Rebirth of Wu Ba Spring and Autumn

Chapter 386

"A thousand stones?"

Hearing this, Bo Tong next to him couldn't help but clicked his tongue and said, "Doesn't that mean that the salt workshops in various places, after deducting other costs and labor costs, can add a hundred gold to the national treasury only from the pure profit?"

Qingji didn't know what the concept of this thousand-stone table salt was.

But after hearing what Bo Tong said, one thousand shi of table salt is equal to one hundred gold, why doesn't this make people feel elated?

No wonder the salt industry is for profiteering, it seems that it is really similar to robbery!

Where is this white salt?

It is clearly yellow gold!

A hundred gold in one day, a thousand gold in ten days, forty thousand gold in a year!
In addition to the salt-making workshops in various places, the country of Wu can generate at least [-] gold in income every year just for the salt alone!

This is still a conservative estimate!
Qing Ji slightly nodded and said, "In the past, most of the salt market was monopolized by salt merchants from Qi State."

"There are many people living in the coastal areas of Qi, so there are countless salt-making workshops, which is beyond the reach of our Wu country."

"However, the state of Wu today is not what it used to be. In my opinion, my state of Wu can completely replace Qi at this time and monopolize the entire salt market!"

"Your Majesty, how do you say this?"

The ministers asked suspiciously.

"For table salt, although there are sea salt, well salt, and salt lake salt, most of the table salt is coarse salt, which has a bitter taste, grayish white color, and not large enough particles."

"However, at present, our country of Wu is using this method of salt-making by watering and sun-drying. The table salt produced by the method of watering and sun-drying salt is full of grains, and its taste is salty enough without bitterness. For refined salt!"

"Second and third son, is this coarse salt or refined salt better or worse?"

Naturally refined salt!
When Qingji said this, everyone present suddenly realized.

Since ancient times, there has been no such thing as coarse salt and refined salt for table salt, because the table salt produced by the decocting salt method or the sun-dried method is almost the same, and there is almost no difference.

However, Qingji invented this salt-making method by pouring farmland into the sun, and refined salt with larger particles, snow-white color and less bitter taste began to appear.

Compared with the table salt in the past, of course refined salt is more valuable in comparison between the two!
Fan Li, the history of millet management, immediately said: "Your Majesty, I think that we should use this method of cultivating fields to water and sun-dry salt to produce a large amount of refined salt!"

"Then raise the price of refined salt! In the past, table salt cost [-] yuan a stone, but the refined salt in my country of Wu can be sold for [-] yuan, or even [-] yuan! Even two gold and one stone of refined salt is not too much!"

Profiteer!Absolute profiteer!

Qingji gave Fan Li a strange look.

Are you sure Fan Li isn't an out-and-out merchant?
However, Fan Li in history was indeed revered as the God of Wealth, the Sage of Shang, and the Patriarch of Shang by later generations, and many businessmen enshrined his statues and portraits.

In doing business, Fan Li is an existence at the level of the originator!

"No."

Qingji had his own considerations, so he rejected Fan Li's proposal.

Qingji waved his hand and said, "My country of Wu used the method of cultivating farmland to irrigate and sun-dry salt to make this kind of refined salt. The purpose is not only to increase a little more income for the treasury, but also to benefit the people."

"The original intention of the widow is to allow more people in the country to eat the salt they need. How can the price of refined salt be raised?"

If the price of refined salt increases, Wu's fiscal revenue will definitely increase a lot.

Because no matter how expensive refined salt is, there will always be the first person to eat crabs, and there is no shortage of rich and powerful nobles and gentry in this era, they don't care how expensive things are.

On the contrary, those high-ranking nobles think that the more precious and unique things can bring out their noble identities!

However, Qingji also hoped that the working people in Wu State could eat this kind of refined salt.

Now the state treasury of Wu State does not lack this little money, but some of the millions of Li Shu below do not even have enough salt to eat.

On the contrary, the state of Wu raised the price of salt. Should people still be alive?

Qingji has his own considerations.

This time, he will not only use the refined salt produced in large quantities by this method of land reclamation, watering and sun-drying to make salt, to increase income for the national treasury, but also to win the hearts of the people. country!
"Your Majesty wants to lower the price of salt?"

"good."

Qing Ji nodded slightly and said, "Salt is something that everyone needs to eat twice a day."

"If the price of refined salt is so high that ordinary people can't afford it, how much income can be increased if only those dignitaries buy it?"

"There are quite a few gaps in the ratio between the two, which cannot be ignored."

"What the king said is very true."

Fan Li bowed his head and said, "However, Your Majesty, if it is only to meet the needs of Li Shu, but not to add more fiscal revenue to the national treasury, I am afraid that our country of Wu will not be able to monopolize the entire salt market."

Hearing this, Qingji chuckled lightly and said, "Fan Li, I ask you, one refined salt and one coarse salt, which would you buy if you had to choose?"

"Nature is refined salt."

"That's exactly the reason. Most of the salt on the market today comes from Qi State, and Qi State itself has made a fortune by relying on the profit of salt and iron."

"Now the salt production conditions in Wu State are not much worse than those in Qi State. With this salt production method, not only can large quantities of table salt be produced, but the quality of the produced table salt is high."

"In this way, people from all over the world will naturally flock to Wu to buy fine salt, instead of going to Qi to buy coarse salt from Qi people!"

Hearing this, Fan Li suddenly realized: "Your Majesty not only wants to monopolize the entire salt market, but also attack the salt market in Qi State?"

"Of course."

Qing Ji said slowly: "This method of cultivating farmland to irrigate and sun-dry salt to our country must be in our own hands, and the outside world will not know about it!"

"From now on, the widow will build four large salt farms in Nanwu, Kuaiji, Yancheng, and Jinyi, from which all refined salt in Wu Kingdom will come out. Fan Li!"

"The minister is here!" Fan Li immediately stood up.

"The scale of the saltworks needs to continue to expand, more people need to be recruited, and you will be responsible for all matters."

Qing Ji said earnestly: "Remember, you must find reliable old Wu people. Anyone who is a salt worker must move his family to the vicinity of the salt field. Unless there are special circumstances and a warrant, it is strictly forbidden to go out without permission."

"promise!"

Qingji said in a deep voice again: "The method of cultivating fields, watering and drying salt can only be controlled by my country Wu!"

"In addition, the widow will order people to promulgate a new law to prohibit the smuggling of refined salt, and must also unify the price of refined salt in the market and clearly mark the price."

"The widow will also specially send troops to be stationed on the side of each saltworks, and no one else is allowed to enter the saltworks."

"Your Majesty Yingming!"

Fan Li, Bo Tong and the others all expressed their sincere admiration for Qing Ji, shouting loudly.

The salt industry is originally an industry for profiteering, and the emergence of the method of cultivating and pouring salt into the sun will further promote the development of the salt industry, and it can also stimulate the economy of Qin State, and discourage Qi State from relying on the salt and iron business to make a living. s country.

For things that benefit the world, such as quyuanli and papermaking, Qingji doesn't mind promoting these things, and it is understandable for the people of other countries to follow suit.

However, the salt-making method of cultivating farmland and watering in the sun is the secret weapon of Wu State to develop the economy and increase the country's fiscal revenue, and no one will be allowed to peek at it!

(End of this chapter)