A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 807 Sky-high Price
Pei Ju, the Imperial Attendant-in-Ordinary, also agreed with the plan to exchange grain for eggs, but also offered his own opinions.

"Both the Western Turks and the Tuyuhun have requested marriage alliances with our Great Tang. I believe we should agree. We should grant marriage alliances to the two tribes, open trade, and use salt, tea, silk, cloth, porcelain, ironware, and other goods to trade with the Turks for cattle, sheep, horses, camels, furs, and medicinal herbs."

This elderly prime minister had been an expert on the Western Regions during the Sui Dynasty.

“Nowadays, in winter, nomadic tribes slaughter some male livestock in advance to save fodder.”

We can trade with them, exchanging their frozen meat or directly for dried meat. These can be transported from the Hu region without the worry of running out of water and pasture during the winter, as we would with live livestock.

The meat of livestock slaughtered by nomadic tribes before winter, though not fresh, can still be preserved for a long time during this season and can be transported to the Central Plains. It can then be made into cured meat or smoked meat and preserved for even longer.

During times of famine, this meat was, of course, a precious food source.

Moreover, marriage alliances and trade could appease these foreign tribes, reduce border conflicts, and prevent war.

at the moment,

It was indeed not advisable for the Tang Dynasty to wage war against foreign powers.
It would be best to cancel the war plan against Tuyuhun, or at least prevent Tuyuhun from raiding the border again.

In Pei Ju's view,
The best course of action against Tuyuhun was to attack.
Send troops to conquer and annihilate them in one fell swoop, thus solving the problem once and for all.

But since the priority is to stabilize the domestic situation and deal with the famine, then we should first appease Tuyuhun.

Since Tuyuhun had always wanted a marriage alliance, they decided to bestow the title of princess upon a member of their royal family and send her to marry into Qinghai. They also wanted Tuyuhun to send one or two princes to serve the Tang emperor, and to recruit some Tuyuhun noble sons to study at the Imperial Academy of Tang or to join the imperial guards.

The emperor looked at Li Yi.
"I believe Prime Minister Pei's suggestion is correct. The Tuyuhun's rebellion is unpredictable, and our Great Tang will surely destroy them sooner or later. But for now, we can agree to their marriage proposal and trade arrangements."

The imperial court could also use this opportunity to strengthen relations with the Dangxiang and other Qiang tribes. It could establish tributary prefectures and counties for some Dangxiang and Qiang tribes that were close to the Tang Dynasty, and appoint their leaders as prefects or generals. This would also serve to divide the Tuyuhun from the other Qiang tribes.

Li Yi used to dislike marriage alliances.

They used to think it was unnecessary to use women to exchange for peace, but now their attitude has changed.

The marriage alliances between countries are no different from the political marriages between large families.

"Marriage alliances are acceptable, but I believe it shouldn't be just our Great Tang sending princesses. Whether it's the Tuyuhun, the Western Turks, or even the Tiele tribes, the Xi, the Khitan, or others who wish to form marriage alliances, our Great Tang should agree."
But in addition to offering horses, camels, cattle, and sheep as betrothal gifts,

We must also send the noble daughters of the Khan, chieftains, and others to our Great Tang.

The daughters of the Khan entered the emperor's harem, while the daughters of tribal chiefs married into the royal family or became concubines of ministers.

If we're going to arrange a marriage alliance, then let's make it a big affair.

In the future, it may not only be princesses who marry Khans, but also county princesses of the royal family who marry tribal chiefs.

The emperor asked the other prime ministers for their opinions.

Whether it was Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Yuwen Shiji, or Wei Zheng, none of them opposed the marriage alliance, much less Li Yi's proposal.
Marriage alliances have been common since the Han Dynasty, and have often been quite effective.

"Very well." The emperor nodded. "Let the Honglu Temple talk to the envoys of the Western Turks and Tuyuhun first. The Tang Dynasty can agree to their marriage proposals and trade, but they must also send their daughters, the daughters of their Khans and chieftains, to the Tang Dynasty for marriage."

Border trade permitted the trading of general goods, except for armor, weapons, and strategic materials such as iron. Ironware and other iron products were also allowed to be traded.

"How much should the betrothal gift be?" Pei Ju asked the emperor.

Li Shimin didn't know how much was appropriate.

Li Yi added from the side, "Fifty thousand horses, ten thousand cattle and camels, and one hundred thousand sheep."

As soon as these words came out,
Everyone looked over; Li Yi was too ruthless.

Even on the grasslands, 50,000 horses is an astonishing number. Grassland herders primarily raise sheep and cattle; horses are relatively rare.

“We can ask for more upfront, and then negotiate slowly. In the end, we can ask for 20%, which will make them happy and show that we are giving them face.”

Even if it's 20%, that's still 10,000 horses, 2,000 cattle, 2,000 camels, and 20,000 sheep.

"They're asking for the hand of a noble princess of the Tang Dynasty, and you won't even give them these few livestock? Then they shouldn't come to ask for marriage at all. I believe that if the Tang Dynasty allowed the Tiele, Khitan, Tubo, and Xi to come and ask for marriage..."
They would be more than willing to offer these livestock as a betrothal gift in exchange for marrying my Tang princess.

“If they think it’s too much and can’t afford it, then the Tang Dynasty can marry off a county princess, with the dowry halved.”

To marry a county princess, one only needs five thousand horses, one thousand cattle, one thousand camels, and ten thousand sheep.

Marrying a princess and marrying a county princess are of course different, even though these princesses and county princesses may be daughters of royal princes or even county dukes who are granted the titles of princess or county princess.

Li Shimin hesitated for a moment.
Wouldn't this be reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty's practice of selling daughters through marriage alliances?

"Your Majesty, even commoners in the countryside have to pay betrothal gifts when they get married. Besides, we will also provide them with dowries."

The dowry included Buddhist scriptures, Taoist scriptures, and Confucian classics, as well as silks and porcelain. Those high-quality brocades, silks, and glassware were all very valuable.

Du Ruhui smiled and said, "What Situ said makes sense. In a marriage alliance, they provide the betrothal gifts, and we provide the dowry."

If a marriage alliance and trade agreement are reached with them,
Not only can it ensure border stability,
Moreover, it also provides access to a large quantity of meat and livestock.

The Central Plains had just emerged from a great upheaval; the army lacked horses, the people lacked oxen for plowing, and merchants lacked horses and mules for transportation, leading to trade with nomadic tribes.
That way, you can quickly obtain and solve your needs.

Li Shimin put down his teacup. "Alright, let the Court of State Ceremonies talk to them. Wuyi, when the Tuyuhun and Western Turks send noble ladies, you must also take two of them as concubines."

"Your Majesty's arrangements will be followed."

The emperor simply turned Li Yi's main hall into a palace for court discussions.

Although the two prime ministers, Wen Yanbo and Wang Gui, were absent,

However, the discussions among the emperor and his ministers on various major national policies were quite enthusiastic.

Wei Zheng expressed his support for Li Yi's proposal that those who owned more than 100 mu of land should have two dou of grain purchased by the government per mu.

He agreed that the court should have more grain in hand in the lead-up to the impending famine.

But he also made a suggestion.

“Storing grain for disaster preparedness is necessary, but I suggest that before opening the granaries to store grain, the granary rats should be eliminated first.”

Everyone understood what Wei Zheng meant by "hamster".

They weren't real rats, but rather the officials who managed the warehouse.

"The greater the famine, the more precious the grain, and the more likely the officials managing the granaries are to take the risk of stealing and misappropriating the grain."

A comprehensive overhaul is necessary first; otherwise, while the imperial court is doing everything it can to collect grain, large amounts are being stolen.
It's like a bottomless pit, never to be filled.

Li Yi then said, "I suggest that the Grand Censor Wen be in charge of supervising this matter, thoroughly investigate granaries throughout the country, clear out the grain in the warehouses, and verify the details."

Get rid of those hamsters.
Wen Xiang has always been upright and selfless; I believe he can handle this matter well.

(End of this chapter)