EMHTC -Chapter 109 The Urban Management Team Is Here!

【Hmm? What’s “good” about it?】

Xu Yanmiao instinctively turned his head, shifting his gaze from the Crown Prince to the Emperor. He saw the Emperor looking down, reviewing memorials to the throne.

【Oh!】

It was probably because he saw something he was satisfied with, so he exclaimed, “Good.”

Xu Yanmiao wasn’t curious about that. He was far more interested in what the Crown Prince was up to today. He seemed full of energy and determination.

After listening for a while, he realized it was about the embezzlement and resale of military provisions—an issue he had uncovered months ago. He was overly familiar with it by now. Moreover, this matter, whether it was about capturing culprits, sentencing, or comforting the soldiers, had nothing to do with the Ministry of Personnel.

Xu Yanmiao lowered his gaze, his expression appearing deeply solemn, giving off an air of seriousness that was quite convincing.

But in reality…

【Yay! I can zone out again!】

The old Emperor: “…”

【This is the perfect moment for a quick nap!】

The old Emperor: “…”

Don’t push your luck!

It was excusable to slack off when you were a junior ninth-rank official, but now you’re a fifth-rank official, and you still dare to nap?

You’re only nineteen—how can you be so lazy?

【Goodnight—wait, no! Good morning!】

The old Emperor sneered.

Good morning?

I’m still working, and you want to nap? Dream on!

“Reselling military provisions and firearms is an unforgivable crime. All those involved must face appropriate punishment—those deserving of death will be executed, and those deserving of imprisonment will be sentenced accordingly.”

The old Emperor first set the tone. After that, the officials responsible for these matters began presenting their plans on how to handle the situation, providing procedures that required only the Emperor’s approval and oversight.

But what did this have to do with the Ministry of Personnel—or with him, for that matter?

Feeling reassured, Xu Yanmiao resumed his nap.

The old Emperor suddenly said, “The positions vacated by these guilty officials will be filled by appointments from the Ministry of Personnel.”

【!】

Catching the key phrase, Xu Yanmiao jolted awake. He replayed the Emperor’s words in his mind: 【No big deal. The Ministry of Personnel prepares annual performance assessments and qualifications for candidate selection. Once I’m back at the ministry, I can just flip through the files and easily pick the right people.】

【Now there really shouldn’t be anything else for the Ministry of Personnel. Time to go back to sleep.】

The old Emperor: “?”

Nonsense! How can there be nothing for the Ministry of—wait, maybe there really isn’t?

“…”

The old Emperor held back for a moment before suddenly announcing, “Soldiers not on active campaign currently receive two meals a day, with one pound of pork and one pound of rice wine as a bonus every ten days. Now, I intend to change this to three meals a day, with pork and rice wine provided every five days.”

The officials were stunned.

The Ministry of War reacted quickly. “Your Majesty is wise!”

Then came the military commanders, who wholeheartedly supported the idea.

Although the Ministry of Revenue didn’t object outright, they carefully inquired, “Your Majesty, where will the funds come from?”

The old Emperor: “The Wokou have discovered mountains of gold and silver.”

Well then, no problem. The Minister of Revenue immediately stopped talking.

—These provisions could be easily supplied by Da Xia Dynasty’s output. The only issue was the court’s lack of money.

The old Emperor: “Hmm. The Ministry of Personnel will handle this matter.”

Ministry of Revenue: ???

Ministry of War: ???

Ministry of Personnel does this, so what do we do?

【What?】

Xu Yanmiao shot up as if he were gravely ill.

【Another task?】

【Wait, isn’t this outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel?】

The old Emperor leisurely added, “You will select the personnel and handle the implementation. If another incident of reselling military provisions arises, you can remove your own official caps.”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

The Minister of Personnel hurriedly knelt, followed by other officials from the ministry. Xu Yanmiao knelt along with them, listening as the Emperor’s voice rang out, not overtly angry but carrying undeniable weight. “If you want to ease my anger, take care of this matter properly.”

【The Emperor’s treatment of ordinary soldiers is already among the best in history. These are life-risking payments. With enough money, people are willing to risk their lives for him.】

【Everything was arranged perfectly, except for the one incompetent teammate. Although the adopted son of Marquis Yongchang discovered it relatively early, if I were a soldier, having experienced being owed military pay even once, I’d definitely hesitate before risking my life on the battlefield again. Who knows if, after dying, the compensation would also end up being embezzled by the officers?】

【Sigh.】

【Being an emperor isn’t easy either.】

The old Emperor shot an exasperated glare in Xu Yanmiao’s direction.

At least you understand! If you understand, stop causing me so much grief!

【If they can improve the treatment of soldiers even further, not only could the negative impact of the missed military pay be erased, but it might even result in better morale.】

The old Emperor remained silent, allowing Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts to finish this train of thought before wandering off to other random topics without any guidance.

The ministers below understood—this was a sign that they were expected to come up with concrete proposals, though nothing too fantastical. For instance, suggesting that each soldier’s pay be increased by 100 taels of silver would undoubtedly boost morale to unprecedented levels, but the treasury would likely collapse.

The Crown Prince pondered briefly before stepping forward calmly. “Your Majesty, during the time I was collecting evidence, I often thought about how to stabilize the soldiers’ morale. I have some preliminary ideas to share, hoping they can inspire better ones.”

The officials glanced over in surprise.

It was rare for the Crown Prince to involve himself in state affairs.

Then again, this was an issue he had brought to light in the first place. Since he had already started, he might as well finish.

Seeing the Emperor nod slightly, the Crown Prince continued, “I believe slightly increasing military pay would suffice, but more importantly, soldiers should be made to feel comfortable in their daily lives.”

—After all, soldiers either rarely leave the camp and have nowhere to spend their money, or they send all their earnings back home, leaving themselves living poorly.

The old Emperor asked, “What would bring them comfort?”

“In summer, mung bean soup. In winter, charcoal fires. Clothing for all four seasons,” the Crown Prince replied confidently.

“Mung beans are the most effective at relieving heat. If soldiers could have a bowl of mung bean soup every summer day, it would undoubtedly alleviate their fatigue from training.”

“In the cold of winter, having charcoal fires nearby and even roasting some flatbreads would bring them immense joy.”

“In the past, the court only provided spring and winter uniforms. If we switch to offering clothing for all four seasons, wouldn’t that demonstrate the court’s magnanimous grace?”

The scholars serving as his tutors looked on with satisfaction.

Empathy for the people’s hardships is the mark of a good ruler. If only his father would stop teaching him disgraceful habits—like feigning injury in street brawls with hooligans—he’d be even better.

The old Emperor chuckled, pride written all over his face. “This is the Crown Prince of my Da Xia Dynasty.”

The officials all voiced their agreement.

The Crown Prince himself felt slightly worried about his position’s security for a moment. Then he reassured himself: it’s fine. It’s normal for a Crown Prince to handle a matter or two, and this wasn’t exactly a monumental task. The only thing to be concerned about was the soldiers’ support, but they usually directed their gratitude to the Emperor, not him.

On the golden throne, the old Emperor gave a discreet glance to the commander of the Jinyiwei.

The commander understood immediately, offering a slight bow of acknowledgment.

Got it! When spreading the word in the military camps, we’ll make it clear: your mung bean soup in the heat of summer, your charcoal fires in the dead of winter, and your new clothes for all four seasons—these are all thanks to the Crown Prince!

Having achieved what he wanted, the Emperor casually asked, “Does anyone else have suggestions?”

In the ensuing discussion, many ministers voiced their opinions, proposing around seventy to eighty suggestions. Ultimately, only two were approved.

The first was the establishment of military medics in the army.

During wartime, there were naturally military doctors accompanying the troops. However, once the fighting ended, those doctors would withdraw. In peacetime, if soldiers wanted medical treatment, they either had to pay out of pocket to see a doctor, endure the illness while waiting for the emperor to show benevolence by sending imperial physicians to the camps, or rely on the general to request an imperial physician from the court.

Now, with the new arrangement, military camps would have resident doctors available to treat soldiers for free, and a certain amount of medicinal supplies could be obtained free of charge from state-run pharmacies in each prefecture.

The second provision was tax exemptions for families of soldiers who died in battle. Families that had lost their adult male members would be exempted from land taxes for three years. If, after three years, the household still lacked an adult male, the exemption would continue, extending up to a maximum of ten years.

At first glance, it seemed like a heavy burden on the state, but in reality, even without the newly discovered gold and silver mines, the court could easily afford it.

After all, the exemption only applied to land taxes. Other taxes, such as the child poll tax, adult poll tax, labor replacement tax, and property tax, were still in effect.

Additionally, there were various other taxes, such as: families having to periodically provide silkworm cocoons to the government; taxes on mined copper and iron, calculated based on yield; timber taxes for cutting down forest trees; fishing taxes; and even feather taxes for capturing birds.

This system had existed throughout history. Even the emperors celebrated as benevolent rulers in historical records were often praised for “exempting land taxes,” while other forms of taxation were conveniently omitted, as if they didn’t exist.

Still, compared to emperors who either increased taxes or merely reduced a small portion of land taxes, such a ruler would indeed be considered enlightened.

As was his habit, the old Emperor vented about the day’s court proceedings to Empress Dou.

“I honestly don’t know how some people can suggest such absurd ideas. They proposed replacing the soldiers’ five-day rewards of meat and wine with cash instead. For soldiers, after their daily exhaustion from training, having a sip of warm wine and a piece of fatty meat is something they look forward to. Sure, silver coins might seem appealing on the surface, but they wouldn’t be able to hold onto the money for long. By the time it reaches their hands, what should have been ten taels might end up as just two.”

“And another thing! I’ve never heard of soldiers having to pay out of pocket to repair their gear or saddles. On top of that, they expect them to buy their own gunpowder and bullets for training? Are these people undercover spies from the previous dynasty?”

“And there’s more…”

One thing after another left Empress Dou stunned and speechless.

No wonder only two of the seventy or eighty suggestions were deemed acceptable. Expecting soldiers to buy their own ammunition for training —who thought that was even remotely feasible?!

“Thankfully, that rascal Xu Yanmiao helped ease some of the burden,” the Emperor added.

Empress Dou tactfully showed a puzzled expression.

The old Emperor beamed. “He was thinking about some kind of city inspector system to oversee compensation, staffed by retired veterans. I think it’s a solid idea. It directly involves those with a vested interest. Retired soldiers would be placed in government offices. When they patrol the streets and visit families of fallen soldiers, they can quickly ascertain whether or not they’ve received their compensation. And if anyone dares to embezzle from those funds, these veterans would have no hesitation cutting off their hands.”

— After all, even if you disregard the camaraderie on the battlefield, you’d still have to think about your own compensation. If you don’t care whether others’ pensions are protected, when it’s your turn, no one will care whether your family gets what they deserve.

Empress Dou was somewhat surprised. “Minister Xu is only nineteen, yet his deep insight into human nature and precise analysis of complex matters—such talent is truly rare in this world.”

The old Emperor grumbled, “That brat isn’t dissecting human nature; he’s simply seen too much and knows how to use it at will.”

The Empress was momentarily taken aback and looked toward Emperor Tiantong.

The Emperor sighed, half in lament, half in admiration. “Baize’s vast knowledge and experience have made such matters commonplace to him. That’s probably why, upon hearing of retired soldiers, he immediately thought of employing them to manage city security.”

“—That kind of perspective, neither the beggar emperor nor the most erudite scholars can compare to. Sometimes I wonder what kind of world his eyes have witnessed. Back in Da Xia, it seems like nothing could leave a mark on his heart.”