Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 491 The Earl of Pingnan Has a Big Appetite

Gu Mei?

Liu Ye felt like he'd heard the name somewhere before. Mei Lou sounded like a brothel; Gu Mei was either the owner or one of the most popular girls there. But he didn't think too much about it. In ancient times, people often considered brothels to be high-class establishments; when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Didn't he once host a banquet for the owners of a Suzhou silk company at Le Yun Lou?

After dismissing the steward, he returned to his room, sat down facing the group, and asked with a smile, "What advice do you gentlemen have for me? May I speak now?"

Cheng Li, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, felt somewhat embarrassed and gave the other two a wink, signaling them to speak.

A higher rank can have a crushing effect. Although they weren't in the same department, Cheng Li was a third-rank Right Vice Minister, while the two of them were fifth-rank officials. How could they refuse? Li Weide had been qualified to enter the Ministry of Revenue longer than Zhao Yue, so he nudged Zhao Yue with his elbow.

Zhao Yue sighed helplessly, realizing his official rank and seniority were inferior to theirs. After introducing the three men, he carefully began, "Although the Earl of Pingnan is young, his achievements are remarkable, and we all admire him greatly. Looking across the court and the country, there are countless mediocre military generals who hold their positions without contributing anything, but a general like the Earl of Pingnan, who is skilled in both training troops and fighting, is truly a rare breed..."

Liu Ye understood that this was setting the stage for what was to come. Although he already knew the other party's intentions, he couldn't reveal them proactively. He was at a disadvantage in the negotiations and could only patiently wait for the other party to continue, nodding and smiling from time to time: "You flatter me, Lord Zhao." Although he and Zhao Yue had indirectly clashed in Qiongzhou, they had never met directly. Although Zhao Yue knew that he was his nemesis, he didn't know that Zhao Yue was an "old acquaintance" of his, and his words were very polite.

Cheng Li thought Zhao Yue was too long-winded and coughed a few times.

Zhao Yue knew this was a way of urging him on, so he quickly ended his effusive praise and got straight to the point: "Now the world is engulfed in war, with Liaodong and the Northwest both at war. The supply of provisions is a bottomless pit. This year's tribute from various places has not yet been escorted to the capital. The Ministry of War wants to transfer troops from Xuanfu and Datong, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money to provide. I have heard that the Earl of Pingnan is not only good at training troops, but also at making money. Could you generously contribute to help the two ministries solve this urgent problem?"

Liu Ye asked, "How much do you need?"

Zhao Yue was surprised that the other party was so easy to talk to, and quickly replied, "The back pay plus the mobilization funds, all things considered, will amount to at least 200,000 taels."

Liu Ye then feigned a troubled expression and hesitated before saying, "His Majesty is currently working diligently to govern the country, and the Ming Dynasty is on the verge of revival. However, the national treasury is empty, and we, as his subjects, should share his burdens. But..."

The three asked in unison, "But what?"

"To be honest, gentlemen, I did do some small business in Guangzhou, earning a couple hundred thousand taels of silver a year. I'm not one to indulge in luxury or extravagance; silver is just an external thing. Since the court needs it, what harm is there in donating it all? However, my several thousand elite troops in Qionghai have incurred considerable expenses, and the rations and pay allocated by the Ministry of War are insufficient. Most of this silver has gone into these expenses, which is equivalent to paying for the court's military training out of my own pocket. If I donate all the silver to the court, what will happen to my troops? If they can't be paid, will they simply be disbanded?"

Cheng Li, as the Vice Minister of War, naturally knew the intricacies of allocating and distributing military provisions and salaries across the country. If Liu Ye's army was at full strength, the imperial provisions and salaries alone would indeed be insufficient, especially considering it was an elite force capable of defeating the combined forces of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong. It was certain that, like the personal guards of other generals, they were well-fed, and it wasn't impossible that they would pay out of their own pockets—although he didn't believe the Ming Dynasty still had such loyal generals. While the claim that donating funds would lead to the disbandment of the Qionghai Army was an exaggeration, a mutiny due to unpaid provisions and salaries was quite possible.

He asked disappointedly, "Isn't there a compromise?"

Liu Ye coughed twice: "There is a way. Lord Cheng is the Vice Minister of War, so he naturally knows about military affairs. As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach,' and for large armies, the cost of deployment and resettlement expenses is the biggest expense..."

Cheng Li nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"If the court urgently needs money, I can squeeze out these expenses first. As long as there is no war, I can manage the daily food and salary needs. However, I have a few conditions. If you can agree to them, I will give you the money immediately."

Cheng Li quickly asked, "What are the conditions?"

Liu Ye held up one finger: "First, I've already laid down all my savings. For at least a year, I won't be able to send my troops to the Northwest to fight bandits."

Cheng Li considered it for a moment. This was tantamount to giving up the Ministry of War's power to mobilize the Qionghai Navy in exchange for military funds from Xuanfu and Datong to send troops to Shaanxi. Whether it was worthwhile was hard to say. However, before his departure, he had been instructed that no Qionghai Navy personnel would be mobilized this time; the only requirement was to raise the funds. He only needed to achieve this objective; the rest was not his concern. He nodded: "I will report truthfully. This request shouldn't be a problem."

Liu Ye then held up a second finger: "Secondly, I have a distant cousin who is in his thirties and quite talented. I'd like to find him a minor official position."

Cheng Li replied with difficulty, "Lord Pingnan, it is only natural for people to ask for an official position for their relatives, and we can understand that. However, this is a matter for the Ministry of Personnel, and I am afraid that it is not appropriate for me and the two officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Li and Zhao, to make the decision."

Li Weide interjected, "Besides, without going through the imperial examinations, unless one enters the Imperial Academy, whether it's through recommendation or selection, one can only be considered a miscellaneous official, and even if one becomes an official, there's not much room for promotion."

Liu Ye laughed and said, "Did I say I wanted to be a civil official? If I were to become a military officer like myself, wouldn't the Ministry of War have a say in that?"

Cheng Li breathed a sigh of relief: "I see. Does your cousin want to become a centurion or a commander? The soldiers in the garrison basically don't go to the battlefield and their lives are not in danger. How about filling the centurion vacancy in Guangdong? I can make the decision. I'll just give the military selection office a heads-up later."

Liu Ye shook his head dismissively: "A mere centurion, do I need to trouble Lord Cheng? I can do it myself. I want a Dengzhou General! Whether the current Dengzhou General is transferred elsewhere or reassigned, the position needs to be vacated."

The three were dumbfounded upon hearing this. How could the Marquis of Pingnan have such a big appetite? Although there were generals everywhere in Shandong, and the general of Dengzhou was just a miscellaneous general, he could not be compared with Liu Ye himself, who was the general of Pingnan with the seal of the Dragon and Tiger General. However, he was not someone who could be obtained with just a word.

It took Cheng Li a while to react: "This... we cannot make the decision ourselves, we must return to the capital to report to our superiors."

Liu Ye didn't mind: "It's alright, I can wait. As long as you agree to these two conditions, I'll hand over the two hundred thousand taels with both hands."

Seeing that the negotiations had reached a bottleneck, Cheng Li and his two companions had no choice but to get up and take their leave.

Liu Ye reminded, "The journey to and from the capital is long, and a round trip might delay military operations. I have a fast ship that can travel hundreds of miles a day and can send the three of you back to the capital by sea to save time."

Cheng Li and the others had never heard of such a fast boat before, and were overjoyed upon hearing this: "That's wonderful!"