The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 44: A Drop in the Bucket

Just as Li Xuanba was frowning, Li Jing gave a wry smile and sighed, “Our Great Tang has a vast army and numerous troops—what a pity! Years of continuous warfare have left the state treasury empty. If we were to truly mobilize a 200,000-strong army, I’m afraid we could barely scrape together enough provisions to last a month. Not to mention, the number of troops we can actually muster doesn’t even reach 200,000—and deploying an army isn’t just a matter of having enough food!” Upon hearing Li Jing’s words, Li Xuanba’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Li Jing in astonishment. “How can there be so little grain? What about the money in the treasury?” Before Li Jing could answer, Li Shimin spoke up directly, “Our eldest brother misappropriated a portion of it earlier. The money and grain currently in the treasury are estimated to be enough to sustain only 50,000 men for three months.” “Fifty thousand men?” Hearing Li Shimin’s words, Li Xuanba was at a loss for words—he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Facing the Turkic army of 200,000 with only 50,000 men—even if every Tang general were deployed, they’d never be able to wipe them out, no matter how hard they fought! If only he could act without reservation, but alas! For now, he could only serve as a supporting force. Noticing the wry smile on Li Xuanba’s face, Fang Xuanling sighed. “The troops we can barely muster at the moment amount to about 100,000. After all, we still need troops stationed across the Tang Empire to maintain order, and with His Majesty having just ascended the throne, there are certain matters we simply must guard against!” Although Fang Xuanling didn’t specify what they were guarding against, Li Xuanba knew full well—they were likely guarding against his elder brother’s loyal subordinates! His elder brother was truly blessed—even though he had passed away, his followers remained steadfastly loyal. “Clang, clang, clang!” Li Xuanba tapped the desk and asked, narrowing his eyes, “Now that my second brother has ascended the throne early, might the Turks launch their campaign ahead of schedule?” Li Shimin shook his head. “No. It’s the height of summer now; on the vast grasslands, the horses aren’t strong and the sheep aren’t fat. Even if they were to launch an attack, they’d only do so four or five days earlier than that date—because that’s when the Tang Dynasty will have just entered the harvest season, and only then will we have enough grain to feed the troops for battle.” “Damn! That Khagan Jieli’s pretty sharp! He even knows how to pick the right time to launch an attack!” Hearing Li Shimin’s words, Li Xuanba tugged at the corner of his mouth. He really didn’t have a knack for politics or military strategy—he didn’t even understand the optimal timing for launching an offensive. He’d better stay out of such major affairs and stick to his own small matters! That’s what Li Xuanba thought to himself. But would things really go exactly as he had planned? “Your Highness, here are the items you requested.” Just as Li Xuanba was lost in thought, the items he’d requested were brought over by the men behind Cheng Huai’mo. In addition to five baskets of roujiamo, there was the tea Li Xuanba had asked for, as well as a pot of boiled water. Li Xuanba set the items down and beckoned to Li Yuan and the others. “Dad, Second Brother, and all you old friends—let’s eat first. After all, you need to be full to have the energy to think.” “Haha! Roujiamo—great! Let’s take Xiaoyao’s advice and eat first, then worry about things later.” Seeing the roujiamo Li Xuanba had brought, Li Yuan walked over with a smile, picked one up, and began to eat. Upon hearing the news that the Turks were about to attack, Li Yuan was naturally anxious. But as he had already said, he had abdicated. His second son, Shimin, excelled in both civil and military affairs, and had a large contingent of loyal civil and military officials under his command. With them supporting his second son, Li Shimin, why should he wear himself out? He might as well take Xiaoyao’s advice and live a leisurely life as a wealthy gentleman! “Is this the roujiamo the Former Emperor was talking about? It looks a bit strange, but it smells really good.” “The bread on the outside is snow-white, the meat inside is a bright red, and with these green wild vegetables on top, it looks absolutely appetizing.” As they looked at the food Li Xuanba handed them, Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin started devouring it without a word, while Changsun Wuji and the others took a couple of glances before finally taking a bite. “Mmm! Delicious! Spicy! Refreshing!” Once they tasted it, Changsun Wuji and the others’ eyes lit up. They exhaled the spicy fumes from their mouths, praised it once more, and then, with their heads bowed, began to eat heartily, taking big bite after big bite! Watching Changsun Wuji and the others devour the roujiamo he’d invented, Li Xuanba raised his eyebrows smugly. But when he saw them sipping that “dark cuisine” tea, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Oh well! Let them drink that stuff—he had no intention of suffering through it with them. In no time at all, those gluttonous eaters had polished off five baskets’ worth of roujiamo, while Cheng Yaojin was still grumbling that he hadn’t had his fill. Li Xuanba couldn’t care less whether Cheng Yaojin was satisfied or not. He placed a pinch of tea leaves into the cup, lifted the pot of boiling water, gently poured a little over them, then poured out the first infusion. He poured a second infusion, and only then did he cover the cup with its lid to let the tea steep. Over there, Li Shimin, Li Jing, and the others were discussing matters of state—specifically, how to defeat enemies abroad. Over here, Li Xuanba held a copper coin in his hand, flipping it back and forth to hone his control over his strength. His eyes stared blankly ahead as he pondered matters of state. The simplest two words: making money. If there were no troops, they could be mobilized from various regions; if there were no grain, it could be requisitioned; but if there were no money, it couldn’t simply be transferred from elsewhere. To wage war today—armor, weapons, arrows, horses, grain, and the rations provided to soldiers—if you don’t have at least two or three hundred thousand guan of copper coins, how can you sustain this army of 100,000 for three months? “Ugh, this isn’t even a war! It’s basically just a money-making scheme!” Thinking of the 1,000 taels of silver he’d won that day, Li Xuanba shook his head with a bitter smile! Just a few days ago, he’d been proud of how quickly he was making money, but now that he actually needed it, he realized his funds would barely be enough to support a thousand soldiers for a single month—a mere drop in the bucket for a war of this scale! He figured that once he threw it all in, it would leave nothing behind but a splash. “Ah! Money! As he sighed, Li Xuanba picked up the teacup in front of him, used the lid to skim the tea leaves floating on the golden-yellow liquid, and took a big gulp of the warm tea. As soon as Li Xuanba lifted the teacup, the aroma of the tea he had brewed himself wafted out, causing Li Yuan, Li Shimin, and the others to sniff the air. “Sniff, sniff… That’s strange. The tea smells so good. Xiaoyao, why does the tea you’re drinking smell so wonderful?” Li Yuan took just a couple of sniffs, then stared intently at the empty teacup in Li Xuanba’s hand, peering at it curiously. “Huh? Why are there whole large tea leaves in here? Didn’t you add any of those delicious ingredients?” “Delicious?” Hearing Li Yuan’s words, Li Xuanba tugged at the corner of his mouth. Could that tea—which tasted like some kind of “dark cuisine”—really be considered delicious? Li Xuanba picked up the kettle from the floor and poured another cup of water directly into the teacup. As he poured, he explained, “Dad, my tea is very simple: a small pinch of tea leaves, a full cup of boiling water left to steep for ten minutes—I don’t add anything else. I just enjoy this simple flavor.” “That simple? Let me try some, Dad!” Li Yuan picked up the teacup Li Xuanba had just filled to the brim. Ignoring how scalding the water was, he blew on it briefly and took a gentle sip. As soon as he tasted it, Li Yuan’s eyes lit up, and he praised it highly: “Excellent! Very good! It’s bitter and astringent at first, but then the bitterness gives way to sweetness, leaving a fragrant aftertaste that fills the mouth. Very well—from now on, this is how we’ll drink tea in the Great Tang!” “Haha! Father, this is just the simplest way to drink tea. In a few days, I’ll teach you more ways to enjoy it. Come on, Second Brother, let me brew you a cup too!” With other matters to attend to, Li Xuanba didn’t have time to explain the tea ceremonies of later generations. He took the teacups from Li Shimin and the others, poured each of them a cup, and let them sip tea while discussing affairs—a way to help them stay alert. Li Shimin and his ministers talked through the night. By a little past four in the morning, they were yawning and, disregarding the formalities between ruler and subjects, simply fell asleep right there on the floor. As for Li Yuan and Li Xuanba, they had long since returned to their respective rooms to rest. Even Qin Qiong, who was in poor health, had been sent off by Li Shimin early on to sleep in another room.