Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 14 Xiao Qin’s

Money can solve most problems, and the same applies to countries.

Everyone says that the Song Dynasty was rich, but in fact this wealth only exists in numbers.

The court’s taxes were high, but its expenses were just as high.

The land area of ​​the Tang Dynasty was three or four times that of the Song Dynasty, although a large part of it was uninhabited.

However, the number of officials in the Song Dynasty was three times that of the Tang Dynasty, and the army was more than three times that of the Tang Dynasty.

The Song Dynasty was also the dynasty with the highest number of officials in history.

Apart from this, the Tang Dynasty army hardly needed to spend the court's money.

The Tang Dynasty implemented the military system, where soldiers even had to pay for their own weapons and armor.

Therefore, those who served as soldiers in the Tang Dynasty were not poor people, but people with some wealth.

Because the poor could not afford weapons and armor, they could not join the army.

Some people may wonder, only a fool would join the army without any money and even have to pay for it.

In fact, the Tang Dynasty did not refuse to give money, it just did not give it directly.

The land of the soldiers' families who joined the army would be exempted from taxes, and they would also be rewarded with gold, silver and land if they won a battle.

The Song Dynasty paid soldiers directly.

Due to various reasons, although the financial revenue of the Song Dynasty was several times that of the Tang Dynasty, the court simply had no money.

Military spending alone accounts for 70% to 80% of the country's annual income.

This is the case when there is no war. Once a war breaks out, the death or injury of soldiers and the provision of medicine and pensions will be enough of a headache for the imperial court.

And precisely because the imperial court was short of money, military pay was often in arrears, and the soldiers could not even support their families.

How many ordinary soldiers in this era understand the great principles of defending their country?

People join the army just to make a living. Now that their salaries are in arrears, can the soldiers still expect compensation from the court?

It can be said that the reputation of the weak Song Dynasty was formed by a combination of various factors, not just because it emphasized culture over military affairs.

Of course, if we reverse the process, we will find that the root cause is still the emphasis on culture over military.

If one values ​​literature, one must give preferential treatment to civil servants. Not only should one give them high salaries, but also a certain number of people should be admitted in every imperial examination.

Because culture was valued, in order to appease the military generals they had to be given higher salaries than the civil officials.

This will lead to the court's increasing expenditure on officials' salaries. Since it can no longer owe salaries to officials, it can only owe salaries to soldiers.

But now is no longer the time to solve those problems by emphasizing culture over military affairs.

Zhao Xing’s idea was to make money first and then improve the army’s combat effectiveness.

As long as the army's combat effectiveness is improved, it can defend against external enemies and suppress internal forces.

Investigating the salt business not only makes money, but salt is also related to people's livelihood. As long as it is done well, it can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

"This matter involves a lot of things. Let me think about it carefully. You go back first." said the emperor.

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Zhao Xing bowed.

He also didn't think that he could convince his father to follow his ideas with just a few words.

If his words could influence his father, he would save a lot of effort when he inherits the throne in the future.

If I can't influence it, the worst that can happen is that I will do it myself after I become emperor.

"By the way, after we catch the man, I will have him sent to the Kaifeng government office. You have the final say on how to deal with him. I will give instructions to the Kaifeng prefect." said the emperor.

"Thank you, father!" Zhao Xing said happily.

……

After coming out of Longtu Pavilion, Zhao Xing did not get on the sedan chair, but said to Gu Tingye: "Zhong Huai, walk with me."

Zhao Xing was suddenly recalled to the palace, and Gu Tingye followed him, having been waiting outside the Longtu Pavilion.

"Yes!" Gu Tingye replied. "Zhonghuai, I heard that your grandfather was a famous salt merchant in Jiangnan, right?" Zhao Xing said as he walked forward aimlessly.

"Your Highness is right. My grandfather was indeed a salt merchant in Jiangnan." Gu Tingye nodded, not knowing what Zhao Xing meant by asking this.

"Do you keep in touch with your grandfather often?" Zhao Xing asked.

Salt was government-run in most dynasties, but this did not mean that the government took charge of everything from production to sales.

During the Song Dynasty, the imperial court was only responsible for the production of salt. Salt merchants paid money to the imperial court to buy salt permits, and then used the salt permits to transport salt.

If salt merchants use legitimate means, they can indeed make money, but the profits are not that great.

In the original drama, the dowry and various dowries that Gu Tingye's mother brought when she married into the Gu family were worth one million taels of silver.

Later, after the old man of the Bai family passed away, he left a generous inheritance to Gu Tingye.

It is very likely that the Bai family also ran a private salt business in secret, otherwise how could they have accumulated such a huge fortune?

Even if not, the Bai family, as a famous salt merchant in Jiangnan, must have known about the private salt business.

Regardless of whether his father would investigate the salt affairs or not, it would always be a good idea for Zhao Xing to know about it in advance.

"Your Highness, my grandfather had only one daughter, my mother. My mother died during childbirth. My grandfather felt that the Gu family did not take good care of my mother, so he was resentful. He has not contacted the Gu family for many years, and he has never come to see me." Gu Tingye said with a gloomy expression.

"If your grandfather doesn't come, you, as his grandson, should go and see him."

Zhao Xing knew the reason. Although Old Master Bai hated the Gu family because of his daughter's death, he still cared about his grandson very much.

Otherwise, the family business would not have been left to him.

Zhao Xing remembered that in the original drama, Old Master Bai also often wrote letters to Gu Tingye, but those letters were intercepted by Gu Yankai and Xiao Qinshi and were not delivered to Gu Tingye.

Old Master Bai probably guessed it, and for the sake of Gu Tingye's future, he did not come to Bian Jing to see him.

"Of course I want to, but Yangzhou is far away from Bianjing, and my father has always forbade me to do so. I can't disobey his orders. I'm also afraid that my grandfather will be angry when he sees me, and something bad will happen to me." Gu Tingye said with a gloomy expression.

Zhao Xing didn't say anything after hearing this. He had wanted to meet Gu Tingye's grandfather, but Gu Tingye was twelve years old now. Calculating the time, Old Master Bai would only live for two or three years.

If he were to come to Bian Jing, he might die on the way, so he had to give up this idea.

"Zhonghuai, my father has sent people to capture the Liao people who killed the people of our Song Dynasty. The people will be handed over to the prefect of Kaifeng for disposal. You should pay more attention outside the palace and tell me any news in time." Zhao Xing said.

"I obey your command!" Gu Tingye replied.

"Okay, it's getting late, you should go back." Zhao Xing said.

"I'm taking my leave!" Gu Tingye bowed and retreated.

Zhao Xing sighed as he watched Gu Tingye leave. His first time out of the palace ended like this, what a disappointment.

……

Gu Tingye left the palace and returned home.

When Xiao Qin heard the news, she hurried out to greet him.

"Erlang, didn't you say you were going out to play with the prince? Why are you back so early?" asked Xiao Qin.

When Gu Tingye left, he didn't have time to go home to inform others, but he bowed at the door and called him "Your Highness", so the doorman still heard it.

After Gu Tingye left, the doorman reported it to the higher-ups, so Xiao Qin also knew that Gu Tingye had been called away by the prince.

"Something happened, His Highness has returned to the palace."

Gu Tingye briefly recounted what had happened.

"So that's it."

Xiao Qin smiled and said, "Erlang, you have worked hard. It's time for lunch soon. Come in and have a rest."

Gu Yankai went to the military camp and was not at home. At noon, only Xiao Qinshi, Gu Tingye, Gu Tingwei and their daughter Gu Tingcan had lunch together.

Gu Tingcan is Xiao Qin's second child and is only five years old.

As for Gu Tingyu, because he was frail and sickly, he usually stayed in his own yard and did not eat with them.

(End of this chapter)