After calling some officials from the Ministry of Revenue to inquire, Li Po was very disappointed when he understood the situation.
Although it was expected, after all, Kansai has not been devastated by much war. At most, there are only some banditry, such as the Detachment of Women and the like...
In the more than ten years since the war started in the late Sui Dynasty, the ground in Kansai was actually relatively calm, even much more peaceful than the Jin area. Mainly because of the geographical location of Kansai and the deterrent power of Kansai heroes played an important role.
Especially during the years when Li Yuan was in power, he had rich experience in local governance and was very attentive to the governance of his hometown in Kansai, so the people of Kansai benefited a lot. In this regard, Tang Gong's reputation is indeed well-deserved.
However, no matter how brilliant the method was, it was gradually worn down by the huge military supplies and the numerous titles and rewards given by the nobles.
Because he had to deal with the surrounding enemies, or it could be said to attack other princes, Li Tang's standing army had reached 500,000 to 600,000 people, and the wastage every year was enough for Li Yuan to drink a pot.
Furthermore, the nobles are also waiting for food with their mouths open. Needless to say, the greed of the nobles is the same everywhere.
Why did so many people welcome Li Yuan when he went south? One reason is because the rebels' swords and guns were facing them, which made the nobles panic and needed someone to protect them.
Secondly, Li Yuan's background determines his position. He will protect the interests of the Kansai clan very well, and facts have proved this.
After Li Yuan went south, in order to gain the support of the nobles, the number of knights was unprecedented. Anyone who could respond and made a little contribution would definitely be rewarded with titles.
In other words, Li Yuan was very poor and had nothing to give to others, except for official titles... Even his son, such as Qi King Li Yuanji, had more than a dozen official titles on his back.
No wonder Li Yuanji was so rampant at that time.
So, if there is a little surplus in Li Tang's treasury, it can be said that Li Yuan's tricks are the best? Otherwise, the best way out is to increase taxes or even borrow money for the nobles like Yang Guang did.
As for Li Po, he thought that with the expansion of his territory, he would be exposed to more and more messes, and the joy of entering Chang'an City would not be much left.
In the lobby of the Ministry of Household Affairs? Li Po slapped the table, "Only this little thing can barely make it to the end of autumn? Do we need to transport some grain and grass from Hedong? This is too..."
What a loss? Considering his identity, he cannot give people the image of a bargaining businessman, but everyone understands what he means. Su Dan, who has just arrived after a long journey, was originally in high spirits and wanted to return home in glory.
But what about this? I feel like I arrived at the wrong time? Are they all Wang Qing’s boss? Why should I bear this blame?
And after the past two months of fighting? Although he is not as strong as before and takes the lead, Li Po does have a lot of murderous spirit in his body. Once he gets angry, he looks very scary.
"Your Majesty, calm down? The food shortage in Kansai is no longer a day or two..."
Li Po glanced at him sideways. "Is this just a matter of lack of food and grass? Do you think this is Mayi? As long as everyone is full, don't worry about anything else?"
Damn, this is Chang'an, this is Xijing, hundreds of thousands of people? Food, clothing, housing and transportation... If we only have that little thing in the treasury, how can we use it in times of crisis? You don't understand this, right?"
Of course Su Tan understood that in addition to food, gold and silver, armor and weapons, etc., the treasury must have some various reserves.
Of course, the most important thing is food. These days, nothing else is necessary, but food is indispensable. Other items in the treasury are more or less irrelevant. This is actually what worries Li Po.
But who is the king? You really can’t reply when you are unreasonable.
Li Po is also a little confused these days, mainly because he has not met with the officials in the city on a large scale yet, but has only met with some generals who hold military power.
The Jin army and the surrendered army combined to firmly control Chang'an's city defenses and key points, but they had not yet allowed the government offices to operate.
He was actually waiting for the arrival of Wen Yanbo, Su Dan and others.
With the help of these cronies, he can occupy a more advantageous position when contacting the nobles in Chang'an City.
He clearly knows that this is a long-term transaction and negotiation, and the purpose is to make the world long-term and stable. He must grasp every ounce of weight and make every decision carefully.
Therefore, the pressure he felt was completely different from others. Many people were congratulating him and waiting for him to lavishly reward meritorious ministers. People who surrendered were also waiting for him to grant forgiveness or reward.
Sleepless nights and tossing and turning were a reflection of his current life, which made him deeply realize that being an emperor was really not that easy.
Compared with this, the workload of His Highness the King of Han is really unbelievable and shocking.
Su Tan was the first group of people to arrive, all of whom were officials from the Ministry of Revenue. They also knew who was most lacking here, so His Highness the King of Han in Alexander rushed to help Su Tan.
At the same time, I also tried to calm down this guy who looked very excited, so that he would not be overwhelmed by the joy of having accomplished his job and returning to his hometown in fine clothes. After all, this guy was still very young and had no roots when he floated up.
As usual, after being beaten with a stick, he still had to be comforted, but seeing this guy's expression swaying, his eyes moving around trying to think of something but not very afraid, Li Po was really amused.
These people have been with him for many years and have a very good understanding of his temperament... and the so-called red is close to red and black is close to ink, and their minds are extremely active.
Without him saying anything else, Su Dan waved the others to leave, but Wang Qing pretended not to notice.
Su Dan didn't pay attention to him, but moved forward and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, there are many gates in the city, none of which can be compared to Jinyang. When Beihu went south, Bingdai was in a mess, but Jinyang
The clan still has a lot of savings, let alone Xijing?"
Li Po raised his eyebrows and said "Oh," he seemed interested, but he was already furious. If this guy dares to give me any bad ideas about dividing the land among the rich, he must let him know that the flowers in Chang'an are better than those in Jinyang.
Much more red.
Obviously Su Dan is not that unreliable. After all, he is also a member of the Kansai clan. If he offends a large number of people just after returning to his hometown in Kansai, it will be very fatal.
"I believe that after years of fighting, the world is exhausted, and Guanxi is inevitable. However, under the rule of the king, the Jin Dynasty is prosperous, with abundant food and grass, and the people's aspirations. Therefore, Guanxi can be decided in one battle..."
Li Po laughed when he heard this. Is this flattery? Do you know that I am very annoyed now?
When Su Dan took a look, his heart trembled at first, now he was impatient? It was true in the Kansai region, people who came here were always a little bit hostile, and the king's patience became much worse after he arrived here.
So he didn't dare to go around in circles praising virtues and said directly: "I am saying that the population has dropped sharply everywhere. Even if the Jin Dynasty recovers, it is not as far as the Kaihuang period. However, the vitality of Guanxi is still there. I also see that along the way
There are not many fields that are barren, which is very different from other places..."
"So I feel that the people in Chang'an have a lot of savings, but as the war continues day by day, everyone has a desire to protect themselves and is unwilling to help others in vain."
The facts and reasons were analyzed thoroughly, and Li Po also nodded. Unlike Luoyang, which had become a gangster den, Chang'an had not been poisoned, and there must be many wealthy families in the city.
But then again, he can't be the big villain who makes everyone empty their pockets, right? What we are doing is not a one-time deal.
Su Dan was still talking, "Now that the overall situation in the city has been decided, and the general trend is the general trend, how many people are willing to flatter the king, but they can't get it. As long as there is a little bit of news, everyone will definitely respond..."
Li Po blinked his eyes and thought for a while, thinking that although this idea was not a bad one, it was definitely not a good idea. It was only a thin line away from robbery. It would not be conducive to stabilizing the people of Kansai. It might lead to a lot of resentment and countless people.
of rumors.
Li Po didn't need to refute, Wang Qing over there couldn't help it anymore, "Your Majesty, this is not possible. Li Yuan has been in charge of the west for a long time. However, when he cannot make ends meet with food and grass, he never recruits people. Is he unwilling? Really?
I dare not, but Yang Guang did it a little bit many years ago, and then everyone was dissatisfied, causing chaos."
"Now that I have just come, I should calm people's hearts, lest they do not know the wisdom of our Lord, how can they do the opposite?"
Su Dan tilted his head and glanced at Wang Qing, thinking to himself: How could I have offended him? This guy seemed very resentful. Some time ago, he said that he came to serve in the Ministry of Husbandry and had been waiting for a long time, but he went to the Ministry of War. What a waste of our time.
of painstaking efforts.
"Please be patient, Mr. Wang. I haven't finished speaking yet... Nowadays, there are not enough people everywhere and many fields are deserted. It would be better to sell some and use them to save people's savings. In this way, it will be much easier to speak.
Moreover, since there is fertile land, someone needs to cultivate it and take care of it, so we can take advantage of the situation and let the servants and servants be naturalized on the land, and they can pay taxes and labor for it. I will not say much about this cause of establishing the emperor.
This is a strategy that kills three birds with one stone, and I would like to ask your Majesty to learn from it."
As he bowed slightly, Su Dan still smiled and said: "If your Majesty allows it, may I first claim some for the martial arts Su family?"
It’s really hard to explain this idea. Li Po didn’t do any tricks that stood out to him. He just frowned and pondered. In terms of original intention, he would never want the nobles to buy a lot of land. Later books made it very clear.
Yes, land annexation is one of the causes of all troubles.
The more land the nobles have, the more people are impoverished. This is a vicious cycle until everything collapses and starts all over again.
And another reason also arises from this, that is, the nobles generally do not pay taxes. This is the case with the nobles now. Later, those who studied and became officials were even more ruthless. They took the exam to become a scholar and promoted people. Not only did they not have to pay taxes, but the country
I still support you. If you gain more people like this, how can there be any way for others to survive?
Therefore, Li Po has always supported collecting taxes from noble officials, and even instigated Wang Ze to write it into the code of law. However, there is still a long way to go to completely break through the obstacles of the nobles.
