The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Chapter 143 The Jurchens are more afraid of the cold than the heat

Liu Mu glanced at Ouyang Jing, then closed his eyes again to calm his mind and quell the restlessness of his blood and qi from the recent exercise.

"Tell me, how much silver did you get?"

"How much are you planning to give me this time?"

You heard right, even the emperor gets a share of the money. Otherwise, what would the hundreds of people in the palace eat and drink?

Moreover, the Han Dynasty has not given the palace a single penny yet; all of this money has been embezzled by Liu Mu in secret.

Ouyang Jing chuckled, moistened his finger with saliva, and then opened the general ledger.

"Your Majesty, the wealth accumulated by the Fan family over generations is truly extraordinary! They possess three million taels of silver alone, and a staggering 130,000 taels of gold!"

"Furthermore, his mountains, forests, land, and shops in Shanxi alone could be worth three million taels!"

"As for the other jewelry, rare treasures, and paintings, there are three large boxes in total, none of which have been appraised and have already been handed over to Eunuch Zhao for inspection!"

Liu Mu opened his eyes and tapped on the stone platform.

"Anything else?"

"How much will I receive?"

Ouyang Jing scratched his head, pretending to be dumbfounded!

"I have already read it aloud, and after entering the palace, I handed it over to Eunuch Zhao; there were three large boxes in total!"

So, you're not planning to give me any money?

The three large boxes contained mostly calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry that could be quickly converted into cash.

Bang! Liu Mu slammed his hand on the table.

"What? You've distributed all seven million taels of silver, and all I have left are some odds and ends?"

Seeing that Liu Mu was holding on tightly, Ouyang Jing put the Fan family's account book aside and took out the account book that was underneath.

"Your Majesty, the railway line from Beijing, Datong, Chang'an, Lanzhou, to Jiayuguan is expected to take three months. The laborers and servants in all regions are ready; all that's needed is the money to begin construction!"

Is this an attempt to pressure me into giving them the project?

Unfortunately, I also have some knowledge of arithmetic.

"The wooden tracks I designed are all made from timber from the mountains, and the local government is in charge of the laborers. I estimate that 500,000 taels of silver should be enough. How come your Ministry of Works wants to use several million taels?"

"I won't waste time with you. Two million taels will be handed over to the Imperial Treasury, and the rest will all be sent to the Ministry of Revenue. You can declare how much you need yourself!"

"Go down!"

After Liu Mu finished speaking, he stormed off, leaving Ouyang Jing with a bewildered expression, scratching his head on the spot.

Actually, with the Imperial City Guard keeping an eye on things, Liu Mu wasn't worried about the seven ministers spending money, mainly because Liu Mu was also poor.

It should be noted that the Imperial City Guard now has 1,200 soldiers and more than 500 spies, all funded by Liu Mu himself. Most of the money he earned from killing wealthy households was invested here.

They worked as undercover agents, hiding their identities.

Shouldn't you pay more?

After Liu Mu left, Ouyang Jing smiled.

"Li Guang was right. Every time we reconcile accounts, we have to plead poverty. Otherwise, if we always split everything 50/50, how can the imperial court function? And how can the local areas develop?"

……

At the military camp outside Andingmen, Liu Mu did not enter the North Camp, but instead led eight hundred Imperial Guards to the temporary camp next door.

Just as I arrived at the gate, a man who was 1.9 meters tall and looked like a bear, wearing an oversized general's uniform, came towards me and bowed when he was thirty paces away.

"Jilin joins Aguda and pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu revealed a curious look, sized him up, and then asked meaningfully:

"Are you a Jurchen?"

"What's your last name?"

This wasn't just Liu Mu asking a random question; the Jurchen Jin Dynasty back then also had over a hundred surnames.

Aguda was stumped by this and stammered for a long time without being able to give a coherent answer, while Jin Ge, who was strong and muscular, spoke clearly.

"Your Majesty, my husband is an orphan. He was found in the snow by my tribal chief. After seeing his extraordinary bravery, the chief decided to let him inherit the Shujia tribe."

Liu Mu nodded upon hearing this, because in Jurchen language, Aguda means a virtuous leader or a big brother, just like Wanyan Aguda back then, who was a true big brother.

"I have heard of you two, husband and wife. You are brave warriors who have rendered great service to the Han Dynasty. Are you satisfied with your residence in the mansion in Beijing?"

Upon hearing this, Aguda's mouth stretched from the corners of his head to the back of his head in a wide grin.

"Your Majesty, these large houses in Beijing are much better than the barracks in Nerchinsk, it's just a bit hot!"

Well, he's a big, clumsy guy, just like Liu Dingbian!

Liu Mu didn't want to talk anymore, so he headed into the camp. But he found the whole camp in a mess, with everyone shirtless.

If you look closely, you can see that someone is wrestling, and a group of people are cheering them on. None of them look like soldiers.

Aguda followed behind and, upon seeing this, immediately rushed forward and kicked the two wrestlers away.

These Jurchens seemed to be terrified of Aguda. Upon seeing this, they all retreated and unconsciously gathered together, quickly forming a well-organized formation.

Just then, a man dressed in a black and red governor's uniform rode in from outside the camp and came to Liu Mu's side.

"Your subject Zhao Lie greets Your Majesty the Emperor!"

"I was just reunited with my family in the city and was unable to greet Your Majesty in time. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

After Qi Yanzhao finished speaking, he secretly looked up and saw Liu Mu's grim face and the chaotic army. He knew what was going on, so he hurriedly stepped forward to explain:

After Qi Yanzhao finished speaking, he secretly looked up and saw Liu Mu's grim face and the chaotic army. He knew what was going on, so he hurriedly stepped forward to explain:

"Your Majesty, I arrived here half a month ago and found that these Jurchen people from Heilongjiang are really unable to adapt to the weather in Hebei. They even have nosebleeds in the middle of the day. So I let them move around freely for a while before they start unified training!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Mu suddenly realized that these Jurchens from the Heilongjiang River basin felt like it was springtime at zero degrees Celsius, but now that the temperature around Beijing was in the teens, they felt like they were in an oven.

The Jurchens of that time could no longer tolerate the weather after reaching Kaifeng, and could only move south in winter.

"It's alright, it's alright, there's a reason for everything!"

"Zhao Lie, North Korea has been getting increasingly agitated lately. They haven't visited Beijing for almost two years. According to the intelligence you sent, they are conducting large-scale military training!"

"Therefore, I have decided that you will lead the army and set off tomorrow. You can tell me if you need anything else."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yanzhao fell into deep thought. He was really not good at fighting, so he stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, in Ningguta, I have organized a guard of 5,600 men according to the standards of my Great Han, and with the addition of 10,000 Jurchen cavalry this time, our elite force is more than sufficient!"

"However, I have never commanded a large army before, and I fear that if I were to delay Your Majesty's important affairs, even a hundred deaths would not be enough to atone for my sins!"

Hearing that Zhao Lie's words lacked confidence, Liu Mu patted him on the shoulder and began to speak earnestly.

"There will be no pay for this mission to Korea, and if it goes on for too long, the soldiers may become independent. I don't trust anyone else to go to Korea. You were one of the first to follow me, so if you don't go, who will?"

"I think Aguda is quite good. Leave the fighting to him; your job is just to manage the morale of the troops and keep them under your control!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lie no longer refused.

"I will depart tomorrow!"

"In this battle, Your Majesty will surely capture the King of Korea!"