In the political hall, all the ministers were filled with indignation!
If you want to bite, just bite Tuyuhun. Why come to bite our Datang?
Could Datang still be responsible for this matter?
"Everyone is right."
Xu Fenglei laughed.
He was very satisfied with everyone's reaction. There were no soft-footed shrimps or reflection monsters.
"Your Majesty, I think this letter of credence from Tibet should be refuted."
Xu Fenglei said seriously,
"Just explain two points -"
"First, Songtsen Gampo died in Tuyuhun territory. If you want to blame it, you have to blame the Tuyuhun people. And then, if you want to blame it, you have to blame them for their own lack of security."
"Such an important person only sent two hundred people to protect him, and even disguised himself as a businessman... What is this? This is seeking death!"
"Secondly, this marriage proposal was also made by Tibetans to us, Tang Dynasty. We, Tang Dynasty, were not very interested in this marriage. Songtsen Gampo wanted to come by himself, but he died on the way. It was all because of him. It’s my own problem! I, Datang, have no responsibility at all!”
"Therefore, Datang expresses its strong dissatisfaction with Tubo's letter of credence! And demands an apology from them!"
When all the ministers heard this, they all nodded.
"Yes, apologize!"
"What kind of thing is this New Zamp? How dare you talk to Datang in this tone?"
"That's right! How dare Tubo, a small country like this, dare to yell at you?"
The ministers knew very little about Tubo. In the eyes of most people, this was just an unknown small country on the plateau, and its national power was not even as good as that of Tuyuhun.
It’s natural for a small country to have such a loud tone!
Of course, even if they knew the strength of Tubo, everyone's attitude would still not change.
No matter how awesome you are, can you be more awesome than our Tang Dynasty?
If you don’t accept it, do it!
"That's how it should be!"
Li Shimin nodded and said,
"Xuanling, please draft the letter of credence and polish it a little according to the Grand Master's wishes!"
"Then, send this letter of credence back with it!"
"Even if Tubo has some strength, now that Zampu is dead, there will definitely be turmoil in the country. If they don't have strength, they shouldn't talk to the Tang Dynasty in this tone!",
Fang Xuanling raised his hand and said yes.
"I'll add one more thing."
Xu Fenglei suddenly added,
"Although Datang was not wrong in this matter, out of sympathy and indignation, he would also help Songtsen Gampo, the possible son-in-law, seek justice!"
"After all, this is a serious attack that destroys the friendship between the two countries!"
"Okay, I understand." Fang Xuanling nodded again.
The corners of Li Shimin's mouth raised slightly.
Next, let’s get down to business.
"Your Majesty, I think what the Grand Master said is right! This is a major event that will destroy the friendship between the two countries!"
Li Jing said in a deep voice,
"It's really strange that Songtsen Gampo died in Tuyuhun territory!"
"After all, he was a caravan disguised as a caravan, and there were two hundred soldiers guarding him. But the guard was okay, but he was killed - the murderer was obviously targeting Songtsen Gampo!"
"The purpose is so clear, it must not be an accident! There must be a conspiracy behind it!"
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
Xu Fenglei was originally expected to drive this end, but he didn't expect Li Jing to jump out so quickly.
This old guy really wants to fight!
"I agree with Li Jing."
Li Ji also said,
"The person who will gain the most from killing Songtsen Gampo is undoubtedly Tuyuhun."
"After all, if Tubo and Tang Dynasty were to marry, then Tuyuhun would be caught in the middle and be attacked from both sides."
"So, the Tuyuhun people must stop this marriage, so the simplest and most effective way is to kill Songtsen Gampo!"
"In this way, Datang can only marry Tuyuhun, and the interests of the Murong family will be maximized."
After analysis by the two generals, it really looks like that!
"Then Murong Fuyun is brave enough!"
Wei Zheng frowned and said,
"Isn't he afraid of being besieged by both countries afterwards?"
"No one with any brains can do such a thing!"
Li Shimin laughed.
"Can Murong Fuyun be a sensible person? If he had a sense, he wouldn't have repeatedly offended me and attacked Liangzhou!"
Li Erdao,
"This person is very short-sighted!"
"I think he can do such a thing!"
"I'm even 70% to 80% sure...it was them who did this!"
The remaining 20%?
The remaining 20% is left to his face. After all, if he says 100%, then he is not that thick-skinned and would be embarrassed to lie.
"Then he really deserves to die!"
Xu Fenglei's face turned cold and he ordered,
"Compared with King Murong, Songtsan Gampo, I still think Songtsen Gampo is more suitable to be the Prince Consort of the Tang Dynasty!"
"So, the one they killed was the quasi-consort of the Tang Dynasty, your majesty's quasi-son-in-law!"
"In addition, over the years, they have repeatedly invaded our border with the Tang Dynasty. The Murong family has been extremely unreasonable and has repeatedly offended His Majesty, and even made fun of His Majesty!"
"I think the Tang Dynasty can send troops to destroy it!"
boom!
Xu Fenglei's words immediately caused a storm in the political hall!
Grand Master usually doesn't talk much. He is either napping or wandering in his mind. Why is he so active today?
And what he said was extremely tough!
They actually wanted to send troops to Tuyuhun!
These words immediately made Li Jing, Li Ji, Duan Zhixuan and other military attachés excited!
"What the Grand Master said is absolutely true! The Tang Dynasty should send troops!"
"Yes! Tuyuhun deceives people too much! He even dares to kill a would-be prince-in-law, what else can they not dare to do? I think they should be given a taste of the Tang Dynasty's military strength!"
"Haha! If we haven't used troops for five years, maybe the surrounding small countries have forgotten how the Turks perished! Everyone is so disrespectful!"
"..."
For a time, the voices of the main militant faction became louder and louder than ever before!
Everyone is frustrated!
There has been no war for so many years, there is no place to display military achievements, and grass will grow on everyone’s heads! The weapons are getting rusty!
Now that Xu Fenglei is taking the lead, they must rush together! No need to think about it at all!
"this……"
Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said,
"Five years is indeed coming soon... What the dear friends said makes sense."
"I also feel that the surrounding small countries are becoming less and less respectful to me. When I destroyed the Turks, how respectful were Tuyuhun, Xue Yantuo, and Khitan?"
"And this year, the respect is not as good as before, and even the gifts given are not as good as before."
"It seems it's time to remind them."
"...What do the other lovers think?"
Although he was asking, he had actually expressed his stance——
I also want to fight!
"His Majesty."
Wei Zheng stood up and said,
"I think it is not very cost-effective to start a war with Tuyuhun over a so-called quasi-consort."
"As for Tuyuhun's disrespect... I thought that now that Prince Murong Zun of Tuyuhun is in Chang'an, His Majesty can personally hold him accountable!"
"Whether it's punishment or scolding, this matter can be solved anyway."
"So I believe that we should not go to war, otherwise the country's economy will fall back to five years ago."
Above the court, there is the war faction, and naturally there is the peace faction.
Wei Zheng, for example, has never advocated using force to solve problems. After all, every time a war was launched, the Tang Dynasty would consume a lot of manpower and material resources.
Those generals only care about fighting and receiving military pay, but they don't know how hard it is to make money!
They who were engaged in internal affairs finally lived a comfortable life for two years, and the economy was no longer so tense. As a result, these generals wanted to come again!
What's going on? !
"Economy, economy, you can't just talk about your little money!"
Li Jing became anxious and scolded,
"The prestige of the Tang Dynasty has been lost now! No amount of money can make it up, it can only be earned back with force and fists!"
"I think this battle must be fought!"
"Otherwise, anyone can shit on Datang's head in the future!"
This battle must be fought!
He has never really presided over a large-scale foreign campaign. The last time he fought against the Turks, he was the deputy commander, which has always been his regret!
Therefore, he must fight for it this time!
"Bad money? That's fine, don't ask for the broken money!"
Wei Zheng was also unhappy and retorted,
"Prepare your own military pay and go to war!"
"If you can get money without asking the country, you can go and fight! You can fight to the end of the world! Just go ahead!"
"Broken money...haha!"
Li Jing was a little embarrassed when he heard this.
In a war, money and food come first.
If you don’t have money, why fight? If the soldiers are allowed to drink the northwest wind, no matter how good the commander is, he will not be able to withstand the risk of mutiny.
So, this bad money... he really has to have it.
"Okay, okay, don't argue anymore."
Li Shimin coughed dryly, knocked on the table, and said,
"Now, everyone has basically agreed to send troops, but there is no agreement on money and food."
"I also feel that fighting wars can no longer rely on government funding. That would be too wasteful for the people and money."
Wei Zheng: "???"
Wait a minute, what do you mean everyone basically agrees?
Did he agree?
However, Wei Zheng still agreed with the second half of the emperor's words.
Things that waste people and money and make Datang's economy regress... must not be done, and he will definitely oppose it!
"Then... how about asking the Grand Master to support me again?"
Li Jing looked at Xu Fenglei and said cautiously,
"Fenglei Bank has money, why not..."
Xu Fenglei glared.
"I'm the one who runs the charity village, right?"
He said unhappily,
"The last time we supported military spending, it took the bank several years to recover. At that time, we were fighting wars with savers' money!"
"We don't have any money now! Banks are opening branches all over the country, and cash is in short supply. I would also like to call on you to save more!"
"Don't even think about it at the bank. It's impossible this time."
Fenglei Bank is a private property jointly owned by him and the Li family!
There was nothing I could do last time. I really had no money, so I took money from the bank to fight.
Now that the country is rich, how can we still get it?
"this……"
Li Jing was also in trouble now and said helplessly,
"It would be great if I could make money. If I could make money, I would pay my own military salary."
Xu Fenglei couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Hahaha... Pharmacist, Pharmacist, you really want to go to war and want to go crazy. Can you say this?"
He joked,
"Even if you have money, you are not qualified to pay soldiers."
"Only the imperial court can pay them. If you pay them privately, do you want to develop them into your own private army?"
When Li Jing heard this, he realized that he had said the wrong thing and waved his hand quickly.
"No, no...I didn't mean that..."
He looked embarrassed, and his heart beat a little faster.
He secretly glanced at Li Shimin - fortunately, there was nothing unusual on the emperor's face, but there was still a bit of a smile on his face.
"Okay, stop chatting."
Li Shimin said,
"I have already thought of a solution regarding military expenditures."
"You don't need to pay from the state, and you don't need to pay from the bank, you just need it——"
Uh-huh.
He took out a pack of cigarettes from his arms and placed them on the table.
Everyone looked over.
"cigarette?"
This thing has become popular in the Tang Dynasty. Many wealthy merchants and nobles carry it with them. If they have anything to do, they will take out one and smoke it and puff away the smoke.
Many people among the people are proud to own a box of high-quality cigarettes.
The sales volume of medium and low-grade cigarettes is actually very good, and demand often exceeds supply.
As a result, you can see farmers in the fields occasionally picking up one when they are tired.
Working in the hotel, I will also do it in my spare time.
What they bought was naturally the lowest quality and crudest cigarette, but even so, it was enough for them to relax their body and mind with this stuff.
All in all, cigarettes have entered thousands of households and are familiar to the people.
"The imperial court has a cigarette tax, which is not included in the national treasury but is calculated separately."
Li Shimin said with a smile,
"A box of medium-sized cigarettes sells for about 50 yuan, and demand often exceeds supply. The cigarette workshops are operating crazily every day."
"But in fact, its profit is not high. The profit of each box is only about 5 cents."
"Do you know why this is?"
All the ministers looked at the emperor and listened carefully.
"Because I imposed heavy taxes!"
Li Shimin said seriously,
"A box of cigarettes, leaving aside the production and transportation costs, costs fifty cents. I will take thirty-five cents as tax!"
"That's seven out of ten!"
Ministers: "?!"
Seven out of ten!
This whipping is too harsh! Never in history has such a harsh tax been imposed!
Generally, one out of ten is considered a heavy tax!
"With such a heavy tax, there is still money to be made from selling."
Li Shimin smiled and lit a cigarette and said,
"I have been collecting tobacco taxes since last year. In one year, I collected nearly one million taels of silver from this tax alone!"
"This is still when cigarettes have just entered the Tang Dynasty and most people are not familiar with them yet."
"I estimate that by next year, this number should double, or even multiple times!"
When all the ministers heard this, their eyes widened.
One million taels of silver? !
This is almost as much as the annual agricultural tax of several wealthy states!
How can this cigarette be so profitable?
Several civil servants and generals took out cigarette cases from their arms...
Yes, they all smoke.
After all, this stuff is addictive, and once you get into it, you become dependent on it!
Xu Fenglei couldn't help but look bitter as he watched the ministers take out their cigarette cases.
Regret!
This thing is really harmful! Although it can increase considerable tax revenue for Datang, it can also reduce the average life expectancy of Datang!
This is not what he wants to see.
If you have time, you have to discuss with Sun Simiao how to deal with it...
I have no choice but to find a way to clean up the Pandora's box I opened with my own hands...
(End of chapter)
