After getting up early in the morning, Zhu Mingzhong, who just wanted to go to the barracks to see the training of the use of the self-made firearm, but as soon as he went out, his own soldier Dai Shu came in to report, saying that Qian Lei and Yao Xiang had come to ask for a meeting.

"Just bring the two of them in! How many times have I told you, the head of the palace can come at any time if he wants to see me, and he doesn't have to do everything! ”

Again, Zhu Mingzhong reiterated with some unhappiness that the reason why this is so is because in his opinion, if even the head of the housing department wants to see him in this mansion, he has to do everything, I don't know how much things will be delayed.

"Yes!"

Dai Shu, who was reprimanded like this, replied with some grievances, and then quickly led people away.

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Mingzhong immediately understood that it was probably Qian Lei himself who insisted on asking Dai Shu to come first, and smiled helplessly.

Qian Lei is Zhu Mingzhong's first staff, although he once calculated him, but later served him before and after the saddle, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it with the words "loyal". Especially after he reinforced Nanjing, Qian Lei has been doing his best to assist Wu Youcai to control Changzhou, raising salaries, food and various military supplies for the loyal army, it can be said that if it were not for Qian Lei's help in the rear, how could he have fought in the south and north without the slightest worries.

It is precisely because of this that Zhu Mingzhong has long been on guard against Qian Lei, but really treats him as his own. And Qian Lei also knew that except for Zhu Mingzhong, no one in this life would be so attentive to him, so he did his best, and even secretly swore that he would rather fight to pieces, and he would definitely assist Jingluo to achieve a great cause!

But today, Qian Lei obviously came with resentment. As soon as he saw Zhu Mingzhong's face, he didn't even give a salute, just bent down, and then said loudly.

"After a strategy, the lower officials are shallow in their studies, and this is the position of the left senator of the government office, and I am also tired of the strategy, please be smart!"

Zhu Mingzhong, who was the envoy of the Jianghuai Economic Strategy, was in charge of the government affairs of the Jianghuai River, and there were left and right senators in the palace, who were in charge of grain storage, tuntian, military affairs, post transmission, water conservancy, and Fuming. In addition, there are six departments of officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminal punishments, and engineering, and the corresponding functional areas of the six departments of the former Nanjing and the central government, in addition to the copywriting department as its staff agency, and there are also special housing departments such as salt administration, river affairs, and money and grain, and the increase in the number of housing departments is due to the expansion of the functions of the government office as an administrative agency. It is also the inevitable development of power.

"Where are these words!"

As soon as Zhu Mingzhong heard it, he immediately knew that this guy was picking on him, although he didn't know who provoked him. Quickly put his hands on his arm, and then said.

"Come, old money, don't worry, sit down and talk slowly, you and I have said that we live and die together, what's wrong?"

Hearing the words "live and die together" from Zhu Mingzhong's mouth, Qian Lei's heart suddenly became hot. Stubbornly took half a step back, and said with a long sigh:

"After a little bit of understanding, Qian Mou can't repay him even if he has a grass ring in the next life. But the net worth and life of my loyal army all fell on Qian. So Qian, Qian, don't dare to eat a vegetarian meal anymore, please, please find another master! After Qian, he will be a pro-soldier in the future, and he will lead the horse for the warp and fall for him! ”

"Nonsense!"

Seeing Qian Lei's grievances like this, Zhu Mingzhong knew that this guy was picking on himself there! It was obvious that he was blackmailing himself, so he reached out and grabbed him and threw him directly into the chair.

"Sit down, there's something to talk about. If you take your resignation to threaten this scripture again, do you really think that this scripture will not dare to kill people! ”

"Ugh!"

Qian Lei, who was originally here to vent his dissatisfaction, was taken aback by Zhu Mingzhong's reprimand. At this time, I only heard Zhu Mingzhong reprimand loudly.

"What do you have to say, what the hell is going on? Don't go around the bush with me, sometimes talk nonsense with you here, and you can't go to military training! ”

"Humble, humble!"

Qian Lei opened his mouth, but this would be suppressed. Yao Xiang, the head of the house who stood next to him and never spoke, this is a native of Yuhang, after the Qing soldiers fell into Hangzhou, he refused to shave his hair, and since then he has been adrift in Chu, Guangdong and other places, after hearing that the southern capital was recovered, he went to the southern capital from the deep mountains of Huguang, he and Zhu Zhiyu are old friends, and naturally came to Jiangbei from Nanjing, and became the head of the household under the recommendation of Zhu Zhiyu.

Faced with Jing Liu's inquiring eyes, he had no choice but to salute Zhu Mingzhong and say it loudly.

"Don't blame it, Senator Qian is so anxious. This is because at the moment the money and food in my loyal army treasury are only enough for a few months. After three months at most, our loyal army will have no money to replenish! ”

"What!"

Yao Xiang's words made Zhu Mingzhong's whole person startled, and he didn't care about comforting Qian Lei anymore, so he asked with round eyes.

"How so? How is this possible? Don't we have nearly two million taels of silver? How can there be no money? ”

More than a month ago, when he first conquered Jiangbei, Zhu Mingzhong also thought that he had made a windfall, in addition to robbing more than one million taels of silver, as well as the reward of Yangzhou salt merchants and the silver in the treasury, there were nearly two million taels, even in Nanjing, it was not necessarily more abundant than his own side.

Now that the money is almost gone, who stole his own money!

"Jingluo, how is it impossible?"

Looking at the frightened envoy, Yao Xiang reported truthfully.

"Although a lot of silver was seized after the Northern Expedition, it could not withstand the expenses of the strategy, not to mention, the 57,864 stoves recruited in the salt field were only Anjiayin, and nearly 580,000 taels of silver were used for ten taels of silver per person......

Ten taels of silver for Anjiayin, this is to eliminate the worries of the stove, Zhu Mingzhong specially granted, after all, it always takes a period of time for the salt field to be transformed into a drying field, and the family of the stove always needs to make ends meet. Although the ten taels of peace silver were deducted from their military salaries, it also exempted them from worries.

"There are more than 10,000 veterans of the loyal and righteous army who have been promoted to sergeants, and most of the military salaries are between 3 taels and 4 taels and 5 yuan, and the monthly military salary expenditure exceeds 100,000 taels, and then there are ...... building cities, weapons factories, and shipbuilding."

As the head of the house, Yao Xiang was helpless when he talked about these expenses. And Qian Lei, who was originally silent and shouting to resign, even "mended" on the side.

"And after you a while ago, you also ordered to set aside 300,000 taels of silver for trade, saying that this silver cannot be touched no matter what, and that in the future this silver will give birth to silver, so what silver will we have in the loyal army......

"How much is that? Don't we have two million taels of silver? ”

Without waiting for Qian Lei to finish speaking, Zhu Mingzhong said loudly, obviously rich.

"But, no matter how much silver you have, you can't afford to spend so much, so if you count it, this, the monthly expenses in the future will be at least 300,000 taels, just a little silver, enough to spend how long it will take ......"