Fu Shanhe

Chapter 365 Everyone gets what they need
Thang Long City.

"Ministry of Revenue, how long will it take to raise all the money and grain?"

As the date for sending troops approached, Hu Xinbo became more and more concerned about the issue of money and food.

Unlike previous foreign expeditions, you can just send out an army.

To face a behemoth like Dayu, you must give it your all.

"Your Majesty, up to now, the Ministry of Revenue has collected a total of 1 million dan of grain, 1.5 million taels of silver, 200,000 pieces of cloth, and salt..."

Before Ruan Xinjie could finish speaking, Hu Xinbo's expression changed.

The amount of funds raised seemed considerable, but it was still far from what he expected.

Logically speaking, the Dai Viet Dynasty had enjoyed good weather and good harvests for decades, and the treasury should have some savings.

However, the previous emperor liked external expansion and launched foreign wars every now and then.

Even if it means bullying indigenous tribes, a lot of money and food will be consumed.

The territory has expanded, but most of the newly added land is undeveloped.

The taxes collected are not enough to cover administrative expenses.

Intellectually speaking, what they need most now is to organize immigrants to develop these new territories, rather than go to war with the Dayu Dynasty.

"The efficiency is too slow!"

"The people of the neighboring Yu Dynasty were able to raise 2.4 million taels of silver in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions alone. Could it be that my Dai Viet Dynasty is not as good as their two provinces?"

Hu Xinbo scolded harshly.

Since the outbreak of the war, they have stepped up intelligence gathering on Dayu, especially in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Li Mu's fundraising for military funds in Guangdong and Guangxi was open to the public, so it was not difficult to obtain the intelligence.

With contrast, there is harm.

No matter what, Hu Xinbo could not accept that the Dai Viet Empire could not catch up with the two provinces of its neighbor next door.

“Your Majesty, our situation is different from Dayu’s.

Since the rise of overseas trade, Dayu has become a trade black hole, and all the silver in the world has been pouring into Dayu.

When it comes to private silver reserves, I'm afraid any province in Dayu has more than us.

But we also have our own advantages. Domestic prices are much lower than those in Dayu.

With the same amount of silver, we can purchase more supplies.”

Ruan Xinjie hurriedly explained.

To compete with Dayu in financial strength is simply to bring humiliation upon oneself.

The reason why the imperial court of Dayu was poor was that its system was rigid and its tax system was distorted, making it unable to mobilize wealth among the people.

After delegating power to local governors, the government raised enough military funds to quell the rebellion without imposing excessive taxes or touching upon the core interests of the literati.

If a thorough tax reform had been carried out and all taxes had been collected, the fiscal revenue of the Dayu Dynasty would definitely have exceeded that of the two Song dynasties.

Such a strong family background is not something that a single vassal state like them can challenge.

"Humph!"

With an indignant shout, Hu Xinbo reluctantly accepted the reality.

Looking anywhere in the world, the Dai Viet Dynasty is considered a great power, except in front of Dayu.

This kind of geopolitics has become their nightmare.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

“No matter how powerful Dayu was, that is all in the past.

Dayu, which has been plagued by internal and external troubles for a long time, may collapse at any time.

The emperor of the Yu Dynasty was so arrogant that he dared to challenge the powerful Dai Viet Dynasty, which was completely his own destruction.

When we march north to annex Guangdong and Guangxi, we will surely make Emperor Yongning submit to us!"

The Minister of Rites Ruan Yixiu immediately began to persuade him.

As the new emperor's confidant, he didn't know how to solve the problem, but the emotional value must be maximized.

If you make the emperor happy, everyone's life will be better.

"Ministry of War, don't tell me, you are not ready either?"

After calming down, Hu Xinbo turned around and asked.

It is normal that the problem of money and grain is difficult to solve. Any dynasty that has been established for more than a hundred years will find that there is not enough money.

The ever-bloated bureaucratic system is the biggest money-eating monster that can devour any amount of money.

The army is different. Dai Viet does not have its horses roaming the mountains. During the reign of the previous emperor, it destroyed countless countries.

"Your Majesty, the 300,000-man army is ready, but there is a serious shortage of weapons.

Many weapons were forged decades ago and need to be replaced.

Especially in terms of the number of armors, the gap is even more serious.

The Ministry of War has already issued a document urging the Ministry of Industry to produce weapons as soon as possible. The specific progress should be asked from the Ministry of Industry. "

The Minister of War Chen Chuyang immediately tried to shift the blame to Jiangdong.

The number of the army is 300,000, but no one knows how many of them are just filling in the numbers.

The practice of drawing a salary without doing anything was not unique to the Dayu Dynasty.

When it comes to interests, bureaucrats from all countries are the same.

Following the example of Big Brother, their military household system has now developed to the point where it is also on the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, there is everything in this world except people.

By recruiting some able-bodied men from the public, the quota can be filled quickly.

As for how much fighting power these newcomers have, it is not the officials' concern.

Anyway, the main force on the battlefield will always be those elite troops.

Whether or not victory can be achieved depends mainly on the main force confrontation between the two sides, and the other troops are just following the trend.

"Ministry of Industry!"

Upon hearing the emperor's name, the Minister of Works Tai Mochuan immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, all weapons are being urgently produced.

However, there are too many weapons that need to be replaced, and many weapons that should have been replaced long ago have not been replaced in a timely manner, which has increased our workload.

Dayu is different from the enemies we encountered before.

Considering that the Northern Expedition would require sieges, we specially produced a batch of large-caliber artillery.

The workload is too heavy now, the craftsmen are overwhelmed and there are also problems with the supply of raw materials.

The Ministry of Industry can only choose to manufacture the most important weapons first, and the rest will be made up later without affecting the combat effectiveness of the army."

The twists and turns of the answer made Hu Xinbo very satisfied.

This is the attitude we want.

It doesn’t matter if you have difficulties, as long as you find a way to solve them.

What he hated most was that whenever there were difficulties, people below him would push the problems onto him, the emperor.

However, as the protagonist, Tai Mochuan was secretly complaining.

In the past, when we bullied the natives, we could always gain an overwhelming advantage by forging any weapon.

The funds for the research and development of firearms had long been wasted by the Ministry of Industry.

Funds for daily weapon construction were often withheld, and firearm explosions were common.

When we supported the White Lotus rebels before, they purchased several batches of firearms and then no longer wanted them.

Now that the enemy has changed to Dayu, there will be no such good thing.

If the gap in weapons between the two sides is too big and they miss a trap on the battlefield, it could be very fatal.

Of course, this is not the most fatal thing.

The difference in quality could be covered up with excuses, and the emperor was not clear about the specific situation.

It would be really difficult to accomplish the task if the quantity is not achieved.

In this era of pure handmade products, apart from the Dayu Dynasty, who else has the military production capacity to fill the equipment gap of nearly 200,000 people in just a few months!

However, the emperor is not a reasonable creature. Once a task is assigned, it must be completed.

After a brief hesitation, Tai Mochuan made a decision that followed his heart.

As a soldier, as long as he has a weapon in his hand, it doesn’t matter what he holds.

By gathering all the equipment for the main force, the other troops, whether holding spears or swords, can go into battle and kill the enemy.

Anyway, everyone gets a share when it comes to making money, and the Ministry of War can only help them cover up.

……

Governor's Office.

As spring ploughing began, the smell of gunpowder in the air became stronger. As the actual person in charge of the military and political affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi, Li Mu also became busy.

"My Lord, the pirate representatives from all over the country have arrived at the reception room."

Wu Dage stepped forward and reported.

Throughout the dynasties, it has never been an easy task to carry out large-scale recruitment.

In past cases of surrender, it was not uncommon for officials to suddenly turn against the government or for bandits to pretend to surrender.

If you want to recruit pirates, you not only have to report to the emperor for approval, but you also have to resolve the trust issue between the two sides.

"Please serve tea first. I will be here later."

Li Mu said slowly.

There are countless pirates of all sizes along the coast of Dayu.

Those invited here today are all pirate gangs with a size of thousands.

The most powerful gang among them even owns hundreds of ships and has tens of thousands of armed personnel.

In terms of overall strength, these pirates are stronger than the imperial navy.

Li Mu had previously imitated the West and built sailing warships with good combat effectiveness, but the sailing ships were complicated and difficult to control.

The East China Sea and the South China Sea have numerous islands and reefs, and the climate is changeable, which is not suitable for development at all.

It's fine for guarding the near coast, but the risk factor is too high if it is used to go out and suppress pirates.

If force can’t solve the problem, then we have to resort to political means.

Given his status and position, there was no need for him to personally take part in such a trivial matter as recruiting pirates.

Lower yourself to meet these people, that will be useful next.

……

"I am honored to meet you, Lord Marquis!"

In the hall, a group of pirates knelt down and bowed respectfully.

It can be seen that the temptation of the organization to these pirates is extremely great.

"You don't have to be polite!"

“I invited everyone here today mainly to discuss two things.

One is about recruiting you all, and the other is about sending troops to Annan.

In my opinion, these two things can be combined into one.

The people of Annan refuse to submit to the king's rule and have repeatedly challenged the authority of Dayu. Your Majesty has decided to use military force against Annan.

This is the best opportunity for you.

I, the marquis, make the decision. As long as anyone present kills the head of an Annan soldier, the court will pardon that person.

If 10,000 Annan soldiers were killed, 10,000 would be pardoned.

The excess heads will be directly counted as military merit and the person can obtain an official position granted by the court.

The level of your official position will determine the organization of your soldiers in the future.

Of course, as government troops, they cannot continue looting, but appropriate taxation is still feasible.

As for how to collect the money, we can sit down and discuss it together after the recruitment is completed."

After accepting the greetings from everyone, Li Mu directly put forward the plan of recruiting them.

Frankly speaking, this plan to recruit people seems to be a borrowed knife to kill someone.

But for pirates, they are not afraid of the court making conditions, but they are afraid of the court not making any demands.

Without any reason, no one would risk losing their job to recruit a group of pirates.

Pie in the sky often means risk.

"My Lord, the court asked us to send troops without paying any military pay. Isn't this too much?"

The scarred man was the first to question.

He was originally a soldier in Dayu. Because he could not make ends meet, he took a group of people out to sea to become pirates.

After engaging in the lucrative profession of piracy, Zhu Zhongxuan's career reached its peak and he soon became one of the most powerful pirates in the coastal areas.

Knowing that the pirate profession is a dangerous and bloody job, it is not a long-term solution.

After robbing for several years and making enough money, he gradually began to think about quitting.

When he heard that the famous Marquis of Hanshui was interested in recruiting the pirates, he suddenly became interested.

Who would be willing to be a pirate among the people who can return to the court?

No matter how much you earn overseas, it is hard to be accepted by the upper class, and you can't even enter the ancestral tomb after you die.

In comparison, being an official is much more comfortable.

Not only can you sleep soundly at night, but you can also return home in glory and become the envy of your childhood playmates.

"Master Zhu, you have misunderstood the situation. You are still pirates, not the army of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Don't ask for any military pay from me before I am officially incorporated.

I know exactly how rich the sea is, and none of you are short of money.

Giving you an opportunity to send troops shows that I think highly of you.

If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of people out there who are willing to do it.

Among those sea merchants, there were also many who wanted to become officials.

The thing that the Dayu Dynasty had the most was people. They could pull together a team with just a wave of their hands.

It’s just Annan, it won’t take much effort to clean up.

Let you do it, you are the most professional in looting and can rob Annan cleanly.

I want a stable Annan. Your mission is to help me eliminate the local gentry and officials and leave a clean Annan!"

Li Muhao's strength frightened the pirates.

The overwhelming aura almost suffocated many people and awakened their deep-seated fear of the government.

Fortunately, the momentum came quickly and went away quickly.

After coming to their senses, everyone became excited again.

Even if we put aside the issue of surrender, plundering Annan is also very profitable.

Once the government troops send out troops, the main force of the Annan people will inevitably be attracted over.

The Kingdom of Annan, with its empty rear, is a huge fat sheep.

Asking them to purge the officials and gentry within Annan was clearly a way to allow them to go there and make money.

In addition to plundering merchant ships, these pirates would occasionally plunder some small countries in Southeast Asia.

There was no psychological pressure to attack the Annan people.

Compared with simple robberies in the past, this operation was a legal robbery.

Capturing a head not only removes the wanted warrants off their heads, but also provides the opportunity to obtain an official position.

As for the notoriety caused by the massacre of Annan, it is not a problem at all.

Li Mu, a nobleman with a good family background, needs to take care of his reputation, but these pirates don't need to.

Even if it gets out, it's better to be more debt-free.

"My Lord, I am just a rough man. Please forgive me for my mistakes. Don't take it personally.

Isn’t it just about dealing with the Annamites?
My Lord, just wait and see. This time, I, Zhu Zhongxuan, will definitely cut off 20,000 heads of Annan people to make amends to you!"

The window paper was broken, and Zhu Zhongxuan, who knew the current situation, immediately apologized.

Seeing this scene, the other pirate leaders were instantly annoyed.

It's not that he's unruly at all, he's just looking for an opportunity to get closer to people.

At this moment, everyone was sure that no matter what explanation Li Mu gave, Zhu Zhongxuan would bow his head and apologize.

There is no other reason, just because Li Mu was the Marquis of Han Shui who had the most outstanding military achievements in the Dayu Dynasty and was in charge of Guangdong and Guangxi.

If you want to return to the imperial camp, you must quickly hold on to the thigh in front of you, otherwise it will be difficult to see him in the future.

As for the promise to behead Annan, that was not a problem at all.

It is indeed difficult for these pirates to deal with the regular army of Annan.

But Li Mu had made it clear that they had to clean out the officials and gentry of Annan, and the heads of these people would also count.

After looting along the way, all the heads were collected.

As a military leader, with Li Mu's status and position, there is no need for him to fool these pirates.

They don't want to do this kind of thing to make money, but there are many people out there who want to do it.

As long as the news is spread and everyone knows that Annan's rear is empty, pirates will come to visit.

(End of this chapter)