"Eat beef!" Li Shimin was so angry that he laughed.
He thought that Meton would quibble for a while, and then give him a speech or two to persuade him. He didn't expect that Meton would give him such a naive reason.
Meton said righteously, "The Tang Dynasty is the most powerful country in the Celestial Empire, a country of etiquette. Why can the surrounding grassland countries eat beef, but the people of the Tang Dynasty can't?"
"Uh!"
Qin Huaiyu and the other two were stunned. It seemed that they had never thought of this reason.
Even Cheng Yaojin's mouth was wide open. He had never seen anyone who said that they wanted to eat meat in such a righteous manner.
"Cows are indeed precious, so I have never thought about buying cows from the Tang Dynasty. Can't I just buy cows from the grassland? I didn't expect that the Chang 'an County Government would care about this. " Meton said angrily.
Li Shimin said righteously, "As long as you enter the territory of the Tang Dynasty, you will be governed by the laws of the Tang Dynasty."
"Those 500 cows, you must bring them back to me in good condition. Otherwise, hehe …" Li Shimin sneered, and the threat was particularly obvious.
Meton suddenly wailed, and the beef in his hand flew away again.
Meton took a deep breath and changed his tone, "Since ancient times, all the dynasties have advocated that slaughtering cows is forbidden, but today, the Tang Dynasty still lacks cows. Cows live about 15 to 20 years, and they reach adulthood at the age of 4. In theory, a cow can give birth to 10 calves, and among these 10 calves, about 5 are cows. Five years later, these cows will continue to give birth, and so on. In less than 50 years, every family in Huaxia will have a cow, but all the dynasties can't get rid of the lack of cows. Why! "
"Yes!" Cheng Yaojin said cooperatively.
Li Shimin chuckled and remained unmoved, allowing Meton and Li Yundong to perform.
Meton continued helplessly, "That's because cattle in the Tang dynasty need to work for many years, and it's impossible for them to produce calves stably. Therefore, if we want to solve the shortage of cattle in the Tang dynasty, we have to start from the grasslands. The grassland could be turned into a cattle farm for the Tang dynasty. Supplying the Tang dynasty with an endless supply of cattle is the most fundamental way to solve the cattle problem. "
This time, Li Shimin did not refute. Instead, he nodded in agreement. The grassland was indeed the best place to raise cattle. No one could deny this.
"All the people in the world come for profit, and all the people in the world go for profit. How can we make the grassland tribes voluntarily raise cattle for the Tang dynasty? We have to let the grassland tribes see the profit. I believe that the huge beef market of the Tang dynasty is the best profit." Merton said.
"Lure them with benefits?" Li Shimin pondered.
"I'm not the only one who likes to eat beef. Do you guys like it?" Meton pointed at Qin Huaiyu and the other two.
The three of them nodded repeatedly.
"What about Uncle Cheng?" Meton turned to look at Cheng Yaojin.
Cheng Yaojin laughed and said, "Of course!"
"What about His Majesty?" Meton asked again, not afraid of death.
Li Shimin immediately glared at him. His answer was self-evident.
"It's not just us. How many people in the Tang dynasty like it? According to this, it's a big business worth hundreds of thousands of strings of cash. In this way, the Tang dynasty forbids the slaughter of cattle and ensures the number of cattle for farming. We'll use the profit of beef to lure the grassland cattle."
"Moreover, the grassland manpower is limited. If we raise more cattle, we'll raise fewer horses. In the future, even if the entire grassland is used to raise cattle for the Tang dynasty, I'm afraid it won't be enough for the people of the Tang dynasty to eat. At that time, the cattle crisis of the Tang dynasty will be solved, and the problem of the north will be solved without any medicine." Meton waved his fist and said.
"Good." Cheng Yaojin was very excited.
Li Shimin was moved for the first time, and his eyes drifted. The Tang dynasty had always been wary of the grassland. After defeating the Turks, they adopted a policy of restraining the grassland tribes to prevent the grassland tribes from continuing to expand in the north in order to prevent the grassland tribes from rebelling.
Meton's move could not only reduce the threat of the grassland, but also solve the cattle problem of the Tang dynasty. It was simply to Li Shimin's liking. It should be known that the grassland was strong because of the war horses, not the cattle. How could the grassland, which was only used to raise cattle, be taken seriously by the Tang dynasty?
"You're doing this just to eat beef?" Li Shimin looked at Meton with a complicated mind.
Meton said proudly, "Don't doubt the spirit of a foodie."
"The spirit of a foodie."
Everyone looked at the chuunibyou Moton in shock.
A foodie was not scary, but a group of foodies was scary. In later generations, many countries were troubled by the invasion of foreign species, such as crayfish, Asian carp … Scallops … However, it had never been a problem in China. They all became the delicacies on the table and became the disgrace of foreign species.
"Moreover, the price of cattle on the grassland is cheap. When the cattle from the frontier enter the Tang dynasty, it's up to Your Majesty to decide whether to kill them or use them. The imperial court can also levy a heavy tax on the slaughtered beef. In this way, the imperial court can make a profit and control the sales of beef." Meton nodded and said.
"Win-win!"
Everyone could not help but think of this word.
"It is widely known in Chang 'an that the Mo Family actively promotes the concept of win-win. It really lives up to its reputation." Cheng Yaojin blurted out a praise.
Li Shimin carefully thought about this word. The more he thought about it, the deeper the meaning became. As the emperor, he certainly saw the future. Win-win seemed to benefit both sides and even many parties, but in fact, the leader could achieve the strategic goal unconsciously. The benefits could not be compared with a little profit.
The Mo Family promoted win-win on the official road in the south of the city and built a large number of downstream industries for the Mo Family, which could drive other industries.
Although the imperial court could also benefit the grassland, it could also help the Tang dynasty achieve a strategic victory.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin did not insist as before. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully and said, "Send a memorial to the three provinces and six ministries to discuss this matter."
"Yes!" Meton was suddenly overjoyed. Since Li Shimin was willing to let the three provinces and six ministries discuss it, he must have changed his mind.
"Then, what about the batch of cattle that Mo Family transported from the grassland? Now that the New Year is coming, if the people of the Tang dynasty can eat beef, they will be grateful for Your Majesty's grace. "Cheng Yaojin said hopefully.
"Do the people want to eat beef or do you want to eat beef?" Li Shimin pointed at Cheng Yaojin and scolded him with a smile.
Modun suddenly interjected, "Kid, the oxen you transported from the grassland are all about five years old. It would be a pity to kill them directly. Your humble servant has seen many oxen registered in the Tang Empire that are more than fifteen years old. These oxen are already old and weak, so they won't be able to do any hard labor. The Mo Family is willing to exchange the old cattle for the old cattle. In this way, the people of the Tang dynasty can eat beef in the New Year and the farmers can get young and strong calves. "
"The Mo Family is willing to do this loss-making business?"
Li Shimin opened his eyes and looked at Meton confusedly. No one was willing to do this loss-making business, but Meton took the initiative to do it.
Meton smiled and said, "The price of the Smoldering Horse in the Mo Family is one cow for one jar of Smoldering Horse. It doesn't say whether it's an old cow or a young calf, so it's not a loss. Besides, the price of the meat of a cow in the Fish Scholar's Restaurant is not lower than the price of a young calf. "
"Well, you are not afraid of losing money. If I refuse, I will be stingy. I approve this deal." Li Shimin immediately shouted.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Merton said.
In this way, the Mo Family and the imperial court both got what they wanted and were happy. Only Cheng Yaojin kept muttering,
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