novelhk Page 2352
Page 2352
Fu Zhirou said, "They said the price of rice in the new dynasty is stable."
"Prices have come down everywhere,"
"Even if military pay remains unchanged,"
"They also lived better than the soldiers of the former Song Dynasty."
"fart!"
Zhao Yuan said, "Let Qian Chen figure out a way to make money."
"Don't make things difficult for him,"
"No major war this year,"
"They only fought some small battles in Shanxi."
Zhai Ruwen has just taken over as prime minister.
Then they encountered the military organization plan submitted by the Ministry of War.
His head was spinning!
Chapter 369 Military Expenditure Files
Zhai Ruwen retrieved relevant military expenditure files from the former Song Dynasty.
I spent two whole days buried in piles of papers, reviewing them.
Then a meeting of cabinet members was convened:
"Have you all read the Ministry of War's memorial?"
Li Bangyan covered his mouth and yawned.
He looked exhausted from last night.
They seemed eager to catch up on their sleep.
Things related to the military
Let whoever wants to manage it manage it.
Anyway, Li Bangyan won't get involved.
At the founding of the nation,
Li Bangyan ranked third in the cabinet.
Zhang Gen and Gao Jingshan, one retreated and the other died.
Logically, Lee Bang-yeon should have succeeded as prime minister.
He was secretly excited for a few days.
However, it was Zhai Ruwen who replaced Gao Jingshan.
This led Li Bangyan to completely give up and abandon his post.
"The annual military expenditure is over seven million strings of cash,"
"It's already much less than before the Song Dynasty."
Liu Jian's attitude was somewhat ambiguous.
However, they tend to avoid arguing with the emperor.
Zhong Shidao said, "It's not much."
Xiao Chu said, "Destroy the Jin and Western Xia kingdoms."
"We don't need to station so many troops in Shaanxi, Hebei, and Shanxi."
"At that time, military spending should be able to be reduced."
Huang Shang, like Xiao Chu,
All of this is from the discussion of the Five Elements and Virtues last time.
He was brought into the cabinet by Zhao Yuan to maintain balance.
Huang Shang seems more like a bystander:
"I have only a superficial understanding of military affairs,"
"I won't offer any opinions."
After Zhang Gen resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown,
Another person was appointed as a cabinet minister.
Moreover, the promotion path was particularly bizarre.
He was admitted to the cabinet as the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Hebei.
He is... Zong Ze!
Furthermore, as the Prefect of Taiyuan and the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi,
Zhang Chunxiao, who led a weak army to defend Taiyuan for two and a half years,
He was also transferred back to the central government to serve as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.
Zong Ze said, "The Ministry of War's memorial is practical."
"It wasn't just made up randomly."
"If the Prime Minister believes that military spending is excessive,"
"Soldiers' pay must never be reduced,"
"The right way is to reduce the number of troops somewhere."
Seven cabinet ministers,
Why am I the only one who opposes the Ministry of War's plan?
Zhai Ruwen felt it was extremely outrageous.
He produced a set of actual data from the file:
"Seven million strings of cash is certainly not a lot,"
"But this is just military pay."
"Take the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the previous dynasty as an example,"
"The military pay for that year was approximately 994 million strings of cash,"
"But it still cost 742 million bolts of cloth,"
"2317 million shi of military rations and 2498 million bundles of hay!"
"so many?"
Li Bangyan was taken aback.
Zhong Shidao explained, "During the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the previous dynasty,"
"Although no major battles were fought,"
"But they have been building military fortresses and strongholds along the northwestern border,"
"A considerable amount was used to build cities on the border between Song and Xia."
"Building a city not only requires military protection,"
"A large number of laborers, earth, stone and timber will also be conscripted."
"Can this annual allowance be reduced?"
After saying that, Zhong Shidao added:
"Of course, we certainly don't need 2317 million shi of grain every year,"
"Nobody can explain how it was used."
Even during the Xuanhe era (Emperor Huizong's reign),
"Even in the worst wars, nothing has ever been this outrageous,"
“There must have been people embezzling and misappropriating funds during the reign of Emperor Yingzong.”
Zhai Ruwen added, "Last year, we first destroyed Zhong Xiang, and then fought a major battle with the Jin Dynasty."
"They also manufactured countless weapons and armor."
"Last year's military pay was only a little over 400 million strings of cash,"
"Total military expenditure reached 2800 million guan,"
"It also consumed more than 400 million bolts of cloth, more than 1200 million shi of grain, and more than 1300 million bundles of straw!"
Chapter 370 Settling the Refugees
Zong Ze reminded him, "I don't know about other places."
"Military rations from Hebei,"
"Many of them were used to resettle displaced people after the war."
"When the Jurchens retreated, they burned, killed, and looted everywhere."
"Countless people need help."
"Nearly half of the military rations in Hunan were used to relieve famine victims after the war," Zhong Shidao said.
Seeing that the cabinet's stance was clear, Li Bangyan followed suit:
"More than 2800 million strings of cash were spent last year,"
"That's because they're mass-producing armor, firearms, and warships."
"After these things are built,"
"The annual maintenance and repair costs are not too high."
"Just like ordinary people building houses,"
"It will definitely cost a lot of money at the beginning,"
"Even if you just fix the house up and leave it there, it'll still be valuable."
"It's not like you're throwing money into the water to hear the splash."
"Especially in building warships,"
"Several shipyards in the old Song Dynasty have been reorganized,"
"Restoring the shipyard alone has already cost a considerable amount,"
"These shipyards can be used to build cargo ships and merchant ships in the future."
Zhai Ruwen looked at everyone,
I finally realized a serious problem.
He is not Zhang Gen.
He was not the emperor's father-in-law.
He did not surrender to the Ming Dynasty very early on.
They lack both experience and prestige.
His only redeeming quality
He was merely the emperor's tutor!
Even Li Bangyan, that treacherous minister,
They could also completely ignore him based on his achievements.
Because Li Bangyan had the merit of orchestrating the capture of Tokyo.