I am the king of the dead

Chapter 334 Expensive military expenses, expensive court

"Li Shangshu?" Xie Lian, the right servant of the Nanjing household department, reminded Li Xian who was in deep thought.

The salt and iron meeting should be held. The most important thing now is how to get enough food and salaries to appease the troops who have come from a long distance.

After a complicated reorganization, the Guizhou Army and the Huguang Guard Army were finally reorganized into the [-]th Regiment Battalion, but a reality was soon presented to them.

The military is really, really expensive.

Li Xian came back to his senses and said: "Oh, good, let's start."

Xie Lian sighed and said, "I have come up with a few figures based on Li Shangshu's historical salary, various rewards, and farm harvests provided by the Beiya and Jingying."

"On average, each sergeant needs 720 silver coins a year, and the [-]th Regiment Battalion needs to spend nearly [-] million silver coins to maintain it every year. This is not counting the rewards, armaments and daily drills of the army."

As soon as Xie Lian said this, everyone fell into silence.

The army is so expensive that even the emperor needs to divide it into three parts to pay.

One is the harvest of the land near the Gyeonggi area. The land itself is only a means of production, and it is only labor that gives it value.

The second is the mill of Daming, that is, the Ministry of Households, to pay the salary. This part of the grain and silver is half and half, and the grain needed for maintenance in a year exceeds 800 million shi.

The third part is the emperor's reward, and the cost of this part is even more expensive. If the army is mobilized, it is money, and Xie Lian doesn't count this part.

Xie Lian continued: "Masters of the Ming Dynasty, it is worth noting that this is a situation in which His Majesty guarantees that the food and salary can be paid in place through various aspects, including the generals and commanders, and the Jinyiwei patrolling the camp, the rumors of the commanders, and laws and regulations. Down."

"If there is corruption in the regiment camp, the cost of maintenance will increase, and it will increase exponentially."

"We need to maintain the current Nanya regiment camp and strengthen training. We need at least 800 million silver coins."

"We still need an additional 800 million silver coins. Once His Majesty crusades against the Nanya, we must use generous rewards to prevent our regiment from mutiny and donate before the battle. This part of the burden is a problem that the Beijing camp of the Beiya does not need to consider at all. "

What is Zhengshuo inheritance?

In the Beiya regiment camp, there is no need to consider the matter of large-scale mutiny and defection to the enemy.

As soon as the figure of 600 million silver coins came out, everyone gasped. The yamen of the Ministry of Household Affairs in Nanjing, which was already summer, suddenly became hot and humid, and everyone present became terrified.

This number made everyone breathless.

Really too expensive.

Sun Zhong came to the yamen of the Ministry of Households after performing his father's benevolence and son's filial piety. He wanted to see what this salt and iron conference was all about.

As a result, when he heard the 600 million silver coins, he was terrified.

Even the whispered discussions disappeared, and everyone sat there in a daze. The money was really too much.

Li Xian sat up straight and said, "Have you thought about it?"

"This is just the Beiya Regimental Camp. The [-]th Regimental Battalion is very expensive, but Xingwenwuwu has been proven to be a mistake. As a result of the slack in armaments, even the emperor will be captured by the northern captives."

"And the Beijing Camp is only a part of the world's army."

"There are also frontier troops, especially the three frontier troops, and the capital of Liaodong, which is a huge burden. Just like we only count the expenses of the Nanya and Beijing camps, but what about the military expenses of Guangdong and Guangxi?"

"The military administration is only a part of the imperial government's expenditure. There are also government affairs and official administration. The cost of this part is only a lot more than that of the military administration."

It is very expensive to maintain a court!
This point is completely incomprehensible to these officials who are eating and waiting to die in Nanjing.

Now they have changed from ignoring things to seeing things. This kind of expensive has become an imminent event.

This matter is so important, if the money cannot be obtained, the army will mutiny, and even arrest all of them to the Beiya to exchange merit cards.

The ministers were silent.

Li Xian continued: "So do you understand why when His Majesty wants to let people pay for food, King Xiang hesitated for less than a quarter of an hour and handed over the field book directly?"

"King Xiang has been a supervisor of the country, and he knows that it is not easy. The government is full of complexities, and it is not only a waste of effort?"

"So you now know why His Majesty is bound to take Hetao, set up Jing'an Province, and set up the money pass?"

"It is to allow the Yansui, Gansu, and Ningxia border guards to have enough and fertile land to reduce the consumption of the imperial court, and to maintain the integrity of the Ming Dynasty."

"So now you can understand why His Majesty set up the Mizhou Shipping Department and included merchant ships in it?"

"So do you know why there is only one wick in the lamps of His Majesty's Tai'an Palace and Hubu?"

"Your Majesty is frugal. It's not because your Majesty doesn't know the benefits of extravagance. We are all human, who doesn't like to enjoy it?"

"It's just that there are Wala and Jiannu on the outside, and Luchuan keeps repeating, and the Jiaozhi Li Dynasty is waiting for an opportunity. Inside, there are people in Fujian, Guangzhou, and Guizhou who are displaced, screaming in the mountains and forests, and the people are in trouble."

"Your Majesty is Daming's sky, and His Majesty must support this sky. Before the civil engineering and earth changes, His Majesty was just like you, just a king who didn't care about things."

"Oh, by the way, back then, Prince Yi's mansion was often deducted from his salary, and only [-]% of Wanshi's salary was obtained, and [-]% of the money had to be discounted."

"Have you ever understood His Majesty? Have you ever cared about this?"

"No, you don't, you only care about yourself."

"Caring about your petty profits."

Li Xian's words are actually to the point, he only analyzed His Majesty's motives for doing things from the most purely utilitarian point of view.

He didn't exaggerate His Majesty's diligence, nor did he exaggerate His Majesty's sanctity, and he didn't use the theory of his father to say that they conspired against this kind of behavior, how disloyal and unfilial they were.

Just a purely utilitarian point of view.

Even so, Li Xian's words made everyone present lower their heads in shame. The entire Nanjing household department office became eerily quiet, the wind howled outside the window, and a group of people had mixed feelings in their hearts.

Because what Li Xian said was the truth.

They gathered together to plot rebellion, how unfaithful and unfilial they are, they cannot understand His Majesty's difficulties.

Li Xian opened his meeting minutes and said, "Okay, let's take care of our money bags, how did we get the money?"

"The conversion of banknotes into silver must be fast, and the establishment of Ningbo Shipbuilding Department must also be fast, especially the taxation of merchant ships must be accelerated."

"And we need the fastest speed to clarify at least the Dingkou and field books within a thousand households in each prefecture, not the yellow books and fish scale books that fool the court every year!"

"Let me remind you again, we are rebelling!"

"We're going to figure out our tax-collecting potential, and then get the tax up."

"I have formulated a detailed examination rules. Within this month, according to the distance of the road, the priority of the matter, and the limit of the set schedule, I will keep the paper book and keep the photos."

"If it cannot be completed within the time limit, it will be dismissed according to the system."

"If Yousi can't do these things, the money is simply impossible, so Uncle Jingyuan can only search the house."

"Or bind your hands and feet, go to Beiya to plead guilty to His Majesty, and let His Majesty have fun."

Li Xian distributed the official documents that had been drawn up a long time ago to the various departments of the department, and everyone gasped, there was too much work!
Li Xian closed his notebook and said, "Everyone, please bring your notebooks for the next meeting, okay?"

"Are you attending the Salt and Iron Conference? Are you here with a mouth? Financial affairs are so complicated, can you explain clearly without notes? A good memory is not as good as a bad pen."

"You are really more patient than His Majesty, His Majesty always brings a notebook."

"Please be serious, the meeting is over."

The ministers were silent for a long time, and silently left the meeting room.

Li Xian knew that Sun Zhong had something to ask him, so he didn't leave until everyone had left. Sun Zhong came over and said with emotion: "Li Shangshu is amazing. In just ten days, the exam results have been determined." In this way, the financial affairs have actually improved a bit.”

"Thank you, Li Shangshu."

In fact, during this period of time, Li Xian mainly talked with Yuniang, you and me, and calculated the deployment of military forces in various places from various food and salary dispatches, and provided intelligence to the emperor.

I just used my spare time to do these methods of passing the exam.

Li Xian checked his exam results carefully, and after confirming that they were correct, he said helplessly, "Uncle Huichang, don't think my words are harsh. Back then, I was going to be beaten to death because you made me a traitor."

"Do you know why His Majesty ignored my family?"

Sun Zhong was very sure that Li Xian did not sing oboe with the emperor, because His Majesty ignored Li Xian's family.

What Sun Zhong wanted to talk about was this matter. After seeing Li Xian's ability, he even hoped that His Majesty would kill Li Xian's family members and make him wholeheartedly serve the imperial court.

"Oh? Why?" Sun Zhong asked suspiciously.

Li Xian sat up straight, thought about it seriously, and said, "Actually, Uncle Huichang, you don't know something."

"I'm linked to the Ministry of Household Affairs Zhejiang Qinglisi Langzhong. I went to Zhejiang to be a patrolling salt censor. I'm just a fifth-rank official."

"I didn't even have a seat when the big banquet was served."

"There are many people who are more powerful than me in the court. Your Majesty may not even know my name, or if you know it, you may not be the right one."

"My name appeared three times in total with Your Majesty. The first time was when I came back from the north and was protected by Yu Shaobao and returned to the Imperial Academy. The second time was at the Salt and Iron Conference. Censor, the third time, is this time."

"Your Majesty likes fishing. I am in the capital, so I am not even qualified to be baited by Your Majesty."

In fact, Li Xian was thinking too much. The people who could be watched by Yuan Bin himself were King Jili, Xining Xiaotianer, the three brothers of the Qu family, and now he was Li Xian.

Zhu Qiyu still knew Li Xian's name, and he was worthy of the name, so Li Xian still had the qualifications to bite the bait.

After Li Xian finished speaking, he left the conference room, leaving Sun Zhong in a daze.

But when Li Xian said this, Sun Zhongren was dumbfounded, because he thought Li Xian's words were right.

The capable minister he relied on was nothing more than a fifth-rank official in Beijing.

When he was in the capital, these five-rank officials had to spend money when they handed over invitations to his mansion, and Sun Zhong didn't want to see him yet.

He stood up abruptly, left the household department aggressively, returned to the Nanjing Imperial Palace, and looked for Sun Jizong everywhere. When he saw Sun Jizong, he held up his walking stick and said angrily, "Nizi! You are really a naughty son!"

Li Xian had been busy all day, and returned to Cao Guogong's mansion by the moonlight. Not long after entering the mansion, he walked to Tiren Mude Courtyard, and when he was about to go to Mengpozhai's study, he heard a burst of voices coming from the bamboo forest. birdsong.

He walked into the bamboo grove, there were small pavilions in the bamboo grove, the wind was blowing the bamboo grove at night, rustling, Yuan Bin sat in the pavilion wearing a mask.

"Li Shangshu writes Qinzheng, and he will only return to the mansion at this time." Yuan Bin said with a smile.

But Li Xian said with a smile: "Your Majesty also doesn't want to see the land under the control of the rebels, where people are devastated and blood is flowing. I try my best to maintain it, and it is also for the sake of peace of the people."

"Scholars talk, no matter how you say it, it's justified. It's boring to talk to you." Yuan Bin handed a letter to Li Xian and said with a smile: "Your Majesty's order."

Li Xian opened the intact wax, and it was obvious that this was an edict specially issued to him.

"Hahaha." Li Xian laughed after reading it, handed the edict back and said: "Your Majesty has forgiven my family, and also sympathized with the misfortune of my ministers, saying that if you make extraordinary achievements, you can forgive me, and if you reduce your merits, you can forgive me." Waiting for the award."

"I'll make you happy." Yuan Bin took back the imperial edict. This is a letter written by His Majesty. It would be a disaster to leave it in Cao Guogong's mansion, so he might as well keep it first.

"I thought His Majesty didn't even know my last name." Li Xian scratched his head.

In many cases, the names of courtiers are just words on the memorial.

But His Majesty obviously remembered him.

"Your Majesty must take a good look at the people Yu Shaobao personally protects."

Yuan Bin said very seriously: "Li Yushi, I remind you, don't take His Majesty's sympathy as leniency, otherwise it will cause disaster and involve the family, and it will be too late to regret!"

"Your Majesty's sword is sharp, I don't need to remind you."

After all, Li Xian is in the enemy's camp, if he is really blinded by Fan She, His Majesty's thunderous wrath will bring disaster to everyone.

Li Xian thought of the rice alley in the eastern suburbs where no one walked, and shivered. On this summer night, he broke out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly said, "Someone from a certain province knows how serious it is."

He didn't even want to die, and he didn't want to go to the Tai Hospital no matter what. It was too scary to be the object of observation.

"Very good." Yuan Bin breathed a sigh of relief, and continued, "Have you thought about how to make meritorious service and redeem your life?"

Li Xian said confidently: "Of course I've thought it through! And I'm [-]% sure!"

Yuan Bin frowned, looked at Li Xian's determined eyes, and said curiously: "What is Li Yushi going to do? Do you need our cooperation?"

Li Xian shook his head and said: "No need, I am enough alone, I am atonement for myself!"

Yuan Bin asked a few more questions, but Li Xian refused to say anything, Yuan Bin gave up, moved around a few times, and left Cao Guogong's mansion.

Li Xian walked through the bamboo forest with bubbling water, walked into Mengpozhai's study room, and began to sort out his ideas of making great achievements.

Yu Niang came in, picked out the wick, and began to grind it. She said suspiciously: "The cost of the palace is still enough, why is there only one wick in the lamp?"

Li Xian said with a smile: "This is the way of being a minister. If I tell you, you don't understand."

Yu Niang shook her head helplessly, and she said with a smile: "Yes, yes, yes, I don't understand, you know the most."

Li Xian continued to write vigorously and said: "Your Majesty forgives you. Even if the army arrives and I am beheaded, Your Majesty will leave your life and your child behind."

"Ah? Really? Didn't you say that His Majesty likes to kill people?" Yuniang asked in surprise, covering the corners of her mouth.

Li Xian nodded and continued writing, without raising his head, he said, "When did I ever lie to you?"

Yuniang looked at what Li Xian wrote for a long time, and she was quite helpless. Although she could read, she really couldn't understand what Li Xian wrote.

"What did you write?" Yuniang asked suspiciously.

Li Xian dried up the ink and said with a smile: "My life."

　Today's fourth update, 1.8 words have been updated today, begging for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets! ┗|｀O′|┛Aw~~! ! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)