After eating absentmindedly, Zhao Ting hurried back to his home, and went to call Luo Sha, the commander of the town navy.

The town navy is a box army, and no one thinks that the box army can fight these days.

The only role of these Qiu Ba is to serve for a hundred servants.

Repair bridges and pave roads, dig rivers and build bridges......

Do everything, but don't fight.

If you don't fight, you naturally don't need to practice, so Luo Sha, as the commander of the capital, lives in the mansion of the county all day long.

It didn't take long for Luo Sha to enter the study under the leadership of the housekeeper.

"I've seen Zhao Xianggong, I don't know what Zhao Xianggong is calling for humiliation?"

Luo Sha bowed and bowed, and his posture was extremely low.

In terms of official positions, he is the commander of the army and horses of a state, and he is a five-grade official.

But in front of Zhao Ting, the governor of the state, he is not as good as the county and the main book.

At this moment, Luo Sha was worried in his heart, and he didn't know what Zhao Ting's purpose was for calling him late at night.

Zhao Ting didn't speak, and Luo Sha didn't dare to get up, so he bowed down and maintained a saluting posture.

After a while, Zhao Ting slowly spoke: "How many soldiers does the town navy have now?" ”

Luo Sha chuckled in his heart and quietly glanced at Zhao Ting.

Seeing that his face was not sad or happy, Luo Sha swallowed his saliva and replied: "Prime minister, the number of soldiers in the town navy used to be 12,600, but it is really ...... It was 8,500 people. ”

"Huh."

The corners of Zhao Ting's mouth hooked up a sneer, and he said gloomily: "Are you sure? ”

Luo Sha was shocked, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he hurriedly changed his words: "The prince forgives the sins, and the humble duty is wrong, but it is really 5,300 people." ”

Picking up a cup of hot tea and taking a shallow sip, Zhao Ting said, "Think again!" ”

At this moment, Luo Sha was really panicked.

He didn't know why Zhao Ting suddenly wanted to rectify him, and the filial piety money he should give every month was nothing.

Luo Sha's brain turned sharply, and he kept thinking nonsense.

Zhao Ting was not in a hurry, and tasted tea slowly.

For a while, Luo Sha only felt an invisible pressure rushing towards his face.

After a while, he turned his heart on the side and replied truthfully: "It is really one...... Eighteen hundred! ”

It is a common practice to eat empty salaries in the army, do not eat empty salaries, do not drink the blood of soldiers, how can their generals eat fragrant and spicy food, and how to find concubines?

Even if it is the three on Qin Feng's road, they still eat empty salaries and drink the blood of soldiers.

It's just that the seed master Dao and others are not so exaggerated, 100,000 Western troops, and the empty salary is only about 10,000 or 20,000.

Luo Sha is quite outrageous, the town has 12,600 soldiers, but the actual number of soldiers is only 1,800, almost 89 out of ten.

"That's right, just tell the truth in front of this official, don't be careful."

Yes?

Luo Sha was stunned.

Zhao Ting's words, as well as his tone, didn't seem to be holding him accountable.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but raise his head and said with a flattering smile: "How dare you deceive the minister, but I just drank some wine, my brain is dizzy, and I can't remember clearly for a while." ”

Zhao Ting smiled noncommittally, and asked casually, "Can you still practice in the army?" ”

Sensing that Zhao Ting didn't want to do it himself, Luo Sha suddenly became more bold, and replied truthfully: "When Governor Zhang was here, he practiced a few times, but now it has been a long time since he practiced. ”

More than a year ago, when Zhang Shuye served as the governor of Qingzhou, he had reorganized the army.

As a result, when he arrived at the town's naval barracks, he was immediately angry, and he beheaded the deputy commander on the spot.

Frightened, Luo Sha patted his chest and promised to recruit soldiers within ten days.

As a result, it didn't take long for Zhang Shuye to be appointed to the prefect of Jinan.

After Zhao Ting took over and found out his character, Luo Sha dismissed all the newly recruited soldiers and continued to eat empty salaries.

Zhao Ting asked again: "How is the ordnance preserved?" ”

Luo Sha replied: "The ordnance has been stored in the arsenal, and most of it has fallen into disrepair. ”

Most of it is damaged?

That's all money!

Zhao Ting's face was gloomy, and he asked in an unkind tone: "How many are left in good condition, tell me the truth!" ”

"More than 100 pieces of iron armor, more than 300 pieces of leather armor, more than 800 knives and spears, 600 bows, and 200 crossbows."

It was also thanks to Uncle Zhang's reorganization of the army in the previous two years, otherwise he really didn't know how many ordnance there was in the arsenal that could be used.

The armament of the Northern Song Dynasty Xiang Army was very scarce, even if it was iron armor, it was not the armor of the whole body, but the half-body armor, only the iron armor was inlaid on the chest, and the shoulders and thighs were bamboo.

Such iron armor is enough to deal with bandits, but it can't go to the battlefield.

"Gone?"

Zhao Ting's action of drinking tea was sluggish.

"It's gone."

Luo Sha shook his head.

Syllable!

Zhao Ting put down the teacup heavily, his brows furrowed: "The huge town navy, the armor is only five hundred, and the swords and guns are less than a thousand?" ”

"Zhao Xianggong, Xiang Jun was born to a concubine, and these ordnance was left over from the reign of Emperor Shenzong." Luo Sha screamed and hit the sky.

He really wasn't to blame.

Emperor Shenzong has been around for decades, and it is already very good that he still has these weapons left.

As for the annual appropriation of the imperial court, when it fell into his hands, there were few eldest sons.

Luo Sha faintly tasted some flavors, this is again asking about drills, and about ordnance, isn't it going to war?

Thinking of this, he hurriedly laughed: "Xianggong also knows what kind of virtue the Xiang army is, these pickled people can only be coolies, how can they fight!" ”

Zhao Ting took a deep breath and ordered: "You have been working hard in the past two days, looking for some craftsmen, and repairing some ordnance that is not seriously damaged, and this official will be of great use at that time." ”

"Despicable."

Luo Sha hurriedly responded.

Zhao Ting waved his hand: "You can step down." ”

"Retire from your duties."

After saluting again, Luo Sha walked out of the study in a daze.

After he left, Zhao Ting picked up the pen and began to write letters.

……

……

Following.

Early in the morning, a long caravan left the county seat.

The situation is not peaceful at the moment, so Han Zhen also sent more than 100 soldiers to escort him.

Now there are frequent uprisings, and the bandits on various hills are also ready to move, and if they are robbed halfway, they will lose all their money.

The channel has already been negotiated, and these refined salts will be divided into three batches and sent to Zichuan, Yidu and Qiancheng respectively.

After it was delivered, it was immediately more than 40,000 yuan in the account.

In addition to 30% of this money in Changzhi County, the rest of the money was purchased on the spot to buy grain, pig iron, coal, coarse salt and other materials, and then transported back.

Come and go, two or three days at most.

In the hall of the county government, Han Zhen was reading the letter sent by Zhao Ting urgently.

"This Zhao Ting has wronged me?"

Han Zhen laughed angrily and threw away the letter in his hand.

Fu Bo on the side picked up the letter and handed it to Changzhi County.

At a glance, Chang Zhixian raised his eyebrows lightly and looked weird.

It is no wonder that Han Zhen is so angry, Zhao Ting is no longer a lion with a big mouth, but a sky-high asking price, half of the iron armor needs one hundred and twenty times, forty times leather armor, ten times long knives and spears, and as for the strong crossbow, it is an exaggerated twenty times.

You know, the price of ordnance was linked to the price of steel at the time.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the output of steel was small, and the price of a pair of Mingguang armor was naturally expensive.

But at present, the output of iron and steel is high, and a pound of pig iron on the market is only thirty or fifty yuan, coupled with the maturity of various forging technologies and processes, the cost of ordnance is several times lower than that of the Tang Dynasty.

Take the iron armor of the infantry army as an example, a pair of full armor including a cape, hanging legs, body armor and a skull, the minimum weight is 38 catties, counting the loss, only the material money of pig iron, it is less than five times.

Even if you count the manual and miscellaneous material costs, it is thirty times the sky.

One hundred and twenty yuan is enough for him to build four full-body iron armors!

Earlier, when Songshan Ridge was laid, Han Zhen had asked Yuan Blacksmith about the manufacturing prices of various weapons and ordnance, and he basically knew it.

For example, a strong crossbow is not difficult to manufacture, and the cost is also very low, the cost of a good crossbow will not exceed two yuan, and an arrow is seventy yuan.

Folding the letter and tucking it into the cuffs, Chang Zhixian wondered: "Zhao Ting, is this not going to sell you, or is you sure that you are in urgent need of armament?" ”

The price offered was too outrageous, which made him a little unsure of Zhao Ting's meaning for a while.

Han Zhen sneered: "I think he just wants money and wants to go crazy!" ”

"How are you doing?"

Chang Zhixian asked.

Han Zhen groaned: "Dry him for a few days first, if Zhao Ting doesn't react, it means that he really doesn't plan to sell." ”

"It's okay to wait and see."

Changzhi County Fusu nodded in agreement.

After chatting a few more words, Han Zhen walked out of the lobby and came all the way to the thin hall.

He and Chang Zhixian are very busy now.

Changzhi County is responsible for civil affairs, lightly paying for the meager endowment, building water conservancy, and reclaiming wasteland.

Originally, there were many fugitives in the mountains, but a while ago, due to the collection of Ding's body money, coupled with the rebellion of the Montenegrin bandits, many people fled into the mountains as fugitives.

The population of Linzi County is already small, and there are fewer people after such a toss.

Some villages have even run out of the house and become dead villages.

At present, Changzhi County is sending officials and ordinary people into the mountains to publicize in an attempt to attract the fugitives from the mountains.

But so far, the results are not very good.

When the fugitive in the mountains saw the servant, he ran faster than his mother rabbit, and let the yawren say that the sky was falling, and he would not go down the mountain if he lived or died.

Changzhi County intends to change its strategy and change its approach.

Han Zhen took the scribe and the tax collector to check the accounts.

Because the accounts in the county were too chaotic and complicated in the past, and the heads of people who watched them hurt, Han Zhen simply abandoned them and rebuilt the accounting system.

Han Zhen first set up a general ledger that included the assets of the county.

Under the general ledger, it is subdivided into several sub-accounts based on villages, among which Xiaowang Village and Songshan Village are also included.

After waiting to be done, all the accounts are clear at a glance.

……

For two days.

Zhao Ting waited left and right, but he couldn't wait for Han Zhen's reply, and he felt a little uneasy.

So, he repaired another book.

Maybe he himself felt that the price was a little outrageous, and took the initiative to reduce it a little.

Well, it's really just a little lower, and the iron armor has dropped from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and ten.

When he received the letter, Han Zhen was reconciling accounts with the scribe in the Bo Hall.

After opening the letter and glancing at it, he tore it to shreds and threw it into the paper basket.

Gollum!

The scribe swallowed, and was secretly horrified.

He clearly saw that on the letterhead, there was the Great Seal of Zhizhou.

Zhizhou also had dealings with the county magistrate.

Throwing away the letter, Han Zhen continued: "The accounts of Xiaowang Village are wrong, you can take someone to go there, and when you arrive, you can find Zhu Zhengze, and he will cooperate with you to settle the accounts." ”

"Order!"

The scribe clenched his fists and hurried out of the thin hall.

At this moment, a servant trotted in, looking anxious and said: "County magistrate, dare to besiege Qiancheng County with the Blazing Army, Zhu Yuanwai is now trapped in the city and can't come back!" ”

(End of chapter)