county soldiers, eighty thousand prefectural soldiers, five thousand palace guards, and five thousand Jinwu Guards, totaling four hundred and ninety thousand troops.

The military spending for these various troops requires about thirty million silver tales per year.

In addition, the annual salaries for more than 5,500 high and low-ranking officials in the imperial court’s various departments and local prefectures and counties amount to ten million silver tales.

Maintenance and operation costs for the various departments of the imperial court and local institutions amount to fifteen million silver tales per year.

Various expenses such as local livelihood water conservancy projects, maintenance of post stations, and road construction cost about twenty-three million silver tales.

Furthermore, the annual cost of the royal palace is about six million silver tales.

Other miscellaneous expenses, including allowances for disabled soldiers from previous years, local welfare relief, and academy funding, amount to about four million silver tales per year.

Finally, a reserve of ten million silver tales must be retained to cope with possible disaster relief or for urgent needs in various situations.

All in all, Great Chu’s total annual expenditure is about three hundred and sixty-eight million silver tales.

Taking the difference between income and expenditure into account, the annual surplus for Great Chu is around sixty-six million silver tales.

In addition, the trade of grain between Great Chu and Su Country in the past three years has also yielded a profit of twenty million silver tales.

However, since the beginning of this year, grain production in Shu State has gradually recovered, and grain trade with Great Chu has been decreasing. By the end of the year, trade is expected to cease completely.

With these additional funds in the treasury, the balance in the national treasury has reached eight hundred and sixty-three million silver tales, which is enough to cover Great Chu’s expenses for two full years.

Furthermore, in the past several years, there accumulated, forty million stones of grain in storage at various locations, which can be used to supply a million-strong army for three years of campaign.

Since the ceasefire from the southwestern war in the sixth year of Shenwu, after three years of recuperation, Great Chu’s military is already well-trained and abundantly supplied. Though not yet at its peak, the current strength is enough to face any challenge from any country in the world.”

Sun Siwen finished summarizing the tax revenue with a strong sense of pride and confidence.

Upon hearing his words, the other ministers in the hall nodded their heads in agreement.

Even Lu Yuan couldn’t help but reveal a faint smile on his face.

Indeed, as Sun Siwen had said,

Today, after three years of recuperation, Chu State’s military is well-trained, and its national strength is growing increasingly strong.

During these three years of recuperation, Great Chu even found the time to easily destroy the barbarians in the Snowfield Valley with the help of True Person Huang Xuan, leading thirty thousand soldiers to expand Great Chu’s territory by another three thousand miles and establishing six new prefectures in Hegu County.

Now, Chu State consists of Dongting, Xiangyang, Qianzhong, Xichuan, and Hegu: Five counties and forty prefectures, with a territory spanning over twenty thousand miles.

In addition, there are three tributary states in the southwest: Kunhai, Chilih, and Jianchuan. These three nations are part of the Chu State tribute system and can also be considered part of Chu State.

Considering all this, Great Chu consists of five counties and three nations, with a territory nearly reaching thirty thousand miles and truly attaining the status of a dominant empire.

In the world, it has already entered the ranks of first-rate countries, surpassing even the quasi-first-rate Ning Country by a considerable margin.

With a total of 490,000 standing troops and six Innate realm cultivators, Great Chu possesses the strength to face any powerful enemy without fear.

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