Being able to command all the general troops, and being on an equal footing with Hong Chengchou, his official position should be quite high, at least that's what Sun Chuanting guessed in his heart.
Seeing Master Sun listening attentively, Yaoji patiently explained: "The governor is responsible for both military and political affairs, and is suitable for the governance and defense of fixed areas. The commander-in-chief is only responsible for military affairs and does not involve in political affairs. He can get rid of trivial matters and lead the army to pursue cross-regional pursuits. Enemies. Suppressing bandits is a great achievement. The Commander-in-Chief is a high-ranking member of the imperial court. All military matters can be reported directly to this palace without going through the Ministry of War review!"
If you think it's still not that interesting, I'll give you both the title of Prince and Grand Master before setting off from the capital. This style will be enough. Being directly appointed as Grand Master will inevitably lead to gossip, but after assuming the title of East Palace, those who want to stir up trouble will have to think carefully before doing so.
According to the logic of Yaoji, the two first-grade products added together are equivalent to one genuine first-grade product!
No matter what you think, this is what I think...
Sun Chuanting saluted again to express his gratitude. After observing that the young prince's face was quite kind, he took advantage of the situation and said: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given me the kindness to know and meet me, and I am deeply grateful. If it is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Wei Chen still has a thorny matter on his mind!" "
"But it doesn't matter!" Yao Ji can guess what will be discussed in the end with his heels.
When the cannon goes off, you get thousands of taels of silver!
If you don't have any money, why are you fighting?
Sun Chuanting knew that the emperor was extremely sensitive to this matter and did not know how His Highness the Crown Prince would deal with it, so he had to mention it cautiously: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the right way is to keep the troops and horses before moving, and to go ahead with the food and grass. If our army fights fiercely with the bandits for several months, This food and grass supply..."
The Ministry of Revenue had no money, Sun Chuanting had long understood this, and Emperor Chongzhen was not stingy. He even used internal funds to replenish the state treasury. However, after years of fighting, the Ministry of Revenue was still unable to make ends meet.
But if the prince can't get the money, why can't Shuai really do this? How to convince all the generals to march at the same time?
After commanding troops on the front line and having the title of Commander-in-Chief, you will have absolute say with a lot of money in your hands.
Yaoji raised his pink little hand, stretched out three fingers in the air and said: "Sun Aiqing also knows the situation of the imperial court, right? There is not much left in the Ministry of Revenue, so before the end of the year, I can only allocate thirty Ten thousand taels! If the Battle of Huguang lasts for a long time, I am afraid it will be reduced to 200,000 taels at the beginning of next year!"
No matter how much it is, I can't get it out. This money is still a bad check. I'm thinking about who to reimburse!
Thinking of the huge Liao salary expenditure, Sun Chuanting was somewhat envious: "Your Majesty, the three hundred thousand taels will be divided equally between the ministers and Governor Hong..."
With about 70,000 troops under his command, he only gets 150,000 taels of military pay every month, which can only be said to be better than nothing.
Yaoji understood that Lao Suntou had misunderstood, so he corrected him: "Both of you can receive 300,000 taels every month, which will be paid in full. If you can kill the bandit leader, I will give you an additional reward! Come here. , get the wanted warrant!"
The little prince can draw his own map, and naturally he can also write his own wanted order.
The bandit capital of the fifth battalion of Gezuo was worth 20,000 taels of silver. Luo Rucai was more capable than them, so his head was worth even more, reaching 50,000 taels.
If anyone has the ability and is short of money, they can try to kill Zhang Xianzhong. No matter who the hero is, as long as he comes to the capital with a spherical object, he can receive one hundred thousand taels of silver. This amount of money can pile up a hill!
By the way, there is also Li Zicheng who is dormant in Shangluo Mountain. Whoever can capture him will be rewarded with fifty thousand taels.
Under heavy pressure, there will be cowards.
On the contrary, under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man!
Jibu can receive 300,000 taels of silver every month, which is quite a lot. There is not much money left in the household department. Even if the emperor comes to judge, I am afraid that he will not be able to get more money than this. His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, understands the great righteousness and the priorities of internal and external troubles, so he strives to take the lead in suppressing rogue bandits in various places. This is indeed a wise move. Sun Chuanting made a calculation secretly and became calm, and no longer thought about waiting for an opportunity to bargain.
Although the discussion between the monarch and his ministers went so smoothly, Sun Dushuai still had many doubts. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually opened his mouth this time, and His Royal Highness the Queen relied on him. But the sum total of the two commanders' departments in the east and west requires 600,000 taels of silver per month, which is definitely not a small amount. How should the Ministry of Household Affairs raise funds? Is it possible that most of it must be financed from the emperor's internal funds?
Sun Chuanting made some calculations in his mind. If the army started fighting the bandits in April, and if it ended before the end of the year, it would last for nine months. The Ministry of Household Affairs would have to pay 5.4 million taels. It can be said that Huguang's military pay has already reached the end of the war. Liaodong’s military expenditure is comparable to that of Liaodong. Including the military pay that still needs to be paid to the northwest and Jifu regions, the total may reach 15 million taels.
Coupled with the money needed to provide relief to Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong and other places, the court is afraid that it will be unable to make ends meet again this year. If the annual income is less than 20 million taels, it will inevitably lead to several expenses competing with each other. This does not include the huge salaries that need to be allocated to vassals in various places every year. This part of the expenditure alone costs at least four to five million taels.
Emperor Taizu was extremely stingy with his ministers, and his annual salary was as long as he would not die of hunger. But as long as they are descendants of the royal family, they do not have to engage in any profession from birth. All expenses are disbursed by the court. They can enjoy salary from the age of ten, and there are corresponding special subsidies for weddings and funerals.
By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the number of descendants surnamed Zhu had grown to millions. Moreover, the war in Liaodong had not stopped for a long time, and military expenditures were huge. The struggling court could no longer support many vassals. As the saying goes, the front is tight and the rear is tight.
However, for the sake of face, Emperor Chongzhen still carried out the legacy of his ancestors without hesitation. Even if he levied three additional taxes on the poor people who had already lost most of their income, he still wanted to ensure that the vassals and their descendants could continue to enjoy the luxurious life of gold and silver.
Yaoji noticed Sun Chuanting's concerns and said calmly: "Sun Aiqing doesn't have to worry about military pay. I will do what I say. By the time the two commander-in-chiefs leave, they will definitely be able to raise the required amount and will not let anything go." The soldiers on the front line have nothing to worry about!"
a man of his words. The prince's words must be fulfilled, otherwise how can he establish authority and trust in the court?
If the most difficult problem is solved, then he can concentrate on killing the thieves. Sun Chuanting thanked him gratefully: "I can't thank you enough for your highness. I will work together to wipe out the bandits as soon as possible, eliminate this scourge for the court, and give us back the Ming Dynasty." There is peace!”
Sun Chuanting fought several battles with rogue bandits. He once captured Gao Yingxiang alive, severely wounded Li Zicheng, cleaned up Shaanxi, and wiped out the thieves who were causing trouble in the northwest in one fell swoop. He had rich combat experience. This time the targets were Gezuo Fifth Battalion and Luo Rucai, not the fierce and fierce Zhang Xianzhong. Now that he has received the promise of military pay from His Highness the Crown Prince, the Commander-in-Chief is relatively optimistic about the prospect of marching south.
"That's good!" Seeing Sun Chuanting's harsh words with confidence, Yao Ji was also very satisfied. The military affairs had almost been discussed, so he turned to ask for instructions: "Queen Mother, look..."
Queen Zhou, who was sitting aside and listening, could only understand the general meaning, but she might as well understand the ins and outs. Being exposed for a long time could also prevent the treacherous people from deceiving their mother and son. Now that she had finished the work for Brother Xun, she comforted this man who was burdened with the high expectations of the court. The important minister said: "With such a loyal and kind person like Sun Aiqing, who is dedicated to his duties, our Ming Dynasty will definitely be prosperous. It's almost noon. Sun Aiqing will have a meal here. Don't shirk it!"
This could be regarded as a cleansing for Sun Chuanting, who had just left the prison. He must have understood such a warm hospitality and would no longer care about his husband's previous actions.
Naturally, Yao Ji tried every means to win over this famous commander who was good at fighting: "In a moment, the eldest companion will take Sun Aiqing to the accounting office to collect vacation expenses in Beijing and past bonuses. They are not much, totaling six thousand taels. Sun Aiqing doesn't want them." Shit it off!”
The standard for leave is one hundred taels of silver per day. Less than ten days will be calculated as ten days. The total bonus for performing military exploits is five thousand taels, which can be regarded as material compensation for Sun Chuanting's imprisonment.
Sun Chuanting was so frightened that he hurriedly bowed and declined, fearing that he would fall into the trap again: "Your Highness, a humble minister is so virtuous and capable that he will never dare to accept this award!"
There is no reward for no merit. Sun Chuanting has great military exploits and is very careful about flattery and killing. Especially Yang Sichang will definitely make a big fuss when he hears about this.
"No one else can do it, only Aiqing can do it, so be it!" After Yaoji said this, he winked at Wang Chengen.
The latter immediately understood and said politely to the feudal official: "Sun Dushuai, why don't you thank your highness?"
In desperation, Sun Chuanting had no choice but to salute and thank him. After lunch, Du Shuai was very pleased and resigned with the map in his arms. Yaoji did not have time to take a nap, but took the time to ask Wang Chengen to write an imperial edict and display it in the afternoon. temple. The open space in front of Kunning Palace is too small, and it is very difficult to raise military pay, so...
Concubine Yuan Guifei, who was called to the scene, saw thousands of eunuchs and maids, all standing neatly in the square in front of the palace. She was puzzled by this situation: "My sister is stupid, I dare to ask my sister, why is this?" ?”
In particular, there were many Dongchang feudal lords standing with knives and solemn expressions, and they were very close to the chairs where the concubines were sitting, which made them feel deeply frightened. Could it be that the emperor was unconscious, and Her Highness the Queen was about to attack them...
Seeing the stunning beauty in front of him, whose pretty face turned pale with fright, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her expression nervous, her behavior reserved, and her vigilance evident, Yaoji did not reply immediately, but observed her for a while.
Compared with her mother, Concubine Yuan Guifei is less dignified and noble, and more virtuous and gentle. But as the emperor's favorite concubine, she naturally has exquisite facial features and elegant temperament. Although the delicate body is not too close, the fragrance has already hit your nose.
Concubine Yuan was originally a concubine of King Xin. After Zhu Youjian ascended the throne, she became a concubine. Because they were always gentle and courteous to the main palace Queen Zhou, the relationship between the two was very harmonious. And because he had no children, he loved Zhu Cixiang very much. When he saw such a situation, he dared to step forward and ask questions.
Without waiting for the beautiful mother to answer, Yaoji stared at the beauty with a pair of innocent big eyes. At the same time, he bowed and explained: "Auntie, don't be surprised. Today's incident has nothing to do with auntie. Don't worry!"
Queen Zhou actually didn't know much about it, so she had no choice but to obey Brother Hong's request, sit on the chair, reach out and pat Yuan Guifei's fair and soft wrist to express comfort.
