Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Emperor Jingsheng's words caused another uproar among the court officials. They never expected that Emperor Jingsheng would directly state that peace talks were not advisable!

A shadow fell over the hearts of Wang Ziteng and Xu Qianxue.

Although they guessed that Emperor Jingsheng might be a proponent of war, they did not expect that he would be so determined as to defend the country's borders and die for his country.

Even more unexpectedly, at this moment, Emperor Jingsheng did not forget to mention Jia Jing's contributions!

Emperor Jingsheng, with a calm expression, looked at the speechless Han courtiers below and spoke again:

"This time is no different from the last, except that there are more troops."

"But I have Marquis Jingwu, Minister Niu, Liaodong, Nian Gengyao, and Yue Zhongqi, as well as countless loyal ministers and generals in the Northwest, and the million-strong army of the Han Dynasty. What do I have to fear?"

"It's nothing more than fighting! There's a good line in the memorial that Marquis Jingwu wrote to me: 'A good punch can prevent a hundred punches.'"

"Whether it's the pseudo-Qing, the Northern Yuan, the Hunxie, or some other enemy country in the southwest or Southeast Asia in the future."

"They are unwilling to give our Han Dynasty time to recuperate and rebuild, they are unwilling to see our Han Dynasty become strong, and they want to invade our Han Dynasty. I have no choice but to fight back."

"In other words, let them fight if they want, and we'll fight them for as long as they want, until... until our Great Han achieves complete victory..."

The courtiers below were in uproar again, not expecting that Emperor Jingsheng's attitude seemed even more intense than that of Jia Jing, the advocate of war!

That's quite an imposing presence, but I wonder what gives Emperor Jingsheng such confidence and assurance.

Is it really just relying on that brat Jia Jing and the troops in the northwest of the Han Dynasty?

Jia Jing is only twenty years old! Can he really be entrusted with such an important matter?

The imperial court sent people to inspect the troops in the Northwest, but not many of them were elite!

We'll fight to the bitter end, no matter how long it takes.

The national treasury is so full that it can't even come up with enough money and grain for six months! It's truly out of money!

Wang Ziteng's lips twitched. His Majesty had mentioned Jia Jing again. Just how much favored was he?

The previous sentence quoted Emperor Taizu, but this sentence is actually from that brat Jia Jing.

Jia Jing listened quietly in the hall, frowning. Why did the emperor's last sentence sound so familiar?

It seems that I had inadvertently mentioned in my own memorial that we should fight to the end to achieve a complete victory and solve the border problem that had plagued the grasslands for nearly a thousand years once and for all. I never expected that Emperor Jingsheng would remember it.

Hmm, I paused for a moment, probably because I was out of ideas, but then I suddenly realized that what I said seemed quite fitting.

Your Majesty, you're just making a statement, why do you always drag me into it?

After all these praises, the others in the hall must be green with envy.

Emperor Jingsheng continued:

"Let's not talk about victory or defeat for now. As long as we, the emperor and his subjects, are of one mind, I believe that even if we suffer minor setbacks, the final victory will belong to our great Han Dynasty."

"The only problem is money and supplies. The soldiers on the front lines are shedding blood for the country; we absolutely cannot afford to lack them!"

"The taxes are already heavy enough; the taxes on the people cannot be increased further, otherwise they will not be able to survive, leading to popular uprisings, which would give the puppet Qing dynasty its wish!"

"If the national treasury is empty, I will take money from the imperial treasury. My imperial treasury has three million taels of silver, which will all be used for military expenses in the Northwest campaign."

"Also, Otomo, please take note: starting today, the number of meals served in the palace will be halved, and all unnecessary luxurious clothing and ceremonial regalia will be removed, replaced with plain clothes and wooden utensils."

"Consorts are not allowed to purchase new clothes, and their jewelry shall be melted down and confiscated. Rare birds and animals kept in the palace gardens shall be released or sold, and vacant land shall be converted into vegetable and grain crops for the palace to eat. Any surplus shall be used as military rations."

"Further reduce the number of redundant palace maids and eunuchs, allowing them to return home and reunite with their families. Halt all construction on royal gardens and palaces."

"Simplify all celebrations, including the Emperor's birthday celebrations, and allocate the saved budget to the Ministry of War to support the war effort in the Northwest!"

"This time, I will tighten my belt and fight a national war against the pseudo-Qing, the Northern Yuan, and the Hunxie."

Emperor Jingsheng's words immediately startled all the officials present.

If even the emperor is so frugal in supporting the war in the northwest, how can we, as his subjects, just stand by and watch?

Xia Shouzhong was taken aback at first, then a few tears welled up in his eyes as he worriedly comforted him:

"Your Majesty! You mustn't..."

Grand Secretary Chen Tingjing knelt down and kowtowed, saying:

"When the ruler is distressed, the minister is disgraced; when the ruler is disgraced, the minister dies! It is all because of my incompetence. As the chief minister and in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, I have failed to store up wealth for the country."

"Now that there is war on the border, Your Majesty is worried about money and provisions. I am foolish and incompetent, and deserve to die!"

The other officials, no longer able to stand still, knelt down and kowtowed in unison, pleading for forgiveness:

"We are incompetent; we beg Your Majesty to punish us!"

Emperor Jingsheng rose and descended the imperial steps, first helping Chen Tingjing to his feet, and said in a deep voice:

"What does this have to do with you! I know perfectly well how much you have devoted to the finances of the court over the years."

"The imperial court has spent a lot of money on military campaigns and disaster relief in recent years. In addition, a group of corrupt officials have been manipulating the system, resulting in a corrupt bureaucracy and hindering the implementation of the new policies."

"This has led to a continuous decline in tax revenue, and the national treasury is becoming increasingly empty. You have done your best, but many things are deeply entrenched and difficult to reverse; it cannot be accomplished overnight!"

After Emperor Jingsheng finished speaking, he helped each of his ministers up one by one, and then said solemnly:

"I do not mean to blame you. The court's current financial difficulties are only temporary; things will improve after this war!"

"I hope that you all can unite as one, overcome these difficult times together, and use every penny I have saved for the soldiers on the front lines. That would be living up to my expectations!"

The reason why Emperor Jingsheng announced to his ministers that he would cut palace expenses to support the Northwest was because of this.

On the one hand, it was to demonstrate his determination to share weal and woe with the soldiers at the front, in order to win people's hearts and unite the court officials.

Secondly, the imperial court is indeed short of money, so he has no choice but to do this.

Thirdly, it laid the groundwork for the court to implement new policies and recover embezzled funds later.

After all, he himself is already living frugally. If he cracks down on corruption and recovers embezzled funds in the future, people can't still say that he is harsh on his subordinates and doesn't care about old friendships!

Having said this, Emperor Jingsheng let out a long sigh, then turned to look at Jia Jing and said gently:

"Minister Jia! I entrust the war in the Northwest to you!"

Jia Jing said solemnly:

"Your Majesty! I have already devised a plan for the war in the Northwest, but could Your Majesty grant me one request?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingsheng looked at Jia Jing with some surprise, wondering what he wanted.

"Your Majesty, please take good care of your health! I recently disciplined the wicked servants in your household and obtained 300,000 taels of silver, which I am willing to offer to Your Majesty for your daily needs."

"Your Majesty wishes to reduce the number of palace maids, eunuchs, and garden buildings, but I will not interfere. However, I am willing to provide Your Majesty with funds for clothing and food."

"I only ask that Your Majesty not neglect your health. Your Majesty was already ill a few days ago due to the unrest in the Northwest, and you have been working day and night without rest."

"If we further reduce our food and clothing, how can Your Majesty's health withstand it? If Your Majesty does not grant my request, I am worried that even on the frontier, I will find it difficult to concentrate on the battle."

"In my heart, Your Majesty's good health is more important than any military affairs. Only if Your Majesty lives ten thousand years will my victories have any meaning!"

Before Emperor Jingsheng could ask, Jia Jing straightened his face and said with great seriousness.