Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 303: Current Situation
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

After the Lantern Festival, shouts of killing echoed outside Longyou County, Jiazhou.

In the military camp with a circumference of several miles, thousands of tents were connected together, and the flags in the camp fluttered in the wind.

On the training ground covering an area of more than 100 acres, the 30,000 Xichuan Tang troops, who had been training for more than four months, also began to show their prowess.

The former starving people have now become soldiers, wearing battle jackets and holding spears.

Standing on the school platform, Cui Xuan looked at the endless team and felt full of pride.

Although these 30,000 Xichuan Tang troops had not experienced war, they were much better than the old Xichuan Tang troops that Cui Xuan saw when he took office.

Several generals waved their flags, and the 30,000-strong army kept moving and forming battle formations.

Cui Xuan was very satisfied with their performance, but he would be even more satisfied if they could all wear armor.

Thinking of this, Cui Xuan looked at Yang Fuguang beside him and asked, "How is the recruitment and forging progress of the military workshop in the palace?"

Yang Fuguang bowed and responded, "There are more than 9,400 craftsmen in the military workshop, but they can only produce 50 sets of armor every day."

Cui Xuan frowned and glanced at a general next to him: "How many pieces of armor are missing in the army?"

"Reply to the envoy..." The general sorted out his thoughts in his mind and thought for a moment before answering:

"After eliminating more than 3,000 old and weak soldiers from Jiazhou, Meizhou, Chengdu Prefecture, etc., and including the armor in the treasury, our army only has 7,642 sets of armor, and is still short of 22,757 sets."

Yang Fuguang and the generals' answers made Cui Xuan a little anxious.

Although he had used some means to obtain the news that the Dali army was marching towards Rongzhou from merchants in Dali.

But he was also very clear that no matter whether Dali's battle in Rongzhou was successful or not, Xichuan would still face Dali's invasion.

In the past few months, he has laid off more than 3,000 old and weak soldiers, not only to reduce military expenditures, but also for the armor they wear.

Today, Xichuan has 53,000 soldiers, but there are only 2,000 elite cavalry, less than 4,000 mule and horse troops, and the rest are infantry who can only rely on manpower to transport armor.

What’s more important is that among the 53,000 troops, only less than 30,000 wore armor.

Of these 30,000 people, 11,000 were stationed in the west and north of Xichuan to guard against Tubo and Longyou.

The Dadu River defense line in Lizhou had only 6,000 armored cavalry and mule and horse soldiers, and Chengdu Prefecture had only 3,000 armored infantry.

Although Jiazhou had an army of 30,000, only 7,642 of them had armor to wear, and the rest had only a battle jacket.

Even though You Shilong has already shown his intention to fight a big battle in Rongzhou, Xichuan only has half a year at most.

With the current level of armor production, only half of the 30,000 Jiazhou soldiers will be able to wear armor in half a year. What about the remaining soldiers?
Thinking of this, Cui Xuan became worried. After thinking about it, he looked at Yang Fuguang:

"There are still 700,000 strings of money and grain in the treasury, but our army is short of armor, mules and horses."

"I originally wanted to give Liu Jilong some time to wait and see, so that he would send people to Xichuan to sell horses."

"Now it seems that Liu Jilong, relying on the rich granary in Longyou, has no intention of taking the initiative to attack."

"I cannot leave the front line. You, Zixun (father's name), have to go to Longyou."

Facing Cui Xuan's words, Yang Fuguang could only secretly curse the old man for being incompetent, but he still smiled and said:
"Rest assured, Your Excellency. I will not fail you in your mission... But I wonder how many mules and horses you are going to buy, and how much money you are going to spend on silk?"

Yang Fuguang's words made Cui Xuan ponder for a moment, and then he spoke:

"My master has 30,000, so I need to buy at least 20,000 mules and horses."

"In addition, it would be best if we could buy riding horses and military horses."

"I just don't know what the current horse prices are in Longyou and Guannei Road. Can we get this done with 300,000 strings of cash?"

Hearing this, Yang Fuguang cursed the old man in his heart for not knowing the prices, but he replied respectfully:

"The current grain price in Xichuan is 800 coins per dan, and the prices of mules and horses vary, ranging from mules and horses worth 12 guan to military horses worth nearly 100 guan."

"Three hundred thousand strings of cash, if used to purchase mules and horses, it should be enough to buy 20,000 horses, but..."

Yang Fuguang paused, thinking of the instructions and instructions given to him by his cousin Yang Fugong when he left Xichuan, and continued:

"But there are few mules and horses in Longyou, and Dongchuan purchased them last year. I'm afraid there won't be many mules and horses available for our army to purchase right now."

"If we want to buy a draft horse, three hundred thousand strings of cash may not be enough..."

"So expensive?" Hearing this, Cui Hyun frowned.

Although the price of horses in Hedong is also very high, it is certainly not as expensive as in Xichuan and Longyou.

Yang Fuguang did not find Cui Xuan's attitude strange.

How could an official like Cui Xuan, who came from a noble family, always pay attention to prices?
Because of this, he had to explain to Choi Hyun:
"Since Liu Jilong sent troops to expel the Uighurs and the Umos, towns like Shuofang could only sell horses from their own horse farms, and the number of imported horses dropped sharply."

"Nowadays, only the six towns of Hexi, Longyou, Tiande, Zhenwu, Datong, and Youzhou can import horses to the Central Plains."

“The price of horses in Longyou is not cheap, but it is the closest to Xichuan.”

"If we send people to Youzhou to buy horses, we will have to pass through at least four vassal states on the way. If the officials extort money from us at any one of them, the price will be even higher than that of horses in Longyou, not to mention the casualties of horses on the way south..."

Cui Xuan frowned and couldn't help asking, "What about Tiande and Zhenwu Towns in Guannei Road?"

Yang Fuguang smiled bitterly: "Given the scale of the three towns of Tiande, Zhenwu and Datong, I'm afraid they can't meet the number of horses our army needs..."

Seeing Yang Fuguang say this, Cui Xuan's eyes twitched slightly.

After a moment, he regained his composure and said, "I will allow you to transfer 300,000 strings of money and grain. You can buy as much as you can."

"Yes..." Yang Fuguang agreed, then walked down the platform and went to Chengdu with Cui Xuan's token.

Three days later, as he arrived in Chengdu, he went to the treasury first.

The chief secretary of the palace brought him to the huge treasury, but after the door was opened, the situation inside surprised Yang Fuguang.

Although Cui Xuan said that it was bundles of grain worth 700,000 strings of cash, the money in the treasury was still too little.

"General Yang, there are more than 700 taels of gold, more than 2,000 taels of silver, 160,000 strings of copper coins, and different amounts of silk and satin in the Xichuan treasury. The specific amount is recorded in the documents."

Yang Fuguang took the document handed over by the Chief of Xichuan and took a quick look at it to understand the situation of the Xichuan army's warehouses and storehouses.

Xichuan's financial resources are indeed not shallow. After the autumn harvest last year, the autumn tax collected was no less than 1.3 million strings of cash, but most of it was tax in kind.

Nearly three million pieces of various cloth and two million dan of grain accounted for most of the income after discount, and the money collected was only 400,000 strings of cash.

Even so, after Cui Xuan paid out military pay and officials' salaries, only 160,000 strings of cash were left.

There were indeed 700,000 strings of cash, grain and cloth in the Xichuan treasury, but if Longyou did not accept the goods in kind, Yang Fuguang would have to sell them in order to have the money to go to Longyou.

"There are still 260,000 shi in the government warehouse, right?"

Yang Fuguang looked at the Xichuan Chief Secretary with a dark face. The Chief Secretary nodded and added: "But the Prime Minister said that the grain in the government warehouse cannot be less than 200,000 dan."

"I..." Yang Fuguang almost couldn't breathe.

After calming down, Yang Fuguang took a deep breath and said, "Sell the 60,000 dan, and load the brocade, silk, gauze, and other items in the treasury onto the cart."

He had just looked at the document, and the number of these more expensive silks was no more than 30,000 pieces.

The money from selling grain, plus the money in the treasury and this batch of silk, can almost make up 300,000 strings of cash.

If Liu Jilong didn't want this batch of silk, he would have to find another way.

In previous years, if there were tens of thousands of rolls of silk, merchants from Xichuan would have definitely scrambled to get them.

But now, under the shadow of war, all the noble families and commoners in Shu are hoarding grain, and no one is going to buy silk.

Those wealthy aristocratic families and large commoners basically all had their own mulberry fields and weavers.

If it was for personal wear, their own property could fully meet the needs of the family, and there was no need to buy silk from the government.

Thinking of this, Yang Fuguang stayed in Chengdu for three days.

Three days later, he led a thousand Xichuan infantrymen and 20,000 civilian laborers to carry the goods northward.

From this we can see that there were indeed few mules and horses in Xichuan, and the price of cattle was too expensive, so it was better to hire hungry people to serve as porters than to buy ox carts.

At the same time that Yang Fuguang was heading north, Cui Xuan also wrote a memorial to the court because of his insufficient armor.

However, his memorial did not seem that important at this time, because as the emperor, Li Yu's attention was completely attracted by another matter...

"Gugu...Gugu..."

After the Lantern Festival, when the cuckoo stands on the treetops and sings...

However, the atmosphere in the Bai Mansion in Xuanyangfang, Chang'an was solemn. Bai Minzhong's three sons and two daughters were guarding outside the inner hall with their families, and everyone's face was filled with sadness.

"The Supreme One is here in person!!"

Suddenly, the sound of singing a salute came from the courtyard gate, and the grieving Bai family members in the inner hall hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted.

"Tens of millions of years old..."

Li Yi ignored the singing of the Bai family and walked hurriedly into the inner hall.

In a breath, he saw Bai Minzhong lying on the couch, breathing weakly.

His face turned sallow, and he looked as if he had just been doused with water, yet his face also looked greasy.

"When a person dies, his sweat is like oil..."

Somehow, this sentence flashed through Li Yi's mind, and he walked to the couch.

He sat on the couch, looking at Bai Minzhong in front of him.

He wanted to hold the other person's hand, but he was a little mysophobic and didn't want to come into contact with that wet hand.

"Mr. Bai, how could this happen..." Li Yi's eyes were complicated. He really didn't expect that Bai Minzhong would leave him with such an ending after less than two years in the court.

He didn't have much feelings for Bai Minzhong, but he knew one thing...

Bai Minzhong was a useful person, but now this person who could be used by him is about to die.

Thinking of this, Li Yi woke up as if from a dream, and gradually thought of the situation he was facing.

He didn't care whether Bai Minzhong had something to say to his son, and hurriedly held Bai Minzhong's hand: "Mr. Bai?"

In response to Li Yi's call, Bai Minzhong slowly opened his eyes.

When he saw that the people in front of him were not his children but Emperor Li Yi, disappointment flashed in his eyes.

But soon, he thought of his children again.

Perhaps I can use this little time before I die to plan a good future for my children...

"His Majesty……"

Bai Minzhong seemed to have a last burst of energy and held Li Yi's hand tightly.

Li Yi saw this and said hurriedly: "Don't worry, Mr. Bai, I have already asked the imperial physician to come, you..."

"Your Majesty..." Bai Minzhong shook his head and interrupted Li Yi, breathing rapidly, "If Your Majesty has any questions for me, please hurry up... I'm afraid..."

He spoke incoherently, which made Li Yi nervous and he dared not pretend anymore.

"Prince Bai, there are only two ministers in the court now, and both are old."

"I know I am not a leader of great talent and strategy, and I still need the assistance of capable ministers. I would like to ask Mr. Bai for guidance."

Li Yi is very self-aware, which makes Bai Minzhong feel relieved.

Compared to the extremely cunning previous emperor, the current emperor, although he is fond of pleasure, is at least open and honest with his subjects.

As Bai Minzhong was thinking, several names gradually emerged in his mind.

"Your Majesty, Bi Zhen and Bi Cun are all available... Xu Shang and Xu Yisheng are all available... Liu Zhan and Liu Ji are all available... Gao Pian and Gao Qianli are all available... Wang Shi and Wang Xiaonian are all available..."

He mentioned five names, some of whom were people he had conflicts with, but he still recommended them one by one.

Because he knew very well that his three sons and two sons-in-law would not be able to stay in the official career for long, and they could only save their lives by accumulating virtues before their death.

"Any more?"

Li Yi was a little anxious, and Bai Minzhong couldn't help but laugh when he heard it...

In today's imperial court, since the aristocratic families control the imperial examinations, it is difficult for commoners to make a name for themselves. Nearly 60% of the officials in the court are from aristocratic families, the remaining one-third are from large commoners, and the remaining one-third are from small commoners.

There are few people from aristocratic families and commoner clans, but there are only so many official positions.

They would rather promote mediocre children from their own families than select talented people from small common families.

It’s not that there are no talented people in the world; it’s just that they are unable to be used by the emperor.

In today's Tang Dynasty, there are many talented people among the people, but most of the people in the government are mediocre.

Bai Minzhong knew all this very well, but he could do nothing.

Thirty years ago, Bai Minzhong was just a mediocre person, but now he has become a close minister that the emperor relies on. This is really a tragedy...

As he was thinking this, Bai Minzhong felt that his past memories were constantly regressing, and those high-spirited and vigorous characters in his memories of the past reappeared before his eyes.

Li Deyu, Linghu Chu, Liu Gongquan, Bai Juyi, Liu Yuxi, Niu Sengru, Yuan Zhen...

As these characters appeared one after another, Bai Minzhong's hands gradually became weak and loosened.

"Mr. Bai?"

Li Yi felt Bai Minzhong's hands gradually becoming weak, his expression froze, and he couldn't help but call out anxiously.

But no matter how he called, Bai Minzhong could not answer.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Bai..."

The medical officer next to him wanted to say something, but Li Yi let go of Bai Minzhong's hand and slowly stood up.

He walked out with a gloomy face, and when the Bai family saw him coming out, they also rushed into the house one after another.

Soon, loud crying sounds were heard behind him, and Li Yi also walked out of Bai Mansion and sat on the imperial carriage.

"Everyone……"

Tian Yun bowed respectfully, while Li Yi said coldly, "Return to the palace."

"Yes..." Tian Yun agreed, and then ordered the Shen Ce Army to return to the palace.

The imperial carriage was shaking, but Li Yi was thinking about the five people mentioned by Bai Minzhong in his mind.

There is no need to say much about Wang Shi and Gao Pian. Their performances are obvious to all. They are capable of governing the local area with civil skills and defending the country against enemies with military skills. They are rare talents, but their qualifications are too shallow.

Bi Zhen, Xu Shang and Liu Zhan are of sufficient age and experience and can be transferred to Beijing to take over the position left by Bai Minzhong.

Thinking of this, Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had finally finalized the important matter.

As an emperor, he does not need to be a man of great talent and strategy, as long as he can select talents and make good use of them.

With the five people provided by Bai Minzhong, plus Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen, these seven people will have no problem maintaining peace for a few years.

Thinking of this, Li Yi felt that his behavior of depriving Bai Minzhong of the right to leave his last words to his descendants was not good, so he looked at Tian Yun and said:
"How many sons and daughters does Mr. Bai have? What positions do his sons and sons-in-law hold?"

"To reply everyone, Mr. Bai has three sons and two daughters, and none of his sons-in-law hold high positions."

Tian Yun responded to Li Yi's question respectfully, and Li Yi nodded in silence after hearing it. After a moment, he said:

"When you go back, check to see if they can be promoted. If they can be promoted, then promote them. It would be best if they were given sinecure positions."

"Yes……"

Li Yi knew very well how many enemies Bai Minzhong had made in the court in the past and how much trouble he had left for his descendants.

Now he has died of illness, but his children are still alive.

If several of his sons-in-law were talented enough, he didn't believe that Bai Minzhong would not grant them official positions.

Since none of them hold high official positions, this shows that they do not have the talent and ability in this area.

When faced with such people, granting them official positions with real power will not help them, but harm them instead.

If you want to help them, you should just arrange some official positions with less power.

As it turned out, Li Yi was not wrong.

Shortly after he returned to the Daming Palace, the whole Chang'an learned the news that Prime Minister Bai Minzhong had died.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter...

Many officials who were once dependent on Bai Minzhong drew a clear line between themselves and the Bai family and stopped having any contact with their descendants.

Those officials whom Bai Minzhong had offended by abusing his power began to settle accounts after his death, and all kinds of memorials flew into the Xianning Palace like snowflakes.

A few days passed, but the memorials impeaching Bai Minzhong still did not stop.

Li Yi was given a headache and simply summoned several prime ministers from the Southern Court and the Northern Court.

"Recently, the impeachment memorials against Mr. Bai have been pouring in like a stream of snow, and my heart is chilled..."

"Although Mr. Bai has committed the crime of abusing his power, he is a veteran official of the Six Dynasties. I cannot bear to pursue him. This matter should be dropped."

On the Golden Stage of Xianning Palace, Li Yi showed a rare serious look. Wang Zongshi, Qi Yuanshi, Qi Yuanjian, Pei Xiu, Jiang Shen and others looked at each other and bowed to him.

Seeing this, Li Yi nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Pei Xiu and said, "The posthumous title of Bai Xianggong will be decided by Pei Xiang and the officials."

"I obey your order..." Pei Xiu responded respectfully, and Li Yi also looked at Wang Zongshi and others.

"What does the Minister Wang think?"

"I think your majesty's move is wise!"

Faced with Li Yi's questions, the aging Wang Zongshi was too lazy to get involved in these matters.

Now he just wants to enjoy himself for a few years and then hand over power to Qi Yuanjian, Qi Yuanshi, Yang Xuanjie, Yang Xuanji and others.

He made too many enemies in his later years, which was very detrimental to his leisurely life in the future.

"So good..."

Li Yi nodded slightly, very satisfied with Wang Zongshi's performance, and then looked at everyone: "Since you have no objection, then you can all leave."

"I will take my leave now. May you live for tens of millions of years..."

The three-quarters-hour meeting time limit was still not broken. Even though Bai Minzhong died of illness, he could not disturb Li Yi's mind of having fun.

That night, he still held a banquet for hundreds of actors and musicians in the Xianning Palace.

For the Tang Dynasty today, his actions undoubtedly depleted the country's limited national strength.

However, compared with those emperors in history who liked to make trouble, Li Yi, who just liked to hold banquets and give rewards, did not seem unacceptable.

The Tang Dynasty, which was on the decline, did not need to worry about the emperor who loved to travel. Instead, it needed to worry about the emperor who had great ambitions but little talent and who was unrealistic.

Although Li Yi's actions did not conform to the wise and enlightened monarch that most of his subjects hoped for, he was not a foolish person either...

(End of this chapter)