With the expansion of territory and the increase in the power of King Hanyang, the scale of the military and political affairs office was also constantly expanding.
The Military and Administrative Department is subordinate to the Six Cao Cao, and under the Six Cao Cao, it is divided into departments.
Subdividing and subdividing will naturally lead to the accumulation of a large number of officials, but this is a reserve for the future.
The only people to greet the King of Hanyang were Zhao Shu and Yan Chongxin, the Transport Secretary, and only they were qualified.
Zhao Shu pursed his lips and chuckled: "Your Highness, after the military garrison was put into the warehouse, excluding the remaining items, there are still 900,000 stones transported to Xiangyang."
"Nine hundred thousand stones!"
Zhu Yixi muttered, then sighed: "It's only enough for half a year's military rations."
"Huangzhou Prefecture and Wuchang Prefecture have also been allocated 50,000 hectares of military settlements this time. They have to subtract out growing grain and eating. Only 700,000 shi can really be used."
"However, for next summer's harvest, there will be at least two to three million stone troops to collect grain."
Zhao Shu didn't take it seriously, but said happily: "Today we know how happy Taizu's military camp is."
"How can military villages enjoy the pleasure of commercial taxes?"
Yan Chongxin was dissatisfied and deliberately argued: "Sichuan salt has entered the country. Although the price of salt has plummeted, there are more people buying salt and less private salt. The commercial tax in September is already 150,000 taels."
"This month, we will reach the threshold of two hundred thousand taels."
"What's the price of food?"
Perhaps because he had too much money, Zhu Yixi was particularly concerned about food and couldn't help but ask.
"Due to the autumn harvest, grain from Lingnan costs 5 qian per stone and Jiangxi costs 6 qian, but the price on the market is still around 9 qian to 1 tael. It's really strange."
Yan Chongxin said in confusion.
"This is what I asked for."
Zhu Yixi shook his head with a smile and said to Zhao Shu: "The transportation department should dispatch the grain bank. It is also convenient for them to collect taxes."
"Wei Chen has no objection." Zhao Shu's smile changed slightly and he agreed directly.
"In addition to the grain store, the tea store, salt store, and transshipment department all have to send personnel to coordinate and supervise the market prices, and collect taxes at the same time."
Zhu Yixi immediately explained.
Yan Chongxin suddenly realized that these guilds were all established by the King of Hanyang, and taxes were paid directly into the treasury. Prices needed to be negotiated and were not allowed to change suddenly.
By controlling these guilds, the Hanyang Palace's control over Huguang and Sichuan will naturally be greatly enhanced.
Maintaining prices at a moderate level will definitely do more good than harm.
"In addition to grain, tea, and salt, the Transportation Department must also supervise the establishment of the Ironware Guild. We must not allow even one ounce of pig iron to go to the north."
Zhu Yixi said solemnly.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the world's pig iron production was 18 million jins, which was three times the 5 million jins in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Among them, the South accounts for 70%, and Huguang accounts for 30% of the world with 6 million jin. It can be said that Huguang's pig iron output is enough to influence the world.
If Lingnan could be controlled again, it would be able to almost monopolize the world's pig iron, and the Manchus could only stare blankly.
Economic war is also a continuation of war and is not shameful.
Therefore, this is also the reason why Zhu Yixi assigned troops to the Transshipment Department. To curb smuggling, violence is needed.
In fact, Zhu Yixi controlled Huguang and bought all the grain from Jiangxi, which caused the price of grain in Jiangnan to rise, and it was Beijing that was more affected.
Without the transportation of millions of stones of food from the south, we would simply not be able to support our troops, horses, and officials.
So the Transport Department, in a sense, is the second battlefield.
"Don't worry, no hoe can get through it."
Yan Chongxin hurriedly patted his chest and said.
Zhao Shu then said: "Nanjing is already preparing for peace talks with Jiannu, working together to attack the intruders, and asking us to send troops to Kaifeng and Luoyang."
"Talk about shit."
When Zhu Yixi heard this, she raised her eyebrows and scolded directly: "Why don't they fight on their own? They have no money and no food, so they want to instruct others? They want to eat shit."
"Tell Nanjing that without millions of shi of food and millions of taels of silver, it will be impossible for my troops to take a step northward."
Yan Chongxin quite agreed and said: "Driving away the wolf and devouring the tiger, Nanjing wants us to lose both sides and reap the benefits."
"You can't do a loss-making business."
"not only that!"
Zhu Yixi sneered and said: "The intruders only forced the late emperor to be killed, but to build slaves, they really cost the lives of our country and the clan like me."
"Those people in Nanjing have lost their fighting spirit and are trying to achieve the beauty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties."
Zhao Shu echoed: "Your Highness has a far-sighted view. The foundation of our annihilation is to establish slaves, especially the Meng Yuan invasion."
"It's not that great!"
Yan Chongxin was a little unconvinced: "The number of slaves built was over 100,000 at most, and the intruders were still in front of them. The most basic ones in the Northern and Southern Dynasties should have been there."
Zhu Yixi didn't want to explain this anymore.
Throughout the south, the Nanjing imperial court had the same idea. They wanted to completely get rid of the corrupt north, so that both the intruders and the slave builders would suffer, and reap the benefits.
However, the Nanjing court was not as good as even Zhao Gou's Hangzhou court, and the four towns in Jiangbei were far inferior to the four Zhongxing generals.
Afterwards, Zhao Shu reported the unusual actions of the intruders: "At Dashan Pass and Wuguan, there were tentative attacks by intruders. I wonder what Li Zicheng was thinking?"
When Zhu Yixi heard this, her heart moved.
In history, when Li Zicheng was defeated, didn't he flee to Hubei? He was shot to death by hunters, which made him laugh.
Most likely, this is a prelude.
"Perhaps he is testing."
Zhu Yixi said in a deep voice: "He suffered a defeat in the north and suffered heavy losses. Why can't he come to the south to make up for it with some combat capabilities?"
"What the north suffers, the south must make up for!"
The two important ministers nodded one after another, indicating that it made sense.
Compared with the Jiannu, the Ming army was definitely a soft persimmon.
However, Li Zicheng's adjustment was too big. He shifted from being kind to the common people to appeasing the gentry.
Broken trust with the people, the gentry's deep-rooted distrust of him, and the defeat in the war, made him internally unstable, and he had already turned from prosperity to decline.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yixi felt a little emotional, things are really unpredictable!
"By the way, Your Highness, there is a group of troops near Fangcheng, with thousands of young and old, begging to surrender."
Zhao Shu then remembered and said.
"Who's in the lead?"
Zhu Yixi asked curiously.
"Red Lady, Li Xin's wife." Zhao Shu chuckled and said, "Li Zicheng killed his most trusted adviser, and now he is not even prepared to let go of his wife and children."
"He no longer recognizes himself."
Yan Chongxin said disdainfully: "After all, he is the Caotou King. He rises and disappears suddenly, that's all."
Zhu Yixi, on the other hand, focused her attention on the Red Lady, who was a famous figure in history.
"Surrender, surrender!"
Zhu Yixi thought about it, and of course he would not be obsessed with storing it at all costs. He would not even look at anything that had no use value.
"Let her go to Xinyang."
After saying that, King Hanyang had a clue and directly ordered: "Give me a camp number and call it Mie Chuang Camp."
"Just give them some more money and food."
Nanyang is the first checkpoint in the north, so they can't go wrong. It's better to let them go to Xinyang, where there is a Ming army, which is perfect for opening up territory.