Seeing Li Dan shaking his head, Wu and Lu became even more confused. Li Dan told them that he had to rest and wait for the follow-up personnel to catch up with the group, but this was not the main thing.
"As the so-called bystander knows, I hope to pay attention to observation and research not far from Xi'an to understand the public sentiment and public opinion, which will help make a more clear-headed decision in the next step.
After all, any assumptions made before leaving Beijing are personal subjective opinions. I have to take a closer look and compare whether they are in line with the reality of Shaanxi. "Li Dan said sincerely.
"Oh, that's it!" After he said this, the two of them felt relieved.
"Furthermore, the Zodiac Sect in your territory has been very rampant recently." Li Dan said, "I am also here waiting for the official department to deliver a report about this organization to me."
Regarding the tax issue that Wu Xianzhe was concerned about, Li Dan also comforted him and informed him of his plans.
The most important thing for him to enter Shaanxi this time is money and the Zodiac. The former is the foundation. If the economy improves, the rebellion will lose its foundation. On the contrary, if the rebellion expands, it will be extremely detrimental to the introduction of merchants.
So in the first step, he ordered the Wu Xin Army in Yan'an to reinforce 5,000 people in Luochuan in the name of the Zodiac Rebellion.
Qingyang's Wuyi Army sent 4,000 reinforcements to Ningxian and Zhengning;
Wu'an's army marched north to Tongchuan and blocked Baoxie Road. Hancheng's Chongxin army sent 3,000 men each to Baishui and Huanglong, and Fupingwei sent 1,500 men to Puzhou.
At the same time, the surrounding counties established team training and set up checkpoints. Each inspection department was responsible for sealing off the passes and crossings, and detained the rebels in the mountainous area of more than 200 miles between Luochuan and Tongchuan, making them unable to move.
Next, Li Dan took out four of the six government-run copper mines, four of the seven coal mines, and two salt ponds in Tongchuan, accepted the contract, and collected the contract deposit;
Auction the exploration and mining rights of coal mines in Weinan, Hancheng, Changwu and Pucheng;
Auction the exploration and mining rights of kaolin, china clay, limestone, etc. in Tongchuan.
Through this series of operations, the bank will obtain no less than 2.5 million taels of capital to prepare for the issuance of new banknotes.
The third measure is to severely investigate and deal with private mining of minerals.
Any mine owner must obtain a license from the government in accordance with the "Mining Law" and the "Mining Management and Supervision Law" promulgated by the imperial court, pay a deposit, and undergo audits and annual inspections. Only those who pay taxes in accordance with the law are allowed to operate. They must not be registered with the local county government within one month. If the formalities are completed and taxes are paid back (kind deductions are allowed), the mines and equipment will be confiscated. Before the new mine owner obtains permission and takes over, the subordinate workers will be handed over to the local government workshop for custody.
Wu Xianzhe nodded repeatedly when he heard this, and suddenly felt that the topic was a little off topic, and asked quickly: "How do you plan to deal with the issue of population migration and hidden households?"
Li Dan smiled: "Have you forgotten Zuo Shenzheng? Now that the borders are closed and the crossings are closed, it is difficult for the population to move. Isn't it much easier to collect within the county?"
However, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. As long as the other party shows you the directions and proof of identity and tax payment issued by the household in the county, inter-county movement is not impossible.
In this way, not only can female cadres be prevented from fleeing, but the collection of summer taxes can be completed to the greatest extent? As for the hidden house, that is secondary. We can start after the main problem is solved. Don't rush now, just investigate and visit slowly. "
What he said was to tell Wu Xianzhe that the hidden house involved nobles and scholars, so he didn't want to scratch his eyebrows and beards now, and had to deal with it later. Wu Xianzhe didn't have any objection after hearing this.
Through the report sent by Lin Yutang in advance, Li Dan already knew that Wu Xianzhe was a relatively pragmatic official with a good official reputation and was relatively young at only forty-four years old, so he secretly wanted to make friends with him.
He also agreed to or listened carefully to several of his requests and suggestions, leaving a humble impression on Wu Xianzhe that the imperial envoy was very kind, willing to seek advice, and not ashamed to ask questions.
Finally, the meeting ended happily, and Li Dan asked Wu Mao to take the two of them to rest. When sending him out, Li Dan said to Lu Chengyuan: "I've heard for a long time that the general from Bianzhen is a good horseman. How about we go out for a walk tomorrow and have a horse racing competition?"
Lu Chengyuan thought to himself: Do you want to talk to me alone? Then he handed over his hand and said, "I'm a little clever, if you're interested, I'd be happy to accompany you." So he agreed.
time, the two high-fived and made an appointment.
Early the next morning, Li Dan took Cao Junyou, Shi Dajun, Zhou Tu, Huang Qin, Wang Xu, Yang Wu, and Lu Chengyuan and one of his soldiers out of the city to the south. We talked and laughed along the way and felt intimate, and we climbed up the Longwei Slope without realizing it.
Suddenly, Shi Dajun, who was clearing the way in front, shouted something. There was a rustling sound in the grass, and wild boars of all sizes came out of their nests and ran around. Zhou Tu, who had blind eyes and quick hands, drew his bow and shot, but one fell down at the sound.
"Good archery skills!" Lu Chengyuan blurted out. His mount was already galloping forward, drawing its bow and shouting: "Go!" A half-sized wild boar screamed and fell down with an arrow that pierced its eyes.
"Brother Shiji (characterized by Lu Chengyuan) is so skilled!"
Before Li Dan finished speaking, he heard Huang Qin shouting from the other side: "Sir, be careful!" Looking sideways, he saw the big pig charging towards Li Dan's horse's belly with a fierce look on his face.
Soon enough, a spear flew over with a "hoo" sound, passed through the neck accurately, nailed the big pig to the ground, and brought up a cloud of dust. Yang Wu stepped forward, sat on the saddle and watched the big pig stop twitching, then reached out and pulled out the spear.
"Thank you, Brother Yang!" Li Dan saluted him on horseback. Yang Wu registered his spear and raised his hand to return the salute.
Lu Chengyuan and other people ran over from a distance. He had seen the whole process and said in surprise: "Your Majesty has no weak soldiers. These generals are very skilled. If they join the army, they can earn a hundred households." Fame!"
"Low." Li Dan smiled, pointed at Zhou Tu and said that he was once the chief instructor of the regiment's cavalry. Shi Dajun, Cao Junyou, and Wang Xu all commanded thousands of troops. Huang Qin once called Yanlie Khan a brother. Riding and shooting are learned on the grassland.
"As for Brother Yang," Li Dan nodded slightly: "He is a talented man with both civil and military skills and can lead thousands of armies. Unfortunately, his face was ruined and he himself did not want to serve as an official, so I had to make him stay with me."
Lu Chengyuan sighed with envy after hearing this, and everyone put the prey in the accompanying truck. Lu Chengyuan looked at the carriage again and again, and then at Li Dan and the other horses, who each had their own muskets in their gun bags, and couldn't help but say:
"This carriage is really good, strong and durable, and it can hold a lot of things at first glance. Not only are your men highly skilled in martial arts, but they are also all equipped with excellent equipment. The horses, muskets, and double penetrations are really eye-catching! "
"Brother Shiji, there is no need to boast, you will all have it soon." Li Dan replied with a smile.
"Oh? But your Majesty has a reward? Or the Ministry of War wants to reorganize a new army? I once heard that the emperor organized the Yulin Army into four divisions, with 15,000 men in each division. It is said that one division can equal the original 40,000 men. Use it, don’t you know whether it’s true or false?”
Li Dan smiled and did not answer. Lu Chengyuan couldn't ask more questions, so he had to turn to other topics.
It was already noon and everyone came to a small village. Everyone in this village was named Tang. When they heard that there were important people, the village elders stood on the roadside to greet them and invited them to come into the village to rest.
Li Dan didn't want to disturb others, so out of kindness he only agreed to use an open space in the peach grove near the village to set up a fire and eat barbecue.
The elders agreed and called two or three young men and women to wait on them. They also asked someone to go back and bring a jar of home-brewed yellow rice mash for them to taste.
While eating and drinking, Li Dan finally said, "Brother Lu was envious of our equipment, horses and vehicles just now. Do you know how much these things are worth?"
Lu Chengyuan never thought about this much. When he was a soldier, he always went up to the peak to deliver things. He never thought that these would need to be exchanged for money.
"War horses range from twenty to forty taels, and draft horses. Now that Monan has returned to trade more horses, the price is slightly lower, from ten to twelve taels. The current price of carriages is seven taels and four cents of silver.
A self-made cannon costs six liang or seven cents each, and a one-handed crossbow costs three liang or two cents each;
The cavalry's round shield is eight cents of silver, the sword is three liang and two cents, and the cavalry's half-mail, skirt armor and helmet are fourteen liang and nine cents in total;
There are also double penetrations, water hyacinths, iron marching lunch boxes, boots, uniforms, gloves... "
"God, how much money do you need to equip a cavalry?" Lu Chengyuan was stunned. Everyone around them laughed. Even the last people to come will be instilled with this idea of "cost calculation" after staying for a while, especially the officers who have gone to military academies for further studies.
"Hey, Mr. Lu, if we think carefully about the soldiers, they will trust us and be willing to follow Shangguan into battle!" Shi Da
Jun said.
"That's the truth." Lu Chengyuan narrowed his eyes and looked at the guard standing straight in the distance: "But... no matter how I look at it, I feel that these soldiers under your command are different from our soldiers.
how to say? The energy and spirit are different. Once you stand there, you will look like you are not a common man, but a soldier! ” His words aroused good-natured laughter from those around him.
"When the Biao Camp arrives in the future, I think you will have more emotions, Mr. Lu." Cao Junyou handed him an apple: "If you look at the Biao Camp and then look at your own men, you probably won't like it no matter how you look at it. "
"Why is this? Because they have better equipment? Oh! I understand why the Lord is not in a hurry to put down the rebellion but has been talking to Lord Wu about doing business and collecting taxes. The army is fed by money, right?" He suddenly Slap your thighs, as if you have realized your Buddha nature.
"There is some truth in what Mr. Lu said. Before the soldiers and horses are moved, food and grass must go first. To fight the war, you must have food and money. The war is fought based on financial resources, not the number of people." Li Dan said:
"In the former Song Dynasty, it was surrounded by powerful enemies, including the Khitan, Dangxiang, Tubo, and Nanzhao in the south. But it survived. Why? Because it was rich."
"Oh? Why do you say that, sir? Isn't it because of the Song army's armor, swords and guns?" Lu Chengyuan was standing in the perspective of a warrior, so he was somewhat unconvinced.
"You can also say that." Li Dan nodded: "But strong armor and sharp swords and guns require people to make them, and the required materials also need people to mine, forge and make them.
And these are all included in the prices we just mentioned. Every soldier is trained and armed by the imperial court with money. Mr. Lu knows that each of our soldiers gets one stone of grain and one pound of cash per month. Do you know how much the soldiers of the Song Dynasty received each month? Thirty-five strings! ”Kanshu La
"What?" Lu Chengyuan almost jumped up, and several others were also surprised.
"So high?" Shi Dajun shouted.
"Don't be surprised. From the late Tang and Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, the population has been declining sharply, so the strategy of elite troops was adopted.
The number of troops was small, but they were enough to defeat ten. This policy was followed in the former Song Dynasty. However, in the Southern Song Dynasty, constant wars and the need to maintain long fronts caused military expenditures to exceed the country's ability to bear.
The previous dynasty saw the problems of the Song Dynasty and saw that huge military expenditures were dragging down finances, so they went to the other extreme from the beginning of the founding of the country, without military pay!
But open plunder is allowed, as long as one-tenth is turned over to the treasury, and the rest can be yours. But this raises another problem, which is that organization and discipline are seriously damaged.
Although they initially had great destructive power, they later degenerated into criminal gangs, which made the occupied areas unstable and prone to frequent uprisings.
Later, a large number of Han troops were absorbed, and military expenditures had to be given again, called Kaiba Silver, which was similar to a business trip allowance. This low salary system is still in use today, with one stone of rice for food and one pound of money for household expenses. "
At this point, Li Dan looked at his brothers: "What are the rules for our group training around the state?" he asked.
"Three taels of silver, unlimited food!" Everyone answered, their voices full of pride.
"General Lu, does he know why Zhouzhou Tuanlian can afford such a price?" Li Dan saw him shaking his head slightly in confusion and said with a smile:
"Because Raozhou merchants established a chamber of commerce, the group training was funded by the chamber of commerce, and the chamber of commerce expanded its business to many places because of the group training and the war, and earned much higher profits than military expenditures!" Lu Chengyuan suddenly realized.
Li Dan inspired him again: "Look, the people who entered Xi'an City are the presidents of the merchant societies who came with me or their representatives and shopkeepers. Do you understand the mystery here?"
"Sir, do you want them to expand business in Shaanxi?"
"But it's not just Shaanxi. The scope designated by the emperor is Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbian (border refers to the two border towns of Guyuan and Yulin)! How can those businessmen not flock to such a large area?
If they are willing to pay, I can have the confidence to stabilize the currency and market here. The economy has solved the problem for the people to live and work in peace and contentment. Who has nothing to do with following the Zodiac?
Originally, there were 300,000 troops stationed in Shaanxi. If we mobilize another 150,000 to 200,000 regiments for training, a few Zodiacs will not be able to escape! "
"However, your Excellency, I am worried about what to do if those ignorant people get the weapons and attack the officers and soldiers."
"You are right to worry. Therefore, the pace of stabilizing the market and economy must be fast! As long as people see that things are developing for the better, people's hearts will gradually converge.
Yesterday I told Mr. Wu that we would contract some government mines to businessmen, and also mine new mines, for two purposes: to increase revenue for Shaanxi and Gansu and to gather additional labor force.
When labor is attracted to new factories, there will be fewer idlers waiting in the streets, and there will be fewer people making trouble and rebelling.
We pay them with new banknotes for all the money they earn. The workers either take it home for home use, or they go around for fun themselves. In any case, they are helping us circulate new banknotes. "
Li Dan came closer: "I have calculated that the first batch of new factories and mines can absorb 60,000 people. With so many people helping us use the new banknotes, it will spread naturally and effortlessly. It is better than banning old banknotes, Wouldn’t forced recycling be quieter and much safer?”
Lu Chengyuan looked at Li Dan for a long time, and he suddenly understood why his relative wanted him to cause trouble for him. This little imperial envoy is so smart that he can see things through at such a young age.
"It's a good idea, but...if someone does something wrong along the way, wouldn't that be the plan?" He said hesitantly.
"Now that I've said it, do you think you're still afraid of someone making trouble?" Li Dan chuckled, then dropped the cleanly eaten ribs in his hand and wiped his hands with paper (this guy is so extravagant!):
"Your Majesty has prepared four cards for me, I just played the first one. If anyone wants to compete, just come, I will continue, let's see who of us has the bigger card!"
"It's great to have an emperor as your backer!"
