Besides, as Hu Quan said, Emperor Zhao had already set the tone with his own efforts.

"Actually." Yu Yunwen saw the awkward situation, especially because he had a very good personal relationship with Chao Gongwu, and finally couldn't help but make a little effort to relieve the siege. "It is not necessary to raise 300,000 soldiers. We can expand the imperial camp to 240,000 or 250,000, and then contact the Mongols, Khitans, and Koreans, recruit a group of Tanguts, and add the Hebei Volunteer Army. The number is still enough."

"But if so." Seeing that it was his friend who spoke, Chao Gongwu finally couldn't help but say, "The number of people in the Northern Expedition will be even greater. How much food and money will be needed for military supplies, rewards, and pensions? Have you ever calculated it?"

"The emperor's intention is there, so he has already calculated it." The colleague who worked in the Ministry of Revenue laughed. "Three hundred thousand people, even if there are rivers to facilitate transportation, it will require a corresponding number of civilians. Add in friendly troops and the like, and it is estimated that it will take 600,000 to 700,000 people. For 700,000 people, excluding the autumn harvest of that year, we need to prepare 6 million shi of grain. If there are more war horses, it will cost more, and we need to prepare 2 million bundles of hay... The rest of the salt, vinegar, alum, dried meat and other sundries... Let's give a rough number. We must first reserve 10 million shi of grain! The additional money and silk rewards, plus the military expenses, will be simpler, just like the normal annual expenses of the imperial camp army! In other words, 10 million shi of grain and 20 to 30 million in money! The country needs such reserves to ensure that there is enough for the Northern Expedition! Of course, if it is tight, for a period of half a year, and considering that there is a high probability that there will be an autumn harvest in the middle, it can be reduced to 5 million shi of grain and 15 million strings of money, which is always worth a try!"

"Well then." Chao Gongwu concluded. "If seven or eight years is too long, then two or three years is better. In two or three years, with 240,000 to 500,000 soldiers in the imperial army, you loyal officials who are planning to fight the Northern Expedition, tell me, how can you save up another 5 million dan of grain and 15 million guan of floating wealth? Can it just fall from the sky?"

Everyone in the private room fell silent. This was the biggest concern of the emperor, and it was also the dilemma for the important ministers... Whoever could solve this problem would definitely be made a marquis and a prime minister by Emperor Zhao.

"Look at what Brother Chao said." Mei Li saw that the atmosphere was not good and quickly interrupted. "If we, who have only been in office for three years, can work together to help the government solve this problem, everyone at this table will have a seat in the secret cabinet in the future, and the leader will have a seat as prime minister... We are just taking advantage of the return of the top scholar before the New Year to have a casual chat!"

"That's right." Hu Quan also felt that it was a bit too much, so he stood up and raised his glass to smile. "In any case, the current situation is a million times better than during the Jingkang period, so why worry too much? Let's drink to celebrate the New Year! Long live the official!"

Everyone stood up and held the cup.

As he finished the drink, another person laughed: "What a pity! Our Imperial Army is not as barbaric as the Jurchens. Otherwise, if we plundered Xixia for a while, we could have made a fortune of five or six million according to the food stored by the Xixia people!"

Everyone laughed, but then they remembered the losses in Jing Kang, and their smiles turned into bitter ones. As a result, Hu Quan, Yu Yunwen, Chao Gongwu, and others could only sigh under the wine, and the atmosphere could not return to the casual one at the beginning... Of course, Mei Sheren, who came for the first time, did not tell him that Emperor Zhao had asked him about the maritime trade data.

In the afternoon, the sky darkened again and it was about to snow. Zhao Ding's eldest son said goodbye to his classmates on the south bank of the Cai River. Hu Quan and others also dispersed on the north bank of the Cai River.

After all, we are all just ordinary people. We have to hold an umbrella when it rains and go home early when it snows to prepare for the New Year.

At the same time, Emperor Zhao, who did not have to prepare for the New Year festival, sat in the palace for a long time, thinking. Finally, he got up and left the stone pavilion, but went to Concubine Wu.

When the two met, Concubine Wu was overjoyed and hurriedly came to greet them, holding her already asleep son. However, unexpectedly, after Emperor Zhao took the eldest son, he sat down on the couch and smiled again:

"My dear, we haven't updated "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" for many days, right?"

Concubine Wu's expression froze, but after looking at her son in the emperor's arms, she immediately smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right. It has been many days since I last updated the book... Do you want to update it today?"

"There will be more to come today." Zhao Jiu still smiled.

After hearing this, Concubine Wu still forced a smile, but Feng Yi and the other two officials beside her immediately turned around and told people to prepare writing brushes and ink.

After the pen and ink were delivered, Zhao Jiu hugged his son and sighed, "However, today's update is not "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". This book will not be updated in the future. After all, it is a folk story with a long history. Maybe a famous writer will compile it into a masterpiece hundreds of years later... Thank you for your hard work, my beloved concubine. Let's start a new book from today. If I don't write it, no one will write it in the future."

Concubine Wu, who had spread out the papers and sat down at the table, was stunned for a moment, then returned to normal. Anyway, she was just a ghostwriter for any book. The fact that the following chapters of "Miscellaneous Records of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" were missing was Wu Chengen's fault. What did it have to do with Concubine Wu?

With this thought, Concubine Wu put down the paperweight, took the pen and ink from Feng Erguan, and asked with a smile: "Please give me the title of the new book."

"Water Margin!" Zhao Jiu blurted out, looking at his eldest son breathing evenly in his arms. "It's about the 108 demon stars from heaven who came down to earth and were forced to become bandits during the reign of Emperor Taishang Daojun. However, they were called upon by the righteousness of the country during the Jingkang Period and were recruited to fight against the Jin Dynasty as my vanguard. Then, after the world was stabilized in the tenth year of Jianyan, they went out to sea to explore for the Song Dynasty and encountered all kinds of strange geographical things."

Even though she had already been through a lot of practice, Concubine Wu, who had already picked up the pen, was still stunned on the spot.

Zhao Jiu laughed when he saw this: "I am also forced to do this... I have to try everything... Start writing!"