In March of the 26th year of Kaiyuan, Li Longji, who had been living very comfortably all winter, returned to Xingqing Palace from Huaqing Palace. Then he was almost knocked unconscious by a blow to the head from a Tibetan man.
The Tubo army fought fiercely in three areas at the border with the Tang Dynasty: Jiannan, Longyou and Hexi. The force was very fierce!
But the other two directions are all feints, and only the Hexi side is a real attack.
The Tubo army located in Xincheng (now the ancient city of Jinbatai, Qinghai) penetrated into the Hexi Corridor from the Qilian Mountain Tunnel and attacked Liangzhou City, exceeding the expectations of Cui Xiyi, the Hexi Jiedushi envoy.
He personally led the Chishui Army and the Tubo Army to fight outside the city of Liangzhou. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and were punched to the flesh.
Later, because they could not get any advantage, the Tubo army took advantage of the darkness and fled.
Although the Tubo people did not succeed, they made Li Longji break out in a cold sweat. Liangzhou City is a key logistics node between the Hexi Corridor and the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate. If the Tang army in the Western Regions is compared to
Sword, Liangzhou City is undoubtedly the hilt of this sword.
If the hilt of the sword is smashed, the sword will be broken. The situation in the northwest of the Tang Dynasty will accelerate erosion.
Brother Ji was furious and issued an edict:
"The Tubo clowns invaded the fortresses frequently, destroyed our cities and towns, and captured our border people. In Hexi, Longyou, Anxi, Jiannan and other prefectures, those who were below the level of Jiedu officers and men who were able to capture the Tubo Zanpu were granted the title of King with a different surname;
Those who are ranked as generals will be awarded the rank of general; those who are ranked lower than the rank of general will be awarded the title of general and lieutenant general. There is no limit on official qualifications, and rewards will be given in one case; the order will be announced quickly, and the envoys will know about it."
Well, to put it simply, those who have meritorious service are awarded official positions, but there is no mention of rewards in terms of money and silk.
Wang Zhongsi received the military order and was transferred to the Chishui Army envoy, and rushed to Hexi immediately. However, Fang Chongyong had not left yet, because he was now a "civil affairs official" in Liangzhou City and could wait until the war situation was less anxious before setting off.
…
"What the hell is going on?"
A few days before departure, Fang Chongyong received a letter from Zheng Shuqing from Luoyang. Apart from those polite words, the core topic was only two words: Help!
Lao Zheng was appointed as the transshipment envoy and is now responsible for the storage of Hanjiacang and the supply of grain and fodder for the northwest war.
This could kill him!
The section of the canal from Biankou to Luoyang was abandoned by Pei Yaoqing, and the grain stored in Jiacang naturally had no stable source. Occasionally, ships transporting grain came to Luoyang, and they sold the grain to the locals instead of selling it to the government for storage.
At this time, it’s time to try out the good methods of the “ancestors”. For example, the “Ping Bian method”.
The price of grain harvested by the flat buying method is lower than the price of grain on the market in Luoyang, so this means that when the canal is not smooth, not much grain can actually be harvested. When harvesting grain locally in Luoyang, it is still possible
This will result in high food prices in Dongdu.
The higher the price of grain, the more local large households will be reluctant to sell grain, further pushing up grain prices. As a result, Lao Zheng needs to constantly "request money" from the court, otherwise, he simply won't have that much money to collect grain.
Based on Li Longji's character, doing this is probably seeking death.
But if Hanjiacang remains half-empty, Lao Zheng will most likely be punished by Li Longji.
It's a dilemma no matter what to do.
"It's just a warehouse..."
Fang Chongyong read the letter again and again, feeling disgusted in his heart.
If he wanted to improve Datang's economy and solve people's livelihood problems, Fang Chongyong had no solution at all.
But is it difficult for him to fill up Hanjiacang?
Not at all!
Just as he was about to lay out the paper and write a letter, Fang Dafu came to report that Niu Xianke had come to visit!
Fang Chongyong was shocked. Although Niu Xianke had a low-key style, he was also the minister of the Ministry of Industry! But he didn’t know why Niu Xianke came to the door!
After he led the other party to the study and sat down, Niu Xianke took out a thick thread-bound volume from his sleeve.
Most of the books these days are scrolls, but most people's notebooks and account books are hand-written manuscripts bound in threads. It can be said that each has its own merits.
"This is a brochure of the common weapons and equipment of the Tibetan people. I have illustrated them with pictures."
Niu Xianke said with a smile.
"How does this work?"
Fang Chongyong was flattered, but still resolutely took the thread and bound the book.
"I will go to Shuofang tomorrow to persuade the Sogdian barbarians in the six states. I am here to say goodbye to you today."
Niu Xianke said with a heavy expression.
Even if Fang Chongyong is not familiar with military affairs, it is easy to tell that the so-called "miscellaneous Hus from six states" are not so easy to persuade. There are many Hus on the border of Tang State, and they are intertwined with each other. If they are not careful, they may be angered.
.Niu Xianke got a bad job this time.
"Is this supposed to be suppression by the right prime minister?"
Fang Chongyong asked calmly.
Niu Xianke was stunned for a moment, then nodded silently.
"The water in Chang'an is too deep. As a local official from Hexi Province, I really can't control it after I come here. It's not a bad thing to go and negotiate with the miscreants in Liuzhou this time."
Niu Xianke sighed, not knowing what to say.
At the center of the Tang Dynasty, there were too many people and a very laid-back atmosphere. Although he was the minister of the Ministry of Industry, he had no connections and no connections. His words were not useful. In fact, the power was still in the hands of two ministers of the Ministry of Industry.
The power and authority of the six ministers of the Tang Dynasty have been in vain. After the middle and late Tang Dynasty, they were even completely reduced to decoration, forming a new rule of "taking ministers as prime ministers". Although this evil trend has not yet blown, there is no
Niu Xianke, who had no background in the background, had already felt the bone-chilling chill.
"Niu Shangshu... please take care along the way."
Fang Chongyong crossed his hands and saluted. He was very sorry that such a practical official could hardly survive in Chang'an.
It can be seen that the Tang Dynasty may still be in full bloom and appear to be extremely powerful, but the seeds of chaos have been sown. An important evidence of the decline of the country is that hard-working officials cannot be reused and cannot carry out their work smoothly.
"By the way, although Liangzhou City is generally safe, sneak attacks by Tibetan scouts are not ruled out. The Tibetan bows and arrows are made of poisonous reeds, and their soldiers generally like to extract poison from the arrows.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Although this poison will not kill you if you touch it, if you don't pay attention to it, you will have a narrow escape. Remember to pay attention to your safety over there."
Niu Xianke warned patiently.
"Understood."
Fang Chongyong nodded cautiously.
"Then I won't interrupt you and just say goodbye.
The young man has gone to Hexi, so he doesn’t really need to do anything important. If you have time, why not help the border soldiers write letters home."
Niu Xianke made a "request" that was not a request.
"I understand, I will try my best on this matter."
Fang Chongyong continued to nod.
Niu Xianke seemed to have something else to say, but in the end it turned into a sigh, hunched over and left the Fang family's house.
After he left, Fang Chongyong began to flip through the booklet and saw that it not only contained text, but also included pictures of Niu Xianke's paintings.
"There are five types of Tubo swords: Shangma, Suobo, Hupai, Gusi, and Jiare.
The back of Shangma's sword is thick, the edge of Sobo is sharp, the sword has a sheath on Hupai, the sword has silver patterns on Gusi, and the heat of the armor can cut iron."
"Tubo armor includes rhinoceros leather armor, nine-eyed armor, chainmail armor and vest."
"The rest are not worth mentioning. Only the chain mail is light and strong. Both men and horses are covered with armor. Only their eyes are exposed. They cannot be hurt by bows and arrows."
"Tubo is good at attacking cities. They have throwing towers, flying ladders, goose carts, wooden donkeys and other equipment. Together with their heavily armored infantry, they are unstoppable."
…
Fang Chongyong flipped through page after page of the "secret books" provided by Niu Xianke. These armaments were recorded one by one by Niu Xianke during his decades in Hexi. The information was compiled with the lives of Tang Army soldiers.
.
"This gift is very heavy."
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
In his impression, the Tang army should have an absolute advantage in weapons and equipment against Tibet.
However, according to Niu Xianke's secret book, it seems that he has a cognitive bias. It is not without reason that Tubo was able to fight back and forth with the Tang Dynasty, and even had an advantage in certain periods of time.
The Tubo people are not only well-equipped, but there are many subdivisions in that equipment, which shows that they have a deep understanding of warfare in the cold weapon age.
If a fight really breaks out, can Wang Zhongsi be able to withstand it?
Fang Chongyong had a question mark in his heart.
This trip to Hexi is probably going to give me a lot of experience!
At this moment, the haze of war is shrouding Fang Chongyong's heart. The fighting in the battle formations in Hexi will not take many years to become the norm in the Tang Dynasty. Instead of being in a hurry and not knowing what to do, it is better to do it now.
Prepare.
You can't wait for the enemy to put a knife on your neck before you think of practicing martial arts.
…
In Hanjiacang, Zheng Shuqing was pretending to inspect. There is a cross-shaped street inside Hanjiacang, which divides the city into the warehouse area, the living management area and the water transport terminal area. Zheng Shuqing looked at the deserted water transport terminal and didn't know what to say.
The so-called reform must have beneficiaries and victims.
After Pei Yaoqing's water transport reform, segmented transportation was adopted. In the past, the people in the south of the Yangtze River sent people to transport the rented rice to Luoyang by ship, and had to bear the freight themselves. Now the government stipulates that these chartered ships arrive at the Heyin warehouse in Biankou, and after unloading the rented rice, they
We can go back to the south, and there is no need to hire additional sailors from the river division to navigate the Yellow River as before.
Is this good governance?
To a large extent, yes, but not everyone likes this tone, such as the managers of Hanjiacang.
The current situation is due to the fact that the country's supporting policies have not been implemented properly during the reform, and it is not solely the fault of any one person.
But since the blame has been left, someone has to take the blame. This is how things go in officialdom.
"Shilang Zheng, spring plowing has begun. Do you want to..."
The prison censor of Hanjiacang said calmly.
"What do you have in mind?"
Uncle Zheng asked with a smile on his face.
"When the crops are young, we buy grain to avoid extra branches. During the autumn harvest, we can naturally receive part of it."
The prison censor was cautious and found Zheng Shuqing staring at him with unkind eyes, and his heart pounded.
"I don't have a penny. To buy grain and fodder, I have to ask the court for payment first. Tell me, the court hasn't seen a grain of rice. How can you get the money approved?"
Zheng Shuqing asked with red eyes, staring at the warehouse manager who was "taking the same boat" with him.
"Maybe we can use the harmonious buying method to collect grain at a high price in Luoyang."
The prison censor continued to suggest.
The so-called Hebian method means that when grain prices are low, the government purchases new grains for storage at a price that is 10% or 20% higher than the market price. This method has a long history, and its effect is immediate.
However, this is not without problems.
First, using the Hebian method will inevitably push up the local grain prices in Luoyang, and even the overall price. Luoyang originally lost its status as a transit warehouse due to the diversion of the canal line, and now the government has come out to collect grain at a high price.
The final result must be that food prices in Luoyang skyrocket!
Seeing that food prices have risen, will wealthy families immediately release food to stabilize food prices?
No, no, no, what they want to do is to hold back the food and be reluctant to sell it, pushing the price of food even higher!
Given Luoyang's political status, if something like this happened, Zheng Shuqing felt that his position as Minister of Household Affairs would be over.
What kind of bad idea is this horse riding!
At this moment, Zheng Shuqing's servant hurried over and handed a thick letter into his hands.
"Okay! Finally here!"
Zheng Shuqing was overjoyed and hurriedly walked to the office area in the granary. He had arranged his living place here. Although it was of no use, at least he swore his attitude to the court that he wanted to "share a common destiny" with Hanjiacang.
Survival or death".
After removing the screen, he hurriedly opened it.
After reading it in one breath, Zheng Shuqing let out a long sigh.
This boy is so terrifying, he will be replaced by Li Linfu someday!
Fang Chongyong proposed three measures in his letter!
The first trick, Fang Chongyong calls it the "money-seeing method", and the principle is also very simple.
Encourage the merchants in Biankou to transport the grain to the ferry at Hanjiacang. Then they can go to Chang'an alone, take the documents issued by the government, and go to the Sinongqing Yamen in Chang'an to get the payment for the grain!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! These days, large transactions are mainly in kind. Now on this trade route, merchants transport grain to Biankou and then get money.
Theoretically, they would return after delivering the food, but in reality, it was impossible for them to run this route in vain.
Usually they drag their money to Luoyang, especially to Chang'an, where they buy rare goods from the Western Regions, and then go south along the canal.
In his previous life, Fang Chongyong was a taxi driver who sent customers to the train station, and also hoped to pick up a customer at the train station to avoid missing the road. This kind of thinking is very common in later generations, and it is the same in this era.
The advantage of the money-seeking method is that merchants only need to transport the goods to Luoyang by water, then go to Chang'an to collect the money and silk, go to Dongshi and West Market over there to purchase, and finally take the goods away.
There is missing a necessary procedure of "escorting the money and silk into Guanzhong".
After saving such a long period of time, the money saved is really worth it! And transporting grain from Biankou to Luoyang by water all the way is not troublesome when it is profitable.
Therefore, the price of grain collected in Hanjiacang only needs to be slightly higher than the market price or even the same to ensure that merchants will continue to come to transport grain.
What's more important is that this method is "spend as you spend" and does not require requesting money from the court in advance. This alone solved a big trouble Zheng Shuqing faced.
If the first move is to solve the problem through market means, the second move is definitely administrative means.
The second method is simple and simple. In summary, it is "quota to each household". A part of the grain paid by each household must be put into Hanjiacang. Whether this method is effective is another matter. Generally speaking, how much can be collected?
Some.
In addition to administrative measures, Fang Chongyong also proposed a third method, which was to use copper coins as loans and lend them to farmers before spring plowing. Then during the autumn harvest, when the rent was repaid, the grain must be repaid and must be transported to Hanjiacang to repay the loan.
He said in the letter that these three methods can be used separately or in combination, depending on how much grain Hanjiacang needs to store.