In later generations, the salt output of a single Changlu salt farm could exceed one million tons a year, and the salt field of this era, even if the officials of the salt field were desperately squeezing the households, the salt produced by a salt farm was also very pitiful.

Relying on the stove to cook salt, the speed and output naturally cannot be fast, not to mention the consumption of a lot of wood, and many coastal salt-producing places have already been cut down.

"Father, the son thinks that this method can be tried, if this salt drying method is really feasible, then it can be promoted on a large scale in my Ming Dynasty in the future, and more salt will be produced, which is a great benefit to the country and the people."

Zhu Houzhao stood up and said, it is naturally beneficial to the country and the people, and of course it is also very beneficial to him, the prince, and running a salt farm is basically equivalent to having a mountain of gold and silver, and it will be okay to sit and collect money in the future.

Emperor Hongzhi didn't speak, he kept thinking, the salt and iron monopoly has been a rule since ancient times, and now how can he change it immediately with Liu Jin's mouth.

Once the iron law of the salt and iron franchise is opened, no one knows whether this is good or bad for Da Ming.

Today, Liu Jin and the crown prince can jointly set up a salt farm, and tomorrow others will have the same requirements, and then there will be no way to control this salt in the hands of the imperial court.

This salt has opened a mouth, and what will happen to this iron then?

Iron can not only be used to produce agricultural tools, etc., but also can be used to produce swords, arrowheads, armor and other weapons and equipment, and these things are related to the country's major affairs, since ancient times rulers have been very vigilant in this aspect, although this is not useful, the rebellion is still the same rebellion, the dynasty that should be destroyed is still the same perishing, and it will not change because of this.

But with this salt and iron in their own hands, these rulers are naturally more at ease.

"You guys go back first, I need to think about it."

Emperor Hongzhi thought for a moment and replied.

I am going to wait for Xiao Jing to investigate clearly before making a decision, of course, this naturally needs to be discussed and discussed with the ministers of the DPRK and China, and listen to everyone's opinions.

"The retainers retired~"

"The grass people retired~"

Liu Jin and Zhu Houzhao glanced at each other, looking a little helpless, and left the Heart Cultivation Hall at the same time.

"Lao Liu, half of the salt farm pays two million taels of silver a year, we really have money to make?"

After leaving the Heart Cultivation Palace, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but ask Liu Jin.

"Your Highness still doesn't believe me, when did I say something big?"

Liu Jin said very solemnly.

"Uh... I believe in you, but salt and iron are really hard to get, and all dynasties have been monopolized by the imperial court. ”

Zhu Houzhao nodded, of course he knew Liu Jin's ability, if it weren't for Liu Jin, he Zhu Houzhao would still be poor, and he still had to rely on the name of the prince to do things, like now everything can be done with silver.

"Your Highness, I'm actually quite good at ironmaking."

When it came to iron, Liu Jin couldn't help but say.

Iron in this era is also very expensive, because the output is limited, and everyone knows that the iron ore content on the land of China is relatively iron, and basically there are a large number of impurities, the quality is relatively poor, even in later generations, most of the iron ore still relies on imports.

In this era, because of technology, the iron production of Daming is relatively low, and the quality is also very poor, and the price of good iron is often very high.

"You know how to make iron?"

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he was slightly stunned and said.

"Of course."

"It's similar to this salt-drying method? Can large-scale iron smelting? ”

Zhu Houzhao's little eyes suddenly narrowed, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice.

"Almost, if you allow it, you can set up a steel mill and make absolutely money."

Liu Jin nodded and said, he has long wanted to set up a steel factory to make steel by himself, but this matter is really not in a hurry, in the era of the salt and iron franchise, without the permission of the imperial court, steelmaking is illegal, and even can be charged with conspiracy to rebel.

"It's going to be difficult, and I guess I'll be able to do it when I'm in charge."

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he was originally very happy, but when he thought of the importance of iron, he couldn't help but say in discouragement.

"Uh..."

When Liu Jin heard this, he was immediately speechless, it is estimated that only he Zhu Houzhao dares to say this, there is no way, who called him the only son of Emperor Hongzhi, if it is placed in other dynasties, that prince dares to say this?

Liu Jin left the palace and returned to his home, but before his ass was hot, the British Duke Zhang Mao came to the door again.

"Stinky boy, go, go, let's go and see my fields together, but they are all the best fields around the capital."

Zhang Mao came in a hurry, and before he had a sip of tea, he pulled Liu Jin and walked outside the capital.

The last time I mentioned the sale of land in the Dingguo Mansion, Liu Jin also promised Zhang Mao, if the land is good, Liu Jin is ready to buy some, but I didn't expect that it has only been a few days, and Zhang Mao came to Liu Jin in a hurry.

"Zhang Gong, do you really want to sell the land?"

Sitting on the carriage, Liu Jin asked seriously, there is a good saying in ancient times, it is not distressing to sell the grandfather's land, it is said that the son of a loser will sell the land handed down by his ancestors, otherwise he will not be able to sell his ancestral property even if he is killed.

"Of course, these fields harvest some grain a year, and they don't add up to a fraction of the income, and when I make money, I can buy ten times or a hundred times the field, and I'm not a loser."

Zhang Mao's little abacus is tinkling, not bound by those old concepts, and has already been calculated in his heart.

Liu Jin walked less than three miles with Zhang Mao out of the capital, and came to a flat and open field, at this time, on this flat and open field, there are farmers who are working hard, there was a famine in the first half of the year, but the wheat growth in the second half of the year is very good, you can see the fields, patches of green wheat.

"Stinky boy, I see that these fields are not there, all of them are fields, the fields are very flat, irrigation is also convenient, and very fertile, if you are not in a hurry to use the money, I will not sell these fields to you."

Zhang Mao and Liu Jin got out of the carriage, and Zhang Mao pointed to the vast field in front of him and said.

"All these fields belong to Zhang Gong?"

Liu Jin looked at the endless plain in front of him, and listened to Zhang Mao's meaning, all these fields in front of him belonged to Zhang Mao.

"Well, this field, from that mountain to this mountain, all of it is mine, and there are about a thousand dumps in total."

Zhang Mao smiled and replied.

"More than a thousand!"

When Liu Jin heard this, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide, the total field of the whole village of Xiahetun was only more than 100 acres, and his British public Zhang Mao just had thousands of fields in front of him.

Thousands of acres of fertile land and thousands of family wealth...... Lao Zhang, these princes and nobles, how much land did the wealthy and nobles occupy in the Ming Dynasty?

Thinking of this, Liu Jin couldn't help but sigh in his heart, now it is only the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and the land annexation has reached such a grim point.

The rich have no place to stand, this is the most cruel reality, and it is all displayed in front of Liu Jin's eyes at this moment.

"More than a thousand, it's nothing, it's just a part of the field in my hand, and the field in my hand is not much at all."

Zhang Mao said disapprerovingly.

“……”

Liu Jin was speechless for a moment, more than a thousand dumps, it was nothing at all, it was just a part of the field in his hand, and the field in his hand was not much.

You can think about it, the fields in the hands of other princes and nobles, wealthy nobles and nobles will definitely not be less, they are like tumors growing on Daming's body, one is bigger than the other, and they are constantly eating away at Daming.

"Stinky boy, I only sell you five taels of silver per mu for these fields, and you can give 500,000 taels of silver for more than 1,000 fields."

"And as long as you give money now, the grain in these fields this year will also be yours, and you can collect rent in a few months."

Zhang Mao took Liu Jin to walk in the field very casually, and he didn't waste time, and talked about business directly.

"Five taels of silver per mu, it's not expensive, Zhang Gong, are you sure you want to sell it?"

Liu Jin naturally has long understood the price of land in this era, such as the kind of fertile land in front of him, can generally be sold for six or seven taels of one mu, in the Jiangnan area, the best paddy fields can even be sold for ten taels of silver per mu, and in the Huizhou area where Huizhou merchants gather, it can even be sold for thirty taels and one mu.

The price of land in each region is completely different, and sometimes some policies on the part of the imperial court will also fluctuate the price of land, and it will fluctuate greatly.

Zhang Mao sold himself five taels of silver per mu here, which is a little lower and fairer.

It is only a few miles away from the capital, the location is very good, and the land is very flat, whether it is used to build factories or real estate in the future, it is a very good choice.

"Nonsense, otherwise what am I bringing you here for, and you just say you want it?"

"That is, it depends on your kid's pleasing eye, otherwise how can such a good field be bought for five taels of silver."

Zhang Mao is still a little distressed when he thinks of this, thousands of acres of high-quality land, which have been accumulated by the ancestors of the British government from generation to generation, and it has taken a lot of effort to save thousands of acres of land.

"Yes, of course, but it's just too little, who owns the other fields around?"

Liu Jin smiled and nodded and said, but since you want to buy land, you naturally have to buy more, anyway, the silver in your hand can't find a place to invest for the time being, so it's better to buy all the fields around here.

"It seems that your kid has a lot of appetite, I'll draw for you."

When Zhang Mao heard this, he couldn't help laughing, and then picked up a branch and simply drew a map on the ground and said: "This east is the field of Chengguo Gong, not much, there are hundreds of acres, and the west side is the field of Jianchangbo and Shouninghou, which has more than 2,000 acres of land......