I really don't want to be a traitor

Chapter 523 The New Army of the Ming Dynasty
"His Majesty!?"

Xu Jie still exclaimed in surprise.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to say something, he heard the old eunuch Lu Fang cough lightly.

"Cough cough cough..."

Xu Jie was stunned for a moment, then found Lu Fang shaking his head slightly at him.

He knew that the old eunuch often acted as the spokesperson of Emperor Jiajing, conveying some unspoken attitudes for his master.

For example, now, Emperor Jiajing hopes Xu Jie can shut up.

Yan Song also spoke at the right time and said: "Thunder, rain and dew are all due to your kindness. The old sage of Xu Ge is so prosperous that even the old ministers are envious of it."

joke.

Yan Shifan was in charge of the Ministry of Industry, and Yan Song was the chief minister of the cabinet.

The father and son of the Yan family were extremely powerful, but Xu Fan was only a mere Taichang Shaoqing. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there were so many fourth-rank officials in the Ming capital.

What's there to envy?
"Ugh!"

Xu Jie lamented in his heart.

Your Majesty actually used a fourth-grade official hat to replace the current prince?

How should I explain to the officials of Qingliu?

Qingliu's status as leader may have reached its end.

"hehe."

On the Tai Chi Bagua futon, Emperor Jiajing chuckled.

He knew that Xu Jie had compromised, so he looked away from Cifu.

"Wei Zhong."

"The old minister is here."

"How are things being prepared?"

"Everything is ready, but... the treasury is a little tight."

The vague conversation between Emperor Jiajing and his chief minister made Xu Jie confused.

What are you preparing for?

Can it strain the national treasury?
Why did he not have any information about such a big event in advance?

"His Majesty?!"

Xu Jie panicked and spoke.

But he realized that he had lost his temper, and with decades of experience in the ups and downs of officialdom, he immediately made up for it.

Xu Jie first took a deep breath and calmed down, then leaned down and knelt down.

"If you have something to do, please submit to me."

"Excuse me, what happened that caused the national treasury to be tight and the chief minister to be in trouble?"

"Since Xu Jie is a minister of the Ming Dynasty, he should share your Majesty's worries."

He looked at Emperor Jiajing with burning eyes.

While showing loyalty with generosity, you also don’t give the other person an excuse to reject you.

"It's really rare for Mr. Xu Ge to be so responsible."

Yan Song suddenly spoke, but there was no hint of trouble, more like he was helping.

But how is that possible?

Yan and Xu are at odds with each other and have long been fighting to the death.

"Wei Zhong, since Mr. Xu Ge wants to know, don't tell him." Jiajing also smiled.

"Yes."

Yan Song turned around and faced Xu Jie with a smile.

There is confidence in the smile, and there is a sense of superiority like a holy family member.

"It's actually very simple."

"The last time Lu Bing went on an expedition with Mr. Xu Ge, he personally killed dozens of Han's unworthy flying troops."

"Because it was Lu Bing who took action himself, killing him with one blow, and the body was well preserved."

"The corpse will be escorted by Jin Yiwei. It will be returned to the capital through a secret channel and then handed over to the Imperial Hospital for examination."

"Under His Majesty's wise leadership, our Ming Dynasty has mastered the method of rapid training of the unworthy flying army."

"Based on my Ming heritage, it is entirely possible to select a group of strong and talented young practitioners to join the army, and train them to the level where a great man cannot become a flying army within half a year."

"In terms of numbers, they are far superior to the Han Dynasty's mere 10,000 useless flying troops."

Yan Song paused briefly, and the smile on his face became even brighter.

This smile is clearly mocking Xu Jie!
You worked hard to lead your troops on an expedition, but it turned out to be in vain.

On the contrary, I, Mr. Yan, have quietly presided over such a large military training project.

"Mr. Xu Ge, guess what, our Ming Dynasty recruits recruits according to the standards of the Wudang Flying Army. How many qualified young practitioners can we raise in the country?"

"I……?"

Xu Jie only felt that his mouth was dry and his throat could not make any sound.

He was shocked and angry!
It turns out that this is the true purpose of the emperor sending his own troops to go on an expedition?

Lu Bing's accompanying the army was not the emperor's special favor for his second assistant.

A hundred thousand troops are fighting outside, just to draw out the Han's useless flying army so that Lu Bing can bring back dozens of corpses?

"Forty thousand people..."

"Fifty thousand people..."

Xu Jie didn't know how many young men met the standards.

He only remembered that 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers of the Ming Army were either buried in a foreign land or permanently disabled because of this battle.

Can the pensions for those killed in action be paid in full?
Who will protect the future lives of disabled soldiers?
They were defeated soldiers rather than victorious soldiers. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, even if there was no exploitation by officials at all levels, the pensions the court could give them were pitiful. But this was the Jiajing Dynasty, and the strict party was rampant!
The total amount of pensions for tens of thousands of wounded and wounded soldiers is still a considerable amount of wealth. How could it not be corrupted?

Is it a good deal to exchange such a huge loss for the gain of dozens of corpses?

cost-effective.

With Xu Jie's wisdom, he immediately estimated that the deal was a good deal!
The one hundred thousand Ming army was nothing more than local soldiers recruited from various places.

Their cultivation is low and their equipment is old. They are barely competent at catching bandits locally, but they are a complete burden in dynastic wars.

And the Ming Dynasty fought for years and lost a strong military strategist like Hu Zongxian. It was a time when the country's military force was weakening!

Indeed, the Ming Dynasty needed a new army, and the emperor's decision was not wrong.

But, this decision is too bloody!

"One hundred thousand people." Yan Song said with a smile: "Preliminary statistics show that our Ming Dynasty has one hundred thousand outstanding young men who are capable of serving as a flying army."

Xu Jie's mind was buzzing!
A hundred thousand useless soldiers?

If there is a wise commander, one can easily defeat ten, and even sweep the world.

The military gaps that Ming Dynasty had lost in battles over the years were immediately repaired and replenished!

However, the Wudang Feijun is a way to encourage growth. Is this tantamount to ruining the future of the Ming Dynasty's 100,000 geniuses and stopping them from becoming gods for life? !

"Okay."

"It's really good."

Emperor Jiajing strangely began to clap his hands and applaud.

"Xu Gelao gave me a hundred thousand useless flying troops for the Ming Dynasty in a battle. I deserve a heavy reward."

"His Majesty!?"

Xu Jie's face turned pale, and he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Please don't...don't reward me anymore."

The official position of a fourth-grade Taichang Shaoqing was replaced by the Ming Prince.

If the Qingliu Party members heard that the future of Ming Dynasty's 100,000 geniuses was ruined because Xu Jie was destroyed, how would he stand in front of the officials in the future?
Looking at Xu Jie who kept kowtowing and begging, the smile in Emperor Jiajing's eyes gradually faded.

After all, this person is not as easy to use as Yan Song.

He sticks to some bottom lines and maintains some purity.

And ministers who are too clean have not been easy to use since ancient times.

"I'm short of money, what should I do?"

Emperor Jiajing squeezed out six words through his teeth.

The Wudang Feijun is a quick-build army. The cost of quick success is not only the sacrifice of potential, but also the extreme consumption of training resources.

During the Jiajing Dynasty, the emperor always asked for money, and the officials racked their brains to get money.

Since Emperor Jiajing asked, he wanted Yan Song or Xu Jie to come up with a solution.

Making money is what Yan Dang is good at.

Xu Jie didn't understand why Emperor Jiajing would ask him for help in such a matter.

Yan Song, an old monk on the side, has entered meditation and seems to have no intention of sharing the emperor's worries.

"Don't say anything?" Emperor Jiajing suddenly said quietly: "Then let's tax it."

Taxation is indeed a simple and crude way to raise money.

Xu Jie frowned.

Because of the heavy taxation of the Jiajing Dynasty, it has been paid in advance twenty years later.

If you eat and drink food, how can there be any room for taxation?

Xu Jiegang wanted to dissuade him, but Emperor Jiajing said again: "When the country uses money, it is considered a great achievement to be able to solve this problem. Whoever can do it will be rewarded heavily. Of course, it can also be used to eliminate sins. God I have forgiven him all the big sins.”

"Is it possible that the crown prince's crime in Haozhou's defeat can be..."

Xu Jie almost blurted out.

But he suddenly woke up!

What is happening in front of me is probably the trap that Emperor Jiajing and Yan Song worked together to dig for themselves in advance?
"can."

Too late.

Emperor Jiajing had already taken up Xu Jie's words and continued.

"If the prince can complete the tax collection, I will also exempt him from the crime of losing the city and defeating the army. The prince's position will still be his."

Xu Jie was numb.

Serving a king like Jiajing can really destroy all his illusions about the emperor.

But numbness has not reached its limit yet.

Yan Song took out another volume of documents from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Jie.

The old chief assistant's gloating voice sounded in his ears.

"If the prince accepts this job, please do so."

"In the name of the crown prince, 'supervisory eunuchs' are dispatched to all parts of the country to supervise taxation."

"When the admiral eunuch arrives at the local level, he can set up tax collection items based on the local conditions."

"Such as minerals, salt, iron, tea, etc."

"There are no restrictions on the amount of taxation or the period of time, and the supervising eunuch can execute it arbitrarily."

"As long as we can raise enough funds for military training for the imperial court..."

After Xu Jie heard this, his eyes were dazzled and he almost fell down.

Where is the tax?

It’s simply a plunder of people’s wealth!

However, he was also named Prince Wanli...