Although it was difficult to collect the taxes in Jiangnan this year, they were still collected, but many shady methods were used.
They haven't paid taxes for five or six years, and if they are asked to pay taxes all of a sudden, they won't be used to it.
Don't think that ordinary people are easy to deal with. They have not read books and do not know how to read, so they naturally have their own principles. People's principles are passed down from generation to generation, and they are different from the principles of aristocratic families.
Therefore, there are many civilians who refuse to pay taxes, and there are a lot of troubles.
This is why Yang Guang personally sits in Jiangdu to urge the collection of taxes. Giving you tax exemption is a favor, but if you don't pay taxes, I will punish you, which is a threat.
If Jiangnan's taxes last year were all converted into money, they would be as high as 17.25 million guan, which is equivalent to more than one-third of the total revenue of the treasury last year.
But we have to understand that, converted into money, this is so much, but the main demand right now is food, so half of these taxes will be used to purchase food in Jiangnan.
One by one, the canals were connected end to end, starting from the south of the Yangtze River and sent to Luoyang along the canal. Lai Hu'er took his personal guards to Zhuojun first. He had to meet Pei Ju as soon as possible to plan the future battle strategy.
Each of the three armies has its own shortcomings. Yu Zhongwen in the west leads the proud and powerful generals from Guanzhong. The generals below are more powerful than the others and are difficult to manage. The army in the middle has no shortage of anything, but with Yang Guang,
Most of the time, he can command blindly. The high-ranking generals on the east road are almost top-notch, but the soldiers below are a bit of a motley crew.
All in all, it's not perfect.
The ten Ying Yang Lang generals also set off on the road one after another. Except for Sima Dekan, Wang Shichong, Liu Dewei, and Yuan Li, the remaining six are puppets.
They are six generals with real power.
Wang Jingyu's deputy general was Zhang Zhenzhou, a court official.
Xiao Xuan's lieutenant is General Chen Leng of the Right Imperial Guard.
Xiao Xian's lieutenant, Grand Servant Cheng Yuanyou.
Xie Wu's deputy general is Gongsun Shangzhe, the general of Huyalang.
Cai Yuankai's deputy general, the Censor Liu Ziyi, was the uncle of Ying Yang Lang General Liu Dewei.
Shen Shuyi's lieutenant was Shen Faxing, the prefect of Wuxing of the same clan.
These six lieutenants are knowledgeable and capable, but the capable ones have to serve the incompetent ones. After all, most of the time, it is not your ability that matters.
This Xiaoguo army consisted of twenty generals and twenty lieutenants, three of whom were rebels. Historically, Wang Shichong, who called himself King Zheng, King Shen Faxing of Liang, and Xiao Xian, who proclaimed himself emperor.
As for that Sima Dekan, he was directly the main participant in Yu Wenhua and regicide.
Xiao Mian stood at the bow of the boat, facing the wind. He was wearing a long, elegant Confucian scholar's robe, made of cotton.
He is thirty-two years old this year, and is in his prime year. His grandfather Xiao Yan, the loyal king of Anping in the old Liang Dynasty, is Empress Xiao's biological uncle, so Xiao Mian calls Empress Xiao aunt, and he and Yang Ming are considered equals.
He is also considered a relative. Relying on family connections, he first became the magistrate of Luochuan County. This county is located in Beidi County and Ningxian County, Gansu Province. However, after working for a year, this guy was rated as an excellent one by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
He was promoted to Yuhang County as the county magistrate.
He set out from Yuhang, took a boat from the newly dredged Jiangnan Canal, and went all the way north. At the Xuyi Wharf at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, he met his deputy general Taipu Cheng Yuanyou.
Taipu Temple is responsible for the royal carriages and horses, and oversees the Hualiu, Che Mansion, Cattle and Sheep Dian, and other departments. Yuanyou is in charge of horses. When Goguryeo was conquered, he went with him, defeated Liaodong City, and was in Tuwanxu.
Under the account.
The 100,000 Xiaoguo army was only allocated 15,000 horses, which was assigned to protect the children, and Yuanyou's duty was to get the 15,000 horses after arriving in Luoyang, which was not easy to obtain.
Military resources are always hard to come by, and Shi Wansui suffered a lot from this.
"Dongjun Gong (Cui Junchuo) is already waiting for us in Luoyang, but the fifteen thousand horses may not be allocated to us in real terms. We will pay as much as we can, but to the outside world, we have to claim that we have received them all," on the dock,
After boarding the ship, Yuanyou entered the cabin, first greeted Xiao Mian, then sat down and said.
Xiao Mian smiled: "Why do you do this? Are there not enough horses?"
Yuanyou nodded: "Your Majesty wants 200,000 horses, but Taipu Temple can't come up with it. When we conquered Goguryeo, many people died in the battle and were disabled a lot, but there are not many left that can be used. Not all horses are available."
If those who can be used as war horses are forced onto the battlefield without training, it will only be counterproductive. Xu Guogong cannot make up the number, so priority must be given to protecting the middle route army, followed by the west route army. Let's make do with the east route.
"
Xiao Xian smiled and said: "It is understandable that fighting cavalry against cavalry is not our advantage in the Sui Dynasty. The Turks were born and grew up on the grassland, so they are naturally more familiar with the fighting methods of the grassland cavalry than we are. We use infantry as the main force. In fact,
The safest thing is that if you meet Duke Rong Guo in the future, how will you explain it?"
"Don't worry about this. Someone above will tell Duke Rong Guo of course. This is none of our business," Yuanyou said with a smile.
Xiao Mian nodded: "Before leaving, Dalang (Lai Kai) once met me and told me to put you first during the future march. I know that you once accompanied His Majesty on the expedition to Goguryeo and had military exploits, but I still want to
He said that I should be the leader in this expedition."
Yuanyou was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "Xiandi has no experience in commanding troops. Although he has the desire to serve, for the sake of safety, it is better not to interfere too much. This is the decision of Duke Rong."
Xiao Xian said: "There is no second general in the army. Although I have no experience in marching, I can learn. I joined the army this time with the intention of learning. Brother can help and give advice, but I have to make the decision."
, It’s not about fighting for power, but about accumulating experience, which is what my aunt of the younger generation also told me.”
Who is older, Lai Huer or Queen Xiao?
But in fact, Empress Xiao never said this, because Xiao Mian was not qualified to meet his distant aunt. He was chosen by Yang Ming's old uncle Xiao Yu, who thought he was capable.
Yuanyou smiled awkwardly. It was definitely impossible to fight for power. What he did this time was a thankless job. I led the troops, but the credit does not go to me.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! He will definitely not be happy to take on this kind of job, but Duke Rong has made it clear that he must shoulder this burden.
"Okay, since my dear brother wishes to have some experience, I'll do as you please. However, Duke Rong's general orders must not be violated. For some minor arrangements, my dear brother can make his own decisions," Yuanyou said.
Xiao Xian bowed and said, "Thank you first, Brother Yuan."
After setting off the boat, not far away, a large boat stopped in front, and someone shouted to Xiao Mian and others to come closer to the boat.
Xiao Mian recognized who the ship belonged to, so he ordered the sailors to approach slowly, and then boarded the deck of the ship with Yuan You.
"My good brother, this is the fourth time we have met, right?" The ship owner is naturally Xiao Xuan, the man in charge of water transportation in the Tongji Canal, the last emperor of the Western Liang Dynasty, the son of Empress Xiao's eldest brother Xiao Cong, this boy is now
It's Liang Guogong.
Both of them are considered leaders and equals, but Xiao Xuan's status is definitely more noble. After all, his father was an emperor, and they have the same great-grandfather, Emperor Xuan of Liang, Xiao Xuan (cha).
Both of their names have gold characters next to them. Uncle Yang Ming’s son Xiao Rui is also from this generation.
Xiao Mian hurriedly saluted: "I humble myself to pay homage to Duke Liang."
"Eh~~~" Xiao Xuan hurriedly stepped forward to help: "Why should a family be like this? You don't recognize me as your brother, right?"
"How dare you, how dare you," Xiao Mian hurriedly apologized.
Xiao Xuan took his cousin's hand and entered the cabin, not paying attention to Yuan You at all.
Yes, the Luoyang Yuan family is awesome, but you, Yuanyou, are a branch of the Yuan family, and Xiao Xuan's biological aunt is the current empress and the crown prince's mother-in-law.
Standing next to Xiao Xuan is his deputy general Chen Leng. This person is the most capable fighter in the Xiaoguo Army and the highest-ranking general. Among the fourteen guards, General Youyuwei, from the third rank.
After Xiao Xuan introduced his cousin, Xiao Mian also hurriedly saluted Chen Leng with a very humble attitude. After all, this man had real abilities.
During the expedition to Goguryeo, after Yuwen crossed the Yalu River and fought a decisive battle with Gao Dayang, Chen Leng was the general of the Chinese army.
A few people were chatting, and the conversation finally came to Yang Ming.
Because when we talk about Goguryeo, we cannot do without Li Jing. When talking about Li Jing, we naturally cannot do without the prince.
"Does the prince also read military books?" Xiao Mian asked curiously.
In fact, Chen Leng didn't know. He had almost never met the prince in private, but he would definitely pretend to be:
"The prince reads everything. If you have seen the prince, you should know that studying heaven and man is nothing more than this."
Xiao Xuan had met Yang Ming in private, and Yang Ming was very considerate and called him cousin. Looking back now, it was unwise to approach Yang Xian in the past. Compared with the second child, there was really a big gap between him and the third child.
Just listen to him say: "Refining steel, cotton cloth, and improving papermaking have now benefited Jiangnan a lot. These are all the work of the prince. He suppressed Yang Liang's rebellion and attacked Tuyuhun. The prince led the army in both battles. Why?
Do you know how to read military books? It can be said that the prince is well versed in the art of military strategy."
Xiao Mian said with a longing look on his face: "I wonder if I will ever have the opportunity to see the true face of the prince in this life. After this northern expedition, my brother will help me to be accommodating and allow me to go to the capital on my way back to the teacher. Although I can't see the prince, but
If I can raise my head and pay homage to the East Palace, my life will be considered worthy."
"That's easy to say," Xiao Xuan laughed and patted his cousin on the shoulder: "Leave it to me. I can even think of a way for the prince to summon you."
Xiao Xuan is not an ordinary person. This boy is currently dividing the water transport business of Tongji Canal with the Dugu family. Heroes from all walks of life are giving him some face. As his cousin, he wants to desert halfway to the capital, but he just wants to fight with Lai Huer. A matter of greeting.
As for whether he can see Yang Ming when he goes to the capital, he has to rely on the help of the Dugu family.
Dugu Xin and he were business partners, and their friendship was very unusual, and Dugu Xin's sister was Dugu Feng'er.
Xiao Mian kept thanking him, as if a fan was about to meet his idol, full of yearning.
In fact, due to the continuous reform of the imperial examination, Yang Ming now has great prestige in the minds of the younger generation of the Sui Dynasty.
In a thousand-year-old dark room, a lamp can illuminate. Yang Ming is the lamp in the eyes of scholars all over the world, the guiding light.