Zhu Gaochi is still unable to change the tax law, but he can use his own methods and his own practical actions to gradually influence the ideas of Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi, and gradually realize the reform of the tax law.

Some things can be done but not said, but some things must be said when they are done.

So in the face of Geng Zhong's inquiry, he said generously:

"My father saw that my Lantian had just started construction, and he asked for money everywhere, so as long as he paid 20% of the commercial tax, he was exempted from the land tax for three years in Lantian by the way."

"Twenty percent? Twenty percent is not ...... How much is 20 percent? You don't have to be young or old, right? ”

Geng Zhong wanted to say that twenty percent was not much at first, but thinking about Zhu Gaoxuan's million cattle and sheep, he immediately realized that twenty percent was a lot, and hurriedly asked.

"My father gave me a discount, and this year it will only cost 300,000 taels of silver."

"Hiss ~ 300,000 taels!"

Geng Zhong couldn't help but exclaim, the money he spent on the construction of the Great Wall in Liangzhou Mansion every year was less than 300,000 taels!

Is this still discounted?

By the way, King Liang doesn't seem to have any money, and it is even rumored that King Liang still owes the Shen family a lot of money!

The grain that King Liang bought from the Shen family was all on credit.

Thinking of this, Geng Zhong didn't want to ask for Zhu Gaoxuan's cement and red bricks for nothing, but he still wanted to ask about the price.

"Your Highness, I don't know what the price of this red brick is? What is the price of cement? ”

Hearing Geng Zhong ask the price, Zhu Gaoxuan's eyes lit up and said: "According to the price of lime, the cement will charge eighty percent of your market price;

Red bricks are divided into three grades, only the best red bricks can be used to build the Great Wall, the market price is one penny each, and you are also charged eighty percent of the price. ”

"Your Highness, where are the brown bricks? Brown bricks don't sell? ”

Geng Zhong is more interested in brown bricks, but he has heard that brown bricks are stronger than bluestone, but only 30% of the weight of bluestone, this is the best brick to build the Great Wall.

"You can sell it, but it's expensive, and I won't cheat you, so I'll pay eighty percent of the price of bluestone stone bars."

"This, it's indeed a bit expensive, it costs six wen a brown brick, and the lower officials have to play Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will decide."

Geng Zhong felt very conscientious about Zhu Gaoxuan's offer, but he didn't dare to decide on his own, after all, there were too many bricks needed to build the Great Wall.

"This king can make you ......"

"Not good! Enemy attack! ”

Zhu Gaoxuan was just about to say that he could make Geng Zhong owe, but he heard Geng Zhong exclaim in surprise, and pointed to the northwest with a serious face.

I saw a blue and black wolf smoke rising up from the sky!

"Are the Northern Yuan Tartars still here?"

Zhu Gaoxuan also stood up straight, staring in the direction of wolf smoke.

One ~ two ~ three ways, the wolf smoke continued to ignite and keep approaching.

"Commander Geng, prepare for war!"

"No, don't rush yet, there don't seem to be many enemies."

Geng Zhong's face was solemn, but he did not immediately order troops or prepare for battle, but stared at the wolf smoke.

There is a set of special rules for the wolf smoke transmission, the length, thickness, and even the color are exquisite, Zhu Gaoxuan can't understand it, but Geng Zhong can understand it.

Zhu Gaoxuan watched the seven wolf smoke appear in the air, and no new wolf smoke rose, first for a while, and then for a sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, it was a small group of cavalry rushing, the number was about 500, but it was close to the Helan Pass and withdrew."

"This is trying to trick us out of the location of our beacon, right?"

Zhu Gaoxuan didn't understand the beacon fire, but he understood the intentions of those Northern Yuan Tartars.

"More than that! They are trying to paralyze our vigilance.

Your Highness, we're going to get busy. ”

Geng Zhong said solemnly, and trotted forward, and Zhu Gaoxuan nodded and ran along.

Back at the Liangzhou Mansion Office, the main officials and generals of the Liangzhou Mansion had already arrived, and Geng Zhong did not talk nonsense, and began to arrange the defense first.

The first is to send twice as many people into the beacon tower, holding that there will be people watching all day and night;

Send scouts to find the enemy's main force and detect the enemy's strength;

Soldiers go up to the Great Wall, ready to dispatch to meet the enemy at any time;

The people also organized and prepared to take care of the logistics.

"His Royal Highness King Liang, is this arrangement good? Do you have any other commands? ”

After giving the order, Geng Zhong still asked Zhu Gaoxuan, after all, in name, Zhu Gaoxuan, the King of Liang, could be regarded as his boss.

"Geng's commander envoy's arrangement is that this king is only on the battlefield for the first time, and he doesn't understand anything, and everything is subject to Geng's command's orders.

In addition, the two generals, Lan Qiang and Cao Xing, also ask you to join the defense of Liangzhou Mansion this time. ”

"Yes! He also asked Commander Geng to give an order. ”

Lan Qiang and Cao Xing clenched their fists and bowed their hands, Geng Zhong naturally would not refuse the help of two capable generals.

Just as the order was given from their side, wolf smoke rose in the distance, but this time the position was different from before.

"Impossible! In this snowy weather, how could the Northern Yuan Tartars send 50,000 troops, all of whom were cavalry? ”

From noon to sunset, there are as many as 20 wolf smoke warnings, although each time it is not an official attack, but the warning time is getting longer and longer, and the number of enemies warned is increasing!

In the end, Geng Zhongdu was incredulous.

"I also think it's impossible, the biggest possibility is that the Northern Yuan Tartars used the method of ecstasy, using a small number of cavalry to create a big movement, so that our soldiers mistakenly thought that there were many enemies."

"Indeed, this should be a plan to reduce troops and increase the number of foci, as long as you find the enemy's main force, it is good to fight directly when the time comes."

Cao Xing and Lan Qiang also did not think that the Northern Yuan people could transfer 50,000 troops to attack.

You must know that the heavy snow has only stopped for eight days now, and the cold weather makes it difficult for the snow to melt, even if the soldiers of the Northern Yuan Dynasty work hard to transport the sand and turn the snow, it is impossible for the large cavalry to go south so quickly.

Zhu Gaoxuan didn't speak, he is still a pure novice in the military, even if a few people have opinions on the issue, he will shirk it.

He didn't dare to do anything like a layman instructing an insider.

"General Lan, General Cao troubles the two of you to go to the front line to see the true number of Northern Yuan Tartars."

"No problem, but please give us a set of armor and weapons."

"No problem, Wen Cong, you take the two generals to the armor."

Lan Qiang and Cao Xing did not refuse Geng Zhong's assignment, and quickly put on their armor and rode off on the war horse of Liangzhou Mansion.

Both of them are people who have been in battle for a long time, and after passing through the [First Line of Heaven] mountain road, they immediately separated left and right, and rushed to different beacon towers, each of them with 20 neatly draped soldiers of the Liangwang Mansion.

Just with Geng Zhong's reminder, the two of them successfully entered the beacon tower before dark.

"This general, please bear with me if the conditions are poor, it will be a little cold at night."

Lan Qiang was greeted by a small flag Zuo Lun, who was quite the responsibility of the captain, and when he saw the armor on Lan Qiang's body, he apologized very respectfully.

"It's okay, I'm here to find out the enemy's situation, not to enjoy it, just follow your usual behavior."

"Hey~ Thank you for your understanding, you drink water."

"Hmm~ Tell me how you judge the number of the enemy's men?"