The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 63 How to Break the Game
Zhu Xiu spent the first New Year since time travel with the three masters of the Shi family and Guan Tieshi in Jiedu Mansion.

There was no good food or drink, so Zhu Xiu cooked it himself. He mixed sesame seeds, dogwood seeds, pepper and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-fried them and ground them into powder. Then he cooked them with hot mutton oil and put them into an oily dish. Then he put some chopped green onion, coriander, minced garlic and minced ginger. A simple shabu-shabu dipping sauce is ready.

Then make full use of Shi Kuangwei's superb knife skills to debone the ten pounds of mutton and cut it into thin slices, and the mutton is basically cooked in one pot.

Unfortunately, vegetables are relatively scarce. There are only some cabbage (cabbage) stored in the cellar, pickled dried amaranth, and something similar to a leek.

Zhu Xiu grilled mutton skewers again, sprinkled with Parthian fennel powder (cumin) and pepper, and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Looking at Shi Lingyan's oily little mouth, a skewer of roast mutton disappeared without a trace. Zhu Xiu curled his lips and smiled secretly. The ancients with single tastes were so easy to fool.

If Zhu Xiu hadn't resolutely refused, Lao Shi, a gangster, would have given him the responsibility of being the head chef of Jiedu Mansion.

Zhu Xiu has already thought about it. When he has more spare money in the future, he will train a few cooks and teach some modern cooking ideas and techniques. It would be best if he could satisfy his own appetite and make money at the same time.

The imperial court's decree was issued two years ago. Starting from the first day of the first lunar month, the Yuan Dynasty was changed to Qianyou, which was the first year of Qianyou and a general amnesty for the world.

At the same time, there was news that the emperor's eldest son, Liu Chengxun, had a sudden wind attack in the twelfth lunar month, and fainted on the spot while discussing with the ministers in the palace, and he couldn't get sick.

Emperor Liu Zhiyuan changed the Yuan Dynasty and granted amnesty. On the one hand, it was to establish the orthodox and legal status of the Liu Han Dynasty. On the other hand, it was to pray for his eldest son, hoping that he could recover from his illness soon.

Zhu Xiu took the newspaper from the imperial residence and read it carefully several times. He sighed and shook his head. With Liu Chengxun's illness, he was afraid that his time would be numbered.

Shi Kuangwei didn't believe it. He had met Liu Chengxun before. Although the eldest son of the emperor with a gentle personality was not in good health, he didn't seem to be short-lived.

Besides, in the imperial capital of Kaifeng, there are countless imperial physicians. How can a young man in his 20s not be cured without any rare medicinal materials?
Zhu Xiu did not argue with Lao Shi, leaving everything to be verified by time.

He had never met Liu Chengxun, and there were only a few mentions of the eldest son of the emperor who died prematurely in history books, but Liu Chengxun's premature death was an indisputable historical fact.

Zhu Xiu couldn't imagine how history would have developed if Liu Chengxun had not died.

However, according to the Di newspaper, Liu Chengxun suddenly became seriously ill at this critical juncture in the first year of Qianyou, as recorded in history.

More importantly, two months ago, Liu Zhiyuan was injured by Liu Ya during the battle against Du Chongwei himself.

At that time, Zhu Xiu and his party had not yet arrived at Longshanguan, and all kinds of gossips were flying in Kaifeng city.

It is said that Liu Zhiyuan's arrow sores suppurated and could not be cured for a long time, and some said that the official family was auspicious and the sky was good, no vital injuries were injured, and the dragon's body was healthy.

Soon all these rumors disappeared, and the government and the public did not mention a word about the official's injuries.

Zhu Xiu looked through the Di newspaper over and over again, but couldn't find any clues.

Anding County is more than 500 miles away from Kaifeng, and the eastbound route is hampered by war and banditry, making it difficult to obtain first-hand information.

For now, we can only wait patiently and wait for the situation in Kaifeng to change.

After the Shangyuan Festival, the salt workshop in the Yangjinchuan Valley was officially put into operation. The salt ore previously transported from Longshan Pass was also made into table salt in the Yangjinchuan workshop.

Guan Tieshi led more than [-] tooth soldiers and stationed them in the Yangjinchuan Valley in the name of field training. He set up a military restricted area nearby and set up sentries for strict control.

Zhu Xiu took Ma San to Yangjinchuan for inspection and was full of praise for Guan Tieshi's proper arrangement.

"All the salt ore shipped from Longshan Pass has been made. Adding the output of the workshop in the past few days, there is now a total of nearly [-] kilograms of salt in stock."

In the river valley, Guan Tieshi accompanied Zhu Xiu on his inspection.The sound of digging came from the depths of the river valley, and people came in and out of several makeshift workshops, creating a busy scene.

The air was filled with the smell of burning firewood and coal, as well as a sulfide-like smell emitted by boiling brine salt.

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Not much of the salt mine outside Longshan Pass is exposed. It should be mined in another month. From now on, Yangjinchuan will be the main production area. When I get enough saltpeter and sulfur, I will Make some black fire mines to help you blast away the rocks. This salt mine can produce several million kilograms of salt at least, which is enough for the Zhang Rebel Army to make a fortune."

Guan Tieshi smiled bitterly and said: "The problem now is that the hoarded salt can't find a market. After all, it won't be a solution for a long time. I'm afraid the Yangjinchuan Salt Workshop can't hide it for long. Once the Xue family discovers it, it will be reported to the Capital Salt Envoy. It will be troublesome." Small!"

Zhu Xiu nodded. How to safely turn salt into cash is indeed a difficult problem.

Guan Tieshi looked around, leaned closer and whispered: "Do you know why the Xue family tried their best to encourage Jieshuai to exchange grain for salt?"

Zhu Xiudao: "Needless to say, Xue's family is profitable here."

Guan Tieshi sneered and said: "The grain collected by the two prefectures of Jingyuan is all taxes paid by the people, and it has always been in the hands of the Xue family. The Xue family colluded with Xu Xingsi, the salt envoy of the capital, and Xu Xingsi allocated the official salt, and the Xue family provided the grain. Exchange. Xu Xingsi sold the grain at a high price to the food-deficient prefectures and counties, and the Xue family sold salt at a high price in Jingzhou. The two sides were busy, each getting what they needed, and everyone was full of food!"

Zhu Xiu rubbed his chin, thought for a while and said: "Salt is an important tax revenue for the imperial court. It has always been strictly controlled. If Xu Xingsi dares to act boldly and use official salt for his own business without capital, there must be someone behind him."

"Xu Xingsi, as the capital salt envoy of Jingzhou, is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao salt and iron transport envoy Wang Jun. Wang Jun also serves as the commander of the soldiers and horses of the Longyou camp. He can be regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Guanzhong. backing."

Guan Tieshi shook his head. No one in Jiezhen who relied on Wang Jun to allocate official salt would dare to offend him.

Zhu Xiudao: "The two prefectures of Jingyuan exchanged a large amount of grain for salt. A small part of the salt exchanged was used for military needs, and the rest was sold by the Xue family at a high price. As a result, the money in Zhangyi Town either flowed out or fell into the Xue family's pockets.

As a result, Changyi Town became increasingly poor and could not even pay the court taxes.The imperial court believed that Changyi Town deliberately defaulted on taxes, so it ordered the Yanchi Supervisor to stop supplying official salt to Changyi, which further exacerbated the salt shortage in Changyi area.

The greater the shortage of salt, the more food must be used to exchange for salt. If things go on like this, a vicious circle will occur, and Changyi Town will collapse sooner or later. "

It wasn't until this moment that Zhu Xiucai finally figured out what the Xue family was planning.

If this vicious cycle is not broken, the fragile livelihood economy of Changyi Town will collapse before long.

The people could not afford salt at all, and there was not enough food to feed the army. The morale of the army and the people was completely lost.

When the time comes, a spark can trigger a popular uprising, and Shi Kuangwei, as the military governor, cannot escape the blame.

The Xue family is killing people with blunt knives and wants to oust Shi Kuangwei from power without bloodshed.

The key to breaking this tight rope is Xue Jia and Xu Xingsi.

"Brother Guan, please inquire about two things for me.

First, the current salt consumption situation of local people in Jingzhou.

Second, where did the salt in Xu Xingsi’s hands come from, and where did he sell the grain at a high price? "

Guan Tieshi nodded and took notes without asking any more questions.

From Cangzhou to Jingzhou, he has witnessed the miracles created by Zhu Xiu too many times.

This time, he also believed that Zhu Xiu could find a way to break the situation.

(End of this chapter)