"Sir, the combat effectiveness of the Gaoyue soldiers is obvious to all. We have finally won the support of the Gaoyue people in Luzon. How can we not accept their sincerity? What's more, such a large land in Northern Luzon will definitely require a considerable number of troops to be stationed, regardless of Should our Northwest Army stay behind or reorganize the army? In short, expanding the army is inevitable. Instead of hurriedly recruiting soldiers from Northern Luzon, it is better to directly transform the Gaoyue militia into this force. At least there is no need to worry about their loyalty. And after a certain amount of training, not to mention combat effectiveness, why not do it?" Cui Wenxiu defended confidently.
"To put it lightly, where does the cost of building an army come from? Our finances are currently overwhelmed, and it is impossible to get more money out of the finances." Why doesn't Wu Feng know about occupying Northern Luzon? Next, we must consider the garrison issue. If we send part of our northwest army to garrison, the defense force of the northwest county will be greatly weakened. It may be possible in the short term, but it cannot be maintained for a long time, otherwise the surrounding foreign enemies will inevitably attack. Create a sense of voyeurism.
Cui Wenxiu had a sly smile on his face. He and Shalang glanced at each other, and then said, "If we can solve this funding problem, then you don't have to worry about it, right?"
"It's a waste of words! If the money problem can be solved, do I still need to sit here?" Wu Feng replied angrily. Suddenly, he heard something fishy in Cui Wenxiu's words, and his eyes immediately turned to the two people's faces. Going back and forth, "Huh? From your tone, it sounds like there is some mystery in this. Tell me, what else are you two hiding from me?"
"Sir, it's not that we hid it from you, but you didn't give us a chance to speak." Cui Wenxiu quickly took off Wu Feng's hat when she saw it, and explained quickly.
"Yes, sir, I originally wanted to report to you when we met, but we never got around to it." Sha Lang also hurriedly agreed.
Wu Feng's eyes lit up and he immediately became energetic: "Then tell me clearly immediately. You must not hide anything, otherwise you will be punished for multiple crimes!"
"Sir, after our division entered the city, we found that many nobles and businessmen had fled in the city. There were also many rioting bandits looting everywhere. After we cleared them, we confiscated a large amount of unowned property, including five gold coins alone. More than 100,000 yuan, and there are also a large number of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, gold and silver jewelry, the value of which is impossible to estimate." Sha Lang reported with a smile.
"Oh? It seems that the sky is the limit! I didn't expect that these noble businessmen fled and left us such a large amount of wealth. I would like to sincerely thank them." Wu Feng couldn't help laughing. Gotta grin.
"Sir, that's not all. Due to the sudden arrival of our army, many supplies from the government supply warehouse in Vito City had not been transported away in time, leaving behind a large amount of food, oil, cloth and many military supplies such as weapons, armor and other items. We have gained a lot." Cui Wenxiu also added proudly, "And we also raided the mansion of the former Vito City guard Mandic, who was defeated because he raised an army against Luzon Prime Minister Brundtland. He was killed in Manlong City, and his mansion was sealed by the central government of Luzon. We invaded before we could deal with it. When their army fled, they probably didn't expect that there was a large treasure house hidden here. Ah, nearly 10,000 gold bars were found, as well as countless treasures, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc., which I estimate are worth at least one million gold coins. This guy really can't see that he has such a rich family fortune. , It’s just giving us an advantage in vain.”
While Wu Feng listened, he was also calculating rapidly in his mind: "Ten thousand gold bars can be used to offset one million gold coins, plus the collected cash, there are 500,000 gold coins, a total of 1.5 million gold coins, which is enough to support the formation of The troops of the two divisions only need to maintain expenses for three months. If we can monetize those treasure stocks, it is estimated that there should be no problem in supporting them for another nine months, but we have to find a reliable place to deal with these floating wealth."
Cui Wenxiu and Sha Lang saw Wu Feng's eyes rolling around but kept silent. They probably thought he was calculating something, so they sat silently waiting for Wu Feng's instructions. After a while, Wu Feng finally recovered from the surprise, "Well, you did a good job. You finally solved a big problem for me. I was worried about how to go back and explain to Xiao Tang. The cash will be nationalized and mainly used for As for the military expenses here, as for the floating wealth, we should collect it first, transport it back to the northwest, and find a way to bring it to the imperial capital to sell it at a good price."
After another pause, he said, "I originally planned to exempt you from punishment, but I think what should be punished should still be punished, and what should be rewarded should still be rewarded. You were able to adapt to changes and march into Vito City in time. This is a good job and should be commended; but You have allowed your subordinates to kill indiscriminately, causing extremely bad effects. This deserves punishment, and you two cannot run away. Let’s not talk about it for now, and we will deal with it when we get back.” Wu Feng regained his composure, but no one could tell. His mood was completely different from just now.
"Well, by the way, since many noble businessmen have fled, there must be many luxury villas left in the city. A notice will be issued tomorrow. If the original owners of these houses do not come to re-register them within half a month, they will be dismissed. The same applies to the confiscation and nationalization of land and plantations left by escaped landlords and planters. If no one comes to claim them, all these houses, land and plantations will be auctioned, and the proceeds will be returned to the original owner. Local finance." Wu Feng thought of another question.
"Then what if those guys really come back?" Sha Lang couldn't help but ask.
"It would be better if they come back. As long as they are confirmed and pay a certain recognition fee, they can return it. In fact, it is better for these people to come back. I need them to come back. After all, they also represent a part of the power, and this part of the power is exactly the same. They are representatives of the wealthy people in the region, and their return will be more conducive to the recovery and development of the region's economy." Wu Feng is not worried about this.
"What about the property we seized? What if someone asks us to return it?" Sha Lang broke the casserole and asked.
"Property? We didn't rob it from them, but seized it from the gangsters. Besides, why do they prove that these things belong to them?" Wu Feng blinked and answered cleverly, with a faint smile on his face. With a smile, "Okay, you don't have to worry so much. I think these things should be left to the local government officials who are about to be formed to consider. I can't think of it for two days, and the representatives of Mu Haoran and Gao Yueren will soon be here." arrive."
Just as Wufeng's army entered Northern Luzon in large numbers, as he had expected, a heated debate broke out in the court hall in Zhongzhou, the imperial capital, over his unexpected move.
"Your Majesty, Li Wufeng, the Military and Political Governor of the Northwest County, sent troops to Luzon without the consent of the Imperial Central Committee. This not only caused extremely bad effects internationally, but also blatantly defied the authority of the Imperial Central Committee, which is also contempt of Your Majesty's authority. , this kind of evil behavior must be severely punished, otherwise it will definitely trigger a chain reaction, and the harm to the empire will be incalculable." The person who spoke, the first person from the left, who was sitting under His Majesty the Emperor's throne, had a thin appearance and spoke in a slow but methodical voice. It makes sense, and his tone is full of confidence. Of course he is Duke Ning Yuanwang, the deputy minister of administration of the empire. Currently, the position of minister of administration of the empire has been vacant. He is actually the acting minister of administration. In the imperial court, he can be said to be inferior to one person and among ten thousand people. superior.
"Yes, according to our intelligence, Li Wufeng not only personally led the army into northeastern Luzon, but also sent his men to lead the army into northwest Luzon. This has caused a strong response in the local area." Imperial intelligence echoed Minister Tieneng, while reporting, carefully looked at the face of Emperor Situ Mingyue who was sitting at the table.
"Yuanwang, what did Li Wufeng explain in his memorial?" In fact, Situ Mingyue already knew the content of Wufeng's letter, but he wanted to let the ministers in the palace understand it.
"Li Wufeng stated in his previous report that the situation in Luzon has suddenly changed. Its neighboring powerful Pasha Kingdom to the south and Komini Principality to the west are showing signs of jointly sending troops to dismember Luzon. The Tang people living in northern Luzon, as well as the Cooper and Pu people The Rich people and the Indians were worried that after the two countries occupied Luzon, they would ethnically cleanse them and other ethnic minorities, so they asked him and the neighboring Indian Kingdom for protection. However, the Indian Kingdom was unable to send troops due to domestic reasons. Therefore, we can only rely on the power of the northwest county. Due to time constraints, there is no time to obtain approval from the central government of the empire, so while reporting, we urgently dispatch troops to deal with the unexpected situation." Ning Yuanwang frowned slightly, and briefly wrote Wu Feng's letter. The content is introduced.
"So, it's not that the empire didn't get the request from Northwest. It's just that it had to deal with it first because of the urgency of the matter. This is not worth making a fuss about." A clear voice took over the words, and the ministers looked at it. It turned out that the person in line was The Ninth Prince Situ Lang, the fifth prince on the right, has golden shoulder-length hair and a bright smile, which makes people feel close to him.
"Your Majesty, Ninth Prince, this matter is no trivial matter. The military expedition to foreign countries is an important matter involving national security interests and prestige. Without His Majesty's order, no one has the right to decide." Ning Yuan saw that it was the Ninth Prince, and his attitude changed. Very respectful, but still quite tough in his tone.
"What Lord Ning said is absolutely true. If the person in charge of the army of a country can use the army at will, wouldn't the law and discipline be ignored? Where is the authority of His Majesty the Emperor? If anyone else follows suit, the country will not be a country!" The one who spoke was the Imperial Ministry. Vice Minister Pique, his tone was more severe, and he was obviously extremely dissatisfied with Wu Feng's behavior of sending troops privately.
Situ Lang's expression changed. He didn't expect that the two ministers who had always been very polite to him would become so attitude today, which shocked him. It seemed that Li Wufeng had offended many people. He was invited by him. Is it wise to explain it to him? He hesitated for a moment without further explanation, hoping to observe the situation before making a decision.
"I disagree with Mr. Peake's opinion. Li Wufeng did not use troops without authorization for his own selfish interests. Everyone knows that there are not a few Tang residents living in northern Luzon. There are hundreds of thousands of them. Although these people They are in a foreign country, but they are of the same lineage as us. They have always been oppressed by the Andes, the main ethnic group in the area, and now they are facing the threat of ethnic cleansing. Can it be said that the powerful empire can only stand by and watch? Although Li Wufeng has not been to the central government of the empire Approval is indeed a violation of imperial laws, but it is understandable to obey the authority in a hurry." Chu Lie bowed respectfully to Situ Mingyue, a young voice full of injustice.