A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 117
Zhang County, where Qin established a barrier county for the Zhai Han in Yanchuan,

It means the western frontier barrier, and it was renamed Zhang County in Tang Dynasty.

Today's Yanjing Village is only separated from Zhang County by a river.
In the past, the six streets of Zhaizi led from the middle of the mountain to the Zhang River, and the five major markets extended from the river beach to the neighborhood.

The person who came to greet him was a salt official in Jiang Gong uniform from the official salt field. He pointed to the bleak ruins in front of him, and recalled the prosperity in the past with admiration.

"Yanjingzhai used to have six streets and five markets. There were countless firewood trades in the firewood market every day. Skilled craftsmen from all walks of life flowed in the people's market. The hotel market welcomed and sent off salt merchants from all directions. The daily miscellaneous market was filled with various daily necessities. All kinds of salt are scattered in department stores and salt markets.

Caravans, mule teams, donkey teams, cargo loaders, porters, porters, convoys, and nine salt roads extend in all directions, transporting away snow-like silver salt, fur and local goods from Zhang County, and grain and cloth Horse Qianbo·····
Here is the famous city that never sleeps. The water wheel on the well platform is rumbling and the lights are shining, the fire in the burning workshop is blazing and fog is rising, and the sound of camel bells, horseshoes, and hawking can be heard in the streets and alleys until Dongfang Bai.

The prosperity of the Yanyan industry drives the prosperity of all industries. The five elements and eight industries are prosperous in the stockade. Those who practice medicine, teach martial arts, open casinos, go to bars, and ask God to ask divination. lively. "

Lu Huairang pointed to the dilapidated scene in front of him, "What's the matter?"

"Hey, they are all damned Turkic people. They raided, burned, killed and looted, and smashed the temple of the Lord of Salt. Later, the Qiang people came to take advantage of the fire to loot the salt. The kitchen households and burners ran away, and the nine salt roads also disappeared. It was blocked, and the salt sellers from all directions stopped coming.

Even now that the father-in-law Yanshen has run away, there is no brine coming out of the salt well.

Abandoned, Yanjing village is abolished. "

The salt official lamented.

"Since the discovery of salt springs here in the pre-Qin period, and the digging of wells to cook salt, this place has been prosperous. It was only a period of time in the history of chaos. Zhang County was broken and the salt well was abandoned, but it was prosperous again in the Sui Dynasty. It's so lively."

Even Zhanghe Beach is called Yinqian Beach, as long as you come here, you can find some jobs and easily earn two steamed cakes.

But now Huaiyu is standing on the beach of Zhang River, all he can see are the traces of the smoke.

The more than a hundred stoves scattered throughout the village and the neatly stacked firewood stacks that were once a symbol of the prosperity of Zhangyan are now only piles of ashes.

There are also piles of white mounds.

"Is that salt? Why didn't the Turkic and Qiang people take the salt away?"

"That's not salt, it's Glauber's salt. The Glauber's salt left after boiling salt is usually used for boiled leather, and it can also be refined into medicine, but in Yanjing village, there is too much Glauber's salt, which is everywhere, and it is not worth much at all. " said the salt official.

Huaiyu and others followed the salt officials into the dilapidated village. There used to be a temple of the god of salt in the village, and the god of salt enshrined in it was said to be Dayu.

The salt official didn't know why Dayu was enshrined as the God of Salt, but he knew that in the Yanguan Village in Chengzhou, there was also a mother-in-law of the God of Salt.

Now the temple of the God of Salt is broken, and the statue of the God of Salt inside is also destroyed.

"Grandpa Yanshen is going to meet the mother-in-law of Yanshen in Yanguanzhai, Chengzhou," the salt official told Huaiyu and the others that a temple was erected in Yanjingzhai to worship the god of salt, so that the salt well would have brine for a long time.Everyone usually locks the Salt Temple with chains, and only opens the temple gate at the beginning of April every year.

"Why?"

"Because the Temple of Salt is not locked, the father-in-law of the God of Yan will go to Yanguanzhai to meet the mother-in-law of the God of Yan. Once the father-in-law of the God of Yan leaves, the brine will not come out of the salt well, and salt cannot be boiled, so the father-in-law of the God of Yan must be kept. Let them meet every year only in April."

Now the Turkic people have destroyed the Salt Temple and released the Salt God Father-in-Law, so the salt wells no longer produce brine.

The salt official took Huaiyu and the others to Shangjing.

"This is a salt well left in the Qin Dynasty. The brine is the best. Fifty catties of brine can be boiled to produce fifteen catties of salt, while those who went to the salt well can only boil ten catties of salt from fifty catties of brine.

This well is a salt spring with a mouth of three feet three and a depth of four feet six.The down well is not far from here, and the size and depth are similar. "

"The small well is separated by a salt river. It used to be connected by a salt bridge, but it has also been burned down now."

After Sui Dynasty resumed salt production, the salt industry prospered because there was no salt ban, no salt tax and no monopoly in the Sui Dynasty. The industry and commerce here were active, and it became one of the largest well salt fields in Northwest China.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, official salt farms were also set up here, but private salt farms still account for the majority. There are more than a hundred salt cooking workshops, countless kitchen households, burners, and countless firewood customers who specialize in firewood, which also attracts countless salt. Peddlers and caravans.

But now, there are only ruins left.

Even the father-in-law of Yan has run away, and there is no more brine in the salt well.

There are not many stove households and burners left, and the firewood customers, salt merchants, caravans, etc. are all gone.

The salt wells in Zhang County used to have good congenital conditions, mainly because it happened to be on a dry inland salt lake, and there was an inexhaustible supply of live salt springs.

Lu Huairang turned around and purposely fetched water from three salt wells, frowned after tasting it, and didn't react when he poured it on the ground.According to the salt official, when the brine is good, pouring well water on the ground will soon form a layer of hoarfrost.

"It seems that we are late, there is nothing left here, only these worthless thenardite."

Huaiyu was also looking around.

Since Zhangyan has been famous until later generations, it is impossible to say that it will be gone, and according to the legend of the mother-in-law of the local Yanshen guild, there used to be occasional cases where there was no brine in the past.

It is not terrible to lose the Yanfang Shaofang, and it does not require much initial investment.

Making salt by hand is actually not complicated. The first element is brine for taking brine, filling water, boiling a pot, boiling, and filling salt. Only with brine can salt be boiled.

Everything else is secondary.

As long as salt production starts here again, the salt sellers will come, and the firewood customers will still come back to supply firewood.

"We have to do two things now, restore the brine and open up the salt channel. As long as these two things are done well, the place will naturally return to its former state."

"The God of Salt is gone, the brine is gone, how can it be restored?"

After some research, Huaiyu concluded that there is no brine in the salt well, but that the content is insufficient. It may be because the concentration has dropped after stopping water intake, etc. The well can be washed, and all the water in the well can be taken up, waiting for new spring water to come. , may be sufficient concentration.

Of course, this may not be believed by everyone.

"I can draw symbols to communicate with the God of Salt, as long as we rebuild the Temple of Salt for him and reshape the statue, the God of Salt will naturally return to his place.

However, I suggest that in the future, we should not lock up the Lord of Salt all year round, and open the Temple of Salt to pay tribute at four o'clock and eighth, so that the Lord of Salt can go to meet his mother-in-law when he is free, so that the Lord of Salt can bless the brine. In, four seasons flow. "

Everyone is skeptical.

Lu Huairang said: "You may not know how powerful General Wu Zhen is. He used to draw paintings for generals Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong, and then painted talismans and seals to communicate with the door god Tu Yulei, who borrowed the power of the door god to endow the portraits, and then guarded the prince. The gate of the East Palace, from now on the crown prince will be safe and sound, and no evil spirits will dare to invade."

Everyone heard that he still has this ability, so hurry up.

How many rich and powerful households operated here in Yanjingzhai before.

"Let's call back all the former stove households in Yanjing Village, as well as the local tyrants. Everyone has money and strength to contribute, and together we will clean up Yanjing Village and rebuild the Salt Temple together."

The hospital town will also be stationed in Zhaizhong.

However, Huaiyu did not station all the town soldiers here.

He only set up a town secretary in the village and left a team of town soldiers.

For the remaining nine teams of town soldiers, he set up nine recreation stations, which were respectively stationed on the nine salt roads leading to Zhangyan.

The east and west salt roads are the Sunjiaxia and Shiqianggou roads in the direction of Qinzhou and Chang'an, and the Sunjiaxia Recreation Center and Shiqianggou Recreation Center are set up.

Muzhailing, Dongzhagou, Fenshuiling, and Huangjiashan in the four directions leading to Min, Tao, Jie, and central Shu in the southwest, each with a tourist resort.

Santiao to the north, Yanbogou, Peijiagou, and Zhaoshi slopes in the direction of Weizhou and Lanzhou, each with a tourist center.

Each playhouse is responsible for patrolling and defending all the way, and sets up forts in its dangerous places. Each playhouse also manages the beacon shops of its own road. .

Each Youyi Office also dispatched a group of guards to dispatch, and these guards were sent to criminals.

"The Youyi town soldiers, guards, and wardens under the command of each Youyi office will patrol all the way to ensure the smooth flow of the salt road. Blocking roads and cutting paths, looting commercial goods, and directly arresting and killing them."

These roving soldiers, similar to the Ming Dynasty's night not harvesting, were sent out to patrol the nine salt roads. Huaiyu didn't believe that the salt roads could not be restored.

If the Qiang thieves and bandits are powerful, then You Yibing only needs to find out the whereabouts and immediately report to the town secretary of Yanjingzhai. Huaiyu will go to discuss with Cheng Chumo and Wu Huaiyi from the Pingle Commander's Mansion in the county on the other side of the river. Discuss with Weizhou and Qinzhou governor's office to deploy troops to encircle and suppress.

For this new town general, everyone is also somewhat skeptical, and the local tyrants are also coming back one after another. Although there is no brine now, if it recovers and they don't guard it, then the previous battle The foundation may be occupied by others.

Everyone has heard the name of this white-robed general manager for a long time, especially the occurrence of the first battle in Longxi by controlling the thunder and defeating the enemy.

Each of them prepared a very thick meeting gift and sent it to them.

Some gave salt dolls, some gave gold and silver, some gave servants, and some gave horses. In short, all of them were generous.

Among them, the salt baby is a by-product of the salt production of the salt. It is said that after the salt pot is boiled for a long time, a small amount of salt water is exposed to the bottom of the pot, and it is burned into a coral like a doll. It is hard to come by, so it is also very rare.

The Haoqiang surnamed Liu sent a few boxes of beautifully packaged salt dolls, and also some salt croaks.That salt quack is also a by-product of boiling salt. It is an unusually hard layer of salted rice crust with a large amount of thenardite that sticks to the wall of the pot after boiling salt for many times.

However, Huaiyu's eyes fell on those piles of thenardite, these piles that no one cared about, they were treasures in Huaiyu's eyes.

This thing can not only be used to tan leather, but also can be used to make medicine after boiling. Xuanming powder and watermelon cream can clear fire and reduce swelling, and can also be used to make laxatives.

Of course, Glauber's salt can also be refined to make soda ash, which can also be made into caustic soda with lime solution, and soda ash can be made into soap and glass.

Although this thing is not the same thing as fire nitrate for making gunpowder, the price is not low at all if it is used well.

Where are piles of waste, it is simply piles of treasure.

(End of this chapter)