153: Chapter 153 If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight!

Even Xu Feng, who was simple-minded and brawny, could see that this matter was not simple, let alone the others.

In Li Mo's view, although Zhao Zhenyuan was sometimes not very serious, he was generally a good marshal who loved his country and people, and should not have reached such a point.

But he couldn't see Zhao Zhenyuan's purpose now, so he had to say: "Sigh! Forget it, we'll deal with whatever comes. Given the situation at the commendation meeting today, I have to take on the Misibi Mountain Region no matter what! Let's take it one step at a time!"

Hearing Li Mo say this, Qin Zhengnan suddenly chuckled: "Boss, since that's the case, let me say something. My Qin Family is currently short of star crystals. If you need to sell star crystals, you can consider us. My Qin Family is not short of money!"

At this moment, Wu Yuqing also chimed in: "My Wu Family is the same!"

Li Mo scolded them unceremoniously: "Get lost!"

Although the two were joking, it also illustrated the strategic significance of star crystals.

This was something even a Martial God needed!

With doubts in his mind, Li Mo slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Mo slowly opened his eyes, only to suddenly discover a figure by his bedside.

This gave him a start. This person had entered his tent without anyone knowing, without being reported, and even he himself hadn't noticed.

This proved that this person's cultivation realm was extremely high. If he had any malicious intent, Li Mo would likely be in mortal danger.

"Who is it!"

Li Mo immediately pointed his gun at the figure.

Then he saw the figure clearly—it was actually Zhao Zhenyuan!

Seeing Zhao Zhenyuan arrive, Li Mo did not relax; instead, he became even more vigilant.

Zhao Zhenyuan's treasonous remarks yesterday were indeed cause for wariness, but Zhao Zhenyuan himself had no malicious intent toward Li Mo. On the contrary, he had come now to clear up Li Mo's confusion.

Zhao Zhenyuan first waved his hand to prove he had no murderous intent, then walked over to a nearby stool, sat down, and began to talk with Li Mo.

"Li Mo, I suppose you are very confused about my speech yesterday, right? I have come now to tell you why I did that. Let me give you some data first. Do you know what The Military budget of our Daxia The Military was last year?"

Seeing that Zhao Zhenyuan had no murderous intent, Li Mo relaxed quite a bit.

In reality, with Zhao Zhenyuan's Martial God cultivation, if he truly had the intent to kill, Li Mo would have no power to resist. So, Li Mo replied slowly: "I haven't been in The Military for long, so I don't know about this. However, I saw on the news that our military's annual budget should be around one trillion, right?"

Zhao Zhenyuan shook his head with a bitter smile, then held up five fingers: "No, it's five hundred billion!"

Hearing this number, Li Mo was stunned for a moment. He replied almost subconsciously: "This... is there so much corruption? One trillion turned into five hundred billion? How could those people above have such a huge appetite!"

Li Mo never dreamed that the original one trillion military budget would actually be cut down to only half.

But Zhao Zhenyuan told Li Mo that the real situation was far worse than just corrupt officials.

In fact, ever since Marshal Chen Han purged the capital, the phenomenon of corrupt officials had become rare. Moreover, every high-ranking official basically had their own power base and assets behind them; they had no need to embezzle military funds to make a profit.

Besides, even if there were corrupt officials, no one had the guts to embezzle military funds.

What truly gave Zhao Zhenyuan a headache was that the higher-ups had begun to be suspicious of The Military!

In fact, ever since Marshal Chen Han purged the capital, the higher-ups' suspicion of The Military had never ceased. At first, it was just small-scale harassment, but it eventually developed into downsizing The Military, splitting up military factions, and so on.

Today, Daxia's military is left with less than a million troops, and the fact that the old-guard faction holds power in The Military is a result of the higher-ups' splitting tactics.

But Zhao Zhenyuan had endured all of this. What he could not endure, however, was that the higher-ups had actually set their sights on the most crucial military budget!

It was supposed to be a one trillion military budget, but it was cut down to five hundred billion!

Cut in half directly!

If this were a long era of peace, it would be fine. But the war between the three kingdoms has almost never stopped. In order to secure resources for the country, the soldiers on the front lines fight with blood and sweat, yet the reduced military budget cannot even guarantee their logistical support!

When Li Mo asked Zhao Zhenyuan for the death benefits for the fallen soldiers, Zhao Zhenyuan was not lying; he truly could not come up with the money.

He is a marshal. What he is responsible for is not just purely hot-blooded marching and fighting, but also every aspect of things. The Military can be said to be the most money-burning thing in this world; he could no longer make the accounts balance.

Speaking of this, Zhao Zhenyuan, a dignified marshal, actually had red eyes.

He could not bear to let the soldiers on the front lines shed both blood and tears, but he had no other choice.

"Li Mo, you were angry at me before, saying that since the soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion follow you as their battalion commander, you must be responsible for them! But what about me? Behind me are the million troops of Daxia!"

Hearing this, Li Mo seemed to realize Zhao Zhenyuan's helplessness.

He was not really trying to rebel, but merely finding a way out for The Military.

Five hundred billion in military funding is not the bottom line that the higher-ups can give; it will likely be reduced even further.

If this continues, I'm afraid even the food budget will be reduced.

Back then, Marshal Chen Han led the army to purge the capital, which was indeed a satisfying and good deed, but it also planted a seed of suspicion between the Daxia government and The Military.

Since then, the government has been wary of The Military at every turn.

Now, cutting The Military budget in half is, in reality, forcing Zhao Zhenyuan to downsize The Military.

Only when the number of troops is reduced will the capital feel safe.

But now, the war between the three kingdoms is constant, and the armistice agreement is about to expire. Downsizing The Military is tantamount to seeking one's own death. The people in the capital won't have any problems anyway; they can continue to live in luxury and debauchery.

But the common people are different. Once Daxia's resource supply has a problem, the lives of the common people will regress.

It is even possible that they could return to the dark and turbulent years when the Spirit Awakening first began!

What Zhao Zhenyuan wants to protect is not only the interests of The Military but also the interests of the people.

Daxia cannot become a country like the Black Earth Tribe!

So this is the fundamental reason why he wants Li Mo to personally hold the management rights of the Misibi Mountain Region.

Until this moment, Li Mo finally understood Zhao Zhenyuan completely.

At least Zhao Zhenyuan had not betrayed the country or the people. So, Li Mo acknowledged his actions and said: "Alright! Now tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Zhao Zhenyuan said slowly: "It's simple. I am letting you hold the Misibi Mountain Region so that you can manage The Military's own assets for a rainy day. I am promoting you to Major General so that you can deal with the old, conservative faction in The Military. Many of them have been promised by the higher-ups that they can become high-ranking officials after retirement. I need you to beat the grass to startle the snake!"

To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. The path Zhao Zhenyuan arranged for Li Mo clearly treated him as a successor, but because of this, the risks Li Mo had to bear also increased.

Only if Li Mo has money can he maintain the lasting morale of The Military; only if he can defeat those old-guard factions can he stand his ground.