Luoyang Palace.

Li Chongjiu was looking at the recital presented by Xue Wanshu, and asked Xue Wanshu: "Is the information you got from this recital really detailed and accurate?" ”

Xue Wanshu said to Li Chongjiu very confidently at the moment: "Back to Your Majesty, this news was given by our three grain merchants in Chang'an who were inclined to our army, and Cao Wen of the Wind News Division was also confirmed. ”

Li Chongjiu carefully read the fold again and said: "In this case, this fold is very meaningful to us. ”

Xue Wanshu lowered his head and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, Li Yuan used Jingshi Changping to replenish the army on Li Tang North Road this time, and Changping was already half empty. In addition, judging from the report, this year's poor harvest in Guanzhong is basically certain, and 23 counties in Guanzhong have issued a decree to Zhongshu Province, saying that they cannot pay half of the usual taxes. Li Yuan issued a reprimand, and his recital has been copied by us in detail. ”

"In addition, according to the investigation of the people of the Fengwen Division, because the Tang people did not like to eat wheat, after Li Yuan founded the country, although he vigorously encouraged the people to cultivate and war, he did not vigorously promote wheat among the people like our Da Zhao, so as to obtain the spring and autumn harvests. Most of Li Tang's field planting is still millet, Liang, and wheat are only partial, so this year's Guanzhong is a disaster, and the poor corn harvest has led to a sharp rise in private grain prices. ”

Li Chongjiu knew that corn was still the mainstream planting product at this time, but the disadvantage of corn was that it was not only not cold-tolerant, but also had a low yield. This low yield is compared with wheat, the yield of corn is pitifully low, the people of Guanzhong generally do not grow wheat in ancient times, when Dong Zhongshu in the Western Han Dynasty had persuaded Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to plant wheat extensively, the people of Guanzhong only planted some wheat a little.

However, the people of Guanzhong still like to grow corn. There is no other reason, it is to love to eat. In the eyes of people at the time. Sorghum is the top food, and corn is the middle food. Wheat and other grains are also inferior foods, and they are all called miscellaneous grains. At this point, Li Yuan also expressed a clear distinction between love and hate, and it was written in the Tang Law that the tax was mainly corn, and if the corn was insufficient, it was supplemented by miscellaneous grains.

Historically, wheat was greatly implemented in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, when it was changed to the two-tax law, and the imperial court allowed the collection of wheat as a field tax.

And Zhao Guo is different. Li Chongjiu was one step ahead of the times, and vigorously promoted the planting of spring and winter wheat in Huaihuang and Yuyi two towns, and the local Goguryeo and Khitan military households worked hard to cultivate wheat fields for planting.

And this year, Li Chongjiu is ready to listen to the opinions of Lin Dangfeng and Ji Chuan and encourage Hebei. The people of Shandong used soybean and wheat rotation to farm, and the imperial court was willing to supply wheat seeds to the people at a price of 70% of the market price. As for the newly occupied areas in the Jianghuai and Yangtze River basins. Li Chongjiu's Zhongshu Province is also discussing what kind of preferential methods should be used to promote the local people and carry out double cropping of rice and wheat. And this is also imperative.

On this point, Li Chongjiu and the officials of Zhongshu Province have the same view, and the people regard food as the sky. Although Zhao has Luokou Cang and Liyang Cang. There is an endless supply of military food, but for an agricultural country, farming is always king.

In order to cope with such a not so good year this year, Li Tang is undoubtedly very hard, and Jianghuai's grain and rice cannot be supplied to Guanzhong. The grain in Guanzhong can only be transported from Henan to Guanzhong, which has the effect of a drop in the bucket.

For Guanzhong, which is already short of grain and grass, the output of its own acres is the most important, but the long-term war, the destruction of Yan zhòng in Guanzhong, Li Tang and Chang'an as Kyoto, the population of Guanzhong has risen, and the 800 miles of Qinchuan in the past are far from being able to supply the people of Guanzhong for food, and now the autumn grain harvest has become a foregone conclusion.

In addition, Li Tang is a single economy such as corn and sorghum, relatively speaking, Zhao's harvest this year is also sluggish, Shandong is in a big drought, and Hebei has a little locust plague, but the people are relatively better, because Li Chongjiu exempted Hebei and Shandong from this year's field endowment, and the people only need to feed themselves.

Xue Wan said: "Now there are still two months to collect the autumn grain, but the price of grain in Guanzhong has reached 70 yuan a bucket, and in Chang'an it is even 80 yuan a bucket. And Youjing is only 20 yuan a bucket, even because of last year's war, this year's locusts, drought in Hebei, Shandong, the price of grain is only 30 or 40 yuan a bucket. ”

When Li Chongjiu heard this, he had a rough estimate of the price of grain, when he had just captured Youjing, the price of grain in the north was also very high, and he worked hard to maintain it at fifty yuan a bucket, so that the people did not break out into a great famine, and the people of Youjing starved to death.

And now in Chang'an, Guanzhong has reached eighty or ninety yuan, and the people who suffer the most are the lowest class people, not to mention that Li Tang's taxes are not low, under such pressure, the only way for the people to choose to go into exile is to go all the way.

Li Chongjiu looked at Xue Wan and said, "So what do you mean, do you want to persuade me to order the merchants in Chang'an who are inclined to my Da Zhao to steal grain, and then pile up the grain and grass?" ”

Xue Wanshu nodded and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, Weichen is expected to prepare 500,000 yuan of money for half a year's grain collection, first release the news, saying that this autumn my Da Zhao will have a big war against Li Tang, rumors, grain prices will inevitably continue to rise because of the news of the war, and then we will buy and sweep grain in the autumn harvest period, when the grain price falls, it is expected that after half a year, the grain price in Chang'an can be pushed up to more than 100 yuan a bucket." ”

After hearing this, Li Chongjiu said: "This trick is really vicious, but 500,000 guan, do you think I am very rich?" In this year's war, our Great Zhao treasury is also empty. ”

Xue Wan said: "Your Majesty can use this year's civil debt to pay off, in short, this matter is imperative." ”

Li Chongjiu said with a smile: "This private debt is a loan from the people, it is not my money, but you want to speculate on the price of grain, and we do not profit from it, the loss is not small, this is purely to hurt others, and harm others is not good for yourself, if the money of 500,000 yuan is not paid next year, I will be pointed at immediately." ”

Xue Wanshu lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty's worries will have to wait until at least next year, but I think Li Yuan may not even be able to pass this year, Your Majesty, this is a way to surrender without a fight, the price of food is high, Guanzhong will inevitably be tired, and the people will complain about Li Tang, so Li Yuan's dominance in Guanzhong will inevitably fall, and the people will turn their backs on Li Yuan." If I were Li Yuan, there would be no second choice to relieve such a predicament except to move the capital to Bashu and Jingxiang to take refuge temporarily. ”

Li Chongjiu nodded and said: "But the father and son of the Li family are not incompetent, we fry grain, and they will inevitably find clues." We must find a few more merchants and buy them separately, I am determined that this matter is feasible, and I will hand it over to Lin Dangfeng, and Cao Wen will do it with the three of you, remember to act cautiously. ”

Xue Wanshu saluted and said, "No." ”

PS: It's a bit of a mother's BUG.,The author's backstage hasn't been fucking up.。 (To be continued......)