In order to carry out the subsequent eastward campaign smoothly, Luo Zhixue organized three field armies and made partial transfers of high-level personnel. The purpose was to better integrate the combat effectiveness of various units in the subsequent eastward campaign.
However, with the formation of the 7th and 8th divisions, the pressure on the military expenditure of the Chu Empire was also increasing day by day.
As of late June, the Chu Empire already had eight main infantry divisions, four temporary mixed regiments, one cavalry brigade, six mortar regiments and one guard division.
Although many of these main forces are actually not fully staffed, the total strength has reached 120,000. If they were to be fully staffed, this number would increase by about 40,000.
In addition to the main force, the Chu army currently has a total of ten garrison divisions. The strength of these garrison divisions is more or less, basically around 7,000 to 8,000 people, which is another 70,000 to 80,000 troops.
Adding the two together, the Chu army's current army strength is about 200,000.
With so many troops, the cost of maintaining such a large number of troops is a huge amount.
Not to mention, the Chu Army is still in the process of expanding its army. The artillery and cavalry and other technical skills in many units are seriously lacking. The Chu Army has also been trying to increase the number of technical arms in order to achieve as full strength as possible. .
And this item is also very expensive.
Finally, there is the cost of the war itself.
The expenses of troops staying in camp are completely different from those of troops marching and fighting.
Not to mention anything else, the cost of eating horses and chewing people will rise quickly, not to mention the cost of ammunition and the wear and tear of equipment, mules and horses.
The Chu army spent a lot of money in the previous battle in Chunan, and there would be a subsequent eastward campaign with a larger scale and greater expenses.
At the same time, on several other fronts, although there are no large-scale wars, small and medium-sized wars have actually never stopped, and their costs are not small.
All these things were added up, and the military soon discovered that the planned military expenditure of 15 million was not enough at all, and the shortfall was at least 5 million taels of silver.
Therefore, before the Eastward Campaign began, the military had already submitted many letters requesting for an increase in war expenses.
In response to this issue, Luo Zhixue convened personnel from the Finance Department, Taxation Department and other departments to discuss.
Huang Chengxuan, the Minister of Finance who is responsible for the financial budget of the Great Chu Empire, is relatively relaxed: "This time we have gained a lot in Chunanli. Although the subsequent expenditures to restore local people's livelihood and provide work-for-relief in various places are not small, we still squeezed out three million It’s not a big problem to give two taels of silver to the military, but five million is really not enough.”
But after finishing speaking, Huang Chengxuan added: "Wei Chen heard that in this Chunan battle, the military seized a lot. A large number of military rations were seized, as well as a lot of mules, horses and other trophies. Ah, they seem to have spent a lot of money to fight south this time, but this in and out can fill some of it. Even if there are some gaps, the gaps should not be as big as five million taels."
After talking a lot, several civil servant leaders unanimously stated that the finances are tight, and spending another three million in war expenses is already the limit. If it is more, the finances will go bankrupt on the spot... Everyone will have to drink the northwest wind next year.
Luo Zhixue didn't say much after hearing what Huang Chengxuan and others said. Recently, conflicts between the military and civilian officials have broken out several times in succession due to military expenditure issues. Luo Zhixue did not intend to directly intervene in it...
In the Great Chu Empire, military and political affairs were strictly separated, and there was naturally an irreconcilable contradiction between the civil servants and the military. It can even be said that this contradiction was created by Luo Zhixue himself.
That day, Guo Quanshu and Chen Xingkai, the top civil servants, and Xu Zhixian, Han Ziping and other senior military generals acted like they were good brothers. Luo Zhixue was wondering if he should kill a few people...otherwise he would not feel safe!
At the same time, he also knows that the current contradiction in military expenditure exists objectively and is difficult to resolve.
After all, there are only so many financial funds, and the military has used them to fight wars, so the expenses of the administrative system are naturally very troublesome.
The current military expenditures of the Dachu Empire are very terrifying. Without the revenue from war seizures, normal tax revenue alone cannot afford to support such an expensive army.
This also makes many people, especially those in the civil service system, worry: once the external expansion does not go smoothly, or to say the least, even if the unification of China goes smoothly, there will be no way to continue to gain a lot of benefits from foreign wars. , how to maintain such huge military spending?
By normal taxes?
This is nonsense. The current strength of about 200,000 troops is conservatively estimated to cost 20 million in military expenses a year. If we continue to increase the number of troops, wouldn't it cost 30 million or even 40 million a year?
With a military expenditure of thirty to forty million taels a year, based on the normal tax level of the Chu Empire, even if the tax department's tax collection efficiency was very high, it would be impossible to support it.
The Ministry of Taxation has made a simple estimate. What they estimate is that after taking over the pan-Jiangnan region, including central and northern Jiangxi, Jiangnan, northern Zhejiang and other regions, the central fiscal revenue of the Dachu Empire will probably increase to Forty million taels of silver.
And don’t think that you will have 40 million after taking Jiangnan alone, and you can double it several times after you unify China.
That is impossible.
The tax department's estimate of 40 million taels of silver is based on the Chu Empire's control of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
And these places, without exception, are all densely populated and productive areas, as well as areas with developed handicraft industries.
Huguang, northern Gansu, southern Jiangxi, and northern Zhejiang, any one of these places alone is a wealth center. The taxes in these places combined account for more than 80% of the tax revenue in China.
In other words, if the Chu Empire's eastward strategy goes smoothly, its fiscal revenue can reach 40 million taels a year. However, even if it unifies the whole of China, its fiscal revenue will not double and increase at most. One to twenty million silver.
However, as the control area expanded and the rule became more and more perfect, various administrative expenses also increased.
After all, a court cannot just collect taxes and do nothing. All kinds of infrastructure construction, especially water conservancy construction, must be carried out. Officials must be paid, and disaster relief must be provided when natural disasters occur.
In the first half of this year, the central finance of the Great Chu Empire spent a total of 800,000 taels of relief-for-work funds in northern Chu and Henan (Nanyang Prefecture).
This is just one of the expenses!
After capturing Chunan, in order to restore local people's livelihood, the central government conservatively estimates that it will also allocate another 500,000 taels of special funds to support the restoration of people's livelihood in various places in Chunan.
It is conservatively estimated that in order to restore people's livelihood in Huguang and other currently controlled areas this year, the central government of the Chu Empire will have to spend at least two million taels of special funds in special funds.
Of course, the central finance of the Dachu Empire could refuse to pay, turn a blind eye, or simply pass the pressure downwards and let local officials deal with the problem.
However, the financial funds of local governments in the Dachu Empire are also limited. Without central financial support, it will be more difficult to restore people's livelihood.
At the same time, the situation in Shaanxi of the Ming Dynasty always reminded Luo Zhixue, Guo Quanshu and others: if you just collect money and do nothing, you will be stabbed...
The Chu Empire wanted to stabilize the base camp of Huguang and allow Huguang, an economic and production powerhouse, to play its due role, so early investment was indispensable.
Just to restore the people's livelihood in Huguang, the special fund will be two million. If the quagmire of Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, North Zhili and other areas is conquered later... If the Chu Empire does not want to send troops forcefully every day, To play suppression, a huge amount of funds will need to be spent to restore people's livelihood.
And this is only part of the administrative expenses.
In addition to restoring people's livelihood, relief, infrastructure construction, etc. are also needed. Among other things, the salary of officials is not a small amount.
Although the salaries of local officials in the Dachu Empire were directly provided by the local finance, some poor places did not have so much money to pay salaries and could only be supported by the higher-level finance. After this was passed down from level to level, the central government was ultimately required. Financial subsidies.
After unifying China, if we want to effectively rule such a huge territory and keep these territories stable, the administrative expenses of the Chu Empire will be a very scary figure. Even a minimum of 30 million a year may not be enough. .
Administrative expenses plus military expenses, plus some other expenses and emergency expenses, the Dachu Empire conservatively estimates that it will need 60 to 70 million taels of silver a year.
But the fiscal revenue of the Dachu Empire is definitely not that much. Even if it drains the people dry, no matter how ruthless the tax officials of the tax department are, they will not be able to collect so much tax revenue.
Under such circumstances, in order to maintain the financial stability of the empire, in the view of Huang Chengxuan and other senior civil servants, there is only one way: to reduce the current extremely high military expenditure.
To be precise, it is to suppress the growth momentum of military expenditure.
Civil servants can tolerate military expenditures of 20 million taels a year, but they cannot tolerate endless increases in military expenditures.
In Huang Chengxuan's private words to Guo Quanshu: "It is impossible to reduce military expenditures now, but we cannot allow the military to push too far."
"It's 20 million now. After the Eastward Campaign is over, won't it be 30 million? By next year, won't it be 40 million?"
"How will the empire support them then?"
"From now on, we have to let them know that artillery shells are so expensive, so don't shoot them randomly, and the local garrison troops don't do nothing all day long. At least grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks to provide some food."
"Everything depends on finance. Even if the empire has hundreds of millions of fiscal revenue, it won't be enough for them to spend!"
Guo Quanshu believed deeply: "The military's wanton waste is indeed outrageous. It's time to find a way to suppress their arrogance, otherwise the country will not be a country!"
