Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 72 Army Expansion
After talking about household registration, township pavilions, and farmland, Cao Qiu gave a brief introduction to Yuncheng's taxes, corvee labor, and houses last year, and then talked about the money, silk, and grain in the treasury.

When describing the amount of money, silk, and grain in the treasury, he first observed Yan Yi, then said loudly: "The total amount of grain stored in the city treasury is about 130,000 dan, 17 million yuan, 7,600 pieces of cloth and silk, 5,300 catties of salt, 54,000 catties of iron, 35,000 catties of wine, and 800 pigs, cattle, sheep, and other livestock."

This number is greatly inflated because it only shows the amount of money and goods in the public treasury, and does not include the private treasuries of Qian Tong and his subordinates. If the private treasuries are included, the number would be far more than this.

This was also Yan Yi's instruction, and he did not intend to disclose the real figures.

Especially the eight boxes of gold seized from Qian Tong. So far, only he, Xu Sheng and Zhao Cuo knew about it. Even Zhao Cuo just hurriedly opened the lid of the box and glanced at it a few times before daring to look at it again. The cavalrymen present were strictly ordered not to reveal a single word, regardless of whether they knew about it or not.

It can be said that Yan Yi was the only one who knew the full truth about the spoils of war in the Yuncheng battle, and what was exposed to the outside world was just the tip of the iceberg.

But even so, the announced number still shocked the generals present.

Most of them come from humble backgrounds, and in their eyes, this amount of money is an astronomical figure. If it were just a number, it would be fine, but there have been rumors recently that the young prince intends to use most of this money to reward soldiers. This is no longer just a number, but is closely related to them.

The rumor was naturally spread by Yan Yi. Before entering the city, he issued an order to the entire army, strictly prohibiting looting of civilians and plundering of warehouses. However, this was a difficult thing to control. The soldiers who followed him to fight were all willing to die for him, and he did not want to see anyone being punished by military law for committing a crime, so he spread the rumor in advance to appease them.

When Cao Qiu finished his story and returned to the table, he smiled under everyone's expectant gaze and said loudly, "Before setting out from Wucheng, I promised that if we were victorious in this battle, I would reward us generously. Now that the merit list has been compiled, today is the day for me to fulfill my promise. Of the amount of money and goods Zi Ji just mentioned, I have decided to take 70% to reward the entire army and provide compensation for the deceased. The details will be announced at 3:00 PM today."

The generals who participated in the Battle of Yuncheng were overjoyed and stood up to express their gratitude.

Cao Qiu smiled and twirled his beard. He was a civil servant, and although he did not participate in the war, he still received his share of the reward.

As for Li Chou, Wei Kuan and other generals who came from Wucheng, they could only look at the others with envy. Wei Kuan was even more worried and forced a smile.

Chen Gan shouted at the top of his voice, "I knew the young master would not treat us unfairly. I only regret that I couldn't kill more bandits that day."

Fan Yan glared at him and said, "Don't be greedy for more."

Xu Sheng's face was also very excited, and Zhao Cuo was grinning from ear to ear.

Not to mention their apparent achievements, the reward Yan Yi gave to the two of them just for recovering the eight boxes of gold was already an astonishing figure.

Zhao Cuo was full of high spirits and felt as if he was in a dream. A month ago, he was just an ordinary farmer living in the countryside. To put it nicely, he was a frivolous knight, to put it bluntly, he was a despised scoundrel. But now he has a future, wealth, and women. It is really a world of difference between the mud and the clouds.

After a while of laughter, everyone began to discuss military matters, and Fan Yan then reported the casualties of the Battle of Yuncheng.

Everyone present restrained their smiles at this topic, and Yan Yi felt particularly heavy-hearted, with a hint of sadness.

When he came, he brought 1,500 soldiers with him. Now, there are only 900 soldiers left, and more than 100 of them are seriously injured. From now on, they can no longer wield swords and bows and fight on the battlefield. They can only return home and spend the rest of their lives in leisure.

Half of the troops that laid the foundation for his career have been destroyed.

Yan Yi was experiencing the cruelty of war for the first time, and he said in a deep voice: "For those who return home seriously injured, we will send them money and food regularly, and instruct the township government to take good care of them." Cao Qiu quickly agreed.

Fan Yan's voice continued to reach the crowd: "A total of 1,300 soldiers surrendered, approximately 20% of whom were considered elite. We also seized 2,100 ring swords, 1,800 spears, 320 iron halberds, 2,500 bows, 200 crossbows, 90 war horses, 200 sets of iron armor, 900 sets of leather armor, two flying towers, three tower cars, and five battering rams."

Yan Yi listened quietly to him and nodded, saying, "Very good. Our army is not short of food and fodder now. If we purchase a batch of weapons, it will be enough to support us. We should expand our army!"

The generals looked solemn. Fan Yan asked, "How much do you plan to expand your army?"

Yan Yi had already considered this issue and immediately said, "Expand the army by 5,000 first."

The money, goods and food in Yuncheng were enough to support the needs of 5,000 troops for two years. For him at this time, 5,000 troops was not a big pressure.

Everyone keenly caught the word "first".

Fan Yan and the others weren't overly surprised; instead, they felt a surge of excitement. Li Chou, Wei Kuan, and other generals were beating their hearts, sensing for the first time a hint of ambition in Yan Yi's words. Wei Kuan steeled himself and said, "Young Master, should we discuss this matter with the Commander first?"

Yan Yi had an expression that would not allow any doubt to be raised, and his voice became a little colder: "I will talk to my father myself."

Wei Kuan didn't dare say anything more. Suddenly, he noticed Fan Yan's eyes glancing towards him. He heard the other party ask in a low voice, "Young Master, does this 5,000-man army include the Wucheng troops?"

Yan Yi looked at Li Chou, Wei Kuan, and the others, noticing a hint of nervousness and uneasiness on their faces. He said slowly, "My army has its own set of recruitment methods and regulations. If you wish to join me in the battle, you must reselect your soldiers according to my requirements. If you do not wish, you may return to Wucheng."

What this means is that they need to reorganize their troops.

Li Chou, Wei Kuan and others looked at each other in bewilderment. They had not expected Yan Yi to make such an arrangement. Caught off guard, they were all hesitant.

Although they did not know Yan Yi's conscription standards and military regulations, they could get some clues from the Battle of Yuncheng that they must be very strict.

What made them even more uneasy was that once they accepted the reorganization, wouldn't all their problems, such as nepotism, factionalism, and fraudulent use of military funds, be exposed? After the reorganization, their control over their troops would inevitably be greatly reduced.

But if they didn't accept it, how would they explain it to Yan Baihu when they returned? Given Yan Yi's status in Wucheng, if he retaliated in the future, wouldn't they be left with nowhere to stand?

Thinking that they had been swearing their loyalty just a moment ago but were now starting to back down, all the generals were at a loss as to what to do and felt like they were being roasted on a fire.

After a long while, a military officer said fearfully, "Young Master, we are here on orders. If we turn back rashly, we will be disobeying the commander-in-chief's orders."

Yan Yi knew he was ready to leave, so he didn't bother to talk any more. He said calmly, "I'll explain this to my father myself, and I won't blame you." He glanced at everyone and added, "For those who are willing to stay, the past will not be questioned. Let's focus on the future, not the past!"

(Coding on New Year's Eve, happy new year to my brothers!)

(End of this chapter)