Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty: King Su's Means (4)
"His Royal Highness King Su, you are indeed His Highness King Su... Li Liang is convinced."
Li Liang, the Minister of Household Affairs, said to Zhao Hongrun with a wry smile.
At this point, he could only hope that the Emperor of Wei would not agree to this suggestion from His Highness King Su, otherwise, the fate of their household department would not be any better than that of the former officials department.
But the problem is that His Highness Prince Su spoke conclusively and clearly stated the pros and cons. He could not guarantee whether Emperor Wei would adopt this suggestion.
Adopting this suggestion will enable them to follow in the footsteps of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
"Wei Chen resigns."
After bowing to Zhao Hongrun, Li Liang, the Minister of Household Affairs, left Wenzhao Pavilion quite disheartened.
Because there is no need to stay here anymore, compared to Zhao Hongrun who only gave them 35% of the post-war benefits of the Household Department, that piece of advice is more related to the prosperity and decline of the Household Department.
After all, once the Emperor of Wei adopts the suggestion of His Highness Prince Su, then no matter how much they strive for today, it will only be a wedding dress for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works. In this case, why bother to stay here and continue to pester them?
?
After thinking about this matter, Li Liang left Wenzhao Pavilion silently.
As soon as he left, Cui Can, the right minister of the household department, also stood up. After giving a cold look at Fan Xi, the left minister of the headquarters, he also left without saying a word.
As soon as these two people left, the minister and ministers of the household department seemed to have received some signal, and they also asked Zhao Hongrun to resign one after another. Of course, before leaving, they all looked at it more or less.
A glance at Fan Xiang, the left servant.
As a result, after a while, in the front hall of Wenzhao Pavilion, the only official from the Ministry of Revenue was left, Fan Xiang, the left servant.
Compared with the impassioned tone when he took the lead in impeaching Su Wang Zhao Hongrun in the Chui Gong Hall, Fan Fei was alone at this moment, giving him a vague illusion of loneliness.
He didn't even think of saluting Zhao Hongrun to resign, so he lowered his head and silently left Wenzhao Pavilion. When he reached the ragged door of the palace door, he didn't know if he was distracted, but he almost tripped and fell to the ground.
I'm afraid it will be difficult for Master Fan to be the Zuo Shilang in the future...
You, the Minister of Rites, who was watching the play, could see it clearly and sighed slightly in his heart.
Couldn't he see that because of Zhao Hongrun's suggestion, Mr. Fan Xiang, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was alienated by the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, and never had the same glory as when he came?
I believe that once Zhao Hongrun made that suggestion to Emperor Wei and Emperor Wei agreed, then Master Fan's life in the Ministry of Household Affairs would definitely be even more difficult in the future.
Who is to blame?
Sheyou sighed silently, then stood up and said goodbye to Zhao Hongrun: "The show is over, it's time for me to say goodbye... Your Highness, please forgive me for saying goodbye."
"It's up to you, Minister of Society." Zhao Hongrun said with a smile.
He still had a good impression of this "quite knowledgeable" Minister of Rites.
After Sheyou left, in the front hall of Wenzhao Pavilion, apart from Zhao Hongrun, there were only three people left, Meng Wei, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, Li Huan, the minister of the Ministry of War, and Xu Guan, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun turned to look at Meng Wei and said with a smile: "Mr. Meng, this matter has been settled. You should go back first."
"Yes, Your Highness." Meng Wei quickly stood up and said goodbye.
Before leaving, I have to say that the left minister of the Ministry of Industry was very happy. After all, he had received a promise from His Highness Prince Su to allow the Ministry of Works to get a share of the benefits. More importantly, His Highness Prince Su or
It is possible for the Ministry of Industry to get rid of the financial constraints of the Ministry of Accounts. This is great news for the Ministry of Industry, which has had enough of being restricted by funds in the past.
Seeing Mr. Meng Wei, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, stand up to say goodbye, Xu Guan, the left minister of the Ministry of War, also stood up and prepared to say goodbye to His Royal Highness, Prince Su.
After all, in his opinion, this matter has been settled, and there is no need for them to stay here anymore.
Unexpectedly, he had just stood up and was about to say goodbye to Zhao Hongrun, when Li Huan, the minister sitting next to him, raised his hand and grabbed his sleeve.
"Be patient, Mr. Xu, it's not yet time for you and I to say goodbye."
The old god Li Huan, Minister of War, reminded on the ground.
"..." Xu Guan glanced at Li Huan in surprise when he heard this. He asked in a low voice in confusion: "Sir, what are you doing?"
I saw Li Huan, Minister of the Ministry of War, looking at Zhao Hongrun and saying in a calm tone: "There were people from the Ministry of Revenue present just now, so I can't say much. Now there are only His Highness King Su and you and me in this palace, so there is no harm in talking... I
Although the Ministry of War has some merits, it is far less than the Ministry of Works. Half of the officials and craftsmen of the department accompanied His Royal Highness King Su on the expedition, but why did the Ministry of Works only get 15% in the end? And our Ministry of War only got 20%?"
"..." Xu Guan looked at Zhao Hongrun in surprise when he heard this, and happened to see His Highness Prince Su looking at the two of them with a half-smile.
"Therefore, Lord Xu, it is better to calm down and return to your seat for the time being...His Royal Highness Prince Su's 20% is not so easy to get." Li Huan said calmly.
"..." Xu Guan looked at Li Huan, then at Zhao Hongrun, and sat down again.
Although this Li Huan is timid, he is an old fox... right?
Zhao Hongrun, who saw this scene in his eyes, looked at Li Huan with a little surprise, looking at the Minister of War who had teased and offended him.
But after thinking about it, he felt a little relieved. After all, even if Li Huan was timid, it didn't mean that he was really mediocre. Otherwise, how could he sit firmly in the position of Minister of the Ministry of War?
"Hehehe." Zhao Hongrun chuckled twice and said jokingly: "This has changed my outlook a lot, Mr. Li."
"..." Li Huan looked at Zhao Hongrun indifferently.
From a selfish point of view, Li Huan hated the King Su in front of him deeply. After all, at this time last year, this son gave him a big gift in Chui Gong Hall, wearing a woman's clothes to mock him, mocking him for being as timid as a mouse.
, a dignified man, a dignified minister of the Ministry of War is actually inferior to a woman.
Remembering that generous gift, not only was he so angry that Li Huan had to lie down in his house for several days before he could regain his strength, but it also made him unable to raise his head in court for more than half a year.
Every time he thought about his hatred, Li Huan even had the intention to curse His Highness Prince Su.
Because if the arrogant and arrogant His Royal Highness Prince Su breaks his sword in the hands of that Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo, loses his troops and retreats in embarrassment, then can he wash away the humiliation that this son gave him in the first place.
It's a pity that God is not good, or it is caused by Hongfu of the Great Wei Dynasty. Who would have thought that His Highness Prince Su, who was not favored by him at the time, not only successfully repelled Xiong Tuo, Lord of Yangcheng, but even launched an army to counterattack
Chu State captured more than ten cities of Chu State, so that Chu State had to send envoys to make peace.
Although all the ministers in the court knew that the matter that forced the Chu State to make peace with their Wei Dynasty had a great relationship with the Sixth Prince Rui Wang Hongzhao, if it had not been for the Sixth Prince who voluntarily went to Qi State as a hostage
.If you convince King Xi of Qi to ally with them, the Wei Dynasty, how can the Chu State easily succumb?
But even so, who can deny the meritorious service of His Highness Prince Su?
Because of this, Li Huan's mood was really complicated during these days, especially when he saw His Highness King Su again.
He had to admit that he was really old. He no longer had the ambition and lofty ambitions of his youth, and no longer had the hard work of a young man. So when the Chu army pressed on the border, he just conservatively considered how to reduce the number of troops as much as possible. Rather than bravely saying "no" to the Chu State like His Highness Prince Su, he bravely led a mere 25,000 dredging battalions to face the 160,000-strong army of Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo alone.
In this matter, he, Li Huan, was convinced that he had lost.
What surprised him even more was that after His Highness King Su returned from victory, he was not at all arrogant like a villain who succeeds in his ambition, nor did he go out of his way to play tricks on them, an official of the Ministry of War.
In fact, he, Li Huan, had dreamed more than once that one day he would have to clean the boots of His Royal Highness King Su in humiliation after he returned victorious.
Taking a long breath, Li Huan met Zhao Hongrun's gaze with a pair of cloudy but still bright eyes, and asked calmly: "Your Highness, you want our Ministry of War to recognize the three armies of Shang Shui Army, Yan Shui Army, and Yan Ling Army. The preparation, right?”
Zhao Hongrun smiled slightly. In fact, he did not want to hide anything. Hearing this, he nodded and said: "My king and your military department did have grievances against each other earlier. But that was all for the sake of my great Wei... Don't mind, sir. , In fact, you are not the only one who received the generous gift from me that day."
Yes, and Your Majesty...
Li Huan really didn't know how to evaluate the bold and daring His Highness Prince Su in front of him.
"In short, what happened at the beginning was just one word, bet! In the end, the Ministry of War lost the bet, but I won the bet, and made a lot of money for the Wei Dynasty. As long as you two adults keep this in mind , that’s enough!”
…
Li Huan and Xu Guan looked at each other.
Not to mention, they felt a lot more comfortable after hearing what Zhao Hongrun said.
Stroking his beard, Li Huan said calmly: "The battle of Chu Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo has indeed made our Ministry of War realize that the current military strength of the Wei Dynasty alone is not enough to compete with the Chu State. But Your Highness, King Su, you Three new armies were established in one breath... The Yanling Army was fortunately only composed of 10,000 people, while the Shangshui Army and Yanshui Army both had a strength of 30,000 people... What's even more inappropriate is that both armies were composed of Chu troops. Made up of people, this...is inappropriate."
"Why is it inappropriate to use Chu to conquer Chu?" Zhao Hongrun heard this and said with a smile: "The main generals of the Shang Shui Army and the Yan Shui Army are currently in our posthouse in Daliang City, and their families have also been received from Chu State to Yanling and Changping. , Shangshui three counties, this is enough to prove his loyalty."
Li Huan frowned and thought for a moment, then whispered: "But the current financial resources of our Ministry of War are probably not enough to support more troops..."
"That's why the Wei Dynasty wants to increase military expenditures!" Zhao Hongrun suddenly interrupted.
Increase military spending?
Li Huan and Xu Guan looked surprised when they heard this.
At a time when the Ministry of Household Affairs is trying to cut military expenditures one by one, forcing the Ministry of War to also reduce the pay for the garrison and garrison troops, is His Highness Prince Su actually planning to increase military expenditures?
"How much?" Li Huan asked in a deep voice.
"Thirty percent of Wei's total domestic tax revenue every year! At least!"
What?! Thirty percent?! Or at least?!
Even Li Huan's face changed drastically after hearing Zhao Hongrun's words.
And Xu Guan couldn't help but asked in shock: "Your Highness, how many more troops do you want to increase?"
Seeing the two men's expressions changed greatly, Zhao Hongrun said with a smile: "The army is the foundation of national defense, how can we ignore it? When I went to Chu State this time, I heard that Chu State has the same military capabilities as Qi State and our great Wei Dynasty.
The strength to fight a war on two fronts. At that time, I was thinking, when will Wei, our country, have the military strength to fight two powerful countries at the same time? ...For example, Han and Chu."
…
When Li Huan and Xu Guan heard this, their eyes widened in shock.
"Hahaha, well, it seems that if you are waiting for such lofty goals, you should put it aside for now and take the first step honestly. For example, support my suggestion just now..." Zhao Hongrun said with a smile.
Is that the advice?
Li Huan and Xu Guan looked at each other, with a hint of joy in their eyes.
"But Your Highness, I'm afraid the Ministry of Revenue is not willing to delegate power easily..." Xu Guan deliberately tried to test.
After hearing this, Zhao Hongrun said with a smile: "Since it is a move that benefits the country and the army, why does the Ministry of Household Affairs disagree?...Forget it, it is useless to talk more. Tomorrow, the king will ask to see his father to explain the matter and state the interests. I believe my father.
There must be a decision.”
It seems that Tobe is really going to make a big mistake this time...
After my military department.
Li Huan and Xu Guan looked at each other and said secretly.
"By the way, about the organization of the three armies that this king mentioned: Shang Shui Army, Yan Shui Army, and Yan Ling Army..."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, we will go back and prepare immediately. As long as Your Majesty does not object, our Ministry of War will never disobey His Majesty's wishes."
"very good!"
Zhao Hongrun picked up the tea cup on the case and took a sip. (To be continued.)