Chapter 226: The Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War Refuses to Trade with Anyone!

Inside the Qianqing Hall.

Wang Ziteng detailed his actions in Jingying, and he harbored no worry about the impeachment raised by Emperor Jing Sheng Di.

Perhaps only two things gave him some concern:

First, Jia Jing rose too quickly and too powerfully, so that at this point he had completely lost any intention of contending with him.

He wondered whether the young Jia Jing, after gaining power, would strike back at him.

Second, in order to leverage the Jia Family's connections in Jingying, he courted a branch of Ning Guo Fu to enter the camp and assist in reorganizing the troops.

Originally it was agreed to secure a fifth‑rank Colonel for Jia Rong, but Jia Zhen, ever since his father's death, has gone mad for some unknown reason.

Shizi spoke up, saying he also wanted a post in Jingying and demanded at least a viscount‑level military title afterward.

To ensure the smooth reorganization of Jingying, he had to feign compliance and recommend Jia Zhen into Jingying as his deputy.

But the man was insatiably greedy, never restrained, secretly demanding money and making promises at random, causing him a great deal of trouble.

Fortunately, with Jingying's reorganization now on track, Wang Ziteng was already planning to find an opportunity to kick the father‑son pair out of Jingying.

As for promises, sorry, the Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War does not negotiate deals with anyone!

Inside the hall,

As Wang Ziteng spoke, especially mentioning "Red‑Hearted Loyal Soul," Emperor Jing Sheng Di's strained complexion softened a bit.

He gave a faint "Hmm," did not state his position immediately, and turned to Chen Tingjing beside him, saying:

"Chief Counselor, the reorganization of Jingying hinges on provisions; as long as the salary silver is disbursed on time, it should alleviate most soldiers' grievances and unease."

"You, overseeing the Ministry of Revenue, must give more support to Wang Qing in provisions, helping him swiftly turn Jingying into a fighting force."

"When Jingying's reorganization is complete, it can be expanded, using the Five Military Governor's Office to straighten out local prefectures and Guard Posts."

"Then rotate the Nine‑Border Armies into Shenjing for intensive training, sweeping away old corruption, and fully restoring our Da Han troops to their former glorious state."

Upon saying this, Emperor Jing Sheng Di's expression could not help but show some excitement.

As long as Jingying's reorganization finishes, with two hundred thousand fresh troops in hand, Shenjing City will be as solid as a golden broth.

At that time, with the military reorganization and the implementation of New Policies proceeding together, Da Han will truly be not far from another resurgence!

Beside them, Zhang Tingyu watched Emperor Jing Sheng Di's face light with delight, his eyes flashing as he silently shook his head.

He might not fully grasp the north‑west affairs involving Jia Jing, but he was quite clear about matters in Shenjing City.

Wang Ziteng, a civil official of modest reputation, was nevertheless making sweeping reforms within Jingying.

His style was radical, his actions harsh, unpopular, and the risk of a soldier mutiny later was not small.

The founding line's martial merits are deep, having managed Jingying for many years; how could they be so easily manipulated?

As far as he knew, in recent days Jingying had already seen several disturbances.

Even yesterday, some dismissed Jingying soldiers blocked the doors of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Governor's Office, causing a commotion!

But they were simply suppressed by Wang Ziteng.

There was also the third‑rank Valiant General Jia Zhen of the Ning Guo Fu, whom Wang Ziteng invited into Jingying to assist with reorganization; he is a debauched drunkard who knows nothing of military affairs.

In Jingying he collected money for tasks, causing great resentment among officers and stirring unrest among the troops.

Now Jingying is like a pile of dry firewood, missing only a spark to ignite a great blaze; disaster seems imminent.

Zhang Tingyu glanced at Emperor Jing Sheng Di's uplifted demeanor and chose not to voice his concerns.

First, he did not wish to make enemies without cause and offend Wang Ziteng.

Second, Emperor Jing Sheng Di's spirits were clearly stirred by the north‑west battle, and he did not want to dampen them.

Of course, the most important thing is that Bashang Daying stands there; even if Jingying fell into chaos, it could not cause any major incident.

If something did happen, Bashang Daying could calmly suppress it.

Perhaps it could even be used to thoroughly cleanse Jingying, which is not without both loss and gain.

However, Wang Ziteng might be held accountable for this, but what does that have to do with him!

Beside them, Chen Tingjing listened to Emperor Jing Sheng Di's instructions on allocating Jingying's provisions, and his aged face instantly showed a hint of difficulty as he spoke hoarsely:

"Your Majesty! The Ministry of Revenue truly has no silver left because of this year's north‑west campaign!"

Hearing this, Emperor Jing Sheng Di furrowed his brows, his expression slightly darkening, and said:

"The north‑west has been winning battle after battle, seizing so much money and provisions."

"Since the first batch of provisions was sent, Zi Jie has not asked the court for a single silver piece."

"He sent back five million taels to the court; how could the Ministry of Revenue be without silver?"

Emperor Jing Sheng Di keenly sensed that this was probably a pretext by the ministers to interfere with the north‑west campaign; it was not the first time a minister used a shortage of provisions as a reason to end the north‑west war.

Chen Tingjing calmly explained:

"Although the north‑west sent back five million taels of silver to the capital, two million of those entered Your Majesty's treasury."

"Another two million taels were dispatched to Liaodong and the southwest as military provisions."

"Moreover, since last winter, in Shandong, Henan and other regions, there was no snow in winter; after March of spring, only occasional light rain fell."

"Now that summer has arrived, the drought worsens, and the disaster reports from various provinces have amounted to seven or eight memorials in the past few days!"

Upon saying this, Chen Tingjing paused, then continued in his hoarse voice:

"Just now, the inner cabinet received a second disaster memorial from the Henan Governor Tian Wenjing."

"He reported that in Henan's sixty prefectures and counties, no rain has fallen since summer began; over half the wheat seedlings have withered, and autumn grain cannot be sown."

"He petitioned the court to reduce or waive Henan's taxes this year and to allocate money and provisions for disaster relief."

"The court's revenue is meager, yet expenditures keep rising; the Ministry of Revenue is running a deficit and can hardly continue."

After finishing, Chen Tingjing took Tian Wenjing's memorial from his sleeve, handed it to Xia Shouzhong, who passed it to Emperor Jing Sheng Di.

Emperor Jing Sheng Di opened the memorial and flipped through it; indeed, as Chen Tingjing said, Tian Wenjing mentioned Henan's drought.

"How could this be?" Emperor Jing Sheng Di's face darkened, his gaze carrying a hint of suspicion, his voice a little louder than before:

At the start of the year, I even asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; this year is supposed to be a year of favorable winds and timely rains.

Moreover, I recall that two months ago Henan sent a memorial saying that several rains fell in early spring.

Fang Congzhe, standing to the side, heard this and stepped out of the ranks; his steps were heavy, making a dull sound as he walked inside the hall, and he cupped his hands and said:

Your Majesty! Although Henan saw rain in early spring, it was only light rain, merely moistening the ground.

As the old saying goes, spring rain is as precious as oil, but those few light rains don't even amount to an oil spot.

It can now be foreseen that this year's summer grain and tax harvest will surely be a poor yield.

The cabinet has calculated these past few days; it will be more than thirty percent lower than last year's lowest, and everywhere needs to build waterworks and provide disaster relief, all of which require money.

The court now faces continual internal troubles; the state is weak and the people exhausted, and it truly cannot afford further turmoil.

At the very least, we need three to five years to rest and recuperate, lighten corvée and taxes, implement the New Policies, and accumulate national strength.

Only thus can we make the people settle in their homes and find joy in their work, while the state becomes strong and prosperous and the surrounding barbarians submit of their own accord.