The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 273 Suddenly Became Important
This time, they did not meet at the Ministry of War, but instead went to the Cabinet.

Wang Xin sat in the side hall waiting.

He was just a guerrilla general; few were qualified to enter the cabinet. Many people whispered among themselves. Wang Xin remained calm, thinking about how to start the conversation when he met Zhang Jifu before he saw him.

It was mainly about getting his subordinates promoted.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the promotion of generals was divided into those who had military merits and those who had not.

Military merits include killing enemies on the battlefield and being the first to achieve merit, or merits in training, such as when one first arrived at the Beijing garrison and led the training of the new army.

Non-military merits are more varied.

Military examination, hereditary privilege, official appointment, seniority, promotion to higher ranks.

In the Ming Dynasty, military officer positions were hereditary, with the highest hereditary position being a chiliarch (commander of a thousand men). If someone's merits were truly outstanding, their second or third sons could also inherit the position. In short, a chiliarch was the highest hereditary position.

The Great Zhou Dynasty abolished the garrison system and, in order to compensate military generals, raised their career ceiling.

For example, the sons of first-rank military officers can be granted the title of third-rank Imperial Secretary, which is a third-rank position. Of course, they will not be given a third-rank military officer in actual service, but it is not a problem to give them a position as a commander.

The lowest rank was a fourth-rank adjutant, while a thousand-household commander in the Ming Dynasty was a fifth-rank military officer.

The system of the seventh-rank attendant.

The sons of the Zuo Ji can inherit the title of a seventh-rank white-name attendant, who receives a seventh-rank military officer's salary. If they want to get ahead, they can join the army and start as a squad leader or even a battalion commander, starting as officers.

If you join the army as an officer when you're young, even if you only gain seniority and only get promoted three ranks in your entire life, you can still reach the rank of lieutenant colonel, and then your descendants can start the cycle again.

Although not as secure as the hereditary system of the former Ming Dynasty garrison, the potential is much higher. Anyone who makes a contribution can achieve more than just the rank of Zuoji General.

Hereditary privilege was the primary way to become a military officer, followed by military merit.

Ordinary soldiers could earn a reward of ten taels of silver for killing Hu cavalry. However, as the saying goes, bad money drives out good, and where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure. In order to make money, many troops fabricated battle achievements and colluded to cheat for rewards.

At its peak, the annual rewards alone amounted to over a million taels of silver.

If so many Hu cavalry had truly been killed, the entire court would have tightened its belts and paid the price. However, everyone knew it was a hoax, and the local authorities had covered it up flawlessly, leaving the court with no way to investigate.

Sending it is not an option, nor is not sending it.

Then let's delay it.

Gradually, not only did the reward money depend on luck, but even the regulations that allowed lower-ranking officers to be promoted by one rank for killing enemies were abandoned.

The items mentioned are all inferior goods, so it would be better not to mention them at all, otherwise the harm would be greater.

in short.

Although the imperial court had a detailed system for promoting military officers, the system was so corrupt that neither the top nor the bottom could do anything about it. In reality, the system for promoting officers in the army had been abandoned and depended entirely on a word from above.

On the contrary, favors and privileges are the simplest.

It just adds an extra step of paying money; getting promoted is no problem, but you need to spend money to "grease the wheels."

Anyone with eyes can see that this approach is unreliable, but compared to those flawless plans that are already rotten to the core, it's still considered good, as at least a few are still usable.

Wang Xin was not surprised; he understood perfectly well that all crows under heaven are black.

Therefore, it is important to have talented people at the top.

Wang Xin was not confident that he could persuade Zhang Jifu.

The previous idea was to have his generals form alliances with local powerful families.

The results are good; Tang Ping's matter has been resolved.

It was inevitable.

The wealthy have money and resources, and their daughters are raised with great care from a young age.

Although not all of them can be beautiful, they can cultivate a certain temperament, which is always better than the delicate skin of farm children who toil in the fields.

Once a man becomes successful, who would still want a woman with an old, haggard appearance?

This kind of person deserves admiration.

But it is precisely because it is worthy of admiration that it is not common.

Not just Tang Ping, but if Qi Shannian and the others were to choose, they would also choose the rich, beautiful, and successful woman.

He could issue a single order forbidding his subordinates from marrying wealthy and beautiful women, allowing them only to marry daughters from ordinary families. He was confident that his subordinates would obey his orders because his prestige enabled him to do so.

But is it useful?
Asking others to do things you yourself cannot do goes against the general trend. Even if it causes a temporary distortion, it will soon return to normal.

However, the deeper the involvement of local powerful families, the greater their influence on the military.

I don't want to take this step unless absolutely necessary.

The influence of powerful figures needs to be leveraged, but it cannot be left unchecked. If one's subordinates rely entirely on powerful figures for promotions rather than on their own abilities, problems are likely to arise.

"Wang Xin, the guerrilla commander?"

Sudden.

An official entered the hall and looked at Wang Xin to ask a question.

Wang Xin had never seen this person before and did not know his identity, so he quickly stood up and replied, "It is indeed I."

The man confirmed Wang Xin's identity and smiled, "The Grand Secretary requests your presence."

"excuse me."

Wang Xin cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

The man didn't take it seriously, used to other people's politeness, and turned around. Wang Xin followed him.

"Mr. Ge."

Upon entering a public room, Wang Xin saw Zhang Jifu and bowed again.

Zhang Jifu, dressed in a bright red official robe, seemed to have been waiting specifically for Wang Xin. He pointed to a chair not far away and instructed, "Sit here."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

Wang Xin responded.

Compared to his time in Nanjing, Zhang Jifu became increasingly conservative in his behavior.

I still remember the luxury of that time.

Indeed, different environments lead to different approaches. The current Zhang Jifu has become quite worldly and shrewd, unlike his former arrogance in Nanjing.

"Someone from the Tea Horse Bureau wants to establish a border market in Datong."

Zhang Jifu said.

Wang Xin was startled and looked at Zhang Jifu in disbelief.

Zhang Jifu nodded.

It was as if they were telling Wang Xin that this was not his idea.

Wang Xin had no doubts. Although Zhang Jifu had become more cautious in his actions, it was not to the point of a drastic change in his personality. Given Zhang Jifu's status and character, he would not deceive him on such a matter.

The Great Zhou's Tea and Horse Bureau monopolized the trade in Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Because at the beginning of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was determined to eliminate the Tatars and Oirats, so it did not open border markets and only preserved the important town of Yulin in Shaanxi. Later, when the Hu people rose up, border trade with Datong began.

Why did the Tea Horse Bureau suddenly decide to open a border market in Datong?

Wang Xin asked cautiously.

"Heh." Zhang Jifu chuckled, as if he had seen something amusing.

Wang Xin was completely confused.

After laughing, Zhang Jifu pointed at Wang Xin and couldn't help but laugh again, "Because of the good deeds you did in Datong."

Wang Xin frowned.

I only did a few things in Datong.

Suppress Feng Yong, strike at the Hu people, and develop trade.

The first two have nothing to do with the Tea Horse Bureau, so they must be matters of trade.

Seeing that Wang Xin seemed to have figured things out, Zhang Jifu wasn't surprised. Wang Xin was a smart man, and he smiled and said, "You've done a great business in Datong, so naturally others will take notice."

"The wealthy families in Datong probably won't agree."

Wang Xin spoke in a serious tone.

Zhang Jifu stared at Wang Xin with great interest.

It's as if I'm seeing a beautiful woman.

Wang Xin couldn't take it anymore; he was a little frightened. Helplessly, he said, "Why does Your Excellency look at me like that?"

"You understand the art of giving and receiving, and you made ample preparations from the very beginning, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people," Zhang Jifu exclaimed, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration for Wang Xin, even more so than when they were in Jinling.

Hearing Zhang Jifu's praise, although she knew that Zhang Jifu valued her, she did not expect him to recognize her so highly.

Wang Xin couldn't help but feel a little smug. His opponent was none other than Zhang Jifu.

"But the person who's after you is quite shrewd. They've got the Tea Horse Bureau involved, which conveniently breaks your scheme," Zhang Jifu said with a smile.

Wang Xin couldn't laugh.

There are too many smart people in the world.

If it were any other government office, it might not have been able to subdue the local tycoons of Datong, but it was the Tea and Horse Bureau that did it.

It's only natural.

Even when the powerful families of Datong banded together to fight against the Tea Horse Market, the outcome was evenly matched, with no clear winner.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, Your Excellency, whose side have you decided to support?"

Wang Xin grasped the key point.

The imperial court was indeed unable to implement many things, but many things below could not be done without the imperial court's approval. The key to this matter lay with Zhang Jifu.

"I refused."

Zhang Jifu said it bluntly.

Upon hearing Zhang Jifu's reply, Wang Xin was completely taken aback; happiness had come rather suddenly.

Wang Xin remained silent.

Zhang Jifu nodded, knowing that Wang Xin was a reasonable person.

Do you know why?

"This humble official dares not speak presumptuously."

Wang Xin looked serious.

"Don't be nervous." Zhang Jifu waved his hand and chuckled softly, "You promised me you would pacify the Hu in three years. As long as you do this well, I won't let anyone disturb you and will let you do your best."

"Really?"

Wang Xin was overjoyed.

Zhang Jifu nodded again.

Even the Tea Horse Market refused, so Wang Xin no longer doubted Zhang Jifu's sincerity.

But why did Zhang Jifu increase his support for him?
Zhang Jifu was someone who changed his mind easily.

These kinds of people have their own style of doing things and act steadily, unless something unexpected happens.

Know thyself, ever-victorious.

This applies both internally and externally. Although it's good news for me, with Zhang Jifu's support, I'm at least 70-80% confident of defeating Ou Yanhu, if not 90% certain.

But we also need to figure out the reason.

We can't live in a daze, not even knowing when we'll stumble and fall.

Wang Xin revealed a probing look in his eyes.

If Zhang Jifu were to explain it to me, it would mean the matter was truly serious, and it would also demonstrate his sincerity. If Zhang Jifu had no intention of telling me, it would mean the matter wasn't particularly important.

Then I'll have to ask around.

Zhu Wei, Lu Zhongheng, Jia Zheng, etc.

They went to find Lu Zhongheng first.

This is the advantage of being an honest official. Being in the central government, their access to information about the court is sometimes even better than that of high-ranking officials.

Zhang Jifu seemed to know that he couldn't hide the truth from Wang Xin.

Although Wang Xin was a military general, he had the backing of four powerful families. Regardless of the current relationship between the four families, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

Picking up just one or two connections from the four major families would be enough for an ordinary official to benefit from for a lifetime.

Although Zhang Jifu himself looked down on the four great families' heritage, he knew just how rich their heritage was.

Just like this matter.

Ordinary officials would have no way of finding out what they wanted to know, but for Wang Xin, Lu Zhongheng, who was on good terms with him, was enough to let him know what had happened.

The Hanlin Academy members were the most distinguished and respected officials.

Zhang Jifu knew that even a newcomer like Lu Zhongheng in the Hanlin Academy was not only Lin Ruhai's disciple, but also Wang Xin's eyes and ears in the capital.

"A warning has come from Liaodong: 100,000 Donghu cavalry have besieged the pass."

Zhang Jifu said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xin immediately rejected the idea, saying, "Impossible."

The Donghu were not like Ligdan Khan, so where did they get 100,000 cavalry?

Because Altan Khan was no longer alive, the Mongol eastward migration ceased, resulting in a relatively even distribution of the nomadic peoples across the desert and grasslands.

"Everyone knows it's fake, but both the Liaodong Military Command and the Prince of Dongping in the Northern Garrison say that the border is unstable and that the Hu people are showing signs of a large-scale invasion. Since that's the case, the court has no choice but to take precautions."

Zhang Jifu's eyes showed exhaustion. "The Liaodong Military Command requests 500,000 taels of silver to build a border fortress."

Wang Xin understood.

Datong just requested 500,000 taels of silver, and Liaodong immediately followed suit, also requesting 500,000 taels. This wasn't because of military matters, but because they coveted the funds.

The military intelligence was a pretext; the real purpose was to request funds.

How could Zhang Jifu, with his shrewdness, not know this?

But he was in a dilemma.

Because many things cannot be said.

Many people are also counting on government funding.

Even Zhang Jifu couldn't stop it.

But where will the imperial court find a million taels of silver?
As he pondered this, Wang Xin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and finally understood why Zhang Jifu had increased his support for him.

Because it's cheap.

Zhang Wenjin asked for 500,000 taels of silver to build six forts, simply to defend against the Hu people, and the 500,000 taels of silver did not include the military expenses of Datong Military Town.

Zhang Jifu was an honest man who didn't do things in secret and didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, especially with Wang Xin.

Wang Xin had become a crucial piece in breaking the deadlock, to the point of influencing the entire game. Zhang Jifu looked at Wang Xin with great concern.

Zhang Jifu frankly stated: "In the past ten years, the highest annual tax revenue of the imperial court was only 16 million taels of silver, while last year the imperial court's tax revenue was less than 70%."

Wang Xin was very familiar with the taxes of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After all, he had followed Lin Ruhai, the God of Wealth of the Great Zhou, for so long.

Based on the value of goods and money of 16 million taels of silver, at least 7 million taels were used to pay the border troops.

Half of it is Taicang-Beijing transport, and the other half is the people's movement.

The remaining four million went to the military pay of the Beijing Garrison, the expenses of the imperial family, the salaries of the Beijing Garrison, and so on.

Five million was retained locally.

It was used to pay the salaries of local officials, the military pay of local militia, village militia, and garrison soldiers, as well as local expenses such as bridge and road repairs and the maintenance of community schools.

Is seven million taels a lot?
If we only consider the nine major military towns and not the other small towns, each military town would only have a little over 700,000 taels of silver.

Take Datong as an example.

The original troop roster listed 30,000 battalion soldiers and 90,000 militia.

The annual military pay for the garrison alone was as high as 500,000 taels of silver. Adding the 90,000 militiamen, that's over 700,000 taels of silver, which still wasn't enough to cover the military pay for the Datong garrison. Then there were the costs of armor, weapons, flags, firearms, building city walls, repairing fortifications, and raising horses and livestock.
These expenses are even higher than military pay.

Moreover, the tax revenue of the Great Zhou Dynasty is declining rapidly. According to Zhang Jifu, only 70% of the taxes were collected last year, which means that nearly five million taels of silver were owed.

Wang Xin suddenly understood.

No wonder Zhang Jifu has become much more low-key, no longer the high-profile figure he was when he first arrived in Beijing.

It seems so.

Zhou Daofeng is a bit underhanded.

Does this count as sending a disciple to the capital to take the fall?
Zhang Wenjin wants 500,000 taels of silver, Liaodong also wants 500,000 taels of silver, and other places will probably start making demands as well. No matter what the reason, getting the money is the most important thing.

Faced with the unified approach of the local authorities, not only Zhang Jifu, but even the emperor was helpless.

It seems we really can't count on the imperial court anymore.

Wang Xin looked regretful.

Military spending is really expensive. If we try to support the entire Datong Western Army on our own, we'll probably be completely drained.

(End of this chapter)