In fact, strictly speaking, there is not a lot of food in Datang. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Even after experiencing natural disasters such as freezing, drought, and locust plagues, Datang's existing grain is still very sufficient in terms of total amount.

This is because of the former Sui.

Why?

Because when Emperor Wen of the former Sui Dynasty first ascended the throne, the population of the country was more than 4 million households, and when Emperor Yang ascended the throne, it had reached more than 8.9 million households. Based on the fact that there are six people in a household, the population of the whole country is not less than 50 million. With such a large population base, the number of cultivated fields is also extremely staggering. In the ninth year of the opening of the Sui Dynasty, more than 19.4 million hectares of fields had been reclaimed, and in the middle of the later Great Cause, more than 55.8 million hectares of fields had been cultivated.

So many fields, so many cultivators, brought a huge amount of grain reserves to the former Sui.

Therefore, during the Sui Dynasty, the imperial court built many granaries in various places, among which the famous ones are Xingluocang, Huiluocang, Changpingcang, Liyangcang, Guangtong Cang, etc. The storage of grain is more than one million stones.

The chaos in the world at the end of the Sui Dynasty caused the population of the whole country to drop sharply from no less than 50 million to several million.

But the amount of food left behind is much greater than that.

How much?

In history, in the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Ma Zhou, who was not the prime minister at that time, and was still supervising the imperial history, said to Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty: "The Sui family is the prince of Luokou, and Li Mi is because of it; The Xijing Treasury is also for the use of the state, which has not been exhausted so far. ”

At this time, the Sui Dynasty had been dead for twenty years, and Emperor Wen of Sui had been dead for thirty-three years, but the grain and cloth at that time had not been used up. In later generations, in the sixties, the archaeological team discovered a Sui Dynasty granary in Luoyang - the ruins of Hanjiacang. The site covers an area of more than 450,000 square meters, and 259 grain cellars have been identified, and it is estimated that there are 700 more. Among them, there is a grain cellar with 500,000 catties of charred millet.

Xia Hongsheng has lectured on history, and when he is about to go to the Sui Dynasty, he has checked the information. I even went to Luoyang and went to see the ruins of Hanjiacang, and I was surprised for a long time.

Therefore, relying on the foundation of the previous dynasty, Datang's current grain reserves are actually sufficient.

But this food is used for disaster relief and strategic reserves. Under normal circumstances, the total amount of new grain earned and how much old grain is replaced is basically the same for backup.

The problem is that after the chaos in the world at the end of the Sui Dynasty, the population of the Tang Dynasty is now withering, and the fields are far inferior to those of the former Sui Dynasty, and the amount of new grain obtained every year is not much.

Yicang in various places, as well as large granaries in Luoyang, Chang'an and other Guanzhong, the grain in them is often not used if it is not used. Therefore, these new grains every year are far from enough for Datang to start a war on three fronts at the same time. And the reserves in the granaries of various places cannot be moved.

If the grain reserves used for war are not enough for disaster relief during natural disasters, then the world will be full of resentment, and the court will be blamed for the war and the use of grain and grass for war, and there will be civil unrest.

Therefore, from this point of view, Datang is too short of food!

That's why Li Shimin is so concerned about this issue. Food is the foundation of everything. When they are full, the peasants can live in peace, the merchants can trade with peace of mind, and the soldiers can have the strength to fight...... As the saying goes, you don't want to be home. This mouth is taken care of, and only then does it have the heart to take care of the others.

"Two ways." Xia Hongsheng said to Li Shimin: "The first way, buy!" Buy in large quantities, buy with anyone. Whoever has food buys it from whomever he has. Whichever country has more grain, it will buy it from the same country, and the price it pays makes it irresistible. Tea, silk, porcelain, glass, weapons of the Tang Dynasty...... can become a bargaining chip in the hands of Datang, so that it is willing to exchange for food. Through trading, a large amount of grain was bought in a short period of time. The second way, grab! Whoever has more food will rob whom, find an excuse to **** a fight, defeat him, and empty his granary! Not only did he evacuate, but he also asked him to produce food for us, otherwise he would beat him! ”

Li Shimin was a little speechless when he heard this, and glared at Xia Hongsheng angrily: "What kind of method is this!" ”

"Of course it's the way to go!" Xia Hongsheng said to Li Shimin: "There are only two ways to quickly have a large amount of grain in a short period of time. In contrast, which one does Your Majesty think is better? ”

"As the sect master of the Quartet, Datang is respected as the Heavenly Khan, how can I rob the grain of other countries for no reason!" Li Shimin said angrily to Xia Hongsheng: "How do the people of the world view the Tang Dynasty, and how do the people of the world think of me?!" ”

Xia Hongsheng nodded and said with a smile: "Then let's talk about the first method in detail, buy it!" ”

"Your Majesty, starting from Linyi, passing through the Kingdom of Huan, the Kingdom of Men, the Kingdom of Gudi, the Kingdom of Longyamen, the Kingdom of Luoyue, the Kingdom of Sri Buddha, the Kingdom of Heling, the Kingdom of Guluo, the Kingdom of Gokuluo, the Kingdom of Shengdeng, the Kingdom of Bolu, the Kingdom of the Lion, and the Kingdom of Nantianzhu, as for the Kingdom of Brahman, there are so many countries in this line that can grow Champa rice, and it can reach as many as four seasons of the year. The people of these countries do not know how to cultivate, and often just throw the seeds into the soil and leave it alone. Even so, these countries harvest a lot of food every year. Xia Hongsheng said to Li Shimin: "Let's talk about the Linyi country closest to Datang first. Since he paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, he was a vassal of the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty may issue an edict ordering the lord of Linyi to pay tribute only to grain, and nothing else. His Majesty may also buy grain from the Linyi Kingdom. What is the most sought-after business in Datang's hands now? Weapons! Who doesn't want Datang's 100-for-steel weapons! Lin Yi must also think that the lord of Lin Yi must suppress the people who resist him internally, and resist the expansion of the Huan Kingdom and other countries externally, how can he not need the weapons of the Tang Dynasty? Your Majesty can follow the example of the steppes of the past, starting with the Linyi Kingdom, and triggering an arms race in these small countries. In that year, in the arms race on the grassland, Datang reaped countless good horses, cattle and sheep by selling them weapons. This time, His Majesty can also obtain a large amount of food through the arms race of these small countries. His Majesty can even send people from the Tang Dynasty to their countries to teach them how to cultivate, how to farm, and help them increase their grain production. With their high grain production, Datang will be able to get more grain through the arms race, and it will continue to flow in, so that those small countries will become the granary of Datang! ”

Hearing this, Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward: "This method is good!" ”

He had followed Xia Hongsheng's advice before, and by selling the hundred steel-refining weapons of the Tang Dynasty to Xue Yantuo first, he triggered an arms race on the grassland, so that the grassland countries exchanged good horses and cattle and sheep for the weapons of the Tang Dynasty, and obtained countless good horses, cattle and sheep, and tasted a lot of sweetness, so he naturally knew that the profits were great. If this method is used to trigger an arms race in Linyi and other countries, and let them exchange grain for weapons, then the Tang Dynasty can also obtain countless grains from it.

"Hehe, the spy sent back information, and Lin Yiguo sent an envoy to visit me and pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty. It's already halfway there, and it won't take long to reach Chang'an. Li Shimin touched his chin with a smile.

"God really helps Your Majesty!" Xia Hongsheng saluted, and the two laughed sinisterly together. (To be continued.) )