The Cost

Seeing that his words had completely dampened everyone's morale, Lu Bu laughed heartily, "Gentlemen, don't worry. Breaking through this situation is quite easy."

When the crowd saw Lu Bu's confident and hearty laughter, they all lifted their lowered eyes, looking at Lu Bu, hoping to find confidence to continue the fight.

Lu Bu then recounted the story he had told Lady He about the Spring and Autumn period, using the example of "Chong'er being born outside while Shensheng perishing inside," and retold it to everyone.

After finishing the story, Lu Bu saw that only Gao Shun nodded thoughtfully, while the other generals looked confused. Lu Bu explained in the context of reality, "Once we leave Luoyang and hand over Luoyang to Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao, they will quickly start fighting each other. Yuan Shao, lacking military strength, will have to flee to a certain state in the east, relying on his Yuan family students to develop. Dong Zhuo has long harbored intentions of deposing the young emperor and putting Liu Chen on the throne, which is most detested by the aristocratic families. Furthermore, Dong Zhuo is ruthless and brutal; staying in Luoyang will undoubtedly lead to burning, killing, looting, and various atrocities. Moreover, due to his greedy nature and competition for profits with the people, he will inevitably harm the interests of the aristocratic families. Yuan Shao will then rise with fame, rallying forces from various states in the east to overthrow Dong Zhuo. By then, we can sit in Bingzhou and Jizhou, watching the tigers fight, and reap the benefits of others' work."

Highly puzzled, Gao Shun asked, "Jizhou? Don't we only have Bingzhou?"

Lu Bu then explained the secret conversation he had with Lady He to the generals, and they were all delighted to hear it.

Since the generals agreed to withdraw from Luoyang to develop in Bingzhou and Jizhou, Lu Bu began to deploy troops.

Because this troop movement was from the prosperous Luoyang back to the impoverished Bingzhou, Lu Bu feared that the military might become unstable. Also, considering the previous promise to soldiers that they would be rewarded when entering Luoyang, Lu Bu decided to reward them first before the relocation.

Lu Bu had already rewarded the newly incorporated Left and Right Feather Forest troops, Northern Army's five camps, Tiger Ben troops, and West Garden Four Armies with a thousand gold each a day ago, stabilizing their morale. This time, he intended to use money to stabilize the morale of the Bingzhou troops.

Lu Bu knew that the most trustworthy force was his eight thousand iron cavalry. Therefore, he spared no expense, giving each soldier five thousand gold. The non-commissioned officers—corporals, sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and regimental commanders—received ten thousand, fifteen thousand, twenty thousand, twenty-five thousand, and thirty thousand gold, respectively.

Lu Bu, addressing the soldiers in a public speech, praised their intelligence and bravery during their visit to Luoyang. In reality, he was preparing to share the spoils of looting Luoyang and gain their support.

Lu Bu personally distributed money to officers above the regimental level. For those below the regimental level, there were quartermasters who also served as military supply officers at the regimental level, responsible for distributing money to the soldiers on the spot. Lu Bu wanted to witness every soldier receiving their money.

As for people like Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Cheng Lian, Lu Bu gave them a one percent commission based on the amount of looted wealth, each receiving around three million gold. Xue Lan and Li Feng received one million gold each.

Lu Bu gave Huang Zhong a reward of one million gold, while Zhang Liao, Zhang Yang, Xia Mou, Zhao Rong, and Feng Fang each received fifty thousand gold. To appease Gao Shun, he specially gave him a reward of two million gold.

Of course, these rewards were converted from gold and silver. One pound of gold was equivalent to ten thousand gold, and one pound of silver was equivalent to twenty-five hundred gold.

Gao Shun refused to accept it and even scolded with a stern face, pointing out that Lu Bu should focus on the grand cause instead of lavish spending. Gao Shun's remarks made Lu Bu's face turn somewhat green; indeed, fighting a war seemed like burning money.

Gao Shun paid no attention to Lu Bu's expression. He continued to speak frankly, "Lord, you rarely dealt with military logistics before. Being in charge makes one realize the high cost of necessities. Although horses, weapons, and armor are not cheap, they are not the most expensive compared to personnel. Each soldier consumes at least twenty shi of grain per year, costing around four thousand gold at current market prices. They also require three hundred gold for salt, three thousand gold for clothing wear and tear per soldier per year. You also mentioned providing salaries to all soldiers, which adds up to at least eight thousand gold per soldier annually. When a soldier dies in battle, the burial expenses alone are at least three thousand gold. For generals, the funeral allowance varies from one hundred thousand to one million gold. Warhorses need more than just grass; they require high-quality grain, costing eight thousand gold per horse per year. You also plan to cultivate fields to buy plowing oxen, and with the current scarcity, a single plowing ox might cost around five thousand gold. Soldiers not only need grains but also meat; a pig costs at least eight hundred gold, and a sheep, four hundred gold. Considering these numerous expenses, does Lord have any considerations?"

Lu Bu shook his head, "No wonder Minister Ding was so frugal and careful before. He didn't understand the high cost of running things. However, these rewards have already been distributed. If we try to take them back now, it may shake the military's morale. Zhongping, you must accept these rewards; otherwise, other commanders won't accept them either. They might harbor resentment towards you, which could be detrimental to your future. If I ever have to command them in the future, and they reluctantly follow orders, it won't be good."

Gao Shun knelt again, "Lord, Gao Shun is unworthy and dares not accept the reward. Fulfilling my duties is Gao Shun's duty, and I dare not seek rewards. Furthermore, this time, the Bingzhou troops and your Glorious Honor's various forces did not achieve any military merits, yet such lavish rewards are given. Gao Shun is afraid that the soldiers' expectations will be raised too high. Any minor achievement in the future would require significant rewards from you, Lord."

Lu Bu helped Gao Shun up, "Zhongping, you are correct. We should neither punish excessively nor reward unwarrantedly. We should not praise them for doing what they should. However, this is an extraordinary time. With He Jin dead and the various military forces in Luoyang leaderless, and now Minister Ding deceased, my new rule is in place. During this transitional period, only material wealth can move hearts. We must use money to buy the soldiers' loyalty. But this will be a one-time thing, not a precedent."

Lu Bu frowned as he calculated the cost of these rewards. The distributed money amounted to nearly two billion gold. According to the grain prices in the late years of Emperor Ling's reign, this amount of money could buy one million shi of grain or five thousand warhorses. Most soldiers, apart from using some of the money for household expenses, would spend the majority on extravagances such as eating, drinking, gambling, and debauchery. Such rewards were not beneficial for their future.

There was a need for a strategy that could serve two purposes: provide real benefits to the soldiers and allow Lu Bu to make good use of the money.