Ming Dynasty, starting from the empty seal case

Chapter 141 Let Ming have more legs to walk

At this moment.

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this last paragraph, he suddenly remembered.

From beginning to end, isn't it the sentence in "Salt Introduction" that caused the most discussion among the people and even caused an uproar in the court?
A piece of salt cannot hold up the Ming Dynasty!
Su Xian kept saying this.

But when it comes to the result, the first half of the sentence certainly makes his blood boil. He, Zhu Yuanzhang, can stand tall among the heroes in the late Yuan Dynasty. When it comes to military strength and horse strength, he is not as good as Chen Youliang, and when it comes to financial resources, he is not as good as Zhang Shicheng.

Even talking about the territory of power, starting strength, and behind-the-scenes support, they were all created by him with one knife and one shot.

Even if he defected to Guo Zixing, in addition to finding Queen Ma in the other party, he also repeatedly regarded himself as a thorn in his side. When he led twenty-four brothers out of Haozhou City, he had already been separated from him.

"Your words are deep in our hearts."

"Our Ming Dynasty does not need salt to support it, but the salt tax..."

Hearing the other party's words, Su Xian took this opportunity to continue:
"Salt tax?"

"This method... is wonderful!" Gao Fu immediately shouted, but even he felt that this young master's head seemed to look different from others.

"And if Your Majesty still cannot pass the Yanyin trade, or even trade salt with foreign countries...then in the future, Ming Dynasty will indeed regard Yanyin as the backbone of the country."

"Your Majesty, Ming Dynasty should strengthen the people, not dumb them down!"

"besides……"

Su Xian paused for a moment, "But now, according to the method I just used, sea salt can be increased exponentially very quickly. By then, the salt fields of our Ming Dynasty will increase, and within one or two years, the people of Ming Dynasty will be able to have more affordable salt in their rations." Refined salt!”

What's more, Su Xian was right when he said that as long as he holds the Ming Dynasty's salt mines, he has the pricing power in his hands.

But Zhu Biao was still a little confused as to why Su Xian suddenly talked about this.

"Your Majesty believes that this is a matter of which 60 million people in the Ming Dynasty need daily necessities. Which path should we take?"

"In fact, it doesn't have to be like this at all. You only need to inject water into salt wells with suitable conditions, or even in mineral-rich places..."

Zhu Biao and Queen Ma had realized something, and their expressions suddenly became serious, because this was something that was very likely to happen.

"Your Majesty, when businessmen make profits, they can be divided into two types. Those that are rare in quantity and deliberately raise prices to make huge profits, such as antiques, calligraphy and paintings, usually do not open for business, but they last three years after opening."

"You don't need to say this, it's the same thing. Those who have been immersed in this method for many years can think of this flexible method... It's just that the conditions in some places are not suitable." Su Xian is very clear about this. .

"I'm afraid it has come out a long time ago. It's just because of regional factors and the fact that every family treasures their brooms now, so it is only passed down in the secret recipe. If your Majesty conceals it now, can you guarantee that there will never be anyone who will not use this method? There will always be Leave the good stuff at home and let it rot?”

Su Xian hasn't finished speaking yet.

After Su Xian finished speaking these words.

Swish!
As soon as these words came out.

"I say without hesitation that in the past, salt was sold in small quantities and vendors raised the price, but it was not as outrageous as antiques."

"Furthermore, does Your Majesty think that no one has tested such a simple method for so many years?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes suddenly looked up. However, in addition to shock and anger, there was also awakening in his eyes!

It was found that Zhu Biao had not reacted yet.

Then he looked at Gao Fu who was standing aside, "Just now, Eunuch Gao said that when well salt and mineral salt are mined, they usually have to manually mine, enter and transport the ore, right?"

"The system of exchanging salt for 'grain and grass' was changed to exchanging salt for 'silver', or even gold, and other coins..."

"You can even calculate the brine of the well salt by yourself and introduce the slurry of lime and plant ash in advance. In this way, after the brine is extracted, you only need to simply dry it in the sun and wait for the salt crystals to precipitate naturally!"

Look at Zhu Yuanzhang's deep thought.

"But if the salt can be converted into taxed grain transportation, has your Majesty ever thought about another situation? If the grain and grass in the border villages are enough for the time being, and the war in the north happens to be stable in the future, someone wants to increase the country's tax revenue..."

As soon as these words came out, Gao Fu nodded immediately, "That's right. Sea salt is too far away after all. This is the mainstream mining method in other places."

"In addition to sea salt, lake salt, mineral salt, and well salt can still be purified using this method."

Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Zhu Biao immediately asked: "How to mine?"

"Inject water!"

"Yes, after melting the salt, it becomes natural brine. But how to get water from the well is probably too simple."

So with such good salt and a huge amount, how can private salt compete with the government?

"And the final mineral salt and well salt, there is another way to speed up the mining of these two types of salt. These two types of salt are rich in mountains and forests, which can just make up for the lack of resources in non-coastal areas with rugged roads. Mining.”

Su Xian was silent for a moment and then continued:
"In the future, Gokuyuan will also analyze why adding lime and plant ash can make salt purer. Once this is understood, the production of salt can be increased again..."

Then the future should also depend on these.

Instead of worrying about the future just because you see "better and more salt"!
This kind of emotion is really inappropriate!
Zhu Yuanzhang was alert.

The past has been decided. It was because of the fearlessness, tolerance, perseverance, and courage in the past that the present Ming Dynasty was created.

But Zhu Yuanzhang had already reacted, "Melting salt?"

Su Xian thought that the other party was still hesitating, so he couldn't help but continue to add more exciting information.

“But there are also those who make small profits because of the large volume.”

After Su Xian spit out these two words.

If it is said that Su Xian's previous words only aroused his past pride, it seemed that he had returned to the days when he was looking down on the world and dominating the world. He stood up in the face of dangers of life and death and finally made it to the top of Kyushu!
So what you say now is the future.

"But even so, the court values ​​​​salt imports and increasing taxes seems to be a good thing?"

"Good thing?"

Su Xian looked at Zhu Biao in surprise, "Does His Highness the Crown Prince really think so?"

Different from Zhu Yuanzhang's worship of martial arts, although Zhu Biao did not dare to relax in military strategy, he paid more attention to civil administration.

In his mind, if given time, the salt tax can increase tax revenue, the money can be used in other places, isn't this...

And just when he was thinking about it.

Su Xian continued: "Your Highness, please don't forget that the reason why the imperial court established the Salt Yin is to use salt Yin in exchange for grain and grass."

"A stone of grain and grass is exchanged for a pound of salt. This is the origin."

"If in the future, someone talks about converting salt into silver or other money to increase the country's tax revenue, that would be a waste of money!"

"Don't forget, the reason why the people in the border villages stay there to cultivate land and grow food is because of the lucrative employment of merchants."

The reason why Su Xian wants to say this is because next, he will replace Yan Yin and completely destroy Hu Weiyong's arm, but he never just talks about it!
While strengthening his heart, Su Xian's voice continued to sound.

"Without the employment of merchants, the so-called border farming will be completely depleted in the end. After all, it is bitterly cold in the north, and life is often in danger. There will be no one to transport grain and grass... At that time, it will only rely on military expenditures from the court to support it. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Isn’t it true that most of the mighty military power has been destroyed without even realizing it?”

As soon as these words came out.

Zhu Biao felt chills all over his body, because Su Xian's words were not without purpose.

He seemed to be following Su Xian's words and continued to deduce. Zhu Yuanzhang came to his senses. After listening to these words, he had a vague intuition that Su Xian was telling him the fundamental reason for those words - Yan Yin cannot hold up the Ming Dynasty!
"When Yanyin was first established, it was a military weapon, not a tax revenue weapon!"

"If this happens, perhaps in the short term, the country's tax revenue will indeed increase significantly, and it may even become a real pillar! But your Highness, don't forget that once the military equipment is weakened, it will be difficult to restore it."

"At that point, you will have picked up the sesame seeds and lost the watermelon!"

"And money such as silver, without the replacement of real objects such as food and grass, is just floating wealth on the surface. Floating wealth is the easiest to be greedy and the easiest to be missed."

"Of course, at this point, corruption and the like are nothing more than trivial matters. Because by the time the court discovers loopholes in major military affairs, it will be too late to make up for them."

"Because the previous Yanyin has been corrupted, the money taken out is the Yanyin tax money after layers of corruption. In turn, it continues to be used to transport grain and grass... As the money is distributed, there is another layer of corruption, and layers of oil and water. ”

"Not only did he lose the watermelon, but he also lost the sesame seeds he had just picked up. In the end, both parties were not satisfied, but the court was completely in a dilemma."

Zhu Biao's face was livid. What Su Xian said was actually easy to calculate in his mind. It's not that it may not happen, but it will definitely happen!

It is precisely because he is too clear about the desire of the civil servants of the imperial court to rule the world through civilized affairs. Therefore, in the future, this national policy that seems to shake the foundation of Yanyin will actually gradually change under huge inducements.

"Then let's make a decision that the ancestral system cannot be changed!"

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke from the side.

Su Xian was speechless at this sentence, "Your Majesty, there is no ancestral system that cannot be changed, only ancestral systems that can be used."

"As for how to use it, how to use it, and what to use, it all depends on who has the most powerful magic power in the court at that time."

Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's face turn pale.

Su Xian immediately changed the topic, "Of course, these are just topics that have been discussed here, so some calculations about the future may not happen."

"But one thing is crucial!"

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang and his son looked at Su Xian at the same time.

"You cannot regard Yanyin as a single seedling. At the very least, you need to implement two or even three strategies at the same time!"

"The merchants lured them and hired them to transport grain, or to cultivate the land in border villages."

"Then it's the same logic. The court can also do the same, luring people with benefits, allowing people to transport grain and grass, and even build land on the border."

Su Xian was talking when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Wait..." Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, "Why are we listening and the topic is back again? Didn't you just talk about what will happen in the future? Once a merchant exchanges silver for salt, he will lose watermelon and sesame seeds?"

Su Xian said helplessly: "Your Majesty, how can active and passive be confused?"

"Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty has formulated a policy to encourage people to go to border villages to open up wasteland, and at the same time, it gives these people generous financial rewards every year."

"Of course, the money cannot be too much, otherwise most people will abandon the fertile land within the territory and go to the border, which will be a big problem."

"This is one. Second, Ming Dynasty can also hire people to transport grain and grass. This is also an extra way."

"Third, take the water route and build the North-South Canal... There are not as many land transportations as water transportations."

After saying this, Su Xian said seriously: "In short, don't attach too much importance to Yanyin, nor give up on Yanyin. Let it serve as a buffer, not as a pillar of the country!"

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately woke up.

He knew that Su Xian's final goal was still here.

After a long time, this conversation has actually come to an end.

After Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, he said in a solemn voice:

"Did you know that each of the other methods you mentioned costs a huge amount of money!"

"Spending money now is better than spending money you won't have in the future!" Su Xian knew that this 'Iron Rooster' still cared about money.

"After all, flowers now are paving the way for the future, while flowers in the future are making up for the past. The meanings of the two are completely different."

When Su Xian said this, he paused. After Zhu Yuanzhang came to his senses, he continued:
"As for whether your Majesty may be worried about money, it is still the calculation just now. If this time, the Ming Dynasty popularizes all official salt and drives away private salt. There are 60 million people, each person has five kilograms of salt per year, plus it is cheap enough of refined salt, such as twenty cents a pound.”

This figure is absolutely unimaginable for the price of refined salt in Ming Dynasty.

You must know that the lowest-grade salt in the past, the cheapest in the Lianghuai area, cost 50 yuan per catty.

But now it's refined salt, and Su Xian has shrunk by two times. When this number is revealed, people outside will probably find it unbelievable.

However, it was enough to convince Zhu Yuanzhang!
"That's the basic salt tax of six million taels a year!"

"And you have to know that the Ming Dynasty produced ten times more salt than the common people every year. According to this calculation, it is 12 million silver."

Su Xian said seriously: "Your Majesty, this is based on the lowest estimate. How many times more than the current salt tax of the Ming Dynasty?"

"If the imperial court is a bit evil, even if it uses refined salt at the current minimum price of 50 cents to beat the low-grade salt, it will be enough to drive the illegal salt to the corner. This will result in an annual income of at least 15 million taels of silver. !”

now.

Every time Su Xian said a number, Zhu Yuanzhang's heart beat violently.

At the end of the day, listen... The price of refined salt is fifty cents. Now it's out there and you can't even grab it.

But even so, Su Xian said that he had a dark heart... and the basic silver he obtained was fifteen million!
Even if Su Xian only made a rough calculation and did not include road loss, salt production costs, labor costs, etc... But don't forget that Su Xian did not calculate based on the amount of salt produced by the Ming Dynasty every year that was ten times the population.

These things can be eaten in a certain amount, but the people will also store them, the private sector will use them for other purposes, and the court will also trade them outside.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang had even begun to think that it was cheaper to trade with the people, but to trade with foreign countries, the price would have to be raised severely.

Fine salt, one cent of silver is equivalent to one hundred coppers per catty! That's all they have to beg for!

If there are three cents of silver and one pound of refined salt.

hiss!
The more he thought about it, the more Zhu Yuanzhang felt that there was a huge wealth in front of him, as if it was about to be fed to his mouth.

And with so much money, as Su Xian said, Yan Yin is weakened.

Instead, use the weapon of the general state to introduce other directions, such as increasing the court's employment of common people for land transportation or even water transportation...

The money saved from the salt administration alone is enough!
Using this method, not only can Daming have more legs to walk, but he can also gain weight!
Things have come to this point...

Even a fool will make a choice!

At this moment, looking at the emotions surging in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.

Do not know why.

In Su Xian's mind, Hu Weiyong's face appeared...

Once upon a time, his father Su Guiyuan could not even enter the prime minister's door.

Forget it, after all, Su Xian never thought about having a relationship with him. But the problem is, ever since Ren was promoted to the eighth rank, the other party has intentionally or unintentionally wanted the entire Su family to obey. Failure to comply would be framed and suppressed.

If Su Xian hadn't managed things properly during this period, their family of three would have died long ago.

But now, courtesy reciprocates...

This first step is considered a lever!
(End of this chapter)