The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Wang Ya?

Li Ang put down the memorial in his hand, feeling a little puzzled.

It should be noted that the audiences presented by the Secretariat and the Chancellery were usually held after the morning court session. Unless there were special circumstances, they would generally not enter the palace at this time.

The problem is that if something serious happened, like an emergency on the border, all the prime ministers should have come to the palace together. Why would Wang Ya come alone?

"Summon."

However, since they've come, we definitely have to meet them.

At least in the current court, the only person Li Ang could feel was reliable and trustworthy was this Minister Wang.

"Minister Wang Ya, also known as Minister of Works, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Whether it was Li Ang's imagination or not, the moment he saw Wang Ya, he noticed that the old minister's expression seemed more solemn than usual.

"Rise, please take a seat."

Li Ang gestured for someone to bring over a stool for Wang Ya to sit down, and then asked.

"It's so late, what brings you to the palace so hastily, Minister?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ya cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, after the court session today, I saw that Your Majesty summoned Chancellor Li Deyu and Prefect Xue Yuanshang to a meeting. I guessed that Your Majesty was concerned about the Shence Army. Therefore, after Li Deyu returned to the Hall of State Affairs, I summoned him for a discussion."

Wang Ya did not answer Li Ang's question immediately, but first briefly recounted his conversation with Li Deyu at the Political Affairs Hall.

After listening, Li Ang roughly understood Wang Ya's purpose.

"Does the Grand Commandant think that I shouldn't let Li Deyu continue investigating the Shence Army case?"

Wang Ya did not deny this, and nodded, saying.

"Your Majesty, I understand that Li Deyu's actions are for the sake of the country, but... Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but the court cannot afford any more trouble."

As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it over.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a summary I have just compiled of the court's tax revenue and expenditure over the past few years."

Strictly speaking, Wang Ya is a talented administrator, especially in the economic field.

Even now, though he has long since become prime minister, he still concurrently serves as the salt and iron transport commissioner of the imperial court, specifically responsible for tax-related matters.

That is why he was the most clear about the true nature of the imperial court.

Li Ang opened the memorial he was presented with, glanced at it, and his brows furrowed tightly.

At the same time, Wang Ya's voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, since the Jianzhong era, our dynasty has implemented the Two-Tax System. During the Ever-Normal Era, the annual revenue was over 250 million strings of cash and over 20 million shi of rice. Adding the salt tax, tea tax, and other miscellaneous taxes, after being converted according to market prices, the total revenue was around 35 million shi."

"However, in recent years, various regional military governors have been privately retaining their revenues. Lulong, Chengde, Weibo, Ziqing, Huaixi and other places have basically been self-sufficient and have not contributed to the imperial court. Henan, Shannan and other places have also contributed only a small amount of taxes. As a result, the imperial court's annual revenue has been less than 70% of the quota."

"Last year, there was a drought in the Jianghuai region and frequent locust plagues, which affected major tax-producing areas such as western Zhejiang and Huainan. According to reports from local officials, many places saw a reduction in farmland yields of more than 30%. As a result, the imperial court's revenue this year is only over 15 million strings of cash."

"Of these revenues, more than 60% are used for military expenditures. The Shence Army has more than 130,000 registered soldiers. Each ordinary soldier receives 36 shi of grain and 21 bolts of cloth per year. This alone requires an expenditure of more than 7 million guan."

"But our Great Tang Dynasty has not only the Shence Army, but also hundreds of thousands of border troops. Their treatment is far inferior to that of the Shence Army, but their numbers are so large that even with the most frugal measures, it would still cost around five million strings of cash. There are also official salaries, disaster relief, and the repair of palaces and temples..."

Looking at the account in front of him, Li Ang felt increasingly shocked.

Throughout history, it has been common for dynasties to experience treasury deficits in their middle and later stages.

However, he did not expect that the financial situation of the Tang Dynasty had reached such a dire state.

According to Wang Ya's memorial, the imperial court's finances were on the verge of collapse.

Taking this year as an example, the income was only about 15 million guan, but the expenditure was nearly 20 million guan.

What's even more frightening is that this kind of thing doesn't just happen this year, but happens every year, the only difference being the amount of the deficit.

Over the years, the company has accumulated a deficit of at least seven or eight million.

As for the daily operation of the imperial court, it was only by Wang Ya and Li Shi, the director of the Ministry of Revenue, robbing Peter to pay Paul that it was barely kept afloat.

Especially when he saw the end, Li Ang almost stood up from his throne.

"Three million strings of cash? The national treasury only has three million strings of cash left now?"

Although Wang Ya had already calculated everything in the memorial, Li Ang was still shocked by the number.

Seeing this, Wang Ya gave a wry smile and said.

"Your Majesty, this three million strings of cash is only a meager surplus after the autumn tax revenue was collected. Before the autumn tax revenue was collected, when the national treasury was most in dire need, the money and grain were only enough for the capital and the Imperial Guards for two or three months..."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang's face also turned bitter.

He let out a long sigh, looking down at Wang Ya, whose hair was now gray, and couldn't help but sigh.

"With the national treasury in such dire straits, it is truly remarkable that the Minister of Works has managed to sustain it all these years."

However, Wang Ya shook his head and said...

"Your Majesty, my hard work is nothing, but the national treasury is already at its limit, which is what I really want to say."

"The imperial court...can't afford any more trouble!"

He repeated his initial words again, but this time, Li Ang's attitude became much more cautious.

But he still didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Wang Ya continued, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I have known about the private loans in the army for a long time, but I have never investigated them. The national treasury is depleted, and the military expenses of the Shence Army cannot be reduced at will. Although these private loans are against the law, they can alleviate the financial difficulties to some extent and give the court some breathing room."

"I am not against investigating the case, but the problem is that if the practice of private lending in the army is prohibited, then this huge amount of military expenses will have to be borne entirely by the court. Given the current state of the national treasury, it is absolutely impossible to cope with it. Therefore, I dare to ask Your Majesty to think it over carefully and not to act rashly."

These words silenced Li Ang completely.

He is not some pedantic person who only talks about principles and ignores reality.

Wang Ya was telling the truth.

The Shence Army's military expenses account for a large portion of the national treasury's expenditures, but now that the imperial court is unable to collect taxes, this military expense cannot be provided.

Since we can't supply enough, we have to find a way.

By default, private lending within the military is one solution.

While these eunuchs certainly amassed wealth through this method, the money they obtained from the common people allowed the national treasury to recover its losses for several months.

With room to maneuver and patch things up from one problem to another, at least a basic level of dignity can be maintained.

But if this route is really banned, where will such a huge amount of military spending come from all at once?

After a moment of silence in the hall, Li Ang asked hesitantly.

"Then, in Sikong's opinion, what should be done?"

Wang Ya pondered for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is wise. In my opinion, there is only one way: to allow the people to recuperate and rebuild their lives."

"The tax base in various places is actually quite substantial. As long as there is no major war or construction, and the court and the people live in peace and quiet, and if daily expenses are kept to a minimum, in good years, the deficit can be made up in about three to five years."

"In a few years, when the national treasury has a surplus, we can discuss other things later..."