I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 609 Financial Dilemma
As the drums on the platform sounded, the officers below shouted even harder, and the cold river water had already reached the chins of the soldiers in the front row...

Zhu Houcong looked at the soldiers below with great interest. He did not feel uncomfortable because of this. Instead, he felt the sweetness of power...

He knew that as long as he didn't call for a stop today, Guo Xun would definitely not stop...

The lives of so many people were controlled by him, decided by his words. This feeling made him tremble in his heart and made him very intoxicated...

Is this the feeling of “When the emperor is angry, millions of people die”?
"Stop!" Zhu Houcong did not get lost in that feeling and quickly came to his senses. He knew what he should do now.

Everyone on the platform breathed a sigh of relief, especially Guo Xun. He was gambling when he did this today. After all, these soldiers had only been under high-pressure training for a month and were not completely numb. After being forced like this, they were like a taut bowstring, and no one knew when it would break...

And now he has won the bet. His training over the past month has been very effective, greatly improving the soldiers' obedience and tolerance...

"Sound the horn!" Guo Xun gave the order immediately.

As the horn sounded, the soldiers and officers below all breathed a sigh of relief, but the order was not disrupted. Under the orders of the officers, they went ashore in a relatively orderly manner. However, some soldiers still drowned and were carried ashore by the soldiers, who pressed their abdomens for first aid...

When the people on the stage saw this scene, they looked up to Guo Xun even more...

"Mr. Guo is a man of great talent! In just one month, these militia soldiers have been transformed and become fearless and indomitable! This is beyond my expectations..." Zhu Houcong said with a smile.

"It is all thanks to the full support of Your Majesty and all the gentlemen. I have only spoken and run some errands..." Guo Xun behaved very humbly.

Guo Xun's words made many people present smile and made everyone look up to him. Being clear-headed is a very valuable quality. Guo Xun's modest performance made everyone present understand that Guo Xun's rise is unstoppable...

"Marquis Wuding Guo Xun has made great contributions to military training, and was granted the title of Assistant Governor, General of Cavalry, and the title of Prince Taibao." Zhu Houcong said.

"Thank you very much for your grace, Your Highness!" Guo Xun said excitedly as he knelt on the ground.

Zhu Houcong appointed Guo Xun to the second rank, which was definitely a high-ranking official. This showed how much he valued Guo Xun. Most importantly, he lacked military talents under his command, and Guo Xun, who had little connection with the South, was one of the best candidates.

In fact, Zhu Houcong had not yet proclaimed himself emperor, and as a prince he did not have the power to confer such a high official title. However, he was already acting like an emperor in this regard, but the ministers all knew it tacitly, and no one was stupid enough to point out Zhu Houcong's problems.

Moreover, Zhu Houcong had recently given out generous rewards. Apart from other things, the official rank would definitely be higher. For example, Guo Xun, who had only trained 20,000 soldiers, was directly given a second-rank official rank. You should know that in the Ming Dynasty, the second-rank official rank was at the level of the six ministers, which was the pinnacle that most officials could reach. No one pointed out Zhu Houcong's problem. After all, they were the ones who benefited the most from Zhu Houcong's actions. Besides, they spent money and effort and took such a big risk to rebel, wasn't it just for high positions and generous salaries?
It has to be said that Zhu Houcong was born with a high ability to see into people’s hearts…

"General Guo, there is no need to be polite. You will be one of us from now on. I still need you to train the army..." Zhu Houcong said with a smile, then he grabbed Guo Xun's shoulders and showed respect to him, asking him to stand up. "General Guo will be fully responsible for the training of the army from now on..."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Guo Xun said happily. His speculation in the south was already successful...

"Mr. Guo, try your best! If you make contributions to the Ming Dynasty in the future, I will definitely not be stingy with rewards. I may even grant you the title of Duke or even Prince!" Zhu Houcong continued to add.

Guo Xun was even more excited when he heard this, and he expressed his loyalty again.
The ministers around him were indifferent to Zhu Houcong's attempt to tempt Guo Xun with the title of Prince, because they had seen the same thing many times before.
Zhu Houcong nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the soldiers by the river who were soaked, covered in mud, and shivering in the autumn wind.

"These are the most powerful soldiers of our Ming Dynasty and they should be treated well. The water must be very cold in such a cold weather. Give each of them a pot of wine and half a pound of meat to prevent them from catching a cold." Zhu Houcong said.

"On behalf of the soldiers, I would like to thank Your Highness for the reward! I will definitely tell the soldiers about Your Highness's love and care for them, and let the soldiers be grateful for Your Highness' kindness!" Guo Xun knelt on the ground again and said loudly.

"Hahaha!" Zhu Houcong was amused and felt even more satisfied with Guo Xun.

After Zhu Houcong and his ministers left, the soldiers on the riverside relaxed, and the officers around them stopped restraining them. Many soldiers collapsed on the ground and cried loudly to vent their emotions.
Nanjing Imperial Palace, Wenyuan Pavilion.

Yan Song is dealing with various memorials.

Zhu Houcong did not proclaim himself emperor, but the organizational structure of the Nanjing government was a replica of that of Beijing. For example, the Wenyuan Pavilion in the Beijing Imperial Palace was the office location of the cabinet ministers.

Although Yan Song and Xia Yan no longer have the title of Cabinet Grand Secretaries, they are in fact Cabinet Grand Secretaries. Their work content is no different from that of the Cabinet Grand Secretaries.
Yan Song frowned, leaning back in his chair, looking at the memorials piled on the table, feeling a little powerless.
These memorials are all saying one thing - they want money!
He wanted to push these things to others, but he knew he couldn't, because he was also the Minister of Finance, holding the financial power of the Nanjing government. As long as he wanted to be this official, he had to find a way to solve the financial problems.
He was the Minister of Finance, so he was naturally very clear about how much money the Nanjing government had. He also understood that the Nanjing government's finances had reached a point where it was struggling. It didn't have much income, and it had to organize a large army to march north. A million troops sounded very impressive, but financially it was a bottomless pit. No matter how much money was thrown in, no sound would be heard.
Just when Yan Song was looking worried, the clerk at the door came with an announcement that someone was coming to visit.

Yan Song quickly asked the clerk to invite the visitor in.

"What a rare guest! How come General Guo has time to visit me?" Yan Song looked at Guo Xun with a smile on his face. Guo Xun was now a favorite of Zhu Houcong, so it was not wrong to treat him with a better attitude.

"Mr. Yan, you are too polite. I have some matters to report to His Highness in the palace today, and I came here to see you on the way." Guo Xun said hurriedly.

(End of this chapter)