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Chapter 678 Military Expenditure (I)

If Jiang Shaohua doesn't take action, it's fine, but once he does, it's with tremendous force.

The national treasury had two huge amounts of unexpected wealth, which were enough to cover military expenses without having to wait for the confiscation of property from several royal palaces.

Jiang Shaohua expressed satisfaction with the efficiency of the Ministry of Revenue and praised Minister Ji at the grand court meeting held once every two weeks.

Minister Ji thanked him with great fear and trepidation.

Jiang Shaohua asked with a smile: "Minister Ji, when can this year's military funds be allocated to the Ministry of War?"

The unprecedented enrichment of the national treasury gave Minister Ji confidence. Minister Ji straightened his back and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is calculating the military expenditure and various expenses. At most, it will take six or seven days to transfer this year's military expenditure to the Ministry of War."

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly, and then immediately mentioned Minister Ding's name: "Minister Ding, you have also heard what Minister Ji said. During these few days, the Ministry of War will also count all the military rosters. When the time comes to distribute military funds, don't make any mistakes."

"If anyone dares to withhold military funds, or thinks of taking advantage of the money, Wan Langzhong's fate will be imminent."

This hanging guillotine is about to hang over the Ministry of War.

Minister Ding broke out in a cold sweat, but he remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will definitely complete this task."

Next, even if he didn't eat or sleep, he had to keep his eyes open and watch the people in the Ministry of War. If he caused any more trouble, he, the acting minister, would never be able to become a permanent official.

Jiang Shaohua was satisfied to see that Minister Ding understood what he meant, so he said, "I sent someone back to Nanyang County a few days ago to deliver a letter to ask Commander Qin and others from the Imperial Guard to come to the capital. It is not a trivial matter to distribute the military expenses for escorting troops, so I plan to send more people to assist the Ministry of War in completing the task. What do you think, Minister Ding?"

Minister Ding did not think twice and immediately responded, "I was worried about the lack of manpower in the Ministry of War. The emperor sent people to help me, which solved my urgent need. On behalf of the Ministry of War, I would like to thank the emperor for his grace."

Minister Wang, who was standing by, was quite unhappy. However, the Ministry of Revenue had soup and silver, and the Ministry of War was in charge of all the troops in Daliang. It was only natural for the emperor to place a confidant in the Ministry of War. He had no right to question it.

After the grand court meeting, all the officials returned to their respective offices to do their work.

After Minister Ding returned to the Ministry of War, he summoned all the officials and assigned them tasks one by one. Finally, he solemnly emphasized: "Everyone has seen how busy the Ministry of Revenue has been these days."

"In a few days, more than three million taels of military funds will be allocated to the Ministry of War. Many eyes are watching us inside and outside the court, and the emperor will pay close attention to every move of the Ministry of War."

"I don't need to explain how to do things. Everyone should know it. Don't talk about the usual practices. They are all old news. A new emperor must have a new look. The military expenditure must be calculated and allocated to each army."

"If anyone is brave enough to try the beheading knife on the execution ground, then just pretend that I have said nothing."

The officials looked at each other and assured each other: "Don't worry, Lord Minister, we know the seriousness of the matter."

"We work hard and never take bribes."

"We will never play tricks on you."

Minister Ding coughed and looked at Minister Wang suggestively.

As the left minister, Wang Shilang was originally slightly higher than Minister Ding. Now he was suppressed by Minister Ding and he was resentful. Moreover, Minister Ding had a deputy title and had not officially become a minister. Wang Shilang was not too respectful to Minister Ding: "Why is Minister Ding looking at me like this? If you have the leisure to criticize me, you might as well think about how to sort out the military register." "The emperor said at the court meeting today that he would send people to the Ministry of War to check the military register in a few days. They are all experts who understand military affairs, and they can't be fooled."

Minister Wang's tone and demeanor were quite irritating. However, his reminder was indeed correct.

Of course the Ministry of War has a roster of soldiers. However, each army has vacancies that are not paid for without working, and there are also some generals and their personal soldiers who are not on the roster but receive high military pay. How much of the names on the roster are true and how much are false, and the true strength of each army is a mess.

The annual distribution of military funds also depends on the closeness of each army to the Ministry of War. In short, the "customs" of the Ministry of War are no less than those of the Ministry of Revenue.

Since Minister Ding was the acting minister, he had to take responsibility. If there were any major mistakes in the military records, the emperor would hold him accountable first.

Minister Ding's face turned bitter when he heard this, and he sighed, "Minister Wang is right. In the next few days, we will sort out the military register first."

……

The Ministry of War, like the Ministry of Revenue, did not close at night, and the officials who were usually relaxed and at ease were now busy as hell.

Minister Ding lived directly in the military office. Minister Wang was narrow-minded and had a bad temper. He was serious about his work and was actually better than Minister Ding. He was also busy day and night these days and also lived in the office.

The Ministry of War sorted out all the military rosters with unprecedented efficiency and carefully calculated the military expenditure required for each army.

Minister Ding went to the palace to meet the emperor with the memorial.

After reading the memorial, Jiang Shaohua did not comment. He turned to a tall and strong general and said with a smile: "Commander Liu, take a look at this memorial."

The Commander Liu that Jiang Shaohua mentioned was none other than Liu Hengchang, the commander of the third battalion of the Nanyang Imperial Guard Battalion.

In a battle at the border last year, Liu Hengchang led several thousand cavalrymen to break through the Rouran camp, killed the Rouran general, and retreated calmly. After this battle, the Rouran army lost all morale and had to retreat in defeat.

This battle made Liu Hengchang famous and he was praised by everyone as the best general under the command of Princess Nanyang.

After the princess ascended the throne, she first summoned a thousand guards to the palace to serve as imperial guards. After a while, she summoned Liu Hengchang, Qin Zhan, and Meng Dashan to the capital.

When they came, they brought with them the best soldiers from each camp. By now, most of the elite soldiers from the Nanyang Guard Camp had arrived in the capital, ready to receive orders from the emperor at any time.

As for Nanyang County, there are some personal guards and the Nanyang Army led by Yu Chong, which are enough to protect the safety of Nanyang County.

Standing in the Showa Hall today are Liu Hengchang, Qin Zhan, Meng Dashan, and several heroic young generals.

Minister Ding had never seen them before, but from their descriptions, he could guess the names and identities of these young men.

The sturdy man who is as tall as an iron tower, with a dark complexion and a rough look on his face should be Tao Da, who has extraordinary powers and is deeply loved by the emperor.

The one with bright eyes and handsome face should be Oda, the archer in the Royal Guard Battalion.

There was also a young man with a rather ordinary appearance. Could he be Li Tianxi, the eagle tamer as rumored?
In addition to the familiar Qin Hu, Meng Sanbao, Sun An and others, the emperor is surrounded by many talented people!