Chapter 301 Teenagers have their own teenage madness
As soon as Jiang Yuanming's cry was over, before Young Master Liu could speak, Song Yu, Minister of the Ministry of War, took the first step and walked out holding the Chao Hut.
"Old Jiang, you are farting. Now, excluding the expenditures to support the people's livelihood construction in Beifu and Xinfu, plus the money expenditures used by various state governments for disaster relief, there is now gold, silver, copper coins, silk, grain, and rare treasures in the national treasury.
The combined value of all the treasures is at least two to thirty million taels of silver.
Even if all kinds of rare treasures are excluded, the gold, silver, money and food alone are probably over 20 million taels.
If about three million taels of grain were allocated from it, it would be more than enough for the imperial court to recruit another two hundred thousand new soldiers.
Do you want to throw away my million-dollar young man's determination to serve the country with just a simple statement that the treasury has no money?"
Jiang Yuanming raised his eyebrows and glared at Song Yu unwilling to be outdone.
"My mother, Lao Song, you are such a naughty person that you can stand up and talk without pain. Is it so insignificant in the eyes of you, Master Song, to spend three million taels of food together?"
Yes! You are right. The total amount of various things in the treasury now converted into silver taels is nearly 30 million taels. But how long do you think these 30 million taels of silver can stay in the treasury?
Why does it cost nothing to open a canal? How about military pay and food for hundreds of thousands of soldiers?
Is it that the Academy of Sciences’ research is free of charge? Or is it that the upgrading of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the North is free of charge?
You are as busy as dogs all year round and you don’t need a salary? Don’t the officials of various states and governments, big and small, don’t need a salary?
Is it free to repair official roads, repair city walls, and repair pavilions in the palace?
Don’t you need to set aside emergency money and food?
This is still a large amount of expenditure, and some small expenditures are even more varied. Can you tell me which one does not cost money?
This official has not even included the silver taels needed to build His Majesty's Imperial Mausoleum! If he did, it would cost several million taels of silver.
Nowadays, just the money spent on building the canal is enough for me to be overwhelmed. You old man is still here making sarcastic remarks, as if there is enough money in the treasury for me to squander it at will.
The money in the treasury is not my own money, so why am I reluctant to take out any extra silver?
After all, aren’t we still poor?
Ah! Because you are not in charge of money and food, you just raise your flag, say big words, wave your hands and think that everything is gone?
Old man Song, have you forgotten the days when you were the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs twenty years ago, when you were so anxious that you almost became a pantser because the state treasury had no money?
Now that you have been transferred to the Ministry of War, you can stand and talk without back pain, right?
Since you, the Great Minister of the Song Dynasty, said it so happily, three million taels is neither too much nor too little, so you can take it out of your own pocket!
As long as you can come up with it, the imperial court will not even mention recruiting another 200,000 new soldiers. Even if it recruits another 300,000 new soldiers, I will try to find a way to make up for the remaining money you need.
The key is, can you take it out?"
Song Yu looked at Lao Jiang who was cursing at him, put away his Chaohu and sat back in anger. After hearing so many places where money was needed, he really couldn't find a reason to refute Lao Jiang.
Lao Jiang looked at Song Yu who was retreating, sneered a few times and saluted Young Master Liu.
"Your Majesty, we can now use up to 500,000 elite troops at each pass. I think there is no need to recruit new troops now.
Firstly, I really can't come up with extra money. Secondly, I have so many soldiers now. Where should I place the new recruits?
The government troops in various state capitals are becoming increasingly streamlined, so we can't recruit new soldiers to supplement their positions, right?
In this way, the money and food consumed would be worse than not reducing the number of soldiers and horses of the government soldiers! After all, the combat effectiveness of the government soldiers is not as good as that of the brave and skilled frontier troops, but it is still better than the new recruits, right?
Your Majesty also came from a military background. The amount of money required to train new soldiers and prepare the new soldiers' armor and armaments was consumed even by veterans, even Your Majesty understands.
I, the young man Dalong, can understand the idea of repaying the national situation with fists and fists, but understanding is understanding, and reality is reality.
Now that the imperial court does not need to recruit new soldiers at all, I think it is more appropriate to spend the money on practical things first. Please think again, Your Majesty."
Liu Mingzhi quietly looked at Lao Jiang, who was almost quarreling with the Secretary of the Ministry of War, and his face turned red. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and was silent for a while before suddenly speaking.
"One hundred thousand! How about one hundred thousand?"
"Huh? I am confused."
"Jiang Aiqing, what I mean is that from among the young men from all over the country who have volunteered to join the army, we will narrow down and refine and then reduce the number of recruits to 100,000.
I have just carefully thought about the placement of these 100,000 new soldiers. After being trained by the veterans of the Forbidden Army, they will be transferred to Dashi and Tianzhu to supplement the two armies of the Western Expedition.
There are three reasons for this.
First, they can quickly transform into elite soldiers on the battlefield. Training for half a year is not as good as going to the battlefield for ten days.
If you want to turn a group of new soldiers into elite soldiers as quickly as possible, the best place for training is to experience blood and fire on the battlefield.
Secondly, most of the young and strong young men are young men who have not married or established a family. After recruiting them to conquer the two countries, they can not only make achievements there, but also allow them to start a family and establish a career there. It can be said to be a good thing that kills two birds with one stone.
If I, the dragon, want to gain a firm foothold in Dashi, Tianzhu, and the small barbarian countries further to the west, we must first implement the strategy of sinicizing the local people.
Only by allowing my people, the dragon, to thrive there can the blood of my people, the dragon, truly spread to all corners of the world and to all nations in the world.
Hitting and leaving can certainly promote my great dragon power, but it is only a temporary power.
Only by allowing the presence of my people, the Great Dragon, to spread wherever the sun and moon shine, can we open up our territory and expand our territory in the true sense.
And if you want to do this, you can only spread the seeds of our Dalong Dynasty civilization bit by bit, and then you won't have any worries.
Come on three times! You have all read the battle reports of Zhang Shuai and Nangong Shuai from the year before last year. Although our Western Expeditionary Army did not suffer much losses in the use of troops to conquer the barbarians, nearly half of the soldiers were lost due to the incompatibility of the climate and the soil.
Around 100,000.
This also means that the guards, battalions, and departments of the Western Expedition Army are in urgent need of replenishing their troops and restoring their complete organizational structure.
The more troops our Dalong Erlang has in the barbarian countries of the West, the more beneficial it will be to our Dalong court from an overall perspective.
At the same time, the new recruits can also replace some of the veteran soldiers and return home to live and work in peace and contentment.
Dear friends, dear ministers, I, the people of Dalong, have traveled across thousands of mountains and rivers, but my last thought is still these four words: fallen leaves return to their roots.
In the same way, I don't want to see the soldiers of the Great Dragon who sacrificed their lives and shed their blood for their country and country to end up in a foreign land.
Recruiting another 100,000 new soldiers to add to the Western Expedition Army is indeed a considerable expense, but I have to consider it for the soldiers!
Spend more money, spend more money! Even if my imperial mausoleum cannot be completed within ten years, we should first let the veterans of the Western Expedition Army who want to return to their roots and return to their hometown with honor return.
You can earn back money if you spend it, but it's hard to keep warm when people's hearts are cold.
Let's recruit another 100,000 new soldiers.
Young people have their own teenage madness, and a new generation replaces the old ones.
In the end, this world is still the world of young people. The imperial court needs them to expand its territory, and the people of the world also need them to protect their homes and countries.
Facing the general trend of the world, those of us who are half buried in the loess cannot rest on our laurels!
It shouldn’t be difficult for the Ministry of Household Affairs to slightly reduce or temporarily shelve some unimportant expenditures and recruit another 100,000 recruits, right?”
Jiang Yuanming looked at Young Master Liu's meaningful eyes, remained silent for a long time and nodded hesitantly.
"I can't guarantee it, but I will definitely try my best."
"Well, I believe you, Ministry of War."
"The old minister is here."
"We will work together with all our strength to successfully handle the conscription matter within three months."