Chapter 930: The Zhu Emperor Is Finally Out of Money! (Please Subscribe)

"Your Majesty, this subject knows the cost of pacifying the Western Regions has indeed been high, but the Western Regions are simply too vast, too far, and too desolate — there is nothing there, and everything must be shipped in from Hexi and Guanzhong. The military funds allocated by the court are simply not enough. This subject had no choice but to withhold the outfit allowance, mule-and-horse allowance, and marching-ration allowance for over twenty thousand officers and men. If the court cannot make up this sum, this subject fears the Hexi Army and Anxi Army will no longer have the strength to fight..."

The one pouring out his grievances was none other than Wu Sangui!

Prince Dai, Zhu Cijiong, had now been bailed out, while Wu Sangui had fallen into an even bigger financial black hole — the Western Regions!

This was now the Age of Exploration!

The Silk Road through the Western Regions had long been abandoned, so the Western Regions of today bore no comparison whatsoever to the Han and Tang eras. In Han and Tang times, the Silk Road through the Western Regions was lined with wealthy commercial city-states, and the climate there was very humid, with vast oases. Everywhere the Silk Road passed was a fine place of abundant produce and flourishing trade. Thus the armies of the Central Plains dynasties could obtain supplies locally in the Western Regions, without the court having to pour in huge sums to sustain them.

But now things were different. The Western Regions had no prosperous trade routes anymore; few of the once-flourishing city-states remained; and the only oases still fit for cultivation were a handful of places like Hami, Gaochang, and Luntai.

So once Wu Sangui's army marched in, they found there was essentially nothing to plunder. Everything had to be shipped in from Hexi and Guanzhong — money truly flowed like water!

Moreover, the desolation of the Western Regions had also affected Hexi. With trade gone, the Hexi Corridor was no longer a "corridor" at all, but had become an arid, depressed agricultural region, one that was frequently harassed by impoverished small Mongol tribes — a truly headache-inducing place.

Thus Hexi had little surplus strength with which to support Anxi. Supplies could only be hauled thousands of li from Guanzhong to the Anxi front.

Wu Sangui was now so deep in the red he had no way out. He had already prepared his resignation. If the Zhu Emperor refused to give money, he would rather give up the posts of Military Governor and Grand Protector. And even if he wanted to keep them, he could not carry on!

The two deficit-ridden garrisons under his command operated on a military service system different from that of the vast majority of Ming armies — they still used the land-based military service system. Earlier, Old Wu had three hundred and thirty Chiliarchs; now that had been cut to two hundred and forty, which in theory meant two hundred forty thousand military households. If fully mobilized, that would be an army of two hundred forty thousand!

It looked terrifying, but such a mobilization was impossible, because Wu Sangui simply did not have that much money to subsidize them. Without sufficient subsidies, most military households could not even afford to outfit themselves, nor produce marching rations and mules and horses, and so could not serve at all.

Therefore Wu Sangui could only adopt the method of eight households supporting one, maintaining thirty thousand long-service soldiers ready for deployment at any time. This expedition to Anxi had mobilized twenty-four thousand long-service soldiers.

Before setting out, these twenty-four thousand long-service soldiers had to provide their own outfits, marching rations, and mules and horses. If the campaign exceeded the expected duration, Wu Sangui would need to issue outfit allowance, marching-ration allowance, and mule-and-horse allowance to their families to subsidize their livelihood, while also paying the soldiers a certain amount of wages.

If Wu Sangui did not issue the outfit allowance, marching-ration allowance, and mule-and-horse allowance, these long-service soldiers would fall into poverty or even bankruptcy, and would thereafter be unable to serve again!

"Duke of Liang, do not be anxious," Zhu Cilang said. He too knew the debt could not be repudiated, or else the Hexi Army and Anxi Army would cease to exist. "Whatever the amount owed, the court will not pay one copper less. And since the Western Regions campaign has been fought so well, the court will also grant rewards to the officers and men who took part!"

He paused, then asked, "Duke of Liang, how goes the matter of establishing the Anxi Army? Can one hundred twenty Chiliarchs be transferred into Anxi? The northern expedition army has also captured many prisoners — can they be broken up and distributed among the one hundred twenty Chiliarchs entering Anxi?"

Wu Sangui's brow furrowed deeply. "That is one hundred twenty Chiliarchs — at the very least over a hundred thousand households, several hundred thousand people, all to go to Anxi... How easy do you think that is!

Never mind moving them to Kashgar — even moving them to Dunhuang, Hami, Gaochang, Luntai, and such places would cost at least several dozen taels of silver per household to settle. Even a sum of ten million taels might not be enough to cover the expense!

Moreover, because of years of continuous warfare, the Western Regions have long been drained of people and wealth. The cities are ruined, the oases desolate. When this subject led troops in, we would often march two or three hundred li without seeing a single village or town! In a place like this, I fear we cannot expect to collect any taxes from the Western Regions within ten years.

If we are to put down roots in the Western Regions, even just to restore the conditions of Han and Tang times, we would have to pour in over a million taels of silver every year for building cities and waterworks, repairing roads and passes, placating the local powerful clans and notable families, and establishing academies and Buddhist temples. This is simply a bottomless pit!

Furthermore, this subject's Hexi is likewise a barren and impoverished land! Drought and scant rain, poor harvests year after year — it truly has no strength left to support Anxi..."

"Can Hexi and the Western Regions be self-sufficient in grain?" Zhu Cilang did not ask about money at all, because money was not the problem!

In his view, the root of the Great Ming's problems was simply who paid and who labored. Let those with money pay, and let those with strength labor, and the problem would be solved.

As for who had money, that was also plain to see: the Four Jiangs, the Two Hus, Fujian, Guangdong, plus the land of abundance, Sichuan. If those territories could produce a hundred million, the Great Ming would be a celestial empire. Produce fifty million, and the Great Ming would be a golden age of peace. If they would only produce ten million, then the heavens would fall!

But transportation capacity in this era was rather unreliable. For places that could not feed themselves and were inconveniently located, there truly was no good solution.

"The situation in the Western Regions is still unknown, but Hexi can barely feed itself," Wu Sangui said with a mournful face. "Though at times it still needs some supplementation from Guanzhong. But other goods are difficult to supply, and most must be brought in from the Central Plains. Because of the long distances, prices are not cheap. Therefore the military households are mostly impoverished. Previously they could earn a little income by exporting horses, but now that the court has pasturelands south of the Gobi for raising horses, the horse-trading business likely will not last much longer. When that happens, each military household will be unable to make ends meet, and I fear they will no longer be able to bear military service."

"Duke of Liang, you need not worry," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "We have already decided to implement a recruitment system in Hexi and Anxi, while retaining the military households as local militia, so they need not go far from home."

"Recruitment?" Wu Sangui immediately pressed. "May I ask how many standing troops Your Majesty plans to maintain in Hexi and Anxi?"

"Hexi and the Western Regions are vast. Without thirty thousand standing troops, they cannot be held!" Zhu Cilang had long since discussed the military arrangements for Hexi and the Western Regions with the Marshal's Office. "And of these thirty thousand standing troops, the main force must be firearm cavalry. At least half must be firearm cavalry."

Firearm cavalry were the black-musket mule troops, who had displayed their might in the war to pacify the Qing, greatly eroding the Qing army's cavalry advantage.

"That many firearm cavalry..." Wu Sangui was startled by the Zhu Emperor's lavishness. "Your Majesty, the military expenses for Hexi and Anxi will likely reach one and a half million per year!"

Zhu Cilang nodded. "Add another million for Anxi for resettlement and construction, plus this one and a half million — that makes two and a half million!

Furthermore, We make this pact with you: the Anxi Military Governorship shall be hereditary in your Wu family! With twenty thousand recruited troops stationed in Anxi, plus the costs of settling migrants and construction, the court will give two million taels per year!"

"Your Majesty," Wu Sangui said, stunned again and again, "Anxi and Hexi alone will be two and a half million taels per year... And there are still the Shuofang, Anbei, Beiping, Daning, and other military governorships, all of which also require money. Is the court truly that wealthy now?"

Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "Anbei, Beiping, and Daning are not as costly as yours. A little over five million a year will suffice..." He turned and glanced at Zhu Yujian. "Prince of Tang, how much does Shuofang need?"

"Three hundred thousand will be enough!" Zhu Yujian said. "Shuofang has been managed quite well by Prince Dai. If this subject works a bit harder, within four or five years it should be able to break even."

Zhu Cilang nodded and smiled. "Good, good. The Prince of Tang is indeed a worthy prince! But what needs to be spent must still be spent! Today the wealth of the realm is all in the southeast. As long as the southeast is well managed, it can supply the military needs of the north... We have already decided: in the third month We shall move the army south, to go to Nanjing and make money!"