The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 65: It's not a pity to get your clothes dirty

North of Taiji Palace is the western inner courtyard.

It was a refreshing morning with the sun rising. Dewdrops hung on the jujube trees, swaying in the wind. Bathed in the breeze, the warriors entered the garden to change shifts and continue to guard the Yanziku. However, the number of people was doubled compared to before, a full 3000 people, and the guards were strict.

"Hmm..." The clerk yawned, holding a vinegar cake in his hand and chatting with several colleagues: "Have you heard? We have to resist the rebels again. The Grand Marshal Du Guogong will come to inspect the Yanzi Treasury soon, so we must settle the accounts early and dare not neglect it."

"These thieves are in the army and have insatiable desires. They fight and kill all day long. Isn't it difficult for them to live a good life?" The colleague cursed in a low voice, with a resentful look in his eyes, and stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth carelessly.

Officials sat down in the office one after another and started a new day's work. The sage wanted to send out 20000 soldiers, and each soldier was rewarded with 3 pieces of silk, but it was unrealistic to give out all the silk. Although the treasury had it, the stingy Taiwei would not agree! They could only follow the old rules, with various discounts on salt, grain, meat, cloth, money, beans, fruits and vegetables. The athletes didn't have to pick and choose what to reward, anyway, it was worth three pieces of silk.

The warriors were very happy to receive the gifts, but the officials, both big and small, were miserable - the workload was too heavy!

How do we calculate the prices of things that need to be distributed? This thing goes up and down from time to time. If we calculate it too low, the warriors will think they have been cheated and will curse and make trouble. If we calculate it too high, the cost to the court will be too high and the superiors will scold us. How can we strike the right balance? It is very annoying!
For example, if each soldier was given three rolls of silk, which kind of silk should be used as the discount? The fine silk from Shu, Wei, Wu and other places is too expensive! If too many things are sent out, it will increase the cost. If it is measured by the homespun cloth collected in the village, it is cheap...

Headache!

The petty officials were so busy that they were dizzy and kept interrupting and complaining.

At Xuanfu Gate, Du Rangneng, the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner, the Coin Minter, Rent, Labor and Green Seedling Revenue Commissioner, the Yanzi Treasury Commissioner, the Special Advancer, the Chief of the Executive Office, and the Grand Marshal, arrived at the Western Inner Courtyard, accompanied by dozens of officials from the three ministries.

Zheng Yanchang, the Minister of the Secretariat, Deputy Envoy of the Yanzi Treasury, Judge of the Ministry of Revenue, and Prime Minister, and Li Zhirou, the Prince of Xue, Deputy Envoy of the Yanzi Treasury and Judge of the Ministry of Revenue, followed the old man closely on his left and right.

After the Chao Rebellion was quelled, the Yanziku was rebuilt in the West Inner Courtyard, with the main focus on safety and stability.

There are 37 treasury buildings of various types, storing huge amounts of wealth drawn from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Salt and Iron, and the Ministry of Revenue. The court draws twice a year from the land tax, green seedlings, and the Ministry of Revenue, as well as the income from the salt, iron, tea, and wine monopolies, and transfers them to the Yanzi Treasury as a reserve. Its nature is different from the national treasury, which is responsible for military expenses. Temporary levies are avoided as much as possible to reduce the burden on the people.

It is worth mentioning that Yanziku had a very special income - that is, official salary and official salary. Beijing officials had official land in the capital as part of their salary, and each state military office also had public official land. After the An-Shi Rebellion, the court ordered that one-third of the grain earned from official land in the name of Chinese and foreign officials must be handed over, and if the distance was too far, it would be converted into copper coins.

This is the income from official land collected from officials, the mainstay of the Yanziku. However, with the decline of the central government's control over local governments, this amount has dropped by 70% to 80% in recent years, which is sad.

Secondly, the so-called lack of official money refers to the aristocratic bureaucrats who were dismissed for committing crimes or were forced to "relocate". The former had no salary at all, and the latter had their income cut in half. Both types of income were also sent to the Yanzi Treasury. The Tang Dynasty was not like the Ming Dynasty, which would take money from the peasants.

What about the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers? What about the royal family? They have to pay taxes! The ruling class dared to take action on itself and continuously reformed the financial system through various means. This allowed the Li Tang Dynasty to be reborn from the ashes and to survive for another century and a half in the situation of prosperity after the An-Shi Rebellion.

After walking around the West Inner Courtyard and inspecting the work, Du Rangneng, who was generally satisfied, sat down outside the Sugar Storehouse and asked, "How is the reward preparation going?"

"The emperor has selected 20,000 soldiers, all of whom are armored soldiers. The officials in the various warehouses are still discussing it for fear of causing dissatisfaction among the warriors. Most of them tend to measure it by the quality of Shu brocade. Those with families will be given priority in terms of food, fruits, vegetables, meat, etc., while the unmarried people can do as they please." The deputy envoy, Prince Xue Li Zhirou, replied.

"Yes. Bring me the accounting book before nightfall today." Du Rangneng said after a quick calculation. Since the treasuries are still quite sufficient, let's convert them according to Shu silk. It doesn't matter if we give a little more money and goods. This war is not a small one, and we can't afford to lose.

After a pause, he ordered: "Bring out another batch of wine, meat, sugar, and beans to entertain the soldiers tomorrow."

After eating, kill the thief!
"Yes." Li Zhirou took a pen and wrote down this.

"In addition..." Du Rangneng thought for a moment and felt that he had worked too much overtime, so he continued, "I will go to the palace to meet with the Xuanhui Envoy Yuwenrou and ask her to order the Taiji Palace Catering Bureau to prepare dinner and supper for the clerks of the Yanzi Treasury. Tell them to work hard for a few days."

"Yes." The officials were very happy to hear this.

Everyone doesn't eat, and they work like slaves for the court with empty stomachs, right?

"Tomorrow, at the latest, the rewards must be distributed in full." Du Rangneng supported himself and stood up. Seeing that everyone looked worried, he encouraged them, "This is not the third time that the rebel army has attacked the city. Don't panic, but do your duty. If there is any unexpected military situation, I will inform you in advance."

The officials were cheered up.

That's good - don't let it be like before, when once something happened, the saint would only flee with a few high-ranking officials, while his followers would not care at all, which was simply heartless.

After leaving Yanziku, Du Rangneng went to Daying and Qionglin to inspect, and then went to Weiqiao and other granaries to supervise the evacuation progress - he had ordered the transfer of supplies from the warehouses outside the city to the city. Although he did not want to lose the war, he still had to prepare for the worst.

……

Mo Zang Qiqi has been very proud recently. Years ago, the imperial envoys came to Hengshan to buy war horses and recruit warriors. He was tired of the life in the mountains, so he sold his horses and sheep, left without saying goodbye, and followed the envoy to Chang'an.

His excellent riding and archery skills made him be selected to serve as a lieutenant in the left wing of the Longjie Army. Unexpectedly, in just half a year, he has now become the deputy commander of the infantry division of the imperial guards.

Herding sheep?

Release the bird and sheep!

I wrote a letter to my parents and uncles to announce the good news. The elders asked if the saint still needed warriors? Haha.

Choice is more important than hard work. Xifeng tribe is working for Tuoba Sigong, the governor of Dingnan Army. I wonder how much reward they can get when fighting? They are not just small fire soldiers.

Mei Zang Qiqi couldn't help laughing while riding on his horse.

He had just come back from visiting the war horses at Shayuan. Although he was now the deputy commander of the Infantry Division, he was very concerned about the horse farm and had advised the military envoy Zhang Jide several times that horses were the foundation of our army and should be fed in wartime and fattened up on weekdays. They should not be neglected. Zhang Jide liked this energetic and not-so-domineering Dangxiang guy very much and asked him to visit more often.

After looking around the Shayuan in the morning, he saw that some of the war horses had become thinner. Mei Zang Qiqi's face darkened and he scolded the groom. He threatened to report to the emperor and ask him to issue an edict to punish these bastards. Everyone was submissive and dared not say a word.

"The road is narrow and the grass is long. The evening dew wets my clothes. It doesn't matter if my clothes are wet, as long as my wish comes true..." Mo Zangqiqi drank a sip of water, hummed a leisurely tune, and enjoyed the rare peace. The Wei River is surging, rice is planted in the fields, and cattle are working in the fields.

A shepherd boy playing the flute playfully, a young woman carrying a bamboo basket and sowing seeds, a man with his bare chest weeding in the fields, sweating profusely... It is so comfortable to live in Chang'an City. Even when the war is about to break out, people are still so calm while farming.

Mei Zang Qiqi was a little envious.

When they reached Baqiao, the dust was flying on the bridge. One horse, two horses... hundreds of horses, small officials in green robes and gray clothes galloped into the city: "Get out of the way!"

"Whoa." Mo Zangqiqi grabbed the reins and pulled his horse away, looking at the spectacular scene in front of him. On the plains in the east and west of Bashang, carts, donkeys, and camels followed one after another, and small officials drove cattle and sheep. The carts were full of goods. They were the baggage transferred from Weiqiao Warehouse, right?
The common people also carried bags of various sizes and marched in an orderly manner under the guidance of the officials.

Young men were carrying huge bamboo baskets full of sundries, panting, and strong women were carrying old people, sweating profusely, walking silently on both sides of the road. On the main road were carts of oxen, mules and donkeys, with pregnant women, blind people and children sitting on them, and pots, pans, clothes, farm tools... almost everything they could carry, probably because they knew that the Qibin bandits were marching towards Chang'an.

Mei Zang Qiqi felt very uncomfortable.

Not far from the horse, a ragged woman in her twenties was carrying a swaddling cloth on her back, a heavy package around her neck, and holding two little girls with bloodshot faces in her hands.

"Let me... help you." He stretched out his hand to the woman.

When the woman saw the armor he was wearing and the sword, quiver and bow hanging on the horse's belly, her face suddenly changed color and she hurriedly took the child and hid in the crowd.

The minor officials around noticed the warrior, cast their eyes over him, and seemed to want to say something, but held back.

Mei Zang Qiqi's face turned red.

He was a little unhappy that his kindness was rejected - I'm not a bandit from Qishan, what do I have to be afraid of.

"Go." He squeezed his horse's belly and joined the huge crowd, slowly walking towards the city gate with the team. He found that there were people from all walks of life. Rich businessmen, well-dressed scholars, beauties, servants, farmers... At this moment, they were all on this road. The only difference was their clothes. Who was better than who? Once the iron hoofs of the rebellious army came, everything would be destroyed.

He heard a lot of groaning, cursing, and crying.

"Damn it, the Qi people are here to kill the emperor again. Why aren't these beasts dead yet?"

"Poor purple melons that have just been planted."

"The autumn harvest is over."

This is what the farmers said.

"I said I would study hard to prepare for the next year's exam, but the vassal officials made things difficult. I wonder when this will end."

"Since the country has been destroyed, why not monitor it?"

"The Mandate of Heaven...will leave the Tang Dynasty." Scholars also sighed.

"When will the barbarians be pacified and my beloved return from his long expedition..." the bride sobbed softly.

"Go!" Mo Zang Qiqi was almost in agony, and he whipped his horse's butt and rushed into the city. Kill! Kill to death! Mo Zang Qiqi cursed a few times. In the city, pedestrians were shivering, and several government-run workshops on the street were forging swords, axes, and spears. Young wives and girls hired by officials sat on Hu beds, chatting while carefully stringing chain mail. They were provided with three meals a day, and they were very happy.

A large group of Jinwu Guards checked for suspicious people on the streets and whipped bad boys until they cried for their parents.

The petty officials were working in groups of three or five, resettling the refugees.

"Fortunately it's not a cold winter, otherwise I don't know how many people would have frozen to death..."

When he passed Changle Gate on the east side of Taiji Palace, he saw a large group of soldiers blocking the road. Upon inquiry, he found out that the emperor was inspecting the people with his wives, concubines and ministers. Xuanhui Envoy Yuwenrou took out a large amount of food and sent people to distribute it to the refugees living nearby.

The saint stood in the crowd, surrounded by a group of skinny old people. The corners were filled with children with weak breathing. The female officials of the Shang Pharmacy picked them up, patted their faces, and tried to treat them. The pregnant woman who couldn't squeeze out milk but still tried to wake up her child stared blankly at the blue sky and smiled foolishly.

"This is the country of saints." Mo Zangqiqi sighed. He didn't dare to observe it any longer. He bypassed the guards and returned to the military camp to report.

Yongjiali is quite lively, and most of the people there are the families of the Yingwu Army. Along the way, you can see many warriors holding their wives' hands and giving them instructions, then pushing away their daughters who are chasing them and stumbling away.

The saint will issue rewards tomorrow, which means they will probably go to war the day after tomorrow. Seeing the people traveling in pairs, Qiqi felt sympathetic.

Maybe I should marry a virtuous woman and settle down in the capital, so that I won’t die suddenly on the battlefield and leave no descendants.

Most women in the tribe have body odor, or a strong smell of sweat from not taking a bath for a long time. Qiqi didn't notice it when he was herding sheep in the tribe before, but now, he doesn't like it. If you want to find a girl, find a girl from the capital. One with a big butt and who can farm.

He looked back at the saint in the crowd.

The saint's virtuous concubine, Zhuxie, was also a Hu girl from Daibei. I wonder if she had body odor?
Alas, the war is imminent, and the important thing to do is to sharpen your sword and prepare to kill the enemy.

　"I once dreamed of traveling the world with a sword and seeing the prosperity of the world." I heard it more than ten times today. You once ate a pound of cherries, three ice creams, and drank three cups of tea. Lunch was dry-fried pork intestines, braised eggplant, mixed cucumber, sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed eggs, vermicelli soup, and dinner was a bowl of snail noodles. What did you eat? Read the menu.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)