Chapter 398: Profitable Hot Air Balloon
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“Five thousand muskets?”
Xiao Ming was a bit disappointed by the number, but seeing the expressions on Emperor Xiao Wenxuan and the ministers, he understood why.
After all, they still doubted the effectiveness of muskets in the army — or maybe they just hated spending so much silver.
In Qingzhou, Xiao Ming had often heard ministers complain about the cannon prices. Some even wanted the court to fund their own clan workshops to copy Qingzhou’s cannons.
Those ministers weren’t patriotic; they just wanted their share of the cannon trade profits. Naturally, they hated seeing silver flow out without their cut.
To Xiao Ming, the Great Yu Empire was heading toward corruption, just like every dying dynasty.
Party fights, extreme corruption, traitorous merchants selling out the country, and citizens loyal only to clans instead of the nation — all signs of a declining dynasty were present.
What troubled Xiao Ming most was the Jinwu Guard, the Empire’s elite army. They were often unpaid and hadn’t updated their equipment in years.
These were facts Luo Quan personally told him.
Because of this, the Great Yu Empire’s failure against the tribes wasn’t just about horses — it was also because civil officials oppressed the military.