Chapter 4810 Grain Tax Withholding
Fang Jun does not hold power, but he has a certain amount of power to ensure that he does not suffer too many constraints when doing things. The "power" under his command requires the outstanding ability of Fang Jun, a leader, to lead him to strength and glory. Both parties complement each other and make progress together.
But it is undeniable that the "power" headed by Fang Jun has gradually begun to show its prowess, not only affecting the government, but also exerting a strong influence on the empire's long-term strategy. When the Anxi Army that controls the Silk Road and the sea trade control If the navy is firmly in the hands of Fang Jun, then the empire's trade will depend on Fang Jun. If Fang Jun wants to reform commercial tax, he can reform commercial tax. If Fang Jun wants to shift the focus of trade from land to sea, no one will object.
Because the objection is invalid.
The empire became powerful because of "power", but at a certain point, "power" became the empire's stubborn disease and a stumbling block to monarchy...
The monarch and his ministers were relatively speechless for a while.
After a while, Liu Ji reluctantly said: "Then I will look for an opportunity to talk to the Duke of Yue. The Duke of Yue has always been loyal to the country and selfless. He must be able to understand the difficulties of the current situation and be willing to sacrifice his own interests." Help the country tide over the difficulties ”
Li Chengqian frowned, these words sounded uncomfortable, a bit...moral kidnapping?
It is true that the Anxi Army is a big consumer of food, but there are many powerful forces in the army, such as Cheng Yaojin's left military guard, Xue Wanche's right military guard, Qibi Heli's left leading military guard, Zheng Rentai's right leading military guard... alone I'm afraid Fang Jun won't accept it if he bites An Xijun and talks about it.
That guy has a bad temper. If he doesn't accept it, he will cause trouble, which will definitely make it impossible for Liu Ji to come to Taiwan.
But thinking about it carefully, he did not object, but nodded slowly: "In the final analysis, Erlang is still wronged. Be careful with your words and don't anger him."
Liu Jie said: "Wei Chen understands that no matter what, this is asking the Duke of Yue to contribute to the empire. It is normal not to agree. Who wants to damage his own power? If he agrees, he will be noble and honorable. It is too late for Wei Chen to respect him. I can be sarcastic.”
Li Chengqian heard the subtext in his words, "If you agree to disarmament, you are a loyal minister, otherwise you will have ulterior motives." He frowned and sighed.
In his opinion, this is the truth, but even the truth cannot be stated bluntly in front of such powerful ministers. How can he, the emperor, be as domineering as Emperor Taizong?
"Then do it as soon as possible. Every day of delay will waste money and food. The empire cannot afford to delay."
"Here."
*****
"Tens of thousands of soldiers of the Anxi Army crawled on ice and snow to defend the country and guard the borders. They left their homes and said goodbye to their wives and children. Among them, countless soldiers were wrapped in horse leather and their bones were buried in the Western Regions. In your eyes, these people are actually wasting money and food? Zhongshu Ling, do you know that you are... What to say?”
After going to court the next day, Liu Jie waited for Fang Jun outside Wude Hall, personally invited him to Zhongshu Province, drank the clerk away, and then poured tea for Fang Jun with his own hands. When it came to dismantling the Anxi Army, Fang Jun immediately turned his back.
Liu Jie was also dissatisfied. If Fang Jun lost his temper, he would have tolerated it, but this guy was arbitrarily accusing him of charges. Once these words were spread, how would the military treat him, who had no sympathy for the merits of the frontier soldiers? Zhongshu Ling with nothing?
"Don't mess around, is that what I meant?"
"That's not what you mean?"
"What I mean is that the number of troops can be appropriately streamlined, so that the best troops should be selected instead of too many."
"I'm sorry, each of the Anxi Army is an elite soldier who defends the country, guards the border, and protects the people. Each of them has meritorious service. If I tell them that Zhongshu Ling thinks that some of them are redundant, what do you think will happen?"
Liu Ji was shocked and angry: "Don't talk nonsense!"
Needless to say, every Anxi Army general who returned to Beijing to report on his duties ran outside the gate of the Zhongshu Province and spat. He, the Zhongshu Order, must immediately submit a letter to His Majesty to resign. Otherwise, if there is a mutiny in the Anxi Army, Your Majesty will have to take it. His head was used to appease the public anger...
The officials and scribes from the Ministry of Education outside were very nervous and listened carefully to what was going on in the duty room. It was not because they wanted to find out any secrets, but because they were afraid that the two of them would quarrel so much that the second room keeper would hurt someone. The difference in force between the two men means that if they cannot stop them in time, Shu Ling will easily be killed...
"If you don't agree with me, take my leave!"
Fang Jun got up and left.
Liu Tie was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized that this guy was using the topic to purposely anger him, then left and shelved the proposal to streamline the troops...
"Hey, hey, I haven't finished my words yet, why are you in such a hurry to leave? You said that you are also very impatient. Please discuss this matter carefully. As an important minister of the imperial court, you are still prone to getting angry as always. How unbecoming! ”
He stepped forward and hugged Fang Jun's arm tightly, pulled him back and pressed him on the seat, and poured a cup of tea with his own hands.
Then he looked helpless and said in a sincere tone: "I know you must think that I am taking the opportunity to reduce your power and avenge my personal revenge in public, but you do underestimate me. Although I dare not call myself a gentleman, I will never use the Imperial Preceptor as a criticism. opponent I'm not afraid of offending you. I have criticized you a lot, but I only agree with what you said, that is, 'national interests are above all else.' br>
Fang Jun snorted and said angrily: "It's useless to say nice things. I can't do anything to disband those soldiers who guard the Western Regions with their own flesh and blood without any regrets. The soldiers in the army are helping each other and have a broad life-and-death bond. How can we betray it?" Abandon? How to raise food is your business. If you feel that it is difficult to do well, then step aside and make way for others.
Liu Ji understood Fang Jun's temper and did not insist on being tough with him. Instead, he explained the difficulty with sincerity: "If I am really incompetent in this matter, you don't need to say that I voluntarily resigned and abdicated in favor of others. But the fact is that the Western Region is too The distance is really long and the road is really difficult. It’s okay in summer, but did you know that it takes half a year or more to transport grain every time in winter? It’s hard for any country to afford this kind of consumption!”
Fang Jun didn't care about this at all. He drank tea and kept saying the same thing over and over again: "If you can't do it, resign immediately and give me the position of Zhongshu Ling. I will do it."
Liu Ji couldn't help it anymore. He knew that this guy was deliberately making him angry, but he still said angrily: "The data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs are here. How much grain is collected every year, how much is transported to the Western Regions, and how much is lost on the road. Clear it one by one." It is clear that you are also a person who knows the war. How can you not know that when the loss is almost doubled, it will not last at all. "
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and asked: "Why don't you serve some refreshments? I haven't eaten even a drop of rice in the morning. When I came here, I drank a lot of tea. My stomach was sour without eating. Are you waiting for me?" The way of guest.”
Liu Ji slapped the table and shouted: "Are everyone dead? Didn't you hear that the Duke of Yue was going crazy if he couldn't eat refreshments? Go to the kitchen and see if there are any refreshments and bring them!"
Officials and scribes outside the door: "..."
Someone quickly ran to the kitchen to get refreshments and put them on the coffee table.
Fang Jun took a piece of jujube cake and took a bite, and said with a smile: "It makes people feel more comfortable talking like this. Don't hide your yin and yang all day long, and just look at it and you want to beat him up."
He took a sip of tea, poured down the jujube cake, and continued: "You have already said this, but if I insist on refusing and you publicize it later, wouldn't I become a moth in the country who does not care about the general public and cares about self-interest? ”
"Hey, Duke Yue, please don't say that, I have absolutely no intention!"
"Haha, intentional or unintentional, isn't it just a thought?"
Liu Jie stopped talking. He originally had the idea of "moral kidnapping" and could only use this to force Fang Jun to submit. However, he did this entirely from a national perspective and had no selfish motives. In fact, whether the Anxi Army is 60,000 or 40,000 has no impact on Fang Jun's power and position, but if it can be reduced by 20,000, the savings will be The amount of food, fodder, baggage, ordnance and equipment will be extremely large.
Fang Jun said: "First of all, the Anxi Army cannot be reduced. This has nothing to do with my personal interests, but the fact that the Western Region seems to be peaceful but is actually full of crises. Although the Eastern and Western Turks have been destroyed and more of the remnants have migrated westward, the number left in the Western Region There are still many of them, and these people have not stopped for a moment, so we must be on guard against their resurgence.”
Liu Jie nodded. The Western Region was the "private territory" of the Turks. They had been enslaved for hundreds of years. Now they naturally regard it as the cornerstone of national restoration and must strengthen their defenses.
Fang Jun added: "There are frequent civil strife in the country of Dashi, and many forces are fighting overtly and covertly for the position of caliphate, so they have no time to look eastward. However, once the domestic situation stabilizes, whoever takes power will inevitably set their sights on the Western Region again and directly launch a war." In order to eliminate domestic conflicts, the Anxi Army is on the alert and does not dare to relax at all. ”
Liu Ji frowned and could only nod.
Previously, Fang Jun rushed thousands of miles to aid the Western Regions and routed 200,000 Dashi troops, beheading countless people and pursuing them for thousands of miles. However, the Dashi Kingdom was a superpower that was comparable to the Tang Dynasty in terms of territory, population, etc., and its potential for war was endless. It is not difficult for an army of more than ten or two hundred thousand to make a comeback.
"Don't ignore Tubo. Songtsen Gampo is extremely ambitious. He stands on the plateau and overlooks the Central Plains. He doesn't dare to invade Guanzhong, but as long as there is a chance to invade Hexi and the Western Regions, he will definitely not hesitate. It will be a long time. For a period of time, Tibet will be the main enemy of the Tang Dynasty. You cannot deny this, Zhongshu said. ”
Liu Ji couldn't refute any of the three reasons in a row, and sighed: "I know what you said is right. The situation facing the Anxi Army is very serious, but it is also true that the empire cannot support such a large Anxi Army. You just have to Leading troops to fight, but I have to rack my brains and raise funds for food and supplies. I am really stretched thin. ”
On the one hand, the situation was severe and the troops could not be reduced to destroy the Great Wall. On the other hand, it was difficult to support such a huge consumption of food and fodder... He was in a dilemma and was so irritated that he almost pulled off his beard.
At this time, Fang Jun leaned forward slightly, looked at Liu Ji, and said slowly: "Farming is the only solution, how about this? This year and next, the amount of grain and fodder transported to the Western Regions will be reduced by one-third every year, and two After the year, it will become normal to maintain one-third of the current amount, and the remaining balance will be settled by the Anxi Army's own farming, but the corresponding court must relax the previous The restrictions on immigration to the Western Regions provide a policy for all farmers who voluntarily go to the Western Regions to open up wasteland to settle there. All taxes collected will be retained and properly distributed by the Anxi Protectorate." Liu Jie was shocked and said categorically: "How can this be done? ? If we really implement such a policy, wouldn’t the Anxi Protectorate be a country within a country? ”