With the withdrawal of Yelu Hongji, the war in Shuozhou ended. At the end of March, the imperial court ordered Zhao Zi to return to Beijing with his subordinates and wait for the reorganization. Wang Kai, the deputy commander of the Ma Army, replaced Yang Wenguang, and Yang Jin, who promoted the military academy, replaced Zhang Qi who was far away in the Western Regions, and the two returned to Beijing. The training of the forbidden army kicked off.

The early dynasty quarreled until the middle of the day, and after the dispersal of the dynasty, some tea soup was used, and the ministers were summoned to the Chongzheng Palace, and then discussed political affairs.

Entering the Chongzheng Palace, Zhao Zhen gave tea soup and sat down.

Zhao Zhen said: "According to the Privy Council, Du Zhongxiao and others want to completely reform the forbidden army and select personnel. In the past, I tried to be a general, relying on the martial arts of arches and horses, and not trying to do literary affairs. Now it is different, the system in the army is sophisticated, the civil affairs are quite heavy, and the generals cannot understand the written language, and it is not good to understand the affairs of the officials. If this is the case, there will be a large number of generals who are not fit for the time, and they must be eliminated. In addition, there are many veterans in the army, and many people are not suitable for guns and cannons, and they are not suitable for being in the army. The intention of the Privy Council was to set up camps and field affairs in the area of the two lakes, and to integrate the eliminated generals and soldiers into the two lakes to open up the two lakes. In the early days of the dynasty, the ministers discussed and disagreed. The battle ahead is over, and this matter cannot wait, so I have summoned you to discuss this matter in detail. ”

Wen Yanbo arched his hand: "Your Majesty, there are many lakes and marshes in the Lianghu area, and fierce beasts are infested, which is not comparable to Jingxi Road. Du Taiwei camped on Jingxi Road, and with all kinds of ingenuity, he set up an iron supervisor, set up a shopping mall, and many industries, and it was only after two years that there was a slight surplus. The difficulty of the two lakes camp field is several times more difficult than Jingxi Road. Not to mention, there are many barbarians there, and the camp must cooperate with the barbarians, and the cost is really terrifying. ”

Hu Su, a Hanlin scholar on the side, said: "How much does it cost to camp in the two lakes?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "According to estimates, all the forbidden troops in the world are trained, and there should be more than 300,000 people to the two lakes. Fifty guan per person, plus initial houses, farm tools, cattle and horses, etc., should need 30 million to 50 million guan in the first year. ”

Hu Su was taken aback: "Why is there so much money?" In the past, the forbidden army was stationed in Shaanxi, and it cost 50 times for one person to play on the front line, which was a lot. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "This money is to convert all the food and the like you need. And it's not one person who goes, it's all a family, fifty times each, at the beginning of the camp, it's not much. ”

Zhao Zhen said to Zhang Fangping, who was in charge of the world's financial plans: "Participating in politics, 350 million a year, can the court take it out?" ”

Zhang Fangping praised the wat and said: "Back to Your Majesty, last year, the world was counted in more than 330 million yuan. There have been many wars, and it has cost a lot of money, and there is no money left at the end of the year. This year, it is estimated that more than 35 million yuan can be earned, and it is barely enough to come up with money. However, it also costs a lot of money to train the whole army, and it can really be said that it is very good. ”

The normal years of the Northern Song Dynasty used to be between 70 million and 100 million yuan a year. Of course, this is not cash, but all the physical goods are added, and the correct statement should be 100 million stone horses. With the construction of the railway supervision and the construction of the railway, the world's commercial tax revenue has increased significantly, to more than 300 million. Because of the issuance of paper money, taxes in kind have been greatly reduced, money has increased, and fiscal revenues are far from comparable to what they used to be.

However, now that I have more income, I have a lot more expenses. Every year it costs money to build a railway, and a corresponding increase in personnel has to be paid, and it also costs money to fight in previous years, not to mention a huge increase in the income of officials. At the end of the day, you will spend as much as you overcharge.

In fact, this is the normal state of the regime, no matter how much money is earned in a year, it will always be spent. If it can't be spent, the bureaucracy from the top down will figure out a way to spend it. Unless the emperor forcibly stores a part, where will there be any money left?

Zhao Zhen said: "With an annual income of more than 300 million yuan, and spending an extra 350 million yuan, you always have to think of a way." It doesn't cost much more to train the whole thing, and most of the officers who should have it have it, but they haven't been assigned to the various armies. If you don't fight, you should spend less than last year. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's nothing more than reclaiming the two lakes, just as another battle." Because in the territory, grain and grass can be transported around, unlike when the party is destroyed, it costs so much. It is just necessary to choose the right officials, be diligent in political affairs, and not slack off. ”

The Zhongshu official was silent for a while, and Han Qi said: "The forbidden army has to be reorganized, and the selected personnel to reclaim the two lakes is already the least costly method." Even if it costs some money, it's worth it. The two lakes were opened up, and money and grain could also be increased in the future. ”

Wen Yanbo said: "Of course the money is worth it, but the imperial court doesn't have that much money for a while. It has only been a year or two since the whole country has been printing money uniformly, and there are all kinds of unexpected things. Moreover, in order to prepare for the war against the Khitan in a few years, it was necessary to build railways on Hebei Road and Hedong Road, which cost money. And now the subway superintendents are doing very well, and it costs money to build new factories. There are more than 30 or 50 million a year, and it is difficult to do Chinese books. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "In this way, the training of the forbidden army can not be completed in a few months, it will be divided into two years." In the first year, about 200,000 people went to the two lakes and spent 30 million yuan. If it is exceeded, the person will stay in the capital first. ”

Wen Yanbo looked at Han Qi, then at a few people who participated in politics, and nodded: "In this way, it can be supported." ”

Zhao Zhen said: "The two lakes camp, the forbidden army used, is not comparable to the previous Jingxi Road camp. Which official is in charge of this matter? ”

Du Zhongxiao praised the wat: "The minister thinks that Li Shen, a privy councilor, is proficient in official affairs and is good at managing money in the local area, so he can take this position." ”

Zhao Zhen nodded and asked the other officials again. Wen Yanbo and others also recommended several officials, but they were not as suitable as Li Shen. Zhao Zhen remembered it in his heart and skipped the matter. Such a major matter has to be considered back, and it cannot be decided here.

The reason why the Lianghu camp cost so much was mainly because Du Zhongxiao insisted that the income of the generals and soldiers who had been laid off could not be reduced. What they have lost is only a future in the army, and their standard of living will not be reduced. The purpose of this is mainly people's hearts, and Du Zhongxiao really doesn't want to offend too many people because he has trained the forbidden army by himself. Whether it is a general or a non-commissioned soldier, let them understand that the forbidden army was eliminated only because they were not suitable for the times, not because the level was unknown. When you get to the place, you can still use your ingenuity.

This time to select the forbidden army, Du Zhongxiao hopes that whether it is selected or eliminated, it understands that it has nothing to do with ability. The whole army has been reorganized and trained, and the military has entered a new era, and not everyone can adapt to it, and if they don't adapt, there is nothing, just do other things.

After discussing the camp, Zhao Zhen said: "In this training of the forbidden army, in addition to the changes in the Privy Council and the Sanya, the most important thing in the personnel changes of the army is to rely on the military academy. Yang Jin, who originally promoted the Beijing Military Academy, has arrived to pick up Zhang Qi. Who do you think is the right person to take over this position? ”

When they heard this, none of the ministers spoke. After a while, Wen Yanbo gave up his hand: "Your Majesty, this matter is still a holy judgment." ”

Zhao Zhen looked at everyone and said, "Why?" When Yang was there, no one was talking about anything. ”

Wen Yanbo said: "This time is different from before, those who promote military schools must have absolute power and cannot be influenced by others. Whoever learns well and can go to the army can only be decided by the school. Only the Holy Judgment on this matter will have no objection from the ministers. ”

Zhao Zhen nodded and didn't speak for a while. Obviously, this guy wasn't a good choice. It is necessary not only to gain Zhao Zhen's trust, but also to make the ministers and generals have no objections, but also to be able to convince the public, and to be proficient in military knowledge, not just send a minister.

Du Zhongxiao does not have deep roots in the DPRK, but many of the current generals in the army have come out of his camp Tianxiang Army and Hequ Road, and they can only remain silent. In order to prevent suspicion, Du Zhongxiao either worked the system or focused on personnel. It is necessary to set the system by yourself and arrange manpower, and Zhao Zhen and other ministers will not agree. Military power cannot be too deeply involved alone.

Du Zhongxiao knows this, and he only focuses on system planning, formulating regulations, and doesn't care who does it. Unless the person Zhao Zhen set is not suitable, he will not interfere. Institutional arrangements are much more important than the promotion of officials. Officials only for a moment, the system is decided, and the military situation for the next few decades will be determined.