The Sun and the Lion

The front line has entered a new round of calm. Both sides are accumulating strength for the next round of actions, while the palace in the rear continues to operate.

Ibrahim looked at the account books on the table, which recorded all the assets of the Safavid family - including large tracts of cultivated land, forestland and pasture in the Ardabil area, as well as the tenants and slaves working on it, Ardabil. The carpet workshop in the city, the mint in Tabriz, and all the registered gold and silver mines in the country.

Thanks to Azerbaijan's abundant rainfall and soil fertile from volcanic ash, Ardabil's real estate has a good harvest, with a large amount of grains and fruits entering the warehouse every year. Much of the fermented grape juice in Ibrahim’s cup comes from his own vineyard.

When it comes to woodlands and mines, Ibrahim naturally thinks of metallurgy. The rich local forest resources can provide a large amount of charcoal, and the Iranian plateau is rich in mineral resources. He plans to use this as an incision to insert the metallurgical industry.

These copper and iron are mainly turned into armor and weapons for the army, and only a small part of the production capacity is turned into tools and flows into the market.

In addition to these fixed assets, the share of the raw silk trade and the newly recruited royal merchants are also recorded at the back of the ledger. Most of the royal merchants recruited by Ibrahim through the Imperial Property Department were ethnic minorities in the country, mainly Armenians.

"Very good. With these reliable servants, it's time to start the next step of the plan. It seems that letting you take care of the Imperial Property Department is the right choice. Once this is done, you can become a regular official." Ibrahim put down the account book , said to the white eunuch Waqie who was waiting with his head down. This was a high-level talent that he bought at the Almighty Slave Market not long ago. After some training, he became the acting general manager of the Imperial Property Department.

And Ibrahim's next plan is very simple, which is to make a fortune by monopolizing the financial industry.

The financial industry in feudal society was not developed compared with modern times, and banks, financial institutions that were ubiquitous in later generations, had just appeared in Italy. Financial activities at this time were mainly primitive currency exchange and loans.

There is nothing interesting about currency exchange. Ibrahim's main focus is on loans.

In feudal society, loan sharking was very rampant. Many businessmen and landowners would run this business. Many poor people were brutally exploited, and the loan sharks made a lot of money.

However, whether it is Christianity or Tianfang Sect, their teachings are against charging interest. This gave Ibrahim plenty of room to maneuver.

"In the name of Huda, we must do something to end greed and evil in this world and bring fairness and justice to the people."

Kamran duly handed over a prepared order, an order to the Grand Vizier and Sadr, asking the local magistrates and clerics to crack down on usury in the name of Sharia, arrest them, and declare the abolition of all usury. Debt, and at the same time ransacked homes.

Ibrahim quickly signed his name on it, and then the clerk sent it to the corresponding department for them to execute the order.

A blow alone is not enough. What can destroy a thing is always its substitute. It is better to block than to open up, so the King of Kings decided to put an end to it himself.

Starting first in Azerbaijan and then spreading throughout the territory, royal merchants and their assistants will establish a network covering all settlements. The clerks will provide loans to all customers - at much lower interest rates than the original loan sharks.

However, this wave of price cuts is equivalent to the subsidies provided by the platform. In order to seize the market, it actively offers benefits to consumers. When the fundamentals are stabilized and the market is dominated, consumers who originally thought they were making a lot of money will soon know what monopoly is.

By cracking down on traditional loan sharking with an iron fist and sending slaves to seize the market, a win-win situation will soon emerge in Safavid territory: the palace has gained a lot of income from monopolizing the loan sharking business, while the burden on debtors who were originally exploited by loan sharking will be slightly reduced. .

After Wache took note of Ibrahim's arrangements, he resigned and went to make arrangements.

Soon after, the Grand Vizier and the Financial Vizier came to pay homage to the King of Kings. After obtaining Ibrahim's consent, he came to Ibrahim under the guidance of his attendants, saluted, and then sat down.

"Boy, what do you want to report to me?"

Grand Vizier Muhammad Zakaria replied: "Your Majesty, I am here in connection with an order you issued not long ago."

"Is this an order to crack down on loan sharking?" Ibrahim asked knowingly.

"Yes, I am really lucky to see justice reappear on the earth in my lifetime." Tovmas praised Ibrahim in a small way.

Then the Financial Vizier tactfully explained the purpose of his visit, and they realized that the King of Kings planned to take action on this area and gain benefits from it. But the viziers still don't know how to do it and how to distribute it.

"Your Majesty, I believe that cracking down on loan sharking alone is not enough. We need other means to rectify this chaos."

Ibrahim put on a look of great interest and watched the performance of the two viziers in front of him.

“I believe that the crackdown on loan sharking only eliminates moneylenders, but the demand for loans is still there – poor farmers who need assistance to survive the disaster years, traders who are in urgent need of funds to maintain turnover... If their needs are not addressed, then No matter how powerful the crackdown is, some people will take risks."

"Therefore, if you allow it, your servants will be very willing to do it for you..."

In general, borrowers have less burden, the treasury has more revenue, and bureaucrats can take advantage of it. This is a win-win situation.

But Ibrahim had made up his mind.

"What you said makes sense, but I've already considered it."

"As for the loan, I have arranged for the businessmen of the Imperial Property Department to do it. They are loyal, reliable, easy to manage, and can devote all their energy to related business..."

"Since His Majesty has his own arrangements, I must obey them." Muhammad and Tovmas were a little embarrassed, and finally resigned.

After the viziers left, Ibrahim suddenly thought of a question.

"By the way, how greedy are these bureaucrats? They plan to compete with me for income..."

In order to ensure the stability of the occupied areas since the beginning of the army, he has retained almost all administrative teams in various places, and the laws of the original Aries Dynasty have not been modified. The only changes in various places are priests and new supervisory officials, but at present, the supervision of officials is better than nothing.

After being basically stable, the King of Kings plans to clean up the current bureaucracy. Even if it cannot maintain integrity, it must be reliable. The rotten wood left over from the previous dynasty cannot be used forever.