nycdaug Chapter 37 Morning Morning (2)
Chapter 37 Morning Morning (2)
The matter of the wise king is settled.
The Minister of Works stepped forward again.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works' Ordnance Department is currently producing weapons, but it needs too much iron ore and lacks enough craftsmen."
"Your Majesty, I request that the recruitment of more artisans be increased and that the Ministry of Revenue allocate more funds to purchase iron ore."
The Minister of Works requested an imperial decree from the Emperor of Eastern Qin.
In preparation for war, the Emperor of Eastern Qin has ordered the mass production of weapons.
However, the amount of iron ore needed to forge weapons is too large, and their Ministry of Works is currently running out of iron ore.
The most critical issue is still manpower.
With insufficient manpower, they simply could not complete the task given by the Emperor of Eastern Qin within the stipulated time.
After all, that's equipment needed for hundreds of thousands of troops.
It's simply impossible to complete within six months; their work department has been working overtime during this period.
The craftsmen below are now harboring resentment.
If this continues, I'm afraid all the craftsmen will go on strike.
"Expand recruitment? I remember there are over a thousand artisans in the Ministry of Works right now!"
"The Emperor of Eastern Qin said."
However, he did not directly reject it.
After all, he didn't really know how many weapons the craftsmen could make each day.
He only needs to give orders normally; other things are handled by others, so he doesn't need to know everything.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the amount of military supplies needed this time is too large, and the time is too urgent. Even if the craftsmen work overtime every day, they still cannot complete the task within the stipulated time."
The Minister of Works explained.
If there were no time limit, he wouldn't be in a hurry.
But now there is a time limit, and if he cannot complete it within the specified time, he will be punished.
How many more craftsmen are needed?
The Emperor of Eastern Qin inquired.
"We still need to recruit at least 4000 people from across the country to barely complete the task within the stipulated time."
The Minister of Works said.
This was the result calculated by everyone in their ministry.
This ensures that the artisans can produce a sufficient quantity of military supplies within the specified time while in peak condition.
"Minister Mo, do you know how much it costs to feed 4000 people each month?"
The Minister of Revenue could no longer contain himself.
That’s all money!
Nowadays, the treatment of craftsmen in Dongqin is quite good. A craftsman's monthly salary and various benefits add up to a full 6 taels of silver.
4000 people a month would amount to 24,000 taels of silver.
That's 288,000 taels of silver a year.
Nowadays, the average monthly income of the people in Dongqin is only a little over one or two taels of silver.
This expense is clearly quite substantial.
It's no wonder that the Minister of Revenue came out to object.
"I know, but if the situation weren't different now, do you think I would have made this request?"
The Minister of Works was well aware of this.
If they recruit an additional 4000 people, they will also need to prepare more people to manage them.
The Ministry of Works was also responsible for accommodations and food.
Moreover, this is just for craftsmen; the number of other people will also need to be increased accordingly.
These are all headaches for them.
If there were no other way, who would want to create trouble for themselves?
Do you really think they're just bored and have nothing better to do?
The Minister of Revenue also knew that there was nothing that could be done.
My objection just now was also because I was worried about the money.
"I grant your permission. We'll need more craftsmen later, so let's resolve this once and for all!"
"Recruit 5000 craftsmen from across the country."
"However, once people are conscripted, they must complete the task within the stipulated time. If they fail to do so, the entire Ministry of Works will be held accountable."
The Emperor of Eastern Qin did not object.
After all, if we are going to wage war, these problems must be solved.
It's always better to address a problem sooner rather than later.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Minister of Works expressed his gratitude.
With this problem solved, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, we still cannot relax during this period.
He still has a lot to prepare.
For example, accommodation construction and the people who serve the guests need to be prepared in advance, especially the cooks and general helpers.
This is not just a problem involving 5000 people.
Therefore, this recruitment will likely involve over 10,000 people.
"How is the military training going at the Ministry of War?"
After the Minister of Works left, the Emperor of Eastern Qin inquired about the Minister of War.
The training of the army is of paramount importance.
It would be a real joke if everything else was ready but the army wasn't trained.
"Your Majesty, the armies in various regions are currently undergoing intensive training, but such intense training is taking a toll."
"Memorials were sent from all over the country requesting the delivery of grain and fodder."
The Minister of War stepped forward.
Normally, the consumption of grain and fodder is not high, which is about 40 days a month.
Moreover, they only eat two meals a day.
The daily drills are taking a heavy toll on the soldiers, so they need to have an extra meal every day.
Moreover, the soldiers' food intake at each meal has increased significantly.
This resulted in a huge consumption of food and supplies.
It's more than double the usual amount.
If it weren't for the abundance of their Eastern Qin treasury, this situation might have dragged down the entire Eastern Qin.
"Your Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue can discuss a plan for this matter and submit it to me."
"The army's training cannot stop; we will send troops to Southern Qi after the New Year."
The Emperor of Eastern Qin gave instructions.
The Southern Qi is now in chaos, with several princes fighting each other and the people constantly revolting.
Once they send out their troops, taking over the Southern Qi will be no problem at all.
"By the way, Ninth Brother, can you spare any troops from your Zhenbei Army?"
The Emperor of Eastern Qin looked at Qin Wu, who was sitting below him.
If we were to say which army is the strongest today, it would undoubtedly be Qin Wu's Zhenbei Army.
The Zhenbei Army fought major battles year after year, making it a truly iron-blooded army forged from the battlefield.
If a portion of the Zhenbei Army could be transferred, it would be more advantageous for their major battle.
In particular, the Emperor of Eastern Qin knew that Qin Wu had a heavy cavalry force of 50,000 men, which was a true weapon of mass destruction.
"20 can be allocated, but the rest cannot be touched. We must guard against a surprise attack from the Northern Barbarians."
Qin Wu thought for a moment.
Leaving all 500,000 troops in Jubei City would be of little use.
It would be better to let our brothers go to the Southern Qi battlefield to make meritorious contributions.
After all, even if the Northern Barbarians wanted to launch a surprise attack, they probably couldn't muster a large army.
Otherwise, the northern barbarians will run into trouble.
After all, the Northern Barbarians lived in a tribal form, although they were all under the administration of the Northern Barbarian Royal Court.
But that doesn't mean they have no ambition.
Several tribes were eyeing the position of the Northern Barbarian King.
The Northern Barbarian King would not take such a risk.
As for why the Eastern Qin emperor chose the Southern Qi rather than the Western Zhou, Emperor Wu of Qin was well aware of the reasons.
The plague in the Western Zhou Dynasty has now completely broken out.
It couldn't be suppressed any longer.
They didn't want to get involved in this mess.
Even the border between Eastern Qin and the rest of the country was directly sealed off.
Yes, it was a border closure, prohibiting anyone from the Western Zhou direction from entering the territory of Eastern Qin. Anyone who dared to trespass would be killed on the spot.
After all, no one knows whether the person coming will bring the plague.
In this era, plagues were not so easy to cure; otherwise, the Western Zhou Dynasty would not have been unable to control the plague.
In fact, it wasn't just the Eastern Qin; even the Southern Qi and the Northern Barbarians blocked the passes and wouldn't allow the people of the Western Zhou to enter.
"Alright, then let's mobilize 20 troops and head south to join forces with the Marquis of Zhennan. We'll launch a joint attack on Southern Qi after the New Year."
The Emperor of Eastern Qin was overjoyed.
With the support of the 200,000-strong Zhenbei Army, they can now deploy 800,000 troops.
That would be enough for them to quickly take over Southern Qi.
"Yes."
Qin Wu responded.