I am a thief in the Tang Dynasty

"I second the proposal!"

......

No one hesitated, and no one objected.

All of them couldn't wait to express their support.

Li Shimin's eyes were as sharp as torches. He felt very pleased when he saw the people working together.

He said loudly: "What you say is what I think."

All the ministers raised their heads and looked with reverence at the wise leader before them whom they had sworn to follow until death, all of them filled with fighting spirit.

Li Shimin placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and said in a majestic and resounding voice:

"I have waited for this battle for three years. The hatred I felt that day kept me awake at night and made my food tasteless."

"Now that the opportunity has come, I certainly can't miss it."

After a pause, Li Shimin said solemnly:

"But gentlemen, we must avenge our enemies, but we must also take care of the safety of the people living in the border areas."

"The most urgent task right now is to provide disaster relief supplies and settle the people."

"Moreover, we cannot increase taxes on the people just for this war, causing them to suffer."

It is said that Li Shimin initiated the Zhenguan Reign, which laid a solid foundation for the Tang Dynasty, which was visited by all nations.

His heart was filled with hatred, but he did not let it carry him to his head, and he was always thinking about the people of the Tang Dynasty.

How could the world not be loyal to such a benevolent king?

How could those soldiers who fought for the Tang Dynasty not sacrifice their lives and shed their blood for the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Li Shimin?

Everyone looked at Changsun Wuji and Fangmou Duduan.

Changsun Wuji was the first to speak:

"The emperor cares about the people, which is a blessing for the people of the Tang Dynasty."

"In my opinion, we should immediately dispatch troops from Henan and Hebei to the north to intimidate the Eastern Turks and stabilize the border. Then we can dispatch troops from all over the Tang Dynasty and destroy the Eastern Turks with the whole country's strength."

Destroy the Eastern Turks!

These five words made everyone's blood boil again and their eyes lit with fire!

It's the fire of revenge!

Changsun Wuji continued:

"In addition, we should immediately collect disaster relief materials and transport them to the border areas to ensure that the people have enough food and warm clothes."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other.

At the same time, they stepped forward and said in unison: "I second the motion!"

Without waiting for Li Shimin's nod, they discussed the specific matters.

Dai Zhou, the Minister of Civil Affairs, frowned and stepped forward and spoke first:

"Your Majesty, since the establishment of the charity granary last year to prevent famine, officials and people have paid a lot of grain."

"But the food reserves are mostly in the rich southern regions. If we need to urgently transport them north, it will take a long time."

"And the northern granaries and charity granaries don't have much grain in stock."

"The most important cold-weather supplies are scarce in the national treasury, so we need to buy them from the public."

"In this case, the national treasury cannot support military pay and disaster relief supplies at the same time. Please ask the emperor and the gentlemen to decide."

Li Shimin, who was well aware of the national treasury, wanted to discuss it later and finalize the expedition first. After all, the lives of the people were important.

But unexpectedly, Dai Zhou, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was the first to raise this big problem.

Chapter 13 Are You So Short of Money?

When we fight, what we fight for is military pay, supplies, and money!

Disaster relief and rescue also require money.

Without enough money, it will be difficult to fight this battle!

The atmosphere in the imperial study became more solemn.

The Eastern Turks marched southward in large numbers, and it is unknown how long this war will last.

If the army is not paid enough, morale will be severely hampered afterwards.

If insufficient cold-resistant supplies were purchased, countless people in northern Xinjiang would have frozen to death.

It is impossible to weigh the pros and cons of the two; both are equally important.

Li Shimin did not speak, but his sharp gaze fell on Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling, who was very resourceful, thought for a while and then said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that the national treasury is the foundation of the country. Sixty percent must not be moved in case of emergency, and the remaining forty percent should be divided in half."

"Part of it will be used as military pay."

“Part of it is used to buy supplies.”

"To ensure the initial use of military pay and disaster relief."

"During this period, we will start raising money and food supplies to ensure that the military salaries and supplies continue to flow."

Everyone nodded.

Fang makes plans and Du makes decisions. As soon as Fang Xuanling opens his mouth, Du Ruhui has made a decision in his mind.

He stepped forward, put his hand in the salute and said, "I second the motion."

"And I propose that you, the officials and the court officials, should set an example in raising money, food and supplies."

"In this way, asking for donations from the nobles, gentry, merchants and wealthy families can reduce their resistance."

Li Shimin raised his lips slightly and praised:

"allow!"

"As the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, I cannot stay out of this matter!"

"I will donate some money from my private treasury and the harem's expenses!"

"Gentlemen, please feel free to give as much as you want, as long as it's a thoughtful gesture!"

"In this matter, we, the monarch and his subjects, are of one mind and work together to set an example for the world."

"Let the world and the people know our determination!"

Everyone in the audience agreed without hesitation and supported them to be the first to donate money and set an example, and they all spoke up in a resounding voice.

"I second the motion. Your Majesty is wise!"

The court officials were united, which made Li Shimin very happy and his face was full of relief.

He stood up and said solemnly:

"I, Li Shimin, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, thank you all for the sake of the people living in the border areas."

After he finished speaking, Li Shimin bowed to the gentlemen.

This scene made all the ministers feel warm in their hearts.

Where can we find such an emperor who is so respectful to the wise and humble?

Li Jing was the first to speak: "I will donate 150,000 strings of cash!"

Zhang Sun Wuji, who had a large family and great wealth, followed suit and said, "I will donate 300,000 strings of cash!"

The others also echoed it, and the lowest price they offered was 100,000 strings of cash.

Especially those military generals, who had fought in many battles, had accumulated a lot of wealth, none of them had less than Li Jing's 150,000 strings of cash, which was really wealthy.

On the contrary, Fang Xuanling looked a little embarrassed and did not speak for a long time.

He was born into the Qinghe Fang family. Although they were also a family of officials and had a wealthy family background, they were still the Qinghe Fang family.

Duke Wei was an honest official, and although he was an important minister in the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he received many rewards.

But Erlang Fang Yiai in the family is uneducated and aggressive, spending a lot of money and losing a lot of money.

The third son of the family, Fang Yiyi, lived a life of debauchery and extravagance, and even raised a lot of dowry for the Du family before the marriage.

At the moment, there is not much money left in the family, about 30,000 to 40,000 strings of cash.

It is several times lower than the lowest 100,000 strings of cash.

As the Duke of Wei, Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, he only took out this little. How could he save his face if he didn't say anything?

This is clearly a lack of respect for Li Shimin!

There is also the suspicion that he is trying to flatter the other ministers.

Only Fang Qiao and Fang Xuanling are incorruptible, while all the others are corrupt officials!

From now on, the friendship between court officials will no longer exist.

As the prime minister, Fang Xuanling had been slow to speak, which had already attracted everyone's attention.

Chapter 14: My Wife is Really Virtuous

Wei Zheng, who was a classmate of Fang Xuanling, knew Fang Xuanling's family background and couldn't help but frown and show some worry.

Cheng Yaojin, who had been holding back his anger all night, was delighted when he saw Fang Xuanling in a dilemma. Here came the chance to vent his anger!

His big copper bell eyes rolled and he immediately shouted:

"Duke Wei has not spoken a word yet. Is he planning to donate a sum that will shock everyone?"

"Duke Wei, how much are you prepared to donate?"

"Does he want to donate 400,000 strings of cash, or 500,000 strings of cash?"

"This will save a lot of people in the border areas!"

"I, Old Cheng, admire you so much. I would like to thank you on behalf of the people living in these border areas!"

As he spoke, Cheng Yaojin bowed and saluted towards Fang Xuanling with a playful smile.

The taunting is full.

Fang Xuanling's face turned red and then black.

Seeing this, how could the people around not know Fang Xuanling’s predicament?

Those who were very close to him wanted to help Fang Xuanling out, but they could not point out that Fang Xuanling had no money.

And there is no way to lend money to Fang Xuanling now.

For a moment, the scene became cold.

Du Ruhui and Wei Zheng's eyes fell on the dragon throne, signaling the emperor, the only one who could calm Cheng Yaojin, to speak.

Li Shimin looked at the unruly Cheng Yaojin with some headache.

Last night, Cheng Yaojin lost his beloved daughter-in-law, but she didn't quarrel with him. That night, Du Guiru didn't get married and stayed home on sick leave, but Cheng Yaojin didn't make a fuss. It would be bad for him to scold her now, as it would easily discourage people.

He thought for a moment, put on a funny expression and said, "Yaojin, you asked for 400,000 or 500,000 strings of cash. Xuanling is an incorruptible person, but you have become a corrupt official by saying this. This is not a joke!"

Cheng Yaojin reluctantly said, "Your Majesty, I am just curious about how much Duke Wei is going to donate."

Li Shimin shook his head and said helplessly: "How much money Xuanling can take out and donate to the national treasury later, you will know for yourself."

"We'll talk about the donations later, let's discuss state affairs first."

"Pharmacist, how do you think we should fight this battle?"

The topic was successfully changed, and Fang Xuanling cast a grateful look at Li Shimin.

......

The Duke's Mansion of the State of Wei.