The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1070: Political Discussion in the Imperial Study (Part )
"There are even some things that the nobles cannot or are unwilling to do?"

Li Yan said: "For example, the court has always wanted to build an Anxi Avenue from Guanzhong to the Western Regions. But the Ministry of Works estimates that the entire project will cost 80 million strings of cash, not to mention the countless laborers. This is more than the court's annual income, given that the Tang Dynasty is currently running a deficit of 20 million strings of cash a year."

“When will the construction start?”

"For example, the waterway from Luoyang to Guanzhong has been in disrepair for many years and can only be used by small boats. The court has long wanted to dredge it, but the budget given by the Ministry of Works is 30 million guan, which is not enough for the court even if it tightens its belt."

Cen Wen asked curiously, "Your Majesty, didn't you just say that the money in the Finance Temple cannot be used casually?"

"Yes, it is true that it cannot be used casually, but it is not impossible to use it."

Li Yan shook his fist and said firmly: "The main function of the Baochao Tizhusi Department is to print Baochao, and the main function of the Issuing Department is to receive, send, keep and lend. The remaining two departments can use the money safely and reasonably."

"Let's talk about the East Factory first. As everyone knows, the East Factory was a business organization I established when I was the crown prince. Now the East Factory has hundreds of businesses under its jurisdiction, including caravans, banks, restaurants, silk shops, grain shops, inns, pawnshops, teahouses, antique shops, incense and candle shops, pleasure boats, and grocery stores."

"The initial funding was the one million guan of original funds given by my father from the imperial treasury. Do you know how much all the assets of the entire East Factory are worth now?"

When Li Yan was in the Eastern Palace, in order to raise some funds for the Imperial Guard, he established the Eastern Depot, which was originally a secret organization armed to the teeth. In Li Yan's plan, the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard should be two independent systems.

They assist and restrain each other, which is the relationship between spear and shield.

However, since Li Yan later left Chang'an, the functions of the entire East Factory have never been expanded. It has been doing various businesses and has become a source of income for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Backed by such a large spy agency, the East Factory has also developed rapidly, and its business tentacles now spread throughout the Tang Dynasty.

On the one hand, Jinyiwei provided support and information convenience to Dongchang;
On the other hand, the various businesses of the East Factory also provided favorable cover and funds for the development of the Jinyiwei. The two complemented each other and developed into huge entities, and the scale of the East Factory even far exceeded that of the Jinyiwei.

However, it has also lost its true historical purpose and has become a veritable factory.

Later, after Li Yan disappeared, Li Shimin found that the two had grown up quickly, and the abilities they displayed shocked even him, the emperor. At the same time, this became the emperor's most important secret auxiliary means.

So Li Shimin did not alarm the court, but still placed these two institutions under the East Palace, hiding them from the public and making them less noticeable.

After Li Yan inherited the throne, he felt that Li Shimin's vision was still too narrow. The East Factory should become the purse of the entire Tang Dynasty, rather than just a private treasury for the emperor.

So they planned to use this reform to turn the East Factory into a state-owned enterprise and make it a real asset of the Tang Dynasty. By operating it in a legitimate way, they could open up the East Factory and make it an important cornerstone and financial guarantee for the development of the Tang Dynasty.

Old ministers such as Changsun Wuji and Xiao Yu all knew that this was a forbidden item of Li Shimin.

Normally, they knew that the East Factory had so many business projects, so it should be able to make some money. But the specific inside story was only known to Li Shimin. Now that they saw that Li Yan wanted to make it public, they all asked curiously, "Your Majesty, how much is the East Factory worth now?"

Li Yan stretched out two fingers and shook them, looking very proud: "All the assets of the East Factory add up to 20 million guan, and the annual profit is about 5 million guan. After deducting various costs and expenses, father can take 3 million guan from here every year."

'hiss'

The ministers gasped. No wonder Li Shimin had stopped asking for money from the national treasury in recent years. It turned out that there was a chicken that laid golden eggs hidden in the East Palace.

Seeing everyone's changing expressions, each thinking about something, Li Yan smiled and said, "Think about it, just the private operation under the East Palace can make a profit of 3 million strings of cash every year. If the court also has such an industry, how much income will it bring to the Tang Dynasty?"

"Therefore, I intend to merge the East Factory into the newly established Finance Temple and let it contribute to our Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Sun Wuji and Xiao Yu stood up excitedly and said, "The emperor wants to present the East Factory to the court."

"It's not presented to the court, but based on this, and managed together."

Li Yan looked at the two people with shining eyes with displeasure. The East Factory was run by himself and gradually grew stronger under the hands of his father. No matter how big it is, from the nature of the root.

That is also private property, don't think you can eat it for free.

You should rely on your own hands and work hard to earn money. Don't always stare at other people's pockets. This is not good.
Changsun Wuji and Xiao Yu smiled awkwardly and sat down awkwardly.

Li Yan explained: "Just like the national treasury and the emperor's private treasury, in general, they all belong to the Tang Dynasty, but in reality, they are still separate. From now on, the national treasury and the Ministry of Finance will also be separate." "Only through me, uh, and the court can they be connected to each other."

At this point, Li Yan felt that it was a bit difficult to understand. Sometimes the emperor was the court, sometimes the court was the emperor, and sometimes the emperor was the emperor and the court was the court. The subtleties here depended on the situation at the time and could be interpreted at any time.

"There are four departments under the Ministry of Finance. The Tang Dynasty Asset Management Department is the agency that manages the East Factory. I plan to use all the assets of the existing East Factory as a share to form a new East Factory for the court. The new East Factory is initially expected to invest a total of 100 million strings of capital."

"The former East Factory is still my private property, accounting for 20% of the shares. The Tang Dynasty Asset Management Bureau, with the new East Factory as collateral, has borrowed 60 million strings of cash from the Banknote Issuing Department for operation. In addition, there is 20%, and I plan to distribute 10% to the royal family."

Li Yan thought very carefully. After the nobles had accumulated 100 million strings of coins, the treasure notes would become the currency of the Tang Dynasty and begin to circulate. Once the common people recognized it, they would start to use it. At that time, the value would double or triple on this basis.

It should not be a problem to reach a scale of 200 to 300 million. Even if three layers are used, I can still take out 70 to 100 million guan for investment.

"The last ten percent can be distributed to meritorious officials, relatives of the nobles, or senior officials in the court."

"Of course, all of this requires investment of capital. It requires real money. It's not something that can be given for free."

"Everyone knows that this is Datang's industry, with the support of the imperial court and the Ministry of Finance. It can be said that it thrives with the country. It has the policies and capital, and most importantly, Datang is there to protect it, so there is no problem of losses."

At this point, Li Yan raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "If anyone here is interested in participating, you can come to me privately. A ten percent share is ten million. Even a few big families may not be able to afford it."

"I wish to divide it into 100 portions, each worth strings of cash, and sell it to the public."

"Of course, this industry is mainly for the benefit of the court and the people. In order to spread the risk, some private investment can be allowed. The court owns the majority of the share, and He Zheng can definitely control it."

"I take 20%, which will also be the private expenses of the royal family in the future. I will not use the national treasury again."

"The other 20% is also my benefit to everyone. This is the only chance. If you miss it, you won't know when the next time will be. Everyone must seize the opportunity."

This arrangement was actually very reliable: the court accounted for 60%, the emperor accounted for 20%, and the remaining royal family members and meritorious officials and relatives accounted for only 20%. In most cases, the court and the emperor were one.

In other words, more than 80% of the share is enough to ensure the court attributes of the East Factory.

Seeing that the emperor had almost divided up the East Factory, and reluctantly and stingily took out 10%, everyone knew that this must be a great thing. One hundred places, each with 100,000 strings of cash, except for the poor guy Ma Zhou.

Everyone can take a part
Zhang Sun Wuji quickly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know how to run a business, I just want to leave a stable industry for my children and grandchildren. I am willing to use my life savings to buy eight shares to be used as a family heirloom. In case my children and grandchildren are incompetent, they will have a guarantee of food."

"Your Majesty, I am almost the same as Lord Changsun."

Xiao Yu also rushed to say: "When the Liang Dynasty fell, our ancestors still left some assets. With the help of my sister, my family is quite wealthy. Therefore, I am willing to support the emperor's initiative and buy ten copies to pass on to future generations."

Xiao Yu was born into the imperial family of the Later Liang Dynasty. His great-grandfather was Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, in the Southern Dynasties.

His great-grandfather was Prince Zhaoming Xiao Tong, his grandfather was named Yu, the Emperor Xuan of Later Liang, and his father was named Kui, the Emperor Ming of Later Liang. When Xiao Yu was nine years old, he was named Prince of Xin'an. His elder sister was Empress Xiao of Yang Guang, the Prince of Jin in the Sui Dynasty, and he followed his sister into Chang'an.

If we really talk about financial resources, the Changsun family can't compare. Xiao Yu is the richest here and he took out one million strings of cash at once.

Cen Wenben was also eager to buy something, and he stood up a little embarrassedly and said, "Although my family is not rich, I am willing to support Your Majesty. However, my financial resources are limited, so I can only buy three copies to show my intentions."

Liu Bo has the support of his family and is also very wealthy: "I am also willing to buy five shares to support the emperor, but I am not like Lord Changsun who can make the decision. However, after I return home, I can tell my father. If my father is interested, I can add more."

Finally, everyone's eyes were focused on Ma Zhou.

Ma Zhou's face flushed, and he cupped his hands: "My family is poor, and I can only rely on salary to support my family. I really don't have any extra money, and I can't afford to buy any."

"Ok!"

Li Yan smiled kindly: "Lord Ma is honest and dedicated to his work, and I know that he serves the people wholeheartedly. So, I will take out 100,000 strings of cash from the treasury, buy a share, and give it to Lord Ma's family. This is to thank Lord Ma on behalf of the Emperor for his diligence in the court over the years."

(End of this chapter)