When he said this, Lu Bu himself was quite helpless.
Gan Xingba was a fierce general, and he agreed on this. He also had some military exploits, such as Xiao Guan's false surrender and Guang Ling's shooting of Zhou Tai.
However, based on these alone, it was difficult for a Cavalry Captain to be promoted to a Colonel.
After all, his troops were beaten to a pulp in the battle at Guangling. Zhou Tai, who was shot and killed, only had the rank of military lord, while Ling Cao, whom Xu Sheng killed, was still a cavalry captain.
In the final analysis, Xiao Guan's false surrender was due to Lin Mo's careful deployment. The most important thing was that he had too little success in trapping the enemy.
The promotion of literati from poor families will inevitably face difficulties from the surrounding aristocratic families, while the promotion of military generals must consider the issue of convincing the public.
Gan Ning's achievements in this area are still insufficient, and now he has acquired powerful generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Once they are fully integrated, the opportunities for future achievements on the battlefield will be even more precious.
Unless he can do something as powerful as Zhao Yun and shock Cao's army, no one will be dissatisfied.
But in this world, after all, there is only one Zhao Zilong.
"He has his own advantages. Xingba is good at water warfare. No other general is better than him at this point."
Lin Mo turned around and looked at Gan Ning, who was not far behind him, and sighed, "In the next two years, the focus of our army will be on the Northern Kingdom, but Jiangdong will have to set foot there sooner or later. That will be his time to shine."
"What do you mean, are you planning to build a navy?" Lu Bu turned around and asked.
"That's true."
Lin Mo nodded, "After returning this time, let him go to Guangling. It is also time to supervise the construction of the navy."
Lu Bu laughed when he heard this, "Our army is now in sharp decline. To expand the army, we need to recruit soldiers, ordnance, and train. These all cost money. In addition, you said yesterday that you can't spend money in the northern country. How can you still have money to supervise the army?" A water-builder warship."
War is a bottomless pit that burns money. Although there is sugar and Liulichang, this little income is just a drop in the bucket compared to the huge expenses.
Nowadays, the most profitable fertilizer is only popular in nearby states and counties. It is estimated that it will take several years to be implemented nationwide.
"Zei Rong has a dock in Haixi. He asked him to think of a way to deal with the warships. He would first supervise the construction of a small part of the warships and red horses, but not the building of the large ships.
As for the troops and horses, Uncle Zhang can think of a way to select one or two thousand people from the garrison in Guangling for training. Everything always needs a beginning. "
Many of the soldiers and horses in Guangling are newly recruited, and there are still many local people in Xuzhou who know how to deal with water. Let's pick one first, and then gradually grow up when we get rich.
Lin Mo didn't know whether Beiguo would definitely take action against Jiangdong in the future, but it was time for the supervision of the navy to be put on the agenda.
After all, Jiang Dong lost too many people in Guangling, and he and Sun Ce were already incompatible with each other. This war was bound to happen sooner or later.
Lu Bu lowered his head and thought about it. If there were only two thousand naval forces, and if Zuo Rong could handle the warships, the investment would be much smaller, so he said nothing.
I finally returned to Pengcheng. I did not get a moment of peace. On the contrary, I had to do several times more things than when I was in Linqu, including war damage subsidies and pensions for various ministries, statistics on ordnance losses, and memorials from two states and nine counties that had been piled up for more than half a year. Even if most applications have been approved, they still need to be reviewed again.
Of course, Lin Mo didn't intend to participate in these matters. It was Wu Hou's job to do everything himself.
For him, the first thing is to go home.
In the Lin Mansion, Lu Lingqi was wearing a red dress. She hadn't seen her for half a year. Without the exposure to the wind and sun of the military, her complexion was even darker than before. And because she was an adult wife, the sassiness on her body was much less, and she was even more beautiful. Partly charming.
"Husband is back, I have prepared food." Lu Lingqi took the initiative to take off the cloak from the shoulders of Lin Mo, who was tired of life.
Play football? And kick a ball!
Lin Mo directly hugged Lu Lingqi into his arms like a princess, and said with a wicked smile: "Go into the room with your husband first, and hand in your homework before we talk!"
Lu Lingqi bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling with water, she looked deeply at Lin Mo, feeling powerless all over her body.
"Master." Zhao'er pursed her lips and snickered, then hurriedly stepped forward to show her presence.
Lin Mo glanced at her and nodded: "Zhao'er, eat first if you're hungry. You don't have to wait for us."
"Slave, please wait until the master and madam have finished their meal."
Lin Mo sneered in his heart, "What's so funny? When Ling'er is born and her body becomes inconvenient, you will come in handy sooner or later."
Although it was just a glance, it was still clear that Zhao'er had grown taller and grown up a lot after not seeing her for half a year.
But compared with Lu Lingqi's figure, whose head is bowed and her toes are not visible, she can still only be regarded as a Shandong steamed bun.
In the beginning, Lin Mo was actually quite reserved. After the wedding, he completely let himself go. Besides, he has stopped eating meat and fish in the past six months, so why should he be so reserved?
In the bedroom, the curtains shook and the couch creaked. The mystery of the transformation of heaven and man was enlightened at this moment.
For a full quarter of an hour, Lin Mo stretched his legs and lay on Lu Lingqi's body, feeling the unforgettable sage's time.
"Husband, is it time to get up and have a meal?"
"No rush, how's the red sleeve move going?"
"I gathered more than a thousand widows and taught them weaving and planting techniques according to my husband's words. If the seedlings were good, they were also taught piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and it was claimed to be a comfort to the outside world."
"Do you have any confidants?"
"There are a few, not many, but it's probably too early to use them now, and my character is not stable enough."
"Choose two or three trustworthy people first. I'm eager to use them."
"You have to have outstanding looks, you have to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and you have to be loyal. It's not that easy. I only have one on hand."
"You know now that it's not easy? One is not enough, two are needed. There must be mutual monitoring effect, otherwise they may be counter-used."
"I know, I'll do it as soon as possible."
The conversation between the two was a matter of words, and Ling'er's orchid aura quickly gave Lin Mo the capital to fight again.
For Lin Mo, who cherishes time, of course the two jobs are completed together.
From the time I came in at noon to the time I really felt the need to eat, it was already dusk.
After a simple dinner, Lin Mo was ready to hurry up again. He hadn't eaten for half a year and was really hungry. He couldn't care less about taking care of himself.
This night, the spring breeze turned into rain, moistening things silently.
The next day, Lin Mo took Lu Lingqi out of the city to ride horses. After all, the relationship between the young couple cannot be completely cultivated in bed. Apart from those times, Lin Mo still enjoyed their world of travel.
Let’s talk about what happened in the past six months, no matter the details.
The old father-in-law was also very sensible, and no one came to bother him for ten days. This period was considered Lin Mo's happiest day.
"Yunwen you"
When he saw Lin Mo again, Lu Bu was startled. The deep dark circles under his eyes and his depressed spirit made him helplessly shake his head, "Yunwen, overindulgence will hurt your body, so you have to exercise restraint."
Lin Mo yawned, even skipping the salute, and sat directly on the cushion, holding his chin and nodding dumbly, "I know, I know."
Lu Bu frowned and hesitated to speak. In the end, he just said nothing and said: "These days, Wenhe, Yuanzhi and Gongtai have done an inventory together. The spring and summer taxes of the nine counties together are only three." Thousands of gold.
The account books sent by Zuo Rong are also broken down. The business of Baitang and Liuli is good, with more than 70,000 gold in the two seasons. Your fertilizer business is far from as rich as imagined, only barely 30,000 gold. "
This result is expected. Fertilizers, an invention with small profits but quick turnover, will not yield big gains unless they are dumped across the country. Moreover, half of their role is played in autumn harvest taxes.
In total, the treasury has more than 130,000 gold.
Next, it’s time to spend.
Lu Bu scratched his head and started to have a headache. "Nearly 20,000 people were killed in this war. If the pensions set previously are not enough, we will sum it up and find that this standard may have to be lowered."
"How much?" This question involves the stability of the three armies, and Lin Mo is still more concerned about it.
"A sergeant will receive three gold medals if he is killed in battle, a corps leader will receive five gold medals, a senior officer will receive seven gold medals, and so on."
Finally, Lu Bu added: "Even so, the pension will have to be reduced by 70,000 gold."
It was indeed an astronomical figure. Lin Mo sighed, "It's not easy for soldiers to go through life and death. We can make a fixed amount of credit first, and we can supply them later."
"It's rare that you are so considerate of the soldiers of the armed forces."
Lu Bu was still very satisfied with this and nodded: "Okay, I will do as you say. Then there is the replacement and maintenance of ordnance, which requires 20,000 gold. The purchase of war horses also costs at least 30,000 gold, and the navy building also costs 20,000 gold. .”
Ah, Lin Mo raised his eyes and asked, "Isn't that not enough?"
"so."
Lu Bu spread his hands and said bitterly: "Besides, there has been another flood in Huainan this year. On the 17th, the embankments were executed. Ziyang sent an express report that it would cost at least 30,000 gold to repair them. Xuan Gao also sent people to urge for summer and autumn repairs. Regarding military expenses, your uncle Zhang is even more aggressive. If I ask for 20,000 gold to supervise ordnance, life will be almost unbearable."
Oh my god, Lin Mo slapped his forehead, he was really big.
No wonder Cao Cao wanted to deal with Captain Jin. The bigger the plate, the bigger the expenses.
It seems that the income and expenditure of Xu Yang and the two states should not be much different, and there should be a balance for his inventions, but Lin Mo knew in his heart where the money was spent.
First of all, in order to restore the organizational structure of the three counties, tax exemptions and land reclamation will be required, which will consume a huge amount of money. Just imagine, the reconstruction of Anfeng County needs to be shared by the entire Huainan family. This is three counties.
The losses of Ziyang Academy and Poetry Club were no less than 80,000 gold. Ling'er's red-sleeved move also cost more than 30,000 gold. Not to mention that she had previously sent Zuo Rong to the North to deliver gifts and spent another 20,000 gold to find Zhang Yang. people
This series of expenses would not be incurred by other princes at all, so it seems that Lin Mo is very rich after making a bunch of inventions, but in fact he is much poorer than Cao Cao and the others.
The main reason is that the pace is a bit too big, which is ridiculous.
But in the long run, once these investments pay off, you will have an absolute advantage.
Not to mention other things, like the gift given by Zuo Rong, in the final analysis, it is for the purpose of conquering the Northern Kingdom. No matter how much investment is made, it cannot be saved.
Compared to having a bunch of people die to fill their lives, money is always cheap.
"Let Liu Ziyang solve the flood problem in Huainan by himself. There are many aristocratic families in Huainan. We have coaxed them a lot. If we can't raise tens of thousands of gold, we will just give the position to Xuzhou scholars." Lin Mo said angrily.
"That should be no problem."
Lu Bu nodded, "Actually, all aspects of operation can still be maintained normally. I just want to tell you that you said you wanted to spend a lot of money in the North Country. I'm afraid I really can't come up with it for you. I just want to spend it on you." Thirty thousand gold to purchase war horses.”
"Understood."
Lin Mo stretched his arms and stretched his muscles. It seemed that he had to do some fun again. "On the other side of the North Country, let me find a way. Let's go first, my father-in-law."
"I'll ask someone to send you some tiger whip later. Remember, use moderation." Lu Bu said distressedly.
Lin Mo had a black streak on his head, but this old father-in-law was quite nice.
If you want to make money, of course you have to go to Zuo Rong.
However, he is also a stingy man. When he heard that money was needed, he immediately cried and said, "Brother, can we just talk about shedding wool without catching a weed? You can ask yourself, how much have I, Zhe Rong, paid for Wen Hou's great cause?" .
The first time you said that Xiaoguan needed tunnels and Pengcheng needed aqueducts, you said you wanted 50,000 gold to borrow, so you paid me back more than 10,000. Then you said you wanted 50,000 gold to show your loyalty, and we didn't say a word.
Now, this breath costs 80,000 gold, and our Langya prefect may have to retire and return home. "
"I understand the truth, but we are brothers. I can go to the Lu family or the Chen family, but can their relationship compare with mine?"
"I don't want to compete with them either."
"Okay, okay."
Lin Mo shook his head helplessly, "Chen Deng has been telling his father-in-law that it is really difficult to use his skills in Anfeng, and he hopes to be transferred back to Xuzhou. I'll trouble you to change positions with him in the autumn."
Ah this
Zuo Rong had a look of despair on his face, "I knew that my whole life was ruined by my virtuous brother, but if you want me to give out 80,000 gold, you won't be able to get it even if you rob my house. I can only give out 30,000 gold at most." , no more and it will be gone.”
Thirty thousand is indeed the limit.
The account books of Baitang and Liulichang were checked by Chen Gong personally. Zuo Rong really didn't do much, maybe he didn't dare yet.
"Brother Xian, let me tell you how these two thieves can get 40,000 gold each. Do they deserve it? If you ask me, giving them 10,000 gold each would be considered a compliment." Zuo Rong was determined to lower the price.
Lin Mo glanced at him, feeling angry and funny at the same time. You can be the prefect of Langya, why don't you deserve it? You are a prince after all.
"The price of 40,000 gold per person is not negotiable. Let's do this. You can bring some glass lamps with you and ask someone to borrow some money along the way. As for how to borrow it, it depends on your ability. Anyway, you have to take care of things for me. That's it." Lin Mo looked like it had nothing to do with him.
"Brother Xian, are you kidding? I'm looking for someone to borrow money along the way. Who are you looking for?"
"Whoever has the money, let's go find him."
"Who has money"
Zuo Rong thought carefully for a while, "The richest family in the North is undoubtedly the Zhen family, but they are already married to the Yuan family, so how can they lend it to me? Besides, I don't know the head of the Zhen family."
"At this moment, Yuan Shao is critically ill and the Northern Kingdom is in chaos. Maybe the Zhen family will want to find a way out for themselves?" Lin Mo crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.
This makes sense, and Zuo Rong nodded, "Then let me give it a try. With the reputation of the wise brother and the strength of Marquis Wen, the Zhen family does have a reason to show off."
No aristocratic family likes to put all their eggs in one basket, and these powerful men are not stupid. Zuo Rong understands this very well.
"But this trip requires me to travel through the three states of Ji, Bing, and You. I'm afraid I won't be able to come back within half a year. I have to keep my position as a good brother." The position of Langya Prefect is still very popular. , Zuo Rong was worried that Lin Mo, who was so poor and crazy, could do anything.
"Don't worry, no one can touch you in the position of Governor Langya."
Lin Mo patted Zhe Rong's shoulder, restrained his smile, and said solemnly: "This trip is no different than before. It is about whether I can quickly pacify the Northern Kingdom. I must not miss it. Do you understand what I mean?"
"understand."
Zuo Rong sighed, "In other words, the Zhen family has to borrow money if it can be borrowed, and if it can't be borrowed, it must be borrowed."
"Hahaha, you can think about it from another angle. If the four states of the Northern Kingdom are all in our hands, wouldn't the state pastor be better than the prefect?"
Hiss~
Zuo Rong leaned back and looked at Lin Mo with a surprised look on his face, "If Brother Xian says so, I will be confident that we can accomplish this."
"I'm waiting for you to come back!"
Lin Mo smiled and punched him in the chest, "By the way, don't forget about the war horse."
"Don't worry, dear brother, have I ever let you down?" Zhou Mu, Zhe Rong certainly knew that there was a big deal in it, but it was not impossible to give him one of the four states.
The future is promising, the future is promising!
(End of chapter)
