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Chapter 795: Prime Minister (Part )

General Zuo was strict in disciplining his troops and controlling his subordinates.

General Qin's legs softened immediately after he got angry, and he knelt down to admit his fault and apologize: "I was wrong! I deserve to die! General, please whip me to vent your anger! I will never dare to do it again!"

General Zuo snorted coldly, took the horsewhip and whipped him twice.

General Qin was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he didn't even have the courage to cry out in pain.

General Zuo threw away his whip and said coldly, "Don't mention those bad habits in the army in the past. The Zuo family's current assets are enough to last for several lifetimes. Don't be greedy anymore. You have followed me for twenty years. The Qin family is not short of money now, right?"

General Qin didn't dare to say anything and nodded repeatedly.

General Zuo continued in a deep voice: "My greatest wish is to destroy the Rouran and establish a real cause. If anyone dares to tamper with the military budget, I will not show mercy!"

After saying that, General Zuo reached out his hand to help his subordinate up, and his voice softened a little: "It is great that the emperor has allocated military funds, but if you treat the emperor as a sucker, you are very wrong."

"The Ministry of Revenue now has separate account books for each army. Every military expenditure is recorded clearly. The accounts are done by Ma Yuanwailang himself. If the accounts of the Yingwei Camp are a mess, how can I have the face to go to the palace to see the emperor if the two sides confront each other?"

"Put away all those crooked ways and do your job with all your heart."

General Qin nodded vigorously.

After being whipped twice, General Qin became much more honest. The military funds sent by the Ministry of Revenue were first used to provide relief to the dead and wounded soldiers. In the past, this was also a process of extortion at various levels, and in the end, it was good enough if 50% of it fell into the hands of the families of the dead and wounded. This time, the relief money was actually distributed according to the list.

The family members received generous compensation, and some were so excited that they burst into tears on the spot.

The soldiers of the British Guard Camp saw this and felt warm in their hearts.

Soldiers get paid for their service. The emperor treats them well, and it is only natural for them to work hard for him.

The food in the British Guards Camp is much better now than before. We can eat meat every two or three days, and the rest of the time we have hot porridge and steamed buns. Winter hasn't come yet, but the thick uniforms have been issued. They are filled with thick cotton. There are also brand new shoes and socks.

The news that the British Guard Camp was recruiting new soldiers was released, and soon many men came to sign up.

General Zuo had very high requirements for recruiting new soldiers. The first requirement was that the family must have brothers or children before they could join the army.

The second rule is to give priority to recruiting young and strong men who are from military families and have good skills. If you don't have a solid foundation, you need to be strong enough to endure the hardship of military training.

The last and most important one is that you must not have rebellious personalities and must obey military orders absolutely.

When recruiting new soldiers, General Zuo was in charge personally, with a sharp eye. Those with slightly inferior conditions were not accepted.

General Qin couldn't help but say: "The conditions for recruiting new soldiers are too strict. The stone locks have to be lifted 80 kilograms, and the arm strength must be strong and the eyesight must be good. After a few days, only about 200 people have been recruited. At this rate, how long will it take to recruit 20,000 new soldiers?"

General Zuo said coldly, "Why are you in such a hurry? Eat your meal one bite at a time and do your work one task at a time. The emperor hasn't urged you yet, but you are the first to do so."

General Qin shut up awkwardly.

……

Jiang Shaohua really had no intention of urging him.

Training soldiers is not an easy task. The Nanyang Guard Battalion is a group of elite soldiers that were raised with the help of the Nanyang Palace's rich family background, and they are also not replicable. No matter how much military funds the court allocated to the Yingwei Battalion, it is impossible to afford the Yingwei Battalion's two horses and brand new armor and weapons. General Zuo has his own way of training soldiers, and it is enough for her to give him trust and support.

If you want to truly see the results of the training, you will have to wait at least one or two years.

Time flies and it is November.

Chen Changshi finally led a group of disaster relief officials back to the capital, and received the same grand treatment as General Zuo's victory.

The emperor led all the officials out of the city to welcome him personally.

Chen Changshi got off the carriage and walked forward quickly. Before he could bow and salute, Her Majesty the Empress had already stepped forward with a smile and held Chen Changshi's arm: "Chen Changshi, you are finally back. I have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time."

Chen Changshi's heart was burning with anger, and he smiled and replied, "I am still thinking about the emperor even though I am busy outside."

When Jiang Shaohua was the Princess of Nanyang, she often went out on patrol, and Chen Changshi stayed in the palace, so it was common for them to be apart for half a year.

Now their status and position are different. As the emperor, Jiang Shaohua has to stay in the palace and cannot leave at will. But Chen Changshi has been traveling outside for half a year.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Chen Changshi carefully and sighed, "Chen Changshi has been working hard all day and has lost a lot of weight. You must rest and recuperate for a while after returning."

Chen Changshi smiled and said, "I am still thinking about returning to the court as soon as possible to relieve the emperor's worries. Since the emperor is so considerate of an old minister, will I take a month off?"

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "Just stay in the palace and rest for as long as you want."

Why are you taking a break? Don't stop grinding the mill for a single day.

Chen Changshi had long been accustomed to this, and would not expose the emperor's face in front of all the ministers. He smiled cheerfully and said, "Okay, I will follow the emperor into the palace now."

Little did he know that all the ministers were extremely envious when seeing this.

There was a precedent for the emperor to welcome a victorious general back to the capital. But it was unprecedented for the emperor to welcome a civil official who had left the capital on business. This shows how much favor the emperor had bestowed on Chen Changshi.

Looking at the present moment, the emperor has been holding Chen Changshi's arm without letting go. This posture is no different from a younger generation supporting an elder.

This royal favor is so enviable that I wish I could take his place!
Jiang Shaohua also announced in public: "Prime Minister Wang has resigned and the position of Prime Minister is vacant. I want Chen Changshi to be the Prime Minister of Daliang."

Who can object?
Who dares to object?
Minister Dong, Minister Yang, Minister Ding and others have rushed forward and surrounded Prime Minister Chen of Daliang to congratulate him.

He was promoted out of the ordinary, from a fifth-rank official to the prime minister of Daliang. There was no one like him before, and I'm afraid there will be no one like him after.

Zhang Shangshu, who was not convinced, subconsciously looked up. Unfortunately, he looked around but could not find anyone who dared to jump out and shout "This is against the rules of the court".

Where is Censor Cao?

Minister Zhang finally found the most suitable candidate and winked at Censor Cao repeatedly.

Censor Cao pretended not to notice. He had spent 50,000 taels of silver and had gone through great pains to get the position of Censor. He cherished it very much and did not want to spoil the emperor's mood at this time and be driven out of the court.

Chen Changshi was mentally prepared, but he did not expect that the Empress could not even wait to return to the palace and announced the matter publicly outside the city.

Prime Minister Chen, who was surrounded by the crowd, bowed to the Empress and said, "I will definitely live up to the trust of the Emperor! I will do my best for the Daliang Dynasty and be a good prime minister of Daliang."