The difficulty of raising an army not only plagued Zhao Jun in Yunzhou County, but also a big problem that could not be avoided by the Great Song Dynasty.

Although the Great Song Dynasty has thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, the border line is extremely long, which represents the vast territory, but it also means that there are many foreign enemies, and each border line has great defensive pressure.

This forced the imperial court to invest heavily in the border of the four sides every year to raise a border army.

Since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, the high military expenditure of the border army has always been a major problem in the Great Song Dynasty.

In order to feed these million troops, the annual military expenditure has been maintained at nearly 30 million taels.

If it is encountered, such as changing clothes, major wars, etc., it is not impossible for the military expenditure of that year to reach nearly 50 million taels!

A quarter of the revenue of the treasury when the finances are healthy, what a staggering amount at this time?

A quarter of the dynasty's tax revenue is used to support the army, but you still have to pay this money, no more!

It is impossible for a country to spend money only on the army, but also on the income of officials, the operating funds of administrative agencies, the annual disaster relief in various parts of the country, the repair of river embankments, and the construction of projects.

In a good time, the balance of several million taels of silver left in the imperial court every year is a lot for an individual, but for a court it is just a small amount of money.

But for the Great Song Dynasty, most of the time it is in Yin to eat grain, this year to eat next year, next year to eat the year after tomorrow, the disaster is increasing day by day, the financial pressure is also intensifying day by day, coupled with corruption in various places, land annexation and other reasons, these years the Great Song Dynasty's national situation is getting worse and worse, year after year.

This year is even more so.

Bianliang, also known as Bianjing, was the capital of the Great Song Dynasty.

In the palace, Emperor Zhao Duan of the Song Dynasty was furious in the Funing Palace!

"Ask for money, ask for money, ask for money! Everywhere they are looking for me for money, and every day I know that I want money!

When dealing with political affairs, everyone pushes two, two, two, and three, and when they ask for money, they are positive!

What's the matter, I am used as a money bag? If they come and ask for me, they will give it out?!

There was a big drought in Liaobei County, and half of the prefectures and counties in the county were all affected, and they hid it again and again, until they couldn't hide it anymore, and then they reported it, and in the end, they didn't have any money to let me give them money, and they waited where I gave money!

I can't handle anything, what else do I want them to do?

Everything has to be dealt with by me, so just drive them all home to farm and pick up the children!

Rubbish! Rubbish! It's all rubbish! ”

Whoa!

A bunch of twists and turns were pushed and scattered all over the place by the angry Zhao Duan.

The eunuchs waiting on the side were all trembling, and they didn't dare to come forward at this time to find themselves uncomfortable.

After venting for a while, his reason gradually returned, and Zhao Duan sat back in his chair out of breath to rest, calming down the riotous heart.

The great eunuch Cao Shuang saw that the official family had finally finished venting, and hurriedly brought a cup of warm tea at the right temperature to moisten the throat of the official family, and then whispered comforting on the side: "Don't be angry, it's not worth it to be angry with these stupid officials!" ”

Zhao Duan no longer had any etiquette, drank the tea in the cup in one gulp, and snorted coldly: "Hmph! These idiots, I don't know how they passed the scientific examination back then, and now they are all corpse vegetarians, and they have a hand in concealing the local crisis, so they are helpless to solve them all! ”

After saying that, as if he remembered something, he asked, "What have the fourth and fifth children been doing recently?" ”

Cao Shuang thought for a while and replied:

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to study with Taifu and Master Taifu every day as usual, and he will go to Kunning Palace to ask for peace when he wakes up in the morning.

The Fourth Princes and the Fifth Princes have also been quiet these days, and they have not attacked each other as they did some time ago. ”

After hearing this, Zhao Duan immediately sneered: "Of course the two of them have been honest during this time, they have not installed less people in Liaobei County, and now they can't escape if something happens, at this time, if you don't be honest and jump up and down, are you afraid that it won't hinder my eyes?"

As for the crown prince, as a prince, how can he only bury his head in his studies every day and not ask about the affairs of the court. That's scholarly behavior, not good.

You wait for me to pass on the edict, so that the crown prince will listen to the government with me from tomorrow, and after the court meeting, he will review the chapter with me to increase his ability to deal with political affairs! ”

"Slave obeys!"

Cao Shuang answered, and then thought of something, and was a little hesitant not to know whether to say it or not.

Zhao Duan suddenly lost his breath when he saw him like this: If there is anything, what are you thinking?

"The emperor forgives the sin, it's the slave's fault!"

Cao Shuang first confessed, and then said slowly: "Emperor, there is news from the Imperial City Division that the pass near Yunzhou County in Liaobei County opened an opening a few days ago. ”

Cao Shuang said this while carefully observing Zhao Duan's expression.

Zhao Duan, who was gradually regaining his composure just now, frowned when he heard this!

The pass has opened an opening!

What does this mean, a large number of people are allowed to come in or out at the border gates!

If this had been placed fifty years ago, it would have been appropriate for the border guards to surrender the steppe Tatars and release the Tatar army into the pass.

But now, there is one more county in addition to Liaobei County, Yunzhou County.

This means that a large number of people have entered Liaobei County from Yunzhou County, or from Liaobei County to Yunzhou County.

Whatever it is, it's not a trivial matter.

Zhao Duan immediately asked in a deep voice: "Let's be clear, which side is the opening for?!" ”

"Kannai."

Cao Shuang spit out two words.

Kannai, that is, a large number of people were released from Kannai.

Zhao Duan understood Cao Shuang's meaning and asked, "Who?" ”

Zhao Duan only asked one word, but Cao Shuang understood who the emperor was asking, and immediately replied: "Four princes!" ”

"Fourth?"

Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, but then he showed a sudden look.

No wonder! No wonder!

Sneered: "I said, most of Liaobei County has been affected, why is there no news from Jinzhou Mansion in a disaster-stricken area, I still think that they are still holding on and not reporting, and it won't be long before a fold comes up."

I didn't expect it, I didn't expect the fourth child to drive all the victims in the territory to Yunzhou County, no wonder, only he could do this.

I remember that the guard of Liaoyun Pass is Ding An, right? ”

Cao Shuang immediately agreed: "It is indeed the Marquis of Ningbei." ”

This Ningbei Hou Ding An is none other than the third uncle of the mother family of the four princes, and only this relationship can allow Ding An to take the risk of violating the imperial court decree to help the four princes send the disaster Ning out of the pass.

"Yunzhou County...... Yunzhou County ......"

Zhao Duan's index finger tapped lightly on the table, and suddenly asked, "I remember that Yunzhou County is the domain of the sixth child, right?" ”

Cao Shuang nodded.

Zhao Duan suddenly sighed.

It's been five years, and it's been five years since the sixth child became a vassal!

Although I haven't paid much attention to this child since I was a child, after all, it is my own child, and five years ago, I was thrown by myself to Yunzhou County, a place where birds don't, for some of his own thoughts.

I felt a little guilty in my heart, just a little.

"Haven't these old six complained about anything?"

"Over the years, in addition to the fixed annual salary of the guards on the Yun Wangye's side, the rest is crying poor." Cao Shuang replied in a whisper.

Zhao Duan suddenly became interested, and raised his eyebrows: "Crying poor? How do you cry poorly? "No matter how poor the state and county are, they won't be so poor that he is the vassal king, I remember that every year the Zongren Mansion has been paid on time and there is no arrears, how can he cry poor?" ”

Cao Shuang suddenly smiled and read out the excerpt that Zhao Jun sent to Beijing every year in a joking tone.

"Ask St. Bow Jin'an:

After coming to Yunzhou, Zhao Jun did not forget his father's teachings, did not forget his identity as a vassal king, and worked hard all day long for the prosperity of my Yunzhou County.

However, the roads in Yunzhou County are not smooth, the population is not large, the products are not abundant, the industrial technology is scarce, and the tax revenue is not enough......

……