Chapter Four: This is Outrageous
"This is outrageous..."
"The old prince has just passed away, why are we being sent to attack the orcs again?"
"His Majesty must have been bewitched by a treacherous person..."
The middle-aged man who delivered the imperial edict had a livid face and shouted, "You all slander the Emperor's will and presumptuously discuss state affairs. Are you plotting a rebellion?"
The room fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone fell silent, but their eyes burned with a fierce intensity as they stared directly at the imperial envoy who had delivered the decree.
"I wonder what the Imperial Envoy's name is, what his official title is, and whether he has any other duties upon arriving in Dayuan?" Qin Mo asked coldly. How could someone so casually utter such a thing as treason? He was representing the imperial court, not some nobody who could spout nonsense at will.
"I am Tao Yan, the newly appointed Education Commissioner of Fuzhou." The middle-aged man was terrified when he saw the group of murderers, their eyes red with fear. After all, these were Prince Heng's men, fierce generals from the battlefield, their murderous aura terrifying.
Fuzhou is just across the river from Dayuan. The Education Commissioner is in charge of education and examinations in the prefecture. This man was on his way to Fuzhou to take up his post but was conscripted and happened to be passing through Dayuan to deliver the imperial decree.
"In that case, Imperial Envoy, please go and rest. You must be tired from your journey." He was just a bookworm; Qin Mo wouldn't bother with him. He wasn't a close advisor returning to the capital, and not worth trying to win over. She immediately had the prepared gold and silver given to Tao Yan, preparing to take him to rest.
"Your Highness, before I came here, the Central Military Command gave me a message to deliver to you: your troops must number no less than ten thousand men for this border defense mission." Imperial Envoy Tao Ran did not immediately go to rest, but instead gave Qin Mo another message.
"This is outrageous! We are not imperial guards paid by the court. According to custom, three thousand men are enough to guard the border. Now you want ten thousand? Are you trying to take advantage of my young prince?" Uncle Lin could no longer hold back and shouted loudly.
"I am merely conveying imperial decrees and messages; I know nothing else. Farewell." After saying this, Tao Yan did not linger in the city but went straight to the dock, seemingly intending to leave Dayuan immediately.
"Uncle Lin, what do you think?" Qin Mo asked Uncle Lin with concern as she watched Tao Yan leave in a hurry.
“Young Master, this… Logically speaking, the old prince was just conscripted last year and died for the country. This year, it should not be our turn to guard the border. And now they need 10,000 men. Someone must have slandered us and framed us.” Although Uncle Lin was Qin Mo’s steward, he was not a servant. He was a general who followed Qin Lan back then and knew the rules and intricacies of the army like the back of his hand.
Dayuan is located in the south of the empire, far too far from the northern orcish territory. Since arriving in Dayuan, Qin Lan has only been conscripted twice: once with three thousand men heading north, and the second time with only five hundred personal guards. No one has ever criticized him for this. But this time, ten thousand men are needed, and the expenses for food and supplies along the way will be enormous. If too many die in battle, the compensation alone will cause Qin Mo a huge headache.
"Sigh!" Although Qin Mo was not familiar with these rules and regulations, he had seen too much infighting among colleagues on Earth, so how could he not understand that this was a difficult problem posed by the imperial court?
"Uncle Lin, now that the imperial decree has been issued, let's do our best! Tomorrow, bring me the army roster, and also prepare the necessary military equipment and provisions to see if there are any shortages." Qin Mo was also helpless. His cheap father had left him a decent fortune, but it was still too weak. Faced with the behemoth that was the Great Xia Empire, all he could do now was to obey.
Uncle Lin knew that since the imperial edict had arrived, it had to be obeyed; to disobey it would truly be treason.
Back then, Qin Lan was still the Duke of Heng. When the orcs invaded, Qin Lan turned the tide and returned to the court in victory. However, the court was in a dilemma because he had nothing left to reward or bestow titles upon, and his subordinates were even more powerful.
Qin Lan, however, humbly requested a change of fiefdom, moving from the fertile lands of the capital to Dayuan. The Emperor of Great Xia believed that Qin Lan was sensible and knew when to advance and retreat, so he bestowed upon him the title of Prince Heng, a hereditary title.
Since Qin Lan has passed away, it would have been natural for Qin Mo, as the sole heir, to be promoted to a prince. However, the imperial envoy did not bring Qin Mo the imperial decree to be promoted to a prince this time, which seems to be related to this border defense mission.
The Great Xia Dynasty had many dukes and marquises who were granted titles. They enjoyed considerable authority and freedom within their territories, but they were also obligated to answer the nation's call. When the nation was in peril, they were required to send troops to defend the emperor. This was a desperate measure devised by the court during its long struggle against the orcs.
No emperor wants too many regional warlords under his rule, but without generous rewards for military merit, there won't be enough brave warriors. With the accumulation of military achievements over time, being ennobled is only a matter of time. So, here are the titles and fiefs: when it matters, you just lead your men to fight the orcs.
Qin Mo finished reviewing the account book and sighed deeply. "We're really poor. I wonder what that cheapskate father of mine is doing. Could it be that I'm the one dragging us down?"
On this world, Taoyuan Island is like a treasure island on Earth. Its land is fertile, yielding two harvests a year. There's also placer gold to be mined in the mountains, and its proximity to the sea provides the benefits of fish and salt production. Logically, it should be rolling in wealth, but now it only has less than 20,000 taels of silver left in its accounts. For Taoyuan Island, with hundreds of thousands of people, to have only tens of thousands of taels of silver is unbelievable.
Even more absurdly, despite having iron mines within their territory, they lacked sufficient refined iron to replenish the armor and munitions for ten thousand men. A careful review of the accounts revealed that the ironworks produced very little refined iron to begin with, and most of it was sold for gold and silver.
"Uncle Lin, is our sea salt business in accordance with the imperial law?" Qin Mo saw that the sea salt profits in the ledger were quite substantial, so she wanted to ask Uncle Lin whether it was official salt or smuggled salt. If it was the latter, things would be more complicated.
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