Because from this moment on, Shen Yi...or the Huai'an Army can finally legally accept surrender!
This also means that the Huai'an Army's troop strength limit in the future Northern Expedition battlefield will no longer be a problem, and Shen Yi will be much more relaxed when fighting.
Of course, there are still two problems with the emperor's words.
The first problem is, of course, the food problem.
It is unlikely that a word like "ke" written by Emperor Hongde in private would pass through the imperial court, and it can even be concluded that it is unlikely to be put into writing within two or three years.
Firstly, it is because it is not in line with the rules, and secondly, because Dachen's national power is also limited, and it is impossible to supply food to the front line without limit.
Now, the 100,000 people on Shen Yi's side and the 100,000 people on Pei Jun's side are basically the limit of Chen's national power. It can't even be said to be the limit. It can be said to be "overloaded".
If Zhao Changping hadn't accumulated some wealth for the court during his years as Minister of Household Affairs, Chen Guo would have been unable to support him even now.
Accepting the surrender meant increasing troops, and the court was unlikely to send more food and salary to Shen Yi.
In other words, if Shen Yi surrenders to the Qi army, Shen Yi will need to take care of the extra Qi people.
The second question is more obvious.
For the same reason that it cannot be written down in writing, Shen Yi's act of surrender is likely to be attacked by civil servants in the court as being "specialist", and some may even say that he is overstepping his bounds.
And this point depends on His Majesty the Emperor's final attitude, whether he will endorse Mr. Shen.
From the current point of view, there is no problem. The Emperor of Dachen is not only young and promising, but also a very responsible emperor.
After the monarch and his ministers discussed the battle on the front line, Shen Yi stood up and said goodbye: "Your Majesty, I want to go back and write a letter for Yanzhou, so I won't disturb your Majesty."
The emperor stood up in person and sent Shen Yi to the gate of Ganlu Palace. Then he rubbed his temples and said, "This year's end of the year is a break for others, but for me, it is more like a disaster. Starting from the first day of the new year, , I have to work hard every day, and I can’t live in peace.”
"In two days, when I have finished my business in the palace, we, the monarch and my ministers, will talk slowly and in detail."
Having said this, he paused and continued: "Shen Qing, there must be great progress in the battlefield in Shandong this year, otherwise..."
His tone was full of helplessness: "Otherwise, the Northern Expedition will have to be suspended temporarily."
Shen Yi raised his head and looked at the emperor.
His Majesty the Emperor smiled bitterly and said: "The treasury consumption is too great. If we continue to fight this year at most, there will probably be no money left."
Shen Yi said thoughtfully: "Where is the Shibo Division..."
"In the past few years, all the income of the Municipal Shipping Department has been used by the Ministry of Household Affairs."
Speaking of the Shibo Division, His Majesty the Emperor was also a little annoyed and said in a low voice: "In the best two years since the Shibo Division was first established, I received fifteen million taels of silver in one year. Later, although it was slightly It’s reduced, but overall it’s still pretty good, and my pockets have been bulging a lot.”
"But in the past two years when the Ministry of Household Affairs sent people to take over, the income of the Shipping Department plummeted. Last year, there were only about 6 million taels left!"
At this point, the emperor snorted: "I will send someone to find out sooner or later."
When Shen Yi heard this, he couldn't help but frown.
It was he who started this business with his own hands.
Originally, in Shen Yi's budget, the five shipping companies should be able to stably provide the imperial court with a tax revenue of 10 million taels a year.
However, the business of Chen State far exceeded Shen Yi's estimate. In the second year after the establishment of the five shipping companies, the amount reached more than 14 million taels.
Originally, as long as the operation continued to be stable, logically speaking, the income would rise steadily, but unexpectedly, in just a few years, there would be a sharp decline.
And being able to make the emperor so angry shows...
There must be no problems with the accounts.
Shen Yi's eyes were firm: "Your Majesty, the Shipping Department must at least provide the court with stable tax revenue for ten to twenty years."
"The imperial court must not let it rot."
The emperor shook his head slightly: "But the accounts are fine."
"Then there's something wrong with people."
Shen Yi whispered: "The revenue of the Shipping Department has plummeted, which means that smuggling has increased sharply, or the relevant officials have acted recklessly and treated merchants harshly."
"Forcing them to be unwilling to enter the sea from the Municipal Shipping Division Port, or not to go to sea at all."
The emperor touched his chin, thoughtfully.
Shen Yi was silent for a while and whispered: "Your Majesty, let Prince Jin go south again."
"If a civil servant cannot lift a knife, he cannot scare anyone."
When the emperor heard this, he smiled dumbly: "Don't you have a very close personal relationship with Brother Wang? How could you recommend such a terrible job to him?"
"Prince Jin is willing to do this kind of thing."
The emperor patted Shen Yi on the shoulder and was quite touched: "To be honest, ordinary ministers, especially ministers who are close to me, would stay away from Brother Wang and his family. Only Shen Qing, you do not shy away from suspicion."
"I will seriously consider what you say."
Shen Yi lowered his head first, and then suddenly said: "Your Majesty, if the court's money and food are not enough, does that mean that no matter how well Shandong is fought this year and whether it is defeated or not, the Northern Expedition will be suspended?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, and his voice was a little hoarse: "I have to ask the Ministry of Finance..."
"It is impossible for me to donate too much to the people to serve the army. Da Chen cannot afford to go to war."
Shen Yi thought carefully for a while, and finally shook his head and said nothing.
"I know what you are going to say."
The emperor looked around and then whispered to Shen Yi: "Starting from this year, there is no need to report the Huai'an army's branches to the Ministry of Husbandry and the Ministry of War. You don't need to report it. You can handle it yourself."
"but…"
"A copy needs to be sent to the palace."
Hearing this, Shen Yi felt a little excited.
Because the emperor gave him a certain amount of autonomy over money and food!
And this kind of authority should never be given lightly to others, especially the important ministers leading the army!
However, the situation was urgent now, and the emperor was eager to expedition to the north, so he no longer had much to worry about.
If we follow the rules and the Northern Expedition is suspended this time, we don’t know when the next one will be.
As the emperor of Dachen, he must consider whether this is his only chance in this life!
Revitalize Chen Rongguang!
Mr. Shen took a deep breath and bowed his head deeply: "Your Majesty, thank you for your trust!"
The emperor walked him to the door of Ganlu Palace, stretched out his hand to pull Shen Yi's sleeves, and said with a serious face: "Shen Qing, I will always remember the way you and I looked north when we were young."
When he was a boy, Mr. Shen drew too many cakes for the emperor.
Nowadays, these cakes are being realized one by one.
"The king is like a green mountain, and the ministers are like pines and cypresses."
In front of the Ganlu Palace, Shen Yi bowed his head deeply: "Your Majesty trusts me, I should repay you with the capital of Yan!"
………………
In the next few days, Shen Yi began to remotely control the Yanzhou battlefield in Jiankang.
It's not that he is greedy for the prosperity of Jiankang and is unwilling to go north, it's because there are many things that have not been resolved yet.
For example, a large amount of scarce supplies on the front line.
Also, Shen Yi needed to coordinate the conflicts in the court so that the subsequent Northern Expedition process would not be affected by the court.
At least, for the next whole year, he will not be affected by the imperial court.
This requires him to communicate with Prime Minister Zhongshu.
Of course there is no need to go to Zhao Changping.
There is no need to go to Cui Yu or Cui Xianggong.
The other three prime ministers, Shen Yi, all visited one by one and wished them New Year's greetings.
Among them, the one who was most enthusiastic about Shen Yi was Prime Minister Yue Qian. He not only put down his posture to have a drink and chat with the junior Shen Yi, but even reluctantly sent Shen Yi to the door before parting, making arrangements to get married to the Shen family.
Faced with the Prime Minister's overtures, Shen Yi would naturally not be cold-hearted. The relationship between him and Prime Minister Yue turned into a "friend who has never forgotten the year" overnight.
Soon, it’s the Lantern Festival.
On the bank of the Qinhuai River, Mr. Shen held Shen Sangsang in his arms. He looked up at the bustling Qinhuai River, then looked down at his daughter in his arms, and silently looked up at the sky.
The night wind blew his hair.
In the blink of an eye, the soul that was reborn in Jiangdu Prison has been in this world for ten years.
This year is the fifteenth year of Hongde.
Shen Yi, the governor of Shandong, concurrently serving as minister of the Ministry of War, and serving as the deputy censor of the Imperial Palace in Taiyou.