The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1245: Sufficient Food and Grass
"Good, good, Chengqian, you did a great job on this matter, it was really a stroke of genius!" Li Shimin said happily in the imperial study room of the Zichen Hall of the Daming Palace, his eyes full of unstoppable admiration for Li Chengqian.

In the past few days, Li Shimin acted quickly to adjust the official structure of the court, and his greatest concern was the issue of money and grain.

He was not afraid of war. There were plenty of people and soldiers in the Central Plains. What he feared was a shortage of food. If there were sufficient logistics, he would not be afraid even if the war lasted for ten or eight years. As the de facto founding monarch, the thing he feared least was war.

He knew that last year, the treasury revenue of the Tang Dynasty was only 50 million strings of cash, and now it was autumn again.

The autumn harvest has not yet arrived, which is exactly the end of last year's fiscal year, when all the government offices are crying poor.

If there is not enough food, the battle will be lost before it even starts.

But who would have thought that when asked, several important officials at the central government said that there was no need to worry, as the Tang Dynasty had an endless supply of food and fodder.

After Xiao Yu's explanation, Li Shimin noticed that the Finance Temple was specifically mentioned by Zhangsun Wuji as a symbol of Li Chengqian's wise and powerful political achievements. After finding out that this department had accumulated nearly 300 million strings of wealth.

Li Shimin couldn't believe it, so he left the palace and went to the silver vault of the Finance Temple in the imperial city. What caught his eyes was the endless iron shelves, all piled with countless silver bars.

There were three such warehouses, one of which was enough to store 100 million taels of wealth. More importantly, there were three more vacant ones, which showed that Li Shimin was very clear about what was going on, and that in the eyes of the court, all of them could be used.

Li Shimin was still shocked when he returned to Daming Palace. He didn't know how the Tang Dynasty's treasury was so full after only sleeping for a year. With so much money, he had a strong confidence and was no longer afraid of the Right Wise King.

At this time, only the father and son were in the imperial study. Li Chengqian explained, "Father, please don't misunderstand me. This is not the court's money. It is the wealth of all the people of the Tang Dynasty. It is just temporarily kept here by the court, and we cannot withdraw it at will."

After Li Chengqian explained, he took out the issued Tang Dynasty Treasure Notes and handed them to Li Shimin, then said: "You see, father, the reason why this paper currency is recognized by the people is that there is an equal amount of silver behind every string of money."

"Once there is no equivalent amount of actual wealth, these treasure notes will become waste paper, and with the obsolescence of the treasure notes, the court's credibility in the hearts of the people will also collapse."

"So that's how it is, that's what I said!"

After listening to this, Li Shimin nodded seriously and said, "It seems that the money cannot be used easily, otherwise it will cause unrest in the court."

"However, it is better to have something than nothing. In the past, whenever there was a war, the court would temporarily levy various taxes on the people, which caused the people to complain. Every household had to tighten their belts, and many people's families were broken up."

"With the Finance Temple, we don't have to embarrass the people anymore."

"I have read Xiao Yu's report. In the past six months, in order to deal with the war in Shandong, the court has mobilized a total of 30 million guan of military funds, without using a single cent from the national treasury, and without increasing taxes. Isn't this a benefit?"

"Father, please don't misunderstand me."

Li Chengqian quickly explained: "It's not a transfer, it's a loan, and it's the reserve funds of the Tang Dynasty Asset Management Bureau. These are the people's money, and the treasury spent them with an IOU, using the Tang Dynasty's income for the next year as collateral."

"The National Treasury has to repay the Asset Management Bureau, and the Asset Management Bureau is responsible to the Banknote Issuing Department. The links are closely linked and none of them can be missing."

"It's like spending grain in the first month of the year. If the national treasury revenue next year is based on last year's number, it will actually lose 30 million strings of cash."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we can borrow it. Anyway, these departments belong to the court. At most, the three parties can share the burden, and each party can only borrow 10 million guan."

Li Shimin said majestically: "This is not for daily consumption. Every penny spent on resisting the Turks is worth it. The debt can be repaid slowly. If the country no longer exists and the world is in chaos, there is nothing to talk about."

"You have run the Finance Temple well. We now have both money and grain."

"We will need more military supplies and logistics to deal with the Turkic army. You must keep an eye on this and make sure we don't run out of food."

Well.
Li Chengqian was stunned, then shook his head with a wry smile. He used to say this kind of thing often before, but at that time he was the one who instructed Li Xiang to be responsible for this matter.

Now, Li Shimin arranged it for him without hesitation. It seems that people in power look at things from the same perspective.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Lord Fang has a letter!"

At this time, Hou Junji walked in with a military letter in his hand, looking excited: "Lord Fang said that the trip to Luoyang went very smoothly. Li You surrendered 500,000 troops without resistance. Under his arrangement, the army is rushing to Chang'an without stopping."

"In addition, the matter arranged by the Emperor has also been negotiated. Shi Luodie has agreed to form an alliance with us to jointly deal with the Right Wise King."

Li Chengqian took it and handed it to Li Shimin after a quick glance. He smiled and said, "Father, your majesty is so great that it shocks all quarters. Once you show up, not only will my fifth brother be forced to surrender, but even the Great Khan of the Turks will have to submit."

"Humph, this rebellious son, why mention him?" Li Shimin also felt relieved, pretending to be indifferent, and put down the military report: "Shi Luodie is indeed a hero in troubled times. He can see the situation clearly and decisively give up Li You and change his ways. He should not be underestimated."

"If it weren't for the powerful Right Wise King, I really wouldn't want to let this man go."

Li Chengqian opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Li Shimin to keep Shi Luodie to check the idea of ​​Right Xianwang, but after thinking about it, he gave up. Judging from the current situation, Li Shimin's approach was not wrong, and he could not reveal the truth.

It seems that in order to deal with this group of Turks, we have to deal with them from the perspective of the Right Wise King.

Li Shimin did not notice anything unusual and directly ordered Hou Junji: "Junji, you should immediately arrange to receive these people. Among them, 200,000 people are from Luoyang and Qi. They have been chasing the Turks for more than half a year, so their combat effectiveness is still good."

"Absorb these people directly into the Sixteen Guards Army and use them as the backbone of the enemy. The other 300,000 are all young and strong people from various provinces in Shandong. They can be arranged to defend the city."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Hou Junji hesitated for a moment and asked, "Grand Emperor, the Sixteen Guards are in great need of soldiers. Should we recruit them temporarily or keep them permanently?"

"Of course I'll stay here."

Li Shimin's face darkened, and he said calmly, "When the Tang Dynasty was in danger, those noble families not only did not work together to support the court, but instead took advantage of the situation and transferred all the soldiers to the Western Regions. Now that they have left, they should not come back."

"There is no place for them in the Sixteen Guards."

"Yes, Father is wise."

Li Chengqian also echoed, "Li You is cleaning up the noble families in Luoyang. These soldiers coming from Shandong are all good children with clean family backgrounds. Only these people will firmly stand on the side of the court and live and die with the Tang Dynasty."

"They are the real foundation of the country, not those aristocratic families with ulterior motives."

"You can tell them that after this battle, the court will reward all the soldiers and civilians who participated in the defense of Chang'an based on their merits. The land in their homes will be recognized, and the court will directly issue the land deeds."

"Haha, with such a good policy, I guess they will all stay."

Hou Junji glanced at Li Chengqian, then smiled and said, "The Tang Dynasty has never treated the soldiers so well. Each of these people has been given a hundred acres of land. Some families with large populations have two or three hundred acres, which makes them as good as small landlords."

"Soldiers are willing to die on the battlefield if they can obtain the ownership of the land."

"Also, this time when the Right Wise King went south, he did not attack the capital directly, but actually plundered cities one by one. There are more than ten states and hundreds of cities in the northern part of Guannei Road. This also greatly slowed down the speed of the Turkish cavalry, buying us more time to prepare."

Hou Junji understood the inside story and knew that the Turkic army was marching southwards, seemingly with the intention of destroying the Tang Dynasty, but in fact they were using the same tactics as the Turks in Hebei, mainly targeting the aristocratic families.

Li Shimin did not know the details and asked in confusion, "Yes, speed is of the essence in war. Why is the Right Wise King not in a hurry to capture Chang'an but dawdling in the north? If Chang'an is captured, the prefectures and counties in the north will naturally surrender without a fight. Why bother with so much trouble?"

"Haha, this is not difficult to guess."

Li Chengqian said calmly, "The Turks have come south many times in the past few decades, but they have never succeeded. Although there are more people this time, our Tang Dynasty is no match for the past. The Turks are afraid of returning empty-handed again, so they want to reap as much benefit as possible."

"There are hundreds of cities in the north, and each one is occupied by aristocratic families."

"They have accumulated a lot of strength over the years. There is plenty of food in the fortress and countless gold and silver in the warehouse. It's like the hamster hole, every place is coveted. The Turks have gained benefits, so they keep their eyes on every place."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Li Shimin nodded silently. He was thinking that it would be better to clean up these aristocratic families through the hands of the Turks, so that he wouldn't have to raise the butcher knife himself.

Hou Junji thought for a moment and asked, "Oh right, Your Majesty, the northern cities are flooding with requests for help, and the court officials are urging the court to send troops to rescue. Previously, they were short of troops, but now that the reinforcements from Chang'an have arrived, I'm afraid they will urge us again."

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Li Chengqian: "Qian'er, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

"Father, I think that instead of sending reinforcements, we should also call back all the troops north of Chang'an."

Hou Junji showed an expression of as expected, but Li Shimin asked solemnly: "Why is that?"

(End of this chapter)