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Chapter 755: The Military Affairs Department's Plan
Chapter 755: The Military Affairs Department's Plan
September 25, 2017
Undoubtedly, Lu Hai Kong's territory generated a terrifying amount of revenue, even without considering his previous assets. It brought in at least one to two billion in a year, but Lu Hai Kong had to spend money in various areas.
Putting aside other expenses, let's focus on the legions under Lu Hai Kong's command. The massive army of over 200,000 troops wasn't just for show; they were powerful and required a substantial amount of gold and silver to maintain.
Lu Hai Kong's elite forces included the Wu Yuan Army (First Army) with 30,000 troops, the Third Army with 50,000, and the Second Army, which was almost entirely composed of data NPC soldiers, numbering 60,000. Additionally, the four prefectures under Lu Hai Kong's control had a small number of county soldiers, and although many had been disbanded, they still totaled around 40,000 to 50,000.
With 30,000, 50,000, 60,000, and another 50,000 troops, the total force already numbered 190,000. Furthermore, adding the legions from the Yan Huang side, the Fourth Army, and some miscellaneous troops, the total number of soldiers exceeded 250,000, at the very least.
These soldiers required monthly rations and salaries. The most basic county soldiers received approximately 3 to 5 gold per month, while the First and Third Armies, being more elite, required 10 to 15 gold. Not to mention, the officers received even higher salaries.
One might assume that data NPC soldiers recruited from barracks didn't require rations and salaries, but they did. Lu Hai Kong had to pay less for them compared to native soldiers, but it was still a significant amount.
Lu Hai Kong took a look and realized that he needed to pay millions of gold in salaries every month, and in a year, just the salaries alone would cost him 30 to 40 million gold. This was only a small fraction of the expenses related to his army.
There were also daily training costs, equipment maintenance and provisions, regular food consumption, post-battle compensations, and more. All these expenses added up to a substantial amount of gold for Lu Hai Kong.
Especially in terms of equipment, Lu Hai Kong didn't want to go into details, but the Black Gale, Blood Bath, Golden, and Royal Guard legions had such high-quality equipment that a single set for each soldier in these elite legions cost tens of thousands of gold. The entire legion's equipment, even at the lowest price, would cost tens of millions of gold, not to mention the Cloudsplitter Crossbow, a superior-tier weapon with a retail price of 5 million gold.
Adding up all these expenses, Lu Hai Kong couldn't help but shake his head. Although he didn't calculate the exact figures, he knew that his military expenditures for the year would start at 1 billion gold.
Wang Jun had repeatedly suggested to Lu Hai Kong that they needed to reduce military spending; otherwise, the massive military expenses would undoubtedly drag them down. Lu Hai Kong had always brushed off these suggestions, but this time, he truly realized the extent of his military investments.
However, despite being shocked, Lu Hai Kong had no intention of cutting military expenses. Or perhaps, he had always been aware of his substantial military investments and even the potential for his enormous military expenditures to cripple his territory's economy. But Lu Hai Kong had no choice, as some expenses were unavoidable in such turbulent times.
After all, in this chaotic era, military might was the foundation for survival.
Seeing the enormous military expenses, Lu Hai Kong finally understood why he was struggling financially.
Although this was the first time he had such a clear view of his military expenditures, just a glance was enough for Lu Hai Kong to identify numerous issues.
While some military expenses were unavoidable, there were also instances of waste and inefficiency. Lu Hai Kong only needed a few glances to spot many areas for improvement.
This situation prompted Lu Hai Kong to consider separating the finances of the military and civil affairs, establishing a dedicated department to manage military expenditures.
Lu Hai Kong had been contemplating this issue before, but the timing and suitable candidates were never right. Now, it was not only a consideration but a necessity.
As Lu Hai Kong pondered over the financial report, frowning, Wang Jun finally returned after a busy day. The first thing he saw was Lu Hai Kong lying there, reviewing the report. Lu Hai Kong noticed Wang Jun's arrival.
"You've worked hard. Come and sit down. Zhang Ran, bring a cup of ginseng tea for our guest," Lu Hai Kong said, putting down the report and gesturing to Wang Jun.
Smiling at Lu Hai Kong's invitation, Wang Jun's fatigue seemed to fade as he walked over and lay down on the recliner next to Lu Hai Kong.
If anyone saw Wang Jun lounging lazily at that moment, they would hardly believe that this was the same meticulous and diligent person who never tolerated others' laziness. Little did they know that Wang Jun only allowed himself to relax in front of Lu Hai Kong.
"Have you seen the report?" Wang Jun stretched leisurely and took the ginseng tea from Zhang Wen, taking a refreshing sip.
"I've read through half of it!" Lu Hai Kong waved the report in his hand.
"So, what are your thoughts?" Wang Jun turned to look at Lu Hai Kong and asked.
"Thoughts? What thoughts could there be? Some expenses are necessary and must be made. Don't you remember what we relied on to get to where we are today? This is our foundation. Our development must also prioritize the military, so I still insist on not reducing military expenditures." Lu Hai Kong knew he had a tendency to be militaristic, but he had no choice. From his days as a bandit to becoming the Governor of Bingzhou, he had always been clear about what he needed to hold on to.
Wang Jun sighed lightly. He knew that his lord was stating a fact, and he was also aware of his lord's attitude towards military affairs.
"However, after reviewing our military expenditures, I do agree that there are many unreasonable aspects. Therefore, I think we should establish a dedicated department to manage military finances in the future."
Lu Hai Kong was indeed a man of action, and as soon as he had the idea, he immediately sought Wang Jun's advice.
Managing military funds was indeed a significant issue that needed to be addressed. Previously, military expenditures were quite chaotic, whether in terms of management or applications. All military needs for funds were directly reported to Lu Hai Kong, who then allocated them at his discretion. However, for some expenses like 'rations' and 'compensation', they relied on Wang Jun's administrative system for distribution, intertwining military and civil affairs.
Such a situation could easily lead to numerous problems, so Lu Hai Kong had long been contemplating separating military and civil affairs.
When Lu Hai Kong expressed this idea, Wang Jun began considering its feasibility.
However, Wang Jun's considerations aside, he was well aware that this matter involved military and civil affairs. In this regard, Lu Hai Kong would make the decision, and at most, Wang Jun would provide some suggestions without any objections.
In a 1619 book, he saw no errors in the version!
Wang Jun also understood that Lu Hai Kong was not seeking his agreement at this moment. This domineering fellow wanted to put forward his ideas and then listen to Wang Jun's opinions to improve them accordingly.
As expected, Lu Hai Kong then lay down on the recliner and roughly outlined his vision for the department.
Lu Hai Kong tentatively named the department the "Military Affairs Department," with primary responsibilities including military personnel appointments and evaluations, as well as military fund allocation and the authority to preside over military tribunals. It was evident that Lu Hai Kong was just beginning to conceptualize, and being a former shut-in, he lacked experience in this area, leading to many issues in his initial plan.
Fortunately, Lu Hai Kong quickly realized this and retracted almost all the powers he had initially proposed, leaving only the management and utilization of military funds, as discussed with Wang Jun.
It took Lu Hai Kong over ten minutes to finally present his rough concept.
Lu Hai Kong was well aware that separating military and civil affairs was impossible. Therefore, for the Military Affairs Department to access military funds, it needed to go through Wang Jun's department. If the Military Affairs Department's application was insufficient, Wang Jun could even reject it, meaning Lu Hai Kong still placed the Military Affairs Department under Wang Jun's command.
Aside from this, Lu Hai Kong and Wang Jun discussed many other things. Wang Jun listened quietly from start to finish, offering little input except for his professional expertise.
Wang Jun could tell that if Lu Hai Kong's vision for the Military Affairs Department came to fruition, it would significantly impact various military aspects. However, Lu Hai Kong's design for the department seemed rather crude and unreasonable in some areas, which concerned Wang Jun. But thinking of Lu Hai Kong on the fifth floor, Wang Jun dismissed his worries.
He could tell that Lu Hai Kong had been contemplating this idea for a while and couldn't help but want to share it after seeing the financial report.
Given Lu Hai Kong's personality, he would undoubtedly push this matter forward with full force. Lu Hai Kong would work diligently to perfect the department's design, so Wang Jun only needed to provide the support he could.
Moreover, Wang Jun actually agreed with Lu Hai Kong's idea. After all, the purpose of preparing this report was to encourage Lu Hai Kong to change military expenditures. Wang Jun never expected Lu Hai Kong to reduce military spending, so it was good that Lu Hai Kong had this idea.
Separating the military and government finances would allow Wang Jun to focus more on Bingzhou's development in the future...
(End of Chapter)
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