Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 150 Treasury
The first thing Liu Huaishen did when he took office was to verify the specific number of troops.

You don't know until you check. You'll be shocked when you check. There were 2,600 soldiers two years ago, but this year, there are only 1,927 left.

Many military households also fled, and the exact number has not yet been determined.

However, the military officers reported only 6,327 households.

The treasury records recorded 1,721 sets of iron armor, 2,123 sets of leather armor, 500 sets of chain mail, 1,327 sets of bows, and 3,571 sets of crossbows.

But when Liu Daogui and Liu Huaishen went to inspect the armor with their troops, they found only 321 pieces of armor left, less than 700 pieces of leather armor, no chain mail, and less than 700 pieces of bows and crossbows.

If this continues, the military government will be hollowed out.

"They must have been sold for money. It's so damn shady." Liu Zun cursed.

It has long been known that Guangling sells military equipment and food to the north every year.

"It's good enough that we can be left with so much." Liu Daogui took down a crossbow. In order to sell it at a good price, someone often maintained it. It was coated with grease and beeswax. There was no big problem in pulling the string and loading the arrow.

Beeswax is one of the seven treasures of Buddhism and has been widely used in handicrafts since the Han Dynasty.

It's good to have so many things in the arsenal.

But the situation in the granary was rather miserable. The huge warehouse was completely empty, with not even a mouse to be seen...

"This damn..."

As soon as Liu Zun opened his mouth, Liu Daogui cursed him first.

Xun Xinzhi and Huan Daozhen are both very skillful.

Huan Hong lived a life of extravagance and indulgence, reveling every night, enjoying wine, beauties, and the Five Stone Powder in turn. This was how he made his money...

Liu Huaishen said darkly, "We've inherited a terrible mess. Jingkou and Guangling are just across the river from each other, and yet it's become so rotten."

"A mess is still a mess, it's better than having nothing." Liu Daogui was actually mentally prepared. As long as people are still there, nothing else matters.

"I've done some rough calculations. To support the soldiers of the Conquering Army, we need at least 80,000 strings of cash and 57,000 dan of grain each year. If war breaks out, it will be even more."

The name Liu Huaishen is not wrong. He is very cautious in everything he does.

If there was only the Zhenglu Army Headquarters, it wouldn't be a big problem, but there are eight more buildings in the north and several thousand military households in Guangling.

The money is okay, it’s barely enough, mainly for food.

"That's hard to say. We now have people with knives, are we going to starve to death? First we will take Lu County, and then we will take Yanzhou!" Liu Zun's eyes rolled and he opened his mouth.

Liu Huaishen was stunned for a moment.

Liu Daogui smiled and said, "Your brain is quite bright sometimes."

It is too difficult to take Yanzhou with the limited strength at hand, but if we can capture one or two counties in the north, we can try.

A living person cannot be suffocated to death by urine, and the knife in your hand is not just for decoration.

"Knives will rust if they are not used. We should prepare in advance. Instruct all the military sergeants and above to come to the Sima Yamen to discuss the matter." Liu Daogui turned and walked out of the granary.

"Yes, sir." The troops dispersed.

An hour later, the Sima Yamen was packed with people.

Liu Daogui glanced at the Du Bo, Qu Chang, and Sima present, and said solemnly, "Jiangzuo is in turmoil, and the Suolu are eyeing us covetously. The headquarters of the expeditionary army is located in Jiangbei, so we have the responsibility to defend the territory. From now on, the rules must be changed. We can no longer be as lazy as before."

Everyone held their breath.

"I will ensure that every grain of food and fodder for the soldiers is provided, but their training must also keep up. From now on, each unit must report only the number of personnel it has. Those who falsely report quotas or collect salaries without working will be punished by military law!"

Liu Daogui glanced at Yuan He out of the corner of his eye.

Yuan He had a blank expression on his face, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"You all know without me saying it, great achievements are just around the corner. Bring us the brazier!" Liu Zun and Meng Ganzhi carried a brazier in and placed it in the hall.

Liu Daogui pulled out a large stack of IOUs from his pocket. With the exception of Yuan He, Gao Xun, Tan Ji, and Yuan Can, almost everyone present had borrowed money from him. "From now on, you are my brothers and sisters, Liu Daogui. We will share the hard times and the happiness together."

A handful of IOUs were thrown directly into the brazier.

The flames rose up, making everyone's faces red.

Someone immediately knelt on one knee and said, "From now on, my life is dedicated to joining the army!"

"I don't want your lives, I just want you to live well, and from now on we will drive out the barbarians and take revenge!" Every word Liu Daogui said was powerful.

"Drive out the barbarians and avenge our hatred!"

Everyone was deeply moved.

The Northern Expedition against the barbarians is in the best interests of these middle and lower-level military officers. Normal channels have blocked their way to advancement, and only military achievements can allow them to break through the bottleneck of family background.

It is equivalent to a community of interests formed by Liu Daogui and them.

Of course, these military officers alone are not enough, there are also soldiers below.

Liu Daogui's principle of doing things was to use money and food to pave the way. After all the summer clothes, food, wages and bedding were distributed without a penny missing, the atmosphere of the entire military government changed in just a few days.

Efficiency was greatly improved and the morale of the soldiers was also boosted.

In the past, the money and grain in the treasury were controlled by Xun Xinzhi and Tan Daozhen, but after these two evildoers died and Liu Huaishen took office, the treasury was controlled by Liu Daogui.

Having money, food and military equipment is equivalent to controlling the lifeline of the military government.

The people below will naturally obey orders.

Taking advantage of this momentum, Liu Daogui broke up the various departments and redistributed them into four groups. Gao Xun and Tan Zhi did not object. Yuan Can had already become a coward, and the others had nothing to say.

Those who are old and weak and lack the ability will be given five strings of cash and dismissed, and replaced by young people in their families.

After all the trouble, the military strength increased to 2,100 people.

Liu Daogui took the opportunity to place his own troops in various departments and gave them priority for promotion whenever there were vacancies.

There were four groups of soldiers, each with more than 500 people.

The training ground was full of soldiers training.

Wherever Liu Daogui walked, the shouting became louder. Everyone's face turned red and they swung their long swords and stabbed their long spears with all their might.

These soldiers have good foundations and have participated in various major battles.

After a full meal, morale improved.

"Let me be frank. My men will go north to fight against the Hu people in the future. Don't be a coward. It's not too late to regret now!" Liu Daogui no longer hid.

People need dreams and goals. If they just eat and wait for death all day long, they will never become a strong army.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The soldiers roared like thunder.

All descendants of refugees want revenge.

Even though most of the Northern Expeditions over the years ended in failure, the hatred and courage deep in their bones have not dissipated.

In this era, the only way out for the lower-class soldiers is war.

The Zhenglu Army was also a branch of the Northern Army. They were quite skilled in battle formations, swords, spears, bows and crossbows. Many of them were even good at riding horses and sailing boats.

The only problem was that there were too few war horses. There were only 121 cavalrymen, one horse for each man. The horses were all weak and seemed to have not been taken care of.

(End of this chapter)