Traveling through the Ming Dynasty, as soon as you open your eyes, you will die

Chapter 82 Shouguang Salt

The spies came to report, and Liu Fangliang gave up Shouguang as promised.

For those who keep their promises, Lu Mou believes that this does not mean that Liu Fangliang keeps his promises. You should not believe in the enemy's promises, just like Liu Fangliang should not believe in his own promises.

The reason why both sides have kept their promises is because neither side can afford to fight.

Looking at Shouguang Beach (the Yellow River reclamation at that time had not moved the coastline to the sea, Shouguang was close to the sea), the endless salt fields and the snow-white salt in the salt fields, countless soldiers cheered. From then on, They no longer have to eat bitter salt, but salt with the taste of seafood.

In the evening, a fat merchant asked to see him.

Lu Mou certainly did not have the discrimination of this era towards merchants, but rather received them very politely.

As soon as he came in, the merchant knelt down humbly and introduced himself: "Untouchable Shandong Tsunado Zheng Hongda, I pay my respects to the prince."

Merchants are humble, and their status in the nine industries is not as good as that of prostitutes. No matter how wealthy your family is, you don't even have the right to wear silk ribbons. That's why there is such a thing as untouchables instead of common people.

Love is the salt merchant's visit. Lu Mou stood up and helped him: "You don't have to be like this outside of the army. Merchants communicate with the world and are beneficial to the country. How can they be called untouchables?"

Being treated like this by the noble prince, even the well-informed Zheng Hongda couldn't help but be extremely grateful.

Get up and stand with your knees bent.

"Commissioner, please sit down and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for sitting down." Then he sat down with half his buttocks. But that chair was already filled.

"Sir, what's the matter with your visit today?"

In fact, Lu Mou asked knowingly, what else could the salt merchant do?

"The ancestors of the grassroots people were households in Shouguang during the Ming Dynasty for generations, and they made a living by selling salt. Now that they heard that the prince has regained Shouguang, the grassroots people cried with joy and came here to work for the army."

Gifts are given, but people must ask for something from the gift. Should you accept the gift yourself?

Originally, the benefits of salt and iron could lead to hegemony. When Lu Mou was financially tight, he planned to sell the Shouguang salt that he had won at all costs to the imperial court, which would not only increase the income of the household department, but also reduce the cost of salt for the people.

Zheng Hongda presented the gift list, and Lu Mou took it without hesitation. How can you refuse someone who gives you a gift? At least take a look, are you satisfied with it?

The gift is light and affectionate, but this gift is very simple and very heavy, because it is just a simple one. Ten salt merchants, with a total of 200,000 taels of silver.

All he had to do was mint the coin and get 250,000 silver dollars, and all the expenses for this war would be covered. Coupled with Li Yan's seizure, he made another profit.

Lu Mou changed his mind about the state-owned salt monopoly. He wanted to use salt merchants to transport grain to Zhili to make up for the food shortage before the autumn harvest.

"Xiao Wang has taken the idea of ​​being a member of the outside world, but he doesn't know what the meaning of a member of the outside world is -"

Zheng Hongda quickly explained: "We, the ten of us, used to do business in Zhili Shandong. However, when the rogue bandits occupied Shandong, they cut off our business with Zhili. Now that the prince and his master have won, we hope to start trading salt in Zhili again."

Lu Mou held his chin and thought for a while: "Okay."

As soon as these words came out, Zheng Hongda was so happy that he stood up to thank him.

Lu Mou stretched out his hand to stop: "Don't thank me too much, but I have a condition."

Zheng Hongda quickly asked: "What conditions does the prince have?"

"In Shandong, because I have an agreement with someone, you go and discuss it with him, and I can't control it. But I am directly under the direct control of salt sales, so I can leave it to you, but I want to restore the ancestral salt-making method."

Zhu Yuanzhang's salt method is well known to the world, that is, you transport a stone of grain to the border area and give you a salt. Therefore, the border area has abundant food. Later, it developed to the point where salt merchants purchased land in the border area to build salt villages, which promoted the border development. land development.

However, during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, because the northwest was abundantly developed and there was no longer a shortage of food, the Salt Law was reformed. It was still the Tsunado salt introduction system, but Tsunado no longer needed to transport salt to the northwest and hand it over to the border army. Instead, Tsunado paid two coins of silver directly to the court. As a result, the imperial court only collected one million salt dollars a year, but it enriched Tsunahu, and even caused Tsunahu to abandon the salt merchant steel village in the northwest, which dealt a heavy blow to the development of the northwest and the government's finances. This was a major failure of Xiaozong's many reforms.

Now, due to the blockage of the canal, grain cannot be transported from the south, but the salt merchants have great energy. Using salt as a diversion, allowing them to transport grain from the south to Zhili, they will definitely succeed. Although this will still make the people eat high-priced salt, someone has to pay for the road to revitalization.

If the common people don’t pay, who will?

As soon as this condition came out, Zheng Hongda frowned. This was much more expensive than paying to get salt.

But thinking about the huge market in Zhili, I gritted my teeth and accepted it.

Both parties reached an agreement and everyone was happy. Zheng Hongda immediately went back to discuss with his partners how to operate it.

Of course, we also need to ask for help from the Lianghuai salt merchants. There are many fleets in the south of the Yangtze River and the canal is not accessible, but sea transportation with lower freight is accessible. The Ming Dynasty implemented a sea ban, but there was nothing we could do about it, but at this time, there was no such thing as a sea ban, it had long since been abolished. From the south of the Yangtze River along Shandong, directly to Tianjin, the quantity is large and the cost is low, which is better.

In this way, with both parties happy, the food from Jiangnan appeared in the Zhili market, and the salt from Shouguang became a delicacy on the Zhili table.

The agreement reached with Zheng Hongda required him to transport the grain to Zhili first and then provide salt. Zheng Hongda has already sent people to go with Jiangnan salt merchants to discuss the issue of grain smuggling. It will take some time.

Ten thousand civilians and carts cannot drive back empty.

Lu Mou waved his hand: "Put all the salt in Shouguang on the truck and transport it back to Zhili."

He wanted to make a fortune first before operating at Zheng Hongda Salt Merchant.

As a result, the loading of trucks was in full swing here, and Liu Fangliang's men hurried over to stop it.

"Your Majesty, according to the agreement, we have half of the salt here. I don't care about your half, but you can't take away our half too."

Lu Mou solemnly said: "I resolutely abide by the agreement. However, these salts were produced before the agreement. Therefore, these are the seizures from my occupation of Shouguang. Do you understand that the seizures are mine."

"But, there is still something after the agreement."

"Well - that's called your war compensation. In order to obtain salt, you blocked me and forced me to launch this war, which caused me countless losses, so you have to compensate me."

"How can there be such a truth in the world? The two countries are at war, and they are willing to admit defeat. We have lost, and we admit it, but why should we compensate you for the war expenses."

"If you lose, why don't you give me your gambling capital?"

"This is gangster logic."

"You bandits and I have to talk about bandit logic. What is bandit logic? Who has the final say whose fist is strong. My fist is strong and big, and the purple gold alms bowl is as big and hard. So, I have the final say. .”

"you--"

He put his arms around the shoulders of Liu Fangliang's subordinate and said affectionately: "Brother, don't be impatient. Doing business? Don't be impatient. Just this once, and then I will resolutely implement the agreement."

"Then how am I going to explain to our general this time?"

A pair of priceless white jade was stuffed into his arms. Anyway, these things were seized and given away. I don't feel bad: "I don't want to hurt the harmony. Brother, I also need to understand my difficulties. We in Zhili are too short of salt. . In this way, you tell your general that because of the war, the sea suddenly and unexpectedly rose, and the Shouguang Salt Fields were completely submerged. Therefore, this month, Shouguang has no salt."

Then he solemnly reminded him again: "But you must not say that there is a fire in the Shouguang Saltworks. It is impossible for your general to believe it as naively as the ministers in our court."

This excuse was used in the Yuncheng Salt Fields of Shanxi Province. At that time, in the first year, there was a flood in the salt field and the salt was gone; in the second year, there was a severe drought in the salt pond and the salt was gone; in the third year, bandits invaded the salt field and the salt was gone. Then came the outrageous excuse. In the fourth year, the salt pond caught fire and the salt was gone.

The result was that in those four years, when Chongzhen was also short of money, the only annual salt import money of 1.6 million yuan in the Yuncheng Salt Farm was gone.

After getting a priceless treasure, the majestic prince lowered his status and called himself brother, so he had to give him all the respect.

"Okay, then I will inform my general that because of the war, the sea has risen and the sea water has poured in, and the salt has disappeared." Then he was embarrassed: "But my general may believe it, but my military advisor is smart and he is not easy to fool. .”

Lu Mou let go of his hand: "You first tell your military advisor that he is a nerd. Even if you say that all the salt in the salt farm has been eaten by birds, he will believe it. What's more, what scholars are most particular about is the theory of telepathy between heaven and man. He will definitely use some outrageous excuse to defend you in front of your general, but he will believe it."

"really?"

"Really, you don't understand the literati's thinking in analyzing things. As long as you are respectful, success is guaranteed, so go ahead."

Making some extra money for your own people is a responsibility. My pair of white walls, although I captured them for free, are still mine. You can give some of them to my subordinates. Otherwise, I think I've made a huge loss.

The person in charge happily went back to report.

One regiment of the Third Army was left to guard Shouguang and Binzhou, and one regiment was left to guard Lijin Ferry alone. The army returned in triumph.

　Please vote.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)