This is the second time that Zhang Qiang has brought together all the high-level leaders, and it is also the first time that the members of the two joint meetings have been convened for the first joint meeting.

"Admiral Wei Wuji proposed to increase the salary of soldiers, do you have any opinions after reading the bill?" Zhang Qiang looked at the people of the two joint meetings sitting on both sides and asked.

Mi Chun stood up, "My lord, seeing that the soldiers' salaries are so low, I also think that the soldiers' salaries should be raised, but unfortunately, this year's taxes in Jinhua Mansion may not be able to meet the military's proposal." ”

"Why?" Zhang Qiang asked.

Mi Chun motioned to his follower master behind him to take the account book, opened the account book, and then read: "Jinhua Mansion has accepted 230,000 refugees who have fled this year, plus the original 220,000 people, and the actual population of Jinhua Mansion is now 500,000. ”

"Oh-" Zhang Qiang heard He Jin exclaim.

Mi Chun was not affected by him, but continued: "In addition, there are 8,000 militiamen in Jinhua Mansion and more than 5,000 garrison troops, and these people all need military salaries from all counties in Jinhua Prefecture, even if it was a lower military salary in the past, until now, it cost 30,000 taels, and in addition to building a recruit training camp, their food and grass supplies cost 110,000 taels, and the prisoner camp houses prisoners, transports materials, and adds various materials and weapons, which costs 50,000 taels, and a total of 190,000 taels of silver, which is the army. ”

Zhang Qiang's eyes were fascinated, his heart was beating hard, there was no increase in military salaries, the expenditure of the troops was so large, this is not an expenditure of military salaries, and other parties are needed to cooperate to make the army operate, and the military expenditure attributed to the government is so large, which has exceeded his expectations.

Mi Chun continued: "In addition, this year, the government will spend 180,000 taels on settling the refugees, 150,000 taels for ransom landlords' land, and 100,000 taels for clothes, food, houses, and farm tools, for a total of 268,000 taels. ”

That's a lot more than that.

And then there's that.

Mi Chun continued: "Jinhua Mansion is operated as the capital of the Jinhua Rebel Army, Jinhua Mansion bears all the military expenses of the Jinhua Rebel Army, this expenditure is a total of 580,000 taels of silver, and another 200,000 taels are allocated to the Taizhou Government, 300,000 taels are allocated to the arsenal, 100,000 taels are allocated to the artillery factory you are preparing to build, 100,000 taels are allocated to the Jinhua Mansion Factory, there are 200,000 taels of factories in the other two prefectures, and 110,000 taels are allocated for the construction of fortifications facing the Qing army,......,

Zhang Qiang has already covered his face, he doesn't know that firewood and rice are expensive, so a total of 1.49 million taels, and the others add up to 1.6 million taels, Jinhua Mansion bears the responsibility of the capital of the Jinhua Righteous Army, this expenditure really makes Zhang Qiang embarrassed, dumbfounded, and can't move hundreds of thousands of taels of large expenses, is this still something he can afford?

Mi Chun finally calculated that in a year and a half since the establishment of the Jinhua Righteous Army, the expenditure reached 2.3 million taels.

"What income do we have that can offset these expenses?" Zhang Qiang asked.

Mi Chun took a breath, "My lord, we captured 100,000 taels for the first time, 200,000 taels for the second time, and 190,000 taels for the third time, which is enough for our expenses in the first half of the year, and in the next year, we already have most of the Jinhua Mansion and Taizhou Mansion, and we have also captured a lot of materials and silver taels, which can offset the food and material needs of the army and the people, as well as the money and property expenses you reward the soldiers, all the major expenses are in the second half of the year to fight with the Qing army and meet the future expenses." ”

"Although we have captured a lot of these two times, and the emperor also rewarded us with one million taels of silver, a total of one million and three hundred thousand taels of silver taels from our Jinhua Mansion, but you dredge the river, although you use prisoners, but the prisoners need to eat, dress, and be guarded by the army, which also requires expenses, repairing roads, building fortifications, repairing the county seat, and building the governor's palace, these expenses are a total of 900,000 taels."

"Since then, it has been used for civil affairs, building new water conservancy facilities, building private schools, and accepting refugees, and the expenditure has exceeded these funds, and in the past year and a half, our tax revenue has only been a meagre 300,000 taels, therefore, my lord, our Jinhua Mansion is now unable to make ends meet."

There was silence.

Zhang Qiang thought for a while, and raised his hand to signal Zhou Congee to report.

Zhou Congee took the master's account book, opened it, looked up and glanced at everyone, his eyes slightly happy.

"My lord, since the Taizhou Mansion was restored eight months ago, it has seized a total of 840,000 taels of silver, 150,000 taels of taxes, 730,000 taels of expenses, and a balance of 250,000 taels. Debriefing is complete. ”

"Finished?" Zhang Qiang also wondered, why is this guy so brief, he was just ready to listen to Mi Chun's nagging, listening to Zhou Congee's nagging, Zhou Congee had already finished speaking, so fast that he couldn't react.

"Yes, my lord, the report is complete." Zhou Congee said proudly.

"Why don't you talk about it carefully, you need to strengthen on that side, and you need everyone's help on that side?" Zhang Qiang asked cautiously.

"My lord, it's not so troublesome, how much money is there, how much money is used, and how much money is left, isn't that enough?" Zhou Congee asked with a strange look.

"Okay, you sit down first." Zhang Qiang pressed his hand on him and motioned for him to sit down.

Then he asked You Haibo: "You Governor's Mansion, what about you?" ”

You Haibo is actually not used to sitting down and discussing problems with everyone, as a Ming Ju person, he is still used to the emperor's monarchs and ministers, but in the face of a circle of young people ruling the Jinhua Volunteer Army, he did not accept, he tried to go to the court to seek a position, but everyone there has a group of classmates, partners, the same year, or something, a gang guy, it is not at all that he can insert as a country hero, so he can only come back and continue to be loyal to Zhang Qiang.

He bowed, "Your Excellency," and then raised his head, without looking at the books, and began to report aloud.

"The state capital now has a total of 340,000 taels of silver, 210,000 taels of taxes, 380,000 taels of silver captured in the previous war, 280,000 taels of silver from the sale of tax materials, and 50,000 taels of silver from the sale of captured fishing boats, grain, weapons and armor."

"Expenses, repairs of the city walls, armor and equipment, feeding the war horses with 80,000 taels of silver; 8,000 militia and 3,000 garrisons, with a total expenditure of 23,000 taels; Clearing the wasteland, attracting refugees, giving porridge to refugees, building houses, and spending 18,000 taels; With the increase in the construction of water conservancy, the excavation of rivers, and the encouragement of agriculture and mulberry farming, the expenses of the yamen are bound to increase significantly, but these expenditures are currently maintained at about 50,000 taels.

Since the recovery of the state capital, for more than half a year now, the state government has spent a total of 560,000 taels of silver, and in general, the expenditure is greater than the income. ”

After speaking, You Haibo sat down.

Zhang Qiang rubbed his forehead and glanced at everyone, everyone frowned, and the expenses were greater than the income.

This was still when most of the work in the territory was contracted to the captives, otherwise these expenses alone would have crushed the prefects at all levels.

In this case, not to mention the increase in military salaries, it can be seen that the income of the prefects and yamen at all levels is mainly the income from the capture of these battles to pay for the operation of the territory, once it is not captured, relying on these official yamen of the Ming Dynasty to operate and make money, the territory has gone bankrupt.

Zhang Qiang continued to rub his forehead, he was not a high-achieving student with an economic degree, he was just a part-time worker, he didn't know how to run a yamen, let alone how to make money.