Two million soldiers and horses, just to equip them with ordnance would require a large amount of money.

If you include food and salary, the expenses will be even greater.

The imperial court's current imperial army and local soldiers have exceeded one million.

If we add another two million soldiers and horses, it will be three million soldiers and horses.

With three million soldiers and horses, the annual food and salary expenditures will be more than twice as high as before.

More than twice the military salary, plus the expenses for elementary schools in various places, as well as the expenses for county schools and government schools to be established later.

The imperial court's annual income was simply not enough.

In other words, once two million soldiers and horses enter the camp, the county school and the government school will be opened at the same time.

The imperial court will immediately fall into a situation where it cannot make ends meet.

Officials' salaries do not necessarily mean they have enough money to pay.

So it was a bit crazy for Zhao Zhen to recruit two million soldiers and horses at once.

But Kou Ji was only briefly stunned before he understood what Zhao Zhen was thinking.

Recruiting soldiers is fake, but relocating people in disguise is real.

As long as the court survives the first year, money will flow into the court in the future.

Kou Ji's previous suggestion to Zhao Zhen was one million, but he didn't expect that Zhao Zhen would double it.

Kou Ji even admired Zhao Zhen's courage.

Wang Zeng watched Kou Ji's expression change from shock to calmness, and then said: "It seems that you don't know the true number of soldiers recruited by the officials, but you know the purpose of recruiting so many soldiers."

Kou Ji smiled and said nothing.

Wang Zeng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice: "Are you and the officials going to take action against the wealthy families, or are you going to solve the problem of land annexation?"

Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "Prince, you have been an official for decades, so you don't know how many people's interests are involved in land annexation. It includes almost 99% of the powerful and powerful people in the Song Dynasty. Who dares to touch it?"

Wang Zeng said unceremoniously: "How dare you and the officials make a move!"

Kou Jiqian smiled and said: "My lord, please be careful. If you say this, it will kill people."

Wang Zeng narrowed his eyes and said: "Now, ninety-nine percent of the soldiers and horses in the world are from you and the officials, and ninety-nine percent have received favors from the imperial court. During the reform of the military system, you and the officials increased the local military strength.

With them keeping an eye on you, who would dare to disobey?"

"hehe……"

Kou Ji laughed twice.

Wang Zeng continued: "You asked the officials to recruit soldiers, and the number is probably not small. The officials wanted to recruit two million soldiers and horses at one go. Although it exceeded your expectations, you did not feel that this was wrong.

This means that the soldiers and horses recruited are not here to guard this place at all.

After a large number of them arrive here, they will inevitably turn into soldiers and civilians.

You and the officials are recruiting soldiers openly, but secretly they are relocating the people."

Hearing this, Kou Ji pondered for a moment and said, "So what if it is, so what if it's not?"

Wang Zeng said bluntly: "Once the people take root here, they will definitely take over the elders at home, and then the purpose of you and the officials will be exposed.

Guess what those powerful people and wealthy people will do?"

Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "What can they do? Make trouble or spread rumors? How about a rebellion if they can't afford it? If they raise an army to rebel, it will make people more worry-free."

Wang Zeng said in a deep voice: "What if they go on strike and refuse to pay taxes?"

Kou Ji stared at Wang Zeng with a smile and asked calmly: "Is the prince negotiating on behalf of those powerful people and big families?"

Wang Zeng's face straightened and he said disdainfully: "Are they worthy of driving me around? Who are they?"

Kou Ji asked: "Then what do you mean by these words?"

Wang Zeng said bluntly: "I am just telling you what may happen next."

Kou Ji smiled and said: "Then the prince doesn't need to worry. If they really go on strike, the court can take some business back to the official camp.

If they don't want to make money, then let the court make money.

By the time the Cao family had left the hinterland of the Song Dynasty, they should have left behind a large number of businesses and people who were proficient in doing business.

Later, our Kou family, as well as the Zhu family, Zhong family, Liu family, Gao family, etc., will all leave the hinterland of the Song Dynasty one after another.

At that time, there will be more businesses left and more people who are proficient in doing business.

Businesses from all walks of life will definitely be involved.

If the imperial court uses these people to run various businesses, it should be barely able to operate.

You also know that in the Song Dynasty, those who sold cloth must have mulberry fields, and those who sold wine must have workshops for making wine.

The business we left behind must be sound. It is difficult to control the imperial court from the source of the business.

As for some people who want to embarrass the court officially.

I believe the officials don't mind sending them here.

Anyway, there are a lot of officials needed here.

Unless they can form a group, but based on my understanding of the powerful, they rarely form a group.

Even if they are temporarily united, if the officials kill them in one go, they will fall apart in an instant."

Having said this, the Kou family paused for a moment and continued: "As for tax resistance? We welcome it. Since the reform of the military system, the imperial court has not recruited people to serve on a large scale for several years.

The officials were considerate of the people, so they let local soldiers act as husbandmen and prisoners as coolies.

But the officials never said that they would no longer call for hard labor.

Nowadays, officials have migrated millions of extremely poor and impoverished people from the Song Dynasty.

More when they find out.

At that time, there would not be many poor people doing hard labor for them.

When the time comes, the officials will recruit hard labor again and evacuate all the poor people in the hinterland of the Song Dynasty.

Do you think those powerful people and big families have the courage to resist taxes by staring at the sword of the imperial court?

Do you have the guts to refuse to let your heirs do hard labor?"

Wang Zeng's face changed drastically and he stared at Kou Ji in shock.

Kou Ji continued: "The imperial court also has a Yizijiaozipu, a large granary in Hexi, and places such as Xingqing Mansion that will soon become a large granary, as well as Liaoyang Mansion, Bohai Mansion and other places.

By that time, the people will be doing hard labor, have food to eat, and have money to earn.

How many people will cause trouble while doing hard labor?"

Wang Zeng said word for word: "No one..."

Kou Ji nodded and said: "That's right, no one. Since the common people who are doing hard labor will not make trouble, and the knife is placed on the necks of the powerful, wealthy and wealthy, do you think they dare to go against the court again?"

Wang Zeng took a deep breath and said: "There are 35 million people in my court, 70% of whom are poor. Have you finished collecting them?"

The Ding in Wang Zeng's mouth refers to an adult man between the ages of twenty and sixty.

The actual population of the Song Dynasty was around 80 million.

Kou Ji and Zhao Zhen will definitely not be able to finish the campaign.

Kou Ji said frankly: "The conquest will definitely not be complete. But we don't need to conscript some places. For example, the Zhending Mansion. The largest wealthy family in the Zhending Mansion is the Cao family. Now that the Cao family has moved away, the rest in the Zhending Mansion are just some calculations.

Just a big landowner from a wealthy family.

They don't have the guts to go against the imperial court.

The imperial court is now the largest landowner in Zhending Mansion, and the court has some methods to make the big landowners in Zhending Mansion stay obedient.

Kaifeng, Datong, Shuntian, Hexi, Xingqing, Shaanxi, Sichuan and other places do not need to be recruited.

Because they are either under the eyes of the imperial court and being watched by the imperial court, or they have been sorted out long ago and there are no wealthy families there.

Leizhou and Southwest Prefecture, where Yongzhou is located, do not need regular meetings at all.

Most of the people in Taiyuan Prefecture are military strategists. If the Zhe family doesn't make a sound, the Yang family doesn't make a sound, and the Di Qing doesn't make a sound, they can't cause trouble.

There is no need to pay attention to the place where the Imperial Guards are stationed.

If they dare to cause trouble under the eyes of the Imperial Guard, I will admire their courage.

Therefore, the imperial court had to deal with several prefectures south of the Yangtze River, north of the Yangtze River, east of the Yangtze River, and west of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, when the imperial court subsequently collects hard labor, it can be done directly from the south of the Yangtze River, the north of the Yangtze River, the east of the Yangtze River, and the west of the Yangtze River."

Wang Zeng solemnly said: "The prefectures south of the Yangtze River, north of the Yangtze River, east of the river and west of the river are the richest and most populous, and you still can't conquer them all.

When recruiting troops, recruit more.

After those soldiers settled down here, their families would inevitably move here.

Only after their families have moved away will the people in those places start to make trouble.
To be continued...