New Shun 1730

After the group continued to visit the rest of the salt field, they also looked at the new technology of washing crushed salt to produce fine salt. After praising it, Lin Min asked the craftsmen if they thought this method was feasible in Huainan.

Xu Guangqi's book demonstrates that it is feasible because the salt content of seawater in Fujian is lower than that in the north.

Xu Guangqi's argument is logical, that is: how to prove that the salt-drying method can only be implemented in a specific area because of the special circumstances of a certain area?

After demonstrating issues such as salt content and degree of sun exposure, he concluded that the application of the sun salt method is universal and can be used at the beach.

Lin Min, with the idea of ​​specializing in his craftsmanship, consciously felt that he was not ashamed to ask hundreds of craftsmen, and his judgment was better than just reading books.

After the craftsman answered in the affirmative, Liu Yu glanced at Lin Min and thought, great.

Liu Yu knew that Lin Min did not know about his plan to abandon salt in Huainan to reclaim wasteland.

But that's not the point.

The key is that Lin Min took the initiative to ask the craftsmen whether Huainan could also produce table salt using this sun-salting method.

Before asking this question, some people just complained about injustice.

Therefore, Liu Yu can judge from this that in Lin Min's heart, the unemployment of Yanhu in Huainan is a price he can bear.

In other words, he prefers to boost Huainan salt production and reduce costs at the expense of Huainan salt households' unemployment.

Then, the most critical obstacle to Huainan's wasteland reclamation and salt disposal will no longer exist. Liu Yu can win over the salt reformers as his allies.

It's simple: if the consequences of unemployment among salt households are acceptable, then do we need to care whether the salt farm is located in Huaibei or Huainan?

When a salt farm is opened in Huaibei, salt households in Huainan will also lose their jobs. So why do they have to open a salt farm in Huainan?

Although the joke says that Jiangsu is divided into northern Jiangsu, central Jiangsu, and southern Jiangsu, after all, this is Dashun, not a large number of princes in the sacred Yanhan Empire.

There are only two Huai salt envoys.

There are no Huaibei salt envoys or Huainan salt envoys.

Therefore, there is no difference between Huainan and Huaibei, where the salt farm is opened. They are both unemployed, and it does not mean that being unemployed because of the Huainan Salt Plant is more comfortable than being unemployed because of the Huaibei Salt Plant.

The craftsmen only theoretically said that as long as there is sea water and sun and the temperature is right, salt can actually be dried.

Lin Min did not express his attitude in public.

But when Liu Yu saw that he had asked, he deliberately brought the topic here.

"Master Lin just asked about the possibility of drying salt in Huainan. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Lin Min couldn't help but cursed in his heart.

He had just experienced people complaining about injustice. He did not say either support or opposition. He just asked if Huainan could dry salt, but Liu Yu immediately bit him like a fly that smelled of shit.

What do you think?

If you express your thoughts in public, wouldn't that be nonsense again?

Lin Min thought to herself that you are really not afraid of big troubles, but you are not just watching the fun, you are also a participant. It won't do any good if things get stirred up.

The political correctness of the sage's learning is here, to control the people and stabilize the property, and to benefit the small people. Who dares to say that this is not important at all?

You don't learn from the saints at all, you are just a figure like the eunuch of the previous dynasty. You don't care. Can I be indifferent?

"The Duke's question makes it difficult for me to answer. What do you think? Naturally, I want to find the best of both worlds."

"You can get the benefits of salt exposure without harming salt households. If you can have both worlds..."

But before he finished speaking, Liu Yu burst into laughter and said: "Have both ends? The salt households in Huainan need to borrow usury every year even to cook salt and obtain firewood. Do you think they can dig such a large-scale salt pond?"

"This thing is not farming. Farming can mean equalizing the fields and letting small farmers cultivate their own crops. For this kind of thing, you are also thinking about equalizing the fields, breaking them into small pieces, and having both? How can you have both?"

After that, Liu Yu said aggressively: "Maybe the imperial court will provide funds and loans to small salt households, follow the well-field system, work collectively, and operate large salt fields. Then, Mr. Lin, can you give me the money?"

"How much capital does the court have that it can lend out? If you want the best of both worlds, do you have the money? If you don't have any money, how can you get the best of both worlds?"

Regarding this matter, strategically Liu Yu was very careful to keep it secret, but tactically Liu Yu was not low-key but deliberately high-profile.

The salt policy reform in Huaibei has achieved initial results, and all fools know that Huainan must be affected.

But the key is how to move.

It is a strategy to use the Xiangchu sales area as a buffer to enrich Sichuan salt and Huaibei salt, and then kill Huainan salt, and then Huaibei salt withdraws from Xiangchu and takes over Huainan. Confidentiality is required.

As long as this strategy is kept secret, Liu Yu can deliberately discuss the Huainan salt issue in a high-profile manner, because all fools know that Huainan is necessary.

The more high-profile the tactics are, the deeper the real strategic purpose is hidden.

Are Huainan salt merchants monolithic? In Liu Yu's opinion, not necessarily.

If we talk about Huainan's salt reform in a high-profile manner and use Huaibei as a model, it will require a large amount of capital injection, and perhaps a salt farm will be built in Huainan.

Under this deception, the Huainan Salt Chamber of Commerce will unite to fight?

Is it possible that some major salt merchants will have their own intentions and collect funds and cash in advance? Under the tendency of capitulationism, they feel that they can't resist and just go with the trend and collect cash to prepare for investment in salt production?

If the wind is released, will the reformists be the first to cause chaos? Or a big salt merchant in Huainan?

Obviously, under Liu Yu's aggressive pressure, Lin Min just felt that Liu Yu's method was inappropriate and too high-profile, so he had to force him to express his position here.

However, he does not think that Huainan cannot and should not be moved.

Liu Yu deliberately kept such a high profile. Lin Min guessed that the reason was that Liu Yu was forcing him to express his position.

But the questions Liu Yu asked were too disgusting and he couldn't answer them.

The renovation of the Huainan Saltworks does require money.

If you want to "get the best of both worlds" and ensure the interests of salt households, then the court must provide capital and lend money to those salt households.

Obviously, the imperial court has no money, and what little money it has is used to repair the second phase of the Huaihe River project.

Even if he is rich, is Huainan Yanhu the emperor's biological father? Lending a lot of money to low-interest loans to salt households?

Well salt and standardized sun salt are both capital-intensive industries.

As long as small farmers and small workshops cook salt, that's not the case.

The problem is that when Lin Min asked if salt could be cooked in Huainan, the subtext was that he supported the development of the salt industry in a capital-intensive industrial model.

So, where does the capital for capital-intensive industries come from?

It cannot fall from the sky.

It is impossible for the salt households in Huainan to rely on primitive accumulation to save the money to build standardized salt ponds and buy steam engines.

Even if it accumulates for ten thousand years, it will be useless, otherwise it will be impossible to recruit a thousand households, and only a hundred households will be left after a few years.

Why is it necessary to get a low-interest loan if you want the best of both worlds? Couldn't the court lend money and earn interest?

No, because this is salt. If salt households want to repay high-interest loans, the purchase price of salt will have to increase. If the purchase price of salt increases, official salt will not be sold, and salt households will not be able to make money to repay the interest. In the end, all the money, including principal and interest, will be lost.

Liu Yu made it clear that he would not allow Lin Min to be with Xini. He said clearly, don't be with Xini anymore and express your stance. There is no possibility of having the best of both worlds.

Lin Min was forced into a corner. At this time, he could only laugh and say: "The Duke's words are as sharp as a razor. This matter cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. It is not a discussion at this time."

"The discussion on salt and iron started in February of the sixth year of the First Yuan Dynasty and lasted until July before the policy was decided. Such a major matter must be discussed by the imperial court. Maybe this time when I return to Beijing for an audience, I will also hold a meeting."

Liu Yu was not polite at all, and said with a smile: "Don't make random analogies. How can this dynasty talk about salt and iron? It's not at that level, it's far from it."

"Besides, is the salt and iron at that time still salt and iron today? It is really wrong to carve a boat and ask for a sword. The benefits of salt are no longer as good as customs. The salt and iron at that time are no longer the salt and iron today. Just like that The Western Region of that time is no longer the Western Region of today.”

"In the case of salt, many reforms are nothing more than a small fuss. To be honest, the most serious fuss is that the people eat private salt, and the court receives two to three million taels of silver, which can't hurt the muscles or move the bones. There is no need to discuss matters of salt and iron.”

"The person who has the deepest understanding of the salt policy reform now is Huaibei. The salt officials and salt merchants in Haizhou are also here today. I think we should have a small discussion first."

"Huaibei has been reformed and has been a great success, how can Huainan not be reformed?"

"But when it comes to making changes, we can't just sit back and wait for the consequences."

"I just want to ask: Huainan salt farmers must make a living by cooking salt near reeds and grass. So, reeds can grow in grass and grass, can they dry salt? How far away from the coast can reeds grow?"

"Does the method of drying salt have a direct impact on the salt farmers in Huainan? Are the beaches in Huaibei the same as the beaches in Huainan that were washed out by the Yellow River and Huaihe River for hundreds of miles in hundreds of years?"

"The environment is different, so the impact on salt households in Huaibei will be completely replicated on salt households in Huainan?"

“Are the salt households in Huainan qualified to ‘enjoy’ the grievances suffered by the salt households in Huaibei?”

A few words suddenly lit up the hope in Lin Min's eyes. After thinking about Liu Yu's words, Lin Min said happily: "Your Majesty, I'm the one who's looking for a sword!"

When Lin Min asked whether Huainan could produce salt, Liu Yu already knew it and understood Lin Min's inner attitude.

Since I thought that the misery of the salt households in Huaibei would be replicated in the salt households in Huainan, and based on this, I had the idea of ​​reforming the salt production method in Huainan, wouldn't it be easier to talk about other things?

Similarly, conversely, if the interests of small salt households are considered expendable by Lin Min.

So, what is the difference between sacrificing oneself in a "salt field" or in a "farm"?

Just now Liu Yu aggressively questioned Lin Min and told him that there was no possibility of having the best of both worlds. Lin Min's answer seemed to be conciliatory, but in fact he had already expressed his stance.

Dashun's political correctness is to protect small farmers and small producers.

Any argument that actually threatens this right is not explicitly opposed to it, but is supported.

For example, it is wrong to not support your parents or even to beat them and scold them. As long as you don't immediately accuse them, but make peace with them, or maybe both sides are at fault, then no matter how you deal with the problem, you are actually supporting beating your parents.

Dashun has a clear moral system based on a specific economic foundation, and this moral system also aims to maintain this economic foundation.

The activity of changing productivity and production relations is itself anti-moral.

Whether it is the enclosure of southern Sichuan and Huainan supported by Liu Yu, or the competition in the salt field where the big one bullies the small ones. They are all changing production relations and economic foundations, which are bound to be contrary to the morality at this time.

It is ridiculous to just remove and modify the foundation and expect the original superstructure to be directly compatible.

From the moment Lin Min ignored his grievances, he was immoral; and the moment he asked Huainan if he could also dry the salt, he was already a bad person.

The intention to kill has arisen. Even if he does not kill, he is not guilty according to the law and his morals have been compromised. Therefore, Liu Yu judged that Lin Min would not object the next time he killed the same person for different reasons.

Liu Yu was mocking Lin Min in his heart. If he didn't make it clear that he believed that Huainan's re-engraving of Huaibei was a desperate attempt to find a sword, wouldn't Lin Min support the Huainan salt-drying reform in his own imagination?

In fact, Lin Min had already made up his mind. Liu Yu's words were not a final word, a revelation, or a sudden enlightenment. They just covered it up.

After the curtain fell, Lin Min did not realize that he had fallen into Liu Yu's trap about the waste salt and land reclamation in Huainan.

The excitement in his eyes was that the Lianghuai salt reform could continue to be implemented without being opposed by people using the suffering of Huaibei salt households as an excuse.

While he was still excited, Liu Yu took the opportunity to say: "Xu Guangqi of the previous dynasty said that the benefit of drying salt lies in reclamation. Most salt households in Huainan are suffering. If they can cultivate the land, they will not want to boil it."

"Although the success of the Huaibei salt field is accompanied by crying, but in Huainan, there is only laughter. If one person in Huaibei cries, ten people in Huainan will laugh. So far, I think there is no need to argue about the large-scale salt field."

"If salt can be dried instead of boiled salt, if 100,000 Huainan salt households were originally needed, now only 10,000 salt workers are needed. The remaining 90,000 can be reclaimed. The people cheered and jumped for joy, which is really the kingly policy. What do you think, Lord Lin?"

Liu Yu did not say where to dry salt to replace the boiling salt in Huainan, it sounded as if he tacitly said that salt was dried in Huainan.

Lin Min no longer hesitated and firmly supported: "The Duke has a far-sighted vision. Huaibei cries, Huainan laughs, they are all Dashun people, and they are all Jiangsu people."

"As officials of Haizhou, you are pleading for the people, which is really admirable and commendable."

"And I am the governor of Jiangsu, Huainan and Huaibei, and I need to consider them; the Duke is an important official of the court, and he has jumped out of Huainan and Huaibei."

"You are right in this matter, I am not wrong, and the Duke is not wrong. Since you are a local official of Haizhou, I praise your righteousness in pleading for the people, but I don't think you don't know the overall situation."

He seemed to be praising the officials who just pleaded for the people, but in fact he put a big hat on them: the relationship between the local government and the court.

Once this big hat was put on, it was even more impossible to argue.

Lin Min made it clear that he agreed very much with these people's actions of pleading for the people. In other words, his morality is the same as theirs, otherwise it would not be the evaluation of pleading for the people.

After expressing that his morality is consistent with theirs, the argument collapsed directly.

Because they had previously been making the people cry out for injustice and speaking for justice, the fundamental reason was "I am morally right, you are morally wrong", and they were righteous.

But now, Lin Min said that he was also morally right, and you are not more righteous than me. I do not oppose your morality, on the contrary, I support it. However, if you continue to argue, it will be the local government trying to confront the court - to talk about justice, do you want to talk to the Shanxi salt producing areas, why does the court not allow Henan to use the closer Shanxi salt? Instead, use the farther Huaibei salt? Do you want to talk to Kuizhou, why does the court not allow Hubei to use Chongqing Kuizhou salt, but use the farther Lianghuai salt? Who will talk about justice with the merchants and salt farmers in Shanxi and Kuizhou?