Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 687 - 687 0439 Silver Crisis_2

Chapter 687: Chapter 0439: Silver Crisis_2 Chapter 687: Chapter 0439: Silver Crisis_2 Upon hearing the severity in Marquis Ma’s words, Qi Tian could only invite him to meet.

Marquis Ma was a first-class duke of the Great Zhao Nation, one of the most esteemed nobility, but upon meeting Qi Tian, he knelt before him like he was in front of a sovereign, giving a respectful bow and not daring to show the slightest disrespect.

Qi Tian waved his hand and said: “Marquis Ma, how many times have I told you not to kneel and pay respects every time you see me? If you want to kowtow, you should do so to Prince Zhao.”

Marquis Ma hastily replied: “Sir, I understand. Please don’t be upset. I had no choice but to come here. If you don’t take action, I won’t be able to hold on.”

“What do you mean by that? Is someone looking to usurp your position and replace you?” Qi Tian asked with a smile. “If that’s the case, you better keep quiet and not expect me to help. Your downfall would only prove your incompetence. What use could you be to Prince Zhao then? Am I expected to assist him by arranging a bunch of good-for-nothings?”

Listening to Qi Tian’s blunt words, all Marquis Ma could do was to smile bitterly, saying, “Sir, rest assured, although I may be inadequate, the idea of someone replacing me is nothing more than wishful thinking. I have been dedicating myself in assisting Prince Zhao, and he is relatively satisfied with me thus far.”

“Then why are you looking for me?” Qi Tian countered.

Marquis Ma hurriedly replied: “Sir, as I said, don’t be upset.”

“Speak.”

“The truth is, we’ve run out of money,” Marquis Ma confessed sheepishly.

“Run out of money? Are you joking with me?” Qi Tian was speechless, “Although Prince Zhao doesn’t have a fortune, I have confiscated quite a number of notable families’ wealth who opposed him and accumulated millions of taels of silver. Not a single coin of this money stayed with me, I handed it all over to Prince Zhao. How long has it been since then, and all the millions of taels of silver are now gone?”

Marquis Ma responded: “Sir, there aren’t many troops in Wangdu County, and now more than half a million forces have gathered here, reaching an astonishing amount of over 537,000. According to the tradition of the Great Zhao Nation, soldiers are paid as soon as they move out, ranging from a few to tens of taels, and this expenditure alone amounts to over a million taels of silver. After the army arrived in Wangdu County, eating, drinking, and sleeping all require money. The money you previously left us has almost run out. In addition, I’ve moved over two hundred thousand taels of silver out of the Marquis Manor to barely maintain it. Sir, I don’t know how long you plan to keep these soldiers in Wangdu County. The salaries and various expenses incurred during their stay, and the future battles they will fight, all require silver. Notably, when asked to head north and challenge the troops loyal to the Crown Prince in a life-and-death battle, we have to give them a speech money — starting at ten taels per person. With all these considerations, we need another one to two million taels of silver, which I am unable to raise.”

Qi Tian initially thought that Marquis Ma had come to complain about something other than a shortage of money. With a faint smile, he summoned a wooden box to fly towards Marquis Ma.

Marquis Ma quickly caught the wooden box and under Qi Tian’s guidance, he opened it. Immediately, he saw two stacks of thick silver notes and gold notes lying in the box, a box about the size of a milk carton. The face value was quite large, a minimum of one hundred taels per note. Furthermore, Marquis Ma noticed that these gold and silver notes were quite old, with the most recent ones being from several decades ago.

“I’ve anticipated that you might run out of money here, so I’ve been preparing for it. This is the second batch of funds I’ve prepared for Prince Zhao, a total of three million taels of silver, that should be enough for you for a while, right?” Qi Tian laughed.

Although Marquis Ma was a lord, he had never seen what three million taels of silver looked like. Now, although what Qi Tian gave him wasn’t cash, they were authentic silver notes, equivalent to three million taels of silver.

Marquis Ma held the wooden box and knelt down once more to thank Qi Tian.

“Marquis Ma, you must remember to put this money to good use. If I find out that you or anyone else have been embezzling this money, you know the consequences, right?” Qi Tian asked.

Marquis Ma hurriedly responded: “Please rest assured, Sir, if I dare to embezzle even one tael of silver, feel free to execute me, show no mercy.”

With Marquis Ma stating his position in this way, Qi Tian was reassured. He waved his hand and dismissed Marquis Ma.

Upon leaving Qi Tian’s residence, individuals immediately gathered around Marquis Ma. “My Lord, how did it go? Did the Master agree to our plan? Did he give the money?”

Marquis Ma lifted the wooden box in his hand with excitement, saying, “The Master is kind, unwilling to let any child be wronged, so he generously gave me three million taels of silver this time to assist Prince Zhao.”

A cheer erupted from the few people around Marquis Ma. They had all been working under him during this time and were tired of running out of money. Now, with three million taels of silver at their disposal, they were elated.

Marquis Ma went on: “The Master gave a lot of silver notes, but they are all of large denominations. We must exchange them for cash or smaller denomination silver notes. Let’s head out, find a few carts and go exchange the money.”

Wangdu County didn’t have a major bank, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to exchange three million taels of cash. They had to leave Wangdu County and head to a nearby city, Red Sand City. The straight-line distance between the two places was not too far, but each city was under different loyalties, one to Prince Zhao and the other to the Crown Prince.

Marquis Ma took this into consideration but was not worried or scared. He disguised himself and brought along some trusted companions. They sought the help of several cultivators through Prince Zhao. Then, a group of over a dozen people set off to Red Sand City to exchange the money.

By the second day, Marquis Ma and his party returned from Red Sand City without a single coin brought back. In addition, more than half of his companions had died and Marquis Ma lost an arm. None of the cultivators who went with them was able to return.

Upon his return, Marquis Ma immediately sought out Qi Tian.

“Master, you must take a stand for us.” Marquis Ma fell to his knees at Qi Tian’s feet. No trace of the majesty of a Marquis remained, his left arm missing and his clothes stained with blood.

Qi Tian’s face was grave as he asked, “What happened?”

Marquis Ma explained: “Even now, I’m still confused. Master, let me explain what exactly happened.”

The situation was not complicated. The disguised Marquis Ma and his party successfully entered Red Sand City without much time and went straight to the bank that issued the silver notes, requesting the conversion to cash.

The bank that issued the silver notes, called Four Seas Bank, was one of the largest banks in the Great Zhao Nation, reportedly with royal background, enjoying a great reputation in the country. Its establishment only slightly followed the founding of Great Zhao Nation. Many businesses in the Great Zhao Nation preferred to deposit their silver at Four Seas Bank and exchange it for lightweight silver notes or gold notes for easy carrying.

One of Four Seas Bank’s outwardly proclaimed principles is to exchange cash or new notes for any customer who presents Four Seas Bank’s silver notes, no questions asked. Previously, Marquis Ma also had transactions at Four Seas Bank, with every instance being smoothly completed and never encountering any problems.