Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 273 Food and Money Issues for Soldiers

"Withdraw all the cash from the Prince's Mansion to buy grain. At the same time, urge the production of winter clothing in Guangdong and Guangxi to speed up." When his father-in-law said that even grain supplies were insufficient, Zhu Zhanhe decided without hesitation to stake the entire fortune of the Prince's Mansion!

However, after listening to his son-in-law Zhu Zhanhe's words, Xia Yuanji silently shook his head, indicating that even with the Prince's mansion's cash reserves, it still wouldn't be enough. Clearly, as the Prince's most senior advisor, Xia Yuanji was well aware of the mansion's resources and had undoubtedly already calculated that even selling the entire Prince's mansion wouldn't be enough to supply the army with provisions for the campaign against the Indochina Peninsula. After all, the supply line from Yunnan to Annam was not short, and considering the losses incurred during the journey, a truly staggering amount of provisions was needed!
Moreover, this calculation does not take into account the consumption of alien auxiliary troops. If the consumption of alien auxiliary troops is taken into account, the required food and supplies will probably be even greater!
This shows just how much food and supplies were consumed in ancient warfare. No wonder there's a saying: "An army marches on its stomach," meaning that logistics are always the most crucial element in warfare!
"Then let the army forage for themselves!" Zhu Zhanhe's heart skipped a beat when he saw his father-in-law shake his head again. His eyes narrowed, and he uttered the simplest of words without hesitation. But these simplest words were also the most ruthless: let the troops seize food on the spot!

"Your Highness." Xia Yuanji stared at his son-in-law in astonishment after hearing his words, momentarily lost in thought. The ruthlessness and decisiveness that the Crown Prince had displayed just now were so astonishing! It made Xia Yuanji tremble and feel a chill run down his spine.

"The methods that Champion Hou taught us younger generations are still very practical!"

Moreover, only a chaotic, uncharted territory is in Yunnan's best interest. Only in this way can we perfectly establish a new civilized order amidst the chaos.” Zhu Zhanhe used Huo Qubing's case to tell Xia Yuanji that in foreign wars, one must exhaust all means, and he ruthlessly shattered his father-in-law's last illusion of benevolence.

Zhu Zhanhe was clearly telling his father-in-law not to be afraid of destroying Annam and other newly developed territories, but rather to destroy them as much as possible. Only by destroying them thoroughly would we encounter less resistance during construction! Only by distributing land would we face less resistance! Only by rebuilding would the people be more supportive of our rule! Only by destroying them thoroughly could we fully take over those newly developed territories!

Xia Yuanji certainly understood his son-in-law's words, but understanding them was one thing, and accepting them was another. Xia Yuanji fell silent, unsure how to refute his son-in-law. After all, from a moral standpoint, the Crown Prince's words were absolutely correct, but from a practical standpoint, his son-in-law's words were somewhat difficult to accept. After all, these were living, breathing people too!

When righteousness and emotion clash, it is often when human nature is revealed, and at this moment, Xia Yuanji is caught in such a struggle.

"Arrange for the recruited auxiliary soldiers from various ethnic groups to handle this matter. If there's a shortage of provisions, deduct their rations!" Zhu Zhanhe was also silent for a moment after his father-in-law's long silence. He was startled by his own resolute decision. However, after a brief silence, Zhu Zhanhe's eyes hardened, and he added another sentence to his father-in-law.

It was Zhu Zhanhe's additional sentence that made Xia Yuanji's already conflicted heart tremble again. His Highness's move was absolutely hurtful and heart-wrenching!
Xia Yuanji believed that, driven by the desire for the land they were about to receive, the foreign soldiers would be utterly frenzied and would disregard any so-called kinship. They would even plunder more vehemently! This seemingly disastrous scheme, if orchestrated in the final moments, resulted in the deaths of some of these soldiers involved in the looting, coupled with propaganda in Yunnan, would allow their identities to be rehabilitated. They would be enshrined in newly built Taoist temples, and with the added benefit of the local policy of distributing land to the foreign soldiers, these former grain-grabbing individuals would once again become heroes in the eyes of the local people!
Moreover, those young men from other ethnic groups who did not join the army and were not allocated land would be more convinced of His Highness's rule, more cooperative, and more willing to risk their lives! Is this yet another unsolvable conspiracy?! Xia Yuanji stared blankly at his son-in-law, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"What about money?" Xia Yuanji lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before quietly asking again. After all, if grain could be obtained through robbery, what about money? The soldiers' pay would be issued at the latest after they returned; should the army also resort to robbery? Perhaps using money robbed from other tribes to pay the soldiers' pay wasn't out of the question! Suddenly, a strange thought popped into Xia Yuanji's mind, but he quickly suppressed it and hid it deep in his heart.

"As for matters of money, it's quite simple. Father-in-law, do you know the origin of this Golden Dragon Token in my hand?" Zhu Zhanhe gently stood up from his chair, took out the Golden Dragon Token from his pocket, and handed it to his father-in-law. He then promptly helped his father-in-law, who was so excited about seeing the token that he wanted to kneel down, and pulled him to a huge geomantic map hanging behind the desk. Xia Yuanji was suddenly overwhelmed with excitement upon seeing the Golden Dragon Token and was about to kneel down and kowtow before it, but his son-in-law stopped him and led him to the geomantic map. How else could the Golden Dragon Token have come about? It must have been a gift from Emperor Taizong. However, the reason why Emperor Taizong bestowed the Golden Dragon Token was unknown. It couldn't possibly be related to this geomantic map, could it? Xia Yuanji looked at the magnificent geomantic map before him, his mind racing. After all, Xia Yuanji was very clear about the function of the Golden Dragon Token!

“Father-in-law, I have discussed the problem of insufficient national tax revenue with Emperor Taizong, Emperor Renzong, my elder brother, my father, and my third uncle. One of the key solutions is that Japan has gold and silver mines with astonishing output, which is probably more than half of the annual tax revenue of our Great Ming Dynasty!”
That's a gold and silver mine with an annual output of no less than four million taels. I wonder if my father-in-law is interested in it?" Zhu Zhanhe completely disregarded the strong shock his news had brought to his father-in-law and continued speaking to himself.

"Japan's gold and silver refining technology is backward. After my army occupied the entire Indochina Peninsula and distributed land to the soldiers, everyone settled down."

"I'll just send the navy there and occupy it directly." Zhu Zhanhe told his father-in-law with a ferocious expression, "If you have no money, rob us; if you have no food, rob us; if you have no land, rob us. That's the orthodox way! That's the kingly way! That's the tyrannical way!"
Xia Yuanji stared dumbfounded at the corner of land his son-in-law was pointing to. He couldn't believe that Japan, a country ridiculed for its poverty and destitution due to its tribute of salted fish since the Hongwu era, actually possessed so many gold and silver mines on its four islands. No wonder His Highness was so determined to conquer Guangdong and Guangxi and desperately build a fleet; it turned out there were such enormous treasures waiting to be discovered overseas!

An annual output of four million taels of gold and silver! What an astonishing figure! With that, not only would a small region like Yunnan be well-fed, but the entire Ming Dynasty would be prosperous! Xia Yuanji knew that Japan was listed as a country that Emperor Taizu Gaozu would not conquer, but faced with such a temptation, Xia Yuanji believed that no one would give it up! And from beginning to end, Xia Yuanji never doubted whether his son-in-law's words were a lie, after all, such news had to stand the test of time!
"Your Highness, are you saying that the Prince of Han, the Prince of Zhao, and the current Emperor also know about this?" Suddenly, Xia Yuanji thought of something important. He asked eagerly.

"Yes, my grandfather, my eldest uncle, my father, my third uncle, and my eldest brother all knew about this at the time."

When my uncle left Beijing to take up his fief, he originally intended to do something, but unfortunately, his health deteriorated, so he had to put it aside. Now that my elder brother is going to quell the rebellion, it seems they have no chance either.

However, I believe my third uncle will inquire about it privately, but I don't know what the result was." Zhu Zhanhe recalled the scene that night and said to his father-in-law with a sigh.

After hearing his son-in-law's words, Xia Yuanji looked at his son-in-law with surprise. He suddenly felt that what his son-in-law said must be true!

(End of this chapter)