Late Ming Dynasty: Starting with the overthrow of the county magistrate, a rebellion was launched to

This time, Eunuch Liu did not actively ask for money or valuables. However, out of gratitude, Zhang Da secretly gave him some and even saw him off all the way to the gate of the official residence.

"Father-in-law, you've traveled a long and arduous journey; may you have a safe trip."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Eunuch Liu led his attendants and rode away. The group disappeared at the end of the official road, and the dust gradually settled...

Zhang Da stood before the prefectural government office, gazing at the receding dust, lost in thought.

Didn't Emperor Chongzhen die because Li Zicheng invaded Beijing? Now that Li Zicheng is rebuilding his strength, Chongzhen might live a few more years.

If that's the case...

The situation in Liaodong shouldn't be too critical, and the Tartars outside the Great Wall are still somewhat under control.

Zhang Da suddenly realized that because of his arrival, Zhang Xianzhong had become docile, Li Zicheng had gone into hiding, and the four counties and one prefecture in central Hunan were now under his control.

I thought the wheels of history were irreversible, but now I realize that Zhang Da, this butterfly with its flapping wings, has already stirred up the winds and clouds of the world.

With the country temporarily stable, the most important things right now are nothing more than two things.

Rest and recuperate, expand the military and prepare for war

The two are not in conflict.

"My lord."

A soft call brought Zhang Da back to his senses.

Zhou Wenqu, exhausted, carried the booklet to Zhang Da's side.

Previously, Zhang Da had asked him to investigate the household registration, land, able-bodied men, granaries, and finances of the entire Baoqing region. Now, the records were neatly bound, but it had taken a great deal of his effort.

Seeing this, Zhang Da patted him on the shoulder.

"Come into the tent and let's talk."

The two entered the main hall of the headquarters.

At this moment, Zhou Wenqu spread the books out one by one on the table. Under the lamplight inside the tent, the writing on the yellowed hemp paper appeared extremely historical and weighty.

"My lord, the investigation of the four counties and one prefecture of Baoqing—Shaoyang, Xinhua, Xinning, Chengbu, and Wugang—has been completed. All have been verified against the old quotas from the tenth year of the Wanli reign and the actual tax collection records from the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign." Zhou Wenqu lightly tapped the pages of the register, reporting item by item. "I have checked it carefully again, and it should not be much different from the current situation."

After listening, Zhang Da cast an admiring glance at Zhou Wenqu, then sat down at the table with a solemn expression.

When Liu Bang first entered Xianyang, he indulged in pleasure and entertainment. Only Zhang Liang knew what was truly important in the Xianyang Palace.

In times of chaos, those who command armies must first understand themselves. Without a clear understanding of their own resources, how can they raise an army, contend for hegemony, or defend against foreign aggression?

Zhou Wenqu cleared his throat and began to play loudly.

"The original quota of Baoqing Prefecture was 20,638 households, with a total population of 221,207."

After years of famine, heavy taxes, and war, more than half of the population fled or died. The actual number of surviving individuals was 11,321, totaling 98,746. Among them, 18,109 were adult males (males aged 16 to 60).

There were 7,632 able-bodied men (children and the elderly); and 62,905 women, children, and the elderly. In addition, over 3,200 displaced people were taken in and resettled; they were not yet registered and were temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the settlement camps.

Ouch... Zhang Da was clearly in a bit of pain.

The population decline is quite severe, and it won't recover anytime soon; this is a real problem.

"My... lord?"

Zhang waved his hand, signaling him to continue reading.

"The total original quota for farmland and ponds in the entire prefecture was 22,141.58 mu. Due to abandonment and concealment, the actual arable farmland was 10,472.36 mu. Among them, the superior farmland in Shaoyang was 3,263 mu, with an autumn grain of 3 sheng per mu; the medium farmland was 3,737 mu, with an autumn grain of 2 sheng per mu; and the lower-grade farmland, mountain land, and ponds were reduced by half."

As for Xinhua, Xinning, Wugang, and Chengbu, these areas are mostly mountainous with poor soil, yielding only 60% of the best fields in Shaoyang. The annual autumn grain tax for cultivated land in the entire prefecture was originally 55,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). After deducting taxes on wasteland and reducing the three additional levies, the actual amount of rice collected was 24,600 shi, equivalent to 18,900 taels of silver. Commercial taxes, fishing taxes, and miscellaneous taxes brought in 1,300 taels of silver annually, totaling 20,200 taels of silver annually.

This is alright. After Zhang Daxian does a survey, there will be more land available later.

"Currently, the Shaoyang granary holds 31,000 shi of grain, the Wugang prefecture granary holds 12,000 shi of grain, and the granaries of Xinhua, Xinning, and Chengbu counties hold a total of 6,000 shi of grain, for a total of 49,000 shi of grain. In addition, the confiscated wealth from the estates of corrupt officials, local gentry, and princes has yielded 17,400 taels of gold and silver, over 300 bolts of silk and cloth, 720 oxen, and 3,400 farm tools, all of which have been put into the treasury."

"Finally, after excluding the elderly, women, children, officials, monks, Taoists, craftsmen, and merchants, the entire prefecture can conscript more than 16,800 able-bodied men."

After reporting in one breath, Zhou Wenqu bowed and awaited orders.

"My lord, this is the true situation of our entire Xiangzhong region. Is there anything else you require?"

Zhang Da ran his fingertips over the cold pages of the book, then sighed again.

There are too few people, too few good men to fight in.

In this devastated land at the end of the Ming Dynasty, with Henan, Shaanxi, and Beizhili suffering widespread famine and cannibalism, Baoqing, located in the remote central Hunan, is fortunate to have preserved its resources.

Thinking of this, Zhang Da felt a little better. "I trust you to handle things."

After saying that, Zhang Da got up and went into the inner tent, where he took out four old thread-bound books from the wooden box.

This was a history book he read in his previous life specifically to understand the Ming Dynasty.

How fortunate that these books could be found in Shaoyang County!

The pages of those books were yellowed and the edges worn, but the writing was still faintly discernible: "Wanli Accounting Records: Huguang Military and Political Affairs," "A Study of the Ming Dynasty's Military System," "Standardized Provisions for Military Garrisons and Cavalry," and "A Register of Allocations for Chariots, Camps, Cavalry, and Infantry."

These are excellent books! Much better than those military treatises written by pedantic civil officials! At least Zhang Da can understand them.

This is because it records the regulations for raising soldiers, distributing pay, providing provisions, and armaments as officially stipulated by the Ming Dynasty!

General Zhang spread the military treatise on the table, then gestured for Zhou Wenqu to place the pages he had examined alongside it, and together they looked at the contents of the books.

Two men reading the same book—either it's an erotic book…

Either this book is just too important.

The cost of maintaining an army was well-known throughout the land at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

It's all because the Ming Dynasty's military garrisons collapsed at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the number of military households fleeing was too high!

Left with no other option, Zhang Da had to make recruiting soldiers his only choice. Since it was a recruitment drive, Zhang naturally didn't want to use the elderly, weak, or displaced soldiers from the garrisons to fill the ranks.

Those soldiers had no will to fight, and their generals had no fighting spirit. They collapsed at the first sign of the enemy and only knew how to plunder the people. Zhang Dazhen was terrified of being tricked like that.

What he wanted to train was an elite force like the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guard, the Song Dynasty's Western Army, and the Ming Dynasty's Qi Family Army! To have such an elite force, it had to be a ferocious army with soldiers from good families, weapons as wings, and sufficient provisions and pay!

This is why Zhang Da wanted to calculate in detail how to best maintain an army, according to the regulations of the Ming court.

"A soldier's monthly ration is one shi (a unit of dry measure), and his monthly pay is one tael (another unit of silver). The annual consumption is twelve shi of grain and twelve taels of silver. In addition, there are winter and summer shoes and socks, armor, weapons, gunpowder, and maintenance costs, which amount to an average of five taels of silver per person per year... Cavalry..."

"Alright, you don't need to read anymore."

Zhang Da said this with a dark face.

That's way too expensive! Turns out, raising elite infantry isn't just about feeding them!