Li Shimin sighed and said: "Although the idea is good, I am worried about causing opposition from the clans. Although the world belongs to me, the influence of the clans above the local level is more than that of the court. This is an indisputable fact. Now that the world has been established,
Recuperation and recuperation are the top priority, and the family... it’s not time yet!”
Having reached this point, Li Mu had absolutely no reason to retreat. He said anxiously: "Your Majesty, I understand your concerns. Your Majesty is extremely wise to have such an idea. But I think this move is inappropriate.
How much opposition will there be.”
"Won't?"
"Yes." Li Mu nodded vigorously. He now had to give Li Shimin a very positive answer in order to persuade him: "Your Majesty, no matter what kind of mineral deposits it is, it is not found in every place. For example, if there is coal in Taiyuan, the Wang family in Taiyuan will get it.
Coal is beneficial, but there is no coal in Qinghe. Your Majesty, do you think the Cui family in Qinghe will be envious?"
Li Shimin knew very well that although the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Cui family of Qinghe had an intermarriage agreement, it did not mean that the two families were closely related. When faced with interests that could determine the fate of the family, no covenant could not be violated.
"Similarly, there is a copper mine in Qinghe. Will the Cui family in Qinghe be willing to share the benefits of the copper mine with the Wang family in Taiyuan?"
Without waiting for Li Shimin to answer, Li Mu gave the answer directly, saying: "No, they will closely guard their own interests while snooping on the interests of others. In order to protect their own interests from being tainted, they can only cooperate with the imperial court.
"
"What if they don't cooperate?"
Li Mu snorted coldly and said: "Mineral deposits are the lifeblood of the country. The nobles do not obey the laws of the court and try to control the lifeline of the country. What do they want to do? Is it rebellion?"
Li Shimin thought to himself, do you think they don't have this intention? Not to mention others, these two Cui family members did not support my Li family back then!
"Now that the world has been decided, I, the Li family of Longxi, are the lord of the world." Li Mu shamelessly assigned himself to the same camp as Li Shimin, who had just recognized him as his nephew: "Five surnames, seven
It is hoped that if they are united, they may cause some trouble. But if it is one family and two families, who will give them the courage to rebel? Although our Tang Dynasty's treasury is a little empty now, our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are indeed as strong as tigers and wolves.
To destroy the Turks, I am worried that there are no strong enemies around me to fight with. It is okay for a few clans to dominate the local area, but how can they be opponents if they are against me, the Tiger Tiger of the Tang Dynasty?"
Li Mu patted his chest and shouted with a confused expression: "If there is a rebellion, your Majesty will not need to take action, nor will you use generals. I, Li Mu, have been deeply favored by the emperor and received the third-grade military decoration. I am worried that I am not worthy of this honor.
Your Majesty only needs to give me three thousand soldiers and horses. No matter what opponent he is, I will crush him."
Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into laughter and said: "We don't need you in the war. Just keep talking about your thoughts. Speak them out. I will keep them in my heart. I will come to Fang Aiqing and others tomorrow to discuss it. Such a big thing cannot be taken lightly."
Li Mu understood what Li Shimin meant. He still had doubts about the matter, but he gave Li Mu a chance to convince him.
"Your Majesty is thoughtful and considerate, and I am not as good as me." After flattering him, Li Mu continued to say seriously: "If the clans in various places want to maintain their interests, they must cooperate with the imperial court. And the imperial court rents the mines in the form of a 'franchise'
give them."
"Rent?" Li Shimin thought it was strange. In the past dynasties, there had never been a practice of renting out mines. Aren't mines just mines? They were there. Whoever was more powerful in the local area would mine and pay taxes. The court did not
It doesn't matter who is mining, all you have to do is pay the taxes.
This is the method used by the past dynasties to manage mineral deposits. It is very rough, but there is no way. The impact of the imperial court on the local area is really too low. To be able to do this is already a very good scene in a prosperous age.
"Yes." Li Mu nodded heavily and said, "I have already said that the imperial court wants to take back the ownership of the mineral deposits. In this way, the mineral deposits are like the shops in the West Market. The shops belong to the imperial court, and whoever pays the highest price will operate them.
For example, for a coal mine, the Wang family can pay a tax of 5,000 guan a year, and the Sun family can pay 6,000 guan. The mine will be mined by the Sun family next year. His loss or profit has nothing to do with the court. At the end of the year, he will lease another coal mine.
Return."
"But if this is the case, will anyone come to rent it?"
Li Mu said with confidence: "I dare not say anything else. If Your Majesty entrusts me to do this, I guarantee that these nobles will rush for the lease, beg for the lease, and even I can make a small fortune from it. I am willing
Share the account with His Majesty."
Li Shimin snorted coldly and said: "You are really a promising official, and you actually talked about taking bribes in front of me?"
Li Mu chuckled and said: "I only need 20%. Gongbufang has to continue building houses, and the money on hand is not enough. The remaining 80% will be given to His Majesty's internal funds. Anyway, it is the money of the clan, and there is no profit."
Don’t you earn it for nothing?”
Li Shimin was right. Why didn't he make money from the clan? Just when he was about to agree, he suddenly glanced at Li Mu and said, "You kid, don't even think about setting a trap for me. I haven't agreed yet, so continue."
"The other thing is that coal needs to be priced."
"How to decide?"
"Your Majesty, coal is an easy thing to obtain, and it is inexhaustible. Its cost is not in the coal itself, but in the manpower and material resources involved in excavation and transportation. But if it is transported in bulk, these costs are not very high.
Moreover, the value of coal has an upper limit. That is, it cannot exceed charcoal. If it exceeds charcoal, who will use coal? Not only cannot it exceed charcoal, but it must be much cheaper than charcoal. Therefore, the price of coal must be like salt.
, the imperial court will set the price uniformly.”
Li Shimin worried: "But if this happens, will the profits be too low? What if the profits are too low and no one digs coal?"
Li Mu shook his head and said: "Although coal is cheap, it is a necessity for the people. Just like salt, I have checked the salt tax revenue over the years, which accounts for at least one-third of the national treasury's input. Coal may not reach the level of
One-third, but according to last year’s number, it is not difficult to occupy one-tenth.”
"One-tenth!" Li Shimin couldn't help but was stunned. Last year's national treasury revenue totaled 25 million guan, and salt tax accounted for one-third, about 8 million guan. And Li Mu actually said that coal profits could get five points.
One, isn’t it 2.5 million yuan?
You must know that the profit from this coal has never been seen before. Li Shimin can't help but be excited when he thinks that the national treasury will get an extra 2.5 million guan out of thin air next year. The money of 2.5 million guan is enough to support 10,000 elite cavalry.
Ten thousand elite cavalry are such a great help to the country!
At this time, the balance in Li Shimin's heart had begun to tilt. Although he still did not express his position, he basically agreed in his heart. However, he still had to discuss it with the prime ministers and check for any leaks. After all, the matter was so big that he could not act arbitrarily
.
"I have said everything that came to my mind. For other matters, I have to rely on the wisdom of Your Majesty and the princes." Li Mu said everything that needed to be said. There were also some things that he had thought of but did not say. He could not tell everything.
, wouldn’t this make the leader appear incompetent? The leader should always be given room to develop. He believed that with the talents of Fang Xuanling and others, there would be no major mistakes.
This topic of conversation is basically at the end. It is getting late at this time, and the sun is setting in the west. If Li Shimin stays for a while, Li Mu will have to prepare a banquet. Li Shimin motioned to Li Mu to see him off, and the two of them left the studio together.
Go to the lobby from the door.
"I will discuss this matter with the prime ministers. Just wait for my news. There is also the matter of my father. In a few days, the heaven and earth will open for business. My father attaches great importance to this matter and is worried about it every day.
I have to send the little eunuch next to him to visit him several times every day. If you are not in a hurry, just put it aside and take care of your father's affairs first. Although official matters are important, I am my father's son.
, how could I not put the word "filial piety" in the front, I thought to myself, people in the world would understand me."
Li Mu thought to himself, I seem to be the one who is too busy to touch the ground, so why is it you who need to understand... But there is nothing I can do. Who makes someone the emperor or the boss? As a wage earner, he should just accept his fate.
"Your Majesty, put it down. I have already made arrangements. We will start dealing with the Emperor's affairs tomorrow. There will be no delay."
"That's good."
As he approached the side door of the lobby, Li Shimin said again: "As for what you just said... It is true that the money of the clan is not free of charge. I also know that you will not enrich yourself, but if this kind of thing spreads, your reputation will be ruined."
It will be destroyed. Therefore... if you want to do it, do it with the hands of others, and you must not contaminate it on yourself." Li Shimin glanced at Li Mu and said, "Do you understand what I mean?"
Li Mu was stunned. He didn't expect that Li Shimin would allow him to embezzle. He just made a joke. But since Li Shimin gave him the opportunity, wouldn't it be stupid not to be corrupt? Li Mu asked tentatively: "The share can be turned into 50-50.
What?"
Li Shimin said angrily: "Twenty-eight is twenty-eight, do you think I am a child? Let you coax me?"
After all, it’s all about money!
Li Mu suppressed the rest of his words. Li Shimin snorted proudly and said, "That's it. I know you have a way. Don't let me down."
"I accept the decree, and thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
The two people entered from the side door of the lobby and were startled when they saw that the floor of the lobby was covered with paper. Li Chunfeng was squatting. Li Tai seemed to be unable to squat anymore and simply lay on the ground. Both of them looked like
With a frown on his face, it seemed that his calculations had reached a bottleneck.
Seeing Li Mu coming, the two of them hurriedly got up, grabbed Li Mu's arms one on the left and the other on the right, and said: "Master Marquis/Brother, please see if I understand it correctly?"
Li Mu glanced at the papers on the ground. How could he read through so many pieces of paper? He said: "Read the book a hundred times and you will see its meaning. Only by doing the questions a hundred times can you understand the trick. I have given you the method."
You guys, as for how to calculate, that's your own business. I can't teach you how to cook and then prepare the rice and feed it to you. People must have the ability to take care of themselves."
Hearing this, Li Chunfeng was okay. He was a person and usually took care of himself. But Li Tai blushed and felt heartbroken. Li Mu seemed to say these words specifically to him, and he
He's the guy who has to be fed to eat and can't take care of himself.