"The war between China and the Southern Dynasties has been going on for decades, and although there have been victories and defeats in the past few decades, there is nothing to be done about the Southern Dynasties after all. In the past two years, we have won two great victories, but we have also spent more than half of the accumulation of the national treasury. After autumn and winter, the decisive battle between us and the Southern Dynasties will begin, where will this huge military expenditure fall? ”

Everyone, you look at me, I look at you.

These people are good at writing or fighting, and they are plain and talkative, but there are no financial experts. Even the head of the household department who specializes in managing money is gone, and it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice. Everyone knows that in this world, there is nothing more expensive than fighting.

No matter how much a person squanders, no matter how much he eats, drinks, prostitutes, and gambles, there is still a bottom line, only war, like a mud cow entering the sea, how much gold and silver can be hollowed out for you.

Everyone is gossiping and has no idea.

Raise taxes on the people? No, Empress Dowager Feng had her last words before she died, in the past ten years and eight years, you can't expropriate and expropriate, once the conquest and tyranny begin to spread, the death of a dynasty is not far away.

Apportionment to wealthy royal relatives?

That's even worse, no matter how rich you are, it's your own. Who wants to give their money to outsiders? Even if it really can't be used, even if the money is rusty - if the rich are willing to give all the money they can't spend to the poor, there will be no gap between the rich and the poor in this world.

None of these methods worked.

But military spending naturally has to be budgeted, right?

Tuoba Hong looked around, the ministers who were very eloquent before, now none of them spoke.

When he spoke, even his voice was full of laughter, and he didn't ask everyone's opinions, but only turned to an extremely senior Hanchen, who is also the current crown prince and prince: "I think everyone has seen your recitals, so what does the prince think?" ”

Taifu stood up and was unhurried: "Back to Your Majesty, the minister has already read all the twists and turns." Your Majesty has worked hard to govern the country and practiced frugality, and now for the sake of the military expenses of the southern expedition, he has started from the harem, instead of apportioning it to the people, which is a wise move that has never been seen in the past......"

That's a great deal.

Because the core of the argument has shifted.

Disbanding the harem, the ministers want to protect the interests of the big family, but Taifu's words have led the focus of the debate to whether to "thrift from the royal family" or to loot the people in order to raise military spending?

Before the other Xianbei reckless men could react, the King of Xianyang immediately secretly screamed that it was not good.

King Dongyang shouted first: "Taifu, what are you talking about?" Our northern treasury is full, the money and food are sufficient, the royal family should naturally have the royal style and the majesty of the Son of Heaven, even if it is thrifty, it should be the thrift of the subjects, how can you let Your Majesty be thrifty? ”

King Xianyang breathed a sigh of relief, this was exactly what he wanted to refute in his heart.

Tuoba Hong smiled but did not answer, his eyes turned to Taifu, and Taifu arched his hand: "The prince's words are wrong. War is the most costly cost of a country's human and material resources. In the past 20 years, the northern country has indeed gathered a lot of wealth and treasures from all directions, but after years of war, the loss is also very large. In order to provide sufficient military spending, they have to continue to apportionment to the people, are they willing? There are many redundant people in the harem, and it costs a lot of money, not to mention others, just the firewood, rice, oil and salt every month is an extremely huge expense, and the fat powder money of the concubines and palace maids is tens of thousands of silver. If this huge expense can be saved, how much less will it have to be apportioned to the people? ”

King Dongyang was furious: "Taifu, what are these words?" Could it be that for the sake of a few small bucks, you have to lose the royal heavenly might? Could it be that His Majesty is as shabby as ordinary people? What is this like? Where is the majesty of a great power? ”

The Xianbei ministers hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, our northern country is not very poor, how can we let Your Majesty cut back on food and clothing?" ”

"The Son of Heaven is magnificent, royal majesty, how can you make up your mind on this?"

"Do you make the palace look like a slum?"

……

Everyone was gossiping, but Taifu was not in a hurry, and waited for everyone to be a little quieter before waving his hand and continuing: "Everyone, don't be impatient, I don't mean to let Your Majesty cut back on food and clothing. Appropriately reducing redundancy does not necessarily mean that it must be shabby, but it is just not necessary to be poor and extravagant. Back then, the king of Shang built Lutai, poured out all the world's treasures, and established the wine pond meat forest, but he died quickly. And our predecessor, Shi Hu of Later Zhao, in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, didn't the government treasury be sufficient? However, he raised hundreds of thousands of palace maids in his harem, and the silk silk he wore alone cost two million dollars a month. A good country has been squandered like this......"

The king of Shang is a little far away, but everyone knows very well that the absurdity of this rare tyrant in the world is also a handful.

"After the fall of Zhao, a lesson from the past. In the past 20 years, we have pursued a policy of rest with the people. Suddenly, they were about to open their mouths and give them a big apportionment, and they said, "What should I do?" Let them sell their sons and daughters? Took their land? ”

Everyone looked at each other.

King Dongyang was indignant: "However, this can't be a reason to cut the harem." ”

"Your Majesty's meaning is very clear, not to cut the harem, but to reduce the excessive expenses of the harem."

Tuoba Hong stood up, looked around, and said slowly, "Do you have any other way?" ”

King Xianyang was about to speak, but the crown prince spoke first: "It's not that there is no way. However, there is a little sacrifice that needs to be made by all of you...... Of course, the old minister is not talking in vain, the old minister has exactly a thousand taels of silver at home, which is useless for the time being, so he can hand it all over to the national treasury......"

Everyone can hear it even if they are idiots.

Okay, if Your Majesty doesn't cut the harem, it's okay - you can take out the money.

The crown prince is a famous cold family, he is not corrupt and not a woman, the family has no money to spare over the years, and the thousand taels of silver he said have been all his savings for so many years. It is inconceivable for a high-ranking official in an official residence, but because Taifu is extremely famous and everyone is familiar with his situation, it is already very surprising that he can come up with a thousand silver.

Such a poor old official took a thousand silver, all the princes and heroes here have a lot of fiefs, a lot of rewards, a small treasury, and people have taken out all the family property, it is not a problem for you to wait for 180,000 silver, right?

His face turned white to the emperor.

Pale.

What could be more painful in this world than being apportioned such a large sum of money? You know, the landlord's family also has no surplus grain.

What about the princes' more money? People have to support countless princesses, countless side concubines, countless children, relatives, and servants...... There are also a lot of pomp and circumstance, as well as countless eating, drinking, prostitution and gambling......

How can you get it if you continue to be apportioned like this?

The crowd stopped squeaking.

Even if Your Majesty doesn't want to maintain his magnificence, the princes still have to enjoy it.

When King Xianyang saw that these guys were silent one by one, he immediately became angry. He took the lead and said loudly: "Since Lord Taifu does not hesitate to devote his family to the country, we royal relatives naturally cannot be left behind, and I agree to donate 100,000 silver." ”

It stands to reason that King Xianyang took the lead in raising his arms and shouted, and everyone else should be gathered.

But no.

Even the King of Dongyang, who was the first to attack, dodged and dodged, his eyes were confused.

It's real money that comes out, who has to get along with money at this time? And it's not ten or eight taels, but one hundred and eighty thousand.

If the king of Xianyang is not distressed, everyone is not distressed?

King Xianyang's gaze turned to King Dongyang, staring at him fiercely, and he was almost about to shout loudly: "You fools, hurry up and agree first...... As long as you agree, if you can't come up with the money, Your Majesty won't really kill you......"

That's true, Tuoba Hong means of course to coerce these people, they don't take money, and they can't really kill them all.

If others don't understand, don't he Xianyang King understand? When he moved the capital to Luoyang, he had learned the emperor's brother's trick, and now, the old trick is repeated, but no one can see through it?

However, at this critical moment, how could these warriors comprehend the painstaking efforts of King Xianyang? It is important to only cover the wallet tightly, and besides, there is no joke in front of the emperor, if the Son of Heaven really investigates it, how dare everyone talk empty words and write blank checks to the emperor??

Dongyang Wang's face was flushed, and he didn't dare to look at him directly, and said, "My family...... Alas, everyone knows that Dongyang Wang's house is full of flowers, and it is really the sons who are not angry, eating, drinking, prostituting and gambling one by one...... The palace is just an empty shelf......"

The king of Dongyang had almost forty sons, and the forty sons had almost hundreds of wives and concubines in total...... Son begets grandson, and grandson begets son...... Children and grandchildren will collapse endlessly...... Such a huge family, and it is not good at management, if it weren't for the thick family background of the old Dongyang King, he would not be able to withstand it now.

As soon as everyone saw that the king of Dongyang didn't take any money, they didn't speak anymore, and let the eyes of the king of Xianyang turn around on everyone's faces like sharp blades, and everyone just didn't make a sound, looking down at their toes.

Tuoba Hong laughed: "That's it, that's it, since everyone has a hard time, it's better for me to set an example and be thrifty." ”

No one objected again.

There is no confidence either.

The Emperor laughed and walked away.

King Xianyang was so angry that his face turned pale, and he only glared at the old red-faced King Dongyang hatefully, and only hated these short-sighted guys, who were really inadequate and consultant.

He stomped his feet, and even the king of Dongyang muttered and wanted to come up and talk to him, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

When I ran out, I felt that there was no place to vent my anger, and I only hated that I had been working hard for so many years, and now I could only watch that woman was a reasonable and legal family - and I couldn't even blame her for the guilt.

The cunning Emperor initially proposed that the resolution to depose the harem was only within a small scope, not an edict to the world. As soon as he realized that this road was not going to work, the backlash would be greater, and he immediately put away his remarks.