"Your old man only needs to preside over the planning and supervision of the construction of the railway, and I will solve the problem of money to ensure that there will not be a shortage of funds for even one copper plate." Roland smiled slightly, and his flat words revealed absolute confidence.

Sensing the suspicion on the old man's face, Nikita couldn't help but rush to say: "Roland is telling the truth, his mind is full of ideas to make money, and he was ...... in Kitland."

With a show-off mentality, Miss Mage talked endlessly about Roland's glorious achievements over the years: such as the issuance of construction bonds in Kitland City and the operation of martial arts tournaments; Relieve the economic panic caused by the pirate blockade in Baiou Harbor, crack down on profiteers who hoard and make a fortune in the securities market by taking advantage of the information asymmetry on the battlefield; In addition, the successful issuance of government bonds and the establishment of a central bank supervision system after the founding of the Far East reflect Roland's ability to steer the country's macroeconomy.

"I have long heard that His Royal Highness the Prince is good at financing and financial management, and after listening to Miss Nikita's story, it is indeed worthy of the name," Matvey said politely, but he still had doubts in his heart, "When it comes to the financing of railway construction, what is His Royal Highness's opinion?" ”

"I do have some premature ideas, and I'm about to ask you for advice." Roland was also modest, and then confidently showed the project financing plan that convinced the cabinet ministers.

Establish the National Road and Bridge Company and the Town Development Company to build, operate and lease commercial real estate along the road and sell "concessions...... This series of wonderful ideas that had never been seen before in the world of Varess was thrown out, and Mr. Matvey was stunned for a moment, and his heart was extremely shocked.

After Roland finished speaking, Matvey couldn't help but sigh: "Your Royal Highness, it's a pity that I met you fifteen years late, otherwise we would never have only this pitiful railway line of more than 2,000 miles in the Far East. ”

"Mr. Matvey, fifteen years ago I was just a little kid, how can I understand these truths, and it is not too late for us to start cooperating now, I am in the prime of life, you are not old, you are in good health, it is a good time to make contributions, we are old and young to work together to promote the transportation construction of the Far East, if we can make the compatriots of the whole country can easily take the magic train when they need it in their lifetime, it is not a waste of this life." Roland said earnestly.

"Yes, this life is very long and very short, if you don't take advantage of the fact that your body is still strong to do something, and leave something worthy of praise for future generations, it will be like a bird flying through the sky, leaving no traces, wouldn't it be a lifetime in vain." Nikita also softly persuaded the old man to go out of the mountain.

Matvey was slightly moved, but did not show clear intentions. At his age, there are a lot of things to consider, and he is no longer as emotional as when he was young.

"Your Highness Roland, I have one more question, even if you can raise enough money, wouldn't it be more practical to use this money to recruit soldiers, strengthen armaments, and resist the imperial military invasion that may come at any time than to invest in railway construction? Of course, I know that transportation construction is important, but national defense security is even more important. ”

"Your question is very representative, in fact, just before I came to visit you, I answered exactly the same question at a cabinet meeting." Roland sighed, his eyes deep and melancholy, "Mr. Matvey, I am not a so-called idealist, I can't hide it, I have invested so much effort in the transportation construction of the Far East, of course, there are considerations for the convenience of the people, but the more fundamental purpose is to strengthen the centralization of power, strengthen the government's control over remote areas, and strengthen the state's rule over the people." ”

Roland was also forced to confess these inner words that violated the principle of "political correctness", which was not enough to really touch an old man like Matvey who had been weathered and had mastered the world.

"You just mentioned that it is better to strengthen national defense construction if you have money, but have you ever thought about it, what will happen if I divert all the money I plan to use to build roads and bridges for military spending?"

Matvey hesitated for a moment, then pondered and replied: "Of course, the result is that the military strength has been greatly strengthened, and the national defense and security have been guaranteed, so that the empire does not dare to easily send troops to invade ......"

"What happens then?" Roland continued, "Will the imperial authorities, seeing that we devote all our revenues to the war of military expansion, to retreat from the difficulties and no longer consider a military invasion of the Far East?" ”

"This ...... Of course, it is impossible to stop there, and the empire is afraid that it will increase its military spending accordingly, expand its forces, and maintain its military superiority over the Far East. Matvey thought for a moment and strengthened his assertion: "The imperial authorities are not only doing this to invade the Far East, but also out of fear, when we Far Easterners are worried about the invasion of the empire day and night, if the people of the empire see the rapid expansion of the military power of the Far East, of course they will also be afraid that our Far Eastern army will invade the empire, even if the rulers do not want to expand the army, the wealthy strata in the country will urge and even force the rulers to expand their army in order to maintain their security." ”

"As you deduced, out of ambition and fear, if one country sees its neighbors build up its military, it will inevitably follow suit, and the two countries will be forced to enter into an arms race, so what will be the outcome of the arms race?" Roland smiled bitterly, "In the final analysis, the arms race is a competition for resources and manpower, the empire alone has four times the territory of the Far East, and the population is forty times that of the Far East, plus the huge resources of the overseas colonies, how much chance do you think we have to win in this arms race?" ”

"Unless the five million compatriots in the Far East unite as one and all the people are soldiers, even if they exhaust all the wealth and resources of the country, they will not be able to defeat an empire with more resources and people in the arms race." Matvey had to admit that "in view of this cruel reality, investing the vast majority of the country's wealth in the arms race will actually hasten the country's demise, because the country's policy is military-first, and it will inevitably increase taxes to force the people to tighten their belts, and the people's patience has a limit, and if the new government cannot improve their living conditions, or even worsen them than during the reign of the empire, I am afraid that there will be no need for the empire to invade, and the toiling masses will rise up in rebellion." ”

"So we can't go down the dead end of the arms race, so what else can we do to maintain power in a situation where the military is weak?" Roland smiled, and the distant and vivid historical images of the earth flashed quickly in his mind, and he leisurely said a seemingly prosaic but thought-provoking conclusion: "Mr. Matvey, whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world." ”