Chapter 949
Liquidation Day
Chapter 949 Liquidation Day
"Ma Tianxing! Put your hand on your heart and tell me, how much timber has the Fujian vassal state transported to Tianxin City over the years? How many laborers have died from exhaustion and illness in the deep mountains and forests, fallen into deep ravines and never recovered their bodies, leaving behind groups of orphans and widows with no one to care for them? You have created so many atrocities for your own selfish desires, and now you won't even give these victims their wages and compensation!"
"Fuck your mother!"
The Fujian representative flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the table, and, disregarding all decorum, pointed at Councilor Ma Tianxing's nose and launched into a tirade of abuse.
"Ma Tianxing, have you lost your conscience?! You're trying to renege on your debt!"
Upon hearing this, the other representatives also stood up, raised their arms, and shouted, denouncing Tianxin City for its various forms of oppression and exploitation of their vassal state over the years.
Seeing this, Ma Tianxing knew he had angered everyone, but he still retorted:
"This is utterly outrageous! Most of Tianxin City's previous expenses were spent by the royal family. In previous years, the emperor undertook massive construction projects to build palaces, temples, and Taoist monasteries, costing enormous sums. Not to mention the military campaigns against Burma and Korea. Our country abolished the imperial system only a few years ago, yet you now want to attribute all the expenses to the parliament. It's simply..."
Enraged, Ma Tianxing was breathless and momentarily speechless. He caught his breath, then pointed at the Fujian representative and roared:
"You damned bastards, trying to pin this on me! Wasn't it the emperor's idea to transport the timber back then? The old emperor wanted to live forever, and he gave you plenty of money. What? You want to extort money from me now? Taking your anger out on the council, I think you're just looking for trouble!"
The representative of the Fujian vassal state straightened his back, trying to appear taller, and retorted sharply: "Before the emperor was abolished, the timber payment that Tianxin City gave to the Fujian vassal state was only at cost price. Even then, it was repeatedly delayed and suppressed. When was the full amount ever paid? And of the war bonds issued annually afterward, less than 30% have been redeemed..."
Seeing that he was going off on a tangent, Ma Tianxing was afraid that the man would bring up other things, so he quickly waved his hand to interrupt him.
"If you want to harvest timber, then harvest timber. What war bonds? The new dynasty has nothing to do with the previous dynasty's affairs. Besides, the dividends we gave you in the past few years were enough. You've already broken even. Don't mention war bonds again!"
After saying this, Ma Tianxing had his secretary bring the accounts. He glanced through a few pages and said with a smile, "Alright, this time we'll make up the 100,000 taels of timber compensation for your Fujian province. As for the other accounts, we'll settle them after the autumn harvest at the Imperial Arsenal."
Every August, the Huangzhuang Arsenal holds an autumn exposition, at which representatives from various vassal states and even other countries come to purchase weapons and equipment. Relying on its high-quality and inexpensive products, the Huangzhuang Arsenal has considerable influence in the State of Qi and its surrounding areas.
"What do you mean it's just the cost of logging? Not a single penny less!" The Fujian governor was clearly very dissatisfied with this outcome.
The representatives from various vassal states stared expectantly at the short man from Fujian, all waiting to see what would happen. The Fujian representative had an expression that said there was no room for negotiation, indicating that things were unlikely to end well today.
A man suddenly stood up behind Ma Tianxing, pointed at the opposite side, and cursed:
"Ye Xiaosan, we're both from Fuzhou, don't push your luck!"
The speaker was Li Mang, Ma Tianxing's secretary, who was in his early forties and also from Fuzhou. He grew up in Fujian and was promoted by Ma Tianxing from Fuzhou to Tianxin City when he was twenty years old to serve as Ma Tianxing's secretary. He was considered one of Ma Tianxing's confidants.
Unexpectedly, Ye Xiaosan suddenly sprang into action, pointing his finger at his fellow villager and yelling, "So what if you don't appreciate my kindness! Do you even know how to write 'Fu' in Fuzhou?"
Secretary Ma Tianxing suddenly pulled out a military dagger, drew the character "逼" (bi) on the conference table, and slammed the dagger on the table.
"See that? That's the character '福' (fortune/blessing)!"
Ma Tianxing retorted sharply: "You dare to be aggressive in front of me! Ask those aggrieved parties if they'll agree! I'm not here in Tianxin City to fight Liaodong, I'm here to ask you for money, not a single penny less!"
The Fujian representatives went to Tianxin City to demand the return of debts accumulated by the council over the years; in other words, they came to collect debts.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving in Tianxin City, they were subjected to exploitation by the council once again.
The other vassal states were in similar situations. Tianxin City owed them debts to varying degrees, and these debts were already substantial. Over time, the interest alone had become astronomical. The councilors of Tianxin City were clearly unwilling to repay any debts, or rather, this was a common method they used to resolve their debts.
“When Parliament borrowed the money, they never thought about when they would repay it. Yes, they never thought about it!”
The radical fiscal system established during the era of imperial expansion fostered a habit among legislators of acting recklessly and spending money haphazardly; it was time for a change.
Now that such a huge mess has been created, someone needs to be held accountable!
When these politicians were indulging in a life of extravagance and debauchery, they never imagined the deluge that would follow them after their deaths. Now it's time for them to pay the price.
As the economy continues to decline, life is becoming visibly difficult for lawmakers, and war presents an opportunity—an opportunity to pay off all the debts.
If war breaks out, this would be an excellent opportunity to settle accounts, and the huge debts owed by Parliament would be wiped out.
This is also an important reason why the lawmakers have been so eager to promote the Pingliao War.
However, this would mean that the debts lent by the various vassal states to Tianxin City would be lost, and the total debt of tens of billions would be enough to bankrupt the vassal lords.
Tianxin City did not expect that not only would their fundraising attempt fail, but the issue of previously owed debts would also be brought up again by the various vassal states. It has to be said that this is a huge tragedy.
"So, none of the various vassal states support suppressing the rebellion in Liaodong?"
Support is impossible; the empire faces disintegration and collapse.
The implementation of the Liaodong War Act encountered unprecedented resistance, leading to a stalemate between the two sides.
The Fenglinhuoshan troops haven't been paid for two months. If this continues, it will be questionable how much loyalty they still have to Tianxin City.
However, before the army mutinied, waging war against the various vassal states and teaching a few troublemakers a lesson should not be too difficult.
Thus, the two sides fell into a stalemate.
After a half-month-long wrangling and dispute, the parliament agreed to postpone the military action against Liaodong and promised to repay all overdue interest within three months.
If the debt is not repaid on time, the creditor will declare its withdrawal from the State of Qi, and from the imagined community of Qi.
Tensions were high between the two sides, but with Liaodong setting an example, other vassal states, no matter how tough they were, were unwilling to be the first to take the lead.
As a result, the two sides reached a compromise.
Liaodong did not continue its advance into the interior, because Liaodong was already at its last gasp. They knew they were no match for the various vassal states within the interior, much less for the forces of Tianxin City, Fenglin Huoshan.
The Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain are a legend. This army has remained undefeated for decades, and any warlord who wants to oppose Tianxin City must think twice.
Representatives from both sides returned to their respective residences, but peace did not arrive as expected. Both the Prime Minister of Tianxin City and the lords of the various vassal states expressed strong dissatisfaction with the outcome of the peace talks.
Just as tensions were running high and both sides were preparing to resolve the dispute by force, the old emperor Liu Xuan, the representative of the Qi royal family, was invited out by the peace faction.
Despite his advanced age, Liu Xuan tirelessly mediated, and fortunately, both sides were willing to give the old emperor face. Thus, a war that was about to break out was averted, saving millions of lives from bloodshed.
However, after this incident, the already crumbling and teetering empire became even more precarious, and indeed, the empire's authority plummeted as a result.