In the political hall, all the ministers are full of righteous indignation!

If you want to bite, bite Tuguhun, why do you want to bite our Datang?

Could it be that Datang is still responsible for this matter?

"You're right."

Xu Fenglei laughed.

He was still very satisfied with everyone's reaction, and there was no soft-footed shrimp, reflecting on the blame.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that this letter of state from Tubo should be refuted."

Xu Fenglei Zhengsedao,

"Just explain two things—"

"First, Songtsen Gampo died in the territory of Tuyuhun, and if you want to blame the Tuyuhun people, you have to blame them, and you have to blame them for their own security."

"Such an important person only sent two hundred people to protect him, and he disguised himself as a businessman...... What does this do? This is death! ”

"Second, this marriage proposal is also their Tubo begging our Datang, our Datang is not very interested in this marriage, he Songtsan Gampo himself is coming, and he dies in the middle of the way, that is his own problem! I Datang has no responsibility at all! ”

Therefore, for the letter of Tubo, Datang expressed strong dissatisfaction! And ask them to apologize! ”

When the ministers heard this, they all nodded.

"Yes, apologies!"

"What kind of thing is this new Zampu, who dares to talk to Datang in this tone?"

"That's it! What kind of bullshit small country in Tibet dares to shout five and drink six? ”

The ministers knew very little about Tibet, and in the eyes of most people, it was an unknown small country on the plateau, and its national strength was not even comparable to that of Tuyuhun.

It's so big in a small country, it's naturally unpleasant!

Of course, even if you know the strength of Tubo, everyone's attitude will not change.

No matter how awesome you are, how awesome you are in our Datang?

If you don't accept it, just do it!

"That's exactly what it should be!"

Li Shimin nodded and said,

"Xuan Ling, you draft the national letter, just follow the meaning of the Taishi, and polish it a little!"

"Then, send this letter back with you!"

"Even if Tubo has some strength, at this moment, Zampu is dead, and there will inevitably be some turmoil in the country, they don't have the strength, don't use this tone to talk to Datang!" 、

Fang Xuanling said yes.

"I'll add one more sentence."

Xu Feng added suddenly,

"Although Datang is not wrong in this matter, out of sympathy and indignation, he will also help Songtsen Gampo, a possible son-in-law, seek justice!"

"After all, this is a serious attack that undermines the friendship between the two countries!"

"Okay, I got it." Fang Xuanling nodded again.

The corners of Li Shimin's mouth rose slightly.

Now, let's get to the point.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks what the Taishi said is good! This is a major event that undermines the friendship between the two countries! ”

Li Jing said in a deep voice,

"This Songtsen Gampo died in the territory of Tuyuhun, it's really weird!"

"After all, he was a caravan disguised and guarded by two hundred soldiers, and the guards were fine, but he was killed—the murderer was obviously going for Songtsen Gampo!"

"With such a clear purpose, it must not be an accident! There must be a conspiracy behind it! ”

Li Shimin bowed slightly.

This head was originally going to be driven by Xu Fenglei, but I didn't expect Li Jing to jump out so quickly.

This old guy really wants to fight!

"I agree with Li Jing."

Li Jiyidao,

"Killing Songtsen Gampo, the biggest profit is undoubtedly Tuyuhun."

"After all, if Tubo and the Tang Dynasty marry, then Tuguhun will be caught in the middle and suffer from the enemy."

"Therefore, the Tuyuhun people must stop this marriage, so the easiest and most effective way is to kill Songtsen Gampo!"

"In this way, Datang can only marry Tuyuhun, and the interests of the Murong family will be maximized."

The two generals are analyzed, and it's really like that!

"Then this Murong Fuyun is bold enough!"

Wei Zheng frowned,

"He's not afraid of being besieged by the two countries afterwards?"

"No one with a brain can do such a thing!"

Li Shimin laughed.

"Can Murong Fuyun be a person with brains? If he had a brain, he wouldn't have offended me repeatedly and attacked Liangzhou repeatedly! ”

LI Erdao,

"This person is very short-sighted!"

"I think he's doing this kind of thing!"

"I'm even seventy or eighty percent sure...... That's what they did! ”

Two percent left?

The remaining twenty percent is left for his cheeks, after all, if he says ten out of ten, then his cheeks are not so thick, and he is embarrassed to lie.

"Then he really damn it!"

Xu Fenglei's face turned cold, and he ordered,

"Compared with King Murong Zun, then I still think that Songtsan Gampo is more suitable to be the concubine of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Therefore, what they killed was the quasi-concubine of the Tang Dynasty and the quasi-son-in-law of His Majesty!"

"In addition, over the years, they have repeatedly violated the border of our Tang Dynasty, and the Murong clan is extremely unreasonable, repeatedly offending Your Majesty, and even playing with Your Majesty!"

"The minister thinks that the Tang Dynasty can send troops to destroy it!"

Rumble!

Xu Fenglei's words immediately caused a storm in the political hall!

Taishi usually doesn't talk much, either dozing off or fugue, why is he so active today?

And to put it bluntly, it is also extremely tough!

He actually wants to send troops to Tuguhun!

These words immediately made Li Jing, Li Ji, Duan Zhixuan and other military attaches excited!

"What the Master said is extremely true! Datang should send troops! ”

"That's right! Tuyuhun deceives people too much! Even the would-be horses dare to kill, what else do they dare not do? I think they should be given a taste of Datang's soldiers! ”

"Huh! There have been no troops for five years, and perhaps the surrounding small countries have forgotten how the Turks perished! One by one, they are all so disrespectful! ”

“……”

For a while, the voice of the main battle faction, it was wave after wave!

Everyone is suffocated!

After so many years of not fighting, there is no place to brush up on military merits, and grass is going to grow on everyone's heads! Weapons are going to rust!

Now that Xu Fenglei is taking the lead, then they must rush together! Don't even think about it!

"This ......"

Li Shimin groaned slightly and said,

"Five years is almost up...... Several Aiqing also have a point. ”

"I also feel that the surrounding small countries are becoming more and more disrespectful to me, when I destroyed the Turks, how respectful were the Tuyuhun, Xue Yantuo, and Khitan, one by one?"

"And this year, the respect is not as good as before, and even the gifts sent are not as good as before."

"Looks like it's time to remind them."

“…… What do other Aiqing think? ”

Although he was asking, he had actually already expressed his position-

I want to fight too!

"Your Majesty."

Wei Zheng got up and said,

"The minister thinks that for the sake of a so-called quasi-horse, it is not very cost-effective to start a war with Tuyuhun."

"As for Tuyuhun's disrespect...... The minister thought that now that the prince of Tuyuhun, King Murong Zun, was already in Chang'an, His Majesty could personally hold him accountable! ”

"Whether it's punishment or reprimand, this matter can be solved anyway."

"Therefore, the minister believes that there should be no big fight, otherwise the country's economy will go back to five years ago."

Above the court, there is the main battle faction, and naturally there is also the main peace faction.

Like Wei Zheng, he has never advocated the use of force to solve problems, after all, every time a war is launched, Datang will consume great manpower and material resources.

Those generals only care about fighting and receiving military salaries, they don't know how hard it is to earn money!

They have been engaged in internal affairs for two years, and the economy is no longer so tense, but these generals want to come to Huohuo again!

What's the trouble?!

"Economy, economy, you can't talk about everything about your broken money!"

Li Jing was anxious and scolded,

"Datang's prestige is now lost! No amount of money can make up for it, you can only earn it back by force and fists! ”

"This battle, I think we must fight!"

"Otherwise, anyone will be able to on Datang's head in the future!"

This battle must be fought!

He has not really presided over a large-scale foreign campaign, and he was the deputy commander of the last time he fought the Turks, which has always been his regret!

So, this time he has to fight for it!

"Broken money? That's okay, don't ask for any money! ”

Wei Zheng was also unhappy, and refuted,

"Prepare your own military salaries and go to war!"

"If you can get money without asking the state, you can fight whatever you want! Hit the ends of the earth! There you go! ”

"Breaking the money...... Hehe! ”

When Li Jing heard this, he was also a little deflated.

In war, money and food come first.

If you don't have money, what kind of war are you fighting? If the soldiers are allowed to drink the northwest wind, no matter how good the commander is, he will not be able to withstand the risk of mutiny.

So, this is a lot of money...... He really had to ask for it.

"Okay, okay, don't quarrel anymore."

Li Shimin coughed dryly, knocked on the table, and said,

"Now, everyone has basically agreed to send troops, but there is no agreement on money and food."

"I also feel that the war can no longer rely on the imperial court to allocate funds, that would be too laborious and costly."

Wei Zheng: "??? ”

Wait a minute, what does it mean that everyone basically agrees?

Did he agree?

However, Wei Zheng still agreed with the second half of the emperor's sentence.

Labor and money, make Datang's economy regressive...... It must not be done, he must be against it!

"Or ...... Let the Taishi support you again? ”

Li Jing looked at Xu Fenglei and said cautiously,

"Wind and thunder money village is rich, it's better to ......"

Xu Fenglei glared.

"Lao Tzu opened a good village, right?"

He said unhappily,

"The last time I supported military spending, it took many years for the money bank to recover, and at that time it was all fighting with depositors' money!"

"There's no money now! Money banks are opening branches in various places, cash is in short supply, and I want to call on you to save a little more! ”

"Qian Zhuang's side, don't think about it, it's impossible this time."

Fenglei Qianzhuang, but it is a private property that he and the Li family opened together!

Last time, there was no way, I really didn't have any money, so I took money from the money bank to fight.

Now that the country is rich, how can it be taken again?

"This ......"

Li Jing also made a mistake now, and said helplessly,

"If only I could make money, I will make it, and I will pay for the military salary at my own expense."

When Xu Fenglei heard this, he couldn't help laughing.

"Hahaha...... Pharmacist, pharmacist, you really want to fight and want to go crazy, can you say this kind of thing? ”

He quipped,

"Even if you are rich, you are not qualified to pay soldiers."

"Only the imperial court can give them money, do you want to develop them into your own private army when you send them money privately?"

When Li Jing heard this, he realized that he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly waved his hand.

"No, no...... I didn't mean that......"

He looked embarrassed, and his heartbeat sped up a bit.

Sneaking a glance at Li Shimin - fortunately, there was nothing abnormal on the emperor's face, but there was still a little smile.

"Alright, stop chattering."

Li Shimin said,

"I've already thought of a way to spend on military expenses."

"You don't need the state to pay for it, you don't need the money to pay for it, you just need it-"

Swish.

He pulled out a box of cigarettes from his bosom and placed it on the table.

Everyone's eyes were on him.

"Smoke?"

This thing has already swept the Tang Dynasty, and many wealthy businessmen and aristocrats carry it with them, and when they have nothing to do, they will take it out and smoke one, swallowing clouds and spitting fog.

Many people are proud to own a box of high-quality cigarettes.

Medium and low-grade cigarettes, on the other hand, are actually selling well and are often in short supply.

As a result, you can see the farmers in the field, and occasionally they will come to the next one when they are tired.

The work in the hotel, in my spare time, will also come to the end.

What they bought was, of course, the lowest and coarsest kind of cigarette, but even that was enough for them to empty their minds and bodies with this thing.

All in all, cigarettes have entered thousands of households and are familiar to the people.

"The imperial court has a tobacco tax, which is not included in the treasury and is calculated separately."

Li Shimin smiled and said,

"A box of medium cigarettes, priced at about 50 yuan, is often in short supply, and the cigarette workshop is operating frantically every day."

"But in fact, its profit is not high, and the profit of each box is only about 5 yuan."

"Do you know why?"

All the ministers looked at the emperor and listened attentively.

"Because, I have a heavy tax!"

Li Shimin Zhengsedao,

"A box of cigarettes, aside from the cost of production and transportation, fifty yuan, I have to take away thirty-five yuan as tax!"

"That's seven out of ten!"

Ministers: "?! ”

Seven out of ten!

This is too hard! I have never smoked such a harsh tax in the past!

Generally, one out of ten is considered a heavy tax!

"With such heavy taxes, there is still money to be made from selling."

Li Shimin lit a cigarette with a smile and said,

"Since last year, I have started to collect tobacco taxes, and in a year, I have collected nearly one million taels of silver from this tax alone!"

"This is still a situation when cigarettes have just entered Datang, and most people are not familiar with it."

"I estimate that by next year, this number should be doubled, or even several times!"

When the ministers heard this, their eyes widened.

A million taels of silver?!

This is almost compared to a year's agricultural tax in a few rich state capitals!

This cigarette can make money so much?

Several civil and military generals took out cigarette cases from their arms......

That's right, they all smoke.

After all, this thing is addictive, and once you smoke it, you will become dependent!

Xu Fenglei watched the ministers take out their cigarette boxes, and his expression couldn't help but be a little bitter.

Regret it!

This thing is a harmful thing! Although it can increase a considerable tax revenue for Datang, it can also reduce the average life expectancy of Datang!

It wasn't what he wanted to see.

If you have time, you have to talk to Sun Simiao about how to deal with it......

There's no way, I have to find a way to clean up the Pandora's box that I opened with my own hands......

(End of chapter)