My Backyard is the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 171: Overview of the Salt Industry

?? (Thanks for the reward of Cube = Brick, the monthly ticket of the dragon who is losing weight)

??On this day, Li Yin called Shangguanyi, Wang Yinlong, Dou Xiande and others over to inspect the salt mines in Chengdu Prefecture in an official capacity, accompanied by Tong Nian and other people from the Shengtang Chamber of Commerce.

?? "Dou Xiande!"

??On the way, Li Yin called Dou Xiande. Dou's family is a big family in Yizhou, and it is impossible not to understand the huge profit industry of salt mines.

?? "The next official is here!" Dou Xiande urged the horse and Li Yin to walk side by side, waiting for Li Yin's question.

?? "I heard that the salt merchants in Chengdu are basically from the east of the river, and the local wealthy families just participate in it and get some share?"

Dou Xiande nodded and replied: "Your Highness, it is indeed the case, because the price of opening a salt well is too high. A small well needs 20,000 to 30,000 guan, and a large well can easily cost more than 100,000 guan. Without sufficient family resources, it is impossible to open a salt well." Yes, and some powerful families with a long history in Hedong Road have rich family resources, and they are the only ones who have the money to drill salt wells, because of the huge profits from salt, they have joined forces with local wealthy families, fearing that the locals will make trouble."

?? "I heard that your Dou family has participated in the mining of many salt wells before. Is there such a thing?" Li Yin asked.

Dou Xiande sighed and said, "I did participate before Gao Quan, but they were all taken away by Gao Quan in various names. After Gao Quan left, these merchants from Hedong Road have already established a firm foothold here. We don’t need us anymore.” The language is very regretful, which is also one of the reasons for the decline of the three old prominent families.

?? "Chengdu Prefecture's salt industry is relatively prosperous, but the common people still eat light food and cannot afford salt!" Shangguanyi said.

Wang Yinlong has a deep understanding. Since he was a child, his family was poor and often couldn't afford salt. He said: "Although it is prosperous, it is still relatively low compared to other places. It's just that the production of salt is too low. Dou Sima also said that only the imperial court and rich merchants Only wealthy families have the ability to open salt wells. Naturally, the number of salt wells will not be too many, and the salt production is limited, so the price will be high."

??Li Yin listened to them talking, and he was also thinking about it. The demand for this salt is greater than the supply, the market is huge, and it is still a consumable. If you increase the production and lower the price, then the profit of the salt will increase exponentially, and the problem of the salt well they said is not a problem for Li Yin at all. They opened a salt well It needs to consume 20,000 to 30,000 or even hundreds of thousands of guan, and Li Yin can completely save these costs. Portable water well drilling rigs are sold everywhere in modern times. Salt wells are nothing more than used to extract brine, similar to water wells, and then install a pressure water lifter, which is the kind with a water outlet in the front and a long handle in the back. The kind of hand tool that lifts the water up by lifting and pressing is similar to a pressure pot.

??Li Yin thinks about it more and more, the more beautiful he is, he laughs unconsciously, there is no way, now his family has a big business and spends money everywhere, Taoyuan, and treasure ships. Armor, Weapons, Academy, Army, Municipal Construction, Craftsman's Salary. The rapid development of the entire Yizhou is supported by huge funds. Can he think of ways to make money? Otherwise, sooner or later, his fat sheep will be plucked and turned into Ge You's head.

??All the officials looked at Li Yin, not understanding why Li Yin was laughing, they all had inexplicable expressions. Li Yin said: "The imperial court does not allow this king to mint money privately, but he did not say that he is not allowed to sell well salt. Shangguanyi, the treasury of Chengdu Mansion will be full soon."

"His Royal Highness is going to run the official salt?" Shangguan Yi said happily. Since Shangguan Yi took office, the treasury has not had much income, and all rely on the support of the palace, which makes him feel dishonored. How much is left over, and the rural cooperative has consumed a large amount of expenses, and the treasury is suddenly empty again.

Smiles appeared on the faces of several people when they heard the words. The state taxed more than half of the salt profit. The guy, this can win over a group of people.

?? "Then why doesn't Your Highness take back the right to sell private salt, so we can monopolize well salt?" Wang Yinlong said.

Li Yin shook his head. It is better to do less things to compete with the people, especially this well salt, which is a natural product. He personally takes it as his own, and will definitely provoke many people who rely on well salt for a living. In this case, it is better to have Everyone earns money, "There is no need for this. The reserves of well salt are so large that we can't exhaust them even after hundreds of years of mining. Moreover, although most of the well salt is occupied by wealthy families, they do feed some people who have lost their land. We also paid a full amount of salt tax, which is of no harm to us. If the salt industry develops, the tax in Yizhou will increase exponentially, which is not a bad thing.”

?? Li Yin's words made several people nod repeatedly, and Wang Yinlong said: "It's the lower officials who are short-sighted."

?? "Although your idea is inappropriate, it is beneficial to us. Although we don't want to monopolize, we can make 80% of the salt in the market be produced by us." Li Yin made a bold statement.

??Dou Xiande frowned and said, "But Your Highness, the cost of this salt well is very high, and it is not difficult to drill a salt well in one or two years."

"There is no need to worry about this. This king has his own way. Do your Dou family want to mine well salt? This king will not charge you hundreds of thousands of guan. The price is reasonable and fair. A medium-sized salt well of 50,000 guan will be delivered to you within three months. How?" Li Yan asked.

??Dou Xiande said with a smile: "Your Highness is joking with the officials, how is this possible?"

?? "If possible?"

?? "The Dou family is willing to buy five salt wells!" Dou Xiande said with a smile.

?? "Don't go back on your word when the time comes?"

?? "..."

?? A group of people chatted and laughed to a salt well outside Yizhou City. In fact, it is a salt well, rather than a small village. After years of development, the people who live on the salt well settled here, and gradually formed this village.

??Seeing so many officials, the people in the village showed vigilance on their faces, and some children ran into the village as soon as they could.

Li Yin reined in the horse's head and looked at the village. Hundreds of thatched huts were neatly lined up on both sides of the road. At the end of the road stood a triangular wooden support, on which a bamboo tube filled with brine was being lifted up. On the side of the tripod is a smoking workshop, workers are coming in and out, outside the workshop, Li Yin even saw snow-white salt piles.

??The group waited at the intersection for a while, when a middle-aged man in a green round-neck gown hurried over. When he saw Li Yin, he bowed politely, "Grassman Wang Tao, see Your Highness Sixth!"

?? "Do you know this king?" Li Yin just made a random inspection without notifying anyone, so he asked.

??Wang Tao is short and thick, with a dark complexion. He must be busy in the sun all the time. He said: "Cao Min once went to a trade fair and met His Highness."

Li Yin and all the officials got off their horses, and hundreds of guards immediately rushed into the village and stood in a row along the road. It is to pay protection fees to Gao Quan. Now that Gao Quan is gone, is Li Yin starting to free up his hands to deal with them?

??Li Yin smiled and said: "Don't be nervous, the king and the officials are just here to inspect the salt wells in Yizhou, let's lead the way!"

??Hearing this, Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead and said, "Your Highness, please!"

??Li Yin asked as he walked, "Where is the shopkeeper Wang from?"

?? "Caomin is from Taiyuan!"

?? "From Taiyuan?" Li Yin glanced at Wang Tao, "It is said that the Wang family in the world came from Taiyuan. What is your relationship with this Wang family, one of the five surnames and seven Wangs?"

?? "Caomin is from a branch of the Wang family, and is responsible for the sales of the salt well and well salt of the Wang family in Yizhou." When he said that he came from a branch of the Wang family, Wang Tao showed a slightly proud look.

"Oh, how many salt wells does the Wang family have here?" Li Min walked to the tripod and looked at the width of the well head. Generally speaking, a salt well with a diameter of 10 centimeters is considered a small salt well, and the price is around 80,000 guan. As for Wang's salt well, the mouth is half a meter long, and the depth is at least 50 meters. It is definitely a large salt well.

??Wang Tao said: "Return to Your Highness, the Wang family only has this salt well."

??Li Yan nodded, and entered the workshop next to him, where hundreds of workers were making well salt, and there were baskets of boiled well salt piled up in the room.

"Your Highness, I found it!" Dou Xiande got off his horse and began to flip through the records of the salt well. Every salt well opened must be registered. This well salt is a big tax collector and also a big tax evader, so the records are very detailed, "This salt well It was built in the fourth year of Zhenguan. It produces 10,000 shi of salt every year. The current price of salt is 400 yuan per bucket, and 10,000 shi is 40,000 guan a year. Qianguan, last year's salt tax has been paid."

?? Huge profits, really huge profits, Li Yin thought in his heart, a bucket of salt sold for 400 renminbi, which is much more valuable than potatoes. It is strange that even in modern society, salt is controlled by the state.

??Wang Tao echoed from the side: "Exactly, exactly!"

??Li Yin would not believe the superficial figures. The actual output must be much higher than the reported ones, but the supervision of the salt industry is very troublesome, and there will always be negligence.

?? "How much did this salt well cost when it was drilled?" This salt well is not small, and Li Yin intends to ask clearly, and also prepares for the sale of the salt well in the future.

Wang Tao recalled for a while and said: "His Royal Highness, at the beginning it was spent a total of 180,000 guan, and the cost has not been recovered yet, but this is the largest salt well mine at present. From the first year of Zhenguan to the fourth year of Zhenguan, it took a total of four years. years to complete.”

Li Yin couldn't help sighing for a while, the ancients really had perseverance, this well took four years, it's no wonder that all the big families did this, small families might be finished one day, they played for such a long period Sorry.

After observing the cooking process of well salt and instructing Wang Tao to pay taxes according to law, Li Yin went to other salt mines. There are more than one hundred salt wells registered in Yizhou government, and Li Yin does not intend to go one by one. , I walked around Yizhou for a while, and after returning, Li Min put the salt industry on the agenda.