Chapter 290: Chapter 175: Planning for the Future_2
Translator: 549690339
Meanwhile, I took this opportunity to order the inspection of the household registration in each county. The statistics showed that there are a total of
34,000 households and 145,000 residents in the ten counties of the prefecture. Including the newly relegated 10,000 households of refugees, the entire prefecture has a population of 45,000 households and 190,000 residents.
However, both the local people and the refugees need relief from the government. Most of the 500,000 stones of grain purchased this year will be put into use, leaving at most 100,000 stones of food and fodder for military supplies.
During these months, the county soldiers and county government officials also spent 200,000 silver tales on salary.
Considering these expenditures, for the six months, a total of 700,000 silver tales have been spent in the entire prefecture.
Due to the purchase of food and the appeasement of the refugees, the expenses have exceeded the original budget. Previously, Brother Lu allocated 800,000 silver taels, and now only 100,000 silver taels are left, which can only be maintained for two months at most.
Therefore, it is inevitable to increase the input of silver taels to ensure the current development trend.
So, Brother Lu needs to allocate funds again.
However, the refugees have been taken in, and the grain purchases have been completed. The local area is gradually restoring production. There will be no more such expenditures in the future.
In the future, the expenditure of the entire prefecture should remain at 50,000 silver tales per month, and there will be no increase.”
In the study of the county government office, Sun Siwen took out a thick account book and reported his work in the past six months since taking office to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan listened and looked through the account book, nodding his head from time to time.
It has to be said that Sun Siwen’s performance during his half-year as prefect is outstanding, although it is based on a large investment of silver tales.
But having money or not is one thing, and whether one can use the money well is another matter.
Some people can’t achieve anything even if you give them billions of wealth, they can only squander and do nothing.
Putting the money to good use and into practical matters requires talent.
Sun Siwen has such talent.
Lu Yuan is also very satisfied with his friend’s talent. At this moment, he nodded and said, “You don’t need to worry about money matters. I will allocate another million silver tales to you later. You can use this money to purchase more grain.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Siwen was somewhat puzzled: “Now we have enough grain in the prefecture to appease the refugees and supply the military. There is no need to spend more silver to buy grain.”
As a civil official, from Sun Siwen’s perspective, the prefecture is now recovering, and by the end of this year, it will be able to resume production.
By then, instead of purchasing grain, it would be better to wait and return financial support to Lu Yuan from the prefecture’s own tax revenues.
So, at this moment, it seems like an unprofitable deal to buy grains at a high price.
Lu Yuan can understand his friend’s idea, but as a military officer and power leader, with the ambition of cultivating the Taiping Dao Book, he cannot just think about it this way.
At this time, he explained: “Nowadays, there are constant wars in the prefecture. Even Zhou People’s forces have crossed the Henan River and confronted the army from the court at the Baling City. There are daily battles of various sizes.
In Shaoyang Prefecture, there are continuous wars, too. Although Poison Sect leader Lan Zhaoyun has led a 50,000-strong army to Baling City, 60,000 Miao soldiers remain, and they are constantly fighting with the forces of Shaoyang Prefecture.
Even in Yangshan Prefecture to the south of Luyang, Miao People have gathered 30,000 troops, constantly watching this prefecture.
Nowadays, Miao People and their 170,000-strong army are stationed at the three battlefields in the prefecture. Together with the Zhou Soldiers crossing the river, there are a total of 230,000 enemy soldiers in the prefecture.
As for the court’s military forces in the entire prefecture: There are 30,000 soldiers in my division, and 40,000 militiamen in the counties. The two prefectures of Hengyang and Changsha to the north have 20,000 militiamen. The court’s Miao-fighting forces have 100,000 men.
With these three combinations, there are only 190,000 in total, including 60,000 militiamen who cannot fight outside their counties.
There are only 130,000 soldiers who can actually fight outside, which is
100,000 fewer than the enemy.”
It is difficult to defeat the enemy, which is nearly twice as strong as I am.”
Moreover, Zhou People had the intention of destroying me. They can send 50,000 soldiers across the river to the south. In the future, who knows if they will send 50,000 or even 100,000 soldiers across the river?
Therefore, in my judgment, it will take three to five years to quell the rebellion in Dongting Prefecture and repel the Zhou People.”
Lu Yuan analyzed his perspective on the situation in the prefecture.
From the surface, the combined strength of Zhou and Miao forces is almost twice that of the court forces. With the court’s current strength in the Dongting Prefecture, it is almost impossible to defeat the enemy.
Therefore, unless the court continues to invest in troops, causing a sudden change, or an event that causes a significant gap in the strength of both sides and quickly decides the outcome, the war can only be a long lasting war of attrition, and the winner will be the one who can’t hold on for the longest time.
With the current strength of the Yue State court, it is hard -pressed to assemble 100,000 troops to fight the Miao rebellion, as it would require support from the six-tribes and seven-clans.
After all, the previous battle with the Liang forces lasted for three years, involving a total of 560,000 troops. Later, over ten thousand Pingnan Army soldiers supported the fight against Jinghai Country for nearly three years. And before that, there were over ten thousand Army of Pacifying Shu soldiers who were supported for more than a year.
These four times involve a million-strong force, and it is easy to imagine how huge the expenses of money and fodder were.
In the countless battles within this million-strong army, more than 400,000 died in battle.
Even if the six-tribes and seven-clans have a strong foundation, the court cannot afford to lose so many elite soldiers in just four years..