Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 543: Chapter 17: Philis’s Martial Coup and Su Li’s Year-End Conference

Perhaps every monarch, when the finances hit rock bottom, can’t help but ask, where did all the taxes from my vast territory, the wealth once piled like mountains, go!?

Su Li is no exception; his current impression of wealth is still the war reparations given by the Green Dragon, totaling tens of thousands of Golden Crowns, even after paying off loans and making investments, there are still twenty or thirty thousand left!

However, by the end of the year, the territory will again have to rely on issuing territory bonds for investment and development.

But this kind of borrowing and investment is quite normal, the interest rate on loans provided by merchants to the territory is only 4.3%, completely different from the crazy rate of that war loan.

The main reason is that merchants can see the territory is now thriving, and with a demigod in charge, there is no fear of any danger.

Moreover, this is a two-year loan, meaning Su Li basically doesn’t need to worry about repayments before assessing the Pioneer Territory’s grade.

The territory also has a five-year territory bond, with an interest rate of only 6.5%.

Yet it still attracts enthusiastic purchases from wealthy merchants, landlords, and Knight Clans.

Don’t look down on 4.3% and 6.5% interest rates, many investments might not even yield such returns.

For a family of a few dozen Half-Elves or for a small merchant with 1000 Golden Crowns, keeping assets at home is pointless, lending to Hesse Territory for a year yields 43 or 65 Golden Crowns in income, which is quite substantial!

In two years they can earn 100 Golden Crowns, an enormous wealth many common people can only dream of.

Frankly speaking, just this interest is enough for a Half-Elf family to buy dozens of slaves, including one or two Apprentice Nuns, to help guide the farm’s development and prosperity.

With a five-year yield, they could use just the interest to buy an Elite Knight and over ten Apprentice Knights to form a caravan.

Of course, that’s how this world works; you covet others’ high interest rates, while others have eyes on your substantial principal.

The reason Hesse Territory’s Provincial Affairs Council dares to issue so many bonds is because they plan to use the principal to invest and develop various industries in the territory.

Investment and development, these two words are closely related.

Don’t ask why some booming industries appeared in other people’s cities instead of your own.

Because when these industries were in their infancy, others genuinely invested real money into development and support.

To develop a destitute Pioneer Territory, what do you rely on? Isn’t it a substantial initial investment? Investment leads to returns.

However, Su Li also knows well, the territory’s financial tightness is not entirely due to Provincial Affairs Council investing it away.

A considerable portion was squandered by him.

Surely no one truly thinks he is a supreme wise monarch?

In fact, he is just an average person who bears no relation to supreme talents or unparalleled wise monarchs.

His few merits probably include being... relatively industrious?

Although he loves to lie back, he is quite attentive to farming. Mainly his genes naturally lean toward management and then enjoying the pleasure of lying down collecting money, with wealth continuously flowing.

Another characteristic that can be counted is his strong self-awareness! Throughout history, the East advocated the doctrine of the mean, ruling by doing nothing, and ministers always thought a monarch too smart was a major flaw. For example, intelligence is what a ruler esteems; however, if intelligence is excessive, affairs must be self-recognized, rendering ministers’ wits unused.

Yang Guang is a typical example of intelligence blinded by intelligence.

Su Li understands well he is just a common person; in governing the country, caring for the people, supplying provisions, ensuring food is plentiful, he is not as good as Oliver. In commanding elite troops, winning battles, capturing objectives, he is not as good as Oerstein.

So he is very willing to delegate power, handing specific affairs to his ministers; he only cares about the priesthood and military authority.

But aside from these two virtues, he lacks none of the typical faults of monarchs; thrift and restraint are hardly related to him. Just mentioning a glass of fruit tea costing several farmers all of their yearly income, shows he really cares about enjoyment.

On the other hand, he spends money generously. Just like Li Longji rewarding Yang Yuhuan, many gold coins from the Vault Area are given out by him as rewards.

As soon as Philis received the support of the Eternal Light Knight Order in the identity of Heir Elector, Su Li urgently dispatched Fastrick, this Flying Horse Knight, with a squad of Swan Knights to send her 10,000 Golden Crowns!

His support for Philis is absolutely beyond question; Philis going to take office, he absolutely won’t tolerate Philis having no personnel to use, no money to use. So besides sending her 60 Elite Knights, he also gave her 10,000 Golden Crowns as operational funds.

Perhaps after Philis completely inherits the Sulande Grand Prince’s Territory, this 10,000 Golden Crowns will be of little importance, but at her critical moment of contention early on, these 10,000 Golden Crowns are enough to win a lot of people’s hearts and bolster morale crucially.

Especially if she wants to launch a coup, driving straight into Avalon Palace, spreading 10,000 Golden Crowns around, soldiers would truly swing their Longswords, clearing obstructers in front.

Philis, as the second successor, carries enormous moral advantage. If she launches a coup, many guards of Avalon Palace simply cannot muster fierce resistance.