Peasant Woman's Decreed Life as a Wife

Chapter 2054: Chapter 2051: Earnest Advice

As for the ordinary soldier’s salary, it takes ten years, five years to save.

If injured and unable to return to the battlefield, relegated to logistics, the salary is even lower.

Emperor Xuanming’s face is as calm as water: “Every year the imperial court gives various armies no less than five or six million taels for military expenses, and for a frontier army a soldier’s annual expenditure does not exceed twenty taels; with over three hundred thousand soldiers in the Northern Region, there’s a discrepancy of half!”

“This is really outrageous.”

Chu Heng did not argue this point; having worked in the Ministry of Revenue for two years, he understands the treasury and knows that in these years, the imperial court’s annual income is roughly over twenty million taels.

If not for this, having spent a quarter on military expenses, it already shows Emperor Xuanming’s attention to the army.

The financial income here does not include grain and cloth and other physical items.

It’s pure tax revenue.

However, despite high-yield rice and Ye Muyu’s discovery of high-yield crops like potatoes increasing tax revenue in these two years, last year’s plague and floods consumed a considerable expense.

As a result, this year’s treasury is not considered abundant.

This is also why Emperor Xuanming is cautious regarding the Beirong issue, particularly angered after King of Huainan’s betrayal.

If not properly prepared, warfare might engulf the Northern Region, and by then the Imperial court may not have enough military funds for support; even if victorious, the entirety of Great Chu would be greatly weakened.

Emperor Xuanming, having diligently worked for so many years, has barely let Great Chu usher in a golden age, beginning to grow strong gradually, unwilling to see Great Chu decline under his reign.

“Your Majesty, there’s a saying of first diplomacy, then force.” Chu Heng slowly presents his opinions: “In my view, not only the soldiers’ salaries are low, but some officials’ salaries are also insufficient, and I’m referring to the visible ones, not the corrupted gains.”

Though Emperor Xuanming’s anger hasn’t quelled, he is also willing to listen to Chu Heng discuss related solutions; rather than complaints about current conditions, he wants to resolve the deep-seated issues of the imperial court.

“The salary increment I mention actually stems from comprehensive consideration based on human relations. I’ve written a proposal, comparing and calculating the necessary expenses for a local official’s daily life, including food, clothing, consumption, and accommodation; food, clothing, and consumption are most basic, and for a family of six, these three aspects require roughly seven taels monthly, and if including servants, and a higher-class life, around twenty taels.”

“These are under the assumption officials have no social interactions; in reality, even if I don’t explain, Your Majesty also knows human relations are unavoidable for everyone, ranging from hosting meals to gifting at banquets, costing around two to three taels monthly, meaning the minimum monthly household expenditure for a County Magistrate is thirteen taels.”

“Now the County Magistrate’s salary is ten taels monthly, sixty pounds of grain, reaching basic sustenance.” Chu Heng calculated this and seeing Emperor Xuanming not showing impatience, he paused for a moment before pointing out the hidden aspects: “This means that most local officials’ salaries barely cover the family expenses, and slight extravagance leads to financial strain.”

“And the official circle is inherently a dyeing vat, gift-giving has become commonplace, and their gifts for promotion are naturally valuable; yet the salary clearly fails to support gifting, forcing one to take actions contrary to regulations to obtain silver.”

Even though Chu Heng has already spoken conservatively, avoiding clear mention of embezzlement and bribery.