After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

In the Prefectural Government House, all the officials and assistants of the Governor's Office were present, and almost all of them looked haggard. Li Xiujing traveled between Changle and Guazhou City, and the burden of defending Guazhou fell on Pei Jiaoran and them.

In addition to guarding the city, the officers and assistants also had to deal with daily government affairs in the prefecture part of the time. As he came and went, he became increasingly haggard.

At this moment, when they heard footsteps at the door, they all sat upright to greet Li Xiujing.

After everyone sat down, Pei Jiaoran took out a stack of paper from his sleeve and reported to Li Xiujing the current situation in the city. She kept records of the consumption of military supplies, clothing and food, as well as the pensions allocated to fallen soldiers, and registered them all.

Her voice was soft and soft, and it sounded like she was just doing something routine. But in Li Xiujing's ears, it had another meaning. She was telling him something that had to be faced and urgently needed to be solved.

The city's military expenditure and food supplies can no longer last long. If the Tibetan troops cannot be allowed to retreat and the food in the city is exhausted, Guazhou City will fall. More importantly, even if Tubo retreats. If we fail to allow the people to recuperate before next year's Spring March, it will easily lead to public dissatisfaction.

Li Xiujing narrowed her eyes and covered up the indignation flashing in her eyes.

In recent years, the military expenditures allocated by the imperial court to the border troops have been much lower than before. Because the annual consumption of the imperial imperial army has reached 4.2 million guan, and the monthly salary of frontier army sergeants in the past was 24 guan, the Hexi Road alone would cost 2.4 million guan in a year. If other roads were added together, at least It also costs nine million strings. The imperial court's annual tax revenue is 30 million yuan, and almost half of the money is spent on military expenses.

Therefore, after I ascend the throne, I will leave all matters of raising military expenses to the various military governors themselves. Nowadays, it is entirely up to the Jiedushi to raise the bulk of the money, and the court only needs to pay a small part. Despite this, there are still cases of withholding.

In the case of the two-thirds tax system, Jiedushi was inevitably biased on the issue of military expenditures, and the amount of income received by each state was also different. So it's all up to the states to figure it out on their own. During the summer and autumn tax periods, it can be used within the jurisdiction.

"Why not borrow food from other states?" Zhao Heng frowned.

Pei Jiaoran didn't speak after hearing this. If you want to borrow grain, you must have a Jiedushi warrant. Even if Dugu Chen is willing to give it, there is nothing they can do if the other states break the contract temporarily. What's more, she was sure that Dugu Chen would not pay attention to Guazhou's appeal.

"Give Zhao Canjun a fast horse and ask him to rush to Liangzhou immediately to meet the commander-in-chief." Glancing at Zhao Heng, Pei Jiaoran said coldly: "Is Zhao Canjun sure that he can get the fingerprint and then go to various states to borrow food?"

After saying this, Zhao Heng glanced at her and looked away. Leaving Guazhou at this time, if the Tubo people found his traces, there would be no way for him to survive.

"If that's the case, why don't we stop opening warehouses to help people. I have already calculated that if the warehouses are closed, there will be a surplus of military rations." A man in green robe said.

It was Wang Min, who temporarily served as both Si Hu and Si Cang to join the army.

Pei Jiaoran said coldly, "What about the people? The people are forgotten because of the war. If a civil uprising is triggered, who will bear the responsibility?"

"Are we going to let the soldiers starve? The official knows that you are a parent and an official who cares about the people. But the life of the soldiers is not life!" Wang Min looked at her and bowed his hands, "Please also thank the Ming government for the hard work of the soldiers on guard. In this case, the charity warehouse will be closed.”

"No. The warehouse cannot be closed, and the soldiers cannot starve." Pei Jiaoran said solemnly.

When Wang Min stopped talking, he threw away his sleeves angrily, while Pei Jiaoran also stared blankly.

"Reduce my rations." Li Xiujing looked at Pei Jiaoran, who had a cold face, and said in a gentle tone, "The rest of the people will continue as usual. Please also ask General Pei Ming's government to recalculate the clothing and food rations."

Upon hearing this, all the officials in the governor's office stood up and spoke out to dissuade Li Xiujing. There is no reason to let the coach starve into command. Even if you take the lead, you shouldn't do this.

"Pei Ming's government should close the charity warehouse. Now we are all tightening our belts and working together. The Tibetans cannot keep up with the logistics and supplies, so they will naturally withdraw their troops." Zhou Biejia's eyes showed shame and thought, "Who have we suffered? , we can’t suffer the sergeants. Besides, they are also common people.”

Pei Jiaoran still didn't speak, and turned to look at Li Xiujing, who looked up with a solemn expression. There are only two choices before them. One is to lead Li Xiujing to cut off the rear of Tibet and force Tibet to return aid; the other is to agree to everyone's suggestions, close the charity warehouse and stop providing relief to the victims. Up and down, they scrimped on food and clothing, wasting money on Tubo. But there are risks in both. The Tubo people were aware of their intentions and could send troops to intercept and kill Li Xiujing on the way. The other Tubo people could wait until Guazhou City was starved of food and could naturally seize the city in one fell swoop.

"I will recalculate. Let's discuss the matter of closing the charity warehouse again. After the war is over, the Spring Expedition will come. If the charity warehouse is closed at this time, what will the people use to pay taxes during the summer tax time?" Pei Jiaoran took a deep breath, "General We can’t let the county order the people to increase taxes by four liters per mu on the grounds that in times of hardship, warehouses are exhausted, senior citizens are counting on longevity, and elegance and convenience are expedient.”

Originally, the free warehouse was built for famine relief, and it should have been funded by the imperial court. However, today, it has become the case that grain is deducted from the total land tax collected. Now the state government is responsible for this part of the grain, but the ownership of the free warehouse is in the hands of the imperial court.

Previously, the Yicang was burned down by Tibetan spies. After discussing with Li Xiujing, she ordered Zhao Hengzheng to borrow grain to fill the charity warehouse and release grain at a daily quota. Although this move is considered to be against the imperial decree, this method can maintain the food supply in Guazhou City. The problem is that if Tubo does not retreat for a day, no matter how careful it is, it will be unsustainable as time goes by.

Seeing all the officials looking at her, Pei Jiaoran said warmly: "The tightness of money and food is related to this battle. If Guazhou falls, both you and I will be to blame. Don't just look at one side, think more. I hope you all have plans for the imperial court. ."

After the words fell, everyone turned their eyes. The interests have been clearly defined, and now they know that this Mingfu is not only good at martial arts, but also a first-class expert in handling political affairs. Just standing there makes people feel that she is full of aura.

Everyone agreed on this matter for the time being, so they stopped staying and left one after another. They devoted themselves to their respective public rooms and got busy.

Pei Jiaoran was left behind.

"The governor should cherish himself." Pei Jiaoran said quietly.

"You can't let your soldiers go hungry, right? You are the county magistrate and a parent who cares about the people. As a commander, I will also consider the soldiers below." Li Xiujing looked at her calmly, "If you are in my Position, will you bear to let the soldiers defend the city hungry?"

She knew what Li Xiujing meant. Those who guard the city are all sergeants. Without them fighting bloody battles at the front, the people in the city would not be able to live in peace. As the commander-in-chief, Li Xiujing should protect the sergeants under him.

With a lonely smile, Pei Jiaoran's eyes showed helplessness, "The lower officials and the governor each perform their own duties. I am now the county magistrate, and I consider everything from the people's perspective. And all military expenses come from taxes. How can I protect one side at the expense of the other?" ? Once the imperial court needs taxes, it cannot abandon them. No matter where I am in the future, I will put the people first in everything."

The sound of officials walking around outside reached his ears, and Li Xiujing looked at Pei Jiaoran seriously.

"Play a play with me. I know that if Tibet doesn't retreat, you won't be able to hold on for long no matter how hard you calculate."

Understanding what Li Xiujing meant, Pei Jiaoran looked at him and asked, "How sure is the governor?"

"Thirty percent." Li Xiujing smiled.

"Then the governor should not go." Pei Jiaoran glared at him, his eyes showing consideration, "Kill me directly, and then go to Dugu Chen to admit his mistake. Maybe he will send troops to support."

Seeing Pei Jiaoran's displeasure, Li Xiujing raised his eyebrows, "Don't worry. If I wasn't completely sure, why would I mention it?" He bowed his hands to Pei Jiaoran and said in a serious tone, "It's uncertain whether I will live or die here, please help me. Guard Guazhou. If something unfortunate happens..."

Swords have no eyes, and wars have never been foolproof since ancient times. Even a leader like Emperor Taizong of this dynasty was almost captured by the enemy. What's more, what about him?

"There is no need for the governor to say such things. If you are really unfortunate, your subordinate will write a farewell letter for you." After saying this, Pei Jiaoran left calmly.

"It's really heartless and unjust." Li Xiujing murmured.