Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 44 Treasury
Zhu Lang suppressed the idea of ​​moving the capital, and with a flash of his eyes, he looked at Su Guansheng below.
"How much silver did Lord Su pledge to the court this time? Was it really only 20,000 taels?"

"Guangzhou's tax silver for this year is indeed only 20,000 taels, but the provincial treasury has some accumulation from previous years. This time, I will take most of it and transport it to the court, a total of 70,000 taels of silver."

Su Guansheng smiled when he heard this and said

Su Guansheng thought of the officials of Zhaoqing in the court, and a hint of sternness flashed in his eyes. These traitors kept calling him treacherous officials and flatterers, and they were calling for his death. How could he really tell these bastards about his true identity?

He was also a bureaucrat who had been in the court for a long time. How could he not know the details of these court officials? He dared to guarantee that although he had just sent 5,000 taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue, the group of insects in the court must have been eyeing the remaining 15,000 taels of silver.
Maybe they are already planning to find some excuse to force the King of Gui to give them the remaining 15,000 taels of silver.

In fact, the 20,000 taels of silver was not made up by Su Guansheng. Anyone who checked would find that the tax silver of Guangzhou treasury this year was 20,000 taels.

The accounts of previous years were clearly recorded and all were sent to the court. Apart from the 20,000 taels of silver, there was not a cent more in the Guangzhou treasury.
But accounts are accounts, and reality is reality. Guangzhou is such a big port, with thousands of ships sailing every day and merchants gathering. How could the annual tax silver be only 20,000 taels? In fact, Guangzhou officials kept taking advantage of the situation, and over the years, the treasury had deposited nearly 100,000 taels of silver.

No one can find this amount of silver in the account, but it really exists. The daily reception and sending off of the governor of Guangdong Province, the management of the officials, and the holiday subsidies of officials at all levels all come from this silver.
This time, Su Guansheng and Gu Yuanjing took the risk to come to Zhaoqing, ready to participate in the support to fight for their own future, so naturally they would bring as much silver as they could.

The more silver they brought, the more trust they would gain from the King of Gui, and the less danger they would face on their journey. If they lost their lives, what would the silver left in the Guangzhou treasury have to do with them?

Others could not find the silver, but that did not mean that Gu Yuanjing, the Left Governor of Guangdong Province, could not find the silver. Therefore, with the help of Gu Yuanjing, Su Guansheng successfully took out the silver from the treasury and escorted a full 70,000 taels of silver to the court.
"Okay, okay, I knew that Lord Su would be very capable."

When Zhu Lang heard that Su Guansheng had brought 70,000 taels of silver into the court, he was excited and couldn't help but say hello twice.

Since winning over Li Mingzhong, Zhu Lang's concern was no longer about having no soldiers, but about how to support them.

Although Li Mingzhong had surrendered to him, this reliance was limited, because he had no way to solve the problem of Li Mingzhong's army's salary. Now Li Mingzhong was using his own wealth to maintain the army's expenses.

With Su Guansheng's money and food, he could truly control the logistics of Li Mingzhong's army and make Li Mingzhong's army truly serve him.

Li Mingzhong has 6,000 men, plus Jiao Lian's 3,000 men who are about to enter Guangdong. It is estimated that he will have 10,000 men under his command in the future. The 70,000 taels of silver, as long as he uses it sparingly, is enough for him to maintain this 10,000-man army for nearly half a year.

Half a year is more than enough for him.

All his current plans are only for the next one or two months. If he fails to get rid of Ding Kuichu and drive back the Qing troops that have entered Guangdong within this month or two, it is still unknown whether he will be dead or alive in two or three months. How can he think about what will happen in half a year?

Zhu Lang's face was full of excitement. He paced back and forth in front of the table. Then he suddenly stopped and looked at Su Guansheng below.
"How many soldiers did Lord Su bring into the court this time?"

"Two thousand men, but... after the commotion outside the city, some soldiers fled."

"Although I have led my generals to do their best to gather them, I am afraid there are less than 2,000 now."

Su Guansheng said with embarrassment, "He came with two thousand troops, but just when they met, before they even started fighting, his army collapsed first. This really made him blush."
"No one expected that Ding Kuichu would be so bold and reckless. The soldiers under the elder were caught off guard and were suddenly startled and scattered."

Zhu Lang looked at Su Guansheng, whose face turned red, and forced himself to find an excuse for him, and then continued
"I'm afraid Ding Kuichu will never let the Guangzhou soldiers enter the city. After Su Ge Lao returns, he will have someone lead the army to the east of the city and set up camp next to General Li Mingzhong's military camp. If there is anything in the army, you can discuss it with General Li. General Li is also a trustworthy person, so there is no need to be on guard."

"Yes"

Su Guansheng's heart moved, and he said
At this moment, Su Guansheng also knew that the troops leading the rescue today were Li Mingzhong's troops.
If Li Mingzhong's army had not arrived in time, he would have really lost his life today. Now, after hearing the order from the King of Gui, he was even more certain that the King of Gui must have already won over Li Mingzhong.

Su Guansheng looked at the young Gui King above him, and a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. He felt that although this trip was dangerous, it was really the right thing to do. This Gui King really had the aura of a heroic ruler.
Emperor Longwu was trapped in Fujian Province, where the military and political affairs were controlled by Zheng Zhilong. That's why he thought of moving the capital and ordered Zheng Zhilong to go to Gan Province to recruit soldiers in the name of aiding Gan.
He secretly asked him to recruit soldiers and then help Emperor Longwu to go to Hunan Province from Fujian to Jiangxi to get rid of Zheng Zhilong's control.

In fact, Emperor Longwu did implement this plan later. After hearing the news that the border of Fujian Province was breached, Emperor Longwu left Fujian on his own. However, there was no soldier around him at that time, and Zheng Zhilong had no intention of resisting.

The Qing army encountered no resistance after entering Fujian Province. As soon as Emperor Longwu set out, the Qing army got the news and chased him. He was eventually killed in Tingzhou on the border of Fujian Province.
The situation of Emperor Longwu and Zhu Lang at this time is very similar. There is Zheng Zhilong in Fujian Province and Ding Kuichu in Guangdong Province.

Emperor Longwu stayed in Fujian for about a year, but in the end he still did not have a single soldier under his control. However, within a short period of time, the King of Gui had unknowingly controlled an army of 6,000 people.

The light in Su Guansheng's eyes became brighter and brighter. The King of Gui had soldiers under his command, and he brought money and food. In addition, the King of Gui had a righteous reputation. He could definitely assist the King of Gui and eliminate the fierce and treacherous officials in the court.

Zhu Lang didn't care what Su Guansheng was thinking. He hesitated for a moment and said:
"I want to let Su Ge Lao temporarily manage the Ministry of Works, and all the silver brought by the Ge Lao will be added to the Ministry of Works' treasury. In this way, there is no need to send the silver to the Ministry of Revenue." Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. According to the regulations, the autumn silver brought by Su Guansheng should be added to the Ministry of Revenue, but there is no Ministry of Revenue in Zhaoqing now. The Ministry of Revenue in Zhaoqing is the treasury of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi of Ding Kuichu.
Sending this money to the Ministry of Revenue means giving it to Ding Kuichu. How could Zhu Lang do such a thing?

Zhu Lang was in complete agreement with Su Guansheng on this point. Even if he sank the silver into the sea, he would never let it fall into Ding Kuichu's hands.
Among the six ministries of the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for money and grain and had its own treasury. However, in fact, in addition to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works also had its own independent treasury because it was in charge of construction matters. This was also the only government office among the six ministries of the Ming Dynasty that had its own money and grain treasury.
That is why Zhu Lang planned to let Su Guansheng take charge of the Ministry of Works. In this way, the money and grain could be legitimately added to the Ministry of Works' treasury and would still be under Zhu Lang's control without being hindered by outsiders.

"Your Excellency has seen the situation in the court. There are many powerful officials in the court, and I have to act according to their expressions. If those people in the court are unwilling to let you take charge of the Ministry of Works, even if you are a minister, please agree. This matter is of great importance, and I am sorry to have wronged you."

The young prince grabbed the man's hand

"I understand that official positions and wealth cannot compare with the Ming Dynasty. Now I am only willing to follow Your Highness and revitalize the Ming Dynasty. I will definitely keep an eye on this money and grain for Your Highness," Su Guansheng said solemnly.

Su Guansheng looked at the prince above, who looked pleased, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
After what happened today, he also knew how the people in the court felt about him. They really wanted to die immediately, so he had already anticipated his situation in the new court.

But what does it matter? Although he cannot join the cabinet, and may not even get the position of Minister of Industry, he is still a trusted minister of His Highness.

As long as His Highness has dealt with Ding Kuichu and truly taken control of the court, Su Guansheng will naturally be able to join the cabinet and assist in government affairs again.

"The situation in the court is complicated. Although the cabinet minister and I are fair-minded and have a bright future, people in the court are bound to have their own opinions."

"Your Excellency should be careful in what you say and do in the court in the future. No matter what people in the court argue about, you don't need to get involved. As long as you can keep an eye on this money and grain, it will be a great contribution," Zhu Lang couldn't help but remind him.
This time, he tried so hard to protect Su Guansheng, and everyone must have believed that Su Guansheng was his confidant. If Su Guansheng rashly got involved in the debate in the court, he might be regarded as his intention by the people in the court. Therefore, he had to warn Su Guansheng in advance.
"A gentleman sees all gentlemen, and a villain sees all villains. Those people in the previous dynasty all had secret plots in their hearts, so they thought that everyone in the world was as scheming as them. How could they believe that there is such a sincere and pure person as Your Highness in the world?"

"Your Highness, I understand what you said. Apart from this money and grain, I will not say a word about other matters in the court unless Your Highness tells me to do so," Su Guansheng replied.

Zhu Lang looked at Su Guansheng who was speaking righteously in front of him. Even though he thought he had a thick skin like a city wall, his face suddenly turned red when he heard these words.

Zhu Lang couldn't help but reflect on himself. He thought he was thick-skinned enough, but he didn't expect that there is always a mountain higher than the mountain. It seems that he needs to work harder in the future.
"There is one more thing. Since General Li Mingzhong came to see me, he has been cut off from food and money by the Governor's Office. Now he has to support himself. Now that the money and food have arrived, Lord Su will first send 10,000 taels to General Li's army to help with the urgent military needs."

"You don't need to hide the 10,000 taels of silver, just send it over with great fanfare."

Zhu Lang suppressed the thoughts in his mind, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and he spoke

Although he could not overthrow Ding Kuichu, he had soldiers and food in his hands. He was the second-ranked military leader in the city, and was about to take the top position in the city.

What about Dante Kuichu and his people? They don't even want to call him boss. Is this reasonable? This is unreasonable.
If that's the case, then he doesn't have to be so timid anymore.
"Yes, I will deliver the military pay to General Li tomorrow."

Su Guansheng agreed immediately. After all, Li Mingzhong had saved his life. Why would he refuse?

And judging from the current attitude of the Gui King, he obviously trusts Li Mingzhong. Perhaps I should take this opportunity to make friends with Li Mingzhong.

Zhu Lang and Su Guansheng had a long talk, and before they knew it, it was already late at night. The two decided on the master and servant roles, and explained various matters. Zhu Lang then got up and sent Su Guansheng out.
Zhu Lang saw Su Guansheng leave at the door, then returned to the study and called Li Chengzhi who was waiting nearby.

"Chengzhi, how many soldiers from the governor's office are surrounding the palace today?" Zhu Lang asked with a gloomy face.
"About 340 to 350 people"

Li Chengzhi replied with a serious expression on his face. He knew that this matter might have touched the bottom line of the prince. Therefore, after dealing with a lot of court affairs, the prince would start to investigate this matter.
"There are only a hundred people in our Guiwang Mansion. There are so many old and weak people, but one person has sent three soldiers. It seems that our Lord Ding really thinks highly of our Guiwang Mansion," Zhu Lang sneered.

Li Chengzhi listened to the prince's fierce words, but cold sweat broke out on his back. He looked straight ahead, as if he had not heard Zhu Lang's words, waiting for Zhu Lang's orders.
"Go to General Li's army and ask him to mobilize troops. There are 340 people surrounding the governor's office today, so mobilize 340. If there are 350, mobilize 350. No more, no less."

"After entering the city, transfer thirty people to Lord Su's residence. These thirty people must be elite and must ensure Lord Su's safety."

"For the remaining 300 people, have someone lead them to find Ding Kuichu and have him arrange a camp for them in the city."

"If he refuses, then you should ask him to hand over the 300 people who have arrived at the palace today, and tell them that I, the King of Gui, have prepared a great gift to thank these loyal soldiers of the Governor's Mansion." Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Li Mingzhong's military pay has been settled, Jiao Lian is about to enter the capital, and it's time to show off his power, otherwise the officials in Zhaoqing might have forgotten who is the regent emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

As for whether Ding Kuichu would be dissatisfied, he now has all the weapons and armor, and there will be many things that will make him dissatisfied in the future. He'd better adapt as soon as possible.
(End of this chapter)