"Let's put this matter aside for now." There was some dissatisfaction in Hao Jing's tone: "But what Yichang said to the Great Khan does not seem to be in line with the principle of benevolent government. Less than three years after the country pacified the Jin Kingdom, all parts of the country were devastated, and the people needed a long period of rest and recuperation. Not to mention other places, more than a million people were killed near the Great Liang of the Jin Kingdom, and more than 400,000 prisoners were captured. The entire land of Henan is now vast and sparsely populated, and it is necessary to recruit displaced people, reclaim wasteland, and re-manage the fields. At this time, the Great Khan was instigated to issue and pay money, plant mulberry and raise silkworms, and burn kilns to make porcelain, wouldn't it be so that the people would not have a chance to rest for a moment? ”

Song Yichang glanced at him meaningfully and said, "I am not the only one who the Great Khan saw today. After meeting me, he also met with the Wu'er merchant Odul Rahman from the Western Regions, and you were also at the scene, so you must know what the Great Khan of the Dao Dao met with Odula Rahman for. ”

Hao Jingdeng was colored, and shouted: "What other good things can be? They raised the amount of the world's tax from 1,100,000 taels of silver to 2,200,000 taels of silver, just to buy the world's taxing authority. ”

The Mongols were strong in the early days of the desert, but in other respects they seemed to have just come out of their infant state. They do not yet have a clear concept of private property, so they naturally do not have a deep understanding of the complex tax system in the Central Plains. It is precisely because of this that some ministers proposed that the Han people were useless and that all the Han people in the Central Plains should be driven out and the Central Plains should be used as grasslands.

Because of this, when a Han merchant proposed the concept of buying the world to collect taxes, Wokotai was very happy. Outsourcing the collection of taxes entirely to the merchants, and collecting the money themselves. This is in line with the approach that the Mongols have always used. It is important to know that the Mongols were not good at business, and the caravans they sent to various countries were composed of barbarians and Vultures.

At the beginning, the merchants of the Han and Khitan proposed to buy the world's taxes at a price of 1.4 million taels of silver, and later Yelu Chucai argued hard in the court, saying that at this time, the war was still raging, and it was tantamount to self-defeating to use such a heavy tax on the heads of the people. Later, it was finally approved at 1.1 million taels.

As soon as the merchant from the Western Regions who met the Great Khan this time, Odulaheman, opened his mouth, he doubled the price of the purchase. This surprised the Great Khan of Ögedei. You must know that Lu Dao was just discussing with Song Yichang, a scholar from the Han Dynasty, how to make up for the shortfall of the Great Khan by paying money. In the blink of an eye, merchants from the Western Regions were able to double the taxes from the Central Plains, which was not a waste of the wealth that had fallen from the world for the Mongol Great Khan.

"What is there to celebrate," Hao Jing said hatefully, "this money will eventually come out to the people." I went and asked Na Odullah what kind of magic he had to do to increase his taxes, and you know what he said? ”

"The so-called increase in taxes is nothing more than eight words, cleverly setting up a name, and cleverly grabbing it." Song Yichang said decisively.

"That's right! Listening to Odulaheman's words, he is going to open a kind of birth tax on the head of the poll tax, not only men, but even newborn dolls, old and young men and women, as long as they can be angry, they all pay the tax. In addition to the ferry port Zhoujin, do not collect taxes and road taxes, and collect city gate taxes, exit taxes, pond taxes, and mountain taxes, and all the places that can be thought of are taxed. Hao Jing said indignantly: "The world is harsh, is there anything more powerful than this?" ”

"But the Great Khan was pleased." Song Yichang said mercilessly: "The Great Khan will not listen to any advice that advises him to take it lightly. Unless it is an important minister like Yelu Chucai who was trusted by the previous Great Khan. If a person like you, Mr. Hao, proposes to reduce taxes, he may be executed on the spot by the order of the Great Khan. For a young man like me who is facing a saint for the first time, it is even more insignificant. ”

"So you have clever words, coaxing the Great Khan to produce porcelain, tea and other luxury utensils, completely ignoring the lives of the people!" Hao Jing said: "What kind of saint disciple is this! ”

"Sir, think I'm adding a burden to the people?" Song Yichang sneered: "Nine times out of ten, the great Confucianism of the Humane North is not worthy of the name, and it seems that it is really not bad today!" No matter what, these things are always in need of kings and nobles. If it can't be produced for the local people, one can only go south to the Southern Dynasty to loot, and the other is to do business with the Southern Dynasty to buy. The Southern Dynasty has a century-old foundation, and the strategy is not overnight, and the soldiers are lost, and the people in the north have to supply military supplies, thousands of miles of transit, and the dead are endless on the roadside. If you want to do business with the Southern Dynasty, as I said in the court, you will only fall into the trap of the Southern Dynasty. ”

"As long as the products of the north are enriched by careful cultivation for several years, not only the government and the people, but also the trade between the south and the DPRK, there will be no longer any place for the two countries to maintain long-term peace and attack the south with all their might. However, Song Yichang's laughter suddenly became a little sinister: "At that time, it will not be the turn of Ogedai and his sons to enjoy the fruits." ”

Hao Jing pondered for a while, Song Yichang's statement was nothing more than the meaning of enduring and working hard for several years, and then trying to make a long-term plan. It wasn't that he didn't understand, but the Northern Ten Roads had just been peaceful. Especially the most elite Henan land, which has just spent several years of the most difficult time under the slaughter of the Mongol army, at this time let them re-burden all kinds of conscription, can they really bear it?

"Say these things to King Kublai Khan yourself tomorrow." Hao Jing said: "Tomorrow, the king will personally send the king of Hulegu to the west to reinforce the expeditionary force in Batu, you must explain to him carefully, after all, we and other monarchs and ministers should not leave a barrier, only with one heart can we achieve the great cause of eternity." ”

Song Yichang replied and said, "Tomorrow I will have a good talk with King Kublai Khan, and I will leave after the talk." ”

Hao Jing was stunned again: "Where is Mr. going again?" ”

"I'm going to go to Huizhou with the army." Song Yichang said: "Every time the southern expedition will kill Confucian students from all over the country indiscriminately, this time I will personally go to Huizhou to try to take out a few scholars from the tiger's mouth for Mr. Hao." ”

Hao Jing suddenly realized, and said: "This is a serious matter, the military horse of the king, I have entrusted Yao Shu to collect scholars with the army, and I am worried that there is no one in the army on the West Road, if Mr. can go on this trip on my behalf, it would be best to go." ”

Song Yichang said with a smile: "Don't be happy too early, I heard from the sergeants from Fengxiang that the guard of Huizhou, Guo Shrimp Toad, is very brave, maybe I will also break my life in Huizhou City this time." ”

Hao Jing snorted: "That Guo shrimp toad is already a dry bone in the mound, but he is only surviving on the strength of the city of Huizhou, and when the army goes again this time, he will definitely be able to capture him alive and sacrifice it to the Great Khan." ”

"If that's the case, it's always better." Song Yichang walked to the window and pushed open the carved window, the moon was as clear as water on the vast grassland, and the moonlight shining on Mobei was also shining on the distant Jinghu Lake at this moment. Can Bai Yijie's entrustment be successfully achieved?

Zheng Yunming woke up from his dream.

The Xiangyang City in the dream was full of holes, his side was full of bloody corpses of the back guards, Bai Yijie's blood-stained feather fan was thrown on the ground, and people no longer knew where the road had gone. There were very few defenders who could stand on the city wall, and the Mongol army under the city was all black-clothed and black-armored, slowly pressing towards Xiangyang like Mount Tai.

He tried to give the order loudly, but was surprised to find himself screaming. The cold wind with the smell of blood blew across his face, making him barely able to open his eyes.

In confusion, I saw Qin Wu standing on the head of the city and gesturing with a spear, shouting, "Fire!" Fire them all! Get all the tartars back to me! ”

Can't fire! It's too far away! Zheng Yunming struggled to speak, but he couldn't hear half of the words he uttered. In the silence, the defenders struggled to push the last few wooden cannons in front of the pheasant.

The loud roar and black smoke made his eyes go black.

Zheng Yunming, who woke up, was covered with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and he turned sideways in shock, and what caught his eye was Lai Ruyue's hibiscus-like sleeping face.

She hid under the silk brocade quilt quietly like a dream, her long eyelashes jumping, and the sound of her gentle breathing was sweet and pleasant. The lotus root-like jade arm was still hanging in front of Zheng Yunming's chest, his plump chest fell with his breathing, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he was immersed in sweetness and happiness.

Although he has not yet entered the main room, after all, Zheng Yunming is also a family man.

He looked at the beautiful woman beside him, and couldn't help but show a gentle smile on his face. The good night is short, and no one wants to get up early at this time. Even a scholar who has diligently cultivated the way of a saint since childhood, when he encounters Gentle Township, he is as difficult to resist as a mortal.

Zheng Yunming suddenly heard a familiar sound from the courtyard. It was a crisp string sound. Han Feng was standing in the middle of the courtyard, his arrow sleeves tied to his scarf, and he shot arrow after arrow towards the target one hundred and fifty steps away.

Before Han Feng left his hometown, he only received a little instruction from his father about bows and arrows. Although he was born with divine powers, he actually almost didn't know how to use a bow and arrow before he met Zheng Yunming. Fortunately, he knows the decisive role of the bow and arrow in contemporary warfare, and since he followed Zheng Yunming, he has been practicing his archery skills diligently. And Qin Wu, Lu Xunzhi and Peng Man and other famous archers in the army also taught them. But undoubtedly, the most profound influence on his archery skills was Lai Ruyue, or rather, Zheng Lai's archery.

Han Feng raised his hand slightly, Zheng Yunming barely saw his movements, and an armor-piercing arrow swooped out from the spine of the bow and hit the bull's-eye.

Lai Ruyue's archery generals in the French army are different, its biggest feature is that the action of archery is particularly fast, its speed is incoherent, almost making archery like a bead, I saw Han Feng fast like lightning, drawing arrows, taking bows, pulling strings, archery actions in one go, he as a man, of course, can not rely on Ruyue's agile skills, but also arrows, the first arrow just hit the bull's-eye, the second arrow followed and shot the first arrow.