"Why buy so much land? Don't we have enough land now? Besides, you've made so much money from Zhidaobao, you should run your business properly. Farming and collecting rent actually brings the least profit."
After hearing what Li Xiang said, Li Chengqian really didn't know what to say. Li Xiang actually gave Li Chengqian 400,000 strings of cash. This money was for Li Chengqian to buy land. After the war started, there would definitely be some fluctuations. If someone wanted to sell land, he had to buy it no matter how much it cost. And not only the land around Chang'an City, but also land all over the country.
Li Xiang didn't know what to say about Li Chengqian's idea. In today's era, as long as people have some money, they will basically buy land. Li Chengqian did the opposite. It must be said that Li Chengqian's idea is a bit advanced, but Li Xiang also saw that this is an agricultural era. As long as you have a lot of land in your hands, you will have a lot of food, which means you have enough say.
"Father, do you know why the Five Clans and Seven Families dared to defy the imperial court?"
Li Xiang did not answer Li Chengqian's question, but instead asked a question of his own.
"You mean they have a lot of land in their hands?"
Li Chengqian was not stupid, otherwise he would not have been able to become the crown prince.
"Looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, at least 40% of the land is in their hands. The profit from grain trade is not high, but this is one of the reasons why the court dare not touch them. If we can control the grain trade, when you and I take control of the world, we can cut off the source of their troubles."
What Li Xiang said was quite disrespectful, after all, the emperor was not your father's, but Li Chengqian sounded very happy.
Li Chengqian thought about it carefully, and it was indeed similar to what his son said. The Five Surnames and Seven Families owned vast tracts of land in various places, and the annual grain harvest was also an important bargaining chip in their hands. If their wishes in the court were not met, then these people would use the grain in their hands to stir up bloody storms. When Li Shimin had just ascended the throne, the court suffered many disasters because of this.
Therefore, Li Shimin spent a huge amount of money to build large granaries in various places. Although it curbed the food strategy of the Five Surnames and Seven Families to a certain extent, looking at the entire Tang Dynasty, the court still had relatively little food. The main reason was that the court's income was not enough and it was impossible to collect large amounts of food.
At present, the main sources of tax revenue in the Tang Dynasty are three parts: one is copper coins, another is grain, and another is cloth. This is also to disperse the court's income. In the early years of Zhenguan, the Five Surnames and Seven Families were playing tricks on the court economically, so in order to balance the country's economy, taxation had to be changed to three methods.
Doing so certainly makes it difficult for them to find someone to fight against, but it also disperses the power in our hands and prevents us from concentrating our abilities on doing one thing, so both sides have reached a state of balance. Li Xiang is now acquiring land everywhere, which can be regarded as sounding the clarion call for attack again.
"You're right, but you only gave me 400,000 strings of cash. Even if you gave me 4 million strings of cash, the land we bought wouldn't be comparable to theirs. We still wouldn't be able to compete with them then, right?"
Li Chengqian said with some surprise. He knew his son was intelligent and would never do such a useless thing. However, no matter how hard he tried, he had no idea where his son's breakthrough point would come from. "We now control tens of thousands of acres of land. Do you know how much land others control? Tens of millions of acres of land. Can you compare with them?"
"Theoretically, we can't compete with them, but Father, have you forgotten that I have new seeds? Now that our seeds have been planted, if we can harvest 1,300 to 1,500 kilograms per acre, what do you think, Father?"
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Li Chengqian didn't know what to say. You know, most of the land nowadays can produce 500 kilograms, which is already quite good. Many lands can only produce 300 kilograms due to natural disasters. If you can produce 1,300 kilograms, it will definitely break the record.
If one acre of our land is three times as much as others, then one acre of our land is equal to three acres of others' land. If this is the case, then we do have the strength to compete with them.
"What's more, this is only the first phase of our project. Once we have enough money, we can move on to the second and third phases. When our land can occupy one-third of theirs, our capital will basically be the same as theirs."
After all, Li Xiang is a person from modern society, so he tends to bring in some elements of modern society when speaking. Li Chengqian has now gotten used to it. In the beginning, he still needed Li Xiang to explain it to him, but now he has been able to master it. It must be said that he is a talented person.
In fact, there are better seeds in the system, but Li Xiang cannot take them out now because those seeds are still gray. The conditions for unlocking them are not met now. It is estimated that he will be able to unlock them after he has made various military achievements in the future.
"Don't worry, son. Leave this matter to me. When you come back, I will definitely spend all the money you gave me and buy some good land."
Li Chengqian said confidently, "Since this matter concerns the entire strategy of the Tang Dynasty, what else can we say? It is definitely our duty. My son has already gone to the front line to fight, and has exchanged such a tragic thing for his freedom. If I still don't do my job for my son, then as a father, I might as well find an ant hole to crawl into."
"Besides that, we need to buy a large number of slaves. If we need to reclaim wasteland in the future, we will have to use our own people."
There are still many wastelands in the Tang Dynasty. Li Xiang knows that there are many grain-producing areas in the 21st century, but now because of the sparse population, these places are all planted with grass. If they can be reclaimed, it will also increase grain production.
"I need your help with this. Every time a war ends, a large number of slaves are produced. They are all defeated soldiers of the enemy country. Please discuss this with them on the front line..."
Buying slaves in Chang'an City would be expensive, and most importantly, the quantity would be small. If Li Xiang were to buy them on the front lines, things would be much easier...