Fu Shanhe

Chapter 363: Military Pay
The threat from Annan was exposed, and a letter requesting help from the governor of Guangxi also arrived, so sending troops was put on the agenda.

All the officials present had experienced the White Lotus Rebellion and knew very well that military issues could not be delayed.

"My Lord, when are you going to send out your troops? What do you need us to prepare?"

An Qingfeng asked, suppressing the pain.

Extending your head is a knife, and shrinking your head is still a knife.

With the invasion of Annan, heavy bleeding in Guangdong Province was inevitable.

Instead of being forced to contribute money and wages, it is better to take the initiative to contribute, which can also establish the image of someone who takes the overall situation into consideration.

When one reaches his level of official position, he will have to consider issues from the overall perspective of Dayu.

“Although the situation in Guangxi is dangerous, it can still hold out for some time.

Taking the actual situation into consideration, I plan to send troops after the spring plowing.

Before that, the main focus was on raising money and grain.

The Annanites are quite powerful and the war cannot be ended overnight.

Guangdong and Guangxi are not major grain-producing provinces, and their previous support for the recovery of Huguang and Jiangxi had exhausted local grain reserves.

The price of grain in the private sector remains high. This time, we will not collect grain locally, but purchase it from outside instead. You only need to prepare military pay.

In the early stage, we need to prepare 3 million taels of silver, Guangxi will raise 20% on its own, Guangdong will bear 60%, and the remaining 20% ​​will be applied for funding from the court. "

Li Mu's answer made everyone feel relieved.

With only the provision of military pay and no need to raise food and fodder, everyone's pressure was suddenly relieved a lot.

The 1.8 million taels to be shared is certainly a large number, but with the dividends brought by overseas trade, it is not impossible to raise this amount of money.

The way to raise money has been shown to everyone by Marquis Wuyang. If you don't have money, you can just collect likin from maritime merchants.

Although this wave of operations legalized maritime trade to a certain extent and violated the court's maritime ban policy, special treatment was required in special times.

They were not the only ones collecting taxes. The neighboring provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang also demanded money from maritime merchants.

If the rebellion is quelled, it is estimated that Nanzhili will also impose taxes on maritime merchants.

The noble group is not a vested interest group in overseas trade, but a vested interest group in imposing tariffs.

Half of the money and food for the troops under the command of the noble generals was contributed by maritime merchants, which was the motivation for everyone to levy taxes.

All the officials present were outsiders who had accepted benefits from the maritime merchants in private, but this was not enough to make them jump out and fight against the general trend.

The profits from maritime trade are lucrative enough, so even if a tax is added, everyone can still make a lot of money.

After all, Dayu’s products are in a monopoly position and are irreplaceable.

As a participant in overseas trade, Li Mu knew very well what the word "Dayu" meant in this era.

No matter what product it is, as long as it is produced by Dayu, it will be a luxury product when it goes overseas.

Even chamber pots used by the public can be sold at sky-high prices overseas and are highly sought after by dignitaries from all over the world.

"My Lord, we can raise the military pay as soon as possible, but I'm afraid we won't be able to buy military rations in a short period of time.

The whole world is short of food now, and the food from Huguang and Jiangxi must be supplied first to the army that is suppressing the rebellion.

In the past, we purchased food from overseas, but now that Annan has invaded Guangxi, I’m afraid the food routes to Southeast Asia will also be affected.”

An Qingfeng reminded immediately.

Officials serving in Guangdong have a much broader vision than officials in other regions and are very aware that there is a vast world outside Dayu.

It is no secret that food is purchased from Southeast Asia.

Compared to Dayu where food prices are rising, food prices in the Nanyang region are much cheaper.

The most important thing is that you can barter. Dayu’s commodities are all high-premium products, and there are huge profits in the middle.

The government troops were able to launch a counterattack against the rebels in a short period of time, and the cheap military rations purchased from outside were also an important factor.

Now that war has broken out, without food imports from Indochina, purchasing military rations from abroad has become much more difficult.

Even if it can be purchased, the cost will increase.

An Qingfeng was very worried that Li Mu had underestimated the amount and failed to buy enough military rations, and finally had to levy it on them.

“Don’t worry, Lord An, those merchants have a keener sense of smell than us.

As far as I know, as soon as the Annan Mission Case broke out, some people predicted that there would be a war between Dayu and Annan, and began to stockpile food and fodder in advance.

I sent people to negotiate with them. They are all loyal people of Dayu and are willing to sell grain to the court at a fair price."

Li Mu said with a smile.

Ordinary maritime merchants naturally cannot predict how the situation will develop, let alone determine the exact time for the war to begin.

But the sea merchants under his command are an exception.

It would be unreasonable if we did not stock up on food after receiving the accurate information.

Given the grain prices in Guangdong, even if grain is sold at a fair price, there will still be huge profits.

In addition to the people arranged by Li Mu, there were also some sea merchants who followed suit and stockpiled a lot of grain.

The people sent out to negotiate were mainly targeted at these maritime merchants.

In wartime, there is never too much food.

The negotiations went very smoothly. The Dayu Dynasty was a world where officials were the most important thing, and everyone's greatest pursuit was always to become an official.

After some friendly negotiations, these people became Li Mu's grain-raising officers.

Not only maritime merchants, but also some pirates with good reputations were secretly summoned to peace by Li Mu.

In order to take over the Kingdom of Annan, he had secretly begun preparations two or three years ago.

……

After finishing the official business, everyone lost interest and left in twos and threes.

"Be careful!"

Seeing his wife walking towards him briskly, Li Mu hurriedly reminded her.

Compared with a few months ago, Jing Yaqing's belly is already noticeable.

"What's there to be afraid of? A pregnant woman can still work in the fields!"

Jing Yaqing said playfully.

These are facts. Pregnant women in the Dayu Dynasty were far less pampered than in later generations.

The lower class people are struggling to survive and do not have the conditions to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

Only rich peasant families could occasionally eat eggs.

Rich families have no shortage of material things and want to live a more comfortable life, but they also have to abide by the rules of etiquette.

The Hanshuihou Mansion is an exception. There are no direct elders above them, and the two of them are the rule makers.

Li Mu didn't take seriously the rules that restricted the ladies of the inner chamber, such as how to walk and how to behave. Jing Yaqing also chose to pretend not to know.

Compared to her former best friend, her life is the least worrying.

Although she refused verbally, she was still very touched by Li Mu's concern.

"You are just naughty."

Seeing this scene, Li Mu stretched out his finger and gently poked his wife's forehead.

He did not continue to argue on this issue. Reason told him that reasoning with a pregnant woman would not have any good results.

"I heard that Annan got into trouble again. How long will you stay at home this time?"

Jing Yaqing asked with concern.

Being in a noble family, one is bound to be inseparable from politics, and even those in the inner court must keep an eye on the situation in the court.

When Annan invaded, Li Mu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was the first to bear the brunt, and it was only a matter of time before he rushed to the front line.

“We can probably stay here until the spring ploughing season, but it all depends on how the situation develops.

If we are lucky, we will be able to see our baby being born.”

Li Mu said slightly embarrassedly.

He had planned this war himself, taking every aspect into consideration, except for the time of his child's birth. From the intelligence he had gathered, the Annan people would choose to send troops after the spring ploughing next year, but war had to be prepared in advance.

It is impossible to wait until the enemy army arrives before starting preparations.

Fortunately, due to the difference in climate between the two places, the spring plowing period in Guangdong ended slightly earlier, otherwise there would not be enough time for the spring plowing to proceed.

In fact, Li Mu could also choose to take action in advance and not give the enemy a chance to start spring plowing.

However, the Guangdong and Guangxi garrisons were the largest landlords, and the two to three million soldiers and civilians under them all depended on the land for their livelihood.

Once the farming season is missed, the self-sufficient system of the garrison will be broken.

What's more, he also hoped that the troops could get food from the enemy and reduce the logistical pressure of the army.

If the agricultural production of the Annan people is affected, even if the army attacks, it will not know who to rob.

“It’s good enough to be able to stay at home for the New Year.

In the past few years since we got married, I have spent most of the New Year's Eve alone."

Jing Yaqing said in a low voice.

The outside world only sees her glorious life after marriage and her comfortable life, but only she knows the pain involved.

If I were in the capital, I would have my family, relatives and friends around me, but this is Guangdong.

Li Mu was not at home, so when a group of officials came to pay New Year's greetings, he just sent them away, leaving their gifts behind.

As for the connections between the concubines in the harem, because of the differences in status, everyone approaches her with a purpose and it is difficult for them to become true friends.

Staying in the mansion all day, no matter how big the mansion is, you will eventually get bored.

"Don't worry, we won't be separated again.

After we defeat Annan, I will lead troops less often, and I will have more time to spend with you and the children."

Li Mu comforted him immediately.

The planning of Annan is highly confidential and currently only a few participants know about it.

For safety reasons, even if it is your own wife, it must be kept secret.

Especially since Jing Yaqing is pregnant, I don’t know what she would think if she knew about this.

After all, compared to the prosperous capital, Annan is a remote and poor place.

No one wanted to go to Annan if they could return to the capital.

Even when developing Annan, Li Mu did not rely on immigration in the early stages, but instead planned to use exiled criminals.

If we want immigrants to come in voluntarily, either the country will be in chaos or the drought in the north will get worse.

Otherwise, it is difficult to leave one's homeland, and even if the best conditions are offered, it will be difficult to attract enough immigrants.

This is the case for ordinary people, let alone Jing Yaqing who has been pampered since childhood.

Even if you reluctantly agree, it's hard not to complain in your heart.

It's easy to get into trouble if you have too many thoughts during pregnancy.

Not only did his wife have to keep it a secret, but all of Li Mu's men and clan members were also tricked into getting on the chariot.

When the plan succeeded and the court issued an imperial edict, the emperor would take the blame.

The king's order is difficult to disobey, this reason is enough to convince everyone.

When the time comes and the benefits are shared, everyone will settle down in Annan and their foundation will be stable.

Li Mu had studied history. He knew that the dispute between civil and military officials was just the fuse when Dayu lost Jiaozhi.

The fundamental reason is the lack of supporters at the local level.

The local gentry failed to integrate into the Dayu system and were regarded as a barbaric land by the imperial court and officials. Few of their children were able to serve as officials in the court.

Without being able to share power and gain political status, there is naturally no sense of belonging.

Not only did they fail to win over the upper class, but the ordinary people below also did not benefit from it.

Although Yu's army went there and killed the rebellious warlords, it did not touch the social system.

There has been no substantial change in the lives of the lower-class people.

Anyway, they are all struggling to survive, so it doesn't matter to them who is the emperor.

The right to speak was in the hands of local gentry, and once they instigated them, the neutral people quickly stood against Dayu.

Once you realize the problem, you naturally have to find ways to change it.

The price to pay for winning over the local gentry is too high, and Li Mu cannot afford this benefit.

What's more, those little brothers who followed him couldn't just work there for nothing, as they all needed to eat meat.

It is not enough to just drive away the King of Annan, the vested interest groups must also be eliminated so that there will be enough cake for the younger brothers to share.

If the younger brothers can eat the meat and the local people can drink the soup, the first step will be considered a success.

The next step is to vigorously promote immigration, increase the proportion of Yu people, and encourage ethnic integration.

The cultures of the two places are similar, and the living habits are not very different, so there won't be too much resistance.

After decades, they will be indistinguishable from each other.

If there are enough immigrants, this progress can be accelerated.

……

Guilin Prefecture.

"Governor, good news!"

“Hanshui Hou has returned to Guangzhou from the front and will personally preside over the next battle.

This is the battle plan sent by the Governor's Office. According to the requirements, we only need to raise 20% of the military expenses, a total of 600,000 taels of silver."

Jabo said with a delighted look on his face.

He has been dealing with Li Mu for the longest time, and he has the most confidence in Li Mu.

The Annanites claimed to have an army of one million, and even if the number was halved, it would still pose a fatal threat to Guangxi.

He would not feel at ease if anyone else was in charge of the war, except Li Mu.

"Oh!"

“Han Shui Hou is back, it seems the previous rumors were true.

The imperial court intended to let Han Shui Hou serve as acting governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi to preside over the war against Annan.

This war is to protect Guangxi. It is reasonable to ask us to raise 20% of the military pay, but these 600,000 taels are not easy to raise!"

Zhang Sihan said with a frown.

He was not jealous at all about letting Li Mu act as the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

The war broke out suddenly and the plan to transfer troops failed. He felt at ease only when he had a capable commander in the front.

The task of raising funds assigned to him also took into account the actual situation in Guangxi, but he was still worried.

Unlike Guangdong, Guangxi did not benefit from the maritime trade.

Even though the port was secretly opened, there were still very few sea merchants settling here.

Especially after the war with Annan, the trade routes to Indochina were cut off and the opportunity to serve as a transit station was gone.

Customs revenue was not much, and the province's mineral resources had been packed up and sold out long ago. Unfortunately, Guangxi's land was still barren and it was the birthplace of the rebellion, so they did not dare to increase the tax on the land.

It is extremely difficult to complete the task of raising funds in a short period of time.

"Governor, we can always find a way to solve the problem of food and wages.

As long as we can keep Guangxi, it is worth paying a certain price."

Zhou Zhenbang said righteously.

The governor, the provincial governor, and the provincial judge have always been the three giants in the province.

Due to the different division of work, the task of raising funds mainly fell on the governor and the provincial governor, and it was not the turn of him, the provincial judge, to worry about it.

If you don't have to do the work yourself, you will naturally be more confident when speaking.

(End of this chapter)