"My lords, do any of you have other opinions?" the Empress asked, her gaze sweeping across the assembled officials.
The civil officials exchanged whispers and discussions, and after a while, they all shook their heads in unison.
However, Qian Jieren, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, I believe General Wei and Prime Minister Chu's words are both reasonable. But the Ministry of Revenue collects a great deal of silver, yet its expenditures are also immense. If we were to recruit and expand the army, I fear the treasury would not be able to sustain it."
"That is simple," Chu Chen said before the Empress could even speak. "This year, the imperial treasury will not only receive silver exceeding ten million taels, but also an immeasurable amount of grain. The grain tax from corn alone this year is expected to yield one hundred and forty-seven million four hundred and twenty thousand piculs, which is sufficient to cover all the court's expenses."
"Your Majesty!" Chu Chen turned and bowed to the Empress. "Expanding the army, at its core, requires funds for resettlement allowances and monthly stipends. However, daily rations can be procured not with silver, but directly from the grain tax revenue. If the variety is insufficient, grain can be exchanged for silver to purchase the needed types."
"Most importantly, the rations for the laborers engaged in infrastructure projects can also be provided with corn. This will greatly reduce the expenditure on rations, and the saved silver can be used to support the army's consumption. Therefore, expanding the army is not a difficult matter."
The Empress nodded upon hearing this and asked, "If that is the case, General Wei, how many troops do you propose to recruit?"
Wei Zi pondered for a moment and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe we can expand by fifty thousand troops! With this number, even if the nation faces attacks from three fronts, we can simultaneously support all three, preventing us from being caught off guard with no reinforcements. If attacked from two fronts, we would still have fifty thousand troops to defend the capital."
"Fifty thousand?" the Empress mused.
Qian Jieren and the other ministers also began calculating the cost of expanding the army by fifty thousand men.
If the army were expanded by fifty thousand, each soldier would receive at least five taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, followed by a monthly stipend of at least one and a half taels. The cost of daily necessities and military equipment would be approximately twenty taels per person, a one-time expense.
Subsequently, monthly food and attrition costs would add up to about one or two taels per person. Fifty thousand men indeed did not seem like a large number, but the monthly military pay would be seventy-five thousand taels, the resettlement allowance two hundred and fifty thousand taels, and the one-time expenditure one million taels.
As for living quarters, the soldiers could completely build their own barracks. Given their initial physical condition upon enlistment, they wouldn't be combat-ready immediately and would require time to train.
The food consumption for the army could be met by grinding corn into flour to make corn buns. The Royal Merchant Guild paid a grain tax of seventy million piculs of corn, of which forty-six percent was edible, amounting to over thirty million piculs. This would be enough to feed all the armies nationwide for several years. Food was no longer an issue.
After calculating the cost, the Empress and the ministers fell silent once more.
Was the treasury... actually quite wealthy?
This was unbelievable. They had been as poor as beggars last year, yet this year they were so prosperous.
It was as if the impossible had given birth to the impossible, and the impossible had gone home!
Having realized how wealthy the court was, the Empress's confidence surged. She waved her hand and declared, "General Wei's proposal is excellent, but I believe fifty thousand is not enough!"
"Ah? Then, Your Majesty, how many soldiers do you propose to recruit?"
Wei Zi was taken aback. In the past, every recruitment drive involved endless debates and was not always successful. What was happening now? Had the sun risen from the west?
Not only had it been successful, but the Empress seemed to want to increase the number of recruits beyond his suggestion. This was truly... a cause for great joy!
"I believe fifty thousand is insufficient to protect the growing wealth of the Yun Yue Kingdom. We should recruit one hundred thousand soldiers! What do you, General Wei and my esteemed ministers, think?" the Empress asked generously.
One hundred thousand... such a number.
The civil officials opened their mouths, ready to object, but then they remembered how wealthy the court was now, and it might even be richer next year. The words of objection got stuck in their throats.
There was simply no way to object.
Seeing that none of the ministers spoke, the Empress smiled and said, "Since no one objects, so be it."
"However, the recruitment will be funded by the silver from the grain tax paid by the Royal Merchant Guild. Therefore, I will dispatch the Fifth Princess, Xin Yue, to supervise. What does General Wei think of this?"
"Your subject is delighted to hear this!" Wei Zi agreed without hesitation.
He was not only not reluctant, but actually very pleased.
After all, the country belonged to the royal family, and the supervisor was a member of the royal family, using funds from the royal merchant guild's grain tax. This was perfectly reasonable.
Most importantly, with this arrangement, those civil officials would likely not be able to skim or withhold this military expenditure! In the past, the military had often been exploited by these civil officials in such ways.
The civil officials fell silent again, feeling utterly speechless.
Well, there would be no opportunity for embezzlement. With the Fifth Princess overseeing the matter, it was practically equivalent to being under the constant scrutiny of both Your Majesty and Prime Minister Chu. Anyone who dared to act improperly would be risking their lives. It was simply not worth it.
"If that is the case, do any of my esteemed ministers have any other matters to discuss? If not, then we shall adjourn the court," the Empress said calmly.
At this moment, Chu Chen suddenly spoke, "Your Majesty, I have a matter to report!"
"Hmm? Prime Minister Chu, what else is there?" the Empress asked, slightly surprised and curious.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, with the current resurgence of spiritual energy, although its intensity is not high, it may increase in the future. If so, ordinary soldiers may not be of much use. Therefore, I believe the army should also undergo reforms."
"What? Military reforms! This is not appropriate!" Wei Zi had never imagined that Chu Chen would want to reform the army as well. This would not do.
"General Wei, please allow me to finish," Chu Chen said calmly, looking at him.
The Empress frowned and said, "Continue."
"Yes!" Chu Chen bowed and continued, "Currently, the martial arts sects in various regions are seeing their disciples' strength grow daily, with profound cultivation. The previous scenario where the Foundation Establishment realm was the highest level of power no longer exists; the Qi Condensation realm is now the peak."
"Therefore, there are many individuals in the Foundation Establishment realm, Body Refining realm, Ancient Martial realm, and Martial Apprentice realm. If we rely solely on soldiers with the current common Body Tempering realm cultivation, it may be difficult to suppress the four directions. Hence, I propose we widely recruit alchemists to refine medicinal pills for cultivation, and cultivate spiritual herbs to supply the needs of alchemy."
"Approved!" the Empress agreed without hesitation. This would benefit the Yun Yue Kingdom and also be of considerable help to her personally.
However, under whose jurisdiction would this newly established institution fall?
"For internal matters, consult Chu Chen," the Empress said, asking, "Prime Minister Chu, do you think a new institution needs to be established?"
Chu Chen pondered for a moment and suggested, "Your Majesty, it would suffice to slightly reorganize the Imperial Hospital. Let the Imperial Hospital be reorganized into the Ministry of Health, with a Minister in charge, and under it, three departments: the Imperial Physician Department, the Alchemy Department, and the Pharmacy Department."
"Agreed!"