s of thousands of Liao cavalry. This was a matter concerning the very survival of the entire empire, the life and death of over 100 million people. How could he dare!Kaixuan, having considered the mat...Chapter 1178: Had To Fight

Li Chen's brow furrowed again.

Although the national treasury is now in better shape than during times of natural disaster, the imperial court's financial situation is still far from optimistic. Right now, the court has a major undertaking to accomplish, and this undertaking cannot be carried out without a substantial sum of silver.

The expenses of all parties are at least around fifty million taels.

Li Chen's single sentence sent Liu Sichun into a startled gasp.

"Fifty million taels!"

What concept is 50 million taels

During the over 360 years of the Qin Empire, its most prosperous period, annual treasury revenue never exceeded 1.2 million taels.

The current emperor, over the past decade, has only had about eight million taels of silver coming into the treasury each year.

And Li Chen's opening bid was 50 million taels, a staggering sum that Liu Sichun couldn't even fathom.

"Your Highness, not only is it difficult to raise fifty million taels of silver, but even if we managed to, can the court really afford to pay back the debt when it's due" Liu Sichun asked cautiously.

She didn't dare to ask Li Chen what he planned to do with so much silver, but she had to know if he intended to repay the debt.

Given her understanding of Li Chen, she knew he probably wouldn't really kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. However, fifty million was simply too much.

Li Chen said, "Since this matter needs you to handle it, then naturally you need to know... the imperial court is about to go to war with the Liao."

Li Sichun, as a businesswoman, doesn't care about politics, but she is incredibly sensitive to war.

Once war breaks out, all prices will experience drastic fluctuations. Depending on the scale of the conflict, even an entire nation's resources may need to be reallocated and prioritized.

This kind of war will affect every aspect of the country and society.

As a businessman, Liu Sicun's keen sense of smell allowed him to keenly realize that knowing this news in advance meant a huge business opportunity.

At the same time, Liu Sichun also understood why Li Chen suddenly paid attention to a small rice shop today and cared about the prices of goods and grain in the vicinity of Beijing.

Once a country goes to war, its dependence on food and fodder increases. The government is bound to purchase grain from the market, which can easily lead to a surge in food prices at this time.

If it gets out of control, people will suffer.

Just after the natural disaster, society hasn't had time to recover. At this time, the Qin Dynasty absolutely couldn't withstand another surge in prices, or the people would truly revolt.

This battle wasn't one the imperial court wanted, but 600,000 Liao troops were camped outside Yueya Pass. The court had no choice but to fight. If they surrendered, it would be like offering the entire land of ten thousand miles to the Liao people.

Li Chen said indifferently, "So even if we have to sell everything we own and empty our pockets, this battle is unavoidable."

Liu Sichun pursed her lips, drawing her thoughts away from those matters of state, and said, "But even so, the problem remains unresolved. Your Highness mentioned national debt, how can we ensure repayment"

"War is the most expensive thing, with every gunshot costing thousands of gold. But it's also the fastest way to become rich, as long as you win. If you succeed, you won't just get 50 million taels, even a hundred million taels of silver would be within your grasp."

Li Chen said in a low voice, "But we must consider the stalemate on the battlefield. Therefore, this batch of national bonds will be divided into three terms: short, medium, and long. Short-term is half a year, medium-term is one year, and long-term is three years. The interest rate will increase sequentially according to the maturity date, with the shortest for the short term and the longest for the long term. In this way, we can alleviate the pressure on the court's payment as much as possible."d he sneered, "Go ahead and use whatever tricks you have. I've long since sworn to be your enemy, and you expect me to help you""That's good."Li Chen nodded in agreement."Drag him down, starting from...