spend time

The prince's heart moved when he heard this, and he looked at Zheng Chen deeply: "This is actually a good idea."

Zheng Chen said in a low voice: "It is not advisable to rush into this matter. You can take care of it slowly. Sooner or later, the world will belong to His Highness. When His Highness truly takes power, no one can stop him from doing what he wants to do!"

His Highness the Prince, who was full of enthusiasm and spirit, was very happy to hear these words, and finally smiled: "You are right, I am still young, and I have plenty of time."

Zheng Chen cupped his hands and said sternly: "I am willing to serve His Highness in front of the horse and behind the horse, and follow the strength of the dog and horse!"

The prince smiled happily: "You and I grew up together, and we are brothers. I will never treat you badly in the future." After a pause, he said in a low voice: "Now the court affairs depend on Prime Minister Wang, so I always treat Wang Silang a little more favorably. This is all just for show. In my heart, you are always the closest and most trustworthy."

Zheng Chen looked grateful and responded in a low voice: "I understand His Highness's intentions. I also hope that His Highness will know my loyalty. No matter when, where or whatever happens, I will stand behind His Highness."

The prince was greatly moved and held Zheng Chen's hand firmly: "I will definitely live up to you."

The relationship between monarch and ministers is similar to the relationship between men and women.

You give me your heart, and I will never let you down.

Zheng Chen and the prince looked at each other and smiled, but it was unclear what they were thinking in their hearts.

……

"What? The imperial court wants to allocate two million taels of silver in military expenses to the border army?"

A few days later, Feng Wenming's exclamation came from the study room of Nanyang Prince's Mansion.

Jiang Shaohua looked gloomy and nodded: "Not only that, but we also need to reduce 30% of the military expenditures for the troops stationed in various places."

Chen Zhuo took over the conversation with an angry look on his face: "Relieving the victims must also be slowed down."

Feng Wenming was so angry that his veins popped out: "It's ridiculous! It's simply ridiculous! The people in the northern counties are starving to death or turning into refugees and bandits, and they need the government's relief and appeasement. Doing this will only make the north more and more chaotic."

Jiang Shaohua's eyes flashed with coldness: "For the emperor, the stability of the border troops is the most important."

That may be too callous. But for those in power, the most important thing is to ensure the stability of military power. Only when the army is stable can the country be stable.

As for how many people died in famines and wars, as long as the country's foundation is not involved, who would really care.

The upright Feng Changshi was so angry that his face turned red and sparks popped out of his eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Zhuo had no choice but to comfort him patiently: "It's useless for you to get angry in such a hurry. The deal is done. We have all received the news, which shows that the court has decided on this matter. It's better to think about it carefully and we will take it. How to deal with it."

Feng Changshi reacted very quickly and immediately looked at the princess: "Princess, the Nanyang Army's military expenses will also be reduced by 30%."

Jiang Shaohua said: "This 30% of the military expenses will be made up by the palace. The world is in chaos now, and the stronger the troops in Nanyang County are, the better. At this time, we cannot let the soldiers be discouraged."

Feng Wenming calculated in his mind and nodded reluctantly: "This year's corn and sweet potato harvest will be bumper. If you sell it, you can get a lot of money, which can just fill this gap."

When the topic of selling grain came up, Chief Wen, who had been silent all this time, suddenly became energetic and opened his mouth to say: "Princess, the Tang family has divided into three groups. Each group brings ten thousand shi of new grain. According to the previously set price of grain, , these 30,000 stones of grain should be exchanged for 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver."

"That's not how the accounts are settled." Song Yuan opened his mouth and said: "Each grain team is accompanied by five hundred soldiers. These soldiers need food and military pay. If there is a fight with bandits, there will be casualties and money will be paid. ”

"If you really think about it, selling grain is not cost-effective at all. The princess does not expect to get much money back from selling grain, but uses this name to promote new grains. Let the two high-yielding new grains of corn and sweet potatoes take root in the north. , let the people fill their bellies.”

"This is the benevolence of the princess. It cannot be calculated in terms of money."

To be able to make the taciturn Commander Song open his mouth to say such a big thing is for the princess. Chief Wen laughed and said, "Commander Song is right. However, it is always good to get some money back."

Feng Changshi nodded in agreement: "Master Wen is right, small mosquitoes are also meat."

He doesn't dislike this long history at all.

Jiang Shaohua took over the conversation: "You have to be prepared for the worst."

The worst-case scenario is that the food will be taken away by hungry people. Not only will it be impossible to promote new grains, but you may also encounter riots and dangers. As soon as Jiang Shaohua said this, all the officials sighed.

It’s so hard to do something these days.

"Chen Changshi continues to monitor the movements in the court. If there is any news, he will report it immediately."

Chen Zhuo responded solemnly.

Jiang Shaohua then ordered Feng Changshi: "As for the military expenses for the Nanyang Army, please Feng Changshi prepare as soon as possible. I will write a letter and have it sent to the Nanyang Military Camp. It will calm the hearts of all the soldiers as soon as possible."

Feng Changshi responded solemnly.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Song Yuan again: "Commander Song, the Guards Battalion sends a reply every three days. You will be responsible for this matter. If there is any change, tell me immediately."

Song Yuan accepted the order with his hands raised.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Shaohua ordered the workshop to step up the production of swords, guns, weapons and armor. The stable owner is responsible for purchasing war horses. There are also all kinds of trivial government affairs, which are all arranged one by one. In short, everyone has errands to keep busy.

……

Two days later, an official document from the imperial court regarding the reduction of military expenditures was sent to the Nanyang Military Camp.

All the generals took turns to read it. After reading it, they were either filled with indignation or turned pale.

"Our garrison is not as good as the Beijing army, so that's it. Even the border troops are overwhelming us."

"We garrison troops to guard prefectures and counties and protect local peace. Why are we not as good as the border troops?"

"General Zuo of the border army is Prime Minister Wang's lackey. Now that Prime Minister Wang has monopolized power, General Zuo has become more powerful. He opened his mouth and asked for two million taels of military expenses! He is not taking food from our mouths."

"Bah! I abandoned my wife, my wife and my children, and stayed in the military camp every day. I didn't even let them eat enough."

The generals were noisy, but Yu Chong's expression remained unchanged. He took out another letter from his sleeve: "This is a letter from the princess, take a look!"

A letter from the princess?

The generals were stunned.

Li Tie reacted the fastest and reached out to receive the letter. After reading it, he beamed with joy: "Everyone, please stop arguing. The princess said in the letter that the princess will make up for the military expenditures reduced by the imperial court."

And such good things? !
The generals' eyes lit up and they immediately crowded over to read the letter. I don't know who shouted: "If the princess treats us like this, we will all belong to the princess from now on. Even if the princess wants to rebel against the court, I will follow the princess."

Yu Chong glared at her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! The princess is loyal to the emperor, patriotic, benevolent and tolerant, and cares about the people. How can she possibly rebel?"

The general smiled coquettishly, stretched out his hand and slapped himself: "I don't have a good mouth, I just like to talk nonsense. However, my heart for the princess is true." (End of Chapter)