In the boring days, Li Xun finally received a decree from the imperial court. Just as Zhang Xiaobao had expected, the imperial court didn't have time to send people to Lu Zhou or even Ya Province.
At the same time, they didn't want to give up the newly discovered land. Whether it used to be Tang's land or not, it was said that there was gold and copper, and that the grain yield there was high.
When they heard that the local people were all tribes, they angrily pointed out in the decree that Li Xun should seek justice for the people of Tang.
Li Xun naturally didn't have to rush back to get his own land.
According to reliable sources, the imperial court had been arguing with each other to collect taxes from merchants returning from overseas. Everyone wanted to put their own people in this important position.
However, this was too difficult. The coastline was too long. If they really wanted to collect taxes, they needed the merchants to consciously stop at the relevant places. This was obviously impossible. Only the special products of Tang could be found, and there was no way to control the gold and copper.
This problem was sent to Lu Zhou together with the decree for Li Xun. It meant to let the two experts of the Zhang family think of a way. After all, they had found another land.
Wang Juan saw the unofficial handwritten letter written by the emperor. While admiring it, she asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Is there a way?"
"Yes, there is. If it were any other time, there wouldn't be. It's simple here, but why should I tell them? My father doesn't care about the customs. "
Zhang Xiaobao said indifferently.
Old Man Chang and Old Man Pi also thought of the same thing. They asked Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to play a few games of billiards with them. After Zhang Xiaobao won consecutively without mercy, they changed the topic to control the customs.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, I'll give you two a difficult problem today. Let's see if you can solve it. Say, there's a country. It's surrounded by plains, and there are many neighboring countries. Many merchants secretly transport goods from other countries. This country wants to collect taxes. What should we do?"
Old Man Pi smiled as he looked at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Wang Juan and Zhang Xiaobao looked at each other and thought to themselves, 'That's it.'
"Grandpa Bi, I know. Buy our cement, build city walls, and surround the entire country. Merchants from other countries will be stopped."
Wang Juan blinked her eyes and said with certainty what she had thought of.
Zhang Xiaobao chimed in, "Grandpa Bi, I think that would be a waste of cement."
Old Man Pi nodded and signaled for Zhang Xiaobao to continue.
"Grandpa Bi, my idea is to send a large number of people to patrol on horseback. Since it's a plain, there should be a lot of grass, right? If there isn't, we'll plant it and eat it wherever we go. "
Zhang Xiaobao explained his idea.
Old Man Pi and Old Man Chang were stunned. This was not the answer they wanted. Their eyes swept back and forth between Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. They were very suspicious that the two of them were deliberately speaking nonsense.
The two of them were smart. It was impossible for them to say something as stupid as that.
"Then what if it's surrounded by the sea?" Old Man Chang had to be more direct.
"The sea? Then we'll use cement to build a sea wall. Make it tall and big, leaving only a few places for ships to dock. "Wang Juan changed her idea slightly.
"No, that would waste a lot of cement. My idea is …"
"Your idea is to send countless ships to patrol. After all, there are fish in the sea. When the time comes, we'll just eat the fish. If there aren't any, we'll raise some fish, right?"
Without waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to finish, Old Man Chang finished his sentence.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded vigorously.
"You, you two, forget it. I'll tell you directly. Your family found another piece of land in Tang Dynasty. If a merchant goes there to transport goods, how will he collect taxes when he comes back? The place was found by your family. This problem needs to be solved by your family. "
Old Man Pi understood now. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan definitely knew the solution. They just didn't want to say it. In desperation, they found a reason. When he said this reason, even he felt embarrassed. It was a bit too much of a bully.
As expected, Zhang Xiaobao was stunned and said faintly, "My family found another place, so we have to solve this problem. Then, if my family found another place's locals, does that mean we have to educate them on behalf of the imperial court?"
"Uh ~! There's no need to educate them. Think about it, your father is leaving soon. The next place hasn't been chosen yet. It's not easy. It's very likely that he will be sent to the capital to be a capital official. "
Old Man Pi's face turned even redder. How could he let others do the work of educating? When the time came, they might not know the Tang Dynasty's emperor anymore.
In desperation, he began to use threats. After he finished speaking, he didn't dare to look at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's pure eyes.
"Grandpa Bi, there are many capable people in the imperial court. Why do you have to get involved? The imperial court collects taxes. Aren't you afraid that the imperial court will use it for war? At that time, countless family members will lose their sons, fathers, and men at home. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't have anything to gain. How could he say this out loud?
Old Man Pi smacked his lips and said, "The surrounding countries can't be used for war yet. They're mainly used for disaster relief. The national treasury can't do that. We can't build roads even if we want to. Lu Zhou, on the other hand, has cement roads. They look more beautiful than the capital. There are seawalls and lighthouses. The capital's city walls are still made of mud."
When Old Man Bi saw that his threats did not work, he began to complain about being poor. It was as though if the walls of the capital were not made of cement and the roads leading to various places were not made of cement, the Zhang Family would be a sinner. After all, the Zhang Family had built Lu Zhou so well.
Zhang Xiaobao thought about it for a while and said, "Grandpa Bi, I'm actually worried that my father will return to the capital to do something. It's still too early, especially for Cuckoo's father. It's fine if his official position is just a title, but it's so low. When I came here with Cuckoo earlier, Cuckoo's father even said that he wanted to help the imperial court collect taxes. However, because his official position is too low, he can't submit a memorial.
Old Man Chang and Old Man Pi understood that the Zhang family wanted to exchange conditions. They wanted Wang Juan's father to be promoted, but it was just a title.
"Oh, is that so? That's really good for our Tang Dynasty. What's the name of an official? Wu San Guan, lower Grade Four. What's his name again? "Old Man Pi was very smart.
"General Zhuang Wu, right?" Old Man Chang said.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were satisfied. This way, Wang Juan's mother would also receive the title of a Grade Four Noble Lady.
Zhang Xiaobao was not afraid that Old Man Pi would go back on his word. If there was a next time, he could forget about getting information from him.
"Huh? General Zhuang Wu? Then we have to strengthen the military. To strengthen our Tang Dynasty's martial arts, the general naturally has to lead the troops. Lead the troops to the newly discovered place to protect the merchants. When the time comes, put a few soldiers on each boat. I believe that the soldiers will be able to safely bring the merchants back to the designated safe place. "
"Yes, yes. Just send the soldiers and boats. Why didn't I think of that? Even the imperial court didn't think of this. It seems that they have set their sights on the Tang Dynasty. Good, good. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, don't worry. The appointment will be here soon. "
Old Man Pi finally reacted. Things were not as complicated as he thought. All the merchants who went there would definitely seek the protection of the local soldiers. As long as the soldiers were used to escort them, there was no need to worry. Even if the merchants wanted to do it themselves, it was impossible to keep the secret.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, how much do you think we should collect when the merchants come back?" Old Man Pi casually asked another question.
Since he had already mentioned one, another one would not make a difference. Zhang Xiaobao replied without thinking, "That depends on the goods. If it's gold or copper, we should collect as much tax as possible. If it's grain, not only should we not collect tax, we should also compensate them with copper or gold.
In other words, if they bring back a portion of the copper and a portion of the grain, then it's very likely that the copper will not be taxed. We should encourage them to bring grain back. The grain in the Tang Dynasty is still a little insufficient. "
Old Man Chang and Old Man Pi nodded. Good idea. They could adjust it a little. That is, they should directly hand in the grain as the copper tax instead of letting the merchants sell it themselves. If they hand in grain, then it would be more cost-effective than directly handing in copper. This would allow the merchants to transport countless grains back to the Tang Dynasty.
This was actually a discrimination and restriction against the merchants. Zhang Xiaobao could not and did not want to care. He just had to do his own thing.
*****
Both Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were very happy to get a higher official position for Wang Juan's father. Whoever was willing to be the tax collector could do it. Their father could not do it. It was the heart of the struggle and could easily cause trouble.
When the two returned home, Li Xun was accompanying the four sleeping children in boredom. His eyes were not focused and he was in a daze.
Seeing the two enter, he immediately went forward and said, "Xiao Bao, why haven't they come back yet? Could they have been killed by the local people? "
"Is it so easy to kill more than a thousand people? There are also weapons and equipment. What's the hurry? Maybe they found something good again. "Zhang Xiaobao was not worried that the thousand people would not come back.
"How can I not be anxious? I am now the person in charge of this matter. I want to go and take a look. "Li Xun was still thinking about the matter there.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at his younger siblings. They were all sleeping very soundly. Occasionally, their little mouths would move as if they were drinking milk. He smiled and said, "Even if they come back, you can't go. If you go and come back, too much time will be wasted. It is very likely that my father will leave soon.
The imperial court will probably let you take charge first. There are already people coming here. The moment my father leaves, it will be the time for the new Provincial Governor and the new person to replace you to come here. You have to go. While there is still time, you should make arrangements. Your fief is not as big as a province. It would be best if it was a good place. My father can also be the new Provincial Governor. "
"So there is no chance this year." Li Xun sighed.
Then, he became happy again. "Yes, you have to make arrangements. When the time comes, I will follow you and see how the new place will look like."
"Xiao Bao, there is one more thing. The Ning family hasn't been fooled yet. Should we think of something else?"
"There is no rush. We have to give them time to react. Let's start with the other provinces first. Let Qin Province take a look. I believe they won't let go of this opportunity."
Zhang Xiaobao was not worried at all. The mentality of a swindler was very important.
Li Xun saw that the Zhang family was not worried, so he was relieved. He said, "Then what should we do now? I don't have anything to do. I am idle all day. You don't have to worry about the matters on the mountain. Find me some work. "
"Isn't it easy if you want to work? I will find you one now. Help train divers and learn from Little Tao. "Zhang Xiaobao casually sent Li Xun away.
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