When it was Internal Affairs Minister Wei Yang's turn to report, Ouyang Shuo reminded him.
"Tell Pei Yun that the Civil Affairs Bureau will urge the various counties to stock up on disaster relief rations. This will be used as one of the assessment criteria for civil affairs officials. In addition, the Imperial Court will take out one million gold coins to set up a disaster relief emergency fund. It will be managed by the Civil Affairs Bureau in case of emergencies. "
Since Gaia had announced the Natural Disaster System, it was impossible for it to not take action.
In the past four years, the wilderness had good weather and there were basically no disasters. Even Great Xia had neglected disaster relief and was not prepared. It was as though good weather was a matter of course.
That was why Ouyang Shuo specially brought it up.
"Understood!"
Although Wei Yang had some doubts, he still nodded in agreement.
Following that, Finance Minister Fan Li mainly talked about Gaia's financial transfer payments. Fortunately, the Imperial Court had no intention of inciting a civil war in Gaia's fifth year, so there would not be a huge increase in subsidies.
Most of it was on the purchase of iron ore.
Previously, the domestic iron ore was only mining costs. Purchasing from Australia required real money. Including coal and other metal ores, it was estimated that they would need to prepare 8 million gold coins.
Although this expenditure was basically the accounts of Shushan Iron and Steel Group and Cang Long Military Industry Group, it was real money that had to be prepared.
Currently, there were only eight territories left in China. Yanhuang Alliance and Fallen Phoenix City were self-sufficient in weapons and equipment, so they would not place any orders with Great Xia. Basically, they could only use it internally.
Of course, the highlight was still the Privy Council.
The huge military expenditure had always been criticized by Fan Li, the Minister of Finance. Du Ruhui, the Minister of Military Affairs, had long been trained to be thick-skinned. She remained unmoved and said straightforwardly, "Next year, a few wars can be predicted, including the war against Annam, the war against Dong Ying, and the battle for the Hawaiian Islands."
"There are also a few wars that cannot be predicted. For example, the war against South Korea and Chenla near Annam. Whether to fight or not can only be decided after the war in Annam. There are also Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Algeria where the Moroccan royal family is hiding. They are all unstable factors that can incite war at any time. "
"Then there is the domestic issue. If the [Yan Huang Alliance] attacks West Chu, we won't be able to guarantee that we will also be involved. How we fight and how far we fight will all depend on the situation. "
"There's also the problem of the Tibetan Empire, the Western Turks, the three royal cities of Quanzhou, Dali, and Chengdu, as well as the foreseeable problems of Western Xia and Mongolia. There are too many uncertainties.
Du Ruhui went on and on, but Fan Li's face grew darker and darker. If things went on like this, no matter how much money the Finance Department earned, it wouldn't be enough for the army.
But every word that Du Ruhui said was reasonable, making Fan Li unable to refute.
He did not finish his words.
"It can be predicted that Gaia will need to expand its army by more than three hundred thousand in the next five years. At the very least, it will need to fill the gap of one legion in the Imperial Guards, as well as three legions in the Flying Bear Army. Then there's the matter of changing the navy's equipment, especially the three ocean-going fleets. Changing their equipment is imminent, and this is a huge expense. "
"The Privy Council estimates that Gaia's military budget for the next five years is at least 28 million."
Du Ruhui's words were not groundless. Although Gaia only needed to expand its army by about three hundred thousand in five years, its military expenditure had increased by ten million gold coins. It was somewhat unimaginable.
In fact, the Soaring Eagle Army and the Flying Bear Army were only established at the end of Gaia's fourth year. As for the Imperial Guards, city guards, and other army groups, they were only formed in the second half of the year.
Therefore, these troops did not take up an entire year's military expenditure. Of Gaia's military expenditure of 18.5 million in four years, less than half was spent on the battlefield, post-war pensions, and military reorganization.
By Gaia's fifth year, the massive military expenditure began to show its might.
When Fan Li and company heard this, they could not help but draw a gasp. According to this calculation, even if Gaia's revenue reached a hundred million gold coins in five years, there would probably not be much left over.
It could even be said that a single mishap could result in a deficit. It was no wonder Fan Li's expression turned ugly. The financial pressure was on him, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
However, Ouyang Shuo remained unperturbed. "Let me add that in the future, the navy will have to purchase more than two million gold coins worth of magic crystals from Lemuria every year. This expenditure will also be included in the military budget."
"…"
Fan Li was already numb and speechless.
If the purchase of iron ore was included in the military expenditure, then the entire military budget would take up 40% of the fiscal revenue. It was a terrifying ratio.
This was something that could not be helped.
The world was not at peace, and war was inevitable. Military expenditure naturally rose with the tide. Even in times of peace, Russia's military expenditure in the 21st century still took up about 14% of the fiscal expenditure.
Speaking of which, Ouyang Shuo had already placed great emphasis on controlling the size of the military. Not only had he greatly reduced the local garrison divisions, he had also eliminated a large number of soldiers.
If not, the Imperial Guards and Flying Bear Army would have long been at full strength.
After finalizing the budget, Ouyang Shuo concluded, "The dynasty's present achievements are all thanks to all of your sincerity and loyalty to the country. However, on the path of hegemony, one must advance or fall back. I will need all of you to continue working hard to prepare the annual budget before the Spring Festival holiday. "
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The ministers responded loudly, their expressions excited.
"Court dismissed!"
Ouyang Shuo was the first to get up and walk towards the rear hall.
"Farewell, Your Majesty!"
Only when Ouyang Shuo was completely gone did the ministers disperse. Along the way, there were also groups of twos and threes chatting. There seemed to be differences in intimacy.
Out of all the ministers, the newly appointed minister, Yan Song, was the loneliest. He slowly walked up the marble steps by himself.
Out of all the ministers, Yan Song, the 'evil minister', was the most controversial. Ouyang Shuo's arbitrary decision to send Yan Song to the Cabinet caused the ministers to complain.
People like Wei Zheng and Hai Rui were even more indignant. Especially Hai Rui, the County Governor of Jingzhou. Not only was he from the same generation as Yan Song, he even had direct contact with him.
Hai Rui had also contributed a lot to the 'overthrow of Yan' in history.
After finding out that Yan Song had entered the Cabinet, Hai Rui had even written a letter to Ouyang Shuo. However, Ouyang Shuo simply replied with one sentence, "Do you think I am Emperor Jiajing?"
Hai Rui was immediately silenced.
After being in Great Xia for a few years, Hai Rui of course knew that Great Xia was worlds apart from the Great Ming Dynasty. Their Majesty's martial arts were rarely matched; he was comparable to the Qin Emperor and Han Wu.
Comparing their Majesty to Emperor Jiajing was an insult.
No matter how they thought about it, Hai Rui could only understand that their Majesty valued Yan Song's talent and would not be like Emperor Jiajing who allowed the Yan father and son to wield power.
Later, when they found out that their Majesty strictly forbade Yan Shifan from entering the officialdom, Hai Rui was both ashamed and excited. They bowed to the north and said with deep emotion, "Father is wise!"
Yan Song did not seem to care about the criticism from the outside world. He continued to familiarize himself with the Great Xia officialdom. As time passed and Yan Song didn't do anything out of line, the criticism naturally lessened.
Moreover, it was an extremely dangerous thing to talk about the Cabinet Elder.
Not being criticized did not mean they were close. Just by looking at Yan Song's lonely figure, it was obvious.
…
Ouyang Shuo returned to the Imperial Study. As soon as he sat down, Qingyi handed him a cup of hot tea.
The two of them had a tacit understanding.
"Thank you!"
Ouyang Shuo smiled. To Qingyi, he was half a subject and half a friend.
The relaxed atmosphere in the Imperial Study was exactly what Ouyang Shuo liked. He did not want to put on the airs of Emperor Xia in front of the officials. That was too tiring.
Ouyang Shuo rubbed his head and thought about the court discussion just now.
It was strange. Among the seven officials, Jiang Shang was from the Western Zhou, Kou Zhun from the Northern Song, Yan Song from the Ming Dynasty, Xiao He from the Han Dynasty, Wei Yang from the Warring States Period, Fan Li from the Spring and Autumn Period, and Du Ruhui from the Tang Dynasty.
None of them came from the same dynasty.
Vaguely, there seemed to be a group of people gathering behind them. The veins of the factions in the court were starting to become clear. Ouyang Shuo also saw Xiao He and the others alienating Yan Song intentionally or unintentionally.
"Other than the factions, there is also the fight between the pure and the muddy!"
Ouyang Shuo was now very satisfied with the method of putting Yan Song into the cabinet. Even though it was a pool of stagnant water, it might not have any vitality. Only a catfish could muddy the water.
Yan Song was that catfish.
Other than this, Ouyang Shuo could faintly see the shadow of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Jiang Shang was the ancestor of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Kou Zhun represented the Confucian school, Xiao He had the shadow of Daoism, Wei Yang was the legalist, Fan Li was the merchant, and Du Ruhui was the militarist.
The clash of ideologies of the various schools created the prosperity and enlightenment of the Great Xia.
Through this court discussion, Ouyang Shuo seemed to understand something, but at the same time, he did not. As for the annual budget itself, it was not the true core matter.
Grand Xia's (Gaia) financial income was estimated to reach a hundred million gold coins in five years. This was a wealth that 99% of adventurers would not be able to obtain even if they worked hard their entire lives. They did not even dare to think about it.
As the saying goes: Those who do not manage the household do not know the price of oil and salt.
The Great Xia was a huge household. It earned a lot, but it also spent a lot. This household was not as easy to manage as the outside world imagined.
As the head of the household, Ouyang Shuo had to be impartial.
He had heard that there were already ministers in the court discussing in secret, hoping that the imperial court would shift its focus from external conquest to internal affairs. They wanted to prioritize internal affairs while the military took a back seat.
Ouyang Shuo did not know how many of these thoughts were sincerely for the dynasty's future, and how many were for their own selfish motives.
It was inevitable that a general's status and prestige would be greatly increased when they went on a campaign against the outside world.
There was no need to talk about commanders like Bai Qi and Han Xin. Although they did not enter the imperial court, their status was vaguely equal to that of the ministers, or even slightly higher. Even an army commander was filled with confidence and domineering aura.
In comparison, the civil officials appeared somewhat weak.
Ignoring everything else, just in terms of nobility, the generals far surpassed the civil officials.
If the imperial court shifted its focus from external conquest to internal construction, it would naturally increase the weight of the entire group of civil officials, and every civil official would benefit from this.
Therefore, although the imperial court appeared peaceful on the surface, undercurrents were surging.
Just as Ouyang Shuo was deep in thought, a guard came to report. "Your Majesty, the Mountain Sea Guards' commander, Shen Buhai, wishes to see Your Majesty for an urgent matter."
Ouyang Shuo was taken aback, unsure of what had happened. "Invite him in."
"Yes!"
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