Chapter 361 Urgent Delivery: Transfer the money quickly!
Who exactly is that purple-flowered Zhajia?

Xu Wei felt confused and curious, and Yan Shaoting was also a little surprised.

Although there have always been a lot of urgent military reports from the Nine Borders.

However, it is rare to see a general of this caliber who can wear purple flowered armor and lead the troops personally to deliver urgent military reports to the capital.

After all, it is according to the court regulations.

A Ming soldier who could wear purple flowered armor had to be at least a thousand-household officer.

Officers below the rank of Qianhu basically wore ordinary chain mail or waist-length armor worn by ordinary soldiers and flag officers.

This is the only situation in the Nine Frontier Army where almost everyone has a set of armor.

If it is in the south, the proportion of armor in the army will drop to about half, and most of them will be light waist-length armor.

Yan Shaoting rode his horse, deliberately slowing down and waiting for the dust on the road ahead to settle.

He squinted his eyes and glanced sideways at Xu Wei, who was waving his hands and covering his nose with his sleeves.

"Mr. Wenchang, do you still remember what we talked about in the library not long ago?"

Xu Wei raised his eyebrows: "My dear, are you talking about the day when Prince Yu was awarded the title of Imperial College Priest?"

Yan Shaoting nodded and said, "Purple flower armor, even though the border soldiers have only one armor each, it is possible that such a general will personally lead the team to rush to the capital, which must be a big deal."

Could it be that the Great Wall was breached?
Xu Wei's heart skipped a beat.

But if you think about it, the Great Wall has been breached many times in the past two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that the bandits outside the Great Wall almost broke into Beijing a few years ago.

He looked puzzled and whispered, "Just now I saw the general and the soldiers on the border. Although they were in armor and in a hurry, they did not look panicked. I don't think it's an emergency at the border. But the general in purple armor was able to rush to the capital in person. Maybe it's true as you said before, there may be a big war at the border this year..."

If a war breaks out.

The imperial court, which had finally recovered somewhat, would probably have to spend countless amounts of money and grain just to preserve the ancestral foundation of two hundred years and defend the Great Wall.

Yan Shaoting narrowed his eyes, feeling a little more serious.

The Ming Dynasty has always regarded the north as its greatest enemy.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu Gao, the imperial court launched dozens of expeditions to the border areas. When Emperor Taizong Wen ascended the throne, he personally led the army to the desert five times.

The importance the imperial court attaches to the north is like the genetic inheritance of blood.

However, from the founding of the country to the present day, the Ming Dynasty has already gone through two hundred years.

The Nine Frontiers are no longer the same as before.

And the Nine Border Army, which represented the strongest fighting force of the Ming Army...

It is even more different from the past.

Think of this.

Yan Shaoting couldn't help but think of Gao Gong, who is now in the cabinet, and Yang Bo, the current Minister of War.

He immediately smiled and said to Xu Wei: "Regardless of what happened at the border, if the situation is really serious, there will naturally be people who are more anxious than us."

Xu Wei's eyes turned and he immediately understood what Yan Shaoting meant.

is not that right.

Gao Gong represented the power in Shanxi and Hebei, and had many connections with the towns of Xuanfu and Datong.

Behind the current Minister of War Yang Bo are clearly nearly 200,000 border troops from Xuanfu and Datong, as well as government forces in Shanxi, Hebei and other places that are closely connected with these two towns.

There is trouble at the border.

Both Gao Gong and Yang Bo were more anxious than any of them.

And what happened was almost the same as what Yan Shaoting and Xu Wei had guessed.

Let’s talk about the urgent military news delivery team led by the general of the Zihua Zhajia Border Army. They rushed all the way into Beijing.

Then the team split into two teams.

The general in purple flowered armor and two soldiers in waist-length armor stopped at the street corner and watched the other four comrades run straight towards Xiyuan's Xi'an Gate.

Afterwards, General Zihua Zhajia took the remaining two people and rushed towards Qipan Street.

Qipan Street is the area between Daming Gate and Zhengyang Gate in Beijing.

Because it connects all directions, and because Daming Gate and Zhengyang Gate are quite close to each other, the streets intersect horizontally and vertically, hence the name Qipan Street.

On the left and right sides of Qipan Street, that is, on the east and west sides of Daming Gate, are the offices of various departments of the imperial court.

On the east side are the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Clan Affairs, the Honglu Temple, the Hanlin Academy, etc., and on the west side, which belongs to the White Tiger position, are the offices of the Five Military Governors' Office and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

General Zihua Zhajia led his men all the way to the east side of Daming Gate.

Then, we turned from Dongjiang Mixiang into Liubu Street, passed the Ministry of Rites, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Works, Honglu Temple, Imperial Observatory, and Imperial Medical Office, and finally arrived in front of the Ministry of War opposite the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

General Zihua Zhajia was sitting on his horse. He looked up at the plaque of the Ministry of War and then jumped off the horse.

The reins were thrown out and were quickly caught by a soldier.

Two soldiers dismounted, tied the horses to the hitching post in front of the Ministry of War, and then the two accompanied General Zihua Zhajia up the steps in front of the Ministry of War.

The soldiers and servants guarding the Ministry of War recognized at a glance that the three men were from the border army and did not dare to stop them.

And the general in purple flowered armor also knew the rules.

The two soldiers behind him were guarding the edge of the stairs.

The general bowed and said, "I am Lan Yongzhen, the Lieutenant General of the Wanquan Commandery. I have an urgent military report to present to Minister Yang of the Ministry of War!"

If Yan Shaoting were present at this moment, he would definitely be surprised.

Because Lan Yongzhen was indeed an old acquaintance of his. It was during the time when he was in the Ministry of Revenue that he got to know Lan Yongzhen and the Lieutenant General of the Beijing Camp, Guo Yuchuang.

But if he was really here, he would definitely be surprised at what Lan Yongzhen called himself at this moment.

Lieutenant General of Wanquandusi.

The last time he went to the Ministry of Revenue, Lan Yongzhen used the title of Wei Suo Zhenfu.

Although two years had passed, there was no difference in rank between the lieutenant general and the pacification officer, but they were given different official titles because they came to different yamen.

This is surprising.

And this one.

After Lan Yongzhen introduced himself, the officers in front of the Ministry of War immediately let him in.

"General Guo, please go straight in. The Minister is in the government office today."

Lan Yongzhen bowed and said thank you, then he held the sword on his left waist with one hand and fastened the belt around his waist with the other hand, and walked straight into the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War is the place where the military is managed. In addition to those birds, it is also a common place for animals to travel around.

Lan Yongzhen's arrival did not attract much attention, and he walked all the way to the gate of Yang Bo's office.

The door was wide open, and one could see the Minister of War Yang Bo sitting in the government office, attending to official business.

Lan Yongzhen's expression immediately relaxed. He stepped over the threshold and entered the house, then he knelt on one knee with his hands clasped together.

"I, General Lan Yongzhen, pay my respects to the Minister."

At this moment, Yang Bo was working at his desk planning the military training and supply distribution for various parts of the court this year.

When he heard Lan Yongzhen's voice, his brows twitched.

He slowly raised his head and saw who was coming, and a smile appeared on his face.

Just immediately.

Yang Bo was suspicious: "Something happened in Xuanfu?"

Xuanfu and Datong, this is one of the important reasons why he was able to secure his position as the Minister of War.

Judging from the conversation between Yang Bo and Lan Yongzhen at this moment, it is clear that the two know each other.

Lan Yongzhen nodded and said, "Reporting to the Minister, I was ordered by the General to escort the urgent message to the capital to report to the court that after the beginning of this year, the tribes of Anda's subordinates outside the Great Wall are gathering, and there are battlements on the grassland outside the Great Wall. The General has determined that the Anda tribe will definitely lead troops to attack the Great Wall this year."

Yang Bo's brows tightened immediately. He put down the document in his hand, raised his right hand to support his forehead, and gently rubbed his temple.

He frowned and said, "Since I asked you to come, I guess Dexin has already found out the confirmed news that Anda tribe is heading south."

Dexin.

It is the name of Ma Fang, the current general of Xuanfu.

Ma Fang was from Weizhou, Shanxi, and Yang Bo was also from Shanxi, but from Puzhou.

And by coincidence.

Lan Yongzhen is also from Puzhou, Shanxi.

Seeing Yang Bo say this, Lan Yongzhen nodded.

He turned his head to look outside the door behind him, and then he said, "The general thought that the Anda tribe might have a big plan this year, so in addition to sending it to the capital to present it to the emperor, he also ordered me to go to the capital in person and tell the minister about this matter in person."

Hear this.

Yang Bo's brows tightened even more.

He and Ma Fang are old acquaintances, so he naturally knows each other's character.

If it was just like usual, and the Anda tribe outside the Great Wall gathered and attacked the border, based on Ma Fang's many years of experience in leading troops, and Xuanfu Town had nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses, even if they could not go out of the Great Wall to meet the enemy, they could still defend the border wall.

But this time, Lan Yongzhen, one of the seven lieutenant generals guarding Xuanfu Town, actually came to Beijing in person to report the news to him. Ma Fang must have felt the pressure this time.

Yang Bo rubbed his forehead with his fingers and said in a deep voice, "The court has had a better time in the past two years. Last year, the court had a surplus. At the imperial meeting after the beginning of this year, Yan Binke, who is in charge of military supplies, also proposed that the court should improve the firearms that have been used for many years in the court. In addition, the current situation of the troops in the nine border towns should be investigated and the vacancies should be supplemented. The cabinet and the Ministry of War are already discussing this matter. I think it will be implemented in Datong, Xuanfu, and Liaodong soon."

There have always been two data for the Nine Frontier Troops: the rated number of troops and the actual number of troops.

In addition to the factor that some generals were drawing salaries without doing any work, a large part of the problem was that officers and soldiers deserted.

Just like the Xuanfu Town today.

The original plan was to have 151,452 officers and soldiers in the cavalry and infantry battalion, but now Ma Fang, the general commander of Xuanfu Town, has no more than 90,000 available combat soldiers.

Lan Yongzhen's mind was moved, and he subconsciously said, "The guest Yan who is in charge of military supplies?"

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

Yang Bo immediately looked at Lan Yongzhen with a gloomy gaze and smiled: "Oh? Are you familiar with Guest Yan?"

It wouldn't be surprising if he only knew Yan Shaoting, but judging from Lan Yongzhen's tone, it was clear that he knew Yan Shaoting.

Lan Yongzhen raised his head and a look flashed across his face.

Then he laughed dryly and said, "I came to Beijing the year before last and met Guest Yan once at the Ministry of Revenue."

"Just a brief encounter?"

Yang Bo muttered in a low voice, then waved his hand and said, "Let's say De Xin asked you to come to the capital in person to deliver the news to me this time, but what do you need me to do?"

In fact, Yang Bo knew it very well in his heart.

What does Lan Yongzhen's appearance in front of him mean?

But he still wanted to ask it himself.

Lan Yongzhen had a calm expression and said, "The commander-in-chief has presented this urgent report to the emperor in the hope that the court will know the military situation and allocate money and food. But the commander-in-chief also hopes that Minister Yang can speak for the stability of the border wall in Xuanfu Town in the court, so that the money and food can be sent to Xuanfu, so that the commander-in-chief can recruit soldiers locally to replenish the border wall and repair the border wall garrisons from Chaigou Fort to Longmenso."

Although he knew that this was the reason why Lan Yongzhen came here to ask for money, Yang Bo still couldn't help but sigh.

Yang Bo frowned and held his breath.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

The sounds come out one by one.

After a while.

Yang Bo just spoke slowly: "The court has basically decided this year that money and grain will be allocated to each town..."

Lan Yongzhen immediately clasped his fists and said, "General, I hope that the court can allocate an additional 300,000 taels of silver this year to recruit soldiers and repair the border walls and garrisons."

"what!"

Yang Bo spoke out immediately, looking straight at Lan Yongzhen.

Three hundred thousand taels.

Yang Bo's brows suddenly frowned, as if they could crush a walnut.

He asked in a deep voice, word by word: "What is Ma Fang going to do!"

According to the imperial court's regulations, Xuanfu Town was required to provide 120,000 taels of silver for its main soldiers and 205,000 taels of silver for its guest soldiers each year.

The total military pay for Xuanfu Town is 325,000 taels. In addition to this, additional funds need to be allocated for military supplies, food, and money for repairing border walls and garrisons. All together, it costs about 500,000 taels a year.

Now Ma Fang asked for another 300,000 taels of silver.

This is 60% of the original annual expenditure.

If it were in previous years, even if the situation at the border was urgent, it would only be an additional 100,000 taels of silver.

Lan Yongzhen glanced at Yang Bo's expression.

He whispered, "Before I entered the capital, the general ordered that if I could not get 300,000 taels of silver, if the minister could intercede for Xuanfu Town in the court and get 200,000 taels of silver, Xuanfu Town would surely be as stable as a rock this year and would never allow the bandits from outside the pass to invade!"

This means that the court has to spend money to ensure safety.

But no matter whether it was 300,000 taels or 200,000 taels, Yang Bo knew very well that this was impossible.

At least for now, the bandits from the Anda tribe outside the Great Wall have not yet invaded, and the court will never increase additional expenses at this time.

Yang Bo frowned and said, "What I just mentioned to you, what guest Yan proposed at the imperial meeting, the court will probably send a letter to each town soon. According to the plan at that time, Xuanfu Town will be able to replace a batch of firearms this year, with a total price of at least 80,000 taels, including cannons and muskets. The salary for the replacement personnel will probably be 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver."

This is about 150,000 taels.

Moreover, the 80,000 taels of firearms are a long-term investment.

For at least three to five years, all these firearms cannot be broken.

After hearing this, Lan Yongzhen stopped talking.

Yang Bo's frown never relaxed.

After a long time.

He saw Lan Yongzhen still kneeling on one knee on the ground, and then he waved his hand.

"I am aware of this matter."

"You have been traveling all the way, so stay at Huitong Hall first."

Lan Yongzhen then raised his head and said, "Then..."

Yang Bo's face tightened: "The issue of money and grain is a major matter in the court. Wait for my news!"

Lan Yongzhen's expression changed slightly: "Minister... the border is in a hurry..."

Yang Bo looked at Lan Yongzhen calmly.

"Ok?"

Just a sound.

Lan Yongzhen immediately shut his mouth and clasped his hands together.

"I will obey my orders."

"Then wait in the capital for the minister to summon you again."

…………

Monthly PassMonthly Pass
　In fact, my godfathers are all aware of my recent physical condition, and I really have no control over it.

　　But I feel much better today, and there will be another chapter updated later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)