Chapter 223 Half of the military pay, issuing military tickets
At this time, Mao Wenlong was in Lushun Fort, discussing official matters with Chen Jisheng.
The imperial court finally restored food and salary. From the time Chongzhen ascended the throne in August last year to February this year, there was a total of seven months of salary cuts. If Guo Dajing had not made all-out efforts to raise funds, Dongjiang Town would have repeated the tragic scene of starvation and death in history.
From the moment his salary was cut off, Mao Wenlong kept asking the court for payment, but there was no reply. Mao Wenlong was anxious and angry, and the words he used in his memorial were quite offensive in the emperor's eyes.
Now that food and wages have been restored, it was originally a good thing, but it made Mao Wenlong feel bad and angry.
In the seventh year of the Apocalypse, the Carpenter Emperor suppressed Dongjiang and aided the DPRK, and he made a contribution in the Battle of Ningjin. His general's salary was raised to 1, 2, 4, which was the same as the Guan Ning Army.
However, when the imperial court resumed food and salary this time, it restored the military salary increase given by Emperor Tianqi to its original level, which was 0.7 taels of silver per month, and was distributed based on the amount of 36,000 soldiers.
You should know that during the Tianqi years, although the number of soldiers in Dongjiang Town changed frequently, the court issued them at 150,000. Because Dongjiang Town not only had soldiers but also people, and it was located in a remote overseas country and needed support from the court.
However, Emperor Chongzhen not only cut the pay, but also strictly distributed the troops according to the quota of 36,000, without considering the life and death of the people in Dongjiang Town.
"Three hundred thousand taels of silver per year is not enough to support the army." Mao Wenlong frowned and said angrily: "What military exploits does Guan Ning's army have? Dongjiang Town's salary is only half of that?"
Chen Jisheng was also very angry, but he still suppressed his anger and said thoughtfully: "From a time perspective, the imperial court's decision to cut wages was before the recapture of Jinzhou. If we learn about the victory of Jinzhou, it may change."
Mao Wenlong patted the memorial on the table and said, "I think so too. The memorial has been written, and I will plead to the court and Long Live to oppose the salary cut."
Chen Jisheng hesitated for a moment and then advised tactfully: "Commander, it seems inappropriate to write a memorial in anger. It won't be too late to write a memorial when you feel calmer."
Mao Wenlong waved his hand and said: "It is not a good idea to delay the matter. If it is delayed, it has been agreed upon and it will be difficult to change it."
Chen Jisheng was helpless, knowing that he would inevitably speak inappropriately when he was angry, which could easily offend the emperor or attract criticism from civil officials. But Mao Wenlong's temper was like this, and he couldn't say it deeply.
In order to ease Mao Wenlong's resentment, Chen Jisheng first changed the topic and talked about the issuance of military stamps proposed by Guo Dajing.
"Military notes and Song Dynasty treasure notes should be the same." Mao Wenlong fell into deep thought and said after a long while: "This is a big matter, so we need to handle it with caution."
"Dajing already has an idea. He should have considered it over and over and gained some confidence. In this way, you can discuss it slowly in the future, draw up the charter, and then report it to me."
There are advantages and disadvantages to issuing military coupons. Mao Wenlong still knew some of it, although he was not very proficient. But his loose tone was also related to the imperial court's salary cuts.
Three hundred thousand military pay a year is really not enough. There are more than two hundred thousand soldiers and civilians, and Liao civilians are constantly fleeing with their heads shaved. Food is very tight, but there is still something to wear!
Moreover, the military's weapons and equipment need to be maintained and built, the dead need to be compensated, and the disabled need to be cared for. If you ignore everything, your heart will be broken.
Even if there will be rewards for meritorious service later, Mao Wenlong cannot take up all of them. If you don’t distribute them to meritorious troops, how can you maintain the morale of the army?
Jinzhou has been recovered, but we have to wait until after the autumn harvest to see the benefits.
Chen Jisheng nodded and said with a forced smile: "The marshal wants to arrange the marriage between Dajing and Fujino Hide, and it goes very smoothly. If a man is in love, if a woman is interested, it will be done as soon as we talk about it."
Mao Wenlong smiled, feeling a little relieved, and said: "In that case, let me arrange this marriage for them before I leave Jinzhou!"
Chen Jisheng said: "I asked Dajing what he meant. He didn't want to make a big deal. He just wanted to find a house and have a wedding banquet with a few close friends, and that would be it."
Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and chin and said: "In that case, we will do as he wants. As for the house, let's find a place in Lushun Fort. Send someone to notify them and come as soon as possible!"
"Dajing has gone to the port, and the Lin family's fleet has arrived." Chen Jisheng said, "I met him on the road. I think he will come to see the commander-in-chief soon."
Mao Wenlong was a little surprised, but then he smiled bitterly and said: "The Lin family is generous, but Dongjiang Town cannot owe too much, making it difficult for Dajing."
Just as he was talking, some soldiers came to report, and Guo Dajing asked to see him outside.
"Let him come in!" Mao Wenlong collected the documents on the desk and said, "Tell him about these things and see if he can do anything."
A good woman cannot make a meal without rice. Although Mao Wenlong has hope, it is not great.
After a while, Guo Dajing entered the house and bowed to see him.
"No need to be polite." Mao Wenlong raised his hand and said with a smile: "I just talked about your marriage. I left it to Deputy Marshal Chen to take care of it, so here you are."
Guo Dajing smiled and said: "It's just a small matter of taking a concubine. I don't know if it's appropriate at this time. Let the Marshal and Deputy Marshal Chen take care of it."
"You don't have to worry about anything, and you don't have to worry about anything." Mao Wenlong said: "You have already had heirs, and you are worthy of the ancestors of the Guo family."
Guo Dajing thanked him again, then sat down in the chair and bowed and said: "This time the Lin family's fleet transported 10,000 stones of rice, more than 200,000 jins of Fujian and Guangdong refined iron, more than 100,000 jins of cotton, and 40,000 pieces of cotton cloth...
…”
Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng looked at each other, both surprised and a little surprised. They did not know about the cooperation between Guo Dajing and the Lin family, and thought that the Lin family had generously donated money to help Dongjiang.
After Guo Dajing reported the quantity, he added: "The Lin family is grateful to Dongjiang Town for its help, opening up the sea trade with Japan, and also specially supplying Liaodong specialties such as ginseng and mink. These materials only charge the cost price, which is about fifteen thousand taels."
silver."
"Fifteen thousand taels of silver, Dongjiang Town can still afford it." Mao Wenlong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's much cheaper than buying it from Shandong. Please thank the Lin family for their help on my behalf."
Guo Dajing bowed and said: "Even for this fifteen thousand silver, the Lin family does not want to pay it immediately. Now that Jinzhou has been restored, the Lin family wants to build a business store, so we ask Dongjiang Town to provide convenience."
Mao Wenlong stroked his beard and smiled, and said: "This is because of our friendship with you. You and Deputy Marshal Chen can discuss it and try your best to provide discounts and help."
Chen Jisheng also nodded in agreement and said: "Dajing will take charge of the negotiations and occupy the land to build a store and do business. It is nothing more than this."
Guo Dajing reported again: "The Xiyi and Lin family fleets from Haojing came together and brought artillery and muskets. The total amount is..."
Mao Wenlong and Chen Jisheng's eyes lit up. With this large number of weapons and equipment, not only could Jinzhou be stabilized, but the combat power of the entire Dongjiang Town could be greatly improved.
But how much does this cost? We only have one month’s salary, do we have to spend it all?
Guo Dajing had already thought of the reason and said: "The general and the Portuguese have already agreed that the purchased arms and supplies will be paid in installments. This batch of weapons and equipment is worth a total of 31,100 taels, half of which needs to be paid. The other half will be paid within one year.
Three hundred taels of interest will be added."
This was determined after calculating the money in Mao Wenlong's hands. It was obtainable, but not too harsh, and completely within the acceptable range.
Fortunately, there are quite a few old artillery and muskets, which are still reasonable. If they were all new, they would definitely cost more than this.
Sure enough, Mao Wenlong breathed a sigh of relief. Even if the reward money hadn't arrived, it was still enough to pay for it.
Everyone has secrets, and Mao Wenlong knows that things may not be as simple and easy as Guo Dajing said. The Lin family is a righteous businessman, and Xiyi is only profit-seeking and generous, but he doesn't believe it.
But Mao Wenlong knew when to get to the bottom of things and when to act foolishly.
We have artillery and muskets, and the price is reasonable, and we even saved a lot more than planned. As long as Guo Dajing has any secret transactions with the Lin family and Xiyi, as long as it does not harm the interests of Dongjiang Town, he doesn't want to ask in detail.
Just like the Phi Island headquarters is doing business, there is also more or less business on each island. They are doing everything possible to raise funds and tide over the difficulties. As long as they don't collaborate with the enemy, they don't have to make it public, let alone report it, and they enjoy a certain degree of freedom.
When it comes to business and business, Guo Dajing is obviously the best. This can be seen from the situation in Guanglu Island and his ability to help the entire Dongjiang Town.
But despite this, Mao Wenlong never took the initiative to ask Guo Dajing for profits or reported detailed business transactions.
At this point, the personalities of Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing are quite similar. As long as the goal is achieved, as for the detailed process, don't worry about it, as long as it does not violate the general principle.
Obviously, based on Guo Dajing's cruelty towards Jianlu, there would be no collaboration with the enemy. Guo Dajing didn't seem to have a good impression of the imperial court, and even gave the eunuch Zhao Guang a sum of money.
It is human nature to save some wealth for oneself, not to treat soldiers and civilians harshly, and not to embezzle military pay. Why should Mao Wenlong be worried!
"You have made another great contribution. I don't know how to reward you." Mao Wenlong said with emotion: "The Nanguan defense line has been basically completed. Before I left Jinzhou, I arranged your marriage."
"As for the military coupons you proposed, discuss it carefully with Deputy Commander Chen. If you think the time is right, you can issue it in small quantities and do experiments first."
Guo Dajing nodded vigorously and said: "It is most prudent to try it out first. The general thought that the rice grains distributed to the soldiers and civilians could be converted into military coupons first. If the bosses don't object, the salary can also be converted into military coupons. What about the quantity?
, temporarily issued one hundred thousand."
"Let's discuss it!" Mao Wenlong was in a good mood, so he simply delegated power again and said, "I don't care much about the management of Jinzhou."
After a pause, Mao Wenlong's face became serious and he said: "The imperial court has restored food and salary, but it is half salary, and it is paid according to the quota of 36,000 soldiers."
Guo Dajing frowned and said, "What about the several months of arrears that I owe? Should I pay them back all at once or in installments?"
Chen Jisheng smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, "There is no reissue."
Guo Dajing did not hide his disappointment. What did the court and the emperor think? He just missed several months of food and salary without even an explanation.
Also, the pay was cut. Are they all blind? They can't see the achievements of Dongjiang Town in the past year or so. Why do the Guan Ning Army's gang of city-defending dogs get full pay?
In other words, Mao Wenlong only received the salary for March, which was only 25,000 taels of silver. After excluding the money for buying artillery and muskets, there were only seven or eight thousand taels left.
The key is that spending money means not paying wages. The soldiers and civilians who have suffered for several months have not improved at all except that they can eat.
During the period when the imperial court cut off food and salary, Mao Wenlong also sent people to Shandong to buy food, so he probably had some money. Now, he should have almost spent it.
The room became quiet, Mao Wenlong lowered his eyes, Chen Jisheng stroked his forehead, and Guo Dajing blinked, all thinking.
Guo Dajing sighed and said in a deep voice: "Commander, Deputy Marshal Chen, how about using military coupons as payment? If you are worried that the military and civilians will not recognize it, the general can loan money to the Lin family as a deposit to reassure the military and civilians."
What Mao Wenlong meant was to deduct military pay and only distribute food. He had done this before. Using military coupons in lieu of pay was certainly better than forcibly deducting military pay, but in the end it still had to be exchanged.
Guo Dajing continued to explain: "The general feels that operating with debt is better than having no money. If we set the exchange period for half a year or one year, we can breathe a sigh of relief. After expiration, it will still be issued monthly and exchanged every month. It doesn’t matter if you carry the debt for ten or eight years.”
"This - it seems feasible." Mao Wenlong's eyes lit up. He was in debt and had no interest. He had a buffer for half a year and a year, but he still couldn't save the money to exchange?
Chen Jisheng also understood, Yin eats Maoliang!
The main thing is to get a buffer of half a year or a year, and then you have to pay it back. After you borrow it and pay it back, you are still a debt, but it is an interest-free debt. It will still be the same amount after ten, eight, or even decades.
"This is a good method." Chen Jisheng nodded vigorously and was the first to agree, saying: "The key is to have enough food. Once the military stamps are issued, a lot can be recovered. Plus other expenses, and redemption when due, it won't be that big." too much."
"Food can also be purchased in limited quantities. As long as each family has enough food, it can't be hoarded." Guo Dajing said: "I went to discuss with the Lin family and packaged all the goods and changed them to government-owned retail."
Mao Wenlong lowered his head and said: "In this way, we can recover the military receipts and make small profits. Okay, that's it. Let's gather people, discuss it carefully, and finalize the regulations."
Although military notes are paper, they can be used as credit currency. As long as you can buy something and exchange it when it expires, you don't have to worry about your credit going bankrupt and turning into waste paper.
According to Guo Dajing's thinking of later generations, military notes were the currency for internal circulation, while gold and silver were equivalent to foreign exchange, which could be used to purchase needed supplies from outside.
Anyway, it is a remote location overseas and is severely isolated from the mainland. The soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang rarely use gold and silver.
The three briefly discussed it and decided to issue 200,000 taels of military coupons in installments within four months, which can be redeemed after one year.
According to the military pay issued by the imperial court, Dongjiang Town can receive 300,000 taels a year and 25,000 taels per month. After one year, the first installment will be exchanged for a maximum of 50,000 taels, which does not include the amount recovered within a year.
To put it bluntly, as long as you have 50,000 cash in cash every month after one year, you can maintain this cycle of borrowing and repaying, borrowing and repaying again.
"I will continue to appeal to the court to get the same treatment as Guan Ning's army." Although Mao Wenlong felt better, he was still worried about paying half the salary and favoring one over the other.
Can a crying child get candy?! I'm afraid the court and the emperor won't accept this, and will only find you annoying and disgust you even more.
Guo Dajing thought so, but he also felt that just suffering the consequences of being dumb was not an option.
"Commander, there is no problem in complaining to the court." Guo Dajing touched his chin and admonished: "But the wording should be tactful and polite, so as not to be criticized by the civil servants for being arrogant and rude."
Mao Wenlong nodded, not sure if he just expressed his opinion casually or if he really listened.
That's all. Guo Dajing didn't want to teach Mao Wenlong how to do it. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, he got up and left.
Not busy with getting married, Guo Dajing went to see Lin Tiansheng again, negotiated with him, and talked about the issuance of military coupons.
Lin Tiansheng thought for a long time and realized that this was not just a matter of lack of money, Guo Dajing was not here to borrow funds from him.
"When it's time to exchange, we won't need 50,000 silver at all. If I estimate, 30,000 will be enough." Lin Tiansheng looked at Guo Dajing and said confidently: "The third brother is really a genius for coming up with this trick. It's a pity.
, you are a general, not in business."
Of course Guo Dajing knew that it would not cost 50,000, but he couldn't estimate how much it would cost.
"Since brother said 30,000, I am even more confident." Guo Dajing said with a smile: "But in this way, all the retail business in Jinzhou and Pidao will be in the hands of the garrison.
"
Lin Tiansheng waved his hand nonchalantly and said: "The Lin family doesn't have that much energy and manpower to set up shops in various places in Dongjiang Town. As long as the goods purchased do not lose money, there will be no problem."
The price increase is certain, but the Lin family does not expect to make money on that little merchandise. If they can cover the purchase and shipping costs, they will be able to support Guo Dajing's obligations.
In addition to the Lin family's procurement, the nearest ones are Shandong and Tianjin. Guo Dajing believes that it is better to have all the goods in the hands of the government. At least it will stabilize people's hearts and not drive up prices.
In fact, it is not too important how much money a shop can make. The main thing is to give soldiers and civilians a way to spend their military coupons, so that people gradually form the impression that military coupons are no different from money.
In the early stage, that is, this year, grain and salt will definitely be the largest consumer goods. After the autumn harvest, families who enjoy preferential policies and work hard should be able to accumulate surplus grain, or in other words, have some spare money in their hands.
Daily necessities such as wine, meat, sauce, and vinegar, as well as production tools such as spades, picks, and hoes, will also have relatively large sales at the end of the year or early next year.
There is always a process from subsistence to food and clothing, from fullness to good food. The same is true for business. To promote the consumption of Dongjiang soldiers and civilians, it cannot be solved by just issuing military stamps.
But why should we promote consumption? Isn’t the rationing system of the military household model bad?
This must be blamed on the imperial court and Emperor Chongzhen. Without arrears of food and salary, without cutting salary, and caring about the living conditions of the soldiers and civilians in Xia Dongjiang, how could such a thing happen?
From a small perspective, the issuance of military coupons is to solve the problem of salary arrears and salary cuts; from a large perspective, it is a move to gradually get rid of the imperial court.
The first is to be self-sufficient in food, which is the fundamental goal of regaining Jinzhou; the second is to use the issuance of military coupons for military pay to form an internal cycle and reduce dependence on the imperial court.