Zhao Guanjia, who made a deal with Zhang Jun through installment reservation and repayment, did not stop inspecting the troops. Two days later, when the follow-up personnel arrived, he and Zhang Jun continued eastward. Not only did they go to Binzhou, they also inspected the troops.
He defeated Zhang Zongyan's troops who had returned, and continued eastward. In the middle of the twelfth lunar month, he arrived at Denglai and inspected the imperial navy.
Here, Zhao Guan's family comforted Li Bao and granted him the position of co-capital commander on the spot, which was an improvement in the standards of the imperial navy and this person. However, they also asked Li Bao to take the initiative to send two sea ships.
Accompanying the fleet organized by Zhang Jun to go to sea also means being familiar with the sea routes.
At the same time, the meeting between Yue Fei and Tian Shizhong between Qingzhou and Zizhou seemed a little quiet.
Of course, during this period, the imperial court secretly urged Zhao Guan's family to return to Luan, and the imperial troops from all over the country greeted Zha Zi who expressed his loyalty due to various rumors, including Yue Fei's opinion of him taking charge of the right army of the imperial camp... but they never stopped.
.
It is worth mentioning that Yue Fei was not in charge of the imperial camp right army to avoid suspicion or anything. Instead, he implicitly stated in the secret letter that as a Hebei native, he controlled the imperial camp front army adapted from the former Tokyo left-behind secretary, and even
Including the Eight-Character Army, everything is fine, but in controlling the Imperial Camp Right Army, I am afraid that the Imperial Camp Right Army, which is based on the Western Army, will be dissatisfied in various places.
This is just like Zhang Jun seeking an explanation for Tian Shizhong that night, he came here to make sure.
To be honest, this behavior was a bit out of place. Any emperor would probably have something to say in his heart, but Zhao Jiu knew that Yue Fei had a reason for this move... Specifically, with Yue Pengju, everything that was helpful
Because of the Northern Expedition plan, he would accept or do it, regardless of whether it would cause trouble for himself.
To put it bluntly, this is called sacrificing one’s life for one’s country.
However, even if he understood Yue Fei's thinking, Zhao Jiu couldn't really explain anything to Yue Fei at this time. Because he helped eliminate Zhang Jun, the soul of the right army in the imperial camp, so that Yue Fei could control the imperial camp through Tian Shizhong.
The power of the Right Army has already reached a certain limit. If you want to give an explanation, you can only give it from the status. Once it is given from the status, it is likely to expose the fact that Zhang Jun has been stripped of military power.
This is going too far and is not good for anyone.
Not only will Zhang Jun's authority be wiped out, Yue Fei will definitely not be in trouble either - a commander controls half of the military power of the imperial camp, especially since Yue Fei is a life-and-death friend of Zhang Rong, the commander of the navy? And he is stationed in Jingdong?
This is simply unbelievable.
In this situation? The first person to jump out to oppose is probably Zhang Jun and Zhang Deyuan, the prime minister who has always been the most convinced and supportive of Yue Fei. And according to Zhang Deyuan's temper, I am afraid that it will directly cause the greatest embarrassment to Yue Fei. Then things will
It will become uncontrollable.
After all, this matter has nothing to do with personal relationships, likes and dislikes, right and wrong, but more about the system and just-in-case considerations. Even further, Zhao Jiu did this? In the eyes of everyone except him, it is indeed a bit dangerous.
As for Zhao Jiu himself, although he has ten thousand peace of mind, it is not enough to be compared with outsiders.
Putting aside these thoughts, since Zhao Jiu came to Dengzhou, met Li Bao, and watched the fleet go to sea, it was already the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, and this place was a full 1,200 miles away from Tokyo. There was no need to delay any longer. So.
, Turning around, this official who had something on his mind led a small number of cavalry again, and took Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Liu Yan, Yu Yunwen and other close ministers who could run long distances back to Jishui first, and then rode along the river back to the west, all the way.
Heading to Tokyo.
One thousand two hundred miles, it took ten days? It’s not the fastest, but it can definitely be called a thousand-mile turn.
An important reason for such a hurry is that Zhao Guan's family has been absent from many things this winter... Although he had signed the national debt as soon as he returned to Beijing, the sale of national debt was only for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Imperial Banzhi and the Ministry of Revenue were left to their own devices; Cuju
The league final was finally held as usual, but they had to invite the two queen mothers to come out to sit in the box, and then Lu Gongxiang came out to present the awards; the rest were similar... And if this continues, there will be some trouble in Beijing.
Therefore, it can be said that this official did not miss the second day, the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, to study politics.
After all, the importance of this matter cannot be compared with other things.
One more thing must be said here. After several years of inheritance, Taixue Wenzheng now has a sense of ritual and has a specific process.
Generally speaking, starting from the morning, the important ministers below the Prime Minister held the manuscripts themselves, and under the eyes of the officials, they told the "grand students" what achievements their departments had made this year under the leadership of Zhao Guan's family, which was very interesting.
It feels like a job report. Then there will be a short break at noon to facilitate private communication among many people. In the afternoon, it is a time for important ministers to be asked questions. Although it is still an open question and answer session, generally within the first half month, relevant reports will be published in the newspaper.
The core issues will be warmed up and given a rough guide, and Zhao Guanjia himself will also play a role as a go-between at this time, allowing relevant departments to come forward to answer relevant questions.
Back to the present, this time, it may be that everyone knows that Zhao Guan's family is tired from traveling, or it may be that the fact that this official has been angry for nearly two months has made the political atmosphere in the capital a bit bad. It is more likely that this official is
The family was sitting upright, but they kept frowning and thinking, as if they were in a bad mood... Therefore, during this political inquiry, not many people talked nonsense and provoked Zhao Guan's family.
But as everyone knows, no one is questioning Zhao Guanjia face to face, but Zhao Guanjia has been questioning himself... In other words, since Ma Kuo turned around and left that day, he has been asking himself a serious question these days - how to recharge his energy to continue
Meet the needs of the Northern Expedition?
Theoretically, the national finances are gradually improving. It is impossible to say that after seven or eight years, the country will return to 80% of the level of its former heyday. By then, it will be enough to support 300,000 elites and meet other daily expenses, and then carry out
A large amount of precious metals, grain and grass were accumulated in preparation for the Northern Expedition.
And this is exactly what many conservative ministers expect, and it is also the plan that Zhao Jiu has long rejected... If you choose this, you might as well choose to go to Yangzhou in the first place, which is safer!
Why did you stay in Huaishang that day? It was because you couldn’t bear to abandon the Central Plains!
Why are you so anxious today? It’s because you can’t bear to abandon Lianghe!
Some things cannot be done with an abacus and calculations, whichever one is the most reasonable... The national spirit and the motivation for national integration must all be considered.
But if he doesn't wait for so long, how can he save enough food, horse supplies, cloth, and precious metals for 300,000 people for the Northern Expedition while raising troops? Just rely on him to reduce the expenses of the harem?
It must be understood that at the moment, we can no longer save money on civil service salaries and other expenses. This will only limit the speed of the country's recovery, which will not be conducive to long-term plans. It is equivalent to drinking poison to quench thirst.
And this is another deadlock.
I am afraid that it is precisely because of this that Zhao Jiu chose to try to get involved after learning about Zhang Jun's business, regardless of the risks and public opinion.
This official is already a bit hungry and has no choice but to eat.
Not to mention how the Zhao Guan family was so worried about the Northern Expedition that they did not return to Beijing for most of the winter. After returning to Beijing, they also exposed their worries in Taixue Wenzheng. It is only said that the Guan family finally returned to Beijing, which in the end made the entire capital political.
The atmosphere relaxed a little.
On the second day, the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, after hurriedly dealing with the past Taixue political inquiry, Taixue became lively instead... because this day was the beginning of the annual holiday. According to the practice of the past few years, students who live close to home in Taixue generally have to go to school.
Everyone has to wait until today to return home, but students who are far away from home usually have to prepare various matters for staying in the capital for the New Year.
Of course, under the current special system of three palace examinations and one annual examination, the value of imperial students is self-evident. Therefore, in the past few days, not only the palace will summon some outstanding imperial students, but also many dignitaries, such as Wu and Lu
And the families of important ministers, including the current prime ministers, would also ask their children to invite some of their best students to their residences to celebrate the New Year. Even the most inferior ones stayed in the Imperial College, and there were also wealthy businessmen, nobles, and temples who came to visit them.
Come and support meat, vegetables, rice and noodles.
There is no need to imitate Fan Zhongyan in cooking porridge and reading.
"That seems to be the young master of Mr. Zhao's family?"
In a window-facing restaurant box on the north bank of the Cai River, Chao Gongwu from Zhishe, who had just had a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold, had no time to put down the bowl, so he stared out the window at the other side of the river and blurted out.
"should be."
My friend sitting at the same table, Yu Yunwen, who was also the official name of this banquet, looked through the window for a moment, and immediately nodded in agreement. His eyesight and physique have always been recognized as excellent, and it is precisely because of this that this time,
Only then can he return early with the official family.
The old Ren Baozhong, the weak Fan Zongyin, and Lu Benzhong are all still riding back to Tokyo for the New Year.
"Do the prime ministers, parents, and sons also come to a place like this to eat mutton?" Chao Gongwu couldn't help but sigh.
"what is this?"
Opposite me, the big brother who had been drinking soup with his head bowed, Hu Quan, who was leading the report, looked up and faced each other calmly. "Not only the Prime Minister, but also Mr. Zhao is said to often come to Cai River to drink mutton soup. The officials also called this place specially for this reason.
Takeaways from... Zhao Xianggong is recognized as the best private person in the court. He does not build private property or have personal relationships. In addition, his family fled from Hedong and does not even have an acre of ancestral real estate. He lives only on salary and rewards, which is simple.
It’s normal to come here to have a tooth beating ceremony.”
"More than that?" Yu Yunwen also laughed casually. "Even though the eldest son Zhao has not been able to win over his wife so far, it is said that he was also implicated by his own father..."
"How do you say this?" Chao Gongwu asked curiously. "The son of the prime minister's family is worried about marriage?"
"What can I say? It's not because Mr. Zhao is the prime minister, so Mr. Zhao can't easily test his pen to take the college entrance examination and the imperial examination, so as not to fall into suspicion. And since he doesn't take the pen test, he can't get out of the Imperial College. No.
After graduating from Imperial College, and without fame, it will be difficult to get married..." Hu Quan, who was opposite, explained casually.
"That's true..." Chao Gongwu was speechless for a moment.
"However, even so, he is also the eldest son of the prime minister. If you don't believe it, ask these imperial students below if they would like to follow Mr. Zhao to the south of Caihe River to drink mutton soup and eat spinach sheep skin, or would they rather go with Uncle Wu
Drinking Blue Bridge Fengyue at the father-in-law's house?" Hu Quan continued to ask with a smile.
The answer is self-evident, but Chao Gongwu still just nodded when he heard this, and his words were still cautious: "Nowadays, the king is wise and the king is virtuous."
These words caused everyone present to nod, but Editor Hu opposite him shook his head and remained silent.
By the way, Hu Quan shook his head not because he had any objections to Zhao Ding. Although they had different political opinions, the level gap between the two was too big to be able to compete with each other. Moreover, Zhao Ding himself was generally recognized as having good talents and virtues.
No one was dissatisfied... The reason why he shook his head was because he lamented that people have their own ambitions and things are different.
The seven or eight people of the same age who are here today are no longer the students they were three or four years ago.
At that time, we were all classmates in the same room and Jinshi in the same subject. Even though we had different stances and different thoughts, it did not mean that we were friends. But now, we have only been working together for three years. From political status to political stance, we are all friends.
All kinds of mentality are completely different.
Among them, the most obvious one is Chao Gongwu. This man is capable, knowledgeable, and famous for his extensive knowledge and strong memorization. There is no doubt that he is one of the more outstanding ones among his peers, and his official career is also very good.
He is very serious, but he has gradually become strangers to the other people in terms of political stance.
The reason is exactly that saying: this time, that time.
Let’s say that three years ago, Chao Gong’s military family moved from their hometown in Jezhou to central Sichuan to avoid the war. At that time, the entire army naturally supported the imperial court’s use of troops to regain lost territory and stabilize the situation. But after Yaoshan, the situation became stable, and the Chao family
They also moved back to their ancestral land, but the family naturally lost the intention to support the imperial court's use of troops. Not only that, the elders of Chao Gongwu's family also complained about the abandoned fields at home being used as military camps by the imperial army, and they were not even allowed to redeem them.
Complaints gradually arose about the imperial policy.
These things, directly and indirectly, all affected him, so much so that after the Baima Shaoxing Incident, the relatively young Chao Gongwu directly expressed his dissatisfaction in letters to several friends, and then attracted some criticism... He is now cautious
His attitude, on the one hand, was that he had gradually developed his own knowledge; on the other hand, it was because he realized that Zhao Guan's family's determination was irreversible, that the imperial government's affairs were irreversible, and that the political atmosphere among the students around him had also formed, so he had no choice but to hide and give in.
However, from the perspective of Hu Quan, who had noticed the changes in Chao Gongwu early, this was no problem.
You must know that even the "three officials of Jingkang Taixue" at that time, Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin, who had had a close relationship with each other by fate, had long since parted ways and had different political views. This Taixue classmate who had been transferred to Jianyan for three years was also
How can we always be like a family?
Not to mention people like Chao Gongwu who went against the overall situation and fell behind, but now he and Yu Yunwen are so close that they will inevitably become rivals in the future.
Hu Quan had already been mentally prepared for this.
"Speaking of Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhao, I am reminded of a joke." While talking, another person of the same age spoke up at the right time. "As we all know, although the East and West mansions are harmonious in major matters, there are many conflicts in minor matters. Although they cannot be called party struggles, they are
There are also suspicions of divisions, and when discussing privately, I never know what to call the two parties... If you say Zhao Dang, Zhang Dang, it offends the national surname; if you say East Party, West Party, it will follow the overall situation of the officialdom.
, there are some contradictions in the situation...but a few days ago, a new statement suddenly came out in Taixue, and I think it is extremely appropriate."
"How to say?" Except for Xiao Yu Tanhua, who is the son of Zhang Jun's former official, everyone else looked curious.
"But we used wood party and water party!"
"How did this come about?" Even Hu Quan was surprised for a moment.
Yu Yunwen, on the other hand, was the first to wake up, but he didn't laugh.
"Without him, Mr. Zhao's children are all named after the famous water river in Hedong. Mr. Zhao is called Zhao Fen, and the eldest daughter of the Zhao family is called Zhao Bi." The man from the same year blurted out. "And Mr. Zhang just a few days ago.
I got a son and named him Zhang Shi. At this time, everyone knew that Mr. Zhang came from a famous family in Shu, and the next generation of his family would have to live next to the wooden character..."
After saying this, everyone burst into laughter, and even Yu Yunwen couldn't help lowering his head and snickering.
However, amidst the laughter, the last person finally arrived, and it turned out to be the real target of this gathering - Mei Yumei Maoxiu, a native of Zhishe, who attended this kind of gathering of the same year in Beijing for the first time.
"You all are of the same age, I am ashamed!" Mei Sheren entered the box and bowed his hands repeatedly to apologize. "I was planning to come here early after leaving my post. Unexpectedly, when I was about to leave, the officials suddenly summoned me and asked many questions in front of the harem pavilion.
I just left the palace, changed my clothes and came here quickly."
Since it was the official summons, everyone naturally had nothing to say. They just quickly asked the people of Meishe to sit down, and then called the helpers in the shop to serve the food and started to sit down. Among them, there was a prostitute who came in on her own initiative, and was given some money by everyone and then invited out...
…They are real rising political stars who can join the inner circle. How can they not understand the official mentality? Why bother to make the official displeased for such a thing?
As the banquet started, everyone was polite for a while and chatted about the past imperial studies and imperial examinations. However, after three rounds of drinks, as officials in Beijing and members of the so-called tiger class with great future, they couldn't help but start talking to each other again.
political message.
In fact, this is the fundamental reason for such gatherings.
"Lieutenant Zhang went to Beijing with the official family and went to Xifu to meet with Prime Minister Zhang in person. He only said that he actually knew about Zhang Zongyan, but he didn't expect that he would be so bold in the end and send out so many troops!" Yu Yunwen said casually,
Telling a piece of information that cannot be hidden from anyone is an appetizer.
No one showed any hesitation, except Chao Gongwu, who was slightly stunned when he heard the words, but in the end he was speechless.
"So, Zhang Zongyan's life was saved?" Someone asked curiously.
"This is natural!" Xiao Yu Tanhua replied frankly. "After the report to the Xifu was reported, the official directly issued an order and was demoted to the head of the capital, and used in front of the army..."
"This must have been agreed face to face between the officials and Captain Zhang." Hu Quan also took advantage of the situation and came to a conclusion.
"Is Da Sikou (another name for the Minister of Justice) willing?" Everyone nodded, and another person interrupted curiously. "On the tenth day after he entered the capital, he captured the minister of Dali Temple and the uncle of the imperial concubine in court, and quickly sentenced Yang Zhengzhan.
After making a decision, he also issued a document to Kansai and questioned the generals in Kansai, forcing dozens of generals under Wu Jiedu to write letters to defend themselves and ask the court to deal with it. It was in the limelight for a while, and it was considered to gain face for the civil servants of the court... Could it be that this time?
Are you letting Captain Zhang go like this?"
"Da Sikou (Ma Shen, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment)?" Hu Quan raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, before sneering before Yu Yunwen could get in front of Yu Yunwen. "Da Sikou looks good on the surface these days, but how can he do well in private? Everyone in the capital thinks that he will be killed as soon as he enters the capital.
The officials drove them away... and the ministers chased the emperor, which caused tension in the court and caused resentment both internally and externally... In the past two months, with the officials away from home and the big secretaries in the capital, it was actually the most difficult time. All the postures were just to hold on! Let's make trouble again.
If he goes down, he is afraid that he will really start to have grudges with both the superiors and the subordinates, both internally and externally, and then even Mr. Lu Xianggong and Mr. Li Xianggong from the southeast will write letters to question him!"
"Brother Hu is right," someone said in reply. "This time the local governor and the Minister of Secretariat exchanged views, and they all thought that Liu Shilang (Liu Hongdao) and Da Sikou were on the same side. However, Liu Shilang personally dispatched the emperor in the middle of this month. The troops in the camp crossed the river and attacked a military stronghold on the other side, as if they were not on the same side as the commander... It can be seen that the commander may appear to be invincible, but he is only showing off his momentum and is not popular among the people in the court."
"Actually, these are all trivial matters. Even if the great minister Kou Zhen continues to be so strong, so what? He will always be unable to defeat the officials who control the overall situation. The key to our work is to worry about the king's urgent needs and focus on the major political strategies. This That's the right way." Hu Quan suddenly changed his mind. "Since the officials met with Ma Jiedu in Heyin, their future political strategy has been revealed, which is to concentrate on saving money, food, troops and horses to cross the Heyin River for the Northern Expedition! From now on! In a few years, everything will have to give way to these things."
"What Brother Hu said is absolutely true." Another person echoed. "That day, after the Di newspaper reported that Manager Ma came to meet with the officials, our household department began to check the accounts and check the warehouse... But after all, But it is always difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice.”
"That's true." Yu Yunwen also frowned and sighed. No one here knew the official's thoughts better than him. "I remember that Lin Shangshu said something in Taixue yesterday. This year's annual income, plus three million in national debt, and In the second half of this year, the initial income from Qingmiao Loan and Ziwu was only 38 million yuan (one yuan is equivalent to a regular currency or one tael of silver, and the actual value at this time is about 770 yuan)... 38 million yuan, If it is used to raise soldiers, to raise 300,000 imperial troops, nothing can be done."
Moreover, people around naturally knew that Yu Yunwen was traveling with the official family. Therefore, when the three hundred thousand imperial soldiers said it, they already believed it in their hearts, knowing that this was some kind of bottom line set by the official family after discussing with Ma Kuo. , but even so, hearing this number is still shocking.
"The officials are too kind to the imperial camp!" Chao Gongwu couldn't hold it back for a while. "According to what Cai Gong, the envoy of the third division of the Renzong Dynasty, wrote, at that time, a forbidden soldier could only spend fifty mins a year, but now To raise an army of regular soldiers, the total cost is about eighty, ninety, or even one hundred... If we use this example to raise 300,000 soldiers, wouldn't we have to do nothing?!"
"The imperial army of the Renzong Dynasty must not be able to destroy Xixia." Since Hu Quan had already calculated in his mind, he simply responded coldly. "If you want to make the Northern Expedition to regain the two rivers, you will need 300,000 regular soldiers a year!"
"But in this case, we have to wait a few more years before heading to the Northern Expedition!" After being slapped in the face, maybe because he drank a little bit, Chao Gongwu finally stopped pretending to be cautious. "Brother Hu, the annual income is here. You see, we have to support an imperial camp of 300,000 yuan, and we also need to prepare money and food for military supplies and rewards. It’s absolutely impossible without an annual income of 50 million yuan!”
"How many years will it take to earn 50 million?" Someone frowned and interrupted.
"Of course there is." Chao Gongwu blurted out. "When the dynasty was in its heyday, the annual income was nearly 100 million (guan, stone, bunch, two, horse, not the total amount of money), excluding one stone of grain and half a guan of grain. In addition to the official The fodder that almost no one buys still has a direct financial income of 60 million yuan. In addition to the copper coins and taels of silver, the 60 million yuan also includes nearly 10 million pieces of silk... The value of silk silk is, Although there have always been fluctuations, the price of a piece of silk has always been two qian! Considering that the main producing areas of silk are in the south, without war, the dynasty can achieve an annual income of more than 30 million as long as it rests and recuperates. Thread, plus eight to nine million pieces of silk! That’s a total annual income of fifty million dollars!”
Chao Gongwu had learned a lot and had a strong memory. He was now writing history and had many contacts. No one questioned what he said, so everyone was thoughtful for a moment.
But one more thing must be said here... The Song Dynasty was a weird country with extremely centralized finances. Her annual income was not converted into silver, or about 770 copper coins per min, and finally the total value of the min was calculated, but at the same time
The measurement included the received grain (stones), hay (bundles), copper coins (strings), jiaozi (缗缗), silk (pieces), silver (taels), and finally came to more than 100 million stones, bundles, strings,
Min, Pi, Liang's wonderful total annual income.
As we all know, food was the most basic thing in the feudal era. It was used to directly supply the army, officials, and the capital, and was also used for disaster relief. It was impossible to really discount it. Hay was only for military needs. Therefore, these physical objects must be put aside first.
, can we get the real annual income of the Song Dynasty, which mainly consists of money and silk.
After all, these two are the only recognized hard currencies. A piece of silk with two taels of money has almost become a common knowledge. From officials to soldiers to ordinary people, they all recognize that these silks are the same as copper coins and silver taels.
A valid general equivalent.
This is what Chao Gongwu means - almost most of the silk production areas are actually under the control of the Song Dynasty. The direct losses caused by the two rivers are actually very low. The theoretical financial limit of the Song Dynasty is still very high.
, then as long as the Song Dynasty is given time to gradually close the bloody effects caused by the war, it can actually return to a very outstanding financial position.
but……
"How long will it take to return to the annual income of 50 million yuan?" Hu Quan frowned.
"I have calculated it. According to the current recovery speed, it will only take seven or eight years." Chao Gongwu blurted out.
Everyone's expressions changed immediately.
Hu Quan even sneered on the spot: "If the people of Lianghe could wait another seven or eight years, why would the officials expel those people in Baima?"
Chao Gongwu hesitated to speak, but in the end he remained silent, and the others had no intention of discussing it any further... This was a structural issue, like whether to bake the cake first or divide the cake first, a question destined to be unsolvable.
Besides, as Hu Quan said, the Zhao Guan family has already set the tone with their own efforts.
"Actually." Yu Yunwen saw the situation in embarrassment, especially since he had a very good personal relationship with Chao Gongwu, so he finally couldn't help but try to make a rescue. "It's not necessarily necessary to raise 300,000 soldiers, and slightly expand the imperial camp to 24
Fifty thousand, and then contact the Mongols, Khitans, and Koryos, and conquer a group of party members, plus the Hebei rebels, the amount is still enough."
"But if so." Chao Gongwu finally couldn't hold it back when he saw that it was his friend who spoke. "The number of people in the Northern Expedition will be even greater. How much food, rewards, and pensions will be needed for military supplies, and how much will it cost? Have you ever calculated it?
?”
"Forget it." The man from the same year who was in the Ministry of Household Affairs responded with a smile. "Three hundred thousand people, even if there is a big river to facilitate transportation, it will take a corresponding number of civilians. Plus friendly troops and so on, it is estimated that six
700,000 people, regardless of the autumn harvest of that year, and taking a broad measurement, we have to prepare 6 million dan of grain. If there are more horses, it will cost more, and we must prepare 2 million bunches of hay...the rest
Salt, vinegar, vitriol, dried meat and other groceries... are given in total to give an approximate amount. Tens of millions of stones of grain and grass must be stored in advance! And the extra money and silk rewards, plus military supplies, are simpler. Compared with the imperial camp army
Normal annual consumption is enough! In other words, a small amount of tens of millions of stones of grain and grass, and twenty to thirty million of money and silk! The country needs to have such reserves to ensure that the Northern Expedition is sufficient! Of course, it is tighter, with a period of half a year, and considering that eight out of ten
Jiu Neng can combine one autumn harvest and reduce it to five million stones of grain and grass, and fifteen million dollars worth of silk, so I can always give it a try!"
"That's good." Chao Gongwu concluded in one word. "If seven or eight years is too long, let's settle on two or three years. In two or three years, we will support 240,000 to 50,000 imperial troops. You loyal ministers who are thinking about the Northern Expedition and
Tell me, how can you save another five million stones of food and grass, and fifteen million in floating wealth? Can it just fall out of thin air?"
Everyone in the private room immediately fell silent. This was a serious problem for the official family, and it was also where the important ministers were also in trouble... If anyone could solve this problem, the Zhao official family would definitely make him a marquis and prime minister.
"Look what Brother Chao said." Mei Yue saw that the atmosphere was not good and quickly interrupted. "If we, who have only been in office for three years, can work together to solve this problem for the officials, in the future, everyone will have one at this table.
The position of the secret pavilion, and the leader is indispensable for the position of prime minister... We are just taking advantage of the visit of the Hwarang before the New Year to have a casual chat!"
"That's right." Hu Quan also felt that it was a bit too much, so he stood up and toasted with a smile. "No matter what, we are tens of millions better now than when we were in Jingkang, so why worry too much? Let's have a drink for the New Year! As an official
Family longevity!”
Everyone stood up and held cups.
And as he finished the drink, another person laughed: "It's a pity that our royal camp master is not as barbaric as the Jurchens. Otherwise, if we tortured Xixia for some time, and compared it with the food stored by the Xixia people, it would be impossible to say
A fortune of five to six million!"
Everyone laughed, but then they remembered the loss of Jing Kangzhong, and it turned into a bitter smile. As a result, whether it was Hu Quan, Yu Yunwen, Chao Gongwu, or others, they could only lament over the wine. After all, it was difficult for the atmosphere to be as casual as it was at the beginning.
...Of course, among them, the Meishe person who came here for the first time did not tell the story that Zhao Guan's family came to him to inquire about sea trade data.
In the afternoon, the sky darkened again, with a hint of snow. Mr. Zhang from Zhao Ding said goodbye to his classmates on the south bank of the Cai River, while Hu Quan and others also dispersed on the north bank of the Cai River.
After all, we are just ordinary people. We need to hold an umbrella when it rains, go home early when it snows, and prepare for the New Year.
At the same time, Zhao Guan's family, who did not need to prepare for the New Year, sat in the palace and thought for a long time. Finally, they got up and left Shiting, but went to Concubine Wu.
When the two met, Concubine Wu was overjoyed and hurriedly came to greet her son, who was already asleep. Unexpectedly, after Zhao Guanjia took over his eldest son, he sat down on the couch and smiled again:
"My beloved, we haven't updated "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" for many days, right?"
Concubine Wu's face was stagnant, but she looked at the son in the official's arms and immediately greeted her with a smile: "What the official said is true. There has been no update for many days... Do you want to update today?"
"We have to update today." Zhao Jiu still smiled.
After hearing this, Concubine Wu still forced a smile, but the second official Feng Yifeng next to her had immediately turned around and ordered people to prepare pen and ink.
When the pen and ink were delivered, Zhao Jiu held her son in her arms and sighed: "But today's update is not "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". This book will not be updated in the future. Anyway, it is a folk tale that has its origins and will be compiled by famous writers hundreds of years later.
Maybe it will become a famous book... My beloved concubine, let's start a new book from today on. If I don't write it, no one will write it in the future."
Concubine Wu, who had spread out the paper and sat down at the table, was startled for a moment, and then returned to normal. Anyway, she was just a ghostwriter for any book. The eunuch "Miscellaneous Notes on Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was Wu Chengen's business. Concubine Wu had nothing to do with her.
What's the matter?
As soon as she thought about this, Concubine Wu put down the paperweight, took the pen and ink from Feng Erguan, and asked directly with a smile: "Please give me the title of the new book."
"Water Margin!" Zhao Jiu blurted out as he looked at the eldest son who was breathing evenly in his arms. "It's about the story of one hundred and eight demon stars in the sky descending to earth. When he was the emperor, he was forced to go to Liangshan to become a thief, but in Jingkang.
Called by the great cause of the country, he accepted the invitation and was my pioneer, rising up to fight against the Jin Dynasty. Then, when the world was settled in the tenth year of Jianyan, he went out to explore the sea for the Song Dynasty, and encountered all kinds of strange and geographical things."
Even though she had already practiced it through experience, Concubine Wu, who had already picked up the pen, was still stunned on the spot.
Zhao Jiu laughed when he saw this: "I am also forced to go to Liangshan... I have to try everything... Start writing!"