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At the beginning of June of the fifteenth year of Xiantong, the summer harvest season in the north arrived, but the fields were already dry and cracked, and some of the cracks could sink their feet in. The crops in the field have long since died of drought.

Chang'an Imperial City, Taiji Palace Taiji Palace.

The young Son of Heaven finally did not go to the ball or cockfight today, but came to the Taiji Hall to participate in the court. Although the emperor frolicked in the wasted government, the early dynasty had been absent for a long time, but the great court meeting at the beginning of the month and fifteen times did not dare to cancel it and still maintained.

"If there is something to start, there is nothing to retreat!" As soon as a eunuch came up, he immediately shouted in that thin voice.

The ministers below couldn't help frowning slightly, there are many things to do in this court, and it often takes several hours to open at once. In the past, although the emperor said that he didn't care about political affairs and participated in the court meeting just for a show, he would still be a show after all. It's good now, as soon as I came in and sat down, I shouted that I was going to retreat.

Among the ministers below, Lu Xian was the first to come out of the ranks, holding an ivory wat board and playing: "Your Majesty is the first time to come to the Great Treasure, it is advisable to remember Li Yuan deeply." The country has people, just as the grass and trees have roots, and if they are cultivated in autumn and winter, they will be prosperous in spring and summer. The ministers saw that there was a drought in Kanto last year, and from Yu to the sea, the wheat was only half harvested, the autumn crops were almost none, the winter vegetables were at least, and the poor people were clothed and stored locust leaves for food. Or even worse, it is also difficult to pick. If you don't do it all year round, you will scatter your neighbors. Now everywhere is hungry, there is no place to rely on, sitting in the countryside, waiting for the ravines. It is exempt from the balance of taxes, and there is no way to collect it. And the state and county have the upper supply and three divisions of money, and the governor is very anxious. Move like a thrashing tart. Although the house is removed and the wood is logged. Hire a wife and a man, and stop paying for the food and wine that you want, but you don't get it to the treasury. Or in addition to taxes, there are more other taxes. If the court does not survive, the people will have no livelihood. The county of Qizhou shall owe the residual tax and all taxes shall be suspended in order to collect silkworm wheat. It is still in Yicang. Urgently give. After late autumn, there are vegetable leaves and wood teeth, followed by mulberries, which are gradually edible. In the past few months, it has been particularly embarrassing and incomprehensible. ”

These words are also extremely exciting, but they are also the truth of today.

Li Yi was a little drowsy after listening to such a long story, last night he played chess with the palace people until midnight and fell asleep, and now he got up before dawn, but he sat here and listened to such a long passage. Suddenly yawned. After Lu Xian finished speaking, he didn't hear what he was talking about.

When he waved his hand, he said: "Played by Quasi-Aiqing!" ”

Tian Lingzi immediately said: "Your Majesty." Now the treasury is empty, the southwest is constantly using troops, but Ziqing Zhenya general Wang Jingwu rebelled, Song Wei had not yet approved the excerpt of asking troops to draw grain and transfer money, and now they must exempt the arrears of taxes and summer grain, although this is sympathetic to the people of Li, but also do not look at the situation of the imperial court. If they are all exempted, then the salaries of the officials in Chang'an, the rice and the food and salaries of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Shence Army will have nowhere to be taken from. ”

Li Yi finally understood what the ministers below said at this time, Lu Xi said that the people were sad about the famine, Tian Lingji said that the imperial court was not rich enough, and couldn't help but be a little dissatisfied: "Lu Xiangguo said that all parts of Henan and Shandong are half harvested in autumn, and there is no end to the summer harvest, but I know that Dengzhou, where Li Jing is located, already belongs to Henan Province, Shandong, why Li Jing was able to give me a million yuan before, and just now he also escorted 100,000 stone salt and 100,000 stone grain and many other tributes, worth millions." Could it be that Li Jing is not in Henan Province? ”

Lu Xian was blocked by the emperor, and just as he was about to speak, the emperor said again: "I think it is still a question of whether the courtiers below are loyal or not, not a question of whether there is a famine or not. ”

Tian Lingzi immediately asked for a speech and said: "Your Majesty, then Li Jing does have the ability that others can't. At present, the financial resources of the imperial court are tight, but the disaster is indeed serious in various parts of the world. It is believed that His Majesty can temporarily exempt the affected areas from the two taxes, and the arrears can also be suspended in advance. In addition, Yicang, where all localities are located, should also open positions to revitalize disasters according to what Lu Xianggong said. ”

Li Yi said a little unhappily: "If the victims want to eat, shouldn't I eat, and my officials and guards don't want to eat?" ”

"Your Majesty, don't worry, there is a plan to solve the urgent needs of the imperial court."

"Jin Guogong, please speak."

The corners of Tian Lingzi's mouth twitched slightly, and he said with a smile: "Your Majesty also said just now that when other places in the world are in calamity, Li Jing can still take out millions of dollars and grain to pay tribute. This is already the second million tribute this year, and it is really admirable to think that Li Jing has less than one state under his jurisdiction, but he has such an output. At present, Li Jing has been appointed as the protector of Anton, and Song Wei, the marshal of the Ziqing Festival, has been promoted to Li Jing as the assassin of Dengzhou. The minister thinks that those who are talented and capable should have more burdens, which is also to make him loyal to His Majesty. ”

"The minister proposed to add Li Jing Liaohai salt and iron to the post of transfer. The salt that Li Jing paid tribute to was self-produced, and although the salt was sea salt, it could be snow-white and dry, which was better than Huai salt, and even worse than the green salt in the northwest. The imperial court could just hand over the transfer of salt and iron to Li Jing, so that Li Jing could produce and transport salt. As long as Li Jing can produce one million stones of salt per year, the imperial court will earn ten yuan per bucket of salt, and sell it for one hundred and ten yuan, one bucket of salt can earn 100 wen, one stone can earn consistently, and one million can make a profit of 1 million. If the salt production is 2 million stones, but it is 2 million guan, 3 million stones, that is, 3 million guan, the imperial court simply handed over the matter of selling salt to Li Jing, and asked Li Jing to hand it over every year in the future, and it will be handed over according to 2 million guan per year. In this way, there is no need to worry about the wealth of the imperial court. ”

The ministers in the palace couldn't help but be shocked, and said in their hearts that Li Jing didn't know where he offended Tian Lingzi. Two million yuan a year, although the salt profit is huge, it is not a small amount. Although the salt and iron envoys are also in charge of ore and tea, except for copper, iron, tin and lead, which are prohibited from private mining, the rest of the gold and silver mines in the Tang Dynasty can be mined by private individuals. The mining tax of Datang is only a hundred thousand yuan a year, and since the middle and Tang Dynasty, the tea tax has increased, and the tea tax is half, and it is only two million yuan a year. But this is still the whole country, and Li Jing's current Liaohai salt and iron transshipment envoy is just Li Jing's own territory. Except for a Dengzhou, Liaodong is only a nominal territory.

Yu Cong knew in his heart that it was the last time the emperor wanted Li Jing to bring the Zhendong army into Beijing that stimulated this big eunuch, and at this time, he had to help Li Jing. Then he came out and said, "The minister is playing." Since Tian's Privy Council thought that Li Jing could relieve the worries of the imperial court. Then why not add some more burdens. I thought. The Liaohai salt and iron transshipment envoy should put Ziqing Town and Liaodong under the jurisdiction of the Andong Metropolitan Protectorate into the jurisdiction of Li Jing. Moreover, according to the custom, the salt and iron transshipment envoys generally add coinage, and the imperial court can simply let Li Jing mint coins the copper, tin, and lead minted in the territory. ”

"If it's approved, I will add Li Jing as the Liaohai salt and iron transfer envoy and mint money, and Li Jing will send three million yuan to the imperial court every year in the future!" Li Yi said immediately.

Tian Lingzi wanted to say that the money was too little, but when he saw that the emperor had already spoken, he had no choice but to give up.

After the end of the Pilgrimage Meeting. The emperor issued an order to all localities, ordered the local government to open righteous warehouses to release grain and relieve disasters, and suspended the collection of past tax arrears, and this year's summer tax was also stopped. In addition, eunuchs were sent to Dengzhou to announce the decree to Li Jing, and Li Jing was added to Liaohai salt and iron transshipment envoy and money minting envoy.

When the emperor's decree came down to the states, the people were very happy at first. But after a few days of joy, I found that the government refused to open a warehouse to revitalize the grain, and the summer grain was still being collected. Many people broke their homes and paid taxes, and some of them could not afford to pay them, so they began to flee the local area. Joined the army of outcasts.

Weicheng, Huazhou, Henan Province.

Weicheng is the seat of Changyuan County, which is at the junction of Pu, Hua and Cao. To the north is the Yellow River. To the south is the canal, to the west where the canal meets the Yellow River, and to the east is Jushuze.

More than 200 years ago, there were several well-known figures in Weicheng, that is, Zhai Rang, Shan Xiongxin and other generals of the peasant army in the late Sui Dynasty. And Wagang is not far from the southeast of Weicheng.

At this time, in a large manor outside Changyuan County, there were a lot of gatherings. In the middle of the hall, there was a seven-foot man, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, bronze skin, and sharp eyes.

This person is Wang Xianzhi, the most famous salt seller in Puzhou, and the ten big men sitting below him are the ten hall masters in his salt selling group, known as the ten handsome.

Shang Junchang, Chai Cun, Bi Shiduo, Cao Shixiong, Liu Yanzhang, Liu Hanhong, Li Chongba, Cai Wenqiu, Chu Yanwei, Wang Chongyin.

Each of them is a famous hero in Puzhou, and he is Wang Xianzhi's sworn brother, among which Shangli Shangjun is Wang Xianzhi's right-hand man, the second person in this group. Shangshang let him hear a new kind of salt produced in Shamen Town, Dengzhou, which is of excellent quality. immediately rushed to Dengzhou, ready to negotiate a deal with Li Jing. But he didn't expect that Li Jing would tie him up without saying a word. was first sent to Dengzhou, then all the way to Qingzhou, then to Yanzhou, and finally sent back to Puzhou, where he was almost beheaded. Fortunately, Wang Xianzhi and the brothers did not forget their affection, and robbed the law field in Puzhou and rescued him.

However, after robbing the law field, Puzhou couldn't stay any longer, and everyone abandoned the Puzhou territory that had been operating for many years, and fled to Weicheng, Changyuan County, Huazhou. For months, they have been carefully hiding here. Although the wind is getting quieter now, it can be regarded as avoiding this catastrophe.

But everyone's life was not easy, and before robbing the law field, Wang Xianzhi and others secretly transferred Puzhou's family and property. But they dragged their families and brought them to their families, and they all had a vote of brothers, and now they are all hiding in several manors in Changyuan County. On weekdays, he is free and chic, but now he has to hide in a small manor all day, and he can't live this day. And sitting and eating all day long, even Wang Xianzhi, a private salt dealer, can't stand it.

Shang Junchang was the first to speak: "If we continue like this, we will have no way to live!" ”

Wang Xianzhi looked at this group of subordinates, they had been born and died with themselves, drank wine in a big bowl, and divided gold and silver in a big scale, but now they were hiding in Tibet all day long, like a rat in a hole, such a day was too suffocating.

"Wang Jingwu of Qingzhou has rebelled, and now Ziqi is fighting every day, and Hong Balang of Dizhou has been recruited by Wang Jingwu and has been attached, and Hong Balang has obtained an official position as a soldier and horse envoy. At present, with Wang Jingwu's successive defeats of Song Wei, the marshal of the Lu army, he is not majestic. Big brother, it's better for us to do the opposite, let's go to Wang Jingwu. Bishiduo said.

Shang Jun shook his head and said, "At present, there have been disasters and famines for many years, and the people can't eat. Although the imperial court decreed that taxes were exempted, the righteous warehouse was opened to release grain. However, the local government ignored the order of the Son of Heaven at all, still imposed taxes, and refused to open warehouses to release grain. Now that people everywhere are fleeing, this is an excellent opportunity. Our brothers are all heroes, so why should we go to others. It's better to just uncover the flag ourselves and turn against the damn one. ”

"The second brother is right, isn't there a sentence about what the prince will Xiangning have?" Chai Cun also said, "Fuck hiding in the manor every day like this, you can stand it, I can't stand it." ”

"It's fucking it!" Several people shouted loudly.

"Big brother, just wait for your words, if you say the opposite, we will all follow you!" The meaning of Bi Shiduo and the others' words is very clear, if Wang Xianzhi refuses to rebel, then they will rebel themselves.

Wang Xianzhi swept his eyes over the brothers below, he knew that it was time for him to make a statement, and he had to make a statement at this time, otherwise, even if they were brothers for many years, these people would definitely not want to continue to hide like this.

"Oppose!" As soon as Wang Xianzhi opened his mouth, he set the tone first, and only after seeing everyone's satisfied expressions did he say slowly: "But how to counter it, we have to discuss it carefully, and after making all preparations, we will plan and then act." ”

"Listen to the eldest brother, how to do the eldest brother and the second brother speak." (To be continued......)