…

It’s not that Zhao Ji didn’t want to give Cai Jian’s food, Cai Jian’s troops, and Cai Jian’s supplies to consolidate the victory that Cai Jian has already achieved.

But the problem is that Zhao Ji has no money, really has no money.

Although the battle to suppress Fang La lasted less than a year, the Zhao Song court spent countless money, and the key was that it cost more to restore the rule in the southeast.

In addition, in view of the dangers of Huashigang, Zhao Ji decided to use money to complete the subsequent construction of Gen Yue. Moreover, Zhao Ji did not want Gen Yue to involve too much energy and too much time. Therefore, Zhao Ji ordered Zhu Xie and his son to speed up the collection of Huashigang and strive to complete the construction of Gen Yue this year, so that the cost will be greater and faster.

Now, Zhao Song's treasury was almost empty, and Cai Jian led his army north to recover Yundi. Zhao Ji only gave Cai Jian five million gold, silver, jewelry and silk as a starting fee, and Cai Jian had to prepare food, supplies and other food, supplies and so on.

(Later, Cai still paid 10 million yuan in advance and issued another 5 million yuan in military tickets to collect all the fees needed to drive.)

Now, Cai still wants to do it again, where do you ask Zhao Ji to go for Cai Huantao?

But it would be too unreasonable to say that you wouldn't give it to Cai.

Five million silks, fifty or sixty thousand troops, you can let Cai still recover Yundi and govern Yundi, and with the national troops of Liao Kingdom, it is too unrealistic.

There was no choice but to find Prime Minister Wang Fu and discuss with Wang Fu what to do?

As soon as Wang Fu arrived, Zhao Ji sent Cai Jian’s request to Wang Fu.

When Wang Fu saw that all these were letters from Cai who still wanted soldiers, food, supplies, and asked for the next strategic goals. He couldn't help but feel a little worried. He said, "The court has this food. Even if it cannot be transported from the southeast, we can still transport it from Shu..."

In fact, the Zhao Song Dynasty was still extremely rich in its foundation.

Although the southeast was unable to provide blood to the Zhao Song Dynasty because of the Fang La Uprising, the Zhao Song Dynasty still has Shu territory.

During the reign of King Zhao of Qin, the Qin State sent Li Bing, who was proficient in water conservancy, to serve as the county magistrate of Shu County. After Li Bing and his son arrived in Shu County, they began to conduct on-site inspections on the water conditions and terrain along the Minjiang River, and finally formulated a plan to control the floods of Minjiang River. Li Bing served as the county magistrate of Shu County for 27 years. During his tenure, he designed and presided over the world-famous water conservancy project Dujiangyan. After the completion of Dujiangyan, the floods of Minjiang River were completely solved. There were few floods or droughts in the Chengdu Plain, and farmland was irrigated. The Chengdu Plain became a rich grain production base.

Now there is a saying that "Ba Shu is familiar with the world" - in the Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that "Hu Guang is mature, the world is mature". Lu You said in "The Record of Running the Cow Gate" "Su Changshu, the world is full." This is a very contemporary term that will change with time.

In this era, Shu was the second granary of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

So, it was not that Zhao Song had no food.

However, it is too difficult to transport grain from Shu to Yundi.

Wang Fu continued: "Although it is difficult to transport grain from Shu, as long as you have money, you will definitely be able to transport grain from Shu."

After hearing Wang Fu's words, Zhao Ji felt a pain in his heart when he wanted to transport grain from Shu.

Why do you think, it turns out that the cost of delivering food from Shu is too high.

To put it in specific numbers, in order to transport one stone of grain, the freight along the way costs more than ten stones or even twenty stones of grain.

Another algorithm, according to the 500,000 hu of grain (5 million stones) that Cai Gan wanted to transport this time to Yundi, the cost could be 50 million stones or even 100 million stones of grain (equivalent to the money of these grains), and hundreds of thousands or even millions of people would have to be used.

Zhao Ji hesitated and said, "Can you raise these 500,000 hu of grain from Hebei, Hedong and Jingdong, which are close to Yunzhong?"

After hearing this, Wang Fu shook his head and said, "During the period when he suppressed Fang La, he was all Hebei, Hedong and Jingdong to support the capital. The food and grass raised for Tong Xuanfu during this period were also raised from these routes. Now there are fewer routes. This year, these routes are causing locust plagues. If you raise food from several places, you may be... going to extremes."

Zhao Ji, who was already afraid of Fang La, immediately dispelled the idea of ​​raising grain from Hebei, Hedong and Jingdong when he heard the word "extreme". He said: "But it is too difficult to transport so much grain from Shu to Yundi. Moreover, what Cai still wants is not only grain, but also salt, iron, silk cloth, cow horns, cow skin, beef tendon, sheepskin, arrowheads (pole), feathers and other supplies."

Wang Fu said: "It's easy to say about materials, there are some in the Fengchun Deposit. When we founded the Fengchun Deposit in the Song Dynasty, we finally came in handy. In addition, the water conservancy of the capital is convenient, so we can carry it in a large ship, go north along the Great River, enter the Fen River, and then go to Taiyuan, and then transport it to Yundi by civilians."

Zhao Ji asked: "Can't the grain from Shu be transported by canal?"

Wang Fu shook his head and said, "I don't know that it is extremely difficult to transport military rations on the rugged and difficult road of Shu, which is difficult to move through the thousand-mile Shu Road. The situation is naturally better through the Jialing River water transportation, but the water transportation is upstream. It is necessary to rely on the boatman to pull the grain ship step by step along the fiber path dug out of the cliffs to move the grain ship step by step. In addition, the water transportation must be limited by the seasonal water level, so it is also very difficult. Therefore, if you want to transport the grain from Shu out, you must use a large amount of civilians and a large amount of financial resources, otherwise it will not be possible."

At this time, Zhao Ji missed the Southeast region a little. If it weren't for the Fang La Uprising and transporting grain from the southeast, it would be much easier. There was no need to abandon such labor and mobilize the troops. Just gather some large ships to transport the grain to Hebei and Hedong.

Wang Fu said again: "The key is that transporting grain from Taiyuan to Yundi also requires civil servants. I heard that the champion Hou arrived in Taiyuan on the tenth day of the first lunar month. But more than a month has passed. He has not left Taiyuan City yet, because the food and supplies he wanted to transport were not transported to Yundi. Moreover, I heard that he used all the civil servants that could be used in Taiyuan City."

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Fu said again: "I'm afraid that all the five million pieces of money that the imperial court gave him will be used for transportation."

Zhao Ji also knew that Cai must have paid a lot behind this big victory.

Wang Fu continued: "Moreover, not only the champion Hou wants food and supplies, but Tong Xuanfu also wants. If Yan land is successfully recovered, food and supplies are also needed to stabilize the situation in Yan land, so the court will have to establish a stable output channel."

Zhao Ji thought about it, so he asked, "What do you think of me?"

Wang Fu said: "No need to say much about the materials. As long as the Fengchun warehouse is activated, there will be all of them. Grain... Our Song Dynasty has food, but we don't have money, so we can't send the food to Yanyun. Well... I have a way to solve the problem of lack of money."

Of course, Wang Fu also knew that the will of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty to regain Yanjing, that is, the king who recovered Yanyun, that is, Wang Fu also had the dream of becoming a king.

Wang Fu thought to himself: "If I could recover Yan Yun, my achievements would definitely surpass that old man Cai Jing."

And to recover Yan Yun, the essential thing is to have money.

Wang Fu has a clear understanding of this.

Since Wang Fu replaced Cai Jing to power, the Zhao Song court's fiscal revenue was indeed quite large on the surface, but the expenditure was too large and it was inevitably stretched.

Although Wang Fu has streamlined some institutions and eliminated a group of redundant personnel, the results are not very significant.

If war officially begins against Liao, the expenses and materials required will be immeasurable.

Wang Fu has been racking his brains to think hard and seeking countermeasures since a long time ago.

Wang Fu had an aide named Zhang Shili. He was a fellow villager with Wang Fu. He was a matchmaker in Kaifeng and was a teenager older than Wang Fu.

One day, when Zhang Shili saw Wang Fu feel depressed, he asked, "Young Master seems to have something to worry about?"

Wang Fu told Zhang Shili about the current financial difficulties of the Zhao Song court.

After hearing this, Zhang Shili smiled and said, "What's the difficulty? The subordinate has a way. I wonder if my husband can adopt it."

Wang Fu's eyes lit up and he asked quickly: "Tell me and listen."

Zhang Shili said: "Regaining Yanjing is a major event for the whole country of our Song Dynasty. All the people of the Song Dynasty should contribute their efforts. If they cannot contribute, they should contribute money. From the whole country, they will receive money from the exemption based on the head of the people. Isn't that what happened?"

Wang Fu suddenly felt enlightened and praised him, "Great insight!"

Today, the method Wang Fu said is actually to waive his husband’s money.

After listening to Wang Fu's advice, Zhao Ji hesitated: "Isn't this just a fundraising? Can everyone pay for it?"

Wang Fu said: "This is different from fundraising, which is somewhat similar to tax collection. In order to ensure that the special funds are used, I suggest that a special agency is set up in the three provinces, called the Jinggongfang, and fully handle the military expenditures required to recover Yanjing. The Privy Council does not need to be inquired by the Privy Council, and the control is made by me personally to ensure that all the expenses required for the Northern Expedition can be achieved in time."

The so-called three provinces are the Secretariat, the Menxia Province and the Secretariat. As a central government agency, the three provinces were born in different historical periods, and their organizational forms and scope of power also evolved in the development process - the Secretariat was born in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was called the Shangsariat. The Secretariat and Menxia Province were formed during the Three Kingdoms period. It was not until the Sui Dynasty that the three provinces combined together to form a whole and formed the highest authority of the central government. The three provinces were further improved and developed in the Tang Dynasty.

The Secretariat is the decision-making body, and the chief is called the Secretariat Ling. The Menxia Province is the review body, and the chief is called the Shizhong. The Secretariat is the executive body, and the chief is called the Secretariat Ling, the left and right purshe, the left and right throne. The Secretariat has six ministries, households, rites, military, punishment, and work, and the six ministers are called the Secretariat. The three provinces and six ministries are a system of closely organized central government systems.

However, the regime system in the early Northern Song Dynasty was somewhat different from that in the Sui and Tang dynasties - the three provinces were still dead in name only. Before the Yuanfeng restructuring of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty implemented the system of two governments and three officials. The two governments were the Junshimenxia and the Privy Council, which were in charge of government affairs and military affairs. The Junshimenxia is also called the Zhengshitang and the East Mansion. The chief was called the Gongshimenxia Pingzhangshi, which was the Prime Minister. The Privy Council was also called the Xifu, and the Chief was called the Privy Council, which was also called the Puppet Chief. The Three Divisions were the Ministry of Revenue, the Duzhi Office, and the Salt and Iron Department. The Three Divisions were called the High Officials of the CPC, also known as the Three Divisions, which were also called the CPC, and were in charge of national finance. In this way, the three powers of government, military, and wealth were independent, and they were not subordinate to each other and checked and balanced each other. They were directly responsible to the emperor.

If the three provinces and six ministries system is to weaken the ministerial power from a procedural perspective, then the two governments and three ministries system is to weaken the ministerial power from a physical perspective, with the purpose of strengthening the imperial power.

When Song Shenzong personally presided over the reform of the official system, abolished the three-provincial system in the early Tang Dynasty, and restored the three-provincial system in the early Tang Dynasty, and changed the imperial system into the three-provincial and one Privy Council system. The Shangshu Zuo Pushe and the Secret Minister were prime ministers, and the Right Pushe and the Secret Minister were second prime ministers, the Secret Minister, the Secret Minister, the Secret Minister, the Left Prime Minister, and the Right Prime Minister were deputy prime ministers. The three provinces were in charge of government affairs and finance, and the Privy Council was still in charge of military affairs.

During the Zhenghe period, Cai Jing served as the Grand Tutor, renamed the Shangshu Zuo Pushe as "Tazai" and "Shaozai", and he himself set a precedent for the general leadership of the three provinces.

Now, the young master Wang Fu is the general leader of the three provinces.

It should be said that establishing the Jingfufang was a pioneering move by Wang Fu.

Zhao Ji likes creative proposals, which may have something to do with the artistic cells widely scattered in his mind.

However, if artistic thinking is mixed in political decision-making, the result will probably be very dangerous.

After obtaining Zhao Ji's consent, Wang Fu started his work immediately.

Wang Fu's work style was also decisive. He quickly issued instructions to all prefectures and prefectures across the country, requiring them to complete the collection of money for exemption within a time limit, and send inspectors to go down to strictly assess the progress of the work of various prefectures and prefectures, which is linked to the political achievements and promotion of officials.

Soon, 62 million yuan was transferred to the ritual care room one after another.

The food and supplies that Cai still wanted finally began to head north under the escort of hundreds of thousands of civilians...

...
Chapter completed!