It wasn't difficult to extract money from Liu Huaiwen. After all, Liu Huaiwen managed the treasury of Great Ming, and all expenditures of the imperial court, from top to bottom, had to go through the treasury. Even if Liu the Miser didn't handle ten million daily, he certainly handled eight hundred thousand.
Although the currency unit was Great Ming's Dragon Yuanbao banknote rather than taels of gold and silver, the quantity was astonishing. Many small countries might not even accumulate eight hundred thousand Dragon Yuan in an entire year.
However, handling a large amount of money did not mean Liu Huaiwen was generous. Given Liu Huaiwen's stinginess, which would even rinse and eat a soybean he passed, it was already extremely difficult for him to approve expenses according to the budgets of Great Ming's various departments and military commands. To expect him to proactively disburse more money?
The probability of such an event happening was not much higher than the sun rising from the west.
Zeng Cheng even unconsciously glanced at the sky outside the Wenhua Hall.
Today, the sun seemed to have risen from the east, didn't it?
Seeing Emperor Zhu, Zeng Cheng, Liu Heming, and others looking at him with strangely expectant gazes, Liu Huaiwen felt a bit embarrassed. "Your Majesty, why do you look at me like this?"
Emperor Zhu clucked twice and asked, "I truly cannot understand why Uncle Huaiwen is willing to proactively disburse money this time? And to do so with such a large sum as three billion Dragon Yuan."
Liu Huaiwen let out a cold scoff and said, "As the saying goes, 'Beneath a toppled nest, no egg remains intact.' Now that these barbarians have united to attack Great Ming, should the money in the treasury not be used for military expenses? Should we wait until these barbarians defeat Great Ming and plunder it?"
Upon hearing Liu Huaiwen's explanation, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.
"Beneath a toppled nest, no egg remains intact" originates from "A New Account of the Tales of the World · Language," meaning that if the whole is destroyed, no part can be preserved.
The principle was simple, yet many failed to grasp it.
Take, for instance, the scholars of the Donglin Academy back then.
If it weren't for the Donglin scholars' desperate efforts to resist taxation and hoard wealth, Emperor Chongzhen wouldn't have been unable to raise even a mere one million taels of silver for military pay. This would not have led to the situation where Gou Chengzi attacked the capital while the Guan Ning Army remained motionless, nor would it have resulted in the later farce of Gou Chengzi extorting seventy million taels.
Later, the Great Qing, which had effortlessly inherited the nation, also failed to grasp this point, resulting in the two Opium Wars and the ignominious retreat westward – rather than a retreat, it was more fitting to call it the flight of a pack of stray dogs.
Fortunately, fortunately, Liu the Miser had grasped this principle, and fortunately, after grasping it, Liu the Miser was still able to put his words into action and provide the funds.
However, Emperor Zhu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Even if all the countries on this little broken ball were to unite and attack Great Ming, it would not necessarily cost three billion Dragon Yuan."
But to Emperor Zhu's surprise, when he said that three billion Dragon Yuan might not be needed, Liu Huaiwen did not appear particularly pleased. Instead, he bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, although three billion Dragon Yuan might not be needed, I must prepare three billion Dragon Yuan as military expenditure – it can be more than enough, but it absolutely cannot be insufficient."
Emperor Zhu smiled and said no more.
From Emperor Zhu's perspective, even if the entire little broken ball were engaged in total warfare, Great Ming might not need to spend three billion Dragon Yuan. After all, the little broken pot was never a solid iron pot; even Europa itself was not a solid iron pot.
For instance, between France and England, between the Bourbon family and the Habsburg family, or between the Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia, or between the mustache art student and his Polish cousin.
Various conflicts and grievances meant that all of Europa could barely maintain superficial stability. It was somewhat better when these countries planned to target Great Ming together, but as long as Great Ming sent people to instigate them, these countries would turn on each other.
However, this was merely Emperor Zhu's perspective.
If you were Liu Huaiwen, the Minister of Revenue in charge of Great Ming's treasury, you wouldn't be considering how to instigate the European barbarians to fight each other, nor would you need to consider whether Great Ming's army should defend or attack. You would only need to consider how to prepare sufficient military funds for Great Ming's army.
After a moment of thought, Emperor Zhu looked at Liu Heming and asked, "What are your plans in the Five Military Commissions?"
Liu Heming bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe it is better to attack proactively rather than passively defend."
Emperor Zhu grunted, first instructing Zhang Dequan to prepare a map of the little broken ball, and then looked at Liu Heming and said, "Tell me more?"
Liu Heming bowed respectfully again and then walked to the map, gesturing. "My first step is to utilize those short and stumpy fellows in Tianzhu to cripple the British East India Company."
Emperor Zhu naturally did not object to Liu Heming's plan.
Speaking of which, the timing chosen by Alexander, that unfortunate child, was quite coincidental. The British East India Company was currently in Tianzhu, preparing to transfer to Sri Lanka, and those short and stumpy fellows from Japan were also in Tianzhu.
In terms of equipment, the short and stumpy Japanese fellows were no worse off than the British East India Company. After all, their equipment was decommissioned standard weaponry from the Great Ming army, and it was in no way inferior even to the equipment of the regular British army.
In terms of combat effectiveness, those short and stumpy Japanese fellows were no less capable than the regular British army. Not to mention the private soldiers recruited by the British East India Company, who fought on the front lines purely for money. The two were simply not on the same level.
Especially after the persistent brainwashing by the two lunatics, Toujou Kojiro and Yamamoto Nijuhachi, those short and stumpy fellows in Tianzhu had already fallen into a state of fanaticism akin to religious zealots. As soon as someone shouted "For the Emperor of Great Ming!", those short and stumpy fellows would roar "Banzai!" and charge forward, throwing their lives to the wind.
In other words, as long as those short and stumpy Japanese fellows in Tianzhu were provided with sufficient ammunition and logistical supplies, they could grind the British East India Company into the dirt, grinding them however they pleased.
However, after nodding, Emperor Zhu smiled and asked, "What about the Dutch East India Company?"
Liu Heming bowed and said, "I do not intend to have those short and stumpy fellows attack the Dutch East India Company. On the contrary, I plan to send people to win over the Dutch East India Company."
Seeing Emperor Zhu looking at him with interest, Liu Heming knew that Emperor Zhu was testing his abilities. He then continued, "As far as I know, England and the Netherlands once fought a war, the cause of which was England's accusation that the Netherlands supported the 'Silly Eagle' in seceding from English rule."
"This war began in the forty-fifth year of Qianlong and ended in the forty-ninth year of Qianlong, lasting for four years. It was precisely this war that led to the complete decline and even the demise of the Netherlands. Amsterdam's position in the European江湖 was replaced by London, and the Dutch East India Company almost went bankrupt."
"Although later George III had a close relationship with William I of the Netherlands, and even once harbored William I, who was then Prince of Orange, in exile in England, the animosity between the two sides was not easily erased."
"Now that the Netherlands has been restored with the support of Great Ming and France, it naturally no longer needs to defer to England's face. On the contrary, the Netherlands is far from England and very close to France. William I must act according to Louis XVI's whims, and Louis XVI..."
As everyone knows, Louis XVI is currently the number one admirer of Ming on the European continent, and he is proud that "France is the small Ming country on the European continent."
Moreover, France's interests are firmly tied to Great Ming, and France has not skimped on draining other European countries. Therefore, even if George III and Alexander could instigate a coalition of European countries to attack Great Ming together, Louis XVI would absolutely not get involved with them.
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhu simply smiled and instructed Liu Heming, "Continue."
Liu Heming then continued, "My second step is to directly capture the Great Island, which the English call New South Wales."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhu had not yet spoken, but Liu Huaiwen was somewhat uneasy. "New South Wales is isolated overseas, it borders neither Tianzhu, the Ottoman Empire, nor Xikunlun and Europa. The barbarians in New South Wales are not too numerous. What use is it for you to capture New South Wales?"
As he spoke, Liu Huaiwen's expression gradually turned vigilant. "Are you perhaps seeing that the treasury has provided more military funds this time and intend to fight more battles and seize more territory?"
Liu Heming, however, smiled and shook his head, saying, "I know very well that New South Wales does not border the places Uncle Huaiwen just mentioned, but Uncle Huaiwen might as well look closely at the map—as long as New South Wales is captured, Tianzhu, Old Port, and Lanfang can form a continuous line with New South Wales. Those barbarians will no longer be able to attack Great Ming by sea."
"Combined with Great Ming's military bases in Europa and Xikunlun, those barbarians will only be able to huddle in the land of Europa."
"From then on, Great Ming will be able to advance or retreat with security, and there will be no more worries from the sea."
After a brief explanation, Liu Heming continued to report his plan to Emperor Zhu. "My third step is to support France in capturing Spain."
"Spain is not a particularly important place for Great Ming, but it is very different for France."
"Firstly, France, led by Louis XVI, will have expanded its territory, which will greatly encourage all of France to continue to move closer to Great Ming, and at the same time, it will serve as a demonstration to those barbarians."
"Secondly, France's coastal defense line will be further expanded. As long as the defense line is long enough, the cost of coastal defense that France needs to bear will also be higher, and France will become even more reliant on Great Ming."
Emperor Zhu grunted and gestured on the map. "What about the Silly Eagle? The barbarians of Europa are not too far from the Silly Eagle. The Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin are on the continent of Yin Diyan. Will they launch an attack on the Silly Eagle?"
Liu Heming shook his head and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe that there is absolutely no need for Prince Qin and Prince Jin to make a move against the Silly Eagle."
"According to the current situation, Prince Qin is in the south, and Prince Jin is in the north, firmly pinning down the Silly Eagle and the British-controlled Maple Leaf Country. Furthermore, Prince Jin's fief is very close to Great Ming, making resupply convenient. If they want to act, they can act at any time, but by refraining from action, they can force the British-controlled Maple Leaf Country to increase its troops and prepare for war, thereby draining Maple Leaf Country."
"Although Prince Qin is not too close to Great Ming, and resupply is not very convenient, he can still restrain the Silly Eagle. Similarly, he can also force the Silly Eagle to increase its troops and prepare for war."
At this point, Liu Heming couldn't help but smile. "With the sea routes to Great Ming cut off, the countries that Russia and England can rally are confined to Europa, the Silly Eagle and British Maple Leaf Country are being contained. After dealing with the short and stumpy fellows of the British East India Company, we can boldly attack the Ottoman Empire."
"If Louis XVI is willing to cooperate, I am confident that within three years, or even two years, we can completely flatten all of Europa, and then spend another year eliminating the Silly Eagle and Russia."
Hearing this, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but laugh.
Liu Heming's plan was indeed very reliable. If it could be executed, it might truly allow him to pacify the entire little broken ball within five years.
The key was that this method was truly cost-effective. Forget three billion Dragon Yuan in military expenses, it might not even cost three hundred million Dragon Yuan. Don't forget, the main force in Liu Heming's plan was those short and stumpy fellows from Japan, and the lives of short and stumpy fellows were not very valuable.
At the very least, it saved a lot compared to directly deploying the Great Ming army.
For example, if a Great Ming soldier died, the Five Military Commissions would have to pay one thousand Dragon Yuan in funeral expenses, which is one hundred taels of silver. At the same time, the Ministry of War would also have to arrange for the children of the fallen soldiers to attend school, the parents' old age care, and the widow's pension, along with a host of other issues, incurring considerable follow-up expenses.
But it was different for those short and stumpy Japanese fellows.
They were short and stumpy; if they died, they died. At most, some money would be allocated to the Edo Shogunate, not exceeding twenty taels at the very most – ten taels for the family of the short and stumpy fellow, and the remaining ten taels for the Shogunate, thereby encouraging the Shogunate to recruit more short and stumpy ronin samurai.
Therefore, this method was truly cost-saving!
As for whether the Great Ming army's combat effectiveness would decline due to long periods of inactivity...
This kind of worry was simply superfluous.
There was never a saying of the Great Ming army "resting their horses in the south and storing their weapons in the south." In addition to regular strict training, they also occasionally went out to suppress pirates or recruit laborers, so they had plenty of practical experience.
More importantly, who could refuse the temptation of "glorifying ancestors and bringing honor to the family"?
Frankly speaking, Emperor Zhu felt that he could not refuse it.