The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

"Oh? You found a talent after going out?" Li Shimin asked, "You are lucky."

"It's not a matter of luck. It's because my brother has good character. He is well-known around Linying. People come here for my reputation of serving the people of Linying County." Li Fu smiled and said, "But he still looks too young. He has studied and needs experience. He is different from Ma Zhou. Ma Zhou has suffered and experienced the ups and downs of life."

"It is a blessing to have a scholar who cares about the people and wants to do something practical for them, whether he is serving in the court or It ’s good to go to your king's palace." Li Shimin had a little smile on his face: "Can it go smoothly in Lintong County?" "No." Dare to go to Lingying County to find me in trouble at this time, and isn't it troublesome in the court? The drought is too serious. "Li Shimin said:" When you came back, I didn't see it along the way? " "Chengqian's letter?" Li Shimin looked puzzled.

"Your Majesty's prayer for rain was ineffective a few days ago. Chengqian was worried about you, so he wrote to me and asked if I had any solution." Li Fu said.

"This kid..." Li Shimin sighed helplessly: "Although his idea is a bit simple, it is good to have this heart."

Li Fu shook his head.

"I don't think Chengqian's idea is simple." Li Fu said: "His idea is still feasible. Second brother, have you forgotten something?"

Li Shimin was confused.

"What have you forgotten?"

"There is a drought in Guanzhong, but other places have not suffered from drought. Guanzhong has no harvest, but it does not mean that other places have no food. There are large areas in the south, and large areas of food can be transported to the north." Li Fu said: "Second brother, have you been used to living in poverty and forgotten how much money there is in the treasury now?"

"The money sent to the palace from the tea sales in the past two years can't be spent without a penny, right?" Li Fu asked.

Li Shimin was stunned.

This was unexpected.

"What do you mean?" Li Shimin tried to ask Li Fu.

"When I set out from Linying County, I had already sent a letter to Huizhou Tea House at full speed, mobilized all the cash the tea house had now, and used the tea house's caravans to buy grain in the south." Li Fu explained: "Not only the tea house, but also Chang'an City has mobilized a batch of money and transported it to the south by water. Once the grain is received, it will be immediately transported back to the interior."

"Let's not talk about the current treasury. The inner court has money, why not spend it?"

"Before, there was no money and life was poor, so there were many things that I wanted to do but couldn't do. Now that I have money, how to do things is not to do it? If you can spend money to solve things, why bother to use other methods?"

"Second brother, you have to change your thinking when you are poor."

"Holding a mountain of gold and silver and starving, the copper coins in the treasury are not spent now, but saved for giving birth."

Li Fu scolded Li Shimin.

A table full of delicacies from mountains and seas, who ordered the staple food?

This problem needs to be corrected.

"This time, the caravan went to the south and spent a million guan on purchasing grain. We will collect as much surplus grain as we can." Li Fu said, "This is the benefit of our early deployment of caravans throughout the Tang Dynasty. Now it is showing."

"If you do this, aren't you afraid that the local grain merchants in the south will hoard grain and raise the price?" Li Shimin frowned and asked, "Once the price of grain rises, the local people will suffer."

"The people rely on farming for their livelihood. Most people have their own grain and will not go home to buy grain." Li Fu said, "But the caravan went to collect grain. In the eyes of local grain merchants, it is nothing more than the caravan reselling grain. If they hoard grain and raise the price, do they have to sell it themselves? Who will they sell it to?

To put it bluntly, where do the people of the Tang Dynasty have money in their pockets now? If they encounter something, the poor will have to pawn their pants. If they raise the price of grain, who will buy it?"

"When the grain is transported to Guanzhong, all problems will be solved." Li Fu spread his hands: "It's that simple. Disaster relief is nothing more than three points. "

"Spend money, spend money, and spend money."

Li Shimin sighed.

"By the time you transport the grain to Guanzhong, it will be too late." Li Shimin said: "The court has ordered the Ministry of Revenue to issue begging documents, and the people in Guanzhong can go out of the pass to beg for food."

"And the caravans transporting grain to Guanzhong and Chang'an will take at least ten days, and at most one or two months. Far water cannot quench the thirst near."

"Then use nearby water." Li Fu said: "Immediately issue an order to the Ministry of Revenue to stop issuing begging documents, and the court will open all warehouses to release grain. All the major granaries around Chang'an will release all the grain, without leaving any."

"In this way, the court and you, my second brother, can still gain a good reputation. ”

“For those who are already on the way, from Chang’an City, we will rush 400 miles to send documents to local government offices to resettle the people on the spot, or let them return. Their food will be managed by the court.”

“As for the food in the national treasury and government treasury, it will take about a month.” Li Fu said, “The food from other places has already arrived in the interior of the country, and it will be directly added to the major granaries.”

“In this way, the people will also be relieved, and there will still be food in the national treasury, but it will just be replaced.”

“Now the court cannot open the warehouses to release the food completely. It is nothing more than that, if all the food is released, the national treasury will be completely empty. Are they afraid of causing greater unrest?” Li Fu said, “If it is empty, it is empty. Now it can be replenished as soon as it is empty.”

“Cargo transportation between the north and the south is not difficult to implement with the help of the canal.” Li Fu said, “And they are all our own caravans. Even if they are not transporting food, they are transporting tea, and they all have to travel all over the world.” "

"There is a drought in the border area right now, so let's solve the most important thing first."

Li Fu showed a simple smile on his face.

"Because the caravans are all used to transport food, the tea business can only be put aside for the time being."