Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 486: Turning the Tables (Part 2)

What kind of army is this Nanyang Army?

All the ministers knew it well in their hearts.

The Nanyang Army was originally part of the Nanyang Prince Mansion. After the late Emperor ascended the throne, he sent Zuo Zhen to take command, bringing the Nanyang Army back under the court’s control. A few years later, the Nanyang Army’s military generals impeached the main general Zuo Zhen for embezzling salaries and exploiting soldiers, and evidence of his crimes was solid. After Zuo Zhen was stripped of his duties, the Nanyang County Princess Jiang Shaohua personally recommended Yu Chong to be the main general.

From then on, the Nanyang Army once again belonged to the Nanyang Prince Mansion.

After Emperor Taihe ascended the throne, the national treasury was empty, and military funding was severely insufficient. All the stationed troops across the regions lived frugally. Only the Nanyang Army received no reductions in military funding, with abundant weapons, warhorses, and food, thanks entirely to the Nanyang Prince Mansion’s efforts.

Over the past two years, the court had saved the expense of funding the Nanyang Army, as all of its costs were covered by the Nanyang Prince Mansion. In this way, the Nanyang Army, both nominally and in reality, became the army of the Nanyang Prince Mansion.

Vice Minister Wang, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, had long been dissatisfied with this. At the small court meeting, he raised the issue, directly targeting the Nanyang County Princess.

All the ministers turned to look at the Commandery Princess.

Jiang Shaohua said calmly, "The Nanyang Prince Mansion alleviates the court’s burdens by annually allocating a large sum of silver to support the Nanyang Army. In these past two years, Nanyang County has been peaceful, and Jingzhou has been stable, largely due to the strength of the Nanyang Army. I’m curious, Vice Minister Wang, what disorder do you perceive?"

Vice Minister Wang, evidently well-prepared, laughed coldly and said, "The Nanyang Army is a court garrison, but now it has become the army of the Nanyang Prince Mansion. If anyone who provides the silver controls the troops, then other noble families or several Vassal Kings in other states and counties could follow suit and raise their private armies. Wouldn’t that lead to chaos?"

Jiang Shaohua replied, "Vice Minister Wang is overthinking this. Noble families cannot afford to raise an army. Other Vassal Kings might be able to but neither dare nor can they afford to keep soldiers. Only I, with the resources, ambition, and the Emperor’s tolerance, can manage this."

Vice Minister Wang: "..."

The Nanyang County Princess possessed not only formidable power but also exceptional tenacity.

This was the kind of shrewdness and tact that only top-level politicians possessed.

Prime Minister Wang tugged at the corner of his mouth in his heart, thinking Vice Minister Wang was still a bit too inexperienced. If Jiang Shaohua were so easy to deal with, how would he have tolerated her arrogance?

Vice Minister Dong and Vice Minister Yang exchanged a glance, a glint of approval and satisfaction in their eyes. Being a woman was initially her greatest disadvantage. However, the Nanyang County Princess had the ability to turn her disadvantage into an advantage. Such a Commandery Princess was one they were willing to support and follow.

Zheng Chen, who was responsible for taking notes, paused briefly, a drop of ink hovering over the paper, almost falling.

Jiang Shaohua’s voice rose again, interrupting Zheng Chen’s chaotic thoughts. Without thinking, Zheng Chen continued writing down the records.

"The lack of adequate funding for the garrison is indeed a major issue and could potentially lead to concerns. Vice Minister Wang’s concerns are not unfounded. However, the truth is, the national treasury is indeed empty, and we cannot provide such full funding at this time. How much should be allocated and the specific amount should be further discussed by everyone."

"Minister Ji, you are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, you speak first."

Minister Ji, suddenly called upon, quickly responded, saying, "There are priorities, and funds are needed everywhere. First, we must prioritize repairing the river embankments, and the military funding will have to wait."

Vice Minister Wang reflexively wanted to refute, but Jiang Shaohua’s bright and sharp gaze swept over him: "This is a place for court discussion, not for disruptions. Vice Minister Wang should listen to everyone before speaking."

Vice Minister Wang twitched his mouth and kept silent.

Over twenty ministers voiced their opinions one by one, with a few agreeing to prioritize military funding, whereas the majority supported Minister Ji’s stance to prioritize the Ministry of Industry for river embankment repairs first.

Jiang Shaohua pondered briefly and said, "There are six supporting the Ministry of War’s memorandum and sixteen supporting the initial repair of the river embankments. The memorandum from the Ministry of War is to be rejected for now and will be discussed again when the national treasury has funds."

Vice Minister Wang felt indignant yet powerless.

The court discussions continued in an orderly manner thereafter. Given Vice Minister Wang’s earlier experience of being stung, the other ministers spoke more cautiously, to avoid being cut down by the sharp-tongued Commandery Princess and facing embarrassment.

By noon, the affairs were not yet settled. Jiang Shaohua directly ordered meals from the Imperial Kitchen to be delivered to the hall, with each person receiving a meal box containing four dishes and one soup, two meat and two vegetarian, neither sumptuous nor simple.

"Everyone, have your lunch first. Once finished, we shall continue the discussion."

It wasn’t until it was nearly dark that the doors of the hall opened. The weary ministers departed slowly, taking heavy steps.

Even the energetic Minister Zhang found it a bit overwhelming today and called for his attendant to support him as soon as he left Zhaohai Palace, shaking his head and sighing, "Old, old, it’s not like when I was young."

Prime Minister Wang also had his attendant support him, slowly walking towards the palace gates. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Minister Ji soon followed suit and exited.

Managing the Ministry of Revenue is a demanding and thankless task, rich in resources yet requiring an unimaginable amount of mental exertion. Particularly for the Minister of Revenue in the Da Liang Dynasty, it was exceptionally difficult. As the saying goes, ’a clever housewife cannot cook without rice,’ and the national treasury’s tax revenues kept decreasing while the demand for funds only grew. He had lost more than half of his hair in the past two to three years.

Fortunately, today the Nanyang County Princess displayed her divine prowess, suppressing the outrageous demands of Vice Minister Wang. Even the military funding request from the Ministry of War was rejected, naturally leading to all requests from other departments seeking funds being denied. This allowed him to breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Reflecting on Chief Historian Feng of the Nanyang Prince Mansion, tasked with managing the mansion’s finances, with such a Commandery Princess, it wasn’t much of a hardship after all.

...

Zheng Chen, who had been writing all day, felt his wrists aching and his mind somewhat muddled.

No wonder he saw Wang Jin like that yesterday; today, experiencing it himself, he understood the feeling. Writing all day long! The records spanned over fifty pages!

Zheng Chen looked up at the energetic and unruffled Jiang Shaohua, contemplating her frightening power and skills, his sentiment growing increasingly complex.

"Chief Historian Zheng, you’ve worked hard." Jiang Shaohua smiled and instructed, "Please present the day’s records to the Emperor. After his review, archive them."

Zheng Chen raised an eyebrow, "These records need archiving?"

"Of course," Jiang Shaohua said leisurely, "Every memorandum, each decision, the ministers all have differing opinions and methods of handling. I have not interfered too much, thus we adhere to the majority’s decision. In the future, if there are any discrepancies, the records can be reviewed at any time, also making it convenient to hold someone accountable."

"I want them to know that words cannot be spoken recklessly, tasks cannot be done half-heartedly, and they cannot act carelessly. If something goes wrong, there will be severe consequences!"

Zheng Chen: "..."

Zheng Chen’s pupils dilated, staring intently at Jiang Shaohua, feeling as though a colossal wave surged in his heart like a raging sea.

How did she devise such shrewd tactics?

Or was it that, in her previous life, as a daughter-in-law married into the Wang Family, her true brilliance and talents had always been confined within the interior court?