Chapter 557 Daqian’s Dilemma

Imperial City.

Emperor Wen summoned Xiao Wanchou, Xue Che and Xu Shifu in his palace.

Emperor Wen has been in a bad mood recently.

Floods in the south and changes in various tribes in the western desert became a huge stone that weighed heavily on Emperor Wen's heart.

He has left the matter of the flood in the south to the prince Yun Li to handle.

Xu Shifu is the Minister of Household Affairs, so it is most appropriate for Yun Li to handle this matter.

However, the changes in the tribes in Moxi made Emperor Wen feel the pressure.

"If all the tribes in Moxi jointly send troops, how many troops do you think there will be?"

Emperor Wen asked the three of them.

Xiao Wanchou thought for a while and replied: "Weichen thinks it will probably not be less than 300,000, and may even reach 40,000 or 500,000!"

The tribes in Moxi are not a country, but more than ten tribes, large and small.

However, all the tribes in Moxi share the same origin, and all tribes are slaves.

There will also be conflicts and contradictions between various tribes, but more often they are alliances.

Six years ago, all the tribes in Moxi were able to send 200,000 troops.

Over the years, under the suppression of Xiqiang and Hungu, the most powerful tribes among them, there has been no major war between the tribes in Moxi, and their military strength is definitely better than before.

Three hundred thousand troops should be considered a relatively conservative figure.

If the ministries mobilize a large number of slaves to form a slave army, it is possible to create an army of 600,000!

"Wei Chen's judgment is similar to that of Duke Yu."

Xue Che nodded.

"So much?"

The already troublesome problem became even more troublesome, "Compared with the tribes in Moxi, our military strength still does not have an advantage!"

Even if 100,000 troops were transferred from Fuzhou, there would only be 200,000 troops on the front line between Liaozhou and Liangzhou.

"The difference in military strength is secondary."

Xue Che said: "In terms of eliteness, the armies of the Moxi tribes are definitely not as good as my Dagan! It shouldn't be a big problem to defend the Moxi tribes with an army of 200,000! What I am worried about now is the money and food of our court. not enough……"

Speaking of money and food, the three of them all looked at Xu Shifu, the Minister of Household Affairs.

Facing the gazes of the three people, Xu Shifu couldn't help but feel a little headache.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Shifu said: "Your Majesty, I am afraid that the money and food of our dynasty cannot be sustained for a long time. I suggest that we should focus on peace talks with the tribes in Moxi..."

"Peace talks?"

Upon hearing Xu Shifu's words, Xiao Wanchou's face suddenly fell, "When we first faced Beihuan, you, Xu Shifu, also strongly advocated peace talks. What was the result? We gave away all the food. Did Beihuan make peace? In the end, there was still peace. Aren’t we going to rely on His Highness the Sixth Prince to lead the Beifu Army to defeat Beihuan and force him to surrender?”

Xiao Wanchou was the most determined militant in the Qian Dynasty.

No matter which country comes, Xiao Wanchou's consistent policy is war!

"This time, that time!"

Xu Shifu said angrily: "From the beginning of winter last year to now, our court first went to war with Beihuan, then King An rebelled, and now there are floods in the south. Do you know how much food our court has consumed?"

In the battle against Beihuan, although the court did not send many troops, the cost of the court was not small.

The amount of grain stolen by Beihuan and given to Yunzheng alone was six million tons!

This does not include the supplies the imperial court gave to the Beifu Army before Yun Zheng seized power.

Later, King An's rebellion cost a lot of money and food.

Nowadays, the floods in the south are serious, and the imperial court has to open the official warehouses in the south to provide disaster relief.

Daqian had good weather last year, with an annual tax revenue of 30 million dan.

It sounds like a lot.

But when it comes to consumption, I can’t help but consume it!

If you don't have enough money and food, what can you do to start a war with the Moxi tribes?

When Xu Shifu said this, Xiao Wanchou immediately stopped talking.

Although Xiao Wanchou disliked Xu Shifu, he also admitted the facts Xu Shifu said.

These major events really consume a lot of money and food for Da Gan.

However, when it came to peace talks with the Moxi tribes, Xiao Wanchou was the first to jump up and object.

Emperor Wen thought for a while and then asked Xu Shifu: "If we use troops against the tribes in Moxi, how long can the court's current money and food last for the 200,000 troops in the northwest?"

Xu Shifu thought for a while and replied: "About eight months."

Under the current situation, it is almost unrealistic to mobilize grain from the official warehouses in the south and transport it to the northwest for use as military rations.

The food in the official warehouse in the south is all for disaster relief!

It would be a good idea if the southern states and counties did not reach out to the imperial court for food!

The key issue is that the court must also be prepared to deal with a large-scale plague outbreak in the south.

A flood coupled with a large-scale plague was enough to severely damage Da Qian's vitality.

"How much tax and grain can we collect this year?" Emperor Wen asked again.

Xu Shifu: "I'm afraid it's less than half of last year..."

The taxable grain harvested in the summer has actually begun to arrive in warehouses one after another.

The taxable grain for the summer harvest is actually very limited.

The bulk of tax revenue comes after the autumn harvest.

Xiao Wanchou frowned and asked angrily: "Why is it so small?"

"How many do you think there are?"

Xu Shifu snorted coldly: "A large area of ​​the south has been hit by floods. There is basically no need to count on the taxes and grains from the south this year! Shuobei is now governed by His Highness the Sixth Prince. Can the taxes and grains from Shuobei still be counted as part of the imperial court?"

If we remove the taxes and grain from the south and Shuobei, how much tax and grain will be left?

The key is that not only did the southern regions not receive much tax grain, but the imperial court had to continue to mobilize other local tax grains and send them to the southern official warehouse for disaster relief.

Just transporting tax grains from other places to the south, and eating horses and chews along the way, consumes a lot of grain.

Listening to Xu Shifu calculating the details here, Emperor Wen suddenly had an even greater headache.

If the war with the Moxi tribes lasted for a short time, there would be no problem.

But if the fight lasts too long, the court’s money and food may not be able to sustain it!

The more Emperor Wen thought about it, the angrier he became.

Damn the Moxi tribes!

It made me anxious, so I just threw the traitor Lao Liu to the northwest!

No matter how strong the tribes in Moxi are, can they still be stronger than Beihuan?

Emperor Wen thought fiercely in his heart.

At this moment, Emperor Wen again remembered what Yun Zheng had said to him on the gate tower of Beilu Pass.

As long as you give him enough trust, he will make sure that there are no powerful, powerful or invincible countries around Daqian!

Just when Emperor Wen was suffering from a headache, his attendant suddenly came to report that Mu Shun had left Shuobei and sent someone to send a letter to Emperor Wen.

With that said, the attendant respectfully presented the letter sent back by Mushun.

Emperor Wen quickly took the letter and opened it.

Looking at the contents of the letter, Emperor Wen's face suddenly became even more ugly.

It seems that the traitor Lao Liu can't be counted on for the time being!

"Look at them all!"

Emperor Wen handed Yun Zheng's letter to Xiao Wanchou and the others.

The three of them quickly gathered together to check it out.

Mu Shun received news from Shuobei that Guifang, Dayue Kingdom and Qiuchi were likely to join forces to attack Beihuan and Muma Grassland!

Yunzheng judged that if this matter was confirmed, the possibility of the Moxi tribes attacking Daqian would be greater.

It’s almost inevitable!

"Your Highness's judgment should be correct."

Xue Che frowned, "Your Majesty, we must be prepared!"

Fight, how to fight?

Harmony, how to reconcile?

The battle must be fought quickly and cannot be delayed for too long.

But if they want to make peace, they will definitely avoid being blackmailed by the Moxi tribes.

Regardless of war or peace, we must plan ahead.

Fortunately, they still have some time now and are not as hasty as when Beihuan was begging for food last year.

Emperor Wen didn't say a word, just thinking silently, and secretly scolding Yun Zheng for being such a rebellious son.

This traitor!

He believed that the Moxi tribes were very likely to launch a large-scale attack on Daqian, and he did not know how to help him think of some countermeasures to share his worries.

Why, do you still want to send someone to him to ask for advice?

Does this traitor still want to blackmail the court?

Next time I see him, I have to give him a good beating...