Rebirth of the best emperor

Chapter 641 Open one eye and close one eye
Meng Tian's reaction surprised Wang Mang.

Meng Tian glanced at Feng Tang and knew what Wang Mang was doing here, and he asked the question directly, so this matter seemed interesting.

Wang Mang glanced at Meng Tian and said, "Since you already know what I'm here for you, then tell me."

Meng Tian glanced at Feng Tang, and said: "Master Feng, you are Yun Zhongling, you should talk about this matter first."

Feng Tang was taken aback, and said: "Since the Marquis of Dingbei asked me to say it, then I will say it. When I arrived in Yunzhong City, I soon found that the business and trade in Yunzhong City are very bleak, and compared to the bleakness on the surface, The black market in Yunzhong City is very lively, news is rampant in the black market, and smuggling is rampant. According to the preliminary investigation, the commercial circulation of Yunzhong City is almost zero on the surface, but the commercial circulation in private is extremely developed and not weaker than the population of the Central Plains. In a big city with millions of dollars, I carefully investigated the reasons and found that one of the reasons for this situation is that the sand pirates are rampant, and the sand pirates block the commercial roads, and the merchants cannot safely carry out trade exchanges from Cloud City City, so they Most of them chose secret channels to do these businesses, they are used to doing business in the dark, so the first thing I did after I found out about this was to ask Ding Beihou, you borrowed a team of soldiers and horses to pay near Cloud City Sand Pirates."

"Master Feng's move has gained a lot. More than a dozen sand bandits near Yunzhong City have been wiped out by Master Feng recently." Meng Tian echoed.

"But after eradicating these sand robbers, I found that the trade route has not been opened up." Feng Tangdao: "After careful investigation, I found that sand robbers are not easy, the black market is not easy, and even Dingbeihoufu is not easy."

"Master Feng found out that my Dingbeihou Mansion is related to Sand Pirates and the black market?" Meng Tian said.

"Yes." Feng Tang nodded, and said: "To be precise, it is not, but I have found many signs that have a vague relationship with the Dingbei Houfu. Isn't this strange?"

"It's not strange, the Dingbeihou Mansion has something to do with this matter." Meng Tian said generously.

Feng Tang looked startled, and stood directly beside Wang Mang, looked at Meng Tian and said, "What do you mean?"

Meng Tian looked at Feng Tang and asked back: "I should be asking you this sentence, what does Mr. Feng mean? Are you so guarded against me, is it because you are worried that I will be disadvantageous to Your Majesty?"

Wang Mang waved his hands and said, "Feng Tang backs down, Meng Tian speaks."

"Your Majesty can trust Meng Tian?" Meng Tian looked at Wang Mang and said.

"The Meng family has guarded Yunzhong City for Daqin for many years, and made great contributions. They were granted the title of Marquis of Dingbei and stationed in the northwest of Daqin forever. As the emperor of Daqin, how could I not believe in the Mengshi clan? Guarding the frontier and killing the enemy, he has made great achievements in battle before he was 20 years old. For decades, he ate sand and drank the northwest wind in this cloud city and Dingbei city, without a single complaint, how can I not trust the general?" Wang Mang said.

Meng Tian was stunned for a moment, kowtowed with emotion, "I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

"Ding Beihou doesn't have to be like this. I'm not here to inquire about crimes, but to help you and Feng Tang resolve the misunderstanding." Wang Mang said: "You two are the highest military and political commanders here in Yunzhong City. If you have any suspicions, Then the northwest of Daqin is in danger."

Meng Tian was silent, while Feng Tang cupped his hands and said to Meng Tian: "Dingbeihou, I believe in your character, but it's better to say something clearly."

"Alright." Meng Tian said: "It's just that His Majesty is here today, so it's better to explain these things together."

After listening for a while, Meng Tian looked at Feng Tang and said, "Master Feng, do you know how much Yunzhong City spends in a year?"

"More than one hundred thousand taels of silver a year." Feng Tang said.

"More than one hundred thousand taels?" Meng Tian shook his head and said, "That's Mr. Feng, you only calculated the cost of civil affairs in Yunzhong City, not the military cost."

After a pause, Meng Tian continued: "My Daqin implements the policy of stationing troops, using war to support war, and the soldiers work to support themselves, but if it is a bitter cold place in the northwest, where resources are scarce and the environment is harsh, my soldiers are all crops. It is impossible for the masters in the field to cultivate the land to support themselves while ensuring their combat effectiveness, has Mr. Feng ever thought about this?"

"Dingbei City has the most fertile land in Yunzhong City, and I have carefully investigated it. There are farmers who specialize in agricultural production. Why do soldiers work in person?" Feng Tang retorted.

"My lord is talking about the present, not the past." Meng Tian said: "Everything your lord sees now is Dingbei City today, and what your lord sees is not Dingbei City ten years ago, but more It’s not the Dingbei City a hundred years ago, a hundred years ago, where we are standing now, there is nothing but the Dingbei Marquis Mansion built of stones, and the ground is full of yellow sand.”

"This..." Feng Tang moran.

"Your Excellency is in charge of civil affairs and doesn't know anything about military affairs. Anyway, there are no outsiders here. Meng Tian tells everyone that there are always 30 soldiers in this Dingbei City. The cost of food, drink and Lazard for these 30 people in a year is no less than one million taels. Silver, in addition to personnel costs, there are equipment replacement, city wall construction and other costs, it can be said that since I inherited the Dingbei Marquis Mansion, Dingbei City's annual military expenditure has never been less than 200 million taels of silver." Meng Tian said indifferently He said: "That's what we did in Dingbei City. In order to spend the money where it is most needed, there are no wine shops or restaurants in Dingbei City. There are no places where money can be spent. Here is A fortress, a military fortress standing in the northwest of Great Qin."

After a pause, Meng Tian said: "Daqin's finances have always been tight. The treasury's income in these years is only five or six million taels, and what can be allocated to me is only one or two million taels. It can be said that it is a drop in the bucket. To maintain The combat power of Yunzhong City, then we can only think of other ways."

"So Dingbeihou Mansion became the master behind the smuggling in Yunzhong City?" Wang Mang said.

"No." Meng Tian shook his head and said, "The men in Dingbeihou's Mansion are all men on the battlefield. They don't do this kind of business, let alone black market trade. About a hundred years ago, the Dingbeihou's war His power was so weak that it was almost impossible to maintain. In order to maintain his combat power and the stability of the Northwest of the Great Qin Dynasty, the then Dingbeihou agreed to the conditions of the black market in Yunzhong City at that time, and turned a blind eye to the black market. Sponsor 20 taels of silver for Dingbeihou's military training, which has gradually increased to 150 million taels in recent years."

"So you Dingbeihou's Mansion gave the public artifacts to the black market?" Feng Tang sneered, "When you took the 20 taels, do you remember that you are the guardians of the people of Daqin?"

"Just because I remember, Yunzhongcheng cannot be lost!" Meng Tian said firmly: "Under the circumstances at that time, Yunzhongcheng at that time could only make this choice."

"What about now?" Feng Tang sneered, "Does the Dingbeihou Mansion continue to turn a blind eye to the black market?"

(End of this chapter)