Shao Zhen summoned seven generals to the military camp for a military meeting that night.
"I may have to go back to Xiliang Capital tomorrow. What do you think?"
"The Western Region Allied Forces have retreated. They will have to prepare for at least three to five days to restart the offensive."
"As long as we have enough food, grass and military pay, it will be difficult for our 200,000-strong army to attack. But now that the defenses are complete, there will be no problem in defending their million-strong coalition with the Anxi Fortress."
"This is mainly due to your auspiciousness, Prince."
"Yes, after the arrival of the prince, the Western Region Army lost its fighting spirit."
"Okay, don't brag. My role is limited. Without you, everything is fake."
"We, the monarchs and the people, are united and can withstand this coalition, and we will look good to them next year."
"Well, you should also seize the opportunity to have a good rest. I won't tell anyone when I leave. The meeting is over. Call Shao Dufu in."
"General Shao, please arrange for someone to live in front of this tent in my name, and I will leave in disguise."
"OK"
Leaving the temporary tent set up in the fortress square, Shao Zhen disguised himself as arranged by Shao Dufu. A soldier who looked a bit like himself took a token and left the fortress. He studied several assassination-worthy people with precise addresses and then started work.
Stargate, night, water magic.
The plan was completed in the middle of the night, and he even used the Star Gate Talisman to return to the Prince's Mansion in the second half of the night. After walking around the homes of the second and third princes, he found that they still obeyed the orders and went to the two border towns in the north and south. After all, in case of the Anxi Fortress If you can't defend it, the two border towns in the north and south have more chances of escape than Xiliang City.
The unexpected gain was that the national map that neither of them took away showed some gold and silver mine marks. Shao Zhen visited two places and obtained 50,000 gold coins.
He showed up at the Prince's Mansion just before dawn and arranged for the so-called personal guards to take him to court to meet the prime minister and other civil officials. Since Shao Zhen had already been serving as a supervisor for more than half a month, the scene of going to court was not unusual.
Shao Zhen wanted to send everyone away, leaving only the two officials, the left and right prime ministers, to talk one by one, but the Minister of Finance bowed and said:
"The Treasury has run out of money."
Shao Zhen didn't know the specific situation, so he could only wave his hand.
"The rest of you should leave the country first, and the Minister of Finance can stay."
Everyone thought that the prince was helpless, but they did not expect that the prince did not know the name of the Minister of Finance for a while.
The Minister of Finance was named Zhao Gongming. After talking to the prince for a while, he was fooled by Shao Zhen's memory reset skills and revealed all the details of the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry of Finance is not short of money immediately, but because this year's military expenditure will increase the vacancy of several million taels of silver. Now that the army has borrowed 100 million taels of silver from the national treasury, the Ministry of Finance is not willing to borrow any more money, and there is no money to borrow. .
When there is no war, the Ministry of Finance can allocate nearly 10 million taels of silver to the military every year. However, in the past ten years, the army has requested nearly 20 million taels of silver every year, and the Ministry of Finance can no longer support it.
Zhao Gongming is a good old man who is devoted to the country. If he were not in dire straits, he would not say this in anger to the emperor.
Shao Zhen had no choice but to console him.
"Tomorrow, you bring a few people to my Prince's Mansion to get money. I will give you my private money and my wife's book to use first. If you can transfer it later, you can pay it back to me. If you can't, you don't have to pay it back."
"Prince, the tax revenue from the two border towns in the north and south is an important source of national finance. It is not cost-effective for you to send the second and third princes there."
What, Shao Zhen was dumbfounded. No wonder these two guys who were always looking for trouble left without a word of nonsense. I see.
"It's okay. I'll take care of it later. Forget it tomorrow, how about you bring a few people over at midnight tonight to take the money and put it into the treasury?"
"You're not planning to bury me, are you?"
"Father-in-law, although Zhao Liying hasn't been here yet, do you think I look like that kind of person?"
"I feel like, where did you get nearly ten million taels of silver?"
Shao Zhen took out a gold coin and said
"Look, what is this?"
"Gold coins, one is equal to 20 taels of silver, which is equal to 100 silver coins. Do you have 500,000 gold coins? I will marry the two sisters Zhao Liying to you together."
"Okay, then you use the wedding car to send your two daughters here tomorrow during the day, and then use the wedding car to bring the gold coins back to the treasury."
"You don't have any jokes?"
"You have no joke! Now you feel like comforting all your colleagues."
"They don't need to be comforted. The day after tomorrow is the day when wages are paid. As long as they make up for the arrears of wages, nothing will happen. We have agreed that if I don't get the money tomorrow, I will live in your prince's residence and won't leave."
"You are not afraid that I will bury you anymore"
"Haha, you can only beat my two daughters before you can talk about it"
