MM Racing Chapter 80 Rewards
Chapter 80 Rewards
Lei Xiaoyou remained silent for a long time, his eyes flashing with countless struggles.
In the end, he let out a long sigh, and two streams of hot tears rolled down his cloudy old eyes.
Struggling to get off the ground, Lei Xiaoyou, disregarding his weakness, bowed to Zhao Yu and said, "Your subject Lei Xiaoyou greets Your Majesty."
"Lord Lei, please rise quickly." Zhao Yu personally reached out and helped him up.
After everyone was seated, the eunuch served tea, bowed, and withdrew, closing the door to the warm pavilion.
Zhao Yu took a sip of tea and then got straight to the point: "I summoned you here today for no other reason than to inquire about the true state of the national treasury and the border troops. I want to hear the truth, not empty rhetoric that paints a rosy picture."
"How much silver is left in the national treasury? How many imperial guards and local militias are there in total? How many soldiers are capable of fighting? Are the food supplies and weapons sufficient?"
When national affairs were mentioned, Lei Xiaoyou immediately perked up, and the sickly look on his face faded somewhat.
"Your Majesty, the Northern Expedition of the Kai Xi era lasted three years and cost the national treasury more than 70 million taels of silver, almost emptying the coffers accumulated since the southward migration. Now the national treasury has less than 800,000 taels of silver, let alone raising military funds, even the daily expenses of the court are in dire straits."
"The situation in the army is even worse," Qian Xiangzu interjected, his face full of worry. "The army in various places is severely understaffed, with ghost salaries everywhere. They claim to have a million soldiers, but in reality, there are less than 80,000 soldiers who can fight."
"Moreover, most of these 80,000 men are old, weak, sick, or disabled. Their discipline is lax, their training is poor, and they don't even have proper armor or weapons. The troops on the Huai River front have been through a major battle and are also in debt. Their morale is extremely low, and they are no match for the enemy."
Lei Xiaoyou sighed, his tone tinged with reproach: "The Emperor is too hasty. Even if he didn't want to negotiate peace with the Jin, he could have taken his time. Why did he have to kill Wanyan Honglie and completely enrage the Jin?"
"Now that the two countries are at war, the Jin army will surely launch a full-scale southward offensive. With our current military strength, it will be difficult to withstand the Jin army's advance."
In the end, everyone present looked troubled and heavy-hearted.
At this time, it was quite normal for a pro-peace faction to emerge within the Southern Song Dynasty. Relying solely on the southeastern half of the country, it was indeed difficult to resist the Jin people.
Relying on the terrain for defense might be feasible, but launching a northern expedition would be extremely difficult.
"If I do not kill Wanyan Honglie and break the peace agreement, you will always be clinging to the idea of living in peace."
Zhao Yu, however, spoke with unwavering conviction: "Peace negotiations cannot bring peace, only greater humiliation. From the Shaoxing Peace Treaty to the Longxing Peace Treaty, and now to the Jiading Peace Treaty, we have made concessions time and time again, ceding territory and paying reparations time and time again, but have the Jurchens let us go? No! They only become more greedy and insatiable."
"Rather than waiting to be killed, we should fight back." Zhao Yu's gaze swept over the three men. "Rest assured, my lords, since I have taken on this responsibility, I have my own plan to defeat the enemy. You only need to quickly rectify the administration, check the census, gather provisions, and make preparations for battle. When the Jin army marches south, I will have my own way to defeat them."
Seeing Zhao Yu's confidence and resolute tone, the others, though still filled with doubt, refrained from saying anything more.
After all, things had come to this point, and they had no other choice but to trust Zhao Yu.
After discussing the preparations for war, Zhao Yu began to reward those who had contributed to the victory.
Xia Zhen was rewarded for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor. He was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard, given the title of Grand Commandant, and given command of the three imperial guards. He was also awarded 500 taels of gold and 1,000 bolts of brocade.
Qian Xiangzu was rewarded for his meritorious service in supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne, and was promoted to Privy Councilor, while his original position as Vice Chancellor remained unchanged.
Lei Xiaoyou spoke out for justice and was rewarded accordingly.
"Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness."
The group quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
When he was the only one left in the warm room, he leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
He knew in his heart that these civil officials were unreliable.
They had long been accustomed to complacency and to kneeling in surrender, and had no courage whatsoever to fight the Jurchens to the death.
If we really have to fight a war, we'll have to rely on the power of the martial arts world.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Qiu requests an audience," a eunuch's voice rang out from outside the door.
After Zhao Yu succeeded, all the eunuchs in the palace were replaced by his men. With palace servants skilled in the Evil-Slaying Sword Technique protecting him, assassinating Zhao Yu was probably the most difficult task in the world at that time.
"Let him in."
A moment later, Qiu Qianren strode in, his face filled with barely concealed excitement and joy.
Approaching Zhao Yu, he knelt on one knee: "Your subject Qiu Qianren pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"Please rise, Mr. Qiu." Zhao Yu smiled and helped him up. "This time, you led the Iron Palm Clan disciples to help me establish my rule and made great contributions. I will remember this in my heart."
"I hereby appoint you as Wuyi Dafu and concurrently as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Xiangyang Prefecture Army, while you continue to command the Iron Palm Clan disciples. I will issue an edict to have Xiangyang Prefecture allocate provisions and weapons to expand your troops, and rewards will be given according to your merits when we launch the Northern Expedition in the future."
Although Wu Yi Dafu is only a seventh-rank martial artist, the position of Deputy Commander of the Xiangyang Prefecture Army is a powerful and influential one.
Xiangyang was the first line of defense against the Jin dynasty during the Southern Song dynasty, and its strategic position was extremely important.
Being able to lead troops here is enough to prove that Qiu Qianren's investment has yielded huge returns.
For a nobody like him, this step was nothing short of a carp leaping over the dragon gate.
Qiu Qianren was deeply moved and quickly bowed again in gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"
Zhao Yu patted him on the shoulder: "Go down and appease the Iron Palm Clan disciples first, then go to Xiangyang to take up your post. Remember, Xiangyang is the gateway to our Great Song Dynasty, and it must not be lost."
After Qiu Qianren accepted the order and left, Zhao Yu looked at the imperial robes he was wearing and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
From transmigrating to this world, to the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, to gathering manpower and launching a palace coup, it has been a long and arduous journey to where we are today.
Now, he has finally ascended the throne and taken control of half of the country.
But this was just the beginning. The road ahead was still fraught with danger. Internally, his officials were disaffected, and externally, the Jin army was pressing in. He could not afford to relax even for a moment.
"Looks like you really are ambitious, kid. You said you weren't after the throne."
A familiar voice came from outside the hall, carrying a hint of teasing.
Zhao Yu looked up and saw Wang Chongyang, Huang Yaoshi, and Hong Qi standing at the entrance of the hall.
Those words were spoken by Hong Qi. He was still clutching a shiny, oily chicken leg in his hand, though it was unclear whether he had stolen it from the kitchen.
The eunuchs at the door were on high alert, drawing their longswords and aiming them at the three men.
Zhao Yu waved his hand: "All of you, step back. These three are old friends of mine, and you must not be rude."
Upon hearing this, the eunuchs put away their weapons and stepped aside.
Zhao Yu went up to them and said, "The three of you have finally arrived. Please come in."
Huang Yaoshi toyed with the jade flute in his hand, not stepping forward, but raising an eyebrow and saying, "Your Majesty is now the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. I wonder if you still recognize us, these roughnecks of the martial world? Should we kneel and kowtow to Your Majesty, shouting 'Long live the Emperor!'?"
"Brother Huang, you jest." Zhao Yu laughed heartily, not minding at all. "You and I are friends from the martial world, so there's no need for formalities. Just like the Duan family of Dali, in the martial world, we're just equals."
These words softened Huang Yaoshi's expression slightly.
The fact that Zhao Yu could say that, without becoming arrogant just because he had become emperor, was a sign of respect for him.