Fortunate Young Gentleman

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Tang Ning looked at Emperor Chen and repeated: "Your Majesty, if you want to form a heavy cavalry of 100,000 people, you need at least 50 million taels of silver every year."

Fifty million taels of silver is actually just his conservative estimate.

One hundred thousand heavy cavalry is not just 100,000 horses and 100,000 armors. It also includes horse gear, feed, the cost of hiring blacksmiths and servants, the cavalry's salary, the replacement of horses, the maintenance of weapons and armor, and the loss of expeditions.

What's more, there are more than heavy cavalry in a heavy cavalry team. Generally speaking, 100,000 heavy cavalry must be equipped with at least 300,000 or 400,000 auxiliary soldiers, and these money must naturally be included.

For a team with 100,000 heavy cavalry, 50 million taels of silver per year is actually not much.

After the inner court became rich, Emperor Chen was really arrogant. A few months ago, the court's annual surplus silver was all used for heavy cavalry, which could only maintain a maximum of 10,000 people. 100,000 heavy cavalry could eat up the entire court in a year.

If you don't manage the household, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Emperor Chen sat on the dragon throne, so he naturally didn't understand these facts.

After being shocked, Emperor Chen frowned and looked at him, asking: "It's just 100,000 heavy cavalry, why do you need so much silver?"

Emperor Chen didn't understand the concept of 100,000 heavy cavalry at all. Tang Ning looked at him and patiently explained: "Your Majesty, you don't know that 100,000 heavy cavalry not only needs a lot of military equipment and horse equipment, but also needs to prepare cavalry rations and warhorse food and grass. In addition, a large number of auxiliary soldiers, miscellaneous servants, and blacksmiths are needed. These people need food and wages. Not only that, the annual maintenance cost of heavy cavalry is also a considerable amount. 100,000 iron cavalry consumes 50 million taels of silver every year, which is actually not much..."

Emperor Chen only knew that 100,000 heavy cavalry could sweep across the grassland and be invincible, but he didn't know that it would cost so much silver.

If 50 million taels of silver are to be spent every year on these, the court can only sustain for two years even if it tries its best. He naturally cannot watch such a thing happen.

He looked at Tang Ning, smiled, and asked: "The silver in the treasury must be used on the cutting edge. 50 million taels are naturally not available. Tang Aiqing, do you have any solution?"

Tang Ning's face darkened.

The treasury has no solution, what can he do?

50 million taels is also an astronomical figure for him. If he insists on making up, he can make up, but the question is why he can?

He and Emperor Chen are not related, so there is no reason to spend all his family wealth on these. Anyway, even if he raises so many cavalry for the court, Emperor Chen will not marry his daughter to him...

Emperor Chen's budget for heavy cavalry is only 5 million taels, so he can only reduce 100,000 heavy cavalry to 10,000. 10,000 heavy cavalry, plus other accompanying arms, are enough to pose a great threat to the grassland. More numbers are just a waste of resources.

Tang Ning was unlucky to meet such a capable emperor as Emperor Chen. With his current attitude towards spending money, he might have to go to Jiangnan again in less than two years...

One hundred thousand became ten thousand, and the workload was not small. While Tang Ning asked people to speed up the construction, he also had to deal with other miscellaneous matters of the Ministry of Works.

Five million taels of silver only exchanged for ten thousand heavy cavalry. Emperor Chen was obviously a little unhappy, so Tang Ning could only save a little and spend every penny in half.

The official residences requested by the two university scholars have been built by the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works. Tang Ning had instructed the responsible master craftsmen from the beginning to keep everything simple. Under the premise of ensuring safety, the official residences should be economical and livable. Some overly fancy things should be reduced as much as possible.

Some places can be reduced, and some places cannot be reduced.

The military equipment required by the Ministry of War is related to the lives of soldiers, so it must be extremely cautious and strictly follow the standards. No weight or weight can be reduced.

The doctor of the Ministry of Industry sent a new batch of military weapons samples. These were randomly selected. Before handing them over to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Industry had to inspect them first.

Tang Ning picked up a Mo Dao with one hand. This knife was very heavy and it would be very difficult to wield it.

Each Mo Dao weighed fifteen catties, which was about ten kilograms when converted into the measurement unit of later generations.

Ordinary knives weighed only three or five catties. Ordinary people naturally could not use such knives. Those who used such weapons on the battlefield were the most courageous warriors.

Tang Ning threw it to Lao Zheng and said, "Let's see how the fifteen-catty Mo Dao looks like."

Lao Zheng was the ancestor of knives. Whether the knife was good or not, he had to say.

Lao Zheng took the knife, lifted it in his hand, and said, "The knife is a good knife. It weighs thirteen catties and nine taels, not as much as you said."

The knives produced by the Ministry of Industry are all standard. If they say they weigh fifteen catties, they are fifteen catties. They can fluctuate within a small range around this number, but one tael more or less is absolutely not allowed, and one catty or one tael less is even more impossible.

Tang Ning looked at a clerk and said, "Bring me a scale."

The Ministry of Industry has a variety of scales specifically used for weighing. The man brought a scale specifically used for inspecting military equipment, weighed it, and said, "My lord, this knife weighs exactly 15 catties, no mistake."

Fifteen catties insisted that it was 13 catties and nine ounces. Old Zheng was the most honest butcher Tang Ning had ever seen. No wonder their butcher shop was so prosperous. Fifteen catties of meat only cost 13 catties and nine ounces. It would be strange if the business was not good.

Tang Ning looked at Old Zheng and said, "You may not have touched a knife for many years. It's normal that the feel is a little worse."

Old Zheng put the weights on the scale in his hand and weighed them. He looked at him and asked expressionlessly, "The knife weighed 13 catties and nine ounces and weighed 15 catties. How many catties and ounces do you think this 15 catties weight weighs?"

It stands to reason that Lao Zheng, who has been selling pork for more than ten years, should be very sensitive to weight and is unlikely to make an error of more than one kilogram.

Tang Ning thought for a moment, looked at the clerk, and said, "Bring me another weapon of power."

Weapons are weights. The Ministry of Industry made many kinds of weights according to their uses. The clerk quickly brought another set. Tang Ning used a ten-pound weight and a five-pound weight, and the fifteen-pound Mo weight. After the knife was lifted, there was no sign of the scale beam rising.

Tang Ning continued to move the rope on the scale beam. After passing the fourteen-pound and thirteen-pound positions, the scale beam showed some signs of lifting.

Tangning had an expression of interest on her face. The same knife weighed fifteen kilograms with one set of weights, but it didn't even weigh thirteen kilograms with another set. The problem was obviously with the weights.

Tang Ning asked the clerk to go out, find a butcher's shop on the street, and borrow the scale from the shop.

Use this pole to weigh the Mo Dao. The knife weighs thirteen kilograms and nine taels, exactly the same.

Tang Ning looked at the second set of weapons and asked the clerk, "Where are these weapons sent..."

The little official's face turned pale and he said in a trembling voice: "Hui, sir, they are sent to salt farms in various places..."

The weight of the weapon used to test ordnance was obviously insufficient, so the knife was weighed. This shows that the material was corrupted. The pound or two may have gone into someone's pocket.

There are so many ordnances coming out of the Ministry of Industry, a little less here, a little less there, which adds up to a very considerable number.

As for those sent to salt farms in various places, the situation is exactly the opposite.

Although the Chen State specialized in salt and iron, it also allowed merchants to get involved. They bought salt from the imperial court and sold it at a prescribed price in places designated by the imperial court.

The weight of these fifteen kilograms of power obviously exceeds fifteen kilograms, which means that the salt merchants took more than fifteen kilograms of salt from the imperial court, but only paid fifteen kilograms. This is the wool of the imperial court. The emperor snatched money from his hands...

As for those who have the guts to steal money from Emperor Chen...

Tangning threw the knife on the ground and sighed, "It's really a shame..."