Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 135 New Army System and Pension Standards

Li Yuanji actually didn't want to be like that, but just because he didn't want to, it didn't mean that others didn't want to.

Today, he no longer has those fantasies. These are all very realistic problems. No matter whether Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin comes to power in the future, he controls such a large area in Lingnan and has an army of hundreds of thousands under his command. Which emperor can trust him?

But he had to develop. If he did not develop and strengthen his army, then in the future, no matter who of the two men was, they could control him at any time. Li Yuanji did not want to hand his life over to the other party and rely on the other party's benevolence to survive.

Even if the other party is kind and righteous, it is impossible for him to be free and at ease. Moreover, if some of the people in the court cannot tolerate him and keep making things difficult for him, he will face a great risk of death.

This is why he has to develop a strong army to withstand the risks that may arise in the future. However, as long as he has a strong army, no matter who becomes the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he will probably not feel at ease looking at such a large area and hundreds of thousands of troops, which will directly become a dead end.

But he had no choice. He only hoped that Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin would be more tolerant in the future, and he would not take the initiative to cause trouble.

Now that he has left Chang'an, it is impossible for anyone to bring him back to Chang'an, not even Li Yuan. His life is up to him alone!

This is why he does not want to save money on military expenses. If he wants to be strong, he must have a strong army to ensure development. With good development, the army will be stronger. This is a virtuous circle.

Xie Shufang listened to Li Yuanji's words and admired him even more. He was very clear about the army's expenditure. Li Yuanji treated the army very well, because before, the army had no salary and was only guaranteed simple food.

Here, Li Yuanji not only had to pay the soldiers wages every month, but also provided them with sufficient food, and the expenses were very high. As for pensions, I'm sorry, there was really no such thing before, but now that the pension expenses were established, Xie Shufang didn't dare to think about how huge the expense would be.

In addition to these, soldiers also receive additional subsidies for farmland. It can be said that the treatment of their army far exceeds that of all the armies in the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, you are so kind to your soldiers. They will surely die for you in the future!"

Xie Shufang was truly moved. The Tang Dynasty might be in trouble now because of poverty, or there might be other reasons. He had no control over those things. He only knew that Li Yuanji really held the army in the palm of his hand.

Li Yuanji also laughed after hearing this.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. The standard for pensions will be formulated as soon as possible and announced to the entire army at that time. At the same time, you will count all the soldiers who died in battle after entering Lingnan and distribute the pensions together. Now let's go see Lin Quan first."

Li Yuanji then came to Lin Quan's tent and personally applied medicine to Lin Quan, leaving a bottle of golden medicine, which made Lin Quan deeply moved.

It was mainly their fault, but Li Yuanji personally delivered and applied medicine to them, which suddenly changed the meaning of the matter.

"Okay, you're a grown man, why are you crying? Now you should recover from your injuries. The navy will be your top priority in the future. After you recover from your injuries, go to Mingda and prepare to use the troops. You should lead the navy well."

After comforting Lin Quan for a while, Li Yuanji went out. Li Yuanji still didn't understand what an honor it was for these people that he came in person to deliver medicine and apply it. These people acted like this only because they were so moved that they showed their emotions.

After coming out, Li Yuanji looked at Xie Shufang. "Shufang, go and ask Dahe to come to the palace, and try to settle the issue of compensation for the soldiers today."

When Li Yuanji returned to the palace, Xie Shufang and Ning Chun arrived.

"See you, Your Majesty."

Li Yuanji waved his hand and got straight to the point.

"Think about this together, the two of you. I am now going to start paying compensation to the soldiers who died in the battle. The army is the foundation of everything, and the construction of the army must be put first.

We have a lot of money now, and there will be more in the future, so we must be able to solve the worries of the soldiers so that they can focus on their work and fight bravely and fearlessly. Even if there is only one person left, he will fight to the death.

I plan to give each soldier 500 coins, 3 dou of grain, 1 mu of land, 5 pieces of clothing, and other items, including glass, sugar, snow salt, etc. At the same time, for those with three children or less, 20 coins will be given every month, and for those with more than three children, 40 coins will be given every month until the children reach the age of 16. What do you think of this standard?"

Li Yuanji had estimated that he could fully afford it according to this pension standard. As long as the army had a high enough armor rate, the casualty ratio was actually not high. In addition, the population was small nowadays, so this was almost a disguised way of encouraging childbirth.

As for whether this pension is much, it is not much. It can only be said that with this pension, one will not starve to death and can guarantee a basic life. However, even if it is just a basic life, it is more than enough for today.

Ning Chun and Xie Shufang fell into deep thought after listening to this. After a while, Ning Chun slowly spoke.

"Your Majesty is worried about the army, and I understand that. But Your Majesty, once this standard is implemented, the expenditure of the treasury will increase. This standard alone is indeed not much, but once the army suffers losses, it will not be a small expenditure of money and food.

Especially the expenses for raising their children, which are at least twenty cents per month, and this is for one person. Over the years, until they are sixteen years old, the expenses will be even greater.

I suggest that we can make some appropriate cuts, for example, the pension for the children of soldiers who died in battle can be paid until they are 12 years old. At this age, they can support themselves by doing odd jobs. The reduction of four years can save a lot of expenses. "

Xie Shufang at the side also spoke up.

"Your Majesty, this kind gesture is enough. It is indeed as Dahe said, it should be reduced. Your Majesty is talking about the pensions of the lowest-ranking soldiers. As the official positions increase, the pension standards will inevitably increase. This expenditure is really a bit huge.

Moreover, the army is not limited to the ones we have now. As the radiation area expands, the army will inevitably increase. I have estimated that the number of troops in the entire Lingnan by then will reach between 200,000 and 300,000, and the military expenditure by then will be too huge.

I suggest that we can reduce it appropriately based on what the king said. Even if we reduce it, all the soldiers in the army will be grateful for the king's kindness. They didn't have it in the first place. This is what the king gave them, and no one will forget it. "

Li Yuanji was also thinking whether the development of Lingnan could sustain this huge expenditure, plus the huge amount of money and grain needed for development in various places.

(End of this chapter)