Tsar's court, or rather, Kislöw's government-in-exile, was now based in Becafen, the capital of Ostmark. Because it had only been a short time, the Empire's military supplies were still in a normal state, and the White Guard still maintained its military structure.
It had to be said that the newly formed Romanov Guards were more or less presentable. These soldiers were personally selected by Tsar, and the selection criteria were naturally height, appearance, and military posture. The salary of these 5,000 soldiers was provided by Tsar's personal wealth and the wealth of the Tsar's family. The equipment was uniformly purchased from the Empire's Nur. The chief logistics officer of Motekin's invasion of the Empire, Old Krupp, was in charge of the Nur's standard equipment. Katarín mortgaged a batch of Nur's standard equipment from Emilia and Old Krupp at a low price.
Of course, Emilia was not a great philanthropist who would let others take advantage of her. Laing's little maid mainly had two considerations. The first was to arm this group of Mrs. Kiesler so that they could at least deal with and hold back part of the Army of Chaos, reducing the pressure and losses on the Empire's side.
The second was also because the main force of Chaos was defeated too quickly. No one expected Motekin to suddenly commit suicide, which led to a large number of factories in Nur and Krupp's Chamber of Commerce producing a large number of weapons and military supplies. In the end, they were not used, and the inventory was overstocked, which was not a small problem. Now, it was a clearance sale to reduce the inventory and make a small profit.
Emilia was not good at military affairs, but she was recognized as a master in internal affairs and diplomacy. On one hand, she had a long career as a mercenary, so she was familiar with society and the hardships of the lower class. On the other hand, she had learned a lot from Laing and Suria, especially Suria's extremely skilled court politics and Laing's endless ideas and political and diplomatic skills.
The Romanov Guards now looked very presentable. They were all tall and tidy, and they were wearing exquisite standard equipment produced by Nur. Katarín came out of her private residence and saw the guards on duty. She could not help but feel a little comforted.
Knight King Laing has his loyal and powerful Old Guard, and I have my Old Guard!
I will prove that my Old Guard is no worse than his Old Guard!
At this time, the important members of the Duma had also gathered outside. There were many of them, and here were a few of the most important names. They were:
The current Chief Minister of Kislöw, Petrov Panov.
The current Grand Marshal of Kislöw, Commander of the White Guard, Dunnykin.
The current Grand Marshal of Kislöw, Commander of the Romanov Guards, Semyonov.
The current Minister of Finance, Dmylov.
The current General of Kislöw, Commander of the White Guard, Chief of the Logistics Department, Bagramyan.
After the group of people arrived, they waited outside for a while and were not in a hurry to go in. When the Chief Minister of the Imperial Court, Petrov, saw that most of the important people had arrived, he laughed and said, "It's about time. His Majesty should be ready by now."
"Today, he called us here for a meeting. It should be about preparing for the northern expedition and recovering the lost land." Marshal Dunnykin was very proud. He was wearing a military uniform and a military coat. The Grand Marshal smiled and said, "I think it's about that."
"It could also be news from Örengrád." Semyonov's expression was not good. "Did you see Araktcheev's sorry state? Maybe something happened in Örengrád. "
"But I heard that someone had secretly exposed the matter of Bai Weijun's food!" Dmylov's expression was not good. He deliberately shifted his attention to the Logistics Department's Head of the Logistics Department, "Well, maybe the female Tsar will be happy and get rid of us. She will promote that little bastard who leaked the secret to our position. Don't you think so, General Bagramyan?"
"Hmph!" General Bagramyan recalled Dmylov's previous arrangements. After receiving the female Tsar's orders and funds, Minister of Finance Dmylov did not dare to be negligent. He immediately sent the 300 gold Dukat to General Bagramyan and seriously ordered, "Now the money is yours! Hurry up and make the food for the army better. Don't let anything happen again! "
In the end, something still happened. Bagramyan tried his best. He used up the 300 gold Dukat budget to the limit and even personally negotiated with the merchants in Becafen to ensure that the supplies were delivered to the White Guard's logistics department on time. But in the end, something still happened. "I don't know what happened, but I have evidence of every expenditure. I didn't take a single cent!"
"Oh, our general really knows how to do things. It seems like he's ready to be promoted to Marshal!" Dmylov did not get the answer he wanted and said ambiguously.
"Alright, let's not make things difficult for Hoff." Petrov waved his hand to signal for the matter to end here. "Everyone, thank you for Essun's blessing. The main forces of Chaos have been destroyed, and Örengrád has been restored with the help of the Brittany and the Empire. But now that something like this has happened, Her Majesty Tsar will definitely not be in a good mood. Regarding the food, if you can, try your best to do so. Don't cause any more trouble, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Peter is right!"
"Let's settle this first. We'll think of something else later."
Everyone began to enter the venue one after another. Bagramyan was the last to enter. The head of the logistics department snorted coldly. He wondered if he should consider resigning. If this went on, even if the female tsar did not throw him out as a scapegoat or arrest him, he would still be hated to death.
Speechless, everyone entered the hall one after another and sat down. At this time, Katarina had been waiting for a long time.
The room was lit with high-quality ambergris, and the fire in the furnace was made of the highest grade silver charcoal. Many of the furniture were made of high-quality cherry wood.
Katarina took out a small piece of paper and threw it on the table. The female Tsar was furious. She looked at everyone, especially Bagramyan, and roared, "Hoff! Look at you, what have you done?! Why did I give you 800 Dukat?! You actually only gave this much food as a reward! Let me tell you, if you can't give a reasonable explanation today, you can report to Ye Zhov! "
Everyone's eyes were focused on General Bagramyan. The logistics department head did not panic. He took out a few documents and gestured for the servants to pass them to the female Tsar. "Your Majesty, this is the purchase list. It contains the purchase price and the total purchase price. Also, please allow me to correct your Majesty's mistake. I did not receive 800 Dukat, I only received 300 Dukat."
As soon as he said that, everyone in the meeting room had an ugly expression on their faces.
“300？！ Why only 300? Where did the other 500 go?! " Katarina took the documents and confirmed that Bagramyan did not embezzle. The female Tsar was even angrier. "Dmylov! Get out here! Didn't I give you 800 Dukat? Why did you only take out 300 Dukat? "
The finance minister, Dmylov, had no choice but to step forward. He slowly bowed to the female Katarina and said calmly, "Your Majesty, to give General Bagramyan 300 Dukat is already the best I can do. The kingdom's finances are huge, and many things have stopped to wait for money. It wasn't easy for us to get some money, and we have to settle some of it. The debts and expenses are constantly in the red, and it's difficult for me as the finance minister! Please understand my difficulties, Your Majesty. "
Katarina's expression softened a little after hearing this. The female Tsar thought that Dmylov had been her finance minister for more than a decade, and had always been very loyal. Her tone softened a little. "Alright, today's meeting was to talk about this. I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Where did the other 500 Dukat go?"
"The other 500 Dukat went like this. 300 Dukat were used to pay Becafen's shipyard for renting ships. It was used to transport supplies and military equipment from the rear." Dmylov explained the first part of the money.
"But our logistics department has never seen a single cargo ship!" The Bagramyan threw caution to the wind. The head of the logistics department shouted, "It was all done by our own people! Your Majesty, in order to transport supplies, hundreds of people died of exhaustion or starvation during the transportation! And how could renting a few ships cost 300 Dukat? "
"Wait, I haven't finished yet." Dmylov sneered for a while and added, "We did rent ships and transport supplies, but the ships encountered magic when they reached the Upper Tarabek River. Isn't there an Army of Chaos in this section of the river? The ships encountered some problems. Two of the ships caught fire, and one of them even capsized. We had to change to a land route. As for the expenses, the compensation and the loss of supplies should also be included. This is the first part of the money. The creditors are chasing after me, so I had to give it to them first. Otherwise, if we break our promise and cause a dispute, it would be a big deal if Her Majesty Katarina's holy name was hurt! "
When Chief Minister Petrov saw that Katarin didn't say anything else, he took the initiative to say, "Well then, this matter is considered clear. Everyone, please don't do this next time. There are difficulties in transportation, and there are problems that can't be avoided. However, the money is still used in the right way. I have to reflect on myself for not making things clear. Isn't that right? Three glasses of liquor as punishment! "
After that, Petrov downed three glasses of vodka in a row.
The head of the logistics department, Bagramyan, was speechless for a moment. After hearing this, Katarina thought that Dmylov was indeed loyal to his master. Did she blame him wrongly? She waved her hand impatiently and motioned for him to continue. "Then what about the second part of the money? Where did the 200 gold Dukat go? "
"There's also the expenses for the repair of Her Majesty's palace and the debt for the palace expenses." Dmylov squeezed out a smile and said politely, "Her Majesty went south to Becafen and worked hard to fulfill her duties. She is truly a wise ruler. How can we, as her subjects, not work hard?"
Everyone nodded. Seeing this, Dmylov's tone relaxed and he continued, "Her Majesty's palace is already trying their best to be frugal. However, there are some banquets that must be held and some extravagance that must be displayed. Otherwise, it will damage the prestige of Kislöw and Her Majesty's reputation. Normally, everyone will do their best to support her. Even if anyone suffers, no one dares to make Her Majesty suffer. Therefore, we discussed and decided to make the soldiers suffer a little and take out 200 gold Dukat to subsidize Her Majesty's expenses. These are all expenses of the palace. Her Majesty has a detailed account. Don't you think so, Marshal Semyonov?"
"Yes." The commander of the Romanov Guards took a step forward and stared at Bagramyan. "I can testify. The Old Guard can also testify. Your Majesty, I want to speak up for Minister Dmylov. Why is it that the one who does the most always suffers the most?! Can those soldiers understand our difficulties? " They understand Her Majesty's difficulties and make a fuss all day long! What a bunch of rascals! "
Dmylov wiped his tears with red eyes. He looked really wronged.
These bastards! It was clearly because of these people … General Bagramyan, the head of the logistics department, was livid. He couldn't defend himself at all. If he defended himself now, he would be pointing at Her Majesty Tsar. Katarina wasn't a good-tempered person. There were countless prisoners who dared to point fingers at Katarina in Qitar Prison!
As expected, Katarina's expression softened. It seemed that these ministers were loyal enough. It was just that they didn't communicate well. Tsar took out a small piece of paper and asked one last question. "Then, can anyone explain why the total value of the food was only 120 gold Dukat?"
Without waiting for Bagramyan to speak, Dunnykin took the initiative to say, "When purchasing food for the army, it has to be safe and secure. We purchased good ingredients, good wine, and good meat. It's just that those soldiers were uneducated and didn't understand. They calculated it according to the market price in the countryside, so it seemed that there were fewer things and the price was higher. This is normal."
"The price of local food is very high. If you want to buy food, you have to transport it from outside. It's also winter and chaos on the road, so it's normal to have some losses." Petrov also said, "Bagramyan and I are responsible for this matter. Generally speaking, it's good that someone can ask questions. This means that we are doing things according to the rules, and there is a reason for the money to be spent."
Tsar thought about the opinions of Duma and the others. It seemed that the quality of the people was low and insatiable. She understood their hard work, but they didn't know how to be grateful! In the future, she would forget about this kind of compensation.
She still felt that some details were strange. Why didn't Katarín accomplish anything in the end? Why did only 15% of the 800 gold Dukat actually get the goods? Why did the rest disappear?
However, Tsar reluctantly accepted these explanations. She didn't want to waste any more time. She said one last sentence, "I'll also give you a reminder. Next time, don't let this kind of thing happen again. Always put in effort to clean up and do things diligently. Empathize with the soldiers' hard work. Rewards and punishments should be fair."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Everyone knelt together, and this matter was over.
General Bagramyan only felt that his heart was bleeding. He closed his eyes and kowtowed on the luxurious carpet from Ossouin. His voice trembled, "Your Highness … is wise!"
"Alright, let's discuss the Northern Expedition now!" Katarin gestured for them to move on to the next topic.
Northern Expedition!
"Your Highness is different from Katarín." Talleyrand smiled and said, "The bureaucrats all know what kind of person you are. Your Highness is a mighty ruler, and will not be confused by the bureaucrats' words. In addition, Your Highness has good judgment of people and the right people. You have your own sources of information and Princess Morgiana's independent supervision. The bureaucrats don't dare to play any tricks. Of course, the most important thing is that Your Highness has the full support of the army. Your powerful army is very loyal, very, very loyal. This is rare, and it makes the bureaucrats afraid."
"Rare?" Laing's interest was piqued.
"Since ancient times, rulers have often faced a dilemma. It is difficult for capable people to be loyal, but loyal people are often not capable enough." Talleyrand nodded. "After weighing the pros and cons, a ruler's instinct is to prefer loyal people. Although most of these people are incompetent, this makes them feel at ease. Only you, my King of Knights, are able to command a large group of capable subordinates through endless victories and strong diplomatic skills. You have convinced them wholeheartedly."
"Including you? Talleyrand? "Laing glanced at the lame man.
"Your Highness has shown your great power and won my loyalty." Talleyrand smiled and bowed. "Of course, it would be even better if you could give me an elven horse for transportation."
"Hahaha! Alright, when we return to Brittany, you can bring my message to Suria's stable and pick a mixed-blood elven horse for you as a reward! " Laing laughed and nodded in agreement. "Before that, go to the barracks and pick a good horse for transportation."
"Thank you very much!" Talleyrand immediately bowed and thanked him. The lame man's lips curled up.
The plan worked!
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