Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 592: The Domineering Boss's Worries
The imperial palace in Bianliang City was planned to be five miles long and four miles wide.

The area seems to be very large, but in fact, this area includes the so-called "garden".

In addition, the central bureaucracy will also be located here.

Therefore, there is not much space for building houses or palaces.

This is why the imperial palace is divided into the "inner palace" and the "outer palace".

The inner palace was where the emperor and his concubines lived, but it was very small. It was less than two miles long and wide, and the area was very small, but the inner palace wall was much higher than the outer palace wall.

This is because Fang Chongyong took into account that the central organization will definitely expand in size in the future, so he reserved such a large area.

However, even if it is for the purpose of storing various documents and classics, as well as a treasury exclusively for the emperor, the outer palace should be built larger.

On this day, outside Kaifeng County, laborers were carrying soil to lay the foundation.

According to the plan, the construction of the palace was to first build the outer wall roughly, forming a circle to form a "construction site" to prevent outsiders from entering. Then the palaces and houses inside would be repaired little by little.

Although they were preparing to send troops to Zhengzhou, the construction of the palace was not delayed at all. After all, it had to be completed before the autumn harvest next year, and the construction period was very tight, so there was not much time to waste.

"Is there enough money?"

Fang Chongyong asked quietly to Liu Yan beside him. The two were inspecting the construction site and checking the progress of the project.

"General Jie, when we capture Zhengzhou, Huazhou, and Xuzhou, there will be many refugees, so how can we have a problem of not having enough money?"

Liu Yan said with a chuckle.

It turned out to be the case.

Fang Zhongyong suddenly realized. Now, each state in Xuanwu Town, including Bianzhou, has its own position and has its own arrangements.

For example, strengthening the construction of facilities at canal ferry crossings; for example, developing water conservancy projects, reclaiming wasteland, and developing production to accommodate refugees.

For example, military workshops were established in each state capital to produce military consumables such as arrows, bows and crossbows.

A gunpowder workshop was also set up in Bianzhou to produce gunpowder for military use, as well as kerosene and other materials.

All states are in urgent need of manpower, and it is really inconvenient to transfer strong laborers to build palaces.

But if this operation is successful, with several more states, how can there be a shortage of strong laborers?

Liu Yan's words were rough, but his logic was sound.

The problem of development can only be solved by development. It can be seen that the ancients were already aware of this problem and knew that development behind closed doors would be a stagnant pool of water and nothing could be done.

"Issue some salt vouchers with a face value of ten cents as a reward for the soldiers, so that they can use them to buy the goods they need in the market, and it is also convenient to get change.

The state must be able to control the amount of money issued and not allow those strange substitutes to circulate. If this continues for a long time, something serious will happen.”

Fang Chongyong patiently warned Liu Yan that not many people in this era can understand this truth. Even though the commodity economy of the Tang Dynasty did not stagnate due to the war, it instead accelerated its development because of the war.

One of the secrets to the early success of Yuan Dynasty paper money was the issuance of small-denomination banknotes, which increased circulation channels.

The situation in the Tang Dynasty was very special. The commodity economy developed very well, but the government's cognition was extremely backward and conservative, which led to a misalignment.

It can also be said that there is just a layer of paper that has not been broken.

In fact, the Chang'an Central Government has always had pure precious metal tokens such as "silver ingots", "gold ingots", and "gold and silver Kaiyuan Tongbao". These things are not used for circulation in the market, and their usage is very special.

In the past, it was the chief military commander, and now it is the Jiedushi or directly the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue (the minister of the Ministry of Revenue does not participate in the actual policy implementation). He would take out these high-purity precious metals and hand them over to the big businessmen, nobles, and big families, and ask them to "buy" food, cloth and other supplies.

It was called a purchase, but in reality it was almost like taking it for free. If calculated directly at the market price, the materials that could be bought with these precious metals would be less than one-tenth of what this method could achieve.

This large-scale "purchase" was actually the Tang Dynasty using its national credibility to guarantee the future interests of these big businessmen, nobles, and big families.

In other words, I am giving you face by exchanging these things with you. This is your honor.

I don't even look for ordinary people. I look for you because I respect you. So don't bargain with me, you are not worthy.

There are many similarities between the atmosphere of aristocratic politics and commodity trading.

Therefore, Fang Chongyong was very sure at the beginning that if Li Sheng took a small jar of Kaiyuan Tongbao coins made of gold, he would be able to persuade the Su family to marry Lady Su to Jia Dan, and the other party would definitely not dare to accept it.

In other words, the officials in power have long known that national credibility can be used as the "value" of currency, and the method of using it is simple and crude.

They just think from the perspective of the "great nobles" and look at the various problems of the commodity economy. They think those seemingly better methods are unnecessary.

Because it is not necessary, so I won’t do it.

This is a kind of path dependence and lazy thinking, and it is also human nature.

After all, they were limited by the times.

Many people even believe that the conservative agricultural economy should be a permanent form. For example, Zhang Jiuling holds this idea and believes that the country's centralization should be strengthened, including economic centralization.

The "small" salt voucher that Fang Chongyong is playing with now is a different idea. This kind of salt voucher is tied to the physical object on the one hand, with salt as the price endorsement, and on the other hand, it is endorsed by "national credibility" to add leverage.

What is issued is both a currency for equal value transactions and a "token" leveraged by national credibility.

It can be called the currency "artifact" of this era.

Although it may seem insignificant, this policy actually has a high technical content.

"The general's salt tax policy is very powerful, especially since the salt tax is low."

Liu Yan sincerely said to Chong Yong with his arms crossed.

Only professionals can understand the power of it.

If salt is not taxed at a high rate, the salt voucher will be able to maintain its value, because in the future, the price of salt in places other than Xuanwu Town will inevitably rise to the sky. The salt voucher is actually exporting inflation and sucking the wealth of those areas with high salt taxes.

The salt tax was indeed not collected much, but the salt permits actually formed a natural "monetary tax", and in the end the money still went into the pockets of the Bianzhou government.

In short, it is by this that the government controls the issuance of currency and squeezes the living space of other currencies. Of course, corresponding to this, it is still necessary to prepare some copper coins as a supplement to deal with emergencies.

"General, the Dengzhou Salt Field is developing very quickly and has already started producing salt. I estimate that the salt field will be ready within one or two years. All that remains is to gradually improve the process, increase production, and train skilled salt workers."

Seeing that Fang Zhongyong was a little distracted, Liu Yan hurriedly reported the situation in Dengzhou.

In fact, Fang Zhongyong has already sent Yang Yan to help Che Guangqian, so nothing serious should happen.

"It's alright, just do what you want, as long as it's a low salt tax. I'll go back to the study to look at the official documents first."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand gently and said.

Now his mind was filled with Li Yi's white body, and he couldn't concentrate at all to talk to Liu Yan about the issues of financial reform.

Last night's fun was so crazy that Fang Zhongyong hadn't touched a woman for a long time. In bed, he was like a tiger descending from the mountain, showing his masculinity.

When Li Yi went out in the morning, he was so tired that he lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep without waking up.

With the troops about to be dispatched, Fang Chongyong felt that he didn't need to endure it any longer. He realized that Li Yi wanted to send him away, so he went with the flow and got the matter done.

This itself was part of his plan.

Li Yi's admiration made the matter much smoother.

Of course, even if Li Yi doesn't like Fang Chongyong, the latter will find a way to deal with her at the right time.

For example, before going on an expedition.

If they win this battle, Li Wan and the Wei family will definitely be weakened, and their survival will be a problem. Fang Chongyong no longer has to worry about taking sides.

By then, Li Yi would naturally be his private part, and he could take her into his room whenever he wanted. Outsiders would not think that he was wavering.

At that time, not only did he not need to hide his relationship with Li Yi, but he could also publicize it in a big way, using Li Yi's identity to suppress Li Lin's halo as the "successor of the Tang Dynasty."

Many people would think carefully about what it means that Li Heng's legitimate daughter became a concubine.

But she is a concubine and has no human rights.

Ji Ge's granddaughter became someone's concubine. It is easy to imagine what outsiders would think and see.

This is a typical case of "fighting poison with poison" in the plan to suppress imperial power.

If we unfortunately lose this time... we're all going to die, so let's just indulge ourselves first. There's no point in caring when we're going to die.

Just think of it as leaving a descendant for myself. Maybe if Li Yi gets pregnant, the bloodline can be continued.

This silent relationship between adulterer and mistress will protect the child from being exposed to outsiders.

Fang Chongyong's ideas have never changed. He is a professional political animal and he will definitely take action when it is time to do so.

After saying goodbye to Liu Yan, Fang Chongyong came to the study in the government office and saw Da Zhenhui arranging the bookshelves.

When the other party noticed that I had come in, he looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Are you worried that you will have no status in the family in the future?"

Fang Zhongyong asked doubtfully. Da Zhenhui hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said:

"No, I believe in Alang.

I just thought that it would be better for Alang to go see Li Yi. I always feel that what happened that day is a bit... not so good.

It's my problem, but Li Yi may feel that A Lang hates her."

Hearing this, Fang Zhongyong suddenly felt very ashamed and didn't know how to answer this question.

Matters between men and women are very complicated, and the parties involved feel differently in different situations.

Some women are forced into it, and they are left physically and mentally hurt and haunted by fear.

But Li Yi was obviously very happy, and she was extremely happy both physically and mentally. Otherwise, she would not have been so passionate during the lovemaking.

Others are so excited in bed that their voices are almost hoarse, and you are still worrying about whether that woman is feeling uncomfortable. Li Yi is not feeling uncomfortable at all, she almost hates herself for being so happy that she is almost exhausted!
Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but complain wildly in his heart, and began to feel a little pity for Da Zhenhui.

Now it seems that Da Zhenhui is indeed a kind-hearted young lady. Fang Chongyong somewhat understands why Da Menyi wants to keep her in the deep palace and no longer despises her.

This person's personality is really hard for others to dislike.

Da Menyi originally wanted to send Da Zhenhui to Li Ying as a concubine. Judging from Da Zhenhui's personality, Fang Chongyong felt that Da Menyi was a very loyal person and never thought of sending a bad woman to harm Li Ying.

However, this young lady still did not understand Fang Zhongyong's political considerations in taking Li Yi into his room.

If Li Yi gave birth to a son, he would naturally have some "legitimacy" in his blood. Don't underestimate this little bit of legitimacy.

Many times, this is the fig leaf that those ministers loyal to the old dynasty have been longing for.

It can be worthless or it can be very important.

"Don't worry about those things."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hands lightly, feeling somewhat guilty. At this moment, he suddenly remembered something.

"Soon I will arrange for some peasant women from Bianzhou to gather at the government office, and the government will treat them to a meal or something.

Let them exchange weaving experiences with each other.

If there were men present at that time, it would have been very awkward, and they would have been very reserved in their words. It was really a bit inappropriate.

Anyway, you are a woman, so it is convenient for you to participate. Write down and organize the experiences shared by the peasant women.

Is this an easy thing to do? "

He looked at Da Zhenhui and asked.

"Okay, do it. I can help you. I'm just bored."

Da Zhenhui became excited when she heard this.

She often feels that she is a "useless" person, so she always keeps a low profile and doesn't talk much. Only when she finds out that she is useful will she show a cheerful expression.

"Well, just go ahead and do it."

Fang Chongyong felt somewhat relieved when he looked at Da Zhenhui's pretty face.

Da Zhenhui is actually a very good woman. Her biggest "flaw" is that she is too serious. She is really serious, not pretending.

If Da Zhenhui was a little more frivolous and proactive, she would be like Li Yi and act coquettishly.

I'm afraid she has slept with Fang Chongyong countless times by now.

The powerful and wealthy always throw themselves at beautiful women and accept any offer, as long as it does not have a bad political impact.

Fang Zhongyong had to admit that he also liked beautiful women throwing themselves at him. If Da Zhenhui took the initiative to throw herself at him, he would definitely accept her.

To put it bluntly, this is all the bad nature of men.

Fang Zhongyong sighed softly, leaving Da Zhenhui puzzled.

"Ah Lang, do you think it's inappropriate for me to go? Why are you sighing?"

She asked, confused.

"Nothing, we are about to go to war, you must take good care of yourself."

Fang Zhongyong put his arm around Da Zhenhui's shoulders and said.

A war that will affect the world situation is about to begin.

There is no need to tell Da Zhenhui about this kind of thing.

After the military supplies are replenished, they will set out immediately. Now the six states of Xuanwu Town are desperately rushing to make arrows for this battle.

……

"call out!"

In the woods outside Youzhou City, a rabbit was nailed to a big tree by an arrow shot from a distance.

Two Youzhou cavalrymen dismounted, one of them stepped forward and picked up the dead rabbit, and said to the other, "General Shi, you are lucky today."

The man who was speaking was Luo Yue, one of Shi Siming's ten generals. His position was not high, and he did not lead an army alone.

But what is a little different is that Luo Yue is Shi Chaoyi's confidant. The other person present at the moment is Shi Chaoyi himself.

The two of them took the opportunity of hunting in the suburbs to go out, but in fact they were discussing important matters.

"Everyone knows that my father loves Shi Chaoqing, and with Madam Xin whispering in my ear, I'm afraid I don't have much time left.

Although this rabbit meat is delicious, it tastes like chewing wax to me!"

Shi Chaoyi sighed helplessly.

He felt that his father was beyond redemption, or suspected that Xin knew some evil magic to seduce men.

Since Shi Siming married Xin, he doted on her alone and no longer took concubines.

Who would dare to believe this kind of thing if I told them to others? It's too outrageous!
Scum dad, you are a Hu people, don't you understand? Hu people should have their own style. Not to mention having many wives and concubines, but at least have a few, right?

Do you think a barbarian like you can do such a thing as favoring your wife alone?

Shi Chaoyi felt that this was simply God being mean to him.

If Shi Siming had more concubines, he would definitely have more children, and he could also find some helpers, and there might be a chance for him to form alliances.

Now, no one can even find a helper, and everyone thinks Shi Chaoqing is definitely the successor.

What's the point of playing ball?

"Don't be discouraged, my lord. It's just that the timing is not right now. You have to wait for the right time."

Luo Yue persuaded patiently.

In fact, Shi Chaoyi is not the crown prince at all. The current crown prince is Shi Chaoqing, and Shi Siming has already announced it publicly.

He was just flattering me when he said that.

"Do you think it's better to put it out there?"

Shi Chaoyi asked in a low voice.

He felt that he and Shi Siming were always around in Youzhou City. That fellow would scold him and beat him from time to time.

If this continues, it won't be a big deal!

"The idea of ​​sending it out is a good one, but where should it be sent to?"

Luo Yue asked doubtfully.

He thought that Shi Chaoyi's idea was fine, but where he was sent to was a matter of some importance.

"Let's go to Pingzhou."

Shi Chaoyi thought about it and sighed.

Pingzhou is a place a little northeast of Tangshan City in Fang Zhongyong's previous life. It is close to the sea and has always had maritime trade with places like Goryeo and Silla. It is a good place to go.

But if Shi Chaoyi wanted to go, it was hard to say whether Shi Siming would allow him to go.

Luo Yue nodded and said, "Pingzhou is indeed a good place, and there is no worry about war. General, you can go talk to the commander-in-chief."

"You're right, I'll go now."

Shi Chaoyi handed the rabbit to Luo Yue, mounted his horse and rode away.

(End of this chapter)