After a moment of silence, relatively speaking, Taohou Liu She, who was closer to the royal family, came out and bowed: "Your Majesty Buren, give to Siyi, and the ministers congratulate the world...... It's just ......" Liu She raised his head slightly, looked at the Son of Heaven above, and then prostrate on the ground and asked: "The imperial court treasury, that is, only the burden of Jiangdu, I am afraid that it will not be able to catch it, if you add the East China Sea, I am afraid that the young government will be difficult to bear, and the treasury does not have so many resources!" ”

This is indeed a fact.

Of course, Liu She is not afraid of offending the royal family and being alienated.

Lao Liu's family, there is still such a little open-mindedness.

Therefore, Liu She asked very boldly: "Please ask Your Majesty to make it clear: If you save the East China Sea, where will the wealth come from?" ”

In feudal society, there was no railway system and highways throughout the country, no planes, trains, trucks, and informatization.

There is a great drain on the country's resource allocation and force mobilization.

Locally, to transport a stone of corn to Chang'an, one bucket of corn has to be consumed on the long transportation roads and the waste of intermediate links.

This is still ideal.

In the same way, if you want to transport a stone of rice from Chang'an to the local area, the loss in the middle is also very huge.

This is a problem that cannot be avoided and cannot be eliminated in feudal society.

The evacuation of Jiangdu State may almost squeeze out all the savings of the entire Huaisi and the upstream Chu State and Jiangdu State itself.

Then go to manage the East China Sea, which is farther away than Jiangdu, has no galloping road, and is not controlled by the capable and professional bureaucratic system of the Han Dynasty.

The human, material and financial resources to be spent will be a bottomless pit.

I'm afraid it's not enough to put the savings of the entire Shaofu into it.

Countless ministers. At this moment, all eyes were focused on Liu Che.

Liu Che didn't even have to look at it. You know, these people are waiting for him to say that the tax will be raised.

But why raise taxes?

Is the city law and the golden cloth law good?

Of course!

At the beginning of Empress Lu's reign. The treasury of the entire Han family can run rats when it is empty.

When the prime minister went to court, he rode in an ox cart, and even the royal family could not find four horses of the same color.

In the second year of the second year of Lu Xia, in order to solve the financial problem, but also to further develop the economy and recuperate, more than a dozen supplementary laws, including the city law and the golden cloth law, were promulgated.

Empress Lu used her iron fist and veteran political experience and skills to sweep away all opposing voices. He carried out these laws to the whole world.

From the second year of the Lv Dynasty to the sixth year, the Han family basically got rid of the financial crisis, the national income increased greatly, the authority of the imperial court was established, and at the same time, the public order in the world improved, and the large number of thieves were basically exterminated, leaving only the rangers who were 'chivalrous and righteous'.

These facts prove that the law implemented by Lu Hou. It is feasible in a realistic context and is of great benefit to the country.

But the problem is that a lot of things, at the national level. It does not mean that what is good for the country will definitely be supported.

Liu Che is now extremely convinced, as long as he dares to push for the restoration of those 'harsh and cruel laws' of the Empress Lu. The Han government, which is still in harmony, will first face a big tear, and the entire government and opposition will be divided. The situation in the world will be even more turbulent.

Ever. Anyone who dares to swing a knife at vested interests will not end well.

Now if Liu Che is stupid, he will hit the heads of the industrial, commercial and landlord classes.

In addition to the mine array, what was waiting for Liu Che in front of him was an abyss.

Guarantee the forces of all parties, join forces, and blow up Liu Che's mother without knowing it!

"But why touch this minefield?" Liu Che smiled in his heart.

Compared with the courtiers, Liu Che's biggest advantage over these political elites is the perspective.

The eyes of these guys can only see the past.

But Liu Che is very clear about the future.

In Chinese history, in ancient feudal society, what was the biggest source of wealth?

Agricultural tax? Poll tax? Excise tax?

The answer is, no!

Even in the Southern Song Dynasty, most of the small imperial court of the Southern Song Dynasty had most of its fiscal and tax revenues, which came from exports and trade.

However, the real source of wealth and the cornerstone and artery of the social economy has never been trade.

Salt is the white gold that has been implemented in the ancient Chinese economy from beginning to end.

Looking through the history books, you can clearly see that the strength of the governments of the past dynasties and the prosperity of the country's finances depend on the government's right to speak on the matter of salt.

How much money can you have when you go to the soil to dig for food?

The peasants were driven to death, and the state could not reap much.

In the end, all the wealth and food went into the pockets of officials and officials.

Salt is different.

In ancient times, the status of salt in China was basically equivalent to the oil of the earth in later generations.

As long as the government can control the production and sales of table salt, basically, there is no need to worry about finances.

Even, the surrounding Siyi can also be controlled by salt.

Just like the later generations of Midi, he used petrodollars to manipulate the world.

Now, the world at large knows too little about the power of salt, a white crystal.

Even if Liu Bi was in the state of Wu, relying on boiling salt and cast iron, he developed a power that could compete with the imperial court.

There is very little awareness of it.

The cold aristocratic princes, with their nostrils high, didn't even bother to pay attention to it, and basically let the production and sale of salt go freely.

Even the Legalists were preoccupied with the 'teaching of the best of their ability' and did not pay attention to the issue of salt.

In everyone's subconscious, the effect of salt is roughly the same as that of copper coins and cloth.

It is a circulating commodity, and the more astute and intelligent people think that it is nothing more than the equivalent of a transaction.

The lack of cognition and insight made Liu Che distance himself from his courtiers.

When these people were thinking about the field tax and the poll tax, and the smarter people were thinking about killing the fat pig of the merchant for the New Year, Liu Che was already beginning to prepare, and he took salt as a strategic material and a basic equivalent in his own hands.

Of course, in this day and age, there is also a material. Status and salt, not much different.

That's iron!

The current Han family. Iron is needed for agriculture to develop. Military equipment also needs iron, and people's livelihood projects are inseparable from the supply of iron.

It is a new metal that was gradually developed during the Warring States period.

Iron, now having just defeated its old enemy, Bronze, sits on the throne of the world's first metal.

But there is still a long way to go from its heyday.

popularity, it is far from enough.

Now, even among the Han army, there are at least half of the county soldiers. I still use those old antiques from the Qin Dynasty.

The goal of all-iron is a long way to go.

However, the conditions for the popularization of iron and its full integration into the daily lives of the people are already in place.

Its cost, smelting technology and casting technology have all reached the standard, and it can be mass-produced and applied on a large scale.

In particular, with the advent of blast furnace ironmaking technology, at the cost of high energy consumption and high pollution, the Han dynasty has the ability to reduce the price of pig iron cabbage.

Case. So what are you waiting for?

Liu Che, who is familiar with history books, knows that in the Spring and Autumn Period, the early years of the Warring States Period, the currencies of the Central Plains countries. It is carried by bronze.

In other words, in the present and for some time in the future, iron. It can also take on the role of a part of the currency.

And the combination of salt and iron, at present. It's about the same as gold.

It's hard currency that can't be harder anymore!

With this confidence, Liu Che dared to make the decision to relocate the residents of Jiangdu on a large scale.

Otherwise. With the urine nature of the ruler, even if he knows that such a disaster will happen, but if you let him bleed himself or even have a half-body failure, I am afraid, he will hesitate, and even pretend to be an ostrich.

Liu Che stood up, condescendingly, looked at Liu She, opened his mouth and gently spit out two words: "Salt and iron!" ”

Liu Che slapped his palms in fear, he had already been instructed to the royal road, held an edict, stood at the front desk, and began to read: "I have heard it, benevolence is not far away, righteousness is not difficult, although there is a harvest today, the mountains and forests and ponds are forgiving, and the people share it." However, the storm will hit Jiangdu, Li Shu will be displaced, and I will be very Minzhi. And the land of Jiangdu, fire and ploughing, it is not easy for the people, now move to it, I am afraid that it will not live if it is hungry and cold, but it is ordered to Shaofu, 500,000 stones of salt, 1 million catties of iron, to the sun, proclaim to the world, where there is a grain to Pengcheng, corn 100 stones, can get 10 stones of salt, 200 catties of iron! ”

As soon as the edict was read.

Suddenly, the hall was silent, and the drafts and plans in the hearts of countless people were all suffocated back into their stomachs.

Although everyone does not understand, the power of salt and iron.

However, the value of this salt and iron is somewhat understood.

Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, all the people sitting here are important ministers, and there are many things in contact, of course, it is very clear that the lives of the people are inseparable from salt.

Salt, as long as there is such a thing, is not afraid that it will not be sold.

As for iron, it is even rarer.

In many places where iron ore is not produced, iron is hard to find.

Even in iron ore mining areas, the supply of iron is perennially insufficient.

In the same way, this thing is not worried about sales.

Merchants come for profit, go for profit, as long as there is money to be made, even if they break their legs, they have to go!

This fact is also well known to everyone.

In this way, there will naturally be countless merchants who will carry grain to Pengcheng.

Coupled with the grain of Shu and Huaisi, which had been transferred to Pengcheng before, the Jiangdu problem was solved.

Even, the East China Sea issue is not impossible to discuss.

The price that the Han family needs to pay has changed from smashing pots and selling iron to now, but it is only a part of Shu grain and grain stored in the Huaisi area, plus 500,000 stone salts and 1 million catties of iron.

Although the cost is still huge, it is only a struggle, and it is far from the key to breaking the muscles and bones and even shaking the country's finances.

As a result, the princes and generals who represented the interests of the military breathed a sigh of relief and smiled on their faces.

As long as military spending can be sufficient, the planned issue of military rearmament and expansion will not be affected.

The courtiers can play as much as they like.

It's none of your business.

And the ministers looked at the king with puzzled eyes.

Everyone knows that the monster of Shaofu is itself a producer of salt and iron.

However, Shaofu's salt and iron production has been limited in the past few decades.

Well, maybe during the period of Emperor Taizong Xiaowen, Deng Tong did a good job in Shu County, but that was the scale of an annual output of hundreds of thousands of catties of iron and hundreds of thousands of stones of salt.

After Deng Tong, Shaofu's salt and iron production directly dived and cut most of it in half.

Can Shaofu get so much salt and iron?

Countless people were beating drums in their hearts and wondering.

If you can't take it out, it's a shame!

It will seriously affect the credibility of the imperial court! (To be continued......)