"Grandpa, and the elders, in fact, there is one more thing. ”

By Ye Lao's side, Wang Chong did not sit down immediately.

"Oh?"

The elders looked at it in amazement.

"Young Master Chong, just say whatever you want. ”

"Hu Gong" on the side said that he now has a good impression of Jiugong, the youngest grandson.

"Regarding the matter of salt and iron, although the imperial court does not set up a project, all the excerpts are left in the middle and not issued. However, if you want to deal with the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates and reduce the iron tools they have obtained, there are other ways, and this method will definitely be passed by the imperial court quickly. ”

The king calmed down and spoke.

Wang Chong's cousin Wang Li's face was originally ugly, and all the limelight was robbed by Wang Chong. Now that I heard him mention the iron tools he had just talked about, his face was black and dripping.

Doesn't that make him ugly to his face?

"Young Master Chong, what method are you talking about?"

A group of people suddenly wondered. The Holy Emperor's meaning was already clear, and things like trade were absolutely impossible to prohibit. It is absolutely impossible to close the trade links between the Tang Dynasty and the rest of the world in order to ban iron tools.

That's why all the folds are left in the middle and not sent.

Wang Chong actually said that he had a way for the court to pass his resolution, which made it impossible for the elders not to be curious.

"Chong'er, don't talk nonsense! The people present are all elderly, you don't understand the things in the court, don't talk nonsense!"

Wang Chong's uncle reminded with a straight face on the side at this time.

For Wang Chong, Wang Chong's heart is very complicated. On the one hand, the better Wang Chong's performance, the less hope he has of inheriting his father's status and influence when he becomes the heir of the family.

But on the other hand, with so many old subordinates of his father, Wang Chong represents not only himself, but the entire Wang family. Wang Li has no hope, Wang Fu is not good enough, Wang Xiao is ruined, if even Wang Chong fails, it will make his father's old subordinates, as well as those protégés, look down on the current Wang family.

It is said that "tiger father and dog son", which is what it means.

The beasts will surrender to the tigers, but they will never surrender to the dogs!

Wang Chong's previous performance was already good, even if it was his eldest uncle, he couldn't say anything. Wang Gen is now afraid that he will lose if he talks too much, and he doesn't understand the affairs of the court, but he expresses his "high opinions" here, and when the time comes, all the previous efforts will be wasted, and the previous efforts will be in vain.

"Eldest Prince, Young Master Chong has ideas, this is a good thing. Let him speak!"

The "Ma Lao" on the side also spoke.

The people present were all human spirits, and Wang Gan's little thoughts could not be hidden from them. Wang Chong was only fifteen years old, and he still couldn't touch the affairs of the court. And Wang Yan is a border general, so it is even more impossible to teach him.

Because of this, the elders want to know how many catties this fifteen-year-old child has.

"Chong'er, it's okay. You say it, if it's wrong, no one will blame you!"

In the lobby, the old man also raised his hand.

He treats all his children and grandchildren equally. How much ability you have, how big a position you sit. Today, it is rare to have a group of old subordinates, the old brothers are all there, Wang Chong immediately made a start, and then he couldn't help it.

This test, which will be related to his future achievements, can already get much help from his old subordinates.

And how much ability Wang Chong has will be the key to it!

"Yes!

Wang Chong bowed and saluted, and then continued:

"Actually, it's easy to suppress the output of iron. Just raise the price of ironware. ”

"It's useless. Iron tools involve all aspects of production and life, small aspects of pots, shovels, hoes, large aspects, many weapons, armor, weapons...... Raising the price of iron tools will increase the living burden of the people, and it will also increase the financial expenditure of the imperial court on the military. Moreover, the great families who produced iron tools, the local tycoons, the small workshops, and the mines, will serve as overseers...... , etc., in all aspects, will cause great repercussions and attract great opposition. ”

"This kind of thing is absolutely not feasible!"

At the end of the hall, a thin, short, not tall, white-haired old man said. Wang Chong recognized that this was "Zhao Lao". Grandpa's group of old subordinates, he is considered the worst in martial arts.

The reason is simple, he is a military ration officer.

When my grandfather was young, he had to be a military food officer, responsible for logistics, arranging all aspects, and dealing with the court and the locality.

Everyone knows that the tasks of a logistics officer are the most numerous and complex. But as long as there is "Zhao Lao", all trivial things, bits and pieces, miscellaneous, Zhao Lao can handle all in an orderly manner.

As soon as he heard what Wang Chong said, he immediately knew that it was basically not feasible. In order to contain the eastern and western Turks, it is absolutely impossible to make a big mess of one's own position because of small losses.

In the conference hall, everyone originally thought that Wang Chong would have some high opinions. Hearing this, one by one was also disappointed. After all, he is still young, only fifteen years old, how can he know much about the affairs of the court?

If the price had been raised, the export of iron would have been suppressed, and if it had been that simple, they would have solved it a long time ago, and where would they be needed to discuss it here.

"Hehe, if you simply raise the price, of course you can't do it......"

Wang Chong smiled confidently, his eyes swept over the audience, and he didn't mean to be discouraged at all:

"But what if you use tariffs?"

"Tariffs?"

Old Zhao was surprised, and frowned for the first time. And the other elders also looked at each other with a new look, and they also looked at Wang Chong with great interest.

They've never heard of this before.

"Dare to ask Young Master Chong, what is tariff? The old man has been in contact with finance, taxation, and logistics ...... for half his life. There is nothing that the old man of Datang does not know, but forgive the old man for being stupid, what is this tariff?"

Zhao Lao Zheng said, putting on a posture of humbly asking for advice. This is also one of his strengths, when he encounters something he doesn't understand, he will definitely ask questions, and the same is true when he is old.

This is also the reason why the old man has trusted him for half his life and appreciates him very much!

Seeing that the elders were looking at him, Wang Chong couldn't help laughing. The affairs of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates, he had thought about it for a long time in his previous life, and its practical tariffs could be solved!

Although in another place, tariffs have long been a well-known thing. But in this world, no one knows what tariffs are!

The Tang Empire has household tax, Ding tax, poll tax, market entry tax, and commercial tax...... , but only there are no "tariffs".

A large number of cannibals, Tiaozhi, Turks, and Goguryeo people came inland to buy things, and they actually enjoyed the same prices as the people of Middle-earth.

Therefore, even if the imperial court cut off trade with the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates, the khanates of these nomadic peoples could still eat the land and obtain a steady stream of iron imports from the Tang Empire.

And for a big country where all countries do business, this is actually very abnormal. Datang has been doing business internally for a long time, and many people have not realized that there is such a thing as "tariff".

Even if he didn't realize it, then Wang Chong felt that it was necessary for him to remind them and make them aware of the existence of such a thing!

"Grandpa, and all the seniors. Salt iron is a special trade, especially ironware. In the opinion of the grandchildren, there is no need to pay taxes when buying and selling in the mainland. This way everyone can enjoy a good price without causing confusion. ”

"But if someone wants to take these iron tools and leave the Tang Dynasty, leave the Shenzhou, and enter the Tiaozhi, the Great Food, or the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates in the north, then they can set up checkpoints on the border to collect taxes. It's called tariffs!"

"Because these iron tools are no longer circulating in Datang, of course, the price cannot be the same as inside. In terms of tax rate, it can be levied once, or even twice, three times...... to five times the price!"

"In this way, it will not affect the internal price of salt and iron. Second, it can also bring an additional and huge financial income to Datang. ”

"Because the iron belt is in a large country and political factors are in it, often in large quantities. Therefore, if we impose a tariff on iron tools, there will only be two situations, the first is that the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates, out of the need for overall strength, still buy in large quantities regardless of the price. We can't stop them, but at least we can get a lot of money out of them to subsidize the empire. ”

"Second, the price is too high. The Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates abandoned the purchase. In this way, although we have lost a large amount of money, we have completely suppressed the import of iron weapons to the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates, and invisibly inhibited their combat effectiveness. - Isn't that what we're for?"

"Moreover, the tariffs are limited to the salt and iron industry, and other industries will not be affected. Therefore, the Holy Emperor did not have to worry about hindering the trade between the East and the West. ”

"Of course, tariffs don't stop at salt and iron, and everything else can be taxed just as well, as long as the tax rate is appropriate. Of course, these are all things that need to be discussed by the imperial court. It's not that grandchildren can solve it by talking about it here alone. ”

In the end, Wang Chong glanced at his eldest uncle.

In the council room, everyone listened attentively. At the beginning, everyone was still unimpressed with what Wang Chong said, but the more they heard it, the brighter everyone's eyes became, and in the end, "Zhao Lao", who originally vetoed Wang Chong, looked at Wang Chong, and his eyes were already full of surprise.

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he couldn't believe it was actually coming out of the mouth of a fifteen-year-old child.

Tariffs, Tariffs...... , a group of old guys only think about the eastern and western Turkic khanates in the north, the threat is getting bigger and bigger, there are more and more iron tools, and the national strength is getting stronger and stronger, so the most direct way is to think about banning iron weapons and closing the trade between the Eastern and Western Turks.

Or just like the eldest grandson of the Nine Princes, "Young Master Li", he fought a battle with the Eastern and Western Turks and severely shocked them. But no one ever thought that such a thing as "tariffs" could be used to castrate the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates and ban their iron imports.

Moreover, as an elder in the politics and logistics of the Tang Empire, he is almost certain that His Majesty will definitely agree.

It didn't even take much thought to it, and the people in the court would quickly pass this resolution. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in particular, will definitely push for this.

"Hahaha, Xue Zique's class of finance ministers can find a few ropes and commit suicide in shame. In vain they think about all kinds of names every day, how to collect taxes from the people, and suck their hard-earned money. But they didn't expect such a good thing as tariffs! Didn't the merchants of Tiaozhi and Dashi always say that they were rich? With so many tax targets, they didn't expect it for so many years!

Zhao Lao patted his thigh and laughed. "This is also what the Holy Emperor means. ”

Uncle Wang Yan was a little helpless and said:

"I have privately heard that the prime minister suggested to His Majesty that Wenchen is too cowardly, and does not have the courage of a general. It is better to appoint those hard-working Hu people, who are brave by nature and are accustomed to fighting, and if they are born in a cold and bitter background, they will not form a party. If Your Majesty is gracious, these people will surely die for it. When His Majesty heard about it, he thought it made sense, so he was already seriously considering it. ”

Everyone looked at each other when they heard this, if this is the case, it involves His Majesty, then it is difficult to say about this matter. Because those who oppose it are tantamount to opposing His Majesty the Holy Emperor.

And this strategy isn't necessarily wrong.

"It is not impossible to change the protection of the capital to the envoy of moderation and raze to raze and raze. Moreover, the Hu people are brave and aggressive, and after so many years in the Tang Dynasty, these attached Hu people have long been integrated into Middle-earth. In the past, there was Qibi He Li during the period of Emperor Taizong, Ashina Sheer, and then there was the stubbornness of this dynasty, Fumeng Lingcha, these are all loyal ministers of the imperial court. If it is used well, as the prime minister said, those Hu generals will definitely be killed. ”

Hu Gong nodded.

As an old minister, you must learn not to resist the Son of Heaven in some things that are not very important, which is the way of being a minister and the way of officialdom.

Although there are some problems with the reuse of Hu people, Hu Gong does not think it is too much of a problem.

"Well, as long as this strategy is executed properly, it can actually be done. ”

"Well, the fact that the six major capital protectors have been in action for nearly a hundred years. It's time for a reform!"

"Set up a temperance envoy, act cheaply, and give priority to defending against foreign enemies. In this way, it can also avoid the back-and-forth of official documents and the delay in timing. It's not entirely without merit. ”

......

The other elders also nodded.

For so many years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been more and more Hu people attached. Like Qi Bi He Li in the Taizong period, he led the army to fight, and he probably killed more Hu people than his clansmen.

Moreover, influenced by the culture of Middle-earth, many Hu people are more and more influenced by the Han people, and even their names are taken by Han names, like Bai Xiaode, if you don't know it, who will know that he is the prince of Qiuzi, and is often summoned by His Majesty to meet in the palace.

Compared to their original ethnic group, these attached Hu people have changed a lot.

Even among the troops in the border areas, there were many Hu people who joined the army, and they fought with the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates, and they were not at all soft.

Therefore, the elders will never have too many prejudices about this.

Moreover, it is a taboo for the past dynasties to fight for the party, and the old Zhou Chang in the previous dynasty was because of the party, and even the old Song King squatted in prison for three months, suffering a lot of flesh and skin.

Everybody knows that.

His Majesty wants to put an end to forming parties for personal gain and reusing the Hu people, which is not unacceptable.

The more Wang Chong listened, the more ugly his face became, and in the end, his face changed.

The people outside are just that, the people in this chamber are all old ministers of the imperial court, and they are extremely prescient in military affairs.

They were able to perceive the threat of the Eastern and Western Turkic Khanates in the north, but none of them were aware of the dangers of the policy of "Jiedu Envoys" and the policy of "reusing the Hu people".

Even these old subordinates of grandpa, let alone the people in the court.

Wang Chong finally knew how the policy in the court was introduced.

"No, it's impossible to ——."

Wang Chong couldn't hold back any longer. If no one in this council hall today can realize the danger of this matter, then no one in the entire imperial court and the whole world will be able to realize it anymore.

When the wood is ready, the overall situation has been decided. At that time, it was too late to say anything!

"If you say too much, you will lose", Wang Chong had already made up his mind and didn't say more. But if this kind of thing is not said, then Wang Chong will not be able to forgive himself in the future.

"Buzz!"

was interjected by Wang Chong, and the entire conference hall suddenly fell silent, and all eyes looked at Wang Chong, who was sitting quietly beside Ye Lao.

"Young Master Chong?!"

The elders in the room looked surprised.

Wang Chong's sudden outburst startled everyone in the room. Even "Ye Lao", who was close at hand, turned his head and looked at Wang Chong in surprise.

Wang Chong gave him a very good impression before, that is, he was polite, insightful, and very respectful to the elders. But his performance at this time was completely unexpected.

After the elders chatted, did not ask him, and had already reached an agreement on the matter of the Jiedu envoy, Wang Zheng suddenly jumped out, which can be said to be extremely reckless and extremely impolite.

"Wang Chong, what are you doing here? In front of the elders, do you have the right to speak? Why don't you sit down for me!"

Wang Gan's face also changed suddenly, and his whole face turned black.

finally left a good impression on the elders, didn't Wang Chong destroy his future?

Above the lobby, the old man didn't speak, but a pair of thick white eyebrows couldn't help but wrinkle. The third son, Wang Yan, gave him a very good impression.

But no matter how good it is, it's better to have a good reason to collide with your elders on such an occasion!

"Hahaha, what are you doing so seriously, Young Master Chong, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

In the end, he was still full of killing aura, and Ye Lao, who was born in the army, opened his mouth and laughed to ease the atmosphere. He still has a good impression of Wang Chong.

Although he was surprised by Wang Chong's abruptness, Ye Tong still deeply believed that this kid must have some reason to do this.

The children of the Nine Princes family don't look like the kind of people who are reckless and impolite!