Looking back at Dengzhou City, Wang Xiaolie sighed secretly and urged his horse forward.
Wang Ruohai was appointed as the governor of the state. Wang Xiaolie was really unsure about what he would do in the future. Although Wang Ruohai could not make any trouble in his own territory, surrounded by large armies, his usual actions were enough to influence a lot.
In Wang Xiaolie's heart, he wanted to establish new rule in these states according to his own ideas. But rationally we know it’s impossible. After all, this was still the territory of the Song Dynasty. How could it be possible to get rid of the imperial court? Even if he controls the army and the grassroots, he still cannot escape the influence.
Many things in the world are so unsatisfactory. What can be done?
The weather has warmed up in early May, and the roadsides are full of trees, creating a prosperous scene. From time to time, pheasants and ducks flew around, and deer grazed on the grass, looking curiously at the people walking by.
Niu Gao came to Wang Xiaolie's side and said: "This time I go to Xinye, it's not like when I was in Dengzhou. Zhizhi, my family is still in Ruzhou. I wonder if I can bring them over to live in Xinye? I heard that there are officers in Xinye , many brought their families over.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Take it over. We will be training in Xinye for many days to come."
Niu Gao was overjoyed when he heard this. Among the generals, Niu Gao was the oldest. He had a wife and children, and a large family. After months of fighting abroad, it was inevitable that I would miss my family. It is of course a great joy to be able to reunite as a family.
Looking at Niu Gao's look, Wang Xiaolie suddenly missed his sister. Next, unless there is another army attacking, the main time will be spent in the new field. It is much better for the siblings to reunite and live together than to be alone.
In these troubled times, people are used to separation and separation, but once things settle down, who doesn’t want to live happily as a family?
Xinye also belonged to Dengzhou, but at this time it was set aside separately by Wang Xiaolie for military training. There are no officials here and it is directly managed by the military. It is a special place among several states. In Xinye City, the families of military officers live there.
Shao Ling and Yang Shen welcomed Wang Xiaolie and Niu Gao into the city. Looking at the streets on both sides, it’s a lot more lively.
Go to the Yamen and sit down. Wang Xiaolie said: "It's May now. Many of the new recruits who arrived here at the beginning of the year should be assigned to various armies. I wonder what their situation is like? Also, there is a shortage of officers in the army now, which is an important matter."
Shao Ling said: "The recruits who can become proficient within three months have been assigned to various armies. There are also those who are slow to learn and are still in the recruit camp. New recruits come every month. Now there are more than 5,000 people in the recruit camp. . Last month, an officer's school was opened in accordance with the instructions of the system, but not many recruits were willing to take the exam. Many people think that officers' salaries are not generous and they are unwilling to do it."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. How much salary an officer should receive each month has not yet been determined. It certainly cannot be the same as the previous Song Dynasty army, but how to change it must be explored slowly. It should not only make the officers in the military feel at ease, but also attract outstanding talents from society, and the salary should not be too high to cause a burden. Another thing is, compared with the salary of civil servants, I can't make up my mind for a while whether it is higher or lower.
There are not many officials in this era. The number of officials in the country sometimes ranges from 20,000 to 30,000, and sometimes to 80,000 to 90,000. They cannot be compared with those of later generations. It is actually unreasonable for military officers to directly correspond to civilian officials according to their grades. Furthermore, there were too many grades for military attachés in the Song Dynasty, and promotion was too difficult. Without fighting, there was simply no chance of success. These must be considered. Without a good promotion mechanism, just like before the Song Dynasty, only those with background and influence were promoted in peacetime. When war came, it directly affected the army's combat effectiveness.
After thinking for a while, Wang Xiaolie said: "How many recruits can come out of the new military camp every month?"
Shao Ling said: "There were more than 2,000 people last month. Based on current calculations, 3,000 people should be trained every month."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Three thousand people are quite a lot. If they are all qualified, there will be tens of thousands of troops in a year. However, with so many people in the several states under our rule, it is impossible to have so many people joining the army all the time. This time next year, Thirty or forty thousand people are a big deal. Anything further down the line is even less."
Niu Gao said: "The people in these states are not comparable to those in the north. There are only a few people who can join forces."
Wang Xiaolie said: "There is no way to support one person with the soil and water. We can only do our best and let all the people who are like soldiers join the army. Once they arrive in the army, we have to satisfy them. By the way, How are the officers and their families in Xinye City doing now?"
Yang Shen said: "Xinye City is still a little deserted and not very convenient. There is not much else."
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "The army is still short of money! Until now, the officers' salaries cannot be paid out in full, so their families have no money to spend. The most difficult thing now is the lack of money!"
Yang Shendao said: "I heard that the Chengdu Fu Road was short of money last year, and the transshipment judge Le Bowen printed an additional 600,000 guan at a cheap price, which was convenient for both the officials and the people. We are short of money now, can we follow the example of the Sichuanxia Fourth Road and print some money to attract the money? use?"
This is exactly what Wang Xiaolie wants to do. If you have past life memories, you certainly know the importance of banknotes. But issuing banknotes is not a simple matter, and Wang Xiaolie doesn't understand many things. For example, what is the appropriate quantity to issue? How to prevent banknotes from devaluing? What is the anchor of paper money? There are many questions in it, and it cannot be simply printed out.
After thinking for a while, Wang Xiaolie said: "For banknotes to be easy to use, they must first be truly the same as money. I heard that the coins on Sichuanxia 4th Road cannot be compared with copper coins. Besides, they use iron coins there." Money is inherently inconvenient.”
Yang Shendao: "It's not just Sichuanxia 4th Road, Qianyin has also been used in other places."
Wang Xiaolie said: "For Qian Yin to be the same as money, the most important thing is to be able to pay taxes and buy things. We have exempted farmers' money from taxes, so Qian Yin is of no use to them. Now every city The business tax is not much, so it is difficult to attract money.”
Yang Shen sighed: "But now that we are short of money, we cannot do many things. If we have the capital, we can start many businesses, and we can also buy the people's surplus grain. If we can sell it to other places, we can make a lot of money."
Wang Xiaolie thought for a long time and said: "This matter cannot be ignored, let me think about it again. Logically speaking, the people have food, but we don't have the money to buy it. It is indeed the time to print money. But we occupy We haven't been here for a long time, and we don't know what will happen in the future. If we suddenly print money to take grain from the people, isn't it the same as robbing? When doing things, you should not only think about what should be done, but also think about what the people think."
It is so easy to print money. For the government, it is simply a business without capital. How many people can resist this temptation? But the more something like this happens, the more vigilant it is. If you don't do it well, it will overdraw the government's credit, and it will be difficult to do it again in the future.
In Wang Xiaolie's memory, it is best for banknotes to have capital. If I remember correctly, the capital of Huizong's imperial examination should be a quarter of the amount to ensure that it does not depreciate. Where do you have cash now?
Of course, according to the monetary theory of later generations, this may not be necessary. But Wang Xiaolie has limited knowledge and only a little knowledge of monetary theory. How dare he take action? You must think carefully and take it step by step.
Being able to print banknotes well will play a major role in your future development. Wang Xiaolie has no doubt about this. It is precisely because of this that we need to be even more cautious.
