Gale explained, "So many minerals can't be hidden. If the Queen finds out we've concealed this many minerals, she will definitely kill us."
Yue Nu frowned. What Gale said made sense. Money moves hearts. With such vast wealth, let alone Queen Azshara, even those Archmages would likely kill for it. While minerals are important, if one loses their life, what good is any amount of wealth?
Tulan shivered slightly. If Savis knew he coveted so many minerals, he would be the first to suffer.
"Then what should we do?"
Gale smiled. "This time, we'll use an open scheme."
"An open scheme?"
An hour later, Yue Nu walked out of Tulan's Mage Tower and headed straight for the Eternal Palace. After he left, the Mages Tulan had hired also left the Mage Tower and went to different Mage Towers nearby.
Upon entering the Palace, Yue Nu reported to Azshara, "Your Majesty, we have discovered eight open-pit mines near the Redridge Mountains. Three have already been surveyed: one gold mine, one mithril mine, and one Thorium Mine."
"Oh?" Azshara stood up from her throne, looking at Yue Nu with surprise. "Really?"
It wasn't that Azshara was inexperienced, but that these three mines were all extremely important. Gold mines could mint gold coins, mithril was the most used metal by Mages, and the importance of thorium had been mentioned before. Moreover, these three mines were open-pit, meaning they were easy to excavate and could yield profits in a short time.
As long as these three mines were exploited, the issue of military expenses could be quickly resolved. In fact, there would be no need to worry about military expenses in the future.
Even if the remaining five veins were of little value, they would still be enough for the Empire.
The moment Yue Nu nodded, Azshara's heart surged. As the Queen of the Empire, what belonged to the Empire belonged to her. Suddenly possessing immense wealth, she couldn't help but indulge in fantasies.
Just then, Savis led a group of Royal Mages to Azshara's presence.
"Your Majesty, I heard the expeditionary force discovered a large number of minerals?"
Azshara had a bad feeling. "Who told you?"
She might have been a bit out of touch with reality, but she wasn't stupid. So many Royal Mages arriving clearly wasn't just to ask a question.
They clearly wanted a piece of the pie from the minerals!
Damn it! Were they trying to force her hand?
Yue Nu then said, "Archmage Savis, these are all the Empire's property?"
Savis smiled and said, "Of course we know the military regulations. We are here to congratulate Your Majesty."
As his words fell, the Mages immediately offered their congratulations to Azshara, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on acquiring so many minerals."
Azshara breathed a slight sigh of relief, as long as they didn't covet these mines.
But a Royal Mage stepped forward. "General Yue Nu, I heard Alpha Fortress has a new type of refined iron mine?"
Yue Nu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Yes, there is such a thing. What about it?"
Royal Mage: "But I heard you privately distributed shares of that refined iron mine?"
Yue Nu's face changed dramatically upon hearing this.
Azshara coughed lightly, "I permitted this. With the Empire not paying military salaries, the front-line warriors still achieved continuous victories and should be rewarded."
"Your Majesty is generous!" The Royal Mage smiled, bowed, and stepped aside.
Another Royal Mage stepped forward, "Your Majesty, we acknowledge the arduous contributions of the front-line warriors, but this time, in the Troll attack on Sin'dorei, we also achieved a great victory, killing one of the Troll's loa and defeating their hundred-thousand-strong army, which also counts as some merit. Now that Your Majesty has acquired so much wealth, should we not also receive some rewards?"
"That's right! Your Majesty, we haven't even had money to buy magical materials recently."
The Royal Mages, one after another, cornered Azshara.
Azshara had a headache. If she didn't reward the Royal Mages, everyone would surely become disloyal. If she did reward them, should other nobles be rewarded? Should the Moon Guard be rewarded? Should the Elune Sisterhood be rewarded? Even ordinary commoners supported the war, should they be rewarded?
Once the door to rewards was opened, countless people would surely want a share. And now, the door to rewards had already been opened, and by Azshara herself.
Yue Nu timely stepped forward, "Your Majesty, the Redridge Mountains have numerous minerals, but extracting them is truly difficult. Moreover, all Kaldorei have contributed to this war, and I believe these mineral extractions and management should be unified, with profits finely divided."
Azshara frowned, looking at Yue Nu with an inexplicable expression. "How should it be finely divided?"
Yue Nu: "I suggest establishing a mining company specifically to manage the Redridge Mountains' veins. Following the share system of the Han Tie Mine, the profits from the veins will be divided into several portions and distributed to different groups."
Azshara understood. This was a trap, one she had no choice but to accept. Thinking this, she asked with a lack of interest, "How should it be allocated?"
Yue Nu dared not look into Azshara's eyes, and with a forced smile, said, "First, 10% of the shares will be used to pay taxes for commoners. From now on, this portion of shares will enter the national treasury, and the Empire will reduce the commoners' poll tax."
Azshara became interested. This proposal was very beneficial to her. The Empire's population was sparse, and the income from 10% of the shares would certainly be higher than the poll tax. Moreover, after tax reduction, commoners would only praise the Queen's benevolence. Having gained both practical benefits and reputation, Azshara's mood improved considerably.
"Alright, continue!"
Yue Nu secretly glanced at Azshara, and seeing that she was no longer angry, immediately straightened his back and said, "The Empire will need a large army in the future to maintain its rule over newly occupied territories, requiring significant military expenses. I believe 20% of the shares should be allocated as military funds to sustain army expenditures."
Azshara nodded. Sustained benefits required a large army, and this money could not be saved. And exchanging 20% expenditure for 100% income was a worthwhile deal.
"The national treasury is the foundation of the Empire; a full treasury ensures the Empire's normal operation, so 20% of the shares should be incorporated into the national treasury."
"As the supreme Queen, 10% of the shares should be allocated for the Queen's private ownership."
With these two points, Azshara's mood improved even further. All in all, her personal share plus the national treasury already accounted for 40%.
"Nobles assist Your Majesty in managing the Empire and should be rewarded. 10% of the shares can be allocated, divided into different tiers according to the size of their titles, and rewarded once a year."
Azshara was even more satisfied. If she directly gave dividends to the nobles, she would certainly be unhappy. But if it was called a reward, she had no problem with it.
I can reward you, but you cannot demand it. Even if the reward was only nominal, she had to preserve the Queen's reputation.
"The remaining 30% will remain with the mining company to maintain its operations. If there are profits at the end of the year, they will be invested in infrastructure construction throughout the Empire. For example, Zul'Saroth is still made of wooden buildings and needs to be entirely replaced with stone buildings to fit the Kaldorei's living habits. Improving Zul'Saroth's environment will attract more Kaldorei to settle there."
Azshara fell silent. 30% to maintain a company's operation was certainly a lot. However, adding the investment in infrastructure construction throughout the Empire made it much more acceptable. She also knew that there would inevitably be some shady dealings in this infrastructure construction, but 'water too clear has no fish'; she had to let Yue Nu and others gain some benefits to ensure their loyalty.
"Agreed!"
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