After Han and Zhang left, Wang Yan and Lu Xing also expressed their views in the same way.
Zhao Jiu shook his head repeatedly: "Some of you I really believe, and some of you I cannot believe...Good ministers?"
"I'm here." Han Shizhong bowed his head.
"I will give you 50,000 troops for the Imperial Camp Left Army and 50,000 soldiers. When the battle starts, if the Jin army has 50,000 soldiers, I will ask you to lead them. I'm afraid you can only lead 30,000 soldiers, right?" Zhao Jiu said indifferently. "And Boying, I will give you 50,000 troops and 50,000 soldiers. You can actually bring out 50,000 soldiers, but how many of them can wear armor and how many can be trained? If I really believe you, I will suffer a great loss... But then again, how can I believe you? We have been together for a long time, why do you two have to play such tricks in front of me?"
Zhang and Han were almost ashamed.
"Your Majesty, please don't blame the two generals." Lu Haowen finally spoke up at the right time. "In the current situation, Han and Zhang are capable of fighting, and the money is not embezzled by the two generals. The commanders and leaders, all the way to the captains, all share some of the profits... The country's military and political corruption is a problem accumulated over more than a hundred years. Relatively speaking, it is not necessary to blame the two generals!"
"Of course I know, otherwise why would I be frank with them?" Zhao Jiu still didn't care. "I'm not forcing them to do anything, I'm just explaining the country's difficulties to them."
Zhang Han and the others were about to speak again, but Xu Jingheng beside Lu Haowen spoke again seriously:
"Sir, there are only two ways to deal with this matter... One is to increase taxes in the southeast and Jingxiang, and the other is to raise fewer soldiers... That's all."
Zhao Jiu fell silent, and the ministers and generals below were also silent... In fact, this was also a commonplace talk. After Lu Yihao arrived in Yangzhou this time, he even sent a strategy to increase military pay in the southeastern Huai region. This was because he had known for a long time that if he wanted to support the army, he could only increase taxes. Otherwise, with the tax revenue that was severely damaged after the Jingkang Incident, he was destined to not be able to support so many soldiers.
After a long while, Emperor Zhao finally laughed and said, "The Jin army's east and west routes have a standard 200,000 households. If we don't have 200,000 soldiers, how can we resist the enemy?"
Many people below breathed a sigh of relief instinctively, because they knew that this was the most important sentence today.
"But if that's the case, we can only support it by promising to increase taxes in the southeast and Jingxiang..." Zhao Jiu really said this, but he continued in the throne. "And I called all the generals here today, not only to assign you troops and horses to the northwest, but also not to say anything about the pseudo-Qi... I really don't take these things seriously, what I want to do is to settle this account in front of you!"
At this point, the red-robed Zhao Emperor stood up from the throne and said to them in a stern voice: "I hope all the generals will remember that there are some things I have to endure, but that doesn't mean they are right. I will endure them in the future! This is the first point! What you eat and use are all the blood and sweat of the people in the southeast, Jingxiang, Bashu, and Lianghuai. If they rebel in the future, you can attack them, but you must remember that they were forced to do so by you and me! This is the second point!"
After saying this, without waiting for the generals to kneel down and apologize, Zhao Jiu turned around and walked down the imperial steps, then walked out of the side door.
Soon, Yang Yizhong, who had gone out with the emperor, came back and said, "The emperor has said that we shot two more rabbits this morning. Wanqi Canjun and Yue Taiwei will keep them for dinner, and the rest of the ministers and Taiweis can go straight away."
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