Chapter 723: Salt Household

Cai Jingle said: "The two of you, one is in the northeast and the other is in the southwest, after today, it's hard to say if you can see each other again, even if you want to tear it up, it should be after returning to the court, right?" ”

The two glared at Cai Jing hatefully: "The villain has the ambition!" ”

Cai Jing didn't care: "You all misunderstood the envoy, this is really the envoy giving you a chance to return to the court." ”

After speaking, Zhengse said: "The envoy said that he and you have never had personal grievances, but they are just fighting for the country." ”

"As long as the two political affairs Damin are good and protect the people, he said that last year, and now he still says that."

"There is no flaw in governance, even if he is your boss, even if he looks at you 11,000 people who are not pleasing to the eye, he has no way to deal with you, and he has to pinch his nose and ask you for credit."

"Raozhou Yongping Supervisor, Chizhou Yongfeng Supervisor, Xinzhou Lead Mountain Field, the production process is too backward, it must be overhauled, and a new method of copper smelting must be adopted."

"400,000 catties, just a prison in Raozhou, the other two, to reach this number, this year's southeast copper, need to reach 1.2 million catties!"

"Don't be surprised that Zeng Taishou, the new law workshop has been completed in Raozhou, and 60,000 catties of refined copper have been tested in May, and now there are still five months, and hard work can still be done."

Zeng Bu was shocked: "What new method can triple the amount of copper produced?" ”

Cai Jing said with a smile: "When Taishou arrives in Raozhou, he will know." ”

Lu Jia's eyes were red with jealousy: "Don't drive Cai, then ...... What about me? The crying voice in his tone was brought in.

Cai Jing said with a smile: "Grain and grass materials, don't work too hard, what you have to do is to do a good job in the management of the people, the distribution of money and grain, the guarantee of their three meals a day, and the health of the plague." ”

"The envoy said that it is not easy to raise grain, if he knows that there are extravagant public affairs in Changzhou, deducting money and grain, embezzlement and fraudulently receiving all kinds of illegal things, he will ignore others and only take Taishou to ask for the crime!"

"Work service can be done in accordance with military law!"

However, the envoy also said that the most important thing in governance is fairness. Since something happened and was done according to military law, then if you have merit, of course you have to be rewarded according to military merit! How's that, Lu Taishou? Do you dare to take this military order? ”

Lu Jiawen glanced at Zeng Bu hatefully, gritted his teeth and bowed to the end: "Jiawen dares to receive this, hope that the luck envoy will not break his word and get fat!" ”

Cai Jing nodded with satisfaction: "Zeng Taishou, what about you?" ”

Zeng Bu flicked his sleeves: "I have been pitted by others, I have to see the new smelting method with my own eyes before I dare to believe it." ”

Cai Jing laughed: "It's okay, then let's go our own way, be diligent and diligent, and serve the emperor and Song Dynasty well under the hands of the envoy." ”

……

Hangzhou Bay, past Yanguan County and Haiyan County, along the coastline all the way to the Yangtze River estuary of Shanghai Affairs, in order is Shajiao, Luli, Jinshan, Pudong, Yuanbu, Qingdun...... It's all salt pans, big and small.

The price of official salt in the Great Song Dynasty is about 35 wen in various places, but the official Yan collects salt from salt households, which is only half of the price, fifteen to seventeen wen.

Among them, the huge price difference has attracted countless illegal salt dealers, and poor salt farmers have taken risks.

Salt politics is a difficult problem in the Great Song Dynasty.

However, in Su You's view, this problem is purely caused by the government.

In order to stimulate the enthusiasm of production, the commodity economy and the contracting of joint production will certainly be more effective than the exclusive state-run enterprises.

Luli Salt Farm, Lu Zhongyuan, a large salt pavilion household, is preparing to inspect the salt pavilion under his own management.

At present, the salt field still has to boil, called "boiling sea", introducing seawater into the brine pond, increasing the concentration step by step, and obtaining brine for boiling, and then salt can be obtained.

Due to the different tools for boiling salt in various places, the salt is also divided into several colors, and the bamboo plaque is green; and he that is of a clay basin is ashed; and he that uses an iron pot turns yellow...... In fact, it contains impurities.

A salt pavilion, generally with an annual output of 1,000 stones, is the upper household, more than 500 stone is the middle household, and the rest is the lower household.

The upper households live a luxurious life, and they are also managers.

In collusion with salt officials, they embezzled official money issued by the state, suppressed the price of salt, issued usury, and wantonly enriched their own pockets.

He even raised armed family members, colluded with smugglers and bandits, controlled one side, and abused lynching, both rich and powerful, and even the government did not dare to provoke easily.

And the poorest households, carrying a body of debt, endure cruel oppression and exploitation, work hard for a year, and can't even ask for food and clothing.

The genius Liu Yong's "Boiling Sea Song" is very clear: "Since the halogen to the flying frost, it is nothing more than a fake loan to feed the food." The scales are slightly straight in the official, and one is often compensated. There is no rest in the cycle, and the official rent is not over, and the private rent is forced. Driving wives and children to teach the project, although it is a human shape. Why do the people of the sea bother, the mother is rich and the son is not poor. This dynasty does not lose anything, and I hope that the emperor will go to the seashore. ”

And the new generation of talented Qin Guan, in the policy for Su You, there is a "Treatise on the State", which mentions: "As for the matter of picking mountains and boiling seas, smelting and casting, he thought that he was a traitor, and sent his ministers to determine his law." ”

Lu Zhongyuan has been quite a headache recently, and recently the government issued a letter, less than 300 catties at a time, not counting smuggling, the mud-legged people were happy, but they were a little sad.

As for this family business, it is all earned by deducting official money, renting, and buying salt from lower households every year.

Fang was having breakfast, and the steward came over to say, "Liu Erli wants to make trouble again." ”

Lu Zhongyuan frowned: "What's the matter?" ”

The steward said: "He is instigating Diao Min, demanding a salt increase!" ”

Lu Zhongyuan asked, "How much?" ”

"Twenty Wen, he said that the price of Hangzhou officials is from Xiao Su Taibao."

Lu Zhongyuan sneered: "Xiao Su Taibao, how many years can he stay in Hangzhou?" The salt work is not finished, I don't think he can stay for a year! Go and call the nursing home, isn't he Liu Erli going to make trouble? Let's make a good mess with him! ”

……

On a beachhead in the salt field, there are some broken reed mat sheds.

There were many such sheds, and many women in ragged clothes were busy in the sheds.

Inside the shed, a bamboo bed, covered with broken straw mats, a few clay pots, and a fire pit, it is considered a home.

The only thing that can be called a household belongings is an iron pot with a white shell on the top, which is a pot for boiling salt.

The technology of Meishan iron casserole has now also come out, this pot is a product of the Taiping Prefecture Iron Supervisor, which cost Liu Erli two times, and it is expensive.

The tidal flats are lined with terraced salt pans, and men are using the tides to lift the sea water high and pour it into a brine pond paved with grass ash and mud.

The weather was very hot, not rainy, windy. Although it was a disaster for the farmers, it was a rare good day for the salt farmers.

Sweat ran down the dark backs of the men, leaching a stain of water on the shirts.

The edge of the water stain condensed into a circle of salt flowers.

Seawater cannot be boiled directly, and if you want to treat brine, turn low-concentration seawater into high-concentration brine.

First, the seawater is picked into the brine pond and poured with the grass ash mud mixture that has been precipitated and evaporated for many days to obtain the brine soil.

The days passed, and after ten days, the brine clay could be combined.

The brine is picked into the frame, poured with low-concentration brine, repeated many times, the salt in the brine melts into the brine, and finally becomes saturated brine.

The brine is precipitated in the pool, and then the clear brine is taken out and boiled on the stove until the salt crystals are taken out, and the remaining dilute brine can be used for pouring the brine.

This cycle is repeated, collected every year, and the salt obtained is sold to the government for 15 to 17 wen per catty.

The salt pond in a good location is the industry of big dog households, such as Liu Erli's family, it is very difficult to even make brine, and sometimes they have to borrow brine from large households, which adds another layer of exploitation.

Ten catties of salt a day, half a year can be produced, a total of only forty-five yuan, pay off the brine money owed to large households, tools owe rent money, twenty guan a family of three live for a year, it can be said that it is stretched.

Fortunately, a lot of sea vegetables, clams, mudskippers, and lucky enough to pick up octopus, sea bream, etc., are produced on the tidal flats near the sea and low tide, and sell them to large households, which can subsidize some households.