Chapter 683: Private Civilian Armed Escort Teams

Wei River pier, above the familiar restaurant beside it.

Li Shimin stands with his hands behind him, gazing at the bustling scene on the pier: "Every time I come here and see this sight, I can't help but look a little longer."

"Zi An, look at them; though they're busy, though they're hard‑working, they're truly living well, aren't they?"

Chen Yan stands beside him, silently saying, "Having seen so much of this, when we go farther away, I'm afraid you won't be able to accept the condition of those common folk truly living in dire hardship."

"What could be unacceptable?" Li Shimin snorts lightly, "You underestimate me a bit; don't forget where I came from."

"During the chaotic end of the Sui, this world could be called a human furnace."

"The old woman just now said something very true: at that time, the world and hell were hardly distinguishable."

"It's still different," Chen Yan shakes his head slightly, "Even after seeing countless corpses, bodies strewn everywhere, with a heart already cold, sometimes, when you see certain scenes, even the toughest man can't help but be moved."

Li Shimin says, "You kid, you aren't still trying to persuade me to go back, are you?"

He suspected that Chen Yan still hadn't given up, continually stressing this point to him, as if still intending to urge him to return.

Li Tai interjects, "We've already set out, the luggage and everything is so well prepared; why go back?"

"Brother Zi An, don't mess with me."

Chen Yan: "......"

"Fine, it's all unnecessary for you father and son to discuss."

"Alright, the dishes are ready; come over and eat first."

At this moment, Empress Changsun softly called out to them.

The three only then returned to sit down, Li Shimin said lightly, "Eat more; we have a long stretch ahead, and we may not reach the next relay station until late at night."

Gao Yang asked, "Father... father, have we confirmed that we will take the land route? From here we could go by water directly, maybe arrive two days earlier."

Li Shimin lifted his gaze, "What's the matter? Are you eager to go back?"

"Arriving two days early or two days late makes no difference; after all we're traveling for leisure, why rush those two days?"

"Fine then." Gao Yang fell silent instantly.

She actually wanted to take the water route; traveling by land would mean long carriage rides, the jolting was somewhat uncomfortable.

Taking the water route, we could also enjoy the scenery—how nice.

Li Tai stroked his chin, "If we go by land, our next stop should be directly Hua Prefecture, right?"

"Hmm." Li Shimin nodded, "From Weinan County to Hua Prefecture, at our pace, we estimate the earliest arrival would be by evening."

"And... hmm?"

As he spoke, he seemed to notice something, his expression becoming somewhat complicated.

The others followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at a dozen or so robust men, each with a placard hanging from their necks, walking down toward the pier.

The placards read "Accompanying guard, daily wage two hundred cash."

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow, "His Majesty, do you think this is somewhat improper?"

Li Shimin said lightly, "It's not that I find it improper; they do life‑risking work, a daily wage of two hundred is acceptable, but to some extent this counts as a sort of private militia... a minor hidden risk."

"Moreover, among these men, some are likely veterans who retired from the battlefield, or those whose specialty is the work of 'servant‑clients' and 'detached troops'."

Li Tai, a bit puzzled, said, "Father, but these are normal practices; when merchant caravans travel long distances, the chance of encountering mountain bandits is not small."

"Merchants pay money to hire a group to protect their goods, and these people accept money to protect the goods; this is a reasonable transaction."

"A hidden risk... probably not; after all, when life is good, they're not that stupid to take on a certain death."

Li Shimin glanced at him, "You should take care of your own affairs; as for this, worry less."

Chen Yan couldn't help but chuckle softly, "His Majesty, this is actually not a big problem."

"Since ancient times, such situations have always existed."

"By our time, a fairly mature contractual relationship has formed; merchants hiring these men usually specify clearly: if bandits are encountered, the guards' casualties are unrelated to the hiring family; if goods are lost, the commission is deducted."

"If these guards are absent, transport on trade routes would encounter major problems. Blocked trade routes would jeopardize Tang Dynasty's economic lifeline, even grain transport would face serious issues."

"Thus their existence is necessary."

"Calling them private militia... isn't wrong, but they are still different; they don't become bandits, they earn honestly with their own hands, and can also contribute to our Tang Dynasty's trade route transport, which is already hard to come by."

"If we, because of this minor hidden risk, prohibit such entities, then where would these people go?"

"They specialize in this; farming might not suit them, this is their livelihood."

Li Shimin fell into thought.

Empress Changsun asked beside them, "But our Tang Dynasty implements the militia system, weapons theoretically controlled by the government."

"Private armed escort teams appearing in the civilian sector are always a potential threat, aren't they?"

"What if they are exploited by ambitious individuals?"

Chen Yan, hearing this, thought, "Then let's consider this problem from another angle."

"Why does the civilian sector produce such private escort teams?"

"Is it because the market demands, thus it appears?"

Li Shimin mused, "I recall you once told me privately about economic circulation, saying that where the market has demand, there is profit."

"According to your view, this market gap exists because trade routes are unsafe, thus these private escort teams arise?"

"Yes," Chen Yan replied patiently, "Precisely because the government lacks the ability to secure every trade route, it can only tacitly allow civilian forces to fill the void."

"If we don't permit it, trade route issues cannot be resolved; over time, merchants may cease to transport goods abroad, and Tang Dynasty's interregional exchange would become problematic, many things would stagnate."

At this point, Chen Yan paused, "Don't even mention them; even our Money Shop sometimes needs to rely on this civilian force."

"Consider, the Money Shop now rapidly expands, issuing loans nationwide, collecting deposits; the daily cash flow is enormous."

"Money flows out of Chang'an and circulates back; along this route, without protection, can you be at ease?"

"That's impossible!" Li Shimin frowned, "The Money Shop's escort must be protected; otherwise, what if they encounter robbery?"

"Speaking of that, you reminded me, the Money Shop's escort must never have issues, otherwise it would affect its reputation."

"......"