Chapter 2305: United with the Western Regions to resist the Sui Dynasty, Qingmei went to the West
Twenty-four percent?
This number couldn't help but make Ying Hao's eyelids jump.
If one percent of the academy construction plan is included, the three major projects alone account for 25% of Daqin's finances and a quarter of the overall finances. And this is not a small number. .
The Daqin family has a big business, and naturally has a lot of money to spend. Putting aside everything else, military expenditures definitely account for the majority.
Military expenditures for the major generals and the 850,000-strong army account for 50% of the fiscal budget.
This is also the biggest reason for Ying Hao's ruling, because if there is no disarmament, the military expenditure will reach about 65%, and then Da Qin will have no money to use for development and growth.
In addition to military expenditures, the total number of officials, large and small, in the nine states of the Qin Dynasty was nearly 20,000, and the salaries of these officials accounted for about 5% of the finance.
The Qingzhou Navy's expenditure on military expansion is not large, but the shipbuilding plan is a big money grab. In addition, various weapons and armor must be built in advance for future military expansion. These expenditures will probably account for 5% of the fiscal budget.
For Da Qin, building warships and weapons only costs labor and time. There is no need to spend money on materials. They can just use local materials, so the cost is naturally small.
Including miscellaneous other expenses, it is roughly about 5%.
Ying Hao didn't know it, but he was shocked when he figured it out.
According to this calculation, Great Qin's finances for the next year have been prepaid by 90%, leaving only 10% for internal affairs.
This ratio is indeed a bit too low. If an accident occurs, such as a natural disaster, Daqin will not even be able to provide disaster relief funds.
At this thought, Ying Hao couldn't help but feel extremely solemn. Da Qin's financial situation was not optimistic, and he had to find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.
"The plan to open up the maritime trade route seems to be carried out as soon as possible." Ying Hao said solemnly.
For Da Qin now, the best way to make money is to open up maritime trade routes.
At present, there are more than 20 Nanyang forces that can confirm that they are conducting sea trade with Daqin, excluding the Southern Barbarians.
Nanyang is a huge market, with a fairly small population and low level of civilization. Basically, all the goods in Da Qin are in hot demand.
As long as maritime trade routes can be opened up, there will naturally be no shortage of sellers for the seized equipment gathering dust in Daqin's warehouses, as well as those surplus commodities of all kinds, and they will immediately turn waste into treasure.
By conducting sea trade with the major forces in Nanyang, Daqin can also earn a large amount of development funds. Naturally, it will no longer be short of funds for the development of the civil war, and there will be a fiscal surplus left to invest in other areas, so it must be promoted as soon as possible. That's it.
“The plan to sail to the Western Ocean has been accelerated and is expected to officially set sail on February 10th.
The chief envoy Ye Qingmei, the deputy envoys Zheng He and Magellan on the left and right have all rushed to Qingzhou, accompanied by the Southern Barbarian envoy Lord Zhu. ” Xun Yuhui reported.
Because Da Qin lost Nanjun, the trade route with the Nanman was cut off, and the only way to continue trading was by sea.
Nanman is a relatively closed place, with few opportunities for trade with the outside world, let alone sea trade.
The transaction between Da Qin and Nanman is not a small number. For Nanman, it is the key to the prosperity of the country.
It is precisely because of this that Zhu Rong decided to go with Ye Qingmei. She and Ye Qingmei wanted to witness this trade route with themselves. Only by ensuring the safety of the maritime trade route could Nanman confidently and boldly trade with Daqin. .
Ying Hao couldn't help but nodded when he heard the words, and then continued to discuss other matters with the ministers. But in the middle of the meeting, Jia Xu broke in with an important piece of information.
"Your Majesty, the Heibingtai spies in Liangzhou have returned urgent information. The Sui army secretly mobilized 30,000 cavalry with unknown intentions." Jia Xuhui reported.
Ying Hao suddenly perked up and walked to the precise map he drew by himself. He pointed at the map and said seriously: "The Sui army has four targets that can directly fight. The first is our Daqin, the second is Yuan and Meng, the third is Tubo, and the fourth Western Region.
The Sui army had just ceased war with our army. If the treaty was abrogated so quickly, it would be unlikely to restart the war. Therefore, the Sui army's target should not be our army. "
Hearing this, all the ministers nodded involuntarily. They didn't think that the Sui State had the courage to go to war with Qin alone. If there was a fight, the Sui State would definitely suffer in the end. Yang Guang could not be so stupid.
Ying Hao continued his analysis: "As for Yuanmeng in the north, this possibility can be ruled out directly. After all, the total number of cavalry of the Sui army is second only to the Qing Dynasty among the princes, but it is not enough to provoke Yuanmeng. to the point.”
Among the princes in the world, except for Da Qin, the Tang State originally had the largest number of cavalry. However, after the two battles between Si and Yong, the Tang State's cavalry suffered heavy casualties, and its overall ranking dropped to third place. On the contrary, it was the weakest in overall national strength. The Sui Kingdom had the second largest number of cavalry.
Although the Sui Kingdom had the second largest number of cavalry in the world, it was obviously far from qualified to challenge Yuan Meng, who all had cavalry on the grassland.
"As for the Tibetan Kingdom in the southwest of the Sui Kingdom? Tubo has more than three million people, but only more than 100,000 soldiers, and its combat power is not too strong. It is indeed a good direction for the Sui Kingdom to expand.
However, Tubo is located in a plateau area. People who are not on the plateau will suffer from altitude sickness if they go to the plateau area, which can range from physical weakness to death.
Most of the Sui troops were from Liangzhou and Qiang people. Before they could adapt to altitude sickness, they would not easily send troops to Tibet. "
At this point, Ying Hao stopped and looked at the Western Region. The meaning was naturally obvious. After all, three of the four targets were eliminated, so only the Western Region was left.
“The Western Region, the land in the far west, is vast and sparsely populated, but has thirty-six kingdoms, large and small, and none of them are very powerful. With the strength of the Sui State, it can completely swallow them up. It is the best choice for the Sui State’s expansion.
However, Yang Guang only used 30,000 iron cavalry this time. It was probably just the first round of testing. "
In just a few words, Ying Hao had already analyzed Yang Guang's purpose, and even guessed that this time it was mainly about testing.
Ying Hao of the Western Regions naturally wanted it too. After all, as long as the Hexi Corridor was opened, Da Qin would be able to trade with Central Asian countries and even Western countries.
Compared with sea trade, the benefits of land trade are also not small.
If possible, Ying Hao would naturally want to trade with the Western Regions, but the Sui State blocked Da Qin's trade routes to the west.
Ying Hao really wanted to destroy the Sui State, open up the Hexi Corridor, and conduct trade with Western countries, but he could not do so.
First, the current Great Qin was unable to destroy the Sui Dynasty. After all, destroying the Sui Dynasty would require at least 150,000 troops, including at least 50,000 cavalry, which the current Great Qin could not afford.
Second, Ying Hao was afraid that destroying Sui would trigger a chain reaction and destroy the hard-won peaceful cultivation.
Some people say that although the situation in Daqin is not good, the situation in other countries is also not good, so why should we be so timid?
But you must know that among the major forces, only Great Qin has the ability to dominate the world, and no other country has this ability.
If Da Qin doesn't care about anything and destroys any country it wants, it will definitely attract the princes to jointly attack Qin. Although Da Qin is not afraid, the whole world will be in chaos.
It was great to do this, but the process of Great Qin's unification of the world would definitely be slowed down. This was Great Qin's biggest loss. On the contrary, other countries would not have any losses. After all, they did not have the strength to unify the world in the first place.
Returning to the topic, Yang Guang wanted to swallow up the Western Region in one go. Naturally, Ying Hao would not let him do so. He would definitely create some trouble for him and prevent him from conquering the Western Region so easily.
“None of the countries in the Western Region are very strong, and they are all doing their own thing, so it may be difficult to resist the Sui Kingdom.
If the Sui State acquires the Western Regions, its national power will be greatly increased and it will also become a major trouble for our Qin Dynasty. Therefore, the Sui State must be prevented from conquering the Western Regions. "
Ying Hao's eyes were full of determination. He looked at the ministers below and said in a deep voice: "My dear friends, who would like to be an envoy to the Western Regions to explain the Sui Kingdom's ambitions to the countries in the Western Regions and persuade them to form an alliance? Fight against the Sui army together?"
Zhang Yi stood up decisively and said: "I am willing to go."
Seeing this, Ying Hao pondered for a moment but then shook his head and said: "The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from Luoyang, and this mission to the Western Regions is not a one-day mission, and may take several years to return to the court.
Zhang Yi, you are in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department and are responsible for the diplomatic affairs between Da Qin and other countries. How can you leave the court for a few years? "
Only then did Zhang Yi realize that it was indeed impossible for him, who was in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department, to leave Da Qin for a few years. Otherwise, who would be responsible for diplomacy with other countries?
You must know that the diplomatic environment of Great Qin is not good. Besides Zhang Yi, who else can stop Su Qin's plan of Lian Heng to resist Qin?
"Zhang Yi, is there no other eloquent person in the Foreign Affairs Department?" Ying Hao asked.
"Of course there are countless."
Zhang Yi smiled calmly and recommended confidently: "Ji Yun Ji Xiaolan is articulate and eloquent. Since joining the Foreign Affairs Department, he has completed several diplomatic missions perfectly.
Weichen recommended Ji Yun to the post of envoy. "
"Ji Xiaolan?"
Ying Hao was startled. Ji Xiaolan once served as the governor of Changshan. He could have taken the orthodox political promotion route, but was deceived by Zhang Yi into the Foreign Affairs Department and became one of the several generals in the Foreign Affairs Department.
But there is one thing to say, Ji Xiaolan's eloquence is indeed good, otherwise he would not have gained the reputation of "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth".
"With Zhang Yi's recommendation, let's let Ji Yun serve as the official historian. What about the candidate for deputy envoy?" Ying Hao asked again.
This mission to the Western Regions is a big project. After all, there are thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. If Ji Xiaolan alone is the one to lobby, the efficiency will be too low. Maybe the Sui army has withdrawn, and the Western Regions Allied Forces are still there. It has not yet been organized, so it is necessary to find some helpers for him.
After Zhang Yi thought for a while, he replied: "Lü Qinghou can be the deputy envoy, and Jian Yong and Sun Qian can be the envoy."
Ying Hao nodded, this configuration is not bad.
Although Jian Yong and Sun Qian had surrendered to the Qin Dynasty, they had nothing serious to do. Now it was just time to find something for them to do.
In this way, the Da Qin envoy to the Western Regions was established under Zhang Yi's recommendation, with Ji Xiaolan as the chief envoy, Lu Qinghou as the prestigious deputy envoy, and Jian Yongsun Qian as the accompanying envoy.
In addition, Ying Hao also sent the famous general Wang Ben, commanding the two fierce generals Meng Ben and Ruan Weng Zhong, as well as three hundred elite cavalry as accompanying guards to protect the mission.
Yang Guang probably never expected that although he was paying attention to the Western Regions, before he sent out troops, Ying Hao had already taken the lead. Not only did he want to leak the news to the countries in the Western Regions, but he also asked them to form a coalition to fight against the Sui army. .
All in all, Sui's expedition to the west was definitely not that easy.
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In the first year of Shenwu, February 10th.
Qingzhou, Beihai County, Qin Navy Navy Dazhai.
More than a hundred warships loaded with supplies have already set sail. Once the envoy Ye Qingmei arrives, they will set sail and head south to open up Daqin's maritime trade routes.
The fleet that sailed to the Western Ocean this time included: one main ship, ten large building ships, thirty small and medium-sized frigates, and one hundred large material transport ships, a total of 141 warships, and a total of eight naval escorts. Thousands, the leader of the navy will be Qi Jiguang.
Zhou Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Navy, who was married to the princess Ying Xuewu, saw that the departure time had come, but the main leader Ye Qingmei did not show up. He couldn't help but frowned and asked: "Why hasn't Ye Shi come yet?"
"Well, um, Ye Shi was delayed for a while because of his makeup. He will be here soon."
Hearing this, not only Zhou Yu, but also Han Shizhong, Li Sunchen and other navy generals couldn't help but twitch their lips.
There is only one thought in their minds, that women are trouble.
Qi Jiguang sighed helplessly. He was the navy commander of this mission and would be working with Ye Qingmei for a while. He hoped that Concubine Ye would not go too far.
While everyone was discussing, Ye Qingmei, who was dressed energetically and energetically, under the protection of Gai Nieweizhuang and others, brought Zheng He, Magellan, and Zhu Rong with him. He arrived late, but took the initiative to apologize to Zhou Yu and everyone.
Ye Qingmei's attitude also made everyone's expressions soften a lot, especially Qi Jiguang's. This also showed that Ye Qingmei was at least not an unreasonable person.
After Ye Qingmei led the envoy onto the main ship, he glanced at Qi Jiguang beside him, and Qi Jiguang understood and decisively ordered: "Set sail."
Woo, woo, woo...
The horn sounded, and all the warships sailed out of the water village and headed south.
On the deck, Zhu Rong looked at the vast and rough sea, and she was extremely excited. This was the first time she had seen the sea.
After the excitement, Zhu Rong calmed down and asked Ye Qingmei: "Miss Ye, how long does it take for the fleet to sail to Annan?"
Annan, also known as Vietnam in later generations, was where the transactions between the Southern Barbarians and the Qin Dynasty took place.
Great Qin has reached a cooperation with the local forces in Annan. When the fleet arrives in Annan, it will unload the cargo on the ship, and the Southern Barbarians will transport the goods back to the Southern Barbarians themselves. If something goes wrong in the process, Great Qin will not be responsible.
After listening to Zhu Rong's words, Ye Qingmei replied: "The warships used by our Great Qin Navy are the most advanced warships, but the speed of the fleet's sailing does not only depend on the ship itself, but the wind direction also affects the speed. .
If there is a favorable wind, it should take more than half a month of sailing to arrive, but if there is a headwind, it may take a month of continuous sailing. "
(End of chapter)
