Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 186 Your Tang Dynasty? No, it's your Tang Dynasty
Li Shimin was almost desensitized to these two words because he kept saying "finish it all" all the time. He frowned and said with a rather unhappy look:
"Don't interrupt!"

Don’t you fucking interrupt me… Li Ming felt a surge of anger coming over him, but he swallowed it down.

The more this happens, the more you need to think calmly. Getting into an argument will not help resolve the problem.

Li Er is too emotional, just let him be.

"You are clever, but your vision is too narrow and you lack a sense of the overall situation!"

Li Shimin put on his fatherly airs and began to lecture his youngest son:
"You shrink into your own world all day long, thinking that your brother the emperor wants to harm you, the powerful ministers want to harm you, the concubines want to harm you, and the whole world wants to harm you.

"This is extremely wrong! Since you are above everyone else, you are bound to offend people. How can you be careful about your own safety when doing great things?
"If you are afraid of this and that, why bother being born into an imperial family? It would be better for you to be a commoner..."

Old Li was just getting excited when he saw Li Ming's strange look and suddenly remembered what happened a year ago when that guy made a scene in Liangyi Palace and asked, "Father, can I resign?"

"Ahem." Li Shimin changed the subject stiffly:
“What I want to say is that a real man, born between heaven and earth, should have the world in his heart!

"Why should you be like a timid woman, worrying about your own safety all day long? You should worry about the safety of the world."

Seeing the naughty Li Ming listening obediently, Li Shimin came to his senses and talked incessantly.

"You have governed Liaodong and two states well, which shows that you have certain talents, but your vision restricts your upper limit.

"How can you be like a small landlord, only caring about your own little piece of land?

"You should take the prosperity of the entire Tang Dynasty as your own responsibility, and have the people of the whole world in your heart, not just those two inferior states in Liaodong!

"You should do this and that, and you shouldn't do that..."

Li Ming was well-behaved throughout the whole process, listening to his father muttering about the philosophy of life like an ordinary drunk old father.

"call……"

Li Shimin spoke his mind directly, finally clearing away the haze that Fang Xuanling had cast in his heart. He felt much better and concluded his speech:

"do you understand?"

Li Ming nodded:
"I know what you mean. Aren't you warning me not to quarrel with my three brothers and not to separate Liaodong from the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin was startled.

Don’t you know it very well?

Then why do you always make me angry?

Is it because you want to make me angry?

"I will listen to what you say and watch what you do."

After Li Shimin finished his closing speech in a very dignified manner, he sat back on the dragon couch and flipped through the memorials.

It means you can go.

But Li Ming hasn't left yet.

Li Shimin frowned and raised his eyes:
"Why, do you have anything else to say?"

Li Ming sorted out his thoughts and coaxed his father like he was coaxing his own angry daughter:

"Father, what I am going to say next is very important. I beg you to take the time to listen."

Ha, the brat is so serious... Li Shimin sneered inwardly and pretended to flip through the memorial:

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Li Ming: "The Tang Dynasty is about to face an economic crisis."

"You are still narrow-minded, only focusing on Liaodong... What?"

Li Shimin subconsciously put down the memorial and looked up in confusion.

"Uh..." Li Ming scratched his head and tried to change the way he phrased it. Like a kindergarten teacher, he spoke slowly, word by word:
"I mean, the Tang Dynasty's economy is about to face a crisis."

Li Shimin was still confused:
"What did you say?"

"This... then I really don't know how to explain it more simply."

Li Ming also felt at a loss for words.

Although "economic crisis" is a new word, the meanings of the two words "economy" and "crisis" are very clear. It should not be difficult to understand when put together, right?

"No... I don't understand why you suddenly talk about the economic crisis, as if this year's Northern Expedition to Xueyantuo is doomed to be disastrous for us."

Li Shimin pointed at the memorial vigorously, as if to defend his own achievements:

"The wheat harvest was good, the government coffers were full, and the charity granaries in various places were filled with enough grain for three years.

“After the fall, some parts of the South may face poor harvests and food shortages.

“But as long as the charity warehouse opens, everything will be fine.

"What crisis?"

In the Tang Dynasty, when the scholar-farmer, merchant-artisan classes were distinct and commodity economy was not yet mainstream, farming was always the priority.

As long as the agricultural harvest is good and the people don't starve to death, there will be no trouble.

"The market supply of copper and iron is very abnormal. Except for Chang'an, all regions are experiencing shortages of copper and iron."

Li Ming said seriously.

Li Shimin looked at him doubtfully:
"Really? How do you know? The courtiers did not report this to me.

"Besides, you have been keeping an eye on Liaodong, so how do you know the situation in other states and counties?"

Because I have the world in my heart... Li Ming suppressed the urge to mock Lao Li and said,

"Because everything is universally connected, as long as the data is accurate and high-frequency enough, a glimpse of Liaodong will give us the whole picture."

He reported all the abnormal trade data reported by Liaodong every day, as well as his research results in the Chang'an market - mainly the rumors he heard from Zhi Shi Buzhen and other merchants - to his father.

At first, Li Shimin pretended to read the memorials casually and acted as if he didn't care.

But as he listened, he could no longer pretend, and he put the memorial down involuntarily and listened attentively.

Let’s not talk about Li Ming’s conclusion for now.

The all-round control over Liaodong's every move alone surprised Li Shimin.

Before this, Li Shimin only knew that the Fourteenth Prince had governed Liaodong well.

But to be honest, he didn't study in detail how it was done.

Each state and county also has local officials who are rated A or above in the annual evaluation, and their governance measures are similar.

It is nothing more than being diligent, responsible, and living in harmony with the people's livelihood.

As for the governance below the township level, it was mainly "contracted" to the elderly gentry.

Therefore, the basic economic operation data include changes in population household registration, the actual implementation of the equal-field system, commodity circulation and transactions, actual mineral mining and trading volumes, etc.

Although there is data, it is just data.

There is no need to think about timeliness.

Local bureaucrats might still be able to look at the original monthly reports, but when it comes to the six ministries of the Secretariat, only quarterly reports are left, and what is submitted to the emperor are only the "adjusted" semi-annual and annual reports.

In other words, the court was making decisions based on outdated intelligence.

Even the authenticity of the data has to be questioned.

Because the imperial power did not extend below the county level, the so-called "feudal centralization" was actually very controversial, and it was basically decentralized at the township level.

Taking copper and iron minerals as an example, the government is unclear about whether private individuals are mining minerals privately, whether ironware is illegally sold to the grasslands, etc., and the matter is basically in a gray area.

But Li Ming not only knows the statistical data of various industries in Liaodong very well, but he can even get it down to the day!
Not to mention the copper and iron trade, the actual number of registered households in the two states alone was enough to shock the entire court at the time.

And what kind of bureaucratic system is behind these numbers?

"So, you mainly used the data from Pingzhou and Yingzhou to infer that the whole Tang Dynasty was short of copper and iron?"

Li Shimin gathered his thoughts and extracted the key information that Li Ming said.

"Yes." Li Ming nodded with certainty:
“The Youyun area is one of the main iron production areas in the Tang Dynasty. If there is a shortage of ore there, it will definitely spread throughout the country.

"And this was also confirmed by the confession of the Chang'an merchant."

Li Shimin's expression became more and more serious.

Yangzhou was a water transport hub in East China with prosperous commerce, and was close to Ma'anshan, another major iron producing area.

If the same situation happened there...

This strange shortage of copper and iron will be extremely severe...

The premise is that what Li Ming said is true.

"Is there any direct evidence?" Li Shimin asked the key question.

This matter is of great importance, and Li Ming's judgment is based on indirect evidence, which he drew from Liaodong's own reports and the oral accounts of merchants.

It is not sufficient as a basis for decision-making.

The emperor needed more direct and credible evidence.

For example, direct reports from local officials, reports from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, or reports from government-run iron mines.

Li Shimin recalled that Fang Xuanling had been working day and night during this period, investigating the copper and iron matter.

If any problems are really found, they will be reported to him in time.

If there is no report, doesn't that mean even Fang Xuanling couldn't find any problems...

"I don't have the direct evidence you want."

Li Ming spread his hands:
“After all, I can only manage two lower-level states, Pingzhou and Yingzhou.

"The other prefectures and counties in Datang have not fulfilled their responsibilities. They are unable to manage the grassroots and provide detailed and reliable data. I have no way to deal with it."

It's really my fault that I couldn't swallow up the entire Tang Dynasty in one gulp.

Li Shimin's mouth twitched and he said:
"If the mineral shortage is true, then it is indeed a problem, but it is not a big deal. It is not as serious as you said, that the Tang Dynasty will be destroyed.

"As long as there is no problem with food, there won't be any trouble."

When it comes down to it, there aren’t many metal products that ordinary people use in their daily lives.

At most they had a few farm tools and a pot, and not every person had one, but several households shared them.

Even if farmers don't buy iron for a few months or a year, they will not die.

As for bronze ware, it was rarely used.

Who among the common people would use a bronze tripod to worship their ancestors? They would just make a straw man.

Therefore, people can buy less copper and iron items, buy them later, or simply not buy them, and it won't cause any trouble.

As farmers, we can just make do with our lives, it’s not like we can’t make ends meet.

"No, do you know what this shortage will lead to?"

Li Ming looked at his old feudal emperor father and said solemnly:

“Money shortage.”

Money shortage...Li Shimin murmured this ancient word.

Money shortage, as the name suggests, means that there is not enough currency in the market.

In ancient times when there was chaos and war and precious metals were the main trading currency, money shortages were quite common.

But after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the pacification of the country, and the issuance of Kaiyuan Tongbao by Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, the money shortage has faded from people's sight.

“The coins were minted in previous years and are still in circulation.

"How can the current short-term copper shortage affect the currency issued in the past?"

Li Shimin asked.

He felt that this was a simple logical error in the order of time.

If the hens don't lay eggs next year, it doesn't mean there will be no chicken to eat this year.

"Because people are alive."

Li Ming explained carefully:
"If there is a shortage of copper and iron, the price will rise, and the value of money made from these metals will also increase.

“For example, if you can buy a bushel of rice with three cents today, it will only cost two cents tomorrow.

"As an ordinary citizen, would you choose to buy today or wait until tomorrow?"

Li Shimin said without hesitation:
"tomorrow."

Li Ming patiently said:
"If the value of money keeps rising, will people become less and less willing to spend money, and eventually choose to just hoard their coins?"

Li Shimin nodded: "This is not difficult to understand." "If the whole society does this." Li Ming continued:
“Then there will be fewer coins on the market, and their value will be higher, so no one will take out coins to trade.

"If this vicious cycle continues, will anyone still use coins for transactions?"

Li Shimin swallowed his saliva:
"No, it will degenerate into barter..."

When there is insufficient currency in the market, there is a money shortage. There is a special term for this called "liquidity exhaustion".

There is no doubt that this will deal a heavy blow to commercial trade, seriously affect all economic forms except the self-sufficient small peasant economy, and ultimately weaken national strength.

Due to the fact that metal currency is easy to store, money shortages were common in times of war and chaos.

But it would be funny if a sudden money shortage occurred in a peaceful and prosperous era.

If it were in the pre-Qin period when productivity was even less developed, it would not be a earth-shattering problem.

But in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, commerce, especially foreign trade, has been developing rapidly.

As the world's largest city, Chang'an is also a veritable international trade center.

And because of the bumper harvests in recent years, the prices of rice and cloth have plummeted, making it impossible to use copper coins as a substitute.

In other words, if a money shortage really occurs for no reason, it will really cause chaos and will be recorded in history books for future generations to laugh at!

Li Shimin found that he had not considered enough.

Failure to take into account human greed will exponentially magnify the originally small gap in material supply, causing a chain reaction and causing the current situation to spiral further deteriorate.

He is good at studying farming and warfare.

Li Ming is really good at studying human bad ideas...

“How to deal with it.”

Li Shimin straightened up unconsciously and asked seriously.

No matter how much he verbally emphasizes that agriculture is the foundation and that the priorities should not be reversed.

But objectively speaking, commerce in the Tang Dynasty had already developed, providing huge profits and absorbing a considerable portion of the urban labor force.

If this benefit is given to Mr. Li, then he will definitely take it.

There are two cents of tax in front of you. Can you tell me which one is the agricultural tax and which one is the commercial tax?

It is impossible for him to really implement a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and it is even more impossible for him to allow commercial activities to regress to the level of the pre-Qin period.

In fact, he destroyed Gaochang in order to ensure the smooth flow of trade routes and safeguard commercial interests.

“Of course there are ways, but time is very tight.

“Because the national copper and iron production is only about one million catties, the market capacity is too small, the market will fluctuate violently, and the cash shortage may come very suddenly.

"The situation in Hebei and Huainan is a wake-up call. Perhaps overnight, all major cities across the country, including the capital, will run out of money."

Li Ming created a tense atmosphere and began to sing:

"First of all, the Ministry of Civil Affairs must obey my orders, and secondly, the transport envoys of the ten prefectures of the Tang Dynasty must also obey my orders.

"Deepen the reform of the national mining, smelting, and trade taxation system, and establish a sound data collection and analysis mechanism..."

Li Shimin took over the conversation:
"How about appointing you as Shangshu Ling, Yongzhou Mu, and Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi?"

Li Ming nodded happily:
"Yeah!"

"You're such a jerk! Don't even think about making money from the country's misfortune!" Li Shimin slammed the table.
"Is this Tang Dynasty yours or mine?"

Li Ming subconsciously turned his eyes away:
"Of course... it's the Tang Dynasty of all people in the world~"

That's a nice statement, but do you dare look me straight in the eye and repeat it again without any guilt?
Li Shimin kicked out Li Ming, who was obviously up to no good.

His Majesty the Emperor was the only one left in the study.

He was upset and picked up a memorial at random.

While looking at the densely packed words, her mind was recalling the words with which she had scolded Li Ming at the beginning, and her toes were twitching unconsciously.

After scratching his head for a while, he couldn't sit still on the dragon couch anymore. He subconsciously threw down the book, stood up and paced back and forth.

awkward.

It was really embarrassing just now.

Li Shimin felt that he had made a mistake.

I shouldn’t have scolded Li Ming like that just now.

He's so stupid, really.

That kid is really narrow-minded!

On the contrary, Li Ming's vision can be very grand!
He doesn't limit his vision to Liaodong alone!

Those cunning eyes were clearly staring at the dragon bed under my butt and never moved!

“Heh, the dragon couch is right here, don’t dodge or avoid it.

"If you want it, come and sit down if you can."

Li Shimin snorted, but a faint, relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Yes, this is how you should fight for the throne.

Compete openly in the ability to handle military and national affairs.

Instead of intrigue, or taking shortcuts by flattery.

“If what that kid said about the money shortage is true, it really shouldn’t be taken lightly.

"Especially now, the Northern Expedition to Xueyantuo is imminent..."

Li Shimin thought for a while and told the eunuch:
Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji and Minister of Civil Affairs Tang Jian were immediately summoned to the palace to report back.

He is definitely not the kind of person who ignores the opinions of his subordinates.

But he is not the kind of person who will be blinded by only listening to one side.

Li Shimin felt that he had to believe what Li Ming said, but he couldn't necessarily believe it completely.

That kid is too vigilant. Maybe this matter is false, or maybe it is true but the harm has been exaggerated.

…………

"Therefore, I would like to hear the opinions of the three of you, my dear ministers."

Li Shimin told the three of them all about Li Ming's concerns and discoveries.

This is a matter of national and military importance, and the three of them will not engage in factional strife over it.

Tang Jian spoke first:

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

Li Shimin's face changed slightly:
"Why didn't you report such a big thing in advance?"

"Well... because the situation is just a sign, not as serious as Li Jiedu said." Tang Jian explained:

"In some counties and prefectures, there is indeed a shortage of copper and iron. Blacksmith shops have no iron to forge, and there are sporadic cases of people causing trouble, but they are just ordinary people and are not a cause for concern.

"As for the shortage of money, it is true that there are shortages in various places, but it is not serious. With the help of silver, cloth, and rice, daily transactions can still be completed."

What it means is to make do with whatever you have.

If it were in the past, Li Shimin would have just heard it and that was it.

But today, after experiencing the "big data first version" that Li Ming developed in Liaodong, he subconsciously asked one more question:
"How 'not serious' is it when you say it is 'not serious'? Is there any data to support it?"

"This..." Tang Jian was speechless for a moment, hesitating:
"Maybe we have to wait until September, when we will present the first half of this year..."

"I understand." Li Shimin waved his hands in disappointment.

By September, the troops to fight the Xueyantuo should have set out, the problem of poor harvests in the south should have been exposed, and the money shortage should have occurred long ago.

Whether it is reliable or not is another matter if you wait until September to produce the data. Not only will the daylily be out of fashion, but the Tang Dynasty may also be out of fashion.

Li Shimin turned his attention to Fang Xuanling.

Lao Fang continued Tang Jian's words:

"Your Majesty, as I said earlier today, I have been checking the copper and iron production of the Tang Dynasty in recent years.

"In the 14th year of Zhenguan, there were 93 government-run iron mines in the country, with an annual output of 2 million catties of iron..."

After all, he is Li Ming's number one henchman, so Lao Fang's remarks are much more reasonable and well-founded, and each of his conclusions is supported by data.

"Therefore, it can be inferred that the copper and iron production in our country has been rising steadily in recent years, and there has been no sudden decline."

Because the account books cited by Fang Xuanling all came from government-run mines, the output estimates are relatively accurate.

Although private iron mines are not included in the statistics, their scale is small and can be ignored.

"Ore output has not fallen, copper and iron usage has not increased, and there are no problems on both the production and consumption ends."

Chang Sun Wuji stroked his chin and concluded:
"I think the current shortage of copper and iron may be caused by unscrupulous merchants hoarding them."

Fang Xuanling and Tang Jian agreed with this conclusion.

"Stockpiling may cause short-term fluctuations in prices and supply, but as long as production and consumption are stable, a few unscrupulous merchants will not be able to cause any big waves."

Chang Sun Wuji further suggested:
“With time, the market will return to normal.

"I personally think that the situation may not turn out as Li Jiedu predicted."

The outspoken Tang Jian seconded the proposal:
“With the existence of unscrupulous traders, market prices and supply will inevitably fluctuate.

"Li Jiedu is inevitably making a mountain out of a molehill and exaggerating the dangers."

Fang Xuanling stroked his gray goat beard and kept silent.

Based on his own research results, it is consistent with the judgment of his colleagues.

The copper and iron shortages are temporary and not serious.

But Li Ming's serious attitude made him dare not draw this conclusion easily.

That little prince's sense of smell has always been very sharp...

"My dear ministers, what you said is very true."

Changsun Wuji's conclusion was very much to Li Shimin's liking.

As he said, there is no problem on both the production and consumption ends of the entity.

What kind of harm can a mere "traveling merchant" as an intermediary cause?
A tree without roots is like water without a source.

"But the Liaodong Jiedushi's warning cannot be ignored. We cannot take it lightly just because the situation is still in its infancy."

Li Shimin said:

"I order all local market supervision and price control offices to strictly investigate hoarding and price manipulation, and to release copper and iron ingots stored in warehouses to stabilize prices when necessary."

This policy is neither painful nor itchy.

It is hard to say whether it can punish unscrupulous businessmen, alleviate the shortage of copper and iron, and prevent money shortage.

But it is at least a solution.

This can be regarded as a response to Li Ming's warning.

"Your Majesty, take the order."

The opinions were fully adopted. Changsun Wuji bowed proudly and glanced at Fang Xuanling, who did not actively express his opinions, looked haggard and old.

Fang Xuanling wasn't even looking at him. His eyes were empty, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

You just continue to rest and see how long you can remain the chief... Changsun Wuji felt more and more proud.

He felt that he was one step closer to regaining his position as His Majesty's number one favorite.

"The shortage of copper and iron is left to you to handle."

Li Shimin was very pleased and ordered his beloved generals:
"I have a lot of things to do. I want to focus my energy on the Northern Expedition against Xueyantuo."

…………

The next day, he went to court as usual and nothing happened.

The next day, wages were paid in the form of rice, cotton, firewood and so on.

Day again.

Chang'an riot.

(End of this chapter)