As the saying goes, wine and meat stinks in Zhumen, and bones are frozen to death on the road.
No matter how poor the country is, and the people are scattered again and again, some people are indispensable for a banquet. What's more, except for Zhao Guan's family, which is in a state of decline, the rest of the family is not so shabby that there are only four or five people left in the family, and then their savings are robbed, only
There is only one large ancestral house left.
Even if Zhao Guan's family is really poor, they can still produce and use it for themselves and afford a meal.
Turning back to the present, after the palace discussion, which seemed to have a strong earthy flavor due to the presence of several Taiwei, everyone dispersed. Zhao Guanjia, Yue Fei, and Wan Qixi went to the royal banquet, while the rest of the people in the palace, except for one Qu Duan
No one paid attention to it. You may need to go back to the provincial capital to go through the formalities, then rent a house, order takeout, feed the horses, etc. The rest of the people have their own places to go...
Han Shizhong took the initiative to grab Lu Hao and asked Xianggong Lu that he was going to have a drink at someone else's house. Lu Qing also left with him. Wang Yan took the initiative to follow Xu Jingheng and Xianggong Xu to the Xu Mansion. Even Zhang Jun and Lieutenant Zhang rarely met him.
Godfather Wang Yuan said a few thoughtful words, and then the two of them walked slowly towards Wang Boyan and Wang Shuxiang's house.
After three rounds of wine and the sun setting in the west, these lieutenants, who had something on their minds, naturally began to inquire about it directly.
"Ms. Lu, are the national finances really at this level?"
In the palace of the prime minister, under the shade of the trees, Han Shizhong, with red flowers and green leaves and a jade belt hanging on his head, rarely put on a cautious posture. "This is just the loss of Jingdong and Lianghe, and then there is some chaos in Guanzhong, Huaibei, and the west of Jing...
Even so, it should be half of the past, that is, 50 to 60 million yuan a year, right? Why is it only 20 to 30 million?"
"How can you hide this kind of thing from others?" Lu Haowen put away his chopsticks, speechless.
"How can it be calculated like this?" Lu Qing, who had just put down his wine glass, was speechless. "I said something to you, a good minister, that you can't bear to hear. At this time, when Mr. Wang was with Mr. Wang, Taiwei Zhang would never ask such a question...
At least you have some common sense about finances! The national economy is connected together. If half of it is suddenly cut off, how can we keep half of it? Don’t you want to bleed?"
Lu Qing was a veteran who had fought together, and his words were so direct that Han Shizhong couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"What Lieutenant Lu said makes sense." Lu Haowen was as good-tempered as ever, but he explained to the other party smoothly. "For example, most of the national finance comes from commercial taxes. But commercial affairs are not
Is it necessary to travel between the north and the south? In the past, silk from the south of the Yangtze River was sold to Hebei, but can it still be sold now? Do you need time to find new sales? And for business, safe transportation is the most important thing. War and war will have the greatest impact on people's hearts...
…”
Han Shizhong thought thoughtfully: "Indeed, after two years since the official ascended the throne, the Southeast was only at peace for half a year..."
"That's right," Lu Haowen sighed quietly in front of the rough man, but he also said it directly. "In the first year of Jianyan after Jingkang, chaos broke out in the southeast. Under the smoke everywhere, the Song Dynasty was in danger of subjugating the country.
Yu, at that time, did anyone dare to go out and sell bulk goods? Later, Gongxiang Li calmed down the place and had no choice but to survive for half a year. Last year, starting in the autumn of the second year of Jianyan, Jiangning's military chaos broke out again and continues to this day. Where can people feel stable?
Traffic safety? And this year, it looks like it will be better for a while, but who dares to say that it will continue to be safe after autumn?"
"It's a golden man." Han Shizhong came to his senses completely.
"It is the Jin people." Lu Haowen sighed slowly. "The Jin people come every year, but once the Jin people come, the situation changes. Not to mention the direct poisoning of the place, even the rear can hardly have peace of mind...
Didn’t the turmoil in the southeast follow the Jin offensive?"
Han Shizhong continued to be thoughtful.
Lu Haowen simply said it bluntly: "Before Jingkang, there were 20 million yuan worth of wealth in the southeast. When Jianyan was able to collect it, it only amounted to 10 million yuan. This was caused by the turmoil. And it stands to reason.
It is said that as the situation stabilizes, these wealth instincts will slowly return to their former state. They may even increase even more due to the refugees moving south and the population gradually increasing... But one premise is that the Jin people cannot fight over it and cannot cause trouble again.
"
"So the central government would rather raise taxes than raise troops?" Lu Qing asked cautiously. "Once taxes are raised, Jiangnan will inevitably become unstable, and there will be chaos. But if taxes are not raised and the Jin people cannot be stopped, the same will happen.
Stable? But if we block the golden man, we will be able to recover gradually from behind?"
"Lieutenant Lu's words are on point." Lu Haowen gave a wry smile. "It's certainly not good to raise taxes, but the key lies in whether the frontline can win after the tax increase... Not to mention winning, as long as the Jin Army can win
If we can't cross the Huaihe River, we will still be in a stalemate like last time. Based on the general trend of people's minds, the financial situation will gradually ease. However, given the poverty of the officials and their lack of desire, any increase in taxes and gifts will inevitably be necessary.
It will be reduced back; but if we can't stop it, don't tell us stories about the front line, otherwise there will definitely be more turmoil behind us."
Han Shizhong nodded slowly, but then shook his head slowly: "So, the officials are still annoyed with me and Zhang Jun...I heard that although Yue Fei is young, his military discipline is second to none, and he is also extremely poor?"
"There is nothing we can do about this." Lu Haowen sighed, twirling his beard slightly. "I just said that the official family is pure-hearted and has few desires, and that the official family is poor, but it is still not enough to fit the current attitude of the official family... In fact, these days,
There are many old nobles in Luozhong who have returned. Seeing the situation of the officials, some people simply say that the officials are trying their luck."
Han Shizhong was concerned about this matter the most, so he carefully asked: "So, are the officials really annoying me because of the military's extravagance?"
"Can't be called that." Lu Haowen came to his senses and immediately shook his head. "A good minister is a general of the country, the best general in the world. How could he really piss you off? It's just that he is in a bad mood today... Besides,
The officials are determined to resist the Jin Dynasty, and even people like Qu Duan can be spared just because they maintain the situation in northern Shaanxi, let alone a good minister who has made great contributions to the country?"
"To be honest with you, I always feel a little... scared after the officials' sexual intercourse today." Han Shizhong pointed his finger at his chest.
"Isn't it normal to be afraid?" Lu Haowen didn't take it seriously. "After all, it's an official family... If a good minister is really serious, I won't say much about the war. A good minister is naturally a model of loyalty to the country, but he should also go back and serve the country.
Military discipline must be improved, otherwise Yue Pengju will come from behind sooner or later... Do you know that it is not a coincidence that the officials are close to Yue Pengju this time? After the Southeast rebellion was suppressed, Yue Pengju escorted Southeast Finance to Beijing again. The discipline of his department was extremely strict. At first,
When Prime Minister Lu came from Yangzhou to write a brief report, no one could believe it. However, when the money and silk arrived in Beijing, the accounts were clear and no trace of money was lost. Only then did the government and the public know that this man has the demeanor of a famous ancient general."
Lu Qing added another sentence at this time: "Actually, Pengju is really good at knowing people with soldiers, but he is not well-known to the world yet. He fought under my command for more than a month that day, and I was deeply impressed."
Under the flower tree, Han Shizhong sighed, but then lowered his head and said again: "Xiangong Lu, Lieutenant Lu, actually there is a private matter related to Yue Pengju. Originally I was going to deal with it privately, but something like this happened today, so I brought it up.
Or if I don't bring it up, it will appear that I am a petty and jealous person, which is really embarrassing. Therefore, I would like to ask you two to help me with the details... To be honest with you, Yue Pengju's original wife will join the refugees at some point.
I lived in our army and married a Dutou. I only discovered this last month, but I have been married for a year. How should I deal with it?"
Lu Haowen and Lu Qing didn't understand at all at first, but because they had just talked for a long time, their mouths were dry and they were both eating and pouring wine. However, after a while, they both froze in shock.
Not to mention that Han Shizhong encountered such an embarrassing thing, the summer wind was blowing, and the so-called hands could not pull it out, and the summer wind blew again... In the huge Yanfu Palace, there was a small lake full of weeds due to lack of manpower.
In the stone pavilion, the Zhao Guan family, who were getting increasingly angry, were still losing their temper.
"You said that my Taiwei, Jiedu Envoy, was a former tenant of your family?" Everyone in the stone pavilion stood with hands tied, but Zhao Jiu, the only one sitting there, stared at the person standing in front of the pavilion and sneered.
The man in front of the pavilion is the grandson of the famous prime minister Han Qi and the grandson of Emperor Shenzong. He is also the cousin of Zhao Jiu. He is Han Shu, the head of the plum blossom Han family after he returned to Beijing. Hearing these words,
I'm almost shaking like chaff, but I don't know how to deal with it.
"Guan family..." Seeing this, Yue Fei was helpless and could only plead for mercy. "I was born in a poor family, and my father and son were indeed tenants of the Han family for two generations. Moreover, when I was in the countryside, if I hadn't been promoted by the Han family, I might not have been able to be an archer and support my family.
, there is nothing false about this matter.”
"I know it's not half false." Zhao Jiu still sneered, but still stared at Han Shu. "But some things, although they are true, but everyone talks about them non-stop. What does it mean? From Yangzhou to Tokyo
, I talked about it along the way, for fear that others would not know that my Taiwei was once a tenant of their family? It was the Chai family who gave up the Zhao family's empire, and I haven't heard that the Chai family mentioned this to everyone, right? You guys are safe.
What's the point? You, the Han family, are the most noble family in the Song Dynasty and the most famous family in the Song Dynasty? Do you, Han Shu, want to be Yuan Shao?"
When Han Shu heard the last words, he couldn't bear it at all and knelt down to his cousin and kowtowed.