The Prodigal Son of Condor Heroes: Li Mochou Wants to Pay for Himself

"Western Region Chamber of Commerce?" Upon hearing this name, Yelu Chucai and others looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces.

You have to know that Yelu Jin is a high-ranking official who has established his own government and has been operating in the Central Plains for many years. No disturbance can escape his eyes and ears.

Now that the people from the Western Region Chamber of Commerce have just entered the Central Plains, they have attracted his attention.

Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Yelu Jin immediately explained for his father and brother, "This Western Region Chamber of Commerce was established last month by various sects in the Western Region in order to compete for the right to speak on the Silk Road. Some time ago, they came to Longju Village to trade goods, which caused quite a stir."

"Oh? Is this true?" Yelu Chucai frowned slightly, and a hint of thought flashed in his eyes.

He was well aware of the importance of the Silk Road to the national economy, so he paid more attention to this Western Region Chamber of Commerce.

Yelu Jin smiled and said, "I have met their two leaders before. One of them is Mu Lingzi, the leader of Kongtong Sect, and the other is Qing Lingzi, the leader of Kunlun Sect. Both of them are top-notch masters in the martial arts world. They also praised the president of the Western Region Chamber of Commerce and said that he has extraordinary martial arts and wisdom."

Yelu Chucai looked at Yelu Jin in surprise and asked, "Do you know who this president is? Mu Lingzi and Qing Lingzi are both well-known figures. To be recognized by them, this president must be someone very important."

Yelu Jin took a deep breath, calmed down, and said, "I heard that he is the young master of Baituo Villa, named Ye Fan."

As he spoke, his heart moved, and he turned to look at Ye Fan, and asked uncertainly: "Young Master Ye...are you the president of the Western Region Chamber of Commerce?"

Ye Fan smiled slightly and nodded, acknowledging his identity.

There was a flash of surprise in Yelu Jin's eyes. He never expected that the young man in front of him was actually the president of the Western Region Chamber of Commerce.

Yelu Chucai laughed loudly and exclaimed: "So that's how it is. It's true that heroes emerge from youth! It's rare that Young Master Ye can manage such a large chamber of commerce at such a young age."

Ye Fan said modestly: "Thank you for the compliment, Prime Minister. I am just lucky to have the support of you seniors."

Yelu Chucai nodded slightly. He had heard a little about the strength of Baituo Villa and knew that it was a martial arts force with great influence in the Western Regions.

Chahan, however, was somewhat dissatisfied and shouted: "Young Master Ye, you are too modest. At the Western Region Martial Arts Conference that day, you fought against Prince Huodu and six other masters all by yourself, and made the traitor Aodulaheman run away in disgrace. How can you say that you were lucky!"

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Ye Fan in surprise.

Especially Yelu Chucai, who was the prime minister of Mongolia, and had strongly opposed the court's contracting of national tax revenue to unscrupulous businessmen like Aodulaheman.

After Queen Naiman came to power, she favored Aodulaheman, who was ostracized instead. Fearing retaliation, he fled to Henan to avoid disaster.

At that moment, he couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect that Young Master Ye could do such a feat. He is truly a hero!"

He turned to Chahan and said, "Since President Ye is here, why do you need to ask me about the problems you encounter?"

"Yes, Lord Chahan, if you have any problem, you might as well tell President Ye. Perhaps he can help you solve it." Yelu Jin also echoed.

Chahan thought for a moment and then said, "It's like this. Since our Mongolian army occupied the Central Plains, the soldiers' income has been decreasing day by day. Many people are dissatisfied and frequently make trouble. I would like to ask Young Master Ye, is there any way to solve this problem?"

Ye Fan was stunned when he heard this, "Doesn't the court pay you soldiers?"

Seeing that Ye Fan seemed a little confused about the Mongolian system, Yelu Chucai explained: "President Ye, you don't know that when our Great Mongolian Empire goes to war, whoever robs something will own it..."

It turned out that in the past, Mongolia and the Song Dynasty were in opposition, and they mainly plundered in the Central Plains. Every time there was a war, the Mongolian soldiers always managed to grab something.

But since the Central Plains became an occupied territory, the Mongolian soldiers had no way to plunder.

Moreover, Mongolia, which was based on a nomadic economy, had no idea about the agricultural economic system in the Central Plains.

For the convenience of management, the Mongol Khan governed the occupied cities through surrendered generals and local landlords from the Central Plains, and these officials collected taxes on their own and then paid tribute to the Khanate and the government.

However, this system provides greater room for activities for the bureaucratic and landlord groups in the middle.

They had no restraint at all. Not only did they rob and plunder the common people below them, but they also hid themselves from the Mongolian officials above them and evaded taxes, accepting favors from the country for personal gain.

These bureaucrats and landlords amassed enormous amounts of private wealth and goods, but the Khan's court had no reserves, and there was not a bushel of grain or a foot of silk in the granaries and treasuries.

So Yelu Chucai suggested that Ogedei Khan set up ten tax collectors in the Central Plains, which alleviated the situation.

However, these bureaucrats and landlords still did not know how to restrain themselves and continued to evade taxes by falsifying and concealing information.

Seeing that the taxes collected were getting less and less, the Khanate packaged all the taxes from the Central Plains and sold them to Aodulaheman.

As a result, the Khanate became wealthy, but the Mongolian soldiers at the bottom of the society suffered a sharp drop in income, which led to frequent troubles.

After listening to Yelu Chucai's explanation, Ye Fan pondered for a long time before speaking: "Perhaps you can send people to enter these cities in the name of maintaining public order and collect maintenance fees from those bureaucrats and landlords."

Ye Fan paused, and then said: "In addition, we can also thoroughly investigate those bureaucrats and landlords who made false reports and concealed information. Once discovered, they will be severely punished."

Yelu Chucai nodded and agreed: "Chairman Ye's plan is very good. If it can be implemented, it will definitely solve the current predicament."

Chahan's eyes lit up and he said excitedly: "If that's the case, I'll go back and discuss this with the soldiers!"

Seeing this, Yelu Jin quickly grabbed Chahan and said, "This matter needs to be carefully considered. After all, it involves many bureaucrats and landlords. If it is not handled properly, it may cause resistance from them."

Ye Fan raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and said confidently: "As long as we have reasons and evidence and act in accordance with the law, I believe they will have nothing to say."

He hesitated for a moment and continued, "To handle this matter, Commander Chahan had better not use anyone in the army."

"Then according to Young Master Ye, who should we send?" Chahan asked.

Ye Fan sighed slightly and said, "There are so many sects in the martial arts world. I think as long as Commander Chahan shows his willingness, there will be many people willing to do this. Then we just need to share some of the benefits with them."

Chahan and Yelu Chucai looked at each other and saw horror in each other's eyes.

They didn't expect that Ye Fan, at such a young age, had such deep thoughts.

At that moment, Chahan laughed and said, "Young Master Ye is right, but this matter still needs to be carefully planned to ensure that there are no mistakes."