The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"Your Jingyang Palace is rich and powerful, so you don't need the food for a thousand men." Li Shimin said.

"Is your brother raising soldiers himself?" Li Fu pointed at himself: "Can I raise them in any way?"

"All right." Li Shimin nodded in agreement: "But I have to remind you that although you can raise them in any way, if you let them go hungry, not well fed and clothed, they will not be loyal to you, so don't treat your soldiers too harshly."

Li Fu patted his chest to guarantee.

"Don't worry, second brother, how could I treat my soldiers harshly? I must let them have enough food and clothes." Li Fu smiled and said: "Just asking you, if you raise them well, there is no upper limit or standard, right?"

Li Shimin was puzzled.

What upper limit or standard can there be?

"What do you mean?" Li Shimin asked in confusion.

"For example, three meals a day, if there are pig farmers on the farm, we can kill some pigs and give them some meat, etc. By the way, is it also my responsibility to train the soldiers? You know, second brother, I have never led soldiers." Li Fu spread his hands.

"Since they are your soldiers, they are naturally under your charge." Li Shimin said, "Didn't you lead soldiers before? Just before, when the Turks went south, you and Yuchi Gong blocked their vanguard troops in Jingyang."

Li Fu shook his head when he heard this.

"That's also called leading soldiers? It's just taking people out for a few rounds. Those soldiers were led by General Cheng, and I didn't take care of their eating, drinking, and defecating. But this time is different. You rewarded me with the power of two governments, a thousand people, and I have to take care of their eating, drinking, and defecating. It's the same as taking the cavalry out for a round and handing them over to General Yuchi when I come back."

Li Shimin looked at Li Fu with interest.

"You...are quite self-aware." Li Shimin smiled: "Speaking of which, leading troops is simple, but it is not simple for someone like you who has no experience at all."

"However, everything has a beginning." Li Shimin comforted: "Also, I will send a deputy to help you lead the troops. By the way, have you read military books?"

Li Fu looked innocent.

He shook his head.

I haven't read it myself.

I read the Spring and Autumn Annals.

"Yes, in that case, I will send you an experienced person to help you lead the troops." Li Shimin thought about it and thought of a circle of people in his mind.

Li Fu had no chance to read military books.

These days, if anyone has a military book, it must be hidden more tightly than his own private money.

"Well, when I think of someone, I'll have him come to you directly." Li Shimin said, "I still need to think about how to allocate these 1,000 people to you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Fu bowed solemnly.

"Okay, you've finished talking. I have something else to ask you to look at." Li Shimin said.

"Oh? Is there anything else that I can do to relieve my second brother's worries?" Li Fu was curious.

Li Shimin walked to the table, took out an imperial edict from the table, and handed it to Li Fu.

"Look at this. Didn't you always talk about the tea tax before? I called a few people to discuss the issue of tea tax together. If you think there is nothing wrong with it after reading it, it will be handed over to the three provinces after the New Year's Day." Li Shimin said.

Because at present, the tea tax is only related to Li Fu, and it has nothing to do with others.

Their family does not have this business.

Li Fu opened the imperial edict and read it carefully.

"One tenth of the tax..." Li Fu pondered.

"If you think it's too much, one fifteenth is also fine." Li Shimin explained quickly.

Li Fu shook his head.

"Then, one twenty?" Li Shimin asked again.

"No, I think it's too little, how about two tenths?" Li Fu frowned as he read the imperial edict.

"Too little? You think it's too little?" Li Shimin was puzzled: "If it is settled like this, a considerable part of the money will go into the national treasury. At present, you are the only one in this business. Are you so cruel to yourself?"

"Now only my brother and the palace are involved in this business. To put it bluntly, no matter how much the tax is, the money will just go from one hand to the other. Even if it goes into the national treasury, it will be spent on court affairs or on the people, such as supporting local development and disaster relief.

This world belongs to the Li family. The world we spend on the court and the people is not all for our family, right?"

"But in the future, this business will not only be done by our family." Li Fu said.

"Humph, who dares to covet this business and think that my butcher knife is not good?" Li Shimin frowned coldly.

"No, don't get excited first." Li Fu hurriedly calmed Li Shimin's anger.

"This businessSelling, we still do it ourselves at present, but the Tang Dynasty is so big, with vast territory, anyone with a mountain can grow tea as long as the climate is suitable. In addition, the production method of ordinary tea is not difficult. As long as you are willing to spend money to try to make it, after wasting a large number of raw materials, you can more or less find out some tricks.

Can't we let people figure out the technology on their own and do this business?

So, this business, in a few years, or in the long run, more than ten years later, there will definitely be other people doing it. "

"Look at the current egg-changing business. How many egg-changing workshops are there in the north of the Tang Dynasty now?"

"It's too many to count. Did the original formula only give it to the clan members of the Li family by the Zongzheng?"

"Are only the Li family members running the egg-changing workshop now?"

"Anything in the world, an exclusive secret recipe, if you want to make money, unless you don't spread your business, it must be studied thoroughly by others, and then it will not be something that only your family has. ”

“But if you want to make money, big money, you have to do business all over the world. We can’t just stay in Chang’an.”

“Even if Chang’an City has a sufficient supply, how much money can you make in a year? Hundreds of thousands of strings?” Li Fu calculated the account for Li Shimin: “What if it is the entire Tang Dynasty? It will definitely be two million strings. Even if you think further ahead, there are many Western merchants who come to the Central Plains and Chang’an through the Silk Road. If tea is sold to the Western Regions in exchange for gold, how much more money can you make?”

“How much more tax can the court collect if you make so much more money?”

“You have to have a long-term vision and a bigger picture.” Li Fu said: “Do people in the Central Plains like to drink tea? Don’t people on the grassland like to drink tea? They like tea and wine. "

"After the Tang Dynasty wins the war against the Turks and controls the grasslands, it will sell some luxury goods, such as silk, porcelain, tea, and wine, to the grasslands for the nobles and wealthy people on the grasslands to enjoy. How much more money can the Tang Dynasty make?"