Chapter 136: The throne will soon change hands

Chu Chengye has been very upset these days. These old men take turns to meet him every day, and only tell him about the years of war and the suffering of the people. The implication is that Chu Chengye should give up fighting.

Chu Chengye held his head and looked at the memorials submitted by the ministers.

Chu Chengye wanted to stop fighting, but it was not that he wanted to fight, but those foreign countries were eyeing Nanqi and forced him to fight.

When the previous emperor was in power, the country did not fight, but did the people of Nanqi have a good life?

The people suffered, the dead were hungry, the land was ceded, the money was paid, and the hostages were married. It was a very hard life, but were those foreign countries satisfied?

After they knew that Chu Chengye had rebelled, they wanted to take advantage of the unstable domestic affairs of Southern Qi and unite with other countries to take down Southern Qi in one fell swoop.

It's not that he wants to fight, but he has to fight.

Chu Chengye threw the memorial aside casually in annoyance, but these old men were very stubborn. If Chu Chengye ignored it, they would submit the same memorial in a few days.

Chu Chengye took it back and wrote on it.

Not long after Chu Chengye approved the memorial, Wei An reported that several ministers came to see him together.

There is no need to think about it, they must have discussed it together.

Now that officials in the court have defected one after another, they didn't say much about the war before Chu Huaian returned to Beijing. Why do they have so many ideas as soon as Chu Huaian returned to Beijing?

Chu Chengye leaned back on the dragon chair, rubbed his temples, and waved to let them in.

Wei An shouted, "Duke Xuan, the Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue come to see you."

The three of them came in together and bowed to Chu Chengye.

Xu Fenghui and the Minister of War began to cry.

"Your Majesty, the army can no longer pay silver."

Chu Chengye frowned, "Isn't the Ministry of Revenue here? Where's the money?"

The Minister of Revenue explained to Chu Chengye.

"Your Majesty, marching and fighting are often exhausting and costly. The frontline sent news that the capital was asked to give silver and grain, but now the country is at war in more than one place, and the south is also fighting the enemy. I'm afraid that if the south needs it again, there won't be much silver left."

Chu Chengye clenched his fist and looked at the Minister of Revenue, "How could it be? What about the money that was confiscated from Gao Zhanghai's house?"

The Minister of Revenue replied, "Although the dirty money has been handed over to the national treasury, Your Majesty also knows that war is the most expensive thing. The money was distributed to the army and has long been used up."

"Although Gao Zhanghai committed a heinous crime, his private tax increase also solved the country's urgent needs."

Chu Chengye leaned on the table and looked at the Minister of Revenue, "What do you mean?"

The Minister of Revenue raised his head and said, "The emperor sympathized with the people and lowered taxes, but now that money can't fill the big hole of the war. If the emperor still wants to fight, he needs to follow Gao Zhanghai's original tax quota. Transfer them back."

Chu Chengye asked, "How much is still needed now?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue said, "It is winter now, and the border is extremely cold. The soldiers need more clothes than usual, and there is a shortage of food and grass there. The border has already asked for 10 million taels. The situation in the south is better. Although it has not been asked yet, according to my calculations, at least 5 million taels are needed."

Chu Chengye clenched and unclenched his hands under the table.

It was not that he could not make up his mind, but that he did not know how to choose.

When he first ascended the throne, he found that there were many loopholes in the national treasury, and he tried every way to fill the holes of the previous dynasty.

But he ascended the throne for less than two years, and the rebellion had already severely damaged the vitality of the country. Before it could be repaired, the border invaded, and he had to send troops to fight.

This battle has been going on for more than a year. Although several cities have been recovered, the damage to Southern Qi is not enough to cover up.

Now is the time when those foreign countries are taking advantage of the internal turmoil in Southern Qi to unite. If we withdraw our troops at this time, those foreign countries will definitely become more arrogant.

So this war must be fought.

Having no money is indeed a big problem.

But if the taxes are really raised as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue said, the people will complain and be displaced, and they will definitely be restless.

If Chu Huaian takes advantage of this time to collude with these refugees to strengthen his power, then Chu Chengye will not be able to defeat him even if he has all the skills.

He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.

Chu Chengye finally understood why those old stubborn people suddenly had so many suggestions in the past few days.

This policy has its own advantages and disadvantages. If they deliberately exaggerate this matter and say that Chu Chengye does not care about the people of the world and must go to war to satisfy his own desires, Chu Chengye will be speechless.

Chu Huaian wants to make Chu Chengye lose the support of the people and make the people complain about him.

Seeing that Chu Chengye has been hesitating, the Minister of Revenue and Xu Fenghui and the Minister of War exchanged glances and said, "Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible. The soldiers at the border can't wait." Chu Chengye raised his head

and glanced at the Minister of Revenue. He looked normal, so Chu Chengye couldn't find any fault.

Chu Chengye waved his hand and said, "I understand. Give me some time to think about it."

"First, distribute the money for clothes, food, weapons and silver in the border areas. I will find a way to deal with the rest of the money." "

If you have nothing else, you can leave first."

The three of them said goodbye and walked out of the Yangxin Palace.

Xu Fenghui praised the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of War, "What you said just now is really perfect. Even if the emperor has three heads and six arms, how can he come up with so much money? It's just a delaying tactic."

"There is no other way except to raise taxes. In fact, raising taxes is not a big deal. The country needs to go to war, and the people should also contribute. But they will definitely have complaints. When the people are in favor, it will not be long before the Fifth Prince ascends the throne."

The two men bowed together, "What are you talking about? We are just doing things according to the Fifth Prince's words."

They laughed and said, "This world should belong to the Fifth Prince. It is only a matter of time before the Fifth Prince ascends the throne. I hope that when the time comes..."

Xu Fenghui stroked his beard and laughed, "Today, the two adults have made great contributions. When I get to the Fifth Prince, I will tell him everything they said today without missing a word. When the time comes, I will give him an official title and a rank, and nothing will be left out."

"The prince is not like the emperor. He is cruel and ruthless. He seems to not care about the achievements and friendship of the adults. The adults have worked hard for Nanqi and should not be treated like this."

"The Fifth Prince advocates benevolent governance. You two adults will not be as timid and worried about losing your heads as you are now following the Emperor."

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War smiled at each other and complimented, "Thank you, Prince and Duke, for your promotion."

"We will both follow the Fifth Prince and do our best."

Xu Fenghui walked out of the palace, looked back at the hall behind him, and smiled, "Don't worry, you two adults."

The throne will soon change hands.

Chu Chengye sat in the Yangxin Palace and flipped through all the books he could use. He wanted to find a way to have the best of both worlds.

But there is no way to have the best of both worlds in this world.