Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Liu Peiji hesitated for a moment and asked: "Brother Murong, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that this matter is really important. Do you have a personal letter from the general as proof?"

"No!" Murong Miao shook his head: "In order to avoid leakage, I burned the general's letter after reading it. This is what the general requested in the letter!"

The atmosphere in the room became a little weird. Liu Peiji picked up the teacup and turned it around in his hands, as if the patterns on it were particularly worthy of study. Murong Miao didn't rush him, he just used iron tongs to clean the ashes from the charcoal stove. After about half a moment, Liu Peiji said: "Brother Murong, it's not that I don't want to serve the general. It's just that if I write a petition to impeach the general, it will definitely cause an uproar. I may be dismissed from office by the court, or even executed!"

"You don't have to worry about this. The general will make concessions at the appropriate time. At most, you will be scolded by the emperor a few times and you will be fine!" Murong Miao smiled and said, "The general will make compensation afterwards!"

"There's no need to talk about compensation!" Liu Peiji waved his hand: "I have worked with the general, and I admire him very much for his conduct. If I see his handwriting, there will be no problem!"

"This -" Murong Miao's face changed slightly: "Mr. Liu, do you mean that I am trying to deceive you? If that's the case, then just pretend that I didn't say what I said tonight!" After saying that, he stood up and left.

"Wait a minute!" Liu Peiji stopped Murong Mu. He didn't expect such a big reaction from Murong Mu. If he offended the other party like this, he would be in constant trouble in the future. He thought about it and finally said: "It's okay without the general's handwriting." , then I need at least one handwritten letter from you!"

"This is easy to say!" Murong Miao turned from anger to joy: "Please wait for a moment, I will write it immediately!"

When leaving the foot of Toad Tomb, Liu Peiji's face was solemn, not at all as relaxed as when he came. With many years of political experience, he certainly knew that this matter would never be as simple as Murong Mu said. Even Wang Wenzuo was not willing to refuse outright. , but went in such a big circle to shirk the blame, which shows how powerful the power behind this matter is. If this power is broken, you can imagine what kind of revenge you will receive. But I didn't even have a handwritten letter from Wang Wenzuo. What this meant couldn't be more obvious. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh: "I can obviously see the scenery on the shore, but I jumped into the water and splashed. Am I being stupid? Or am I stupid?"

October 678 AD, Cangzhou, Hebei.

The crops in the fields have been harvested. Looking up, you can see the flat plains of Hebei with withered and yellow grass and trees. You can see deer, pheasants and rabbits everywhere. They are exactly the same things as fans. The bows are dry and the hands are soft, and the grass is dry and the animals are fat. If it were this time in previous years, Wang Wenzuo would either be leading troops to conquer the north or south, or he would go out hunting with his friends, riding horses to chase animals, drawing his bow and shooting at full speed, from dawn to dusk, without getting tired for more than ten days.

But in the autumn of 678 AD, Wang Wenzuo gave up his beloved hunting activity and came to Changlu County in Cangzhou. Since the tributary of the ancient Zhang River was in Cangzhou, there were many reeds on the bank, so it was called "Changlu". This county was only established during the anniversary year, and it is considered a junior among the prefectures and counties in Hebei.

The reason why Wang Wenzuo came here is very simple. The famous Changlu Saltworks in later generations is located here. Since he had made up his mind to reject the request of the Hebei gentry for the governorship of the state, he must provide corresponding compensation in other aspects, otherwise he would completely break the rule of "efforts are rewarded". The benefits that Wang Wenzuo planned to transfer were that the upper limit of land ownership for each adult male would be increased from the original 100 acres to 500 acres, and the system of reclaiming land grants after reaching 60 years of age would be abolished, so that the original land grants could be transferred to descendants. Yongye fields inherited by future generations are allowed to be bought and sold, and newly reclaimed land is not included in the upper limit. This is undoubtedly a good thing for the aristocratic families who have the upper hand in population and wealth. At the same time, Wang Wenzuo also folded all the original rent taxes into the fields. Those who own the fields bear the taxes and pay them after harvesting grain in summer and autumn. tax.

The bill that Wang Wenzuo is about to enact will not only show favor to the Hebei gentry who have contributed a lot to him, but also have another side effect, that is, it will produce a large number of landless peasants. This was originally a huge bad thing in the ancient feudal dynasty, but for Wang Wenzuo, who was worried that there was not enough population to immigrate to Haidong, the Japanese archipelago, and the American continent, Taiwan, and even Australia in the future, it was actually a good thing. . The Tang Dynasty was in the mild climate period of ancient China. Lychees could be produced in Sichuan and citrus could be produced in Shaanxi. The development conditions in the northeastern region were far better than those in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Considering that the cultivation of cotton has been gradually promoted in the Japanese Archipelago and the Jiangnan region, and there are no enemies that can threaten Wang Wenzuo’s military group in the entire Northeast Asia, the conditions for the development of the large areas of rich land in the Northeast, Outer Northeast, and Japanese Archipelago have gradually Mature.

However, making concessions to the Hebei gentry in terms of land ownership would mean a reduction in land tax revenue. Wang Wenzuo had no illusions in this regard. He must find ways to make up for it in other ways, otherwise it will be difficult to implement his development plan. And his answer was salt. Considering that the household registration in Hebei Province was nearly one million at that time, even if each household could get a salt tax of 200 guan a year, it would still be an income of to guan. To achieve this, we must first monopolize the existing salt production areas, estimate production, and also transport, sell and other links. It takes a lot of hard work, and the salt monopoly system will definitely touch the interests of the local people. Wang Wenzuo has to do some things personally and have a firm understanding before he can start to promote it.

"General!" The little official who acted as the guide pointed to the beach in the distance and said: "From here to the southeast, there are salt brine beaches for dozens of miles. Except for reeds, nothing can grow and there is no one inhabited!"

"Yeah!" Wang Wenzuo looked in the direction of the guide's finger. Sure enough, everywhere he looked, there were large tracts of reeds, and there was no sign of people. He drove his horse forward for more than ten steps, turned over, dismounted, and cut the reeds. Pour a piece of reed, and the exposed land is full of white salt brine. He stretched out his hand to grab a handful of soil, rubbed it, and licked it with his tongue. A bitter and salty taste rushed straight to his forehead.

"It's really a heavy brine!"

"Yes, General!" The clerk said with a bitter smile: "Look, apart from the people who come every year to collect reeds and make reed mats, only the poor people who can't survive here escape here, let alone Farming, I can’t even drink sweet water, the water is bitter and astringent!”

"Isn't there anyone cooking salt here?" Wang Wenzuo clapped his hands and asked casually.

"Boiled salt?" The clerk laughed and said, "Yes, there is some, but not much!"

"Why is that?" Wang Wenzuo asked: "The salt brine here is so heavy, isn't it a first-class salt farm?"

"The general doesn't know something!" the clerk said with a smile: "The salt field is not just about the heavy salt brine. Whether it is boiled or dried, the salt must be transported out and sold. But as you can see, here is a quick glance. Everything you see is mud flats and salt brine, and there are no water or land routes. Even if the salt is produced, it can only be piled on the ground, so what's the use? These locals don't need to spend money to buy salt!"

"That's true!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Blocked roads are a stubborn problem that must be dealt with. Is there anything else?"

"The second one is thieves. Don't look at how desolate this place is. Many thieves who were hunted in the surrounding counties and had nowhere to go fled here and hid in the reeds. Who can find them outside? What if? If you dry salt here, it will become the food in the mouths of these evil people. After a year of hard work, being robbed and losing money is a small matter, but losing your life is a big deal!"

"Bandits are rampant? This is indeed a serious disease!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Is there anything else?"

"Then there's the bitterness!" The clerk said, "General, you must have heard that farmers are bitter, but those who produce salt are much more bitter than the farmers. The first thing is to drink water. No matter what the farmers say, they still have sweet water to drink. Yes, those who produce salt only have bitter water to drink; those who produce salt are all on the beach, and the sun is strong and the wind is blowing and hot, not to mention the strong winds often blowing on the beach, and the roofs are blown off; let alone boiling salt , chopping firewood, squatting in front of the stove, his hands and feet were covered with wounds, and his whole body was roasted like charcoal. Even poor farmers, even those with a hut at home, are not willing to marry their daughters to someone who makes salt!"

Wang Wenzuo nodded and thought to himself, no wonder for a long time in ancient times, salt production had to be organized in semi-serf ways such as kitchen households and salt collectors. It was so painful and the income was so meager that farmers who farmed the land only wanted to do whatever they could. If so, I would not be willing to engage in this industry. "I understand!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Can you write?"

"The little man can write a few words!" said the little official.

"Then you can write a note about local boiling of salt and drying of salt, and then submit it to me!"

"This -" the little official looked troubled: "General, I can write a few words, but not many!"

"Oh, I forgot!" Wang Wenzuo laughed: "Wang Pu, I leave this matter to you. He dictates and you take notes. Just write whatever he says. Don't add any extraneous details!"

"My subordinate understands!"

Returning to his residence, Wang Wenzuo sat next to the desk and began to look through various materials about the salt industry submitted by the local people. In fact, the local salt industry in Changlu developed very early. According to historical records, at least during the Western Zhou Dynasty, the local salt industry already had a considerable scale. The sea salt produced was considered to be of high quality and was paid tribute to the emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty. During the Han Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, local governments established salt officials to collect salt taxes and supervise production. However, the scope of influence of the local salt industry never exceeded the scope of Hebei, and it did not rise to the level of a national-level salt farm. It was not until the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties that it developed to the level that later became famous throughout the country. The reason is very simple. Beijing was the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and Beijing became the political and military center of the country. This in turn strengthened the transportation capacity of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The salt from the Changlu Salt Farm could easily pass through the canal and be transported to Most places in the country. This is why the salt ponds in the Yuncheng Basin in Shanxi and the salt in Yanzhou in Ningxia were particularly important during the Tang Dynasty, but their status declined sharply after the Tang Dynasty.

"First of all, we must organize transportation, such as canals!" Wang Wenzuo looked at the map and thought in his mind: "Leave this matter to Ijilenbod, he is also experienced in this area! By the way, let him clean up the banditry, captured bandits and refugees Just work as a labor force in the salt farm! We hope to start work after spring plowing next year! We can produce salt after next autumn!"

"General!"

"What's the matter!" Wang Wenzuo raised his head.

"There has been a response to your letter to the imperial court to recommend the governor!" Cao Wenzong stood at the door with a serious look on his face: "Chang'an has already rejected it. The first one was Liu Peiji, the Minister of Household Affairs, who criticized your recommendation very badly. , and they are all well-founded, and it’s hard for our people in Chang’an to speak!”

"Oh? How could this happen!" Wang Wenzuo looked surprised: "How does he know who I want to recommend? Otherwise, how could he find so much dirty information about these people?"

"This subordinate doesn't know!" Cao Wenzong's face was also ugly. Liu Peiji knew so much that the most likely reason was that Wang Wenzuo had some secret work from the other party and leaked the information about these people in advance. As the head of Wang Wenzuo's bodyguard, he Of course it cannot be separated.

"We must investigate strictly and carefully!" Wang Wenzuo said sternly: "Start from me! By the way, do you have Liu Peiji's memorial?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Cao Wenzong hurriedly took out a stack of paper from his sleeve: "This was copied and sent by General Murong. It is said that Liu Peiji's letter has become the most expensive paper in Luoyang and has become famous in Chang'an!"

"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo ignored his subordinate's hint and waved his hand to signal Cao Wenzong to go out.

"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo ignored his subordinate's hint and waved his hand to signal Cao Wenzong to go out. After the other party left, he began to read Liu Peiji's memorial seriously. To be honest, the writing in this memorial was not bad, but the most important thing was that it was targeted and exposed the background of the candidates recommended by Wang Wenzuo. They are all clean, and every piece of evidence is conclusive. The time, place, and person are all available. There is someone who can verify it, so there is no reason why people will not believe it. If these people were not recommended by Wang Wenzuo, the court could have directly sent people to arrest them and then put them on trial. However, even if he saved his life, he would still be dead in society. It would be difficult to survive in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty.

"Isn't my move too damaging?" Wang Wenzuo flicked the letter paper and said with a smile: "Forget it, who told them to be so greedy? If not, I wouldn't waste so much effort! Forget it. , anyway, it’s settled once and for all, so there’s no need to worry about Lu Renji and the others continuing to mess around!”

"General!" Lu Zhaolin's voice came from outside.

"Who is it?" Wang Wenzuo pretended not to hear.

"It's my subordinate who promoted me!"

"It's Mr. Lu!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Come in! I was just thinking about asking someone to come to you. There is something you need to do!"

Lu Zhaolin walked in and bowed respectfully to Wang Wenzuo, with fear in his eyes.

I saw a reader in the discussion forum saying that Wang Wenzuo is a moderate reformist. In fact, all time travelers are not moderate. Wang Wenzuo can be said to be very, very radical, at least more radical than Wang Anshi and Shang Yang. After all, Wang Anshi and Shang Yang No one wants to include the Northeastern China and the Japanese archipelago, which have different languages, cultures, and geographically distant territories, into the Chinese Empire, and carry out corresponding political, economic, and military reforms to this end.

It should be said that Wang Wenzuo is a lawful politician, not a chaotic person, so all his actions have a beginning and an end. Those who are loyal to him will always be rewarded. Even if this person does something sorry for him later, he will not forget it. Previous achievements. Maybe this is why the reader said he was gentle! But Wang Wenzuo didn't have the resources of his father and ancestors, so he got to where he is today by himself. If he had been meaner, he probably wouldn't have made it this far!