At this moment, Søren deeply felt that the Dragon Temple's influence was really pervasive.
Especially when a country's high-level politics fell into chaos and strife, the Dragon Temple's infiltration methods would be unscrupulous.
It was no wonder that even though this finance minister had embezzled more than 600,000 gold coins, he still didn't run away. It turned out that he still considered himself a member of the Dragon Temple.
This was a bit like the end of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, when the Englishman Robert Hart had been in charge of the Qing government's Customs and Excise Department for decades.
On the surface, this Hart held the position of a Manchurian Qing official and was even conferred the title of Crown Prince's Taibao. However, he was indeed a member of the Great British Empire.
Of course, the Raging Wave Kingdom was much more impressive than the Manchurian Qing Dynasty and was far from being so cowardly.
However, this finance minister, Sauf, clearly regarded himself as an imperial envoy sent by the Dragon Temple and the Hidden Island to the Raging Wave Kingdom.
This was indeed the case. Because the entire human kingdom lacked gold and silver mines, a considerable portion of the world's gold and silver coins were minted on the Hidden Island.
The Hidden Era Association also played the role of the World Bank. Sauf was one of the Hidden Era Association's ten elders, which was equivalent to the World Bank's vice president.
Therefore, he felt that the Raging Wave Kingdom didn't have the qualifications to deal with him.
This was because he was a member of the Hidden Island, a member of the Dragon Temple. He was an important bridge between the Raging Wave Kingdom and the Hidden Island, and he was indispensable.
Sauf laughed. "Actually, the Raging Wave Kingdom's financial problems have been very serious in recent years. With me around, they can still maintain it. Once the problems inside are exposed, it will cause great damage to the entire kingdom. "
"Tell me about it." Søren said.
Sauf said, "First of all, because His Highness Zhi Li spent too much, the kingdom's treasury is currently in a huge deficit. Not only did he embezzle the capital's money, but he also borrowed more than 3 million gold coins from the Hidden Era Association. "
Søren said, "Tell me, how much money does the Raging Wave Kingdom's treasury owe?"
"More than 7 million gold coins." Solf said: "Half of the debt is from the embezzlement of the nobles' savings, and the other half is a loan from the Hidden Element Association."
Seven million gold coins?
Søren's heart skipped a beat!
When the king was in power, the Raging Wave Kingdom's annual taxes were only 1.6 million gold coins. Including the kingdom's industries, the kingdom's annual income was about 2.8 million gold coins.
More than ten years after Bi Bian succeeded the throne, not only did the Raging Wave Kingdom not run a deficit, but its treasury had accumulated a surplus of nearly eight million gold coins. This was the wealth that the Raging Wave Kingdom had accumulated for decades.
Of these, there were four to five small-scale wars and one super-large-scale war. It was the Rouran War that nearly wiped out the Yelan Principality and expanded the kingdom's territory by a thousand miles.
In just a few years after the King gradually became a mere figurehead, not only were the eight million gold coins in the national treasury used up, but they also lost seven million gold coins.
In other words, in a mere six to seven years, the Raging Wave Kingdom had spent nearly 30 million gold coins, which was more than four to five million gold coins every year.
Compared to ten years ago, it had doubled!
However, what did the Raging Wave Kingdom do all these years?
The army did not expand, nor did it expand an inch of land.
In terms of war expenses, the three Rouran Wars only added up to slightly more than a million gold coins.
Where did the rest of the money go?
Søren really felt like he was going crazy. He was already considered super rich, definitely rich enough to rival a country.
However, when faced with the Raging Wave Kingdom's Zhi Li Group that had spent 30 million gold coins in six to seven years, he was completely amazed and even in disbelief.
Moreover, although the King was only a figurehead three years ago, his authority was still there, and the corruption of many nobles and officials did not dare to be so blatant.
The real corruption should have been after the King's stroke, and the Zhi Li Group had taken complete control of the court.
In other words, most of the gold coins were embezzled in these three years.
Søren was now sure that the Minister of Finance, Solf, had embezzled more than 600,000 gold coins.
This astronomical figure of gold coins, at least more than 70% had flowed into the various levels of nobles and bureaucrats of the Raging Wave Kingdom, and into the interest groups represented by the Dragon Temple.
No wonder everyone supported Zhi Li Group, everyone was desperately trying to make money, how awesome was that!
In a mere three to five years, with Zhi Li's concessions and the infiltration of the Dragon Temple interest groups, the Raging Wave Kingdom had already created a huge corruption group.
Seeing that Søren's face was pale, Minister of Finance Solf immediately revealed a proud look and said: "Your Excellency, the Raging Wave Kingdom's deficit is so huge that I really feel like I'm sitting under a volcano at all times, feeling like it will erupt at any time."
Søren said: "Your Excellency, you mean that if you leave the position of Minister of Finance, this volcano will immediately erupt and completely overturn the entire Raging Wave Kingdom?"
"Yes." Minister of Finance Solf said: "After all, the Raging Wave Kingdom's finances are currently in a difficult situation. The taxes paid by the feudal vassals are decreasing every year, and the taxes paid by the 11 provinces are also decreasing. However, the kingdom's expenses are increasing every year, so the deficit is getting bigger and bigger. The entire kingdom's finances are completely dependent on the Yinyuan Association's loans. And once I leave this position, I can't guarantee that the Yinyuan Association will still be able to lend so many gold coins every year. "
After hearing this, Søren immediately sneered: "Zhi Li is really a bastard."
"Hehe …" Minister of Finance Solf also sneered.
Søren said: "The treasury is currently in a deficit of more than 7 million gold coins, right?"
Minister of Finance Solf said: "Yes."
Søren said: "I can't touch you. Once I do, the kingdom's finances will immediately erupt! Not only will the Yinyuan Association immediately stop lending, but they will also demand for the previous debts. Not only that, the truth of the capital's deficit will also immediately be exposed, causing a run on the bank. At that time, the entire Raging Wave Kingdom will erupt into a huge economic crisis! "
"Yes!" Minister of Finance Solf said lightly.
It was a blatant threat, and a most terrifying one at that!
That bastard Zhi Li had been in charge of the court for a few years, but the Hidden Island had infiltrated him so deeply that almost half of the kingdom's finances were in the hands of the Yinyuan Association.
It was no wonder that the Hidden Island supported Zhi Li to the end when he went crazy to assassinate the king. It turned out that they had no other choice.
Søren sat on the throne, closed his eyes, and frowned!
This was not a hornet's nest, but a real volcanic crater.
Once it moved, it would be a volcanic eruption, and a shocking crisis would erupt in the Raging Wave Kingdom.
And this was the moment when the Raging Wave Kingdom was at its weakest. The consequences would be fatal, and it might even cause the kingdom to collapse.
Even with Søren's wealth, it would take him three to four years to make up for a deficit of seven million gold coins.
It was no wonder that Solf was so fearless. Not only did he not flatter, but he was also arrogant and cold.
In his opinion, he felt that he was more like the Raging Wave Kingdom's savior and creditor! Even if Søren had the guts, he would not dare to touch the Minister of Finance.
Therefore, this Minister of Finance Solf did not take these 200,000 gold coins to bribe him.
These 200,000 gold coins were actually a declaration of war, a silent declaration of war!
Seeing Søren sitting on the throne with a pale face, Solf placed the 200,000 gold coins in his hand and said calmly, "These 200,000 gold coins are a greeting gift to you. Also, Marquis Fue is our friend, and we hope that you can let him go! "
"We?" Søren was stunned.
Minister of Finance Solf said, "We are referring to the Yinyuan Association and the Dragon Temple behind them!"
His words were very direct.
The Dragon Temple was no longer just a mountain on the Raging Wave Kingdom's back, but a terrifying leech that was crazily devouring the vitality of the entire kingdom.
"Farewell." Minister of Finance Solf smiled and left.
At this moment, there was no longer any concealment of his sneer on his face!
So what if you, Søren, are capable? You can make Prime Minister Yan Wuzhi commit suicide, but what can you do to me?
You, Søren, are good at war, but your political skills are really not worth mentioning!
Solf took a step back, and the contempt in his heart increased by a fraction!
Today, Søren had compromised, but in the future, he would compromise step by step. He would still be like Zhi Li, a clay Bodhisattva.
At this moment, the kingdom's new Prime Minister, Duke Hang Ting, walked in and saw Minister of Finance Solf. She could not help but be startled and said, "Sir Solf, why are you going out at this time? You are about to be appointed."
Solf said, "I am going out to do something on the orders of the Regent Duke."
This person did not take Søren seriously, so naturally, he would not take Duke Hang Ting seriously. He did not bow and directly left.
Duke Hang Ting walked into the cabinet and immediately saw Søren sitting on the main seat, holding a book in his hand. When he got closer, he saw that it was a thick stack of gold coins.
Duke Hang Ting was startled and said, "Regent Duke, did I come at the wrong time?"
Søren handed over the stack of gold coins and said, "Uncle Hang Ting, I originally thought that because the previous kings did not disappoint me, the Dragon Temple's infiltration into the kingdom was not that great. However, I did not expect that the Dragon Temple, as the head of the interest group, has completely grasped the kingdom's economic lifeline. "
Duke Hang Ting's expression turned solemn and said, "Under the management of the iron triangle of Zhi Li, the Yin Yuan Association, and Solf, the entire Ministry of Finance is impenetrable. I know that the kingdom's financial situation is not optimistic, but I do not know how bad it is. "
Søren said, "The national treasury has a deficit of more than seven million gold coins, which is equivalent to five years of tax revenue and three years of financial revenue."
Duke Hang Ting's face instantly turned pale, and he almost fell to the ground. He could not believe his ears and said with a trembling voice, "That … that much?"
Of course, the national debt of the United States on Earth had reached tens of trillions of dollars, and Japan had nearly ten trillion dollars. However, that was in a modern society where the economy was extremely developed, so it did not matter much.
The Raging Wave Kingdom's economy was still very primitive, and such a large deficit was absolutely fatal.
"Zhi Li deserves to die, Zhi Li deserves to die …" Duke Hang Ting said angrily, "Generations of kings have worked hard to save up eight million gold coins. I did not expect that in just a few years, it would be completely squandered, and more than seven million gold coins have been lost. No wonder he is supported by so many people, he is completely using the foundation of his ancestors to satisfy the greedy appetite of these people. "
Then, Duke Hang Ting sighed and said, "Søren, I know that you want to take down Finance Minister Solf, but now he cannot be touched. Once he is touched, the entire kingdom's financial predicament will explode like a volcano, and the consequences will be unimaginable! "
Søren said, "If we compromise, then this interest group headed by the Dragon Temple will continue to devour the Raging Wave Kingdom, until the kingdom's vitality is cut off, and it becomes a puppet of the Dragon Temple."
This made Søren think of a saying: Touching Finance Minister Solf now is courting death.
But not touching him is equivalent to waiting for death!
Ruling a large country is like cooking a small fish. Søren had originally planned to use a small fire to simmer, like boiling a frog in warm water to complete the transition to the court.
Originally, he wanted to use the smallest number of killings to complete the cleansing of the entire Raging Wave Kingdom.
Now it seemed impossible. This group of nobles and officials were too good at courting death.
At least in terms of the economy, the Raging Wave Kingdom was already beyond cure, and it needed a strong medicine.
Fortunately, the previous generations of kings did not let them down, and the entire kingdom's foundation was still very good. This strong medicine could still withstand it, and it would not completely collapse.
It was a taboo to avoid treatment, and it was the same for a country!
The Raging Wave Kingdom's foundation was good, and the infiltration of interest groups like the Dragon Temple was only at the top of the kingdom. The middle and lower levels were still stable.
It was still not too late to treat it now, but if Søren compromised now, it would be too late in a few years!
Moreover, Søren also had a huge interest group on hand, and that was the Ocean Union!
Royal City Gold Bank was the largest bank in the Raging Wave Kingdom, and it was completely controlled by the Yinyuan Association. Since it had rotted and could no longer be used, then he would completely abandon this shell and start anew, building a new Royal Bank.
The Lao family, Suo family, Immortal Abode Island's Hai family, and the Ocean Union — these four forces had the same huge economic power, and it was more than enough to build a Royal Bank.
Although the deficit of more than seven million gold coins was frightening, with the new Royal Bank, it was not impossible to survive this crisis!
Of course, the royal family did not have much money on hand, and the national treasury was even more so.
Then, Søren would make it rich!
How could he make it rich? Of course, by killing people and confiscating property!
In any case, Søren was only taking back the money that belonged to the national treasury!
"I didn't want to start a massacre, but you guys forced me to kill until rivers of blood flowed, so don't blame me. You guys are courting death!" Søren's gaze became resolute, and his entire face became murderous.
"Uncle Fang Ting, follow me to see His Majesty!" Søren said.
…
Søren entered the Purple Jade Palace once again, and the king and Gao Yin were very surprised.
Now that the political affairs of the entire royal court had been handed over to Søren, he could decide everything himself, so why did he still want to see the king?
Søren knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I want to postpone the wedding with Princess Jung Yeon."
The king's gaze trembled, and he spoke.
Gao Yin relayed, "Why? How long do you want to postpone it? "
Søren said, "I have already started a purge in the royal court, and the first target is Finance Minister Sov. Today, he represented the Dragon Temple's interest group to issue a challenge to me. If I compromise, I can only let this interest group continue to devour the kingdom's interests, and gradually become their puppet. And if I don't compromise, the kingdom will experience a huge economic crisis, and it will be a huge disaster. "
The king's gaze was solemn, and he spoke. Gao Yin relayed, "How much is the national treasury in deficit?"
The king's change was really impressive, and he immediately hit the nail on the head.
Søren said, "More than seven million gold coins, and now it is completely relying on the Yin Yuan Association's reception."
Instantly, the king's body swayed, as if he couldn't believe this fact.
Before his stroke, the national treasury was still in surplus.
In just three short years, not only did he squander the wealth accumulated over the decades, but he also had such a huge deficit.
The king spoke, and Gao Yin relayed, "What do you want to do?"
"Start a massacre, exterminate the entire clan, and start a war against the entire Dragon Temple interest group!" Søren said, "I might kill tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even more! It will definitely cause a huge upheaval in the kingdom! "
The king's eyes narrowed, and in an instant, he seemed to have turned from a dying old man into a hungry tiger.
"Do it!" The king used all his strength to speak.
Although the two words were unclear, they were filled with determination and killing intent.
"Yes!" Søren said.
Then, he ordered, "Gao Weng, send an order to Tianshui City, postpone my wedding with Princess Jung Yeon and Yan Nai 'er. Let Yan Chao' er lead the forty thousand Rock Bandits to King City!"
"Yes." Gao Yin bowed.
"Send an order to Yan Wuzhi, Gui Xingfu, and Seagull to enter King City immediately!"
"Yes."
"Send an order to Hei Ningqi, immediately lead the Royal Guards to capture Suo Fu's entire clan, seal their residences, confiscate their assets, and kill anyone who dares to disobey!"
"Yes!"
Under Søren's orders, he officially started a war against the interest groups of the Dragon Temple!
He originally wanted to smooth things over, but he didn't expect that someone wouldn't give him a chance and would force him to start a massacre!
He, Søren, wanted everyone to see his incomparably firm will.
Even if he had to fight another civil war, he would uproot these interest groups and return peace to the Raging Wave Kingdom!
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