Martial Arts: Start with 100,000 Xiliang Cavalry

Chapter 84 Where does the military budget come from and when will the rudder be dispersed?

Da da da!
A fast horse galloped on the official road, and soon came to the east gate of the capital. As soon as the guards at the east gate saw this person, they let him go without saying a word.

On the fast horse, a young man with a round face looked at the streets of the capital with a look of nostalgia on his face.

"I haven't been back for a long time, Beijing."

He got off his horse and walked down the street holding the rein.

Soon, as if receiving news, some officials came to greet him specially.

"Meet General Lee!"

"You are Welcome."

"What about the general's follow?"

A tolerance saw Li Shengtian alone and asked curiously.

Li Shengtian smiled and said, "I'm coming back alone, so I don't need anything to follow."

"This……"

The tolerances looked at each other, thinking that Li Shengtian had the guts.If you change to other generals, you have to bring a group of personal guards with you.

"Then please come with us, the general. Your Majesty has something to say. The general will go to the palace immediately after entering the city."

"it is good."

Li Shengtian didn't say much, and followed these errands to the palace.

Seeing Emperor Qingxiang, the latter directly embraced Li Shengtian's shoulders, and said very kindly: "Shengtian, haven't you been back to Beijing for almost eight years? Hehe, I miss you so much!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern!"

The Zhou family of the royal family has always had a close relationship with the Li family, and many heads of the Li family have married royal princesses.

There were many meritorious deeds in the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty back then, but only the Li family had this honor.The reason is that the Li family never made friends with powerful people, and only focused on military training and military law, and obeyed the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Therefore, the Li family has always been trusted by the emperor, and the trust is strengthened through the way of family members getting married.

After the two chatted for a while, Emperor Qingxiang brought up the matter of Su Yuan.

Li Shengtian said: "Su Yuan's rebellion and seizure of Mozhou, I already know about it. I will definitely live up to His Majesty's trust and personally lead the army to defeat Su Yuan and take back Mozhou!"

"Okay, okay! Shengtian, you are so confident, I feel relieved."

Emperor Qingxiang was very satisfied with Li Shengtian's attitude, unlike those military officers who pretended not to hear as if they were deaf when they mentioned the crusade against Su Yuan.

If it weren't for the fact that the ministers would strongly oppose it, Emperor Qingxiang really wanted to chop off the heads of those military officers.

He called Wang Xigui, Shangshu of the Ministry of Household, Lu Guang, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, and Wang Zhongping, the prime minister, and asked Li Shengtian to discuss the expedition with them.

"I named Li Shengtian the 'General of the Peking University', you must cooperate with him, and you must not be perfunctory and slack!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After Emperor Qingxiang left, there were only four people left in the hall. They were free of restraint and spoke directly.

Li Shengtian asked bluntly: "Lord Lu, with a 45 army, military equipment, food and grass are not a small number, especially food and grass, which is the most important thing. May I ask how you are preparing now?"

Lu Guang laughed and said: "General Li, to be honest, I only prepared [-]% of the preparations. It's not that I'm not serious, it's because Mr. Wang's money has been delayed."

Li Shengtian looked at Wang Xigui, who snorted, "General Li, even though I am the Secretary of the Household Department, I can't conjure up money out of thin air! The national treasury is in short supply. I hope General Li can figure out a way to get some money."

Seeing Li Shengtian's displeasure, Prime Minister He Zhongping also said, "General Li, it's really not easy to dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops. Just wait a little longer."

"Wait?" When talking about military affairs, Li Shengtian was very serious, "Soldiers are expensive, and Su Yuan has just won Mozhou, and he has not yet gained a firm foothold. If he waits for him to digest the financial and material resources of a state, he wants to attack again." , it must be several times harder!"

"That's right..."

"General Li, we understand your urgency, but..."

Both the Ministry of War and the Shangshu of the Household Department showed embarrassment, with an attitude that no matter how anxious you are, there is nothing we can do.

Li Shengtian has been stationed outside all year round, and is very dissatisfied with the perfunctory attitude of the two.He can accept that there are difficulties, but he cannot accept that he just emphasizes the difficulties without even thinking of a solution.

"The Prime Minister, do you have any ideas?"

He Zhongping was thinking all the time, when Li Shengtian asked him, he said, "I suddenly thought of someone." He said to Lu Guang, "Lord Lu, Gongsun Jie, Minister of the Ministry of War."

As soon as the name came out, Lu Guang showed a hint of comprehension.

"Oh!"

"Master Gongsun?"

Li Shengtian knew about Gongsun Jie, but he didn't know why the prime minister suddenly mentioned him.

Wang Xigui, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, also recalled it, and said with a smile: "That's right. That's right, General Li, you also know that the Gongsun family is a century-old family in the capital with a lot of wealth. But the son of Gongsun Jie, Gongsun Kuo, was a few days ago. Killed by Su Yuan, or executed by Ling Chi, it is extremely cruel."

"..."

"General Li, Gongsun Jie loves Gongsun Kuo very much, and now he hates Su Yuan to the extreme. If you ask him for some money for military expenses, he will definitely give it generously."

After several people said this, Li Shengtian understood.

Emotion is to take advantage of Gongsun Jie's desire to avenge his son and get money from him.

He actually disliked this kind of thing, but right now the difficulty lies here, without money, the army cannot move.

If it is said that the military salary can be barely saved, but armor, food and grass can't be saved, right?Who wants to go to the battlefield to fight if they can't eat a mouthful of food.

And if there is no food to eat and a hungry stomach, the combat effectiveness will also drop significantly, even if the God of War comes, it will not be able to move it.

"Alright then!" Li Shengtian had no choice but to agree, "I'll visit Gongsun's house later."

"Then there is General Law."

"Don't worry, general, as soon as the money arrives, I will dispatch all the food, grass and weapons immediately!"

Li Shengtian had nothing to say, and left with cupped hands.

Prime Minister He Zhongping also left with a sigh.

Only Wang Xigui and Lu Guangshi were left, the two who had been confronting each other in the court hall and in front of outsiders, but they smiled at each other.

"Let Li Shengtian get Gongsun Jie's money, haha, then Gongsun Jie might not dare not give it." Lu Guang smiled.

Wang Xigui nodded: "It's one thing not to dare, but on the other hand he really wants to kill Su Yuan to avenge his son. But if you want me to say, as for Gongsun Kuo's pustule, it's fine to die."

"Haha, Xigui's words are really direct."

……

"No, no money?"

"Ah."

In the small courtyard of the Wangfu, Su Yuan was also amused when he heard Zhen Miao tell what happened yesterday.

"Great master, why didn't you say you were going out earlier. I'll let plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum accompany you, and it's fine to bring some money along the way."

"I'm just wandering around." After Zhen Miao said that, he added, "But the owner of the rouge shop insisted on giving it to me for free, but I couldn't refuse, so I had to say that I would send money there tomorrow."

"Today, why don't I send someone to send it to you, Grand Master?"

"Alright."

Zhen Miao didn't get too entangled in this matter, and finished talking with Su Yuan as if it were a small talk, and then continued to practice with eyes closed.

Su Yuan left the small courtyard, when a Jin Yiwei came to report that someone wanted to see him.

"You mean, the one who wants to see me is someone from the Beggar Clan? Or an elder from the Taiyuan branch?"

"Yes, my lord."

Su Yuan just severely punished some disciples of the beggar sect the day before yesterday, what is the meaning of this elder sub-duo coming to his door today?

but……

Su Yuan thought, he felt the need to talk to this elder.

He is also very concerned about the affairs of the beggar gang.

Because unlike other gangs, the beggar gang is a gang closely connected with the city.Unlike the Yunshan faction, who live on the mountain and rarely come down.

And he remembered that Shen Lian told him that when interrogating those beggar gang disciples, he got a lot of extra information.

According to the information, many crimes in Taiyuan in the past were related to this beggar gang.

This also means that this beggar gang has, in a sense, become an "organized criminal gang" lurking in the city.

This is unacceptable to Su Yuan.

"Okay, take him to the living room."

"That's right." Su Yuan told Jin Yiwei again, "Afterwards, you can go to the newly opened rouge shop in Nancheng and give the owner eight qian, saying that it was a credit owed by a woman yesterday."

"Yes, my lord."

After Jin Yiwei left, Su Yuan went to the living room to wait.

After a while, people came.

"The rudder master and elder of the Taiyuan branch of the Beggar Clan, Yu Datong, met the Prince of Bei'an."

As soon as Yu Datong came in, he saw Su Yuan and saluted with respect.

Su Yuan looked at the elder.

He looked about forty-five years old, with a long beard under his jaw that crossed his neck, and he held a bamboo stick in his hand with three red marks engraved on it.

"Elder Yu." Su Yuan said, "You don't look like a disciple of the Beggar Gang."

Yu Datong looked down at his clothes, showing embarrassment.

Today he is wearing a long silk gown with a jade belt around his waist. He is completely dressed like a nobleman and has nothing to do with a beggar.

"My lord was just joking. I don't dare to be negligent when I come to see such a noble person as my lord. Naturally, I have to wash up and change into new clothes." Yu Datong explained, "To be honest, this clothes are still worn by me. I rented it, and I have to return it to the clothing store later."

"..."

Su Yuanxin said that this was not purely nonsense.

Seeing the flattering smile on Datong's face, he immediately understood what kind of person this guy was.

A typical flattering and flattering talent.

"Elder Yu, stop standing and sit down."

"Thank you, my lord, for giving me your seat!"

Yu Datong was overjoyed when he heard the words, and sat down quickly.

He felt that Su Yuan's words were a good fit, and he couldn't wait to flatter him after sitting down.

"My lord, the villain came here to make amends. A few reckless boys in the gang offended the lord earlier. As an elder, the villain didn't discipline him well. He deserves to die."

"Those few, they didn't offend me, they offended the people."

"...Yes, yes, hehe."

Yu Datong accompanied the smiling face, feeling a little unhappy.

Why didn't he know that it wasn't Su Yuan who offended those boys?I said this just to let Su Yuan find a way for him to step down.

As a result, Su Yuan did not give this step at all, which made him very embarrassed.

However, Su Yuan not only refused to give the steps, he also wanted to tear down the steps.

"Elder Yu, it just so happens that you're here. In fact, I want to find you too. Oh, to be precise, I'm looking for you beggars."

"Oh?" Yu Datong immediately said, "If you have any orders, just tell me, and the villain will definitely obey."

"Do everything?"

"nature."

Yu Datong smiled confidently: "To tell you the truth, the Taiyuan branch of our beggar gang has tens of thousands of disciples. If there is anything that is inconvenient for the prince to do, just let the villain know, and the villain will immediately arrange it. .”

Hearing this, Su Yuan casually said: "According to what Elder Yu said, the Beggar Gang has cooperated with Xu Yichuan and the others in this way before."

"This……"

Yu Datong's face froze, he didn't know if this was a simple inquiry or a kind of accusation.

He considered for a moment, and said cautiously: "The Taiyuan sub-helm did cooperate with Xuzhou...and Xu Yichuan before. But since the prince is in charge now, the beggar gang will naturally help the prince."

"Okay." Su Yuan laughed.

When he smiled like that, Yu Datong seemed to think it was done, so he laughed too.

But the next moment his smile froze.

Su Yuan said: "Since you have done everything, then listen to me and disband the branch of your beggar gang in Taiyuan."

Solution, dissolution?

Did I hear you right? ?

Yu Datong was stunned for several seconds, and when he found that Su Yuan's expression was calm and he didn't seem to be joking, he stood up abruptly.

"My lord! What do you mean by that?!"

"Literally, disband the beggar gang's sub-helm in Taiyuan." Su Yuan said lightly, "Do you hear me clearly, I'm not discussing with you, this is an order."

"My lord..."

Su Yuan's sudden change made it difficult for Yu Datong to accept.

Just now he was smiling and looking at nothing, but this sudden change of face really scared him.

After a moment of panic, Yu Datong calmed down.

He thought for a moment, and first asked: "My lord, I want to know why you want us to split up and disband. I need a reason."

"Don't you know the reason yourself? I don't need to tell you how many bad things you beggars have done in Taiyuan before. In the past, Xu Yichuan used you, and several big families used you. It's just a nest of snakes and rats."

"Under my rule now, potential criminal gangs like yours are not allowed to exist." Su Yuan also stood up. Although he was young, he had been in power for a long time, and he also possessed an aura of calmness and prestige.

"I'll say it again, this is not a negotiation, it's an order. If you don't disband, I will force you to disband. Choose whichever you want."

Yu Datong's face was ugly and his hands and feet were trembling.

He didn't expect Su Yuan to be so tough. Originally, he came to discuss cooperation, but the cooperation failed, and the sub-ruler was about to disappear?

"My lord! I don't understand why you want to do this... don't you think you will encounter some inconvenient things in the future?" Yu Datong lowered his voice, "With the help of our beggar gang, you don't have to worry about getting dirty. own hands!"

Hearing this, Su Yuan glanced at him in disgust: "Using you to do some shameless things will only dirty my hands."

Yu Datong's old face was flushed, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "I didn't expect the prince to treat our beggar gang like this! If so, there is nothing to talk about. But prince, I want to tell you that our Taiyuan branch will not Disband!"

"Are you sure?" Su Yuan asked.

Hearing the words, Yu Datong felt cold all over for some reason.He wanted to say yes, but the words changed when he got to his lips.

"So that the lord knows that the establishment and dissolution of the sub-duo is decided by the head of the sub-duo! Even if I am the elder of the sub-duo, I can't make such a big decision!"

"It's okay, I will give you this power now."

"..."

"Listen well, in Mozhou, my word is the imperial decree, which is more effective than your general rudder. I only give you three days, whether you want to dissolve or not, you can decide for yourself!"

After Su Yuan finished speaking indifferently, he turned and left.Yu Datong's face turned blue and white, and finally cursed secretly, and walked out of the palace quickly under the watchful eyes of the palace guards.

(End of this chapter)