This holiday is very short, because Han Yi's return does not mean that the whole thing has ended. The ministers in the court are still unfamiliar with the Taiyuan plan. You should know that the Taiyuan plan is to be executed first and then report, and it was not mentioned in the court in advance. It was when Han Yi was in Weizhou that he gave Li Zhi a memorial and explained all this to Li Zhi. Of course, Li Zhi also approved it, but it was just for disaster relief.

Therefore, Han Yi rested at home for two days, and Li Zhi quickly summoned him and Li Ji to Liangyi Hall.

"You didn't think of this Taiyuan plan when you were in Weizhou."

As soon as Han Yi sat down, Li Zhi was straight to the point.

Li Ji, who has always liked to doze off, also looked at Han Yi.

Of course they knew that this was what Han Yi thought of, and Wu Meiniang did not deny it, either, because this was Han Yi's routine, but for Wu Meiniang, her responsibility was also to adopt suggestions, and adopt the right suggestions was her credit.

Han Yi said: "Report to Your Majesty, in fact, at the beginning of the disaster, I was trying hard to think about countermeasures. At that time, I had already thought of using the opening of Taiyuan to save the disaster area, but this idea was not very mature at that time, but I was still preparing to report to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi said with a look of contempt: "Then why didn't you say it?"

Han Yi said embarrassedly: "I...I didn't know how serious the disaster was at that time, and I was not very sure about it, so I didn't dare to say the situation at that time."

"Just know it's the case."

Li Zhi snorted.

Han Yi said with a guilty look on his face: "I am ashamed of Your Majesty's trust in me."

Li Zhi glanced at him with a slanted look, and after a moment, he said, "Okay, I am not an unreasonable person, and I can understand your concerns at that time. This is actually one of the reasons why I promised the queen to go. If the queen did not stand up at that time, you ministers would not dare to speak out. However, you have to explain this Taiyuan plan to me."

"yes."

Han Yi said: "In fact, the initial inspiration for Taiyuan's plan was mainly from Liangzhou, using labor for relief, using the development of trade in surrounding areas to bring more business opportunities to Taiyuan and Henan. As long as there are business opportunities, there will be funds influx. After the funds influx, it will definitely be construction. Construction requires labor and the people can make a living. But not only that, the success of Liangzhou has well connected the northwest region with the Central Plains, strengthening the imperial court's control over the northwest. However, we still have very little contact with Tielle in the north, the tribes on the grassland, the Khitan in the east, and the Marines in the Taiyuan plan actually needs to increase the connection between the imperial court and these regions, so that the imperial court can better control these regions. Otherwise, we know very little about these regions. Judging from the information of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Revenue is already very clear about the economic situation in the northwest, and we can learn about the specific situation in all aspects of the northwest from the economic situation."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Your memorial has already explained this point, and I agree very much. However, this requires a lot of money. Will this make the finances feel tight?"

Han Yi said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I have already decided to invest the currency that will be issued next year into the Taiyuan plan."

Li Zhi frowned and said, "This year's currency has been invested in urban construction and popularization of education. There is not much left in the treasury. If all the currency issued next year is invested in the Taiyuan plan, then the treasury has always been very empty. If there is another accident, what will the country take to deal with it? You can't always rely on merchants to help you. This is not a long-term solution!"

Li Ji nodded slightly too.

In fact, the Tang Dynasty was pretty good because Li Shimin learned from the Sui Dynasty's lessons and decided to hide wealth from the people. However, if the treasury was always empty, no one would feel at ease. Since that crisis, the treasury has been very empty and has not become rich. However, the country has developed very well in the past two years, and the people have completely emerged from the crisis because the treasury has taken out a lot of wealth to carry out construction. Li Zhi is not a very rich person, but he needs the balance.

Han Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, even if there is no Taiyuan plan, I plan to use the money instead of in the treasury. The treasury only needs to ensure a certain amount of food storage, because the way of playing is different now."

"What's the gameplay different?" Li Zhi wondered: "What does this mean?"

Han Yi said: "Because we have national debt."

"Treasury bonds?" Li Zhi was stunned. He had no idea of ​​issuing national debts again. He felt that there would never be a crisis that forced the court to issue national debts.

"Yes." Han Yi said: "If a war breaks out suddenly, you can directly issue national debts."

Li Ji said: "This is inappropriate. If someone issues a treasury bond, you have to buy it. If no one buys it, do you know the consequences?"

Han Yi smiled and said, "If the court uses all the money to build the country and builds the country very well, there will definitely be people who buy the national debt. The reason is very simple. When the court invests and builds on a large scale, the more rich the people are, the less willing the war is to burn to the Central Plains. Moreover, they also understand that war is only a matter of a while and cannot be fought forever. As long as the court is helped to overcome this level, the court will be able to return the money to them soon, because the court has taxes and controls copper mines, but if they lose, then don't talk about anything. The money in their hands is also prepared for the enemy, and even loses everything.

But it is precisely because of this that national debt cannot be issued easily. It must be used at critical moments to ensure the credit of national debt. But it is not just wars, but also very serious natural disasters. As long as the court ensures good operation and makes the people full of confidence in the court, that is, the people's lives are getting better and better, then their confidence in the court will be more and more. What we spend is money, but what we take back is confidence, which is actually an investment. And I have said before that these two or three years are the golden period of the development of our Tang Dynasty. The court should dare to invest and not let this opportunity be lost from us."

Li Zhi nodded slightly and said, "Your dear is reasonable. In fact, the last crisis also explained this. If it weren't for issuing national debts, the court might have collapsed. At that critical moment, the people are still willing to trust the court, and hiding wealth among the people is also the policy of our Tang Dynasty."

The emergence of this national debt has made the feudal society more prominent. This national debt is actually the court borrowing money from the people. In the past, when the country needed money, it would constantly collect taxes, or indistribute money indiscriminately, and loot the people. A country without commercial ideas could only do this. However, in a commercial country, it is obvious that it does not need to do this. As long as it is not for one's own death, even if it is borrowed ten million yuan, it is absolutely worth it. The country has so much tax revenue every year and has copper mines in hand, so it is impossible to pay it back. Of course, many ruling classes are unwilling to pay back the people's money.

The main difference between a wise monarch and a foolish monarch is the trust between the monarch and the people. This is reflected in the currency. Anyone under the governance of a wise monarch must be very honest. For example, the currency in the early Tang Dynasty would definitely be one monarch, and it would never be a pound or less. However, under the governance of a tyrant monarch, the currency would definitely be a pound or less. This was the case in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. They did this to loot the people.

Li Ji nodded and said, "But what if we were going to start a war to the outside world?"

Han Yi said: "First of all, the court must ensure a certain amount of storage. Food and copper must be reserved. This is to ensure that only when the real critical moment is the only way to take out the national debt. Secondly, if a war is launched to the outside world, the national debt will be easier to sell. If we have national debts when fighting Goguryeo, then we will directly issue special national debts, let merchants buy national debts and prepare military funds. After taking Goguryeo, we can use Goguryeo land to pay off the debts. The principle is the same, but it is simpler.

And we can also calculate the cost and profit of launching wars to the outside world. Merchants are not stupid. They will first calculate the land, resources, and how much they can be worth. Of course, they only look at the interests, but the court should have more concerns. If the two are subtracted, the cost of the court invested. Moreover, the court had to consume wars, and merchants also made money. In the past dynasties, they used strong ones. Our Tang Empire not only borrowed but also gave interest. What reason do they have to support the court in issuing national bonds? According to our financial bank statistics, national bonds are the most popular commodity on the market at present, that is, the transaction volume is the highest."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment and said, "Are you serious about this?"

Han Yi nodded and said, "It's true that because of the Yuanzhou incident, many people who have treasury bonds have sold treasury bonds to the outside world because they have to use money immediately. However, those more conservative businessmen or people with a lot of spare money start to buy treasury bonds because the interest on treasury bonds is very attractive to them."

When Li Ji heard this, he nodded in conscience. Today he realized that the treasury debt could be played like this.

Li Zhi was also very happy. The national debt made people believe so much, which shows that the people trusted the court very much. He laughed and said, "I got Han Yi, I am really as good as Duke Huan of Qi, Guan Zhong!"

Han Yi wondered: "Your Majesty, why do you compare Guan Zhong with me?"

Recently, he suddenly discovered that many people began to compare him with Guan Zhong.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "This is the queen's praise for you."

Han Yi smiled embarrassedly and said, "As far as things go, I have read some books and materials about Guan Zhong recently. In my opinion, Guan Zhong is actually much stronger than me, but our Tang Dynasty is too much stronger than Qi State, so we cannot compare them together. This is because your Majesty, you are much stronger than Duke Huan of Qi, so your Majesty and your Majesty are still stronger than Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong."

Li Ji and Li Zhi heard this and looked at each other, and then they both laughed.

Han Yi immediately said: "Your Majesty, Sikong, don't laugh, I'm analyzing it carefully."

"Okay, okay, I'm blushing when you flatter me." Li Zhi waved his hand.

Li Ji also smiled and shook his head, and suddenly said, "But the old minister has some concerns about opening up Taiyuan."

Li Zhi asked, "What are Sikong's concerns?"

Li Ji suddenly said: "The court currently has little control over Tiel, Khitan and Mohe, and Taiyuan has always been a major military center in the Central Plains. Opening Taiyuan rashly will bring risks to our Central Plains."

Han Yi said: "It is precisely because of this that the court must strengthen its control over those areas. Now those areas are still like the Western Turks back then, but they just surrender to our Tang Dynasty on the surface. Since Liangzhou has achieved success, why doesn't the court continue to try?"

Li Zhi nodded slightly and looked at Li Ji again.

Li Ji pondered for a while and said, "Your Majesty, the old minister does not think that Taiyuan cannot be opened, but he cannot be opened rashly, so as not to give people an opportunity to take advantage of it. Therefore, the old minister believes that if the court wants to open Taiyuan, first, a general will be sent from the previous court to guard Taiyuan."

Li Zhidao: "I wonder if Sikong has a suitable candidate?"

Li Ji said: "The old minister thinks Gao Kan is the most suitable. Because if it is said by the Shangshu Ling, after opening Taiyuan, it will become more prosperous, and it will involve a lot of money. If the army is involved, it will disrupt military discipline. Gao Kan has always been strict in governing the army, has been through many battles, and is able to be the only one. He has always been frugal and easy to deal with. He does not have a very important experience in money, and the old minister thinks he is the most suitable candidate."

Li Zhi nodded slightly and said, "Gao Kan is indeed very suitable. Okay, I will send Gao Kan to guard Taiyuan. But if the troops are in force, I think we should not increase for the time being. Taiyuan has enough troops. If the court still rashly increases its troops, the surrounding areas may feel panic and even cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

Li Ji immediately said: "Your Majesty is wise."

Of course he knew that Li Zhi was afraid of being in power.

Although Li Zhi made several mistakes in the Battle of Goguryeo, this cannot deny his strategic thinking. Moreover, he is very firm in his strategic thinking, that is, the front is light and the back is heavy. He must be stationed in Guanzhong and directly led by the central government. Even in the border town, it cannot exceed 50,000 troops. In fact, the most garrisons are Tuyuhun, but only 40,000. You should know that the opposite Tubo often mobilizes 200,000 to 300,000 troops.

But the Tang army only has 40,000, but Shanzhou and Liangzhou are all stationed in the army, and they continue to Chang'an. Once war begins, they can immediately go to support.

The Great Protectorate had 10,000 permanent troops, and some of them had to farm, and there were only a few thousand real professional soldiers.

Of course, this is all based on the strength of the Tang Dynasty's national strength and very clear policies. Simply put, it is to put it simply, it is to treat you well. First of all, I will treat you well. I will not exploit you. I will treat you consistently, but you will rebel, that is, your mistake. Although you may occupy the Great Protectorate, the consequences are very serious. The court will never give up and must fight to the end. This is not a shouting, but it has been like this all the time. When Asana Helu rebelled, the court sent troops to destroy it directly. There was no room for negotiation. Although it took so long to destroy Goguryeo, it was still destroyed. Moreover, the commander of the Tang army was very cruel in fighting. Historical records of the Tang army's war during this period were either pacified or destroyed, and killing was definitely inevitable. Therefore, the main purpose was to use deterrence to reduce your own military deployment.

The Tang Dynasty has not increased its own military strength until now, and has always maintained its original Zhechong Mansion, but its territory has increased a lot.

Li Zhi suddenly said again: "Shangshu Ling, I have heard that during this disaster relief, do you also encourage the people of Henan to go south to Lingnan, and even the South China Sea islands?"

Han Yi nodded and said, "Yes, because the merchant's food cannot help the people in the entire disaster area. Moreover, it is still one year before the autumn harvest next year, and the imperial court cannot afford it. However, there is a large amount of food in Lingnan, but it cannot be transported for a while. Since the food cannot be transported, they can only go south to find food to eat. Moreover, there are a large amount of wasteland there, especially the South China Sea islands. Once we occupy those, the land should belong to the people of our Tang Dynasty."

"I also think this move is very good. There are many land resources there, but there is a lack of manpower. The population in Henan has exceeded the saturation, so it is difficult to redistribute land to the people. This can also reduce the pressure from the court." Li Zhi nodded repeatedly and suddenly asked again: "I heard that the land on the island can really grow three seasons of food a year?"

Han Yi nodded and said, "This matter is absolutely true, because there is plenty of sunshine and rain over there, so it is not a problem to plant three seasons a year."

Li Zhi nodded, thought for a while, and said, "If this is the case, I think the court should reconsider the South China Sea islands. Food is the most important thing for the people. If the weather is good, food will not be a problem. However, once natural disasters occur, food will become very tight. If there is sufficient food, it will make the country more stable."

Li Ji asked: "Your Majesty wants to send troops to the South China Sea?"

Li Zhi nodded and said, "After this locust plague, I do have this idea. Although the northwest is vast, the grain output has not been high. If there is a natural disaster there, the Central Plains may have to allocate a large amount of food to provide disaster relief. If the land in the South China Sea is really so good, why don't we occupy it? With sufficient food, it will be of great help both externally and internally."

Li Ji asked, "I don't know what Your Majesty plans to do?"

Li Zhidao: "We understand this, but many ministers and people in the court do not understand it. This is contrary to Confucianism after all. Therefore, it depends on what kind of benefits the war between the merchants and the Buddha's dead country can bring to our Tang Dynasty. But first of all, we must win this battle. Therefore, I plan to ask Yangzhou and Guangzhou to give merchants more help, allocate more bows, crossbows and arrows to them, and let Dugu Wuyue lead the main force of the navy in Lelangzhou to go south, so that we must ensure the victory of this battle. If we can really bring enough food and resources to our Tang Dynasty, the court will immediately form a stronger navy there and incorporate more places into our Tang Dynasty territory."

"Your Majesty's wiseness."

Li Ji and Han Yi said in unison.

Li Ji said again: "Your Majesty, not only those islands, but also many places on the edge of Jiaozhi. In fact, I, the Tang Dynasty, can occupy it."

He is a soldier, and he only has one trick to solve problems, which is to fight wars. Diplomacy is the business of politicians. In his opinion, the mainland area is more worthy of occupation than islands. In the eyes of the Tang Dynasty, those places were all unmanned areas. Since they were about to expand, they would occupy the entire continent.

Li Zhi said: "But the malaria and malaria over there are too severe. If our soldiers go there, they will be unacceptable to the local conditions."

Li Ji said: "Since the court intends to strengthen the navy, we can fight along the seaside so that we can avoid the place of malaria and malaria."

Li Zhi was a little worried and said, "But how many people do you need?"

Li Ji said: "There are all natives there. If the navy cooperates, the old minister thinks two or three thousand elite soldiers are enough, and the old minister thinks that the merchants will definitely be willing to give support to the court."

As he said that, he looked at Han Yi.

Han Yi nodded and said, "The businessman is definitely willing to pay the money."

Li Zhi nodded with satisfaction and said, "If I only use a few thousand soldiers, I think it is worth a try."

It is reasonable to attack the northwest and Tubo, which endanger the Central Plains, no matter how many troops are, because if you don’t hit him, he will come to attack you, but Li Zhi is unwilling to mobilize troops to deal with those unthreatening places. Thousands of soldiers are still the same.

But if it were a few months ago, Li Zhi might not agree.

But this locust plague made Li Zhi feel lingering. This natural disaster is devastating to agriculture, and natural disasters are unstoppable. The only way to resist the natural disaster is to have enough food. Moreover, Li Zhi cannot ignore the northwest region now. Now the northwest region is no longer a system of restraint. The court has a heavier responsibility to them. If a disaster occurs in the northwest, food will become even more problematic, because the grain output in the northwest has always been low, so we have to prepare for it in advance.

Li Zhi began to realize that those places where they are transformed are not useless. At least they can produce a large amount of food. They need to have enough food and have enough confidence to fight against natural disasters. If it really doesn't work, they moved the people there to eat food. He felt it was necessary to take overseas expansion seriously.

Li Ji and Han Yi were very supportive, but now they are also moved to Li Zhi, so of course they are very happy.

Li Ji suddenly said: "Your Majesty, there is something that is just a trivial matter, but the old minister believes that he should report it to Your Majesty."

Li Zhi asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Ji said: "The haircutting movement started by craftsmen has also caused quite a lot of debate among the imperial guards. Some of the imperial guards believe that soldiers should follow the examples of the military academy and cut their inventions. Of course, the old ministers also understood that they were just taking advantage of the issue. In fact, they just wanted to cut their hair short. In fact, lice infection often occurred in the army."

Li Zhi frowned when he heard this and said, "Can the Shangshu Ling know about this?"

Han Yi said: "I have heard of it a little, but I don't know what to do about this."

Li Ji said: "Shangshuling has always been resourceful, why has he no solution to this matter?" In fact, there were only a small group of people in the army who were discussing it. At this time, he proposed that Han Yi wanted to find a solution because the matter had not been resolved yet.

Han Yi said: "Because there is a reason for this on both sides. On the one hand, the hair bun is a tradition, and it is understandable that everyone maintains their own traditions. But on the other hand, workers cut their hair in order to be innovative, and they have no choice."

In fact, once the industry and commerce rise, hair cutting is an inevitable trend, it is just a matter of time. Because the pace of life has become faster, and there is no time for you to take care of yourself slowly. Being late will have to be fined. What's more important is that today's workers are working in a group, and everyone has to estimate the feelings of others. They sweat so much a day and are tired, but they have to wash their hair and dry it when they go home. No one can stick to this process, but if you don't wash it, who can stand it and be disliked in life.

When it comes to craftsmen, they are so stinking that they feel uncomfortable. Now they are a market economy and have to deal with people every day. Moreover, the status of craftsmen is improving. Now, inventions and creations are prevalent in Chang'an. Qiu Mo easily raises thousands of chunks of money with a clock, and there is no need to say more about the Cao brothers.

So the craftsmen were very persistent in this movement. They thought that no matter how I did, you would despise us. Then I would rather try to be refreshed and clean.

In addition, Chang'an has many other ethnic groups, with a relatively open-minded social atmosphere and a very inclusive one. Ordinary people will not be so stubborn when looking at the whole thing. There are also some knowledgeable people who are very considerate of workers. Of course, scholars can take care of themselves leisurely, but the workers are hard to work and sweat every day, which is indeed understandable.
Chapter completed!