[[[CP|W:210|H:140|A:C]]] Chapter 28: National Hardship

When the court meeting was restarted, Xu Wei, the head of the household department, was banned from the army and taken to the Qinzheng Palace. There was no matter of the minister's initiation, because everyone could see that there must have been a problem in the audit. And the first thing Empress Dowager Xu has to deal with is this matter.

After the ministers saw the ceremony, the Empress Dowager Xu did not speak, but sat silently on the throne.

The one who made the ministers calm down was Qian Hongzuo, who was not yet in power. Qian Hongzuo, who has always said little in the court, suddenly went against the norm today and took charge of the government. There is no youthful youth, and there is no nervousness when he is in charge for the first time. Qian Hongzuo's face was calm, as if he was not a teenager who was only sixteen years old, but a king who had been in the court for a long time. That noble look, it seems that he was born to be high and look down on the ministers.

Most of the ministers were surprised, so surprised that they wanted to take a good look at Qian Hongzuo to see why this always silent young man could be so extraordinary and calm. But no one dared to stare at Qian Hongzuo, because of the strict etiquette in the court, and because of the coldness in Qian Hongzuo's tone. Although Qian Hongzuo has been the monarch for two years, because he rarely speaks, he never interacts with the ministers alone, everything is the agent of the Empress Dowager Xu, and most of the courtiers in the Wuyue court feel that he is far inferior to Qian Hongxu, the prince who is most likely to inherit the throne. When Qian Hongzuo was the prince, he was quite courteous to the courtiers and had the demeanor of a benevolent monarch, but Qian Hongzuo gave them the impression that he was too young and didn't know how to be the lord of the country, and he was relatively distant from his subordinates.

Qian Hongzuo said sternly: "Everyone, in recent days, King Gu has personally counted the accounts of the household, and the results are really shocking!" In the past three years, the accounts of my Wu Yue Kingdom have not only had no surplus, but have spent a lot of silver taels from the treasury that my grandfather and father had saved during their reign. But the people's taxes were heavier than they were during the reign of his father. Then he asked Xu Weidao, the head of the household department: "Lord Xu, as the head of the household department, can you explain the reason for the lonely king?" ”

Xu Wei, the head of the household department, was pressed by Qian Hongzuo's momentum, sweating coldly, and said in a low voice: "Since the fire in Hangzhou City, it is necessary to repair the palace and help the people, so it is difficult for the treasury to have a surplus. ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "It is indeed expensive to repair the palace and give relief to the people, but the proportion is not large. After the count of the lonely king, the taxes collected were allocated to military expenses in seven or eight out of ten. Let me ask you, why is the amount of rations you pay to the Ministry of War more than twice as high as the quoted? ”

Xu Wei replied: "After the household department allocated the soldiers' rations, the finches and rats suffered huge losses, and the military department sought compensation from the household department due to insufficient food. The household department has to pay additional according to the need. ”

Qian Hongzuo said sharply: "Lord Xu, in this way, half of the military rations you allocated are used as the soldiers' meals, and the other half is fed to sparrows and mice. The loss is so huge, have you ever investigated whether it was the dereliction of duty of your household department, or the military department? ”

Xu Wei is a close confidant of Dai Yun, the generalissimo of soldiers and horses, and it was by virtue of Dai Yun's power that he became the head of the household department. He didn't dare to shirk his responsibility to the military department, so he had to kneel down and say: "It's the dereliction of duty of Weichen." ”

Qian Hongzuo looked at Xu Wei, who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes were even more confident, and he asked: "Lord Xu, in the past two years, the Queen Mother and the Lone King have approved military expenditures every year, but your household department has issued a lot more than approved, why is this?" ”

Xu Wei looked at Dai Yun who was sitting on the Taishi's chair, and wanted to stop talking.

Qian Hongzuo urged angrily: "Lord Xu, the lonely king is asking you, why don't you answer?" ”

Xu Wei hurriedly said: "It's because the rated military expenditure is not enough, so Marshal Dai ordered me to add it." ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "What kind of money is the additional reward allocated to the military department?" ”

Xu Wei said: "It's the name listed by the Ministry of War, what exactly is it, Weichen doesn't ask." ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "Since you don't know, then let the Lone King tell you." The bounty is given to my father during the reign of his father, who died many soldiers in the war with the Tang State, and gave them compensation for their casualties. Because the name is unlucky, so it is named the bounty, since the lone king ascended the throne, there has never been a war, why is the bounty still a huge amount of 10 million taels a year, issued to the military department? ”

Xu Wei said in a trembling voice: "The minister is ignorant, and he thinks that the reward is customary silver, so it is issued as usual every year." ”

Qian Hongzuo shouted: "Do you know the value of your 'foolishness'? Thou hast paid an extra reward for four years in a row, worth forty million taels of silver. ”

There was a burst of head-to-ear voices in the court, because the amount of silver was too huge.

Qian Hongzuo asked again: "Then what is the purpose of the 'shipbuilding fee', does Lord Xu still not know?" ”

Xu Wei swallowed his saliva and said reluctantly: "It's the cost of the military department to build warships." ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "This money is also not the usual silver, but you give it out every year." After the war with the Tang State, our country lost many warships. The first king was afraid that the strength of the naval division would be weakened, so he ordered a thousand new warships, and this money was called the shipbuilding fee, which was issued to the Ministry of War that year, and then you issued it every year, do you want to make Taihu Lake full of warships? ”

Xu Wei was speechless, and there was silence in the court. Qian Hongzuo didn't ask any more questions, just looked at Xu Wei with cold eyes.

Finally, Dai Yun, the generalissimo of the soldiers and horses, stood up from the Taishi's chair. exonerated Xu Wei and said: "Holy Lord, the military expenditure approved by the Queen Mother and you is too small, and it is really difficult to support, so I discussed with the household department to increase the military expenditure." Although there may be some mistakes and omissions in the name, they are all used in the army of Wu Yueguo, and Wu Yueguo has been able to have this peaceful situation in recent years because our country's soldiers are strong and strong. ”

Qian Hongzuo said awe-inspiringly: "Marshal Dai, it is your duty if you want to strengthen the army. And the lonely king is asking about the duties of the household department, Marshal Dai, please take a seat. ”

Dai Yun couldn't refute, so he had to sit down again.

With Dai Yun's support, Xu Wei relieved himself a little and said, "Indeed, as Marshal Dai said, the former king once instructed his ministers to ensure military supplies. If a military aircraft is delayed, it shall be punished by military law. ”

Qian Hongzuo asked rhetorically: "When did the first king instruct you?" But what did he entrust on his deathbed? Where is the edict? ”

Xu Wei argued: "Although there is no edict, it is an edict to Wei Chen in front of the Manchu Dynasty civil and military. ”

Qian Hongzuo briefly asked, "When?" ”

Xu Wei said: "It was when Weichen had just become the head of the household department. ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "That year, because Marshal Dai was going to go on an expedition, my father entrusted you to ensure that there was enough grain and grass, right?" "When Qian Hongzuo's father Qian Chuanqian was in power, Wu Yueguo was at war with the Tang State, and Dai Yunlin, who was still the general of the Eight Divisions at that time, asked for the removal of the former head of the household department on the grounds of poor financing of grain and grass, and recommended Xu Wei to take over.

Qian Hongzuo angrily reprimanded: "How can wartime be compared with normal? If Marshal Dai feels that the military budget is insufficient and asks you to increase the expenses, you can propose it to the Queen Mother and King Gu, and then allocate it after the court's approval is granted. What is the reason for your assertions? ”

Xu Wei was silent again.

Qian Hongzuo said hatefully: "The taxes collected by the household department are the blood and sweat of the people. You are in charge of finances and are the lifeblood of the country. Without the king's order, he allocated a huge amount of money without permission, and he couldn't even tell the purpose, if you did this, where did Wu Yue rise and fall? Where did the people of Li live and die? Now that the country is poor and the people are poor, what crime should you be guilty of? ”