"In October of the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan, Guanzhong opened peace and announced to Yangzhou that 3.5 million horses of silk silk were exchanged for grain.

In November of the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan, the Huaqing Palace was expanded, and 500,000 silk silks were claimed to Yangzhou Mansion.

At the end of December of the 27th year of Kaiyuan, Longyou used troops against Tubo and announced to Yangzhou that he would reward the three armies with 1 million horses of silk silk.

At the beginning of January of the first year of Tianbao, Tubo invaded, and the northwest army demanded 1 million horses of silk silk to the Yangzhou government to reward the three armies.

At the end of January of the first year of Tianbao, the inner treasury was enriched for the use of the palace, and 500,000 silk silks were declared to the Yangzhou government.

At the end of February of the first year of Tianbao, the sage went out to patrol Lingzhou and rewarded the Tiele tribes, and announced to Yangzhou Mansion that he had 2 million silk horses.

……”

In front of Zheng Shuqing, the assassin of Yangzhou, there was a summary of the imperial court decree, nothing else, just asking for money.

He sat blankly stared, not thinking about how much money the court asked for last year.

The so-called "silk silk" here is actually a converted price, not that Yangzhou must provide so many silk silks.

The things that Yangzhou wants to send to Guanzhong are far more than silk silk that can be used directly as currency.

Rather, it includes a large number of handicraft products, including clothing, clothing, hats, gold, silver and bronze, weapons, lacquerware, jade, paper, and so on.

For example, Yangzhou felt hats, about 3,000 wen each, sell well in Chang'an, and officials generally buy them; Another example is the Yangzhou bronze mirror, a must-have for the women of the eunuch's house. It will be sold locally for 5,000 wen, let alone transported to Chang'an to be sold.

The silk of Yangzhou is also not simple, some people record to describe it: "thin cicada wings, ashamed of the feathers, but diastolic is frozen snow, stacked and the rest of the glow." ”

Because of the climate, Jiangnan is particularly suitable for silkworm breeding, and has natural advantages in silk fabrics.

The old Tang Dynasty book said that Yangzhou is "between the Jianghuai River, the big town of Guangling, and the rich world". As far as affluence is concerned, it is a first-class arrogance.

However, the poor have the hardships of the poor, and the troubles of the rich.

Because Yangzhou is so wealthy, in the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou has always been the preferred designated place for every emperor to "declare claims".

The so-called proclamation is that the emperor issued an order to ask for goods and special products from the locality. These are all additional tax burdens, and as for the rent adjustment on weekdays, it is not less at all.

Zheng Shuqing served as the assassin of Yangzhou, mainly for this. The center of the imperial court did not expect him to govern the place, in fact, Yangzhou is a place where merchants gather, and it is located in the hub of the south of the canal, so there is no need to toss at all, and the local customs and customs are very different from Chang'an.

If ordinary officials did not have the policy of the imperial court, it would be difficult to make a difference in Yangzhou.

Whenever Datang has a big event to use money, it will think of Yangzhou Mansion for the first time. Only when it is not suitable for Yangzhou to continue to "declare" will other places be considered.

Because of this, even if the business tax of Yangzhou Mansion is very small on the surface, and the cost of "entering the port" is not high, the local people will still try their best to exploit merchants and people to support the country.

No one should be less than the money that should be paid!

The reason is such a truth, but Zheng Shuqing doesn't understand that the court's recent "request" is too much! Someone couldn't have done it on purpose, right?

Zheng Shuqing, who is accustomed to the thinking of Diao people harming me, couldn't help but muttered in his heart.

This series of requests can be said to have emptied the treasury of Yangzhou Mansion that has accumulated for many years. What weapons, bronze mirrors, paper, all these things were loaded onto the cargo ship.

It is not okay not to give the silk silk needed for peace, and the saint cannot be allowed to starve in Chang'an.

The expansion of Huaqing Palace, that is also not possible, can not let the saint have no place to bathe in the hot springs.

Enrich the inner library, or not give it.

No matter how poor you are, you can't be poor in the inner garden, and no matter how bitter you are, you can't be a bitter saint. If the saint has no money, how embarrassing it would be for such a thing to spread.

When the saint went out to patrol Lingzhou, half of the urgent silk silk had already been given, and the remaining half was probably given to those grassland barbarians.

Let's take it slowly.

As for the border army, it's not one or two times in arrears of spring and winter clothes anyway, so let's owe it first.

Zheng Shuqing in front of the table was thinking in his heart, and couldn't help but stretch his waist, and he didn't know who to talk to.

I thought it was good or bad to come to Yangzhou Mansion, but I didn't enjoy the flower world here, but I desperately made money for the saint and tired people half to death.

And things haven't been put in order!

The imperial court uses money like rivers and seas, while local governments raise money like baht. If you use more, you will earn less, and you can't stand it with iron.

The food of the border army is basically solved by the locality, but the military salary is distributed in the form of "spring clothes" and "winter clothes", and silk silk or copper coins are rarely given directly.

The hematopoietic capacity of the border town is insufficient, where is there so much silk silk to distribute? It can only rely on the continuous input of the Central Plains.

And the so-called "spring clothes" and "winter clothes" are not all military uniforms, or even finished clothes. In many cases, some semi-finished fabrics are sent and directly given to the tailor to make clothes. And the "winter coat set" is a military salary, which includes not only clothes, but also shoes and hats.

There is no guarantee that it is brand new, and the old clothes are calculated at the price of depreciation, which is self-contained.

If you want to pay military salaries, then you must provide special goods, especially the silk silk, brocade and other things that are more popular in Yangzhou Prefecture. These are indeed more difficult to do, because although there are many large-scale textile workshops in Yangzhou Mansion, they have always been continuously demanded by the imperial court, and there is not much stock in the treasury.

It is true that these workshops belong to the state, but many of the weavers in them come to serve in color labor for the purpose of "learning technology", and the personnel mobility is extremely high! The production efficiency is not high.

The imperial court does not pay wages, and the enthusiasm of these people is not high, and many times they change a group of people in one or two years.

And the scale of the folk workshops is getting bigger and bigger, but Zheng Shuqing can't lead troops to rob other people's warehouses! In addition to collecting "market tax", it is still necessary to use other things to trade in the private sector, and at most to reduce prices.

Commodities are the crystallization of labor, which means that whether it is silk silk, bronze mirror, or paper, they all need labor to create, and they cannot be conjured out of thin air!

"Alas!"

Zheng Shuqing sighed, he was waiting for the official document of the imperial court to liquidate himself, and then he could get out of the sea of suffering.

As for the military salary that can't be raised, hehe, whoever has the ability can do it, anyway, he is already lying flat and rotten.

Zheng Shuqing has already felt Li Longji's style of doing things, as long as anyone puts his private affairs before official affairs, then even if he is punished afterwards, he will definitely not be beaten to death with a stick. In the past few months, although the imperial court asked for a lot of money, it could not be completed at all.

But Zheng Shuqing has always been "anxious about Brother Ji's urgency", and Brother Ji's affairs are the first! State affairs are ranked second, you can do what you can, and you can only put it if you can't do it.

"Envoy Zheng, the imperial court has sent an envoy."

An adjutant of Zheng Shuqing said cautiously. In the study of the government office, it was so quiet that the tip of the needle could be heard.

"It's still here."

Zheng Shuqing nodded slightly, the imperial court urged for military spending twice, and Yangzhou Mansion only gave less than one-tenth. It is normal for the center to order to clean up itself, if you "don't clean up", it will be the old and new accounts in the future!

The consequences were not something he could bear!

Zheng Shuqing came to the lobby of the government office respectfully, and saw Niu Xiantong, who was often sent out to various places to announce the decree, was holding his head high and looking at the beam of the house with an arrogant face.

Zheng Shuqing's heart sank, as long as he looked at Niu Xiantong's appearance, he could guess the content of this holy decree.

It's certainly not a promotion.

"Zheng Yuanjun, take the order."

Niu Xiantong said coldly, holding the holy decree in one hand and handing it over, but he didn't let go!

How can you answer the order when I step on a horse like this?

Seeing this scene, Zheng Shuqing was stunned at first, and then suddenly realized.

Since ancient times, my father-in-law has been so prestigious, this one probably thinks that he can't get by without collecting money, right?

Zheng Shuqing secretly wondered in his heart, should this money be given or not?

He has a solid family background and has been an official for many years. Paying to send a dead eunuch is not a problem at all, just like sprinkling water.

It's just that a lot of money can be given, and a lot of money can't be given. It's a matter of attitude.

In order to exonerate himself, Zheng Shuqing plans to go back to Chang'an in the future and cry for himself!

If you "reward" the eunuch sent by the palace to deliver the decree, what will Brother Ji think if he finds out?

Will he think that he Zheng is having a lot of fun in the fancy world of Yangzhou, and a little leakage between his fingernails is a mountain of gold and silver? So don't be stingy with rewarding eunuchs?

Thinking of this, Zheng Shuqing changed his face, and scolded Niu Xiantong with righteous words: "Bold servant!" Dare to ask for a bribe from Thorn Shi! When this official returns to Chang'an, he will definitely want to join you! ”

Hearing this, Niu Xiantong was stunned for a while, and didn't understand why Zheng Shuqing said this.

I heard that this person is not a clean and honest person! What kind of big-tailed wolf are you pretending to be here!

"I don't know what to do, you just wait for Lingnan!"

Niu Xiantong stuffed the holy decree into Zheng Shuqing's arms, turned around and left!

After he left for a long time, the adjutant beside Zheng Shuqing asked in a low voice: "Envoy, this eunuch is the most narrow-minded, what if he goes back and says bad things about the saint." ”

This kind of trivial thing still needs to be reminded of your useless dog thing?

Zheng Shuqing remembered Fang Chongyong, who was resourceful and capable of what others could not. When that guy comes up with ideas around him, it's just amazing.

As a result, Xiao Fang is not here now, and these wingmen around him do ordinary chores well, but they are completely useless when they encounter major events.

I'm not afraid of not knowing the goods, I'm afraid of comparing goods. Fang Chongyong is a big ghost, and the bad ideas in his stomach are a set, and these ordinary staff members really can't compare.

"Okay, okay, this official knows, you all step down."

Zheng Shuqing waved his hand impatiently, and his heart was full of greasy.

If it is just a transfer, then you can get it in the form of an official letter appointment by going to the official document system of the post station, and there is no need for the eunuchs in the palace to make a special trip. On the other hand, if it is someone from the palace, then this order is very likely to be the meaning of the saint, bypassing Li Linfu.

It is approximately equivalent to "get on the bus first, pay the ticket later".

Zheng Shuqing opened the silk silk with a strange face, and immediately saw the order that puzzled him.

"I returned to Beijing to report on my work and waited for the election of officials. In addition, the treasury account books were handed over to Yang Zhao personally. ”

Zheng Shuqing said to himself.

The name Yang Zhao is very unfamiliar, and he didn't say what official position this person had before.

If this person is very important, then it is impossible that he has not heard of this old fritter in officialdom before.

If this person is not important, then there is no need to stress about letting his predecessor, the assassin, personally hand over the account books. Just follow the path of officialdom in the past.

The order of the saint is a bit incomprehensible.

"It's good to wait for Yang Zhao to come."

Zheng Shuqing shook his head helplessly.

The ups and downs of the sea are often involuntarily. On the surface, it looks beautiful, but in fact, the various risks behind it are really difficult to explain, and it is impossible to deal with them carefully.

If you really want to talk about it, being an official is a very annoying thing.

However, he must be this official! You can't take a step back!

Zheng Shuqing's family is in Xingyang, has a lot of land, and has also opened a port, along the bank of the canal There are many shops, which can be described as a huge amount of money. These interests need to be escorted by the children of the Zheng family in the officialdom. Otherwise, within ten years, everything they have will be eaten by the new magnates to the point that there will be no bones left!

This is a story of either advance or retreat, and the person in question has no choice.

Although Zheng Shuqing has "a clean breeze on his sleeves", he is extravagant and arrogant in life, and he never worries about using money.

Because the money was paid for by the family, he did not need to reach out to the public funds of the imperial court, which was stupid and dangerous.

When you are an official, you naturally have benefits and officialdom, how can you do it without money!

It costs money to go out drinking with colleagues, it costs money to hold cultural meetings, and it costs money to maintain the dignity of officialdom in food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and everything costs money! Of course, this money can't be taken from the imperial court. If you take it, you will be a "corrupt official".

"It's hard to be an official."

Zheng Shuqing sighed with emotion, and then put the IOUs sent by the government to the local wealthy into a box, and then prepared to take them away privately and send them to Chang'an to hand over to Li Longji.

This was an IOU from a wealthy local family in the name of the government when Ji Ge urged him to rebuild the Huaqing Palace.

Give this to the saint and prove that you have done your best. As for the next assassin, hehe, give him some fun.

Zheng Shuqing sneered.

He wanted to know what the saint's expression would be when the next assassin sued the saint.

Since being an official is suffering, why should you carry it alone? Let's put some burden on the next one!

……

The name of the medicinal spring is very unfamiliar, but it still has a name in later generations, which is the famous "Crescent Moon Spring"!

It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and it is Mingsha Mountain.

The crescent-shaped pool is located in the middle, and there is a living spring at the bottom of the pool, and the bottom is clearly visible, as well as fish.

It is one of the few leisure and vacation places here in Dunhuang.

The officials from the center chose the "guest house" that supervised the construction of the Mogao Grottoes here, and it can only be said that these bureaucrats will really enjoy it, and no matter how difficult the environment is, they will never wronged themselves.

"It's really pleasant to sail here in the medicine spring!"

On the crescent-shaped pool, Fang Chongyong was rowing.

And Wang Sili, the envoy of the Doulu army, was sitting opposite him, frowning, and had no time to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Fang Chongyong was officially appointed by the imperial court as the assassin of Shazhou, which Wang Sili never expected. Of course, the matter is already in the boat, and there is no possibility of changing this matter. However, Fang Chongyong knew very well in his heart, he was not the material for the history of assassination.

Therefore, Fang Chongyong was very "interesting" to divide the government affairs of Shazhou into three parts.

In the military and political part, such as the soldiers under the management of the assassin, military food supply and other work, let Wang Sili send a special person to dock. Fang Chongyong is only a "stamping machine".

The local civil affairs are handled by the state Sima, and Fang Chongyong is still a "seal machine".

The local trade and commerce is handled by the governor of Shasha, but Fang Chongyong will personally inquire and participate in every major event.

He's almost become a hands-off shopkeeper.

There's no way, if you don't understand, you have to know the forced number, don't force it to go up and pretend to be forced. Fang Chongyong knew very well that he couldn't handle the complicated civil and military affairs in the local area.

However, since it is a history of assassination, and it has been turned positive, it is inevitable to deal with major matters. In particular, the local government is associated with the imperial court.

For example, now, he and Wang Sili are discussing a major matter related to the survival of the Doulu army.

"The imperial court did not supply this year's spring clothes, and the Doulu army was overstaffed by 3,200 people. What can I do about it? ”

Wang Sili frowned and asked.

He can fight wars, but he can't make money! If the military salary is not paid, the Doulu army will mutiny!

"Is the court so capricious?"

Fang Chongyong asked suspiciously, he had just heard about this.

God is pitiful, such a side town Qiu Ba, in the future, those people in the center will be killed, don't blame people for the new accounts and old accounts together.

"The king did not know that although the border towns never owed food, it was a common practice to delay the payment of military salaries. Now this time, it's ...... Make up for last year's winter clothes! ”

Wang Sili smiled bitterly.

it!

Fang Chongyong chuckled in his heart, and secretly screamed that it was not good.

No wonder the predecessor Wang Huailiang wanted to embezzle the treasury to pay the military salary and be cleaned up, it turned out that there was too much arrears, and the border army was about to mutiny!

When he went to visit Wang Huailiang, although the other party was in prison, he was smiling and in good spirits, and he didn't feel unlucky at all.

It turns out that there is an ambush here!

This guy is relieved, and it is the next one to fill the hole!

Fang Chongyong sighed, asking for money is the same as a company looking for a bank loan. When you don't need money, the bank desperately wants to lend you money, and when you need it, you can't borrow money by begging grandpa and grandma.

Don't count on the imperial court.

"Don't worry, Wang Junenvoy told the soldiers directly. If you can't get a spring coat, you can come to Yaoquan here and dismantle my bone shelf, first stabilize the army's heart! ”

Fang Chongyong said in a big way. It's hard to say whether you can get the money, but ...... If the soldiers of the Doulu Army can't help but mutiny, then the fun will be great.

"Fang Envoy Jun really deserves to be the son of Fang Jieshuai!"

Wang Sili sighed with emotion, and the stone in his heart fell to the ground.

In order to keep it secret, the two deliberately boated on the water of the medicinal spring and talked secretly, just for fear that the news would leak and cause the Doulu army to mutiny. Now that Fang Chongyong patted his chest and packed the ticket, Wang Sili can finally sleep well, and he doesn't have to worry about being dismantled by the angry Qiu Ba at night.

"It's just that the military salary needs a lot, how do you want to operate it?"

In addition to peace of mind, Wang Sili asked suspiciously.

Fang Chongyong waved his hand expressionlessly and said, "It's just a trivial matter, Wang Jun's envoy went back to appease the soldiers." ”

(End of chapter)