After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"but,"

After a moment, he looked at Dong Anguo, who was somewhat dazed, and his tone became more enthusiastic:

"General Dong need not worry too much... This Physician Li from the New Weaponry Bureau is quite resolute; in order to continue making this kind of bow, he submitted a memorial to His Majesty."

"Your Majesty has to spend money every year to manufacture various bows and arrows for the Great Liang. The national treasury money has to be spent... Why doesn't Your Majesty convert it into silver and give the power to spend this money to the various armies?"

"For example, His Majesty gives each battalion 50,000 taels of silver and invites the deputy commanders of each battalion to the capital to see the weapons of our New Weapons Bureau and other bureaus. Let's see if they have the money to buy bows from the Ordnance Bureau or from our New Weapons Bureau."

"What if the fifty thousand taels of silver run out?" At the time, an official from the Ministry of Revenue asked Li Langzhong. Li Langzhong patted his chest and said, "As long as our weapons are good, even if the money given by the court is spent, which battalion wouldn't be willing to spend more silver to buy more? Killing Tartars and bandits are all merits. Who wouldn't want to earn more merits to win a title and a good family fortune?"

Clap, clap, clap, Master Ning clapped his hands and said:

"Well, that's settled... Seeing how assertive Li Dahei was, His Majesty agreed. In a few days, His Majesty will first invite your Jiangpu Army and Liuhe Army to the capital."

"Oh, and there's also the Brave Guard Battalion already in the capital... I order you to first determine your respective weapons budgets for this year... Hmm... His Majesty and the Ministry of Revenue will teach you what a 'budget' is... to see how much of your budget you're willing to spend on weapons from the New Weapons Bureau, and how much you're willing to spend on weapons from other bureaus..."

Master Ning gestured animatedly as he spoke to the deputy commander, and every now and then the two would exchange questions and answers, with Dong Anguo nodding in agreement.

I need to write a letter to Cui Cui's mother as soon as I get back tonight... Ning Nan waved his hand a couple of times, his voice both righteous and self-righteous, while secretly thinking to himself.

……

He wanted to spare his wife and children the daily fear of the southward advance of the enemy.

The Northern Dynasty had to be destroyed. This was his greatest responsibility as a husband and father.

To destroy the Northern Dynasty, the first priority was to annihilate the Eight Banners Army and the Green Standard Army.

The Eight Banners army was extremely elite, and relying on small-scale weapon innovation was of little use.

It is imperative to fundamentally reverse the corrupt system within the military, enabling it to escape the negative spiral and embark on a path of integrated military-industrial development and sustainable growth.

Only in this way will time be on Daliang's side.

The technological advantage accumulated over time is extremely terrifying; eventually, we can overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

Ta-da-ta-da, back from the training ground.

Riding on a large white horse with a somewhat cheerful hoofbeat.

Master Ning glanced at Jiangpu City, which bore many traces of war but was a thriving commercial center.

I casually bought a fox fur hat for Cui Cui's wife at the roadside; it's fluffy and smooth to the touch.

He rode on his big white horse, looking around as he pondered things, including how to write the letter to his wife, Cui Cui.

Dahei's new equipment camp is now entirely dependent on funding from Cui Cui's wife.

If we can successfully switch the source of funding, allowing the new weapons battalion to take money from the army to manufacture and develop weapons, and to compete with the Ordnance Bureau, the Armory Bureau, and the Ministry of Works workshops, it will be a positive path.

That would complete the first step in the military restructuring.

Although Dong Anguo was a military general, he was a logistics expert. He explained things to Dong Anguo, and Dong Anguo immediately understood.

When he heard that the production of new equipment by the battalion was limited, and that the Liuhe Army and Yongwei Battalion would go together with the Jiangpu Army to buy it, he became nervous.

After trying out the Crescent Moon Bow, Young Master Feng Xi's eyes lit up, and he asked if he could buy it separately for his servants and personal guards.

Upon hearing this, Ning Nan's heart skipped a beat. After thinking for a moment, he immediately chuckled and added a patch.

It is said that each Crescent Moon Bow is marked with a number, such as "1245", and there are also hidden internal markings to prevent them from being worn off.

Whether the bow was purchased by someone else from the new equipment camp or distributed to various armies later, the serial number must be matched with the person and recorded. If the bow is lost, the court will hold the person accountable.

If the young marquis wanted to buy it, he would do the same.

Dong Anguo immediately praised, "The New Weapons Bureau has truly come up with a brilliant idea! With this measure, we can certainly prevent the resale of military equipment!"

Feng Xi was immediately conflicted. He had originally wanted to buy more bows, but now he was also a little flustered, worried that the loss of his men would implicate him.

After chatting with them for a while...

The young marquis was a man of principle, and he said, "Since I have lost, I shall take ten strokes of the military rod." The guards nodded in agreement and went to receive the rods as well.

San Zhuang won, and he swaggered back to the government office with him.

His friends in the military immediately caught Dong Anguo's eye. Feng Xi, of course, wouldn't be so petty as to cause them trouble.

Ning Nan glanced at San Zhuang, who was riding a big horse. This kid's arms were almost as thick as an average person's thigh, and he was getting stronger and stronger.

Ning Nan also felt that it was a pity that this kid wasn't in the army.

He threw the riding whip to the groom of the government delegation.

Stepping through the gate of the government office, he walked towards the "Listening to Water Pavilion" that the government office had arranged for him.

There was a grove of plum trees in the courtyard of Tingshui Pavilion. Looking at the soil, I noticed that it was freshly turned, so I figured it might have been transplanted.

I pushed open the door and entered the room. Inside, there was a stove with sandalwood incense burning.

The chair is also made of sandalwood, and it's very comfortable to sit on.

The study faces a rockery situated on a pond, offering a wide and beautiful view.

Ning Nan breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back, and began grinding ink and laying out paper.

My right hand is basically healed. I used my right hand to write the couplet for Xu Xiyin this morning.

After pausing for a while, he picked up a fine mouse-hair brush, took a deep breath, and began to write a letter to his wife, Cui Cui…

……

Cuicui Azuma:

Seeing this letter is like meeting you in person.

I miss you terribly after just one day apart.

I've been in Jiangpu City for over a day.

Have you ever been to Jiangpu City?

This place is quite bustling, with plenty of food and a wide variety of goods for sale. I bought you a fox fur hat and entrusted it to the Imperial Guards to deliver back to you...

I've experienced a lot in Jiangpu City these past two days...

Today, when I saw Young Master Feng competing in archery with the three strong men at the Jiangpu City training ground, I had a great idea.

...It's called a military-industrial composite. That's a bit of a mouthful, let me explain it to you slowly...

In general, that's how it is. Only by doing this can the military industry innovate.

However, when it comes to specific matters, while you consider things on your own, you also need to discuss them with people from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ordnance Bureau.

For example, regarding budget allocations, in recent years, the military has been forced to allocate at least 80% of its budget to the Ordnance Bureau to prevent instability within the Ordnance Bureau.

The new equipment bureau is only competing for the remaining 20%.

Anyway, the new equipment bureau definitely can't produce enough.

Cui Cui, if you can improve yourself every day, improve yourself every day, and keep improving yourself.

This saying has been around for thousands of years, but putting it into practice is extremely difficult. Often, it becomes stagnant day by day.

Oh, and remember to remind Big Black not to reveal my secrets.

He said all of those things.

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month of the first year of Mingzhen.

Grand Prince Consort Ning.

……

……

"Hmm... A top scholar, a scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, writes letters in plain language... He's not putting any effort into it..."

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Empress of Great Liang, seated behind her imperial desk, received this letter the following day after the morning court session.

As she read the letter, she hummed softly, her lips curving slightly—a cautious, comfortable smile.

But after reading a few sentences, her light eyebrows gradually furrowed.

"Instruct the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions to urge each army to prepare its military budget... military budget..."

"Budget...spending?"

The Ministry of Revenue's subordinate Bureau of Personnel Management does have a Department of Finance, which is responsible for calculating the nation's expenditures each year to ensure the national treasury operates within budget.

She frowned, glanced at the young doctor's explanation of the word "budget" in the letter, and pondered it in her mind according to her own understanding.

"That should be roughly the idea..." she gritted her teeth.

He read the young doctor's letter over and over for a long time, then picked up his pen and wrote down the young doctor's ideas on paper.

As she gradually understood the young doctor's plan, her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and she would occasionally murmur "hmm" to herself.

Chunyu, dressed in a purple short jacket and long skirt, carefully took small steps to remind her to eat. Only then did she realize that it was already past noon.