Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Based on the initial price of weapons and equipment they set, equipping an army of 35 with cavalry gear would only cost a little over 1300 million strings of cash.

After all, they weren't providing the finest armor from the Tang Dynasty; the quantity of iron armor was limited, and most of the armor was just leather.

Now that 950 million strings of cash have appeared out of nowhere, there must be something wrong with what these people ordered.

"promise."

Ma Zhou responded and then handed the weapons price list and ledger to Du He.

Half a quarter of an hour passed.

Du He exclaimed in astonishment, "These people equipped each cavalryman with two horses?"

"Wow, they're really rich!"

No wonder they spent an extra 950 million strings of cash; it turns out that these people bought a total of 70 warhorses, almost emptying out the warhorses they had captured from the nomadic tribes.

Moreover, they bought a lot of arrows, with each cavalryman equipped with an average of 50 arrows.

Ma Zhou cupped his hands and said, "King Han, they are still clamoring to buy the Bright Light Armor for their family members to wear. Do you think we should allocate some of the Bright Light Armor for sale?"

"If chainmail and mountain armor were available for sale, they would like to buy one or two sets."

Do you want to buy the armor worn by Tang generals?

Chainmail and mountain armor are the finest craftsmanship of armor, with an average price of 4000 strings of cash per set. Currently, only a small number of generals can afford to wear them.

As for the Mingguang armor, it was the most widely used armor in the Tang Dynasty.

The best bright armor worn by the general cost 150 strings of cash, while the bright armor worn by ordinary elite cavalry cost 100 strings of cash.

Of the 70 troops currently in service with the imperial court, fewer than 3 are equipped with bright armor; the vast majority wear fine scale armor, leather armor, and silk armor.

A moment of silence.

Du He said softly, "Prince Bin, chainmail and mountain armor cannot be sold. How many sets of Bright Armor do they want?"

"Let me see if I can get some armor from the Imperial Guard."

The purpose of these people buying the Mingguang armor was simple: to increase the survival rate of their family members on the battlefield and prevent them from dying there.

After all, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield, and without the protection of sturdy armor, it is easy for problems to occur.

Ma Zhou quickly replied, "Your Majesty, they want a total of 5000 sets of Brightlight Armor. Do you think you can provide them?"

What?

5000 sets of Bright Armor?

These guys have quite the appetite.

Du He shook his head and said, "I will report to the Crown Prince later and see what he has to say."

Ma Zhou respectfully replied, "Yes!"

Du He then gave Ma Zhou some more instructions, telling him to prepare the arsenal as soon as possible and then begin modifying the batch of weapons and equipment.

After giving his instructions, Du He went to the Privy Council for a walk, and then headed towards the Ganlu Hall.

After a cup of tea.

When Du He revealed that the arsenal had sold 2250 million strings of cash worth of weapons and equipment, Li Chengqian jumped up from his chair.

He strode down the platform, his tone filled with disbelief.

"How much did you sell?"

"Ordinary weapons and equipment prepared for an army of 35 could actually sell for 2250 million strings of cash?"

"Du He, you're not going to double the price, are you?"

Seeing Li Chengqian's lips trembling with excitement, Du He smiled faintly.

In all their years, they had never seen anyone possess tens of millions of coins.

Du He explained, "Your Majesty, these people equipped the soldiers with two horses each, which is why the price is much higher."

"They also want to buy 5000 sets of Bright Armor for their family members to wear. Do you think we should allocate some of them?"

When Li Chengqian heard that the group wanted to buy Mingguang armor, his reaction was the same as Du He's; he also thought that the group had too much ambition.

Thinking about it for a long time.

Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, "Du He, I will sell 2000 sets of Mingguang armor and 2000 horse lances. The combination of armor and horse lances will be priced at 1000 guan."

"Tell Ma Zhou and Pei Xingjian that not a single copper coin should be missing from Ming Guangjia and Ma Shuo."

What?

A set of Mingguang armor and a horse spear are priced at 1000 guan.

The normal cost of Mingguang armor and horse spear is 250 guan, and it would be even lower if produced in large quantities. Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian quadrupled the price.

What a cruel heart!

However, it takes two to three years to make the Mingguang armor and the horse spear. These aristocratic families not only lack the technology, but also may not have enough time.

As expected of Li Chengqian, he's becoming more and more cunning.

Du He cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir!"

After reporting on the sale of weapons and armor, Du He then discussed with Li Chengqian the selection of personnel for compiling the national history and revising the laws.

Li Chengqian's attitude was perfunctory. He had no objection to the people appointed by Du He, and he just nodded in agreement with whatever Du He said.

After Du He finished speaking.

Li Chengqian then smiled and said, "Du He, you can decide such a small matter yourself. I believe that under your leadership, the revision of the national history and the revision of the laws will be completed smoothly."

"During this period of time, I have been studying the art of rulership with the retired emperor, so I haven't had much time to manage state affairs."

There's a lot going on at the start of the year, so you'll need to be extra careful.

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian continued, "I will review the memorials from the Privy Council as appropriate, control the personnel appointments and removals in the Ministry of Personnel, the transfer of officials in the Ministry of War, and examine the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue."

"You are the head of all officials, so you must manage the implementation of government affairs for me."

Du He's expression shifted slightly when he saw Li Chengqian acting as a hands-off manager again.

Could it be that Li Shimin told him about the Jiajing Emperor's more than 20 years of not attending court, and now this guy is starting to play the trick of precisely seizing power and controlling his ministers?

Good guy!

They're using him like Yan Song!

Du He pursed his lips, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly work diligently to ensure the smooth implementation and supervision of all government affairs."

If Li Chengqian were to become a hands-off manager, all the tedious affairs of the Tang Dynasty would fall on his shoulders.

Although he holds great power, his long hours of toil will surely lead to his premature death.

Knowing Li Chengqian's true nature, Du He began to plot in her mind.

"We need to keep pushing Ma Zhou and Pei Xingjian to train Shangguan Yi, Di Renjie, Pei Yan, Xue Yuanchao, and others as soon as possible."

"Zhang Xingcheng, Liu Rengui, Yan Liben, and others are all talented individuals, and we need to give them more responsibilities!"

Considering that each official in the Tang Dynasty was responsible for many more administrative affairs than before, and that many officials' shifts ended more than an hour later.

After thinking about it for a while.

Du He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the court is currently undertaking many large-scale projects, and the ministers and local officials are working more than twice as hard as before."

"I suggest that the salaries of all officials be increased to demonstrate the superiority of the Hongmeng Dynasty."

The imperial court has no shortage of gold and silver, and the captured grain has filled the granaries and warehouses. Improving the treatment of the people is no problem at all.

A raise in salary?

Li Chengqian's expression paused slightly, then he put his hands behind his back and asked, "Du He, how much do you think it should be raised?"

Du He said with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, I suggest a 10% increase!"

"I believe that once the news of the salary increase spreads, the officials of the court will be grateful for your great kindness, and the cohesion will be strengthened even more."

The biggest beneficiaries of the establishment of the new dynasty were the high-ranking officials active in the imperial court, while the local governors and county officials received very limited benefits.

If Li Chengqian hadn't ordered a general amnesty, they wouldn't have received any benefit whatsoever.

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded, then smiled and said, "Du He, when you come to the court assembly tomorrow to propose a raise in salaries, I believe all the officials will remember your kindness."

"When you take charge of the officials later, their cooperation will be higher."