The hall was still empty, with a few wisps of cold wind blowing outside, but the people who spoke in the hall felt a bit desolate in their hearts.
"Since the Wuman Kingdom rebelled in June last year, our master has been forced to lose five thousand soldiers and pay one hundred thousand stones of food and grass.
But the war is becoming increasingly fierce, with hundreds of thousands of people fighting on both sides of the front line, and hundreds or even thousands of people are dying every day.
Coupled with Wuman Kingdom's deliberate consumption, our master's country's 5,000 soldiers and horses have been on the front line for only half a year, and more than half of them have already been killed or injured, and the losses have been extremely heavy.
But even with all their efforts, Wuman Kingdom was still not satisfied.
At the beginning of this year, envoys were sent to our country to collect taxes and services again. The country is required to provide another 10,000 people and 200,000 shi of grain.
Are my soldiers on the front line not back yet?
Wuman Kingdom sent people again to demand payment, and the amount doubled.
How can a small country like us endure such conditions?
In the end, the king tried his best and spent a lot of money to bribe the important ministers of the Wuman Kingdom and asked them to persuade the Wuman King. Then the original quota was reduced to only five thousand people and one hundred thousand shi of food as per last year.
But even so, my master's country has provided 10,000 people and 200,000 shi of food twice before and after. This price is still too high.
To this day, the war on the frontline is still going on, and many of the 5,000 people our country sent to serve this time have died. Adding up the remaining people from the two service periods, there were only four thousand people left.
My master is only a small country, with only 80,000 people in the country. Six thousand people died at once, and it can be said that every family in the country has filial piety.
Moreover, there are less than 10,000 young and strong men, and the farming work in the country and in the next two years will also be greatly affected. It can be said that the harvest has been reduced by half, or even reduced by more than half.
As for the grain stored in the country, another 200,000 dan were given away, which had completely wiped out the grain stored by the people in the country.
Now one year has passed, and at the beginning of this year, the envoys from the Wuman Kingdom who came to collect military service money and food will soon come again. But under the circumstances in our country, how can we withstand the call for payment?
If I really have to pay this tax, I'm afraid that Shi Zong's country will also fall. "
When the Shizong Kingdom envoy said this, he burst into tears, looked sad and extremely angry, and continued with red eyes: "With no other choice, our country has no choice but to find other methods.
At this time, I happened to hear about the majesty of the king.
Moreover, my master's country and the Chu country have always been adjacent to each other and have had exchanges with each other for a long time. They are not barbarians who do not admire the king at all.
So he thought of it and sent his ministers to ask the king for help.
If your Majesty is willing to take you in, then from generation to generation, my master will regard Da Chu as the leader, worship him year after year, and never dare to disobey him. "
After saying that, the man bowed down.
The envoy from the Milu Kingdom next to him also bowed down and said: "The same is true for the Milu Kingdom. I just ask the king to take you in and save me until I get out of trouble. This great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten by the Milu Kingdom."
Looking at the envoys of the two countries prostrating themselves on the ground in front of him, Lu Yuan fell into silence.
Although the words of the envoys from the two countries were pitiful and indeed touching, whether to save them or not is not a trivial matter.
First of all, the envoy from Shizong Kingdom has made it very clear.
Although the Dachanghe Kingdom fell into civil strife, the strength of the Dachanghe Kingdom, which ruled the Kunhai region, and the Wuman Kingdom, which was coercing the rebellion of the Lingdong Seven Kingdoms and the Nongdong Kingdom, should not be underestimated.
Both sides have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, including tens of thousands of elites. What's more important is that both countries have innate masters, and there is no shortage of top-level combat capabilities.
In this way, the upper and lower levels have no obvious shortcomings, and it is not that simple to defeat them.
Dachu State is adjacent to Dachanghe State, and it is easy to intervene in each other's civil strife.
But after getting involved, it is not that simple to withdraw your hands and come back, or to stop the war according to your own wishes.
With the strength of these two parties, Chu State actually has the ability to defeat either party. But it's hard to say how much it will cost to defeat the opponent.
First of all, in this kind of war to destroy the country, you must at least have 100,000 troops, right?
Moreover, if the opponent has an innate master, then his own army must also be equipped.
Otherwise, if we just rashly send troops there, wouldn't it be like that of the Great Chowa Kingdom?
Due to negligence, there was no innate grandmaster in the army, so someone found a gap. They lost their helmets and armor, and the whole army was annihilated.
That was a loss of 100,000 troops, and Lu Yuan's great Chu country couldn't afford it.
So if you really want to intervene, an innate master is necessary.
But as a result, there was only one innate grandmaster left in Da Chu.
An innate grandmaster looked at the three counties south of the Yangtze River and the north of the Yangtze River, which was almost thousands of miles away. To be honest, he was a little reluctant.
Moreover, at this time, another 100,000 troops have to be transferred from the country, so the remaining soldiers and horses are only 140,000.
One expedition almost wiped out nearly half of Chu's strength.
Nowadays, the Chu State has just changed its name to Jianyuan, and its relationship with Ning State is still extremely tense. At the same time, the surrounding countries are also eyeing it, and it is really too dangerous.
This is only a danger to China's defense.
Let’s talk about the expedition.
Even if the Chu State can mobilize 100,000 soldiers and horses, and the leader is likely to be Lu Yuan, even with this combination of elite soldiers and strong generals, it does not mean that they can successfully defeat the opponent and expand the territory. , who returned after destroying his country.
With the strength of Da Changhe Kingdom and Wuman Kingdom, they may not be a match for Lu Yuan's army on the battlefield.
But if these people focus on defense, or simply take advantage of the vast mountains in the southwest to fight guerrillas with him.
If Lu Yuan wanted to destroy these enemies, it would not be that simple.
This war to destroy the country may last two to three years, or even four to five years, or even ten years.
There are precedents for this.
In the past, when the Jinling court headed by the Linhai family expanded westward and southward, the local Man, Miao, Qiang, Yue and other ethnic groups used this method of attack.
At that time, the Jinling court had no choice but to send generals to suppress it. At the same time, they had to live with heavy troops and fight against each other desperately.
When the Jinghai Kingdom was destroyed the month before last, they were led by Marquis Wu'an and sent out two masters and an army of 100,000. Didn't they fight for three or four years before defeating the enemy's capital and destroying the country?
And even if the country is destroyed, it is not the end.
Wu Pinghou Xie Ning still had to be left behind, and he led 50,000 elite troops to suppress the local area to wipe out the remnants of the Jinghai Kingdom and quell local riots.
But even so, it has been five or six years since Jinghai Kingdom was destroyed.
But according to what Lu Yuan heard from there, in Jiuzhen County, there are still some local rebellions from time to time. There are also remnants of the Jinghai Kingdom in the mountains and forests, and local resistance still exists.
From this point of view, it is easy to destroy barbarian and barbarian countries such as Daejowa and Jinghai. Of course, it is not that simple to occupy each other's territory and truly rule them.
The simplest example is that Miao people have been transformed from kings for thousands of years.
But here in Dongting County, didn't a Five Poison Sect rebellion still occur, which almost gave the Dai Viet Dynasty a fatal blow?
The lessons from the past are right in front of us, and the example of Jinghai Kingdom is still happening, which naturally makes Lu Yuan cautious.
certainly.
The premise of the above is that he is preparing to destroy the Great Nagawa Kingdom, so he has to face the situation.
If we just accept these two countries as vassals and protect them according to what the envoys of Shizong and Milu said, then naturally we don't need to face the above situations.
And the reaction of Da Changhe Kingdom and Wuman Kingdom?
Given the situation in these two countries, not to mention that they are still in civil strife and have too much time to take care of themselves.
Even if there is no rebellion in Da Changhe State, with the size of Da Chu State and Lu Yuan's great reputation, even if they accept your two vassal states, what can you do?
Is Dachangheguo really willing to risk losing troops and territory to go to war with Dachu for the sake of these two small countries?
In the end, there is a high probability that the matter will be settled, with a few words of condemnation, and then acquiescence to this fact.
But as mentioned above.
The two countries of Shizong and Milu together only cover seven counties, and there are only 140,000 people left, which can be said to be extremely poor.
And even with such a small amount of wealth, it still belongs to others.
These two countries only promised that they were willing to vassal Chu and pay tribute every year.
But how much money can two Yi countries like them give together in a year?
Five thousand taels, eight thousand taels, or ten thousand taels?
With such a small benefit, raising a hundred soldiers is enough. Is it really worth it for Lu Yuan to take the risk of war with Da Changhe Kingdom and Wuman Kingdom and accept these two countries as vassals?
So for Lu Yuan.
Taking in a dog can indeed be done.
But it won't do much good. Instead, it will attract two powerful enemies, which is completely worth the loss.
He really wants to decide to take action, not for these two small countries, but for the entire Great Changhe Country.
If we can really destroy this country and take over its two counties, three to four million people, and thousands of miles of territory, then that will be a real great benefit, and it can take the strength of Chu State to another level.
Destroy his country and destroy his sacrifices. Kill the king and collect the people. Raise the land and build the domain...
The above is what a man does.
Taking advantage of the civil strife, secretly acquiring two vassals and taking advantage of it, how can one be called a hero if he is so petty and petty?
Anyway, Lu Yuan thought that he could be considered a hero in this world.
He doesn't know what others think or do.
But if you want to do it yourself, you have to do it big.
Either don't want it, or want it all. Little Shizong and Milu Kingdom are nothing. If he wants to take it, he can take away the entire Da Changhe Kingdom and the Twenty-Seven Yi Kingdom under his rule.
In this way, what is written in the history books is that the country of Da Janghe was destroyed and the country was destroyed for twenty-seven years.
Wouldn’t it look better and sound better than taking advantage of the chaos and seizing the territory of the two barbarians?
But follow what is said above, a hero will be a hero, a domineering one will be domineering, and it will sound good if it sounds good.
But getting actual benefits is not necessarily as simple as it sounds.
The previous concerns still exist.
Dachanghe Kingdom and Wuman Kingdom are not so easy to destroy.
It's hard to beat just one.
When the time comes when the Chu army is pressing down on the territory, if the two countries join forces and face the two innates, even Lu Yuan dare not say that they can defeat each other.
This is not impossible.
So after comprehensive consideration and careful consideration, Lu Yuan had not made up his mind whether to swim in this muddy water.
In the end, he could only look at the envoys of the two countries and said: "You and others are a vassal state of Dachanghe State. Everything related to this big country must be cautious. Whether you want to accept Shizong and Milu as vassals, I have to discuss it with the ministers. Only after that can a decision be made.
It's not too late today. Rooms have been prepared in the post house of Honglu Temple. The two envoys can go down and rest first. "
After saying that, Lu Yuan waved his hand and asked people to leave.
When the envoys from the two countries met the King of Chu, they were a little anxious because they did not immediately agree to their request.
Their country is in dire straits, and they will be pressed by the Wuman Kingdom at any time. If we delay for one more day at this time, the country may be exposed to the risk of national annihilation.
Where can I wait?
"Your Majesty!"
The envoy from Shi Zongguo was very anxious and wanted to come forward to give some more advice.
However, before he could even run away, Lu Yuan looked over with cold eyes.
Facing the majesty of an innate master, a cultivator of immortals, a warrior on the battlefield, and the king of a country, the messenger could no longer bear it in an instant.
I just felt like falling into an ice cave, and a tremor of my soul rose in my body.
Under great fear, he recognized the reality instantly and knelt down.
"Messenger, please pay attention to your identity."
At this time, Lu Yuan's voice also sounded at the right time: "Whatever the lonely king decides, it is all the lonely king's business. Even if it concerns your two countries, you don't have the right to say anything.
I asked you to wait, just wait.
Don't have extra thoughts or actions, otherwise you won't be able to bear the consequences. "
As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded.
While Shi Zongguo's envoy was trembling in his heart, he also felt that the terrible cold had disappeared.
After waiting for a while, he raised his head and found that the terrifying King Chu had disappeared.
They are just two envoys from a small country.
Give them face and call your country’s envoy. But if you don't give him face, he will not be a tribal leader under several tribal chiefs.
This envoy's identity, calculated in the Dachu territory, is only a county-level official, not a top leader, but an eighth- or ninth-grade official below the county magistrate.
At this level of status, he still wanted to hold King Chu back and ask Lu Yuan to stop and listen to him say a few more words.
This can only be said that they are really barbarians, without any respect and etiquette, and have a wild temper, so they need to be cured.
…
After sending away the envoys from Shizong and Milu, Lu Yuan didn't care about them much.
The next day, he discussed the matter with Sun Siwen and Cui Changqing, and asked whether the current finances could support a war involving 100,000 people.
The result was that the imperial court could not afford the money to fight the war. Just raising an army of 240,000 people is extremely laborious.
Not to mention that there is now an additional navy master, and this is another gold-swallowing monster.
In terms of grain, with the gradual recovery of local production in Dongting County in recent years, grain output in various places has increased year by year. The imperial court can harvest a lot of food every year, which is enough to be self-sufficient.
The Su and Nanhai countries also send four million shi of food every year.
This amount is calculated based on the annual consumption of food and grass for an army of 200,000.
Of course, when a large army goes on an expedition, it also needs people to transport food and grass. The people transporting food on the road also had to eat a lot.
But in general, the four million stones of food aided by the two countries were enough to support an army of 100,000 for a year's war. In terms of food, there is no need for additional expenditure by the court.
The only problem for Chu State right now is that it still has no money.
Because the army is fighting abroad, military pay during wartime is different from military pay during peacetime, and will increase by less than half. Moreover, the loss of various types of ordnance is also large, which requires timely replenishment, which is also a huge expense.
If a hundred thousand troops fight for a year, excluding the original fixed expenses, the additional wartime expenses will be 3 million to 5 million taels of silver.
The court cannot afford this expenditure.
In other words, if Lu Yuan really wants to fight a war, he can indeed fight it, but this additional military expenditure will have to come from his private treasury.
He can actually get the money.
After experiencing several previous expenses, Lu Yuan now has about twelve million taels of silver left in his private treasury, which can support the army's additional expenses for three or four years.
Three or four years later, Dachu was financially balanced. These extra expenses can be covered by assistance from Nanhai and Ninghai.
This hole can also be filled.
But this money was used by Lu Yuan to meet unexpected needs.
At this time, it is used to conquer the country of Da Changhe. If Da Chu starts another war or has other urgent needs, there will be no money.
So after thinking about it, this decision is still a bit difficult to make.
Later, Lu Yuan felt a little embarrassed, and Sun Siwen made another suggestion.
That is to reduce the military pay of local prefecture and county soldiers.
Throughout the territory of Dachu, whether it was the local county soldiers, the central imperial guards of the imperial court, the Jinwu guards of the capital, or the palace guards of the royal palace, their monthly salary was basically five taels of silver.
This salary is very reasonable. Soldiers from all countries are basically in this position. There is nothing to say.
But the problem is that after reorganization, Da Chu's war troops have been borne by the Central Forbidden Army, and the local county soldiers have theoretically been separated from the ranks of war soldiers.
You have to say that the soldiers in Xichuan and Xiangyang counties are under pressure from the north and west, and they are always in need of fighting with other countries. The risks are relatively high, so giving them a salary of five taels of silver is acceptable.
But the county soldiers under the county soldiers are purely security forces. They are used to guard the city at most and rarely have the opportunity to go to the front battlefield.
It is already unreasonable for them to be under such pressure of responsibilities and enjoy the same salary as soldiers.
Sun Siwen had wanted to say it before, but never had the chance.
At this time, I got the opportunity and finally expressed my thoughts.
"Local prefecture soldiers are paid three taels of silver per month according to the practice of various countries.
The monthly salary of three taels of silver is already comparable to that of masters with old skills in the local area, and the salary is not low.
If the prefecture and county soldiers can be reduced to 2 taels of silver per month, then Chu's 34,000 prefecture and county soldiers can save 68,000 taels of silver per month and 816,000 taels of silver per year.
This is just monthly salary.
According to custom, during the holidays, the military will also pay some festival fees, as well as some subsidies for grain, oil and cloth.
These are a lot of expenses over the course of a year.
If the payment subsidies for soldiers in prefectures and counties were reduced from those of combat soldiers, eighty or ninety thousand taels of silver could be saved a year.
Calculated in this way, reducing the military pay for soldiers in these prefectures and counties can reduce fiscal expenditures by at least 900,000 taels a year.
Whether the king uses this money to raise more soldiers and horses, or to allow the local area to build more roads and canals, it can play a big role.
There is absolutely no need to waste it here. "
Speaking of this policy of treating everyone equally, Sun Siwen's face turned red, and he obviously hated it.
This waste is all money!
