Chapter 430 Salt Industry

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There are many people like Yingcai who claim to be smart.

The applicants observed for a few days and saw that Yingcai, the first one to come forward, sent a woman to the governor. Although the governor did not accept it, he did not take any other action afterwards.

Maybe Yingcai's vision is not good? The woman he sent was not young or beautiful enough?

So those who came to Xuzhou to seek official positions all brought women of various sizes to ask to see Lu Bocheng.

Lu Bocheng was overwhelmed.

He wanted to lose his temper with the person who came to report. But thinking that his wife was still pregnant, he was worried that he would disturb his beloved daughter.

His wife had ignored him for several days, and those idiots did not know how to read his expression and reported this kind of news to him.

What did they think of him!

His wife was pregnant, but did he need someone to serve her?

The mansion has bought a lot of maids now. Is he short of people to fetch water or cook and wash clothes!

He dragged the attendant who came to report to his wife to a place where his wife could not see or hear him, scolded him, and then ran to the gate of the mansion, grabbed a few guards and scolded them.

Next time, if they let people with women in and report to him again, he would deduct their wages and punish them to go to mine.

No, the welfare benefits of mining are very good now. Many people can't get in even if they have connections. Where should they be sent to enjoy the benefits?

Then send them to the military camp to clean stables and toilets.

Lu Bocheng had a tantrum in the mansion, and no one dared to find him for such things.

The people who were waiting to see him outside saw that they could not see Lord Lu, and heard some rumors, so they turned around and sent the women they brought out overnight.

When Lu Bocheng could not see him, these people went to Pei Xi and other Xuzhou officials.

The officials in Xuzhou were kept busy. Have they ever been so popular? It was painful and happy.

From the beginning of the year, the notice of seeking talents was posted. After several months of continuous operation, some people were introduced by acquaintances, and some recommended themselves because of their reputation. All of a sudden, the vacancies of officials at all levels in the six states of Zhenhai were filled.

Even the miscellaneous servants were either filled or replaced.

The officialdom of Zhenhai, from small to small, has a new look.

Lu Bocheng finally got out of a bunch of miscellaneous things and focused on the affairs of the three armies.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

He was still good at doing military affairs. He was really overwhelmed by the affairs of the civil service.

He was a straightforward person and was used to saying what he wanted in the army, so he couldn't listen to the twists and turns and the hidden meanings in the civil service.

He had a headache.

Now that everything was handled by someone, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The most vacancies for officials this time were in Haizhou and Chuzhou.

A few years ago, Chuzhou killed a chicken to show respect to the monkey, and dozens of people were beheaded. The large number of people recruited here were sent to Chuzhou.

Because Chuzhou is now the main money bag of the 200,000-man army, it cannot be ignored. Lu Bocheng allocated a huge sum of money, requiring the reconstruction and thickening of the Chuzhou city wall, and sent heavy troops to guard it.

Many salt officials were also appointed to handle the affairs of the salt field, each with their own duties.

In all dynasties, the salt industry was almost always government-run, and it was always forbidden to boil and sell salt privately.

Due to the huge profits in the salt industry, many people took risks and became private salt dealers. Every year, a group of private salt dealers are detained in the prisons of various prefectures.

However, due to the huge profits, they were repeatedly banned.

Su Qingmei used some of her knowledge to make some suggestions to Lu Bocheng and Xu Tang.

First, a salt transport department was set up, which had salt officials and related personnel with varying numbers. The salt officials were responsible for organizing salt production and salt making by the people.

The Salt Transport Bureau will purchase finished salt and sell it uniformly.

The second is to reward and improve the welfare of salt workers.

Su Qingmei wondered why people in all dynasties took the risk of smuggling salt?

It is nothing more than that he made huge profits. He could work for one year and eat for three to five years, or even longer. The temptation is great, and people keep throwing themselves into the fire.

Then why is there no one selling salt for profit in modern society?

The main reason is that the price of salt in modern society is regulated by the state and is no longer a monopoly. Another reason is that modern society has convenient transportation. In areas without salt, salt can be transported from other places and arrive on the same day, which is very convenient. The most important thing is that the productivity level in modern society is high, the salt output is high, and the profit is thin.

At present, it is not realistic to change the salt industry from a monopoly to a private one. Once it is released, it is estimated that it will be a mess immediately. Maybe one or two golds may not be able to buy one or two salt.

Moreover, Lu Bocheng's 200,000 troops still have to rely on the salt tax in Chuzhou to support the army.

And Su Qingmei can't solve the problem of inconvenient transportation now.

Even if they don't lack iron in Xuzhou, they can't build a train. Besides, now each place is divided by its own political power, and they can't do anything even if they have ideas.

Then they can only increase the output of salt.

With the increase in output, the problem of difficulty in eating salt can be greatly improved. And with high output, more salt tax can be collected.

Su Qingmei asked Xiang Shang to stay in Yancheng for a month in person, and came back to listen to him talk about the situation in Yancheng.

Then I had a rough idea in my mind.

Nowadays, there are various kinds of salt, sea salt, well salt, rock salt, and lake salt. And sea salt accounts for more than half of the output.

And the current method of producing sea salt is still boiling salt.

Throughout the long river of history, the boiling salt method has been used.

The Ming Dynasty's "Heavenly Creations" also recorded the method of obtaining sea salt: "On a rainless day, spread rice, wheat dregs and reed ash on the ground, and press it to make it even. The next morning, when the dew rises, the saltgrass will flourish. When the sun is clear, sweep up the ash and salt and fry them together."

Boil salt is not as simple as scooping up sea water and boiling it in a big pot.

No.

First, spread some loose things on the seashore the night before, which can be rice stalks or thatch. When the fog rises at night, these loose things will be covered with a layer of white salt mist, and then collect these things with salt mist and go back to fry them, so that sea salt can be obtained.

The salt boiling method is also called boiling salt and boiling waves.

It can be seen that in the Ming Dynasty, sea salt still relied on boiling.

But in modern times, salt boiling is no longer used but salt drying.

The salt drying method is more environmentally friendly and economical than salt boiling, saving fuel and manpower, lower cost, and higher yield.

There is a better way to get more salt, why not use it?

Su Qingmei will naturally use it. High production means greater profits and abundant salt taxes. And high profits also save manpower and labor, not only does money not decrease but increases, why not change to the sun-drying method?

In ancient times, no matter what kind of salt, you need to burn firewood to boil salt, and salt workers are extremely hard. And salt workers have always been considered a lowly job. In the Tang Dynasty, because there were not enough salt workers, most of them were replaced by prisoners.

No one was willing to do it. It can be seen how hard it is.

Su Qingmei recorded the sun-drying method in detail and handed it to Lu Bocheng and Xu Tang for review. The two were overjoyed.

Xu Tang turned around and ordered all salt fields in Yancheng to abandon the salt boiling method and directly switch to the salt drying method.

At first, everyone was skeptical. The salt boiling method was passed down from generation to generation, and this salt drying method was unheard of.

If it fails, it will seriously affect the income of tens of thousands of salt workers.

But no one dared to object.

First, Lü Bocheng is too powerful. He takes everything his wife says as a guideline. How can his own wife harm him? If he doesn't believe his wife, who else can he believe?

Second, Xu Tang is too tough. Now no one in the Chuzhou officialdom dares to disobey him.

How dare you disobey the orders of the two big guys? How many lives do you have to go against the big guys?

The salt drying method was successfully implemented.

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