Chapter 141: A Visit to the Department of State Affairs

On the left sat the bigwigs from the Military Department; on the right, the dignitaries from the Civil Affairs Office. The boundary between them was clear—beyond official business, no one dared cross the line.

Cai Cong greeted the military officials and took the opportunity to inquire whether their troops’ pay had been withheld. Upon hearing this, Cai Cong grew restless—only his New Army had been docked pay, while all other units had received theirs. Was this some kind of injustice directed at him?

The officials weren’t in separate rooms but worked together in an open office. Cai Cong had expected them to be busily occupied, but to his surprise, most were sipping tea and reading reports—just a bit more refined than the neighboring military office, no curses flying about. Otherwise, the setup was much like any bureaucratic institution.

“Ahem... Is Lord Fang Xuanling here?” Cai Cong’s voice drew the attention of all but Du Ruhui, whose eyes remained glued to official documents—if he wasn’t called upon, he wouldn’t respond.

“Ah, a rare guest from Chang’an Prefecture! This must be your first time at the Secretariat, and to seek out this old man—what an honor! Please, do sit and have some tea.” Fang Xuanling greeted warmly, so much so that one might think a superior had arrived.

Cai Cong plopped down without ceremony, grabbed a handful of tea leaves, and stuffed them into his cup—quite unapologetically. After all, he had gifted the tables and chairs and sold the tea at half price to the Secretariat; why bother with formalities?

Fang Xuanling winced, snatching the tea container from his hand. “Do you take me for some wealthy landlord? I only receive this little tea every month. Do you expect to finish it all at once?”

“Ha! If even the tea is so stingy, the household must be broke, right?” Cai Cong laughed heartily as he set down his cup.

“Besides my salary, I only have income from my fief to support my large family. That can’t compare to your Chang’an Prefecture’s wealth—you surely have mountains of gold and silver!” Fang Xuanling replied coolly, sensing Cai Cong’s tone was provoking him. Naturally, he wouldn’t let himself be trampled upon.

“So poor, no wonder you docked thirty percent of our New Army’s pay. By now, the Fang household should be celebrating some windfall this year!” Cai Cong sneered, accusing him of embezzling military funds.

Fang Xuanling slammed the table, rising abruptly. “Chang’an Prefecture, you must watch your words! Be careful or I shall report your slander to His Majesty.”

“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry—anger harms the body. Even a joke is forbidden now? You’ve become so dull, Lord Fang.” Cai Cong tugged him back down, rubbing his back with a mischievous grin.

Fang Xuanling brushed him off, frowning. “I never make jokes that ruin reputations, and you’d better refrain from doing so.”

“Then I won’t. I came today to ask why thirty percent of my New Army’s pay was withheld. The soldiers have received their rations, but not a single coin beyond that. The damaged weapons aren’t replaced either. Surely, you don’t expect us to go to battle wielding wooden sticks?” Cai Cong asked wryly. This had gone on too long. The Minister of Revenue claimed the funds were withheld by higher-ups—only a few men remained above, and Fang Xuanling was in charge of this matter.

“That money really can’t be granted. I and Ke Ming carefully reviewed your documents. Seventy percent of the pay suffices for the New Army’s operations. Why insist on the extra thirty? The Treasury is strained; every coin saved counts!” Fang Xuanling spoke earnestly. Du Ruhui nodded in agreement before returning to his paperwork.

Cai Cong scratched his head in frustration. “Suffices? If not for discounts from my family’s workshop on weapons, the pay would have to be twenty percent higher at least.”

“Lord Fang, do you have time? If so, please accompany me to the barracks. Comparing our losses to other armies is unfair.” Cai Cong stood, his patience worn thin. This wasn’t the first time, but this cut was too excessive, forcing him to confront them.

“I’ve lived many years, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone reveal their secret training methods just for money. Do you not care, or have you failed to realize their importance?” Fang Xuanling chuckled, and the other ministers laughed as well. This youth knew too much but lacked appreciation.

“Secrets or not, if I don’t get some money from you, the camp might just blow up.” Cai Cong retorted, his tone no joke. Pay was withheld, soldiers’ wages given but their belts held knives riddled with chips; arrow shafts were homemade, and broken arrowheads scrounged to patch them up.

Was this New Army or beggars in uniform? On days off, soldiers meeting friends or other camps didn’t even dare let anyone touch their knives—utterly humiliating!

“Really blow up the camp?” Fang Xuanling, still amused, noticed Cai Cong’s grim expression and asked seriously.

“Those who’ve served know—blowing up a camp is no trivial matter. This isn’t just a few drinks and leaf-chewing. Do you think I’m joking?”

Such long-suppressed discontent, once unleashed, could spiral into disaster.

Fang Xuanling couldn’t remain seated either. The thought of the New Army stealthily setting fires in Chang’an made his heart tremble. He hurried to summon Li Jing.

Upon hearing the situation, Li Jing’s brows knitted tightly as he confronted Fang Xuanling. “I have already approved the New Army’s pay request. Why was it withheld here? You owe me an explanation!”

As the senior official of the Ministry of War, all military funding requests had to go through him first. To cut pay without consulting him was both an affront and a serious blunder.

“I and Ke Ming reviewed it. The New Army numbers only eight thousand but requests nearly sixty percent more pay and provisions than other units of equal size. The documents cite high losses, so I granted extra funds. Surely that should suffice?”

“Heh, you’re a scholar, always so stingy. Even Ke Ming, known for decisiveness, has been influenced by you. Do you know how much the New Army consumes monthly?”

“We have monthly records—I know well.”

“No, you don’t!” Li Jing interrupted, continuing, “You say extra funds suffice, but I feared corruption and had someone watch them day and night for a month. Not only did they never divert funds, but they sent men hunting in the mountains. Behind the academy, only a few sika deer remain—all others either eaten by the New Army or fled to the deep forests. If they were flush with resources, would they need to do this?”

Li Jing’s anger was plain. Cai Cong blushed in embarrassment—it was different. The hunts were to clear the mountain for the academy’s peace of mind. As for the meat, it was incidental; with so much game, wasting it would be foolish. Of course, Cai Cong didn’t say this aloud, lest he offend Li Jing. Seeing Fang Xuanling’s guilty expression, it seemed the funds were secure.

“Very well. I still have unfinished business today, but tomorrow I shall visit the barracks myself to see just how great these losses are.”

(End of chapter)