Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 291 Good stuff

Wang Yan accompanied Xu En out of the city to inspect the camp. The sudden arrest of so many military officers inevitably caused panic among the people. Now that the major criminals were in prison, it was time to appease them.

Standing on the command platform, looking at the fear on the faces of the soldiers below, Xu En couldn't help but frown. He turned to look at Wang Yan beside him. Sure enough, Wang Yan's eyes were deep and his whole demeanor was exceptionally profound.

Xu En could understand He Tan and Wang Yan now. If he came to Daming Prefecture and saw the Daming army in this state, he would also investigate them thoroughly.

When officials collude with merchants and use soldiers to transport goods, how can the army maintain any morale over time? Everyone is only thinking about making a profit from buying and selling; who will bother with rigorous training?
No wonder so many troops besieged the mountains and forests, yet they were all ultimately defeated by Wang Yan.

Xu En conveyed the news that the court would only punish the ringleaders and allow the rest to atone for their crimes through meritorious service to everyone, and then went with Wang Yan to another military camp.

“Lord Wang,” Xu En couldn’t help but say, “it seems the army needs a good overhaul. I will report to His Majesty truthfully when I return to the capital.”

Instead of continuing Xu En's sentence, Wang Yan asked, "What does Chief Commander Xu think is the best way to resolve the situation in the army?"

Xu En was about to say instinctively, "Of course, we should strictly discipline and punish them."

However, he immediately realized that the imperial court was not distributing enough military funds. If he were to be severely punished, where would the military funds come from?

Wang Yan clearly guessed Xu En's thoughts.

"The imperial court has only paid 30% of the military funds and provisions. Even if it were not a war, it would not be enough to support the army's expenses. Either reduce the number of troops or allow them to make profits privately."

"Does Xu think this is the best course of action?"

Xu En was speechless for a moment.

Wang Yan continued, "This situation is not limited to Daming Prefecture. Some military officers in other prefectures have private wine cellars and rely on selling wine to fund their military expenses. The reason I got this job is because I spoke up for the officials who impeached this matter, and was expelled from the Chuigong Hall by the Emperor, and had to stay at home on sick leave."

Xu En didn't expect Wang Yan to say these things to him.

Claiming illness is a valid excuse; otherwise, how could one save face? But Wang Yan clearly didn't care about that.

Xu En took a deep breath. When he was by the Emperor's side, he saw Prime Minister Wang stop the Emperor from giving Wang Yan an important position, saying that Wang Yan was still young and needed more experience. At that time, he thought Prime Minister Wang was just being modest... but if he connected it with the current situation, then he could understand it.

Unlike other civil officials, Wang Yan did not hide anything. He would leave half of what he could say unsaid and valued integrity above all else.

Wang Yan was even more straightforward, giving the impression that he didn't care about his reputation at all.

What might a civil official do if he doesn't care about his reputation? That's truly unpredictable.

Xu En said, "I naturally do not approve of military officers making profits on the side, but... it is not easy to get the court to pay the full amount of military pay."

Wang Yan glanced at Xu En: "Why is Chief Administrator Xu being so cryptic? It's not that it's difficult, but that the Ministry of Revenue doesn't have the funds."

Xu En nodded.

Wang Yan continued, "If the Liang army is all like what we just saw, what use is there in keeping them?"

"If the court doesn't regulate the military officers' private profits, the number of troops will definitely increase year by year, because it has become a business. More manpower means more profits. In case of war, they might even be able to win a battle with several times more troops."

"Then you'll have fame, wealth, and official position—why not?"

"It seems like this is the best of both worlds, and the problem has been solved."

"But if the troops of Great Liang don't rely on the imperial court for rations and pay, will they still be wholeheartedly devoted to Great Liang?"

Xu En understood this principle as well. Those who depend on whom for their livelihood will be obeyed, and one day the imperial army might become someone's private force. "In a real war, how can the court expect them to be loyal and fight for the country?"

Xu En gasped, "Lord Wang is right... but the imperial court..."

Wang Yan asked, "Where will the imperial court's revenue come from?"

Xu En didn't need to think: "Taxes naturally come from the people. Does Lord Wang mean to strictly levy taxes?"

He thought it was unlikely; if people were all going to the mountains to evade taxes, how would the government collect them?
Wang Yan said calmly, "If the people have no money or food, what can they give to the court?"

“Only when the people’s lives are good can they pay taxes to the court,” Wang Yan said. “That’s why the court wants to open up markets and wards, simply so that the people can have more ways to make a living.”

"Money is useless in the hands of high-ranking officials and nobles; only in the hands of the common people can the Great Liang truly prosper."

Xu En thought about it carefully and realized that Wang Yan's words made a lot of sense.

It was precisely because Wang Yan had such thoughts that he wrote inscriptions for the Daming Prefecture tabloids and paid special attention to the business transactions in Daming Prefecture.

"Just like... the Daming Prefecture now..."

Xu En made up his mind that this time when he returned to the capital, he would also mention the sale of Buddhist charcoal, clay stoves, and porcelain from Daming Prefecture to the officials.

Madam Xie's shop and porcelain kiln paid her employees no less than one hundred coins, which was a sign of respect for the common people. On the contrary, the Xie family gave all their money to high-ranking officials and nobles, while they oppressed their employees.

Therefore, decrees such as opening up the market areas would be of no use.

“It’s rare,” Xu En pondered carefully, “that a merchant like Madam Xie from Daming Prefecture is still a teenager.”

"To be able to overpower the Xie family right under Prefect Liu's nose requires not only intelligence but also courage."

As Xu En spoke, he reached out to the person next to him: "Where are the things that Madam Xie gave me? Bring them here."

The guard immediately took something off his horse and handed it to Xu En.

It was a ceramic jar, covered with a layer of green glaze. It was long and slender with a narrow mouth and loops on both sides. Straps could be threaded through it to hang it on a saddle or carry it on one's back.

Xu En pointed the bottle at himself, tilted his head back, and poured in a mouthful of water.

The bottle was placed next to the fire; the water inside wasn't exactly warm, but at least it wasn't frozen.

Xu En wiped his chin, held up the bottle and shook it at Wang Yan: "What do you think of this, Lord Wang? Wouldn't it be much more convenient if the army had this?"

Wang Yan's gaze fell on the back of another guard's horse, on which hung a similar bottle, except that it was grayish-white and not glazed with green.

It was obvious that Xu En was using a specially made one.

Xu En didn't see Wang Yan's expression and continued, "We used to have pottery bottles, but they were really inconvenient to carry. Now that we have straps, they're less likely to break when we're traveling. The bottom of this pot has also been improved; it's narrower than the old pottery bottles. We can simply make a hole in the wooden frame to place the pottery bottle on it. It's also easy to place it outside without a wooden frame; we can just dig a hole in the ground."

“The water bladders we used to use were good, but unfortunately they could only hold water and wine. With this jar, after emptying the water, I can still store grain and dried meat.”

Wang Yan nodded: "It's a good thing."

“I told you so.” Xu En reached out and hung the pottery bottle on the saddle.

“Now that you mention it, Xu Duzhi,” Wang Yan said casually, “I suddenly remembered that it has another use.”