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Chapter 201 "Acting"
(Two-in-one chapter, there will be more in the evening. Looking for monthly votes ~)
Philip is Du Wei's most favored disciple under Blue Ocean. These days, he has gained a lot of trust from Du Wei. In Du Wei's view, Philip is young and calm. Not only does he have real talent, he also has a good understanding of the situation in the Northwest. Du Wei also admires him and never underestimates him because of his young age.
If not for Philip's young age and lack of qualifications, Du Wei would have already appointed him as the governor of the Desa Province.
But even so, although Philip doesn't have the title of governor, Du Wei has already handed over almost everything to him. Whether it's the construction of the new city or the finances, Philip is the one in charge of the overall situation.
After all, Philip is Blue Ocean's disciple. After being summoned by Du Wei, he first asked the messenger and found out that the Duke is currently talking with the Northwestern Army.
The Northwestern Army is here?
Philip sneered. Autumn has just passed and the Northwestern Army is already here to ask for money. Fortunately, Du Wei and Philip already had a countermeasure for this matter. Not in a hurry, Philip took out the things he already prepared and went to see Du Wei.
Philip's place of work is inside the governor's mansion, so it didn't take long for him to arrive. When he pushed open the door, Du Wei was still casually chatting with General Totoro. After Philip came in, the first thing he did was give Du Wei a salute.
General Totoro was also very polite to the young man who came in, not showing the slightest contempt. After all, ever since this young Duke came to the Northwest, the Northwestern Army has been observing him for a long time. They know that this young man named Philip is now Du Wei's right hand man. Almost all the decrees of the Governor's manor came from this young man's hands. Du Wei, as a young Duke, doesn't really care much about these matters. All he does is make some decisions and leave the rest to Philip to handle. Although this fellow was only Du Wei's aide in name, he could already be considered half a governor.
"Philip, General Theodore came here today to talk about the autumn military expenditure. You should have already reported this quarter's revenue, right?" Du Wei had an amiable smile on his face.
"Yes, sir." Philip immediately flipped open a booklet he had brought along and handed over a document: "My lord, this is the autumn income of the Desa Province … …"
Du Wei pretended to take a look at it, and a suspicious expression appeared on his face. "This, Philip, is the number wrong?"
Philip said seriously, "My Lord, the numbers are correct."
Coughing once, Du Wei slowly pushed the document on the table in front of General Totoro: "General Totoro, this is the autumn revenue of the Desa Province … … A total of 71 thousand gold coins, of which 46 thousand are from agriculture. Hmm, according to what you said, if the Northwestern Army takes 40%, it should be … …"
"It's eighteen thousand four hundred gold coins." Philip quickly reported the figure.
Totoro's face changed color: "How much?!"
"18400 gold coins." Philip repeated with a blank face.
Du Wei held back his laughter, but on the surface, he sighed: "Hah, this number seems to be a little too little … … The Northwestern Army soldiers have worked hard to defend the country's borders … … How about this, I'll personally add a little more and round it up to 20 thousand gold coins!"
While Du Wei was pretending to be generous, Totoro's nose almost went crooked from anger.
The politeness on his face disappeared without a trace, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency Duke, did I hear wrongly? This number, are you sure it's correct? "
"Of course it's correct." Philip rushed to answer: "The governor's office has just verified the agricultural taxes collected … …"
Totoro's face turned red, but he still had a trace of reason left in him to suppress his anger. Without looking at Philip, he turned to Du Wei: "Duke! The Desa Province may be a little barren, but for a dignified province with a population of nearly a million, a quarterly income of only 70,000 gold coins, isn't this too ridiculous?! "
Pausing for a moment, Totoro's eyes flashed with a trace of anger: "This year's spring and summer, there's still more than 200,000 gold coins in each quarter. Autumn is the harvest season, so according to previous years, there should be at least 300,000 gold coins! A dignified province with only 70,000 gold coins in each quarter, isn't this a bit too much of a joke?! "
"General Totoro!" Philip's face suddenly darkened and his voice turned cold. He narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, "Please watch your words! You're talking to a Duke!! "
Then Philip coldly continued: "I'm sure you're also aware that we've been building Loulan City recently. The cost of building a new city is enormous. Tens of thousands of workers and the daily expenses are a huge burden! In addition, in order to encourage the people in the territory to move to the new city, the Duke has issued a tax exemption order! Anyone who is willing to move their family to the new city will be exempt from paying taxes for a year. The Desa Province's revenue isn't much to begin with, so with these huge expenses and tax cuts, it's only natural that this quarter's income will be lower. What's so strange about that? "
Totoro originally came here today to test Du Wei's attitude. Ever since this little Duke came to the Northwest, he hasn't had any dealings with the Northwestern Army. Totoro thought the other party would obediently cooperate, but now it seems he's just playing with his teeth.
Thinking up to here, Theodore couldn't help but get even angrier. He's the dignified general of the Northwestern Army, holding the power to control the army's resources. In the Northwest, who wouldn't give him face? Even that old fox Bohan was polite to him, yet this little kid dared to play with him.
Duke? So what if he's a Duke? What's the Northwestern Army afraid of?
"Duke!" Theodore abruptly stood up and said lightly: "I believe that this subordinate of yours has yet to understand the laws of the Northwest Territory! Of course I know you're building a new city, but according to the Empire's laws, the Northwestern Army has the right to intercept part of the agricultural tax revenue for military expenses! Military expenses have priority! And before the Northwestern Army receives its funds, the local government is not allowed to use the agricultural tax first! But now, your aide is telling me that the Northwestern Army hasn't received its funds yet and he's already used all the money to build a new city! Is that what you're saying?! "
Du Wei looked at the angry fatty and slowly said: "General Totoro, please sit down. Your anger won't be able to make up for the current situation. Let us discuss how to solve this problem, what do you think?"
"Humph!" Theodore snorted.
Du Wei smiled and looked at Philip: "Philip, although the accounting is correct, but the Northwestern Army's military expenses cannot be delayed! This quarter's income is only a few numbers on a piece of paper. You just need to report to me how much this quarter's income is before deducting the expenses. "
Philip pretended to be reluctant: "My Lord ….. If we calculate according to the normal amount, then the original income is about 250,000 gold coins ….. It's a little less than the previous years since you exempted a lot of people who are willing to move."
Totoro's anger subsided a little. 250,000 gold coins, that's more like it! Although it's a little less, it's still within the acceptable range. If it's 250,000 gold coins, then 40% is still 100,000 gold coins.
"That's not easy." Du Wei immediately put on a forthright look: "Let's calculate according to 250,000 gold coins, then 40% should be 100,000 gold coins ….. Then you just need to withdraw 100,000 gold coins from the treasury."
Philip sighed as if he was embarrassed. He said in a low voice, "But, Your Grace, we don't have that much money in the treasury right now."
"What!!!"
A loud roar that was filled with boundless anger and doubt!
But the problem is, it wasn't Theodore who let out this roar … … In fact, when he was about to get angry, it was Du-Wei who roared first.
The young Duke slapped the table and stood up. His face was filled with unconcealed rage as he glared fiercely at Philip: "What did you say?!"
He abruptly threw the teacup in front of him onto the floor and said angrily: "Mr Philip! Please explain! I am a dignified province! Even if the Desa Province is somewhat barren, the treasury of the capital's Finance Department should still have the savings and reserves from the past years! Could it be that our dignified province can't even take out 100,000 gold coins?! "
Du Wei's outburst was so loud that even Theodore was startled by it.
"Give me an explanation!" Du Wei appeared to be so furious that he wanted to swallow someone whole. He shouted: "Philip! Is this my territory?! So, this is my Desa Province! Or did you use your authority to embezzle the reserves in the treasury?! If you can't explain, I will arrest you for embezzlement! "
Philip immediately put on an aggrieved expression and tried to explain himself: "My lord, I have never embezzled a single gold coin!"
Then, this Philip seemed to have a stomach full of grievances: "My lord, since you arrived in the Northwest, you have never cared about the finances. Naturally, you would not understand. When you wanted to build a new city, I tried to dissuade you, but you refused to listen to my advice … … sigh, I can only do my best to maintain the operations for you. But I also have my difficulties! "
After saying that, he seemed to have made up his mind: "Do you remember when we first arrived here, I gave you a report on the reserves in the treasury?"
Du Wei appeared stunned for a moment before replying impatiently: "I have no interest in those things. You can handle them for me."
Philip smiled bitterly. "My Lord, you're a mage, so you're naturally not interested in these mundane matters. However, I've already explained everything in the report I gave you. It's just that you didn't pay attention to it …"
Du Wei seemed to have recalled something and frowned: "What about that report?"
"My lord … …" Philip sighed: "A few months ago, when we took over the Desa Province, the reserves in the entire province's treasury only amounted to 190,000 gold coins! For a dignified province, the financial income over the years and the reserves over the years only amounted to 190,000 gold coins! "
"That is impossible!"
Just like before, before Theodore could open his mouth, Du Wei jumped in front of him again. His face flushed red as he stared at Philip: "For a dignified province, the reserves over the years only amounted to a few hundred thousand gold coins??!"
"But that is the truth, my lord. My report contains a detailed list of statistics. " Philip's expression was bitter: "You put all your energy into the grand and sacred research of magic, so you neglected these things. Although I have reminded you time and time again, you did not pay attention … …"
Then, Philip seemed to be very careful and hesitant as he continued: "This number is, of course, unbelievable. Who would believe that a dignified province's treasury only has such a small amount of reserves? But … … "
"But what."
Coughing, Philip clenched his teeth: "But, before you took over the Desa Province, Governor Bohan was the one in charge of the administration … …"
This sentence is already very obvious!
Hearing this, Theodore couldn't help but secretly accept this explanation.
It seems that before Bohan handed over his territory, before he left the Desa Province, he cleaned out all the land in the province … … Such an explanation is very reasonable.
Du Wei and Philip stared at each other like this. Du Wei's face was full of anger, while Philip's face was full of grievance. After a long time, Du Wei gnashed his teeth: "What a good Governor Bohan! He actually played such a trick on me! Humph! No wonder when I passed by Mulan City on my way to take over, that old man's attitude towards me was so strange. He actually left me an empty shell without saying anything! "
Then he looked at Philip with dissatisfaction: "Why didn't you say this earlier!"
Philip immediately spread out his hands: "You put all your energy into the great and sacred magic research. I told you a few times, but you didn't listen."
After a long time, Du Wei sighed, then looked at Theodore with the most sincere eyes and said with an apologetic tone: "General Theodore, I've let you see a joke … … I also didn't expect such a thing to happen under my watch."
Theodore only felt a stomach full of words stuck in his throat, but he didn't know what to say. Looking at Du Wei and Philip's performance, he was also confused for a moment, not knowing if these two were real or just acting.
However, magicians don't like to manage mundane affairs, and only immerse themselves in their own magic research. This saying is very common, and also very reasonable. Moreover, most of these young nobles are ignorant and incompetent, how would they know how to manage finances?
In this case … … It seems that this Duke in front of him really can't be blamed. It's all because of that Bohan guy … …
"General Theodore, please rest assured." Du Wei immediately put on a duty-bound appearance: "I will immediately send someone to negotiate with that Bohan guy! No matter what, I will make him spit out the money he took from me! When the time comes, I will definitely pay you the Northwestern Army's military expenses! "
Theodore only felt his heart choke up … … Spit it out?
He's been in the Northwest for many years, and who knows how many times he's dealt with Governor Bohan. He knows just how powerful Bohan is. Once the money is in Bohan's hands, do you think a kid like you can make him take it out?
Once you get your money back and pay the military expenses, it's still a long way off … …
Theodore immediately said: "But Duke, the military expenses cannot be delayed … …"
Du Wei didn't wait for Theodore to finish, cutting him off: "General, as you can see, we've been played by that old man Bohan. My money has been swallowed by him. Although I'm very willing to help you, but my subordinates have already told me that the Desa Province really can't afford the military expenses. "
"But your new city … …" Theodore still doesn't believe it. After all, if you have the financial resources to build a new city, how can you not be able to afford a measly 100,000 gold coins?
"I know what you want to say." Du Wei lightly said: "I won't hide it. The majority of the expenses for the construction of the new city were borne by me. At the time, my subordinates tried to dissuade me, but I really didn't want to stay in this broken city any longer, so I took out my personal wealth to support the construction of the new city. However, the Desa Province's treasury is indeed out of money, this is also a fact. "
What else can Theodore say?
He's too embarrassed to ask Du Wei to pay the military expenses out of his own pocket.
Such words are unreasonable both for public and private reasons.
For private reasons … … Which one of these big shots didn't make a lot of money when they were in power? I've only heard of people making money, but I've never heard of people using their own pockets to make up for the deficit! For better or worse, Theodore is still a general, someone in the circle of officials, so he naturally understands this simple logic. But he's too embarrassed to say it out loud.
For public reasons … … Using private money to pay for the military expenses? What are you trying to do? To say you're trying to rope in the military is light! To put it more seriously, it's treacherous and rebellious!
"It seems I can't do anything for the time being." Du Wei spoke from the bottom of his heart: "Please send my deepest apologies to General Rugaard on my behalf. But I'll do my best to make up for this matter. I'll send someone to Mulan City in Nuling Province to see Governor Bohan. No matter what, I'll get the money back and give justice to the Northwestern Army! "
Looking at the sincere face of the young man in front of him, Theodore really can't tell how much is real and how much is fake. As for whether or not Governor Bohan swallowed the Desa Province's treasury before leaving, Theodore can naturally investigate this matter. After all, the Northwestern Army has been operating in the Northwest for many years, so there should be some clues. So he's not afraid of Du Wei lying about this.
Thinking up to here, Theodore already stood up with a cold face: "If that's the case, then I'll take my leave first. I still have to report today's matter to General Rugaard … … As for what happens next, it's not up to me to decide."
Du Wei didn't put on any airs and personally got up to send him off. Before leaving, Du Wei purposely said a few words to Theodore: "General, Governor Bohan's actions really annoyed me, but … … I'm still new to the Northwest, and he's a veteran of the Northwest. I don't think he'll give in so easily. So … … I'm afraid it's not enough to get the money back. If necessary, I hope the Northwestern Army can also put some pressure on him. After all … … your army is also there, isn't that right? "
Theodore pondered for a moment and didn't dare to agree. He only said to go back and report to his commander first.
In this way, Du Wei managed to fool the Northwestern Army away for the time being.
After sending off the person in charge of logistics, Du Wei and Philip closed the door and laughed for a while. Then Philip frowned: "My Lord, although we've sent him away for the time being, I'm sure he'll come back to his senses when he gets back. At that time … … "
"At that time, what will happen?" Du Wei snorted: "Bohan ransacked my treasury, that's a fact. The Northwestern Army only needs to check and they'll understand. At least we didn't lie about this matter. They can't do anything about it. Our finances are tight right now and we don't have much money. This is also a fact. Even if the commander of the Northwestern Army, General Rugaard, came, he would be too embarrassed to ask me to pay out of my own pocket. There are always rules in the bureaucracy. The ideal situation is for the Northwestern Army to transfer their hatred to that old man Bohan … … Humph! After taking such a large sum of money from me, if I don't give him some trouble, how can I feel at ease! "
But then Du Wei also smiled and looked at Philip: "I'm just saying it out of anger. The Northwestern Army has always been against Bohan, so it's not like I'm going to add fuel to the fire. "
Philip frowned: "It's just that this quarter is fine, but next quarter, they'll come asking for money again. This excuse of Bohan's won't work anymore."
Du Wei also felt a little helpless, so he smiled bitterly: "Let's take one step at a time.
That damn "temporary regulation" is really troublesome, but Du Wei knows that he can't count on the central government to abolish it! Because of the existence of the Northwestern Army, even the central government has to be wary of them. The Regent just came to power, so his main focus is to stabilize the situation. It's impossible to rashly break off relations with the Northwestern Army. Instead of counting on the central government, it's better to count on himself.
Philip thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "Actually … … My Lord, I have an idea! From now on, the Northwestern Army won't be able to take a single gold coin from us! "
(— — This is today's update, in addition to today's update, there will be additional updates. Requesting for monthly votes, the ranking is getting more and more dangerous … … I urgently need monthly votes! — — Dance)
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