However, Li Chengqian was calm and composed. He looked at the driver and said helplessly, "What should we do? Why don't you discuss with the other ministers and see if the Six Ministries can allocate some money to support the relay station first. We can make up for it when the next batch of taxes is collected. "
"Ah!" The driver's face suddenly darkened. In the imperial court, the relay station was in the most awkward position. Nominally, it was a military facility and belonged to the Ministry of War. However, except for wartime, it served the civil officials most of the time. It was used for the exchange of official documents, accommodation, hospitality, and horses. Every year, it cost a lot of money.
However, what was even more helpless was that the driver in charge of supervising the relay station had a very low position. He was only a fifth-rank official. When he went to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to ask for money, he would be looked down upon by the officials there. Asking him to ask for money from the Six Ministries was something that he had eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall.
"Minister! Minister … "The driver looked at the unfriendly expressions of the Six Ministries and didn't dare to say a word.
However, how could the Six Ministries be willing to take the initiative to give up the benefits in their hands? They were happy to see the driver and Li Chengqian make a fool of themselves.
"In my opinion, the Tang dynasty's relay station costs a lot of money every year. In fact, it is completely unnecessary!" Li Chengqian suddenly said something shocking.
"Unnecessary?" The driver couldn't help but be stunned. He looked at Li Chengqian in a daze. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Could it be that the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with the relay station?
"Your Highness may not know. Although the relay station costs a lot, it is an indispensable department in the Tang dynasty to transmit military information and official documents to and from the government." The gray-haired Gao Shilian frowned. In his opinion, if he didn't step in to remedy the situation, his grandson's nephew would become a bigger joke.
"Minister Gao is right. The relay station has existed since ancient times. It can't be abolished so easily!" The driver shouted.
Li Chengqian said leisurely, "Who said that we want to abolish the relay station? Of course, this prince knows that the relay station cannot be moved lightly. However, there is no doubt that the annual expenditure of the relay station has already become a burden to the government. If the relay station can be self-sufficient, how much money can it save for the government?"
"Self-sufficient!" The driver was stunned. Only now did he realize that Li Chengqian was implying something.
The rest of the officials were all shrewd people. Naturally, they could tell that Li Chengqian had other intentions. They couldn't help but be shocked. Could it be that today's matter wasn't due to the Crown Prince's negligence, but because he wanted to make a move on the relay station?
Li Chengqian said in a loud and clear voice, "In the Tang dynasty, the relay stations were divided into three types: land relay stations, water relay stations, and both land and water relay stations. There were a total of 1639 relay stations, with a total of 20,000 people and 8,000 horses. The annual cost of food and drink was not a small amount, but the annual use was only to deliver official documents. Isn't that a huge waste?"
The Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Dai Zhou, couldn't help but nod. The relay stations cost a lot to feed a large number of people every year, but they couldn't be abolished. They could only keep them.
The other officials couldn't help but stop what they were doing and listen attentively to Li Chengqian's speech.
Li Chengqian turned to Hou Junji and said, "Take the Ministry of War as an example. Every year, there are a large number of soldiers serving at the border, far away from home. If these relay stations can deliver messages for all the soldiers and allow them to communicate with their families, won't it make their families feel relieved? It will also make the soldiers at the border work wholeheartedly for the country."
Hou Junji nodded solemnly. This was indeed a very good idea.
"Apart from the soldiers, as far as I know, there are many students from other places who come to Chang 'an City to study. They only have the opportunity to go home during the field holidays. If the courier station also sends messages to them, it will be heartwarming to let their distant relatives know that they are safe." Li Chengqian looked at Kong Yingda, the Nation's Chancellor, and said.
Kong Yingda also nodded silently.
"There are also officials who travel to other places, merchants who do business outside, and farmers who are currently serving outside …" Li Chengqian gave examples one by one, listing out the benefits of the relay stations. The officials couldn't help but think. According to Li Chengqian's words, it seemed that the relay stations had many benefits.
"But if that's the case, the relay station will be even busier, and I'm afraid the cost will be even higher." The driver shook his head repeatedly.
Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The relay stations naturally can't deliver letters to the people for free. Of course, they can't be profit-seeking like merchants. After all, our purpose is to subsidize the expenses of the relay stations. In my opinion, it's better to deliver a letter at a starting price of one copper coin. Or if it's an overweight letter, it can be added at your discretion."
"This consort has a plan for the relay station. As long as you follow this plan, this consort doesn't dare to guarantee anything else, but the relay station will no longer need to be funded by the imperial court. This way, the imperial court will be relieved of its burden, and the common people will benefit. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"
With a wave of his hand, Li Chengqian passed Shen Hongcai's plan to the officials.
"If it's urgent, you can send a message back in a month."
"Six hundred miles, half a month …!"
"It's an urgent matter, …"
Of course, the requirement for traveling 800 miles was the harshest. According to Shen Hongcai's plan, it could only be implemented temporarily at the place where the brick road was built. The other places would be set for the time being.
The officials looked at the well-reasoned plan in their hands and couldn't help but nod inwardly. This plan indeed had a high chance of success.
"The fees are based on different speeds and weights, and they are all extremely cheap." Fang Xuanling couldn't help but nod inwardly. Li Chengqian didn't charge fees based on distance, allowing the common people to enjoy the convenience of communication. This was indeed a rare good government.
"If it's urgent for traveling 600 miles, the fees for traveling 800 miles will be higher. This way, the relay station's income will be higher, and perhaps it really will be able to break even." Dai Zhou nodded inwardly. If the relay station could really be self-sufficient every year, the Ministry of Civil Affairs would really be able to save a lot of money every year.
"If that's the case, I'm afraid that the relay station won't have enough manpower to deliver so many letters." The driver smiled bitterly.
"As long as the relay station has an income, there's no need to worry about not being able to recruit people. Every year, there are many injured soldiers who are discharged from the army due to injuries. These soldiers all know how to ride horses, so naturally, delivering letters won't be a problem. These meritorious soldiers can also find a way to make a living. Isn't that better?" Li Chengqian waved his hand.
"That should be the case!" Hou Junji nodded in agreement.
Delivering letters didn't require any skills. They only needed to know how to ride a horse. As long as these injured soldiers could move, they would be able to do this job. Moreover, these injured soldiers couldn't participate in heavy physical labor. The job of a postman couldn't be more suitable.
"But the relay station is where the imperial court delivers official documents. Now, it has to deliver letters to the common people. How improper is that?" The driver said bitterly.
Although the relay station had a lower status in the imperial court, it was still receiving officials and official documents. Now that it suddenly had to deliver letters to the common people, the driver couldn't accept this kind of difference.
Li Chengqian said proudly, "Imperial Father once taught this prince that the people are most important, the monarch is less important, and the country comes second. Now that the relay station is reforming to deliver letters to the common people, isn't it exactly the same as saying that the people are most important? How can it be improper? Moreover, this is also beneficial to the relay station. Otherwise, where would the funds for the relay station come from? Don't tell me that the imperial court will be in deficit every year?"
The driver was stunned and didn't know how to explain himself.
"What an idiot!" Many officials coldly snorted in their hearts. Li Chengqian had directly divided the funds for the relay station among the six ministries without leaving a trace. There wasn't much left for the relay station. It could be said that the relay station had no way out. It could only follow Li Chengqian's wishes.
Many officials couldn't help but look gravely at Li Chengqian. It had to be said that Li Chengqian's move was beautiful. Although the relay station was important, it didn't have much use in normal times. Li Chengqian had no one to stand up for him when he moved the relay station.
This was especially true for the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of War. As long as the relay station's communication system was completed, the Ministry of Civil Affairs could save a lot of money every year. The Ministry of War, on the other hand, had found a job to take care of the injured and retired soldiers. Naturally, they supported the reform of the relay station with both hands. The other six ministries had a lot of extra funds that they couldn't bear to part with. They could only support Li Chengqian.
"Your Highness Crown Prince, please wait. This Old Man believes that Your Highness Crown Prince has good intentions. However, the relay station only delivers official documents and military intelligence. This has been the system of the imperial court since ancient times. If we rashly change it to deliver letters to the common people, I'm afraid we'll have to ask His Majesty first." Du Chuke suddenly suggested.
Immediately, many of the officials who had just nodded their heads repeatedly paused. In the end, the Crown Prince was still the Crown Prince. Throughout history, there were many Crown Princes who didn't succeed to the throne. In the end, it was still the Emperor who had the final say. If the Emperor didn't like this, they would have to bear the responsibility.
Li Chengqian's face couldn't help but turn cold. He knew that Du Chuke and his younger brother, Li Tai, were very close. Previously, this person had already stopped him from being a regent. Moreover, he had delayed the matter of reforming the relay station until Li Shimin returned. At that time, he was afraid that the relay station's matter would only be half completed. His political achievements would also be greatly reduced.
"The relay station's communication system is beneficial to both the common people and the imperial court. The earlier the communication, the earlier the common people can enjoy the convenience, and the imperial court can also lessen some of the burden. This matter cannot be delayed. If there are any mistakes, this prince will bear all of the responsibility. "Li Chengqian decisively said.
Immediately, the officials fell silent. No one dared to touch Li Chengqian's brows at this time. Although the tiger cub was small, it still ate people!
"This old official is old and weak. I'm afraid that I can't bear this heavy responsibility. I'm afraid that Your Highness, the Crown Prince, will have to choose someone else." The driver gritted his teeth and cupped his hands.
It wasn't that he didn't know the benefits of the relay station's communication system. If he followed Li Chengqian's order to reform the relay station and angered Li Shimin, Li Chengqian wouldn't bear the slightest responsibility. He would definitely become a scapegoat. If he succeeded, the political achievements would be obtained by Li Chengqian, and he wouldn't benefit at all. Now that he resigned, naturally, he wanted to get out of this whirlpool.
"In that case, the driver can rest at ease and recuperate! Where is Su Dingfang? "Li Chengqian shouted.
"I am here!" Among the generals, Su Dingfang boldly stepped out and said.
"You once contributed to the transportation of grain and are proficient in the way of operation. Do you have the confidence to reform the relay station's communication system and find a way to survive for the injured soldiers of the Tang dynasty?" Li Chengqian shouted.
Su Dingfang cupped his hands and said, "I am duty-bound."
Li Chengqian looked around and said, "In that case, General Su will temporarily take the position of the driver and lead the reform of the relay station."
The driver's eyes couldn't help but darken. He originally thought that after he resigned, no one in the imperial court would be able to sort out the relay station's matter. However, he forgot that there was still Su Dingfang, who was proficient in transportation of grain.
"I obey!" Su Dingfang boldly said.
"Court is dismissed!"
Looking at Li Chengqian's figure disappearing from the main hall, the officials looked pensive. They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.
"The Crown Prince has grown up!"
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