Chapter 1 The Filature of the Song

Zhao Guanjia, having made a deal with Zhang Jun using a phased repayment plan, did not halt his tour of the troops. Two days later, after the follow-up personnel and honor guard arrived, he and Zhang Jun continued eastward. They not only went to Binzhou to inspect Zhang Zongyan's department, which had retreated, but also continued east, arriving in Dengzhou and Laizhou in mid-December to inspect the Imperial Navy.

Here, Zhao Guanjia comforted Li Bao well, immediately promising him the position of Tong Dutong, which was a simultaneous increase in status for both the Imperial Navy and the man himself. At the same time, he also requested that Li Bao voluntarily send two warships to accompany Zhang Jun's organized fleet to sea, also as a way of familiarizing them with the sea routes.

Meanwhile, the meeting between Yue Fei and Tian Shizhong between Qingzhou and Zizhou seemed a little quieter.

Of course, during this period, the court's memorials urging Zhao Guanjia to return to the capital in private, the notes from the Imperial Army in various places expressing their loyalty due to various rumors, including Yue Fei's views on him taking charge of the Imperial Right Army… never stopped.

It is worth mentioning that Yue Fei's concern about taking charge of the Imperial Right Army was not out of suspicion or anything like that. Instead, he vaguely indicated in a secret note that as a Hebei native, he could properly control the Imperial Vanguard, which was reorganized from the old Tokyo Garrison, and even the Eight Character Army, but controlling the Imperial Right Army, which was mainly composed of the Western Army, might lead to disobedience.

This was like Zhang Jun's request for an explanation for Tian Shizhong that night, a request for assurance.

To be honest, this move was a bit untimely. Any emperor would probably have wondered about it, but Zhao Jiu knew that Yue Fei had his reasons… Specifically, Yue Pengju would accept or do anything that would help the Northern Expedition, regardless of whether it would cause trouble for him.

In short, this was called sacrificing oneself for the country.

However, even understanding Yue Fei's thinking, Zhao Jiu really couldn't give Yue Fei any explanation at this time. Because helping to remove Zhang Jun, the soul of the Imperial Right Army, to allow Yue Fei to control the power of the Imperial Right Army through Tian Shizhong was already a kind of limit. Giving more explanation could only be done in terms of title. And once it was given in terms of title, it would likely expose the fact that Zhang Jun had been stripped of his military power.

This was too much, and not good for anyone.

At that time, not only would Zhang Jun's authority be swept away, but Yue Fei would definitely not have an easy time either - a commander controlling nearly half of the Imperial Army's power, especially since Yue Fei had a life-and-death friendship with Zhang Rong, the commander of the navy, and was stationed in Jingdong, which was simply unbelievable.

In this situation, the first person to jump out in opposition would probably be Zhang Jun Zhang Deyuan, the Chancellor, who had always been the most convinced and supportive of Yue Fei. Moreover, according to Zhang Deyuan's temperament, he would probably directly give Yue Fei the greatest embarrassment, and then things would become unmanageable.

After all, this matter was unrelated to personal relationships, likes and dislikes, or right and wrong, but more about institutional considerations and precautions. Even further, what Zhao Jiu was doing was indeed somewhat dangerous in the eyes of everyone except himself.

As for Zhao Jiu himself, although he was ten thousand times reassured, he couldn't explain it to outsiders.

Putting aside this thought, Zhao Jiu had already arrived at Dengzhou, met Li Bao, and watched the fleet set sail. It was already the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, and this place was a full twelve hundred *li* from Tokyo, so he really couldn't delay any longer. So, turning around, this Guanjia with things on his mind led a small number of cavalry, along with Zhang Jun, Wang Yan, Liu Yan, Yu Yunwen and other close officials who could ride long distances, first turned back to the Ji River, and then galloped lightly along the river westward, all the way to Tokyo.

Twelve hundred *li* took ten full days, which was not the fastest, but it could definitely be called a great retreat of a thousand *li*.

One important reason for being so hurried was that Zhao Guanjia had already missed many things this winter… Although the national debt was signed by him as soon as he returned to the capital, the issuance of the national debt was only carried out by the Inner Attendants Department, the Imperial Guards, and the Ministry of Revenue on their own. The final of the Cuju League was held as usual, but they had to invite the two Empresses Dowager to sit in the box, and then Chancellor Lü came out to present the award. Many other things were similar… And if this continued, something might go wrong in the capital.

Therefore, after much persuasion, this Guanjia did not delay the second day, which was the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, for the Taixue Political Inquiry.

After all, the importance of this matter could not be compared to other matters.

Here, it must be said that after years of inheritance, the Taixue Political Inquiry now has a great sense of ritual and specific procedures.

Generally speaking, from the morning onwards, the ministers below the Chancellor each hold their own drafts and tell the 'Taixue students' about the achievements their departments have made this year under the leadership of Zhao Guanjia, which feels very much like a job report. Then there will be a short break at noon to facilitate private exchanges between many people. In the afternoon, the ministers will be asked questions. Although it is still an open-ended question and answer session, generally within half a month before, the Di Bao will preheat the relevant core issues and make a rough guide. Zhao Guanjia himself will also play a connecting role at this time, allowing relevant departments to come out and answer relevant questions.

Back to the present, this time, perhaps everyone knew that Zhao Guanjia was tired from the journey, or perhaps the fact that this Guanjia had left in a huff nearly two months ago made the political atmosphere in the capital a bit bad, or perhaps this Guanjia was sitting upright but always frowning and thinking, as if he was in a bad mood… So this time, not many people arbitrarily talked nonsense and provoked Zhao Guanjia.

But little did they know that no one was questioning Zhao Guanjia in person, but Zhao Guanjia had been questioning himself… Or rather, since Ma Kuo turned and left that day, he had been asking himself a serious question these days - how can we conserve energy to meet the needs of the Northern Expedition?

In theory, the national finances are gradually improving. Perhaps in seven or eight years, the country will recover to 80% of its former peak level. At that time, it will be able to support 300,000 elite soldiers while meeting other daily expenses, and then carry out a large accumulation of precious metals and food in preparation for the Northern Expedition.

And this is exactly what many conservative ministers expect, and it is exactly the plan that Zhao Jiu denied long ago… Choosing this is worse than choosing to go to Yangzhou at the beginning, which is more stable!

Why did he stay on the Huai River that day? Wasn't it because he couldn't bear to abandon the Central Plains!

Why is he so anxious today? Wasn't it because he couldn't bear to abandon the Two Rivers!

Some things are not about taking out an abacus, calculating a bunch of things, and doing whatever is most reasonable… National morale and the dynamics of ethnic integration must also be considered.

But if we don't wait that long, how can we accumulate enough food, horse feed, cloth, and precious metals to support 300,000 people for the Northern Expedition in addition to raising soldiers? Rely solely on him reducing the expenses of the harem?

It must be known that at this point, it is no longer possible to save money on civil servants' salaries and other expenses, as that would limit the speed of the country's recovery, which would be detrimental to long-term plans and equivalent to drinking poison to quench thirst.

And this is another dead end.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Zhao Jiu, after learning about Zhang Jun's business, chose to try to get involved, regardless of the risks and public opinion.

This Guanjia was already a little desperate.

Not to mention how Zhao Guanjia was deeply troubled by the grand plan of the Northern Expedition, to the extent that he did not return to the capital for most of the winter, and even revealed his worries at the Taixue Political Inquiry after returning to the capital, but only say that the Guanjia finally returned to the capital, which did ease the political atmosphere of the entire capital a little.

And the next day, the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, after hastily dealing with the Taixue Political Inquiry, the Taixue became lively again… Because this day was the beginning of the New Year's holiday, according to the practice of the past few years, students in the Taixue who lived near home generally had to wait until this day to return home, while students who lived far away generally had to prepare for various matters of spending the New Year in the capital.

Of course, under the current special system of the Three Dormitories Law plus the Imperial Examination, the value of Taixue students is self-evident. Therefore, during these few days, not only will the palace summon some outstanding Taixue students, but also many dignitaries, such as the Wu family, the Lü family, and the homes of important ministers including the current Chancellor, will specially have their children invite some good Taixue students to spend the New Year in their homes. Even the lowest-ranking ones, staying in the Taixue, will have wealthy merchants, nobles, temples and monasteries rushing to sponsor meat, vegetables, rice and flour.

There is no need to learn from Fan Zhongyan to study by carving porridge.

"Isn't that the Zhao Chancellor's son?"

In a window-side restaurant box on the north bank of the Cai River, Chao Gongwu, a Zhisheren who had just used a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold, couldn't put down the bowl in time and blurted out, staring at the opposite bank of the river outside the window.

"It should be."

Yu Yunwen, a good friend in the same seat who was also the object of this banquet - the welcome banquet - looked at the window for a moment and immediately nodded in agreement. His eyesight and physique had always been recognized as outstanding, and that was why he was able to return early with the Guanjia this time.

The old Ren Baozhong, the weak Fan Zongyin, and Lü Benzhong were still riding horses back to Tokyo for the New Year.

"Does the eldest son of the dignified Prime Minister also come to this kind of place to eat mutton?" Chao Gongwu couldn't help but sigh.

"What's this?"

Hu Quan, the old boss who had been drinking soup with his head down, looked up and calmly replied, "Not only the Prime Minister's son, but it is said that Zhao Chancellor often comes to the Cai River to drink mutton soup, and the Guanjia has also specially ordered takeout from here… Zhao Chancellor is recognized as the best in the court in terms of private morality, not building private property, not making private friends, and plus the whole family fled from Hedong, not even having an acre of ancestral land, only living on salaries and rewards, it is normal to come here for a simple meal."

"What's more than that?" Yu Yunwen also casually smiled, "Even Zhao Dagongzi has not been able to marry a wife until now, it is said that he was also implicated by his own father…"

"How do you say that?" Chao Gongwu curiously asked, "The Prime Minister's son is worried about marriage?"

"How can I say it? Isn't it because Zhao Chancellor is the Prime Minister, so Zhao Dagongzi can't easily try his hand to participate in the hội and palace examinations, so as not to be suspected. And since he doesn't try his hand, he can't get out of the Taixue. If he doesn't get out of the Taixue, and doesn't have a meritorious name, then it's not easy to determine marriage…" Hu Quan casually explained.

"That's true…" Chao Gongwu was speechless for a moment.

"However, even so, he is also the Prime Minister's eldest son, don't you believe it, you go ask these Taixue students below, are they willing to follow Zhao Gongzi to the south bank of the Cai River to drink mutton soup and eat roasted mutton skin, or are they willing to follow Little Wu Guojiu to the Grandfather's house to drink Blue Bridge Wind and Moon?" Hu Quan continued to ask with a smile.

The answer was self-evident, but Chao Gongwu only nodded when he heard the words, and his words were still cautious: "Now is the time of enlightened rulers and virtuous ministers."

These words made everyone in the seat nod in agreement, but the Hu editor on the opposite side shook his head and said nothing.

Speaking of which, Hu Quan's shaking his head was not because he had any opinions on Zhao Ding. Although their political views were different, the gap between the two levels was too large, and they had not reached the point where they could be right, and Zhao Ding's own talent and virtue were recognized as good, and no one in the court was unconvinced… The reason why he shook his head was just because he lamented that everyone has their own ambitions and things have changed.

The seven or eight classmates sitting here today are no longer the same as the Taixue students three or four years ago.

At that time, everyone was classmates in the same dormitory, and they were Jinshi in the same khoa. Even if their positions and thoughts were different, it would not prevent them from being friends. But now, after only three years of doing errands, their political positions, political stances, and various mentalities have become completely different.

Among them, the most obvious one is Chao Gongwu. This person has the ability, better knowledge, and is famous for his extensive knowledge and strong memory. He is undoubtedly one of the more outstanding ones in the same khoa, and his career path is also very proper, but he has gradually become estranged from the others in terms of political stance.

The reason is that this is one time and another time.

It is said that three years ago, Chao Gongwu's family moved all the way from their old home in Jizhou to Shu to avoid the war. At that time, the whole army naturally supported the court in using troops to recover the lost land and stabilize the situation. But after Yaoshan, the situation was stable, and the Chao family also moved back to their ancestral land, but the clan naturally lost their support for the court's use of troops. Not only that, but the elders in Chao Gongwu's family also gradually complained about the court's policies because the abandoned land in their family was used as military settlements by the Imperial Vanguard, and they were not even allowed to redeem it.

These things, directly and indirectly, all affected him, so that after the White Horse Shaoxing Rebellion, the still relatively young Chao Gongwu directly expressed his dissatisfaction in letters with several friends, and then attracted some criticism… His current cautious attitude, on the one hand, is that he himself is gradually focusing on learning, and on the other hand, he has noticed that Zhao Guanjia's determination cannot be violated, and the court's major policies cannot be reversed, and the political atmosphere among the surrounding classmates has also formed, and he has no choice but to hide and retreat.

However, in Hu Quan's view, who had noticed Chao Gongwu's changes early on, this was fine.

It should be known that even the 'Three Famous Ministers of Jingkang Taixue' - Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, and Hu Yin, who had life-and-death friendships - had long since parted ways and had different political views. How could this group of Taixue classmates from the third year of Jianyan always be as close as a family?

Not to mention Chao Gongwu, who violated the overall situation and fell behind. Even now, he and Yu Yunwen are so close and inseparable, but they may become opponents in the future.

Hu Quan was mentally prepared for this.

"Speaking of Zhao Chancellor and Zhao Gongzi, I remembered a joke." While speaking, another classmate of the same khoa opened his mouth at the right time, "As everyone knows, although the two eastern and western chancellories are harmonious in major matters, they often have conflicts in minor matters. Although it cannot be called factional struggle, there is a suspicion of division, and in private discussions, I have always not known what to call the two parties… If we say the Zhao Party and the Zhang Party, it is naturally an offense to the national surname; if we say the Eastern Party and the Western Party, it is contrary to some situations as the Guanjia extensively dispatches inside and outside… However, a new saying suddenly appeared in the Taixue a few days ago, and I think it is extremely appropriate."

"How do you say it?" Except for Little Yu Tanhua, who was the son of Zhang Jun's old official, everyone else showed curious expressions.

"It is to use the Wood Party and the Water Party!"

"How did this come about?" Even Hu Quan was surprised for a moment.

It was Yu Yunwen who first woke up, but he didn't laugh out loud.

"Nothing else, Zhao Gongzi has several daughters, and their names are all taken from the famous rivers in Hedong. Zhao Gongzi is called Zhao Fen, and Zhao Jiadangzi is called Zhao Bi." The classmate of the same khoa blurted out, "And Zhang Chancellor just had a son a few days ago, and his name is Zhang Shi. Only now did everyone know that Zhang Chancellor's family came from a famous family in Shu, and his next generation will all take the Wood character radical…"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone laughed, and even Yu Yunwen couldn't help but lower his head to snicker.

However, it was also in the laughter that the last person finally arrived, but it was actually the real target of this gathering - Zhisheren Mei Li Mei Maoxiu, who was attending this kind of gathering of classmates in the capital for the first time.

"Fellow classmates, I am ashamed!" Mei Sheren entered the box, repeatedly cupping his hands and apologizing, "I originally planned to come early after leaving office, but I didn't expect that just as I was about to leave, the Guanjia suddenly summoned me and asked me many questions in front of the pavilion in the harem. I just came out of the palace and changed my clothes and hurried over."

Since it was the Guanjia's summons, everyone naturally had nothing to say, but they quickly let Mei Sheren sit down, and then greeted the helpers in the store to serve the dishes and start the banquet. In the middle, there were prostitutes who took the initiative to come in, and everyone gave them some money and then asked them to leave… They were real political stars who could enter the inner circle, and who didn't know the Guanjia's mentality? Why bother to make the Guanjia unhappy for this kind of thing?

And when the banquet was opened, everyone first made a few polite remarks, talking about the old days in the Taixue and the temple exam, but after three rounds of wine, as officials in the capital, and all of them were so-called tiger class with great futures, they could not help but exchange political information.

In fact, this is the fundamental reason for this kind of gathering.

"Grand Commandant Zhang followed the Guanjia into the capital and personally went to the Western Chancellery to meet Chancellor Zhang, only to say that he actually knew about Zhang Zongyan's affairs, but he didn't expect that the guy would be so bold in the end and send out so many soldiers!" Yu Yunwen said casually, saying a piece of information that could not be concealed from anyone, which was considered an appetizer.

Everyone did not have a hesitant expression, but only Chao Gongwu was slightly stunned when he heard the words, but in the end he said nothing.

"In this case, Zhang Zongyan's life is saved?" Someone took advantage of the situation and asked curiously.

"That's natural!" Little Yu Tanhua answered frankly, "After the Western Chancellery reported it, the Guanjia directly issued an edict, demoting him to Dutou and making him effective in front of the army…"

"This must have been agreed upon by the Guanjia and Grand Commandant Zhang in person." Hu Quan also took advantage of the situation and came to a conclusion.

"Is the Grand Secretary of Justice (another name for the Minister of Justice) happy?" Among the crowd who nodded, another person curiously interjected, "He entered the capital for ten days, and took down the Minister of the Dali Temple and the Empress's uncle in the court hall, and quickly sentenced Yang Zheng to death, and also sent a document to Guanzhong, questioning the generals of Guanzhong, forcing dozens of generals including Wu Jiedu to write a letter to defend themselves and ask the court to deal with them. For a time, he was unparalleled and won face for the court's civil servants… Is he going to let Grand Commandant Zhang go this time?"

"The Grand Secretary of Justice (the Minister of Justice Ma Shen)?" Hu Quan raised his glass and drank it all, laughing coldly before Yu Yunwen could speak, "The Grand Secretary of Justice has been outwardly glorious these days, but how is he really doing in private? Everyone in the capital sees him as chasing the Guanjia away as soon as he entered the capital… Using a minister to drive away the ruler, causing the court situation to be tense and resentment to arise inside and outside… During these two months, the Guanjia was outside, and the Grand Secretary of Justice was actually the most difficult to endure in the capital. All kinds of postures are just holding on! If he continues to make trouble, he is afraid that he will really make enemies with the people inside and outside, and then even Chancellor Lü and Chancellor Li in the southeast will come to question him in letters!"

"Brother Hu is right." Someone answered, "This time, the local administrator and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue were transferred, and everyone thought that Minister Liu (Liu Hongdao) and the Grand Secretary of Justice were on the same side, but Minister Liu personally dispatched the Imperial Center Army to cross the river and break through a military camp on the opposite bank in the middle of this month, which is clearly not on the same side as the Grand Secretary of Justice… It can be seen that the Grand Secretary of Justice looks invincible, but it is just a bluff, and he is not popular in the court."

"In fact, these are all minor matters. Even if the Grand Secretary of Justice really continues to be so strong, what will happen? He will always be unable to resist the Guanjia's control of the overall situation, and the key to our work is to be anxious about what the king is anxious about and to put our minds on the major policies and strategies. This is the right path." Hu Quan suddenly changed his tone, "And since the Guanjia met with Commissioner Ma in Heyin, the future major policies and strategies have been revealed, which is to wholeheartedly accumulate money, food, soldiers and horses in order to cross the river and launch the Northern Expedition! In the next few years, everything must give way to these things."

"Brother Hu is right." Another person responded, "After that day when the Di Bao posted the matter of General Manager Ma coming to see the Guanjia, our Ministry of Revenue began to check the accounts and count the warehouses… But after calculating and calculating, it is always difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice."

"That's right." Yu Yunwen also frowned and sighed. No one in the seat knew the Guanjia's thoughts better than him. "I remember that Minister Lin had a speech in the Taixue yesterday. This year's tax revenue, plus the three million national debt quota, and the initial income from the Green Seed Loan and Jiaozi Affairs in the second half of this year, is only 38 million strings (one string is equivalent to one thousand cash or one tael of silver, and its actual value at this time is about 770 cash)… Thirty-eight million strings, if used to raise soldiers, raising 300,000 Imperial troops, then nothing can be done."

It is said that the people around him naturally knew that Yu Yunwen had traveled with the Guanjia this time, so when the 300,000 Imperial troops were said, they already believed it in their hearts, knowing that this was some kind of bottom line that the Guanjia and Ma Kuo had discussed and decided on, but even so, they were still amazed when they heard this number.

"The Guanjia is too generous to the Imperial Army!" In the midst of a burst of astonishment, Chao Gongwu finally couldn't help but say, "According to what Cai Gong, the Third Division Envoy during the Renzong Dynasty, said in his memorial, a forbidden soldier at that time cost only 50 strings a year, but now it costs about 80 to 90 strings, or even nearly 100 strings, to raise an Imperial regular soldier… If we use this example to raise 300,000 soldiers, then nothing can be done?!"

"The forbidden army of the Renzong Dynasty could not destroy the Western Xia." Since Hu Quan had already made plans in his heart, he simply replied coldly, "If you want to launch the Northern Expedition and recover the Two Rivers, you need 300,000 regular soldiers who cost 100 strings a year!"

"But in this case, we can only wait a few more years before launching the Northern Expedition!" Being confronted face to face, and perhaps because he had drunk a little wine, Chao Gongwu finally stopped pretending to be cautious, "Brother Hu, the tax revenue is here. If we want to raise 300,000 Imperial troops, and also prepare money and food for military supplies and rewards, we definitely need 50 million in tax revenue!"

"Will we have 50 million in tax revenue if we wait a few years?" Someone frowned and interjected.

"Of course we will." Chao Gongwu blurted out, "During the heyday of this dynasty, the tax revenue was nearly 100 million (strings, stones, bundles, taels, bolts, not the total number of strings), of which, after deducting the grain of one stone of grain and half a string of money, and the fodder that almost no one except officials bought, there was still a direct income of 60 million in money. And out of the 60 million in money, in addition to the strings of copper coins and the taels of silver, there were also nearly 10 million bolts of silk… Although the value of silk has always fluctuated, it has always been the price of two strings of money per bolt! Taking into account that the main production areas of silk are in the south and have not been affected by the war, as long as this dynasty recuperates, it can completely achieve a tax revenue of more than 30 million strings, plus 8 to 9 million bolts of silk! That is, a total tax revenue of 50 million strings!"

Chao Gongwu has extensive knowledge and a strong memory, and now he is compiling history and has access to a lot of information. No one questioned this statement, so everyone was thoughtful for a while.

However, it must be said here that… the Great Song Dynasty was a strange flower with extremely centralized finances. Its tax revenue was not converted into silver, or about 770 cash per string, to get the total number of strings, but simultaneously measured the received grain (stones), hay (bundles), copper coins (strings), jiaozi (strings), silk (bolts), and silver (taels), and finally got a strange total tax revenue of more than 100 million stones, bundles, strings, jiaozi, bolts, and taels.

As everyone knows, grain is the most basic thing in the feudal era. It is used to directly supply the army, officials, and the capital, and also to provide disaster relief. It is impossible to really discount it. Hay is only needed for military supplies. Therefore, we must first put aside these physical objects in order to get the real tax revenue of the Great Song Dynasty, which is mainly composed of money and silk.

After all, only these two are recognized as hard currency. Two strings of money for one bolt of silk has almost become common knowledge. From officials to soldiers to ordinary people, they all recognize that these silks are the same as copper coins and silver, and are effective general equivalents.

And Chao Gongwu's meaning lies in this - almost all of the silk production areas are actually under the control of the Great Song Dynasty, and the direct losses caused by the Two Rivers are actually very low. The theoretical fiscal ceiling of the Great Song Dynasty is still very high, so as long as the Great Song Dynasty is given time to gradually close the bleeding effect caused by the war, it can actually return to a very outstanding fiscal position.

But…

"How long will it take to recover to 50 million strings of tax revenue?" Hu Quan frowned and asked.

"I have calculated it. According to the current recovery speed, it will take seven or eight years." Chao Gongwu blurted out.

Everyone's faces immediately changed.

Hu Quan sneered on the spot: "If the people of the Two Rivers can wait another seven or eight years, why would the Guanjia drive those people away in Baima?"

Chao Gongwu wanted to say something but stopped, but in the end he closed his mouth and said nothing, and the others had no intention of discussing it further… This is a problem that is destined to have different opinions due to the interests involved, just like whether to make a bigger cake first or divide the cake well first.

Besides, as Hu Quan said, Zhao Guanjia has already set the tone by doing it all by himself.

"Actually," Yu Yunwen saw that the scene was embarrassing, especially since he and Chao Gongwu had a very good personal relationship, so he finally couldn't help but try to smooth things over a little, "It's not necessarily true that we have to raise 300,000 soldiers. We can slightly expand the Imperial Army to 240,000 to 250,000, and then contact the Mongols, Khitans, and Koreans, and recruit a group of Tanguts, plus the Hebei Volunteer Army, and the quantity is still sufficient."

"But if that's the case," Seeing that it was his friend who spoke, Chao Gongwu finally couldn't help but say, "The number of people for the Northern Expedition will be even greater. How much grain and how much money will be needed for military supplies, rewards, and pensions at that time? Have you ever calculated it?"

"The Guanjia's intentions are there, so it must have been calculated long ago." The classmate in the Ministry of Revenue sneered, "If there are 300,000 people, even if there is the convenience of the Great River for transportation, there must be a corresponding number of civilian husbands. Plus friendly troops and so on, it is estimated that we need to prepare for 600,000 to 700,000 people. If we set aside the autumn harvest of that year and calculate generously, we have to prepare 6 million stones of grain. If there are more war horses, it will cost more, and we also have to prepare 2 million bundles of hay… And the various groceries such as salt, vinegar, alum, and dried meat… Let's give a rough number, we must first reserve 10 million stones of grain! And the extra money and silk rewards, plus military expenditures, will be simpler. We can compare them to the normal expenses of the Imperial Army for one year! In other words, a small 10 million stones of grain and 20 to 30 million in wealth! The country needs to have such reserves in order to ensure that the Northern Expedition is sufficient! Of course, if we are tight, we can set a period of half a year, and considering that we can connect with an autumn harvest in the middle of eight or nine out of ten times, we can reduce it to 5 million stones of grain and 15 million strings worth of wealth, and we can always give it a try!"

"That's good," Chao Gongwu interrupted with one word, "If seven or eight years is too long, let's set it at two or three years. During these two or three years, we will raise 240,000 to 250,000 Imperial troops. You loyal ministers who are thinking about the Northern Expedition, please tell me, how can you still save 5 million stones of grain and 15 million in floating wealth? Can it fall from the sky?"

The people in the box were immediately silent. This is the Guanjia's biggest concern, and it is also where the important ministers are also in trouble… Whoever can solve this problem, Zhao Guanjia will definitely make him a marquis and chancellor.

"Look at what Brother Chao is saying," Mei Li quickly interjected when he saw that the atmosphere was not good, "If we, the classmates who have just entered office for three years, can work together to solve this problem for the Guanjia, then everyone on this table will get a position in the Secret Pavilion, and the leader will even get a position as Prime Minister… We are just taking advantage of the fact that the Tanhualang has returned before the New Year to chat casually!"

"That's right," Hu Quan also felt that he had gone a little too far, so he stood up on the spot, raised his glass and smiled, "In any case, it is now ten thousand times better than it was during the Jingkang period. Why be overly anxious? Let's drink to the New Year! To the Guanjia's longevity!"

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses.

And with one drink, another person smiled and said, "It's a pity that our Imperial Royal Army is not as barbaric as the Jurchens. Otherwise, if we plundered in Western Xia for a while, according to the grain stored by the Western Xia people, we might be able to make a fortune of five or six million!"

Everyone laughed, but then they remembered the losses in Jingkang and turned into wry smiles. As a result, whether it was Hu Quan, Yu Yunwen, Chao Gongwu, or others, they could only sigh with wine, and the atmosphere was ultimately difficult to return to the casualness of the beginning… Of course, Mei Sheren, who came for the first time, did not say anything about Zhao Guanjia asking him about the sea trade data.

In the afternoon, the sky darkened again, and it vaguely wanted to snow. Zhao Ding's eldest son said goodbye to his classmates on the south bank of the Cai River, and Hu Quan and others also dispersed on the north bank of the Cai River.

In the end, everyone is just ordinary people who have to use umbrellas when it rains, go home early when it snows, and prepare for the New Year.

At the same time, Zhao Guanjia, who did not need to prepare for the New Year, sat alone in the palace and pondered for a long time, finally got up and left the stone pavilion, but went to Consort Wu's place.

When the two met, Consort Wu was overjoyed and quickly brought her already sleeping son to greet him, but unexpectedly, Zhao Guanjia took his eldest son and sat down on the couch, then smiled and said:

"My dear consort, we haven't updated 'Journey to the West: Demon Subduing Miscellaneous Records' for many days, have we?"

Consort Wu's face stiffened, but she looked at the son in the Guanjia's arms and immediately smiled: "What the Guanjia said is true, we haven't updated it for many days… Do you want to update it today?"

"We want to update it today." Zhao Jiu still smiled.

Hearing this, Consort Wu still forced a smile, while Feng Yi Feng Erguan next to her immediately turned her head and ordered someone to prepare pen and ink.

When the pen and ink were delivered, Zhao Jiu sighed with emotion as he held his son: "But today's update is not 'Journey to the West: Demon Subduing Miscellaneous Records'. We won't update this book in the future. Anyway, it's a folk tale that has long been established, and a famous writer may organize it into a masterpiece in a few hundred years… Thank you, my dear consort. Let's start a new book from today, a book that no one may write if I don't write it."

Consort Wu, who had already spread out the paper and was sitting at the table, was stunned for a moment, then returned to normal. Anyway, she was just a ghostwriter for whatever book she was updating. If "Journey to the West: Demon Subduing Miscellaneous Records" was gone, it was Wu Cheng'en's business, what did it have to do with her Consort Wu?

With this thought, Consort Wu put down the paperweight, took the pen and ink from Feng Erguan, and directly smiled and asked, "Please give the Gu