From the beginning of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the implementation of salt and iron monopoly, once the Song Dynasty's salt tax supported half of the country, became the main economic source against the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty's salt tax from the Kaizhong Law also flourished for a period of time, unfortunately, with the salt merchants' upper and lower knots and the corruption of officials at all levels, the silver that should have entered the treasury was gradually apportioned by the upper and lower hands, and the deformed prosperity and development of the cultural industry in Jiangnan also came from the deficit of these treasury.

Salt merchants can make a windfall, a large part of which also comes from the Ming Dynasty's unique salt policy, the root nest system, issued to the root nest to the ability to pay taxes before the salt, making it a hereditary salt merchant, the annual salt introduction is distributed within this small circle, first of all, these two systems ensure the absolute monopoly position of salt merchants in the salt industry.

Then came the profits of the salt merchants, who were at least three to four times the amount of salt they paid each year.

Good guy, now Mao Jue wants to get rid of all the roots and salt of the people here, which is equivalent to cutting off everyone's financial industry, for a while, the entire official hall was almost overturned by the boiling and noisy protests of the salt merchants, and the salt merchants did not care about the occasion, and shouted and protested angrily.

It's a pity that this era is the end of the world, an era when the pen can't do the gun.

Bang~Bang~

Two shots in a row, a large piece of the roof tile fell, and in the smoke of gunpowder, a group of salt merchants quieted down in fear, and their eyes all fell on Mao Jue, who was holding his head with one arm and pulling out a gun in his right hand.

And the voice of the salt merchants is also empty at this time, not to destroy the clan, not even to raid the house, just to remove the salt merchants' roots, this is simply an escape from death, in the disappointed and angry eyes of many salt merchants, Kang Wanli is happy to kowtow fiercely.

"Regent Shengming! Grass people admit punishment! Admit punishment! ”

"Don't have to cry with a sad face, this king Ge is not not allowed to sell salt in addition to your roots, from now on, the entire Lianghuai salt industry is free trade! No one is a royal salt merchant, anyone can sell salt, and if anyone here wants to continue to engage in salt trading, this king will not stop him! ”

"However, from now on, all salt factories must report to the government and apply for a license before they can operate, and all salt taxes will be verified according to the amount of salt when they leave the factory, and one tax will be paid and one stone of salt will be produced!"

"As the king said, I have also been a merchant! From today on, this king only stares at the salt factory, only cares about the salt, how you pour it, this king doesn't care! ”

After saying this, the salt merchants in the entire venue once again began to whisper fiercely.

Did Mao Jue's salt industry reform have a big impact on salt merchants? It can be said that it is very great, without the privilege of monopoly, it is equivalent to the loss of monopoly status, and the good days of them sitting at home and collecting money can be said to be gone, but for small and medium-sized salt merchants, it is not an opportunity! For more than 200 years, how to divide the cake has basically been finalized, and the main income is controlled by more than a dozen general merchants, not all salt merchants are rich people who sit on the ground and start the price, and some even only make a poor money to run errands.

And the two Huai salt industry since the Han Dynasty Wu Wang Liu Cheng era has begun to emerge, naturally has its unique advantages, although free operation, without the previous monopoly privileges, but the two Huai salt merchants have been operating for many years, the local sales network has been perfect, others want to meddle in this cake, it will be really difficult to enter this market for a while.

However, there is one thing that is particularly important.

"Dare to ask the regent, what is the price of salt, is it up to the official to set it?"

It is really a matter of his own wealth, although Mao Jue is still carrying a smoking pistol in his hand, Feng Xuewen, a general businessman from a Hui businessman, couldn't help but stand up, hugged his fists and asked, who knew that when it came to this, Mao Jue actually kicked the pistol back into the holster and yawned heavily.

"This king said, I just stare at the salt factory to collect taxes, and the rest will not matter, the price of salt is naturally determined by the market!"

As soon as these words came out, the salt merchants present couldn't help but be overjoyed, but this time Mao Jue seemed to have a heart attack, and before they finished their joy, Mao Jue threw a bombshell with that lazy appearance.

"By the way, this king entered Beijing, there are too many leisure people in this palace, this king wants to invest in Lianghuai in the name of Daming, and also build a salt factory, in case one day you all have a cold and diarrhea, and you can't sell salt, so you can take care of it, you have no opinion, right?"

These words really made all the salt merchants tremble, obviously Mao Jue was beating them, this is to prevent them from having a hand, firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, in case they control the two Huai salt industry, one day there will be a strike, and the people will rebel if they have no salt to eat! The official factory does not seek too much profit, it is to play this preventive role, and the salt is in case of emergency, to prevent you from getting hairy!

However, Mao Jue's idea is still a little worried, although the salt merchants are clever in their means, but the merchants of the Chinese feudal society do not dare to strike the market at every turn like the big businessmen in the Western society, and the kings of the West have nothing to do with these big businessmen, but the emperor of the East is to kill them, and a rebellion hat is to kill the nine clans, who dares to risk this limelight?

In terms of discipline, he mentioned a few words to these salt merchants, and clearly told them that they would dare to bribe their homes and go to prison, but looking at the appearance of these guys who were full of complexity and whispering, Mao Jue knew that they didn't listen, but he didn't bother to say it, anyway, he was beaten by fifty-two military sticks, and Liu Chong also suffered a hundred for himself, I believe that the officials under him will be honest for at least a while, who dares to know the law and break the law, catch a few typical ones and clean them up, these profiteers will naturally know that they are afraid.

However, the salt merchants in Yangzhou are easy to deal with with a small pinch, and in the bourgeoisification of the Age of Discovery, which they are increasingly advocating, I believe that they will assimilate into it in a short time, but those rigid clans in the south of the Yangtze River are not easy to deal with, even if they go to 20 Huai 30 or 40 million people, it is a huge force of 70 million to 90 million.

Let's hope my new approach to dealing with them will work!

Thinking about it, Mao Jue stood up again, raised the tea bowl and said lightly to many salt merchants.

"Everyone, I know that you eat well, and I don't have any characteristics in the north that can enter your eyes, this bit of canned food is a special product of Liao Town, and this king eats these every day, and I invite you to sing a fresh."

"Please!"

..........

Dealing with a group of salt merchants until more than six o'clock in the afternoon, Mao Jue was disgusted and watched the pampered old men endure vomiting and poured down the boxes of high-calorie and high-oil pumps, and the aisles shook straight, so they were put back, Mao Jue was destined to sleep badly tonight, even nausea brought trouble, Mao Jue must not sleep well with these guys!

Sent them away, still this big grinning bandit appearance, as soon as Mao Jue stretched out his hand, on the edge of the leftover table, he ordered someone to bring up the other protagonist of this one.

Scholar of Dongge University, Yangzhou Inspector Shi Kefa.

It is estimated that it is really sad to die of heart! Unlike Hong Chengchou, who fell to the shoulder of the swallow's nest and fought desperately, Shi Kefa really wanted to die, and he was no longer interested in the things around him.

His appearance of dying made Sakurahime angry, full of annoyance, Sakurahime scolded loudly: "When I see His Royal Highness the Regent, don't bow down yet!" ”

At this time, Shi Kefa was really hob meat, and he was still so blinded that he didn't even pay attention to it.

Seeing that Sakura Ji was about to kick him angrily, Mao Jue suddenly smiled and stretched out her hand to let her retreat, and she also looked lazy and wanted to die haha.

"Looks like our Cabinet Department is not convinced!"

"The artillery of the King of Liao is sharp, the military appearance is neat, the army is still immobile after being shelled, and Shi is convinced! However, Ran Wu, who raised 100,000 soldiers to dominate the world, still inevitably died in Yanzhong, and the overlord of Western Chu, who swallowed mountains and rivers, could not avoid a knife, and it was necessary to rely on people's hearts to govern the world, and I hope that the king of Liao will do it himself! ”

It is worthy of Shi Kefa, this kung fu is still soft and hard thorns, but not those three or three, how dare Mao Jue go up to Liangshan, laughing, he knocked over the box on the side of the stool with a heavy foot, and all kinds of letters and prayers in it flowed out at once, pointing to these, Mao Jue asked with a smile.

"The people's hearts that the cabinet said are these things, right?"

They are all important ministers of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and the surrender letter written by the senior members of the DPRK to Mao Jue is a letter of surrender, this thing is really dazzling in Shi Kefa's eyes, and he was silent for half a minute, and Shi Kefa reluctantly hugged his fist.

"Shi Mou begged for death, I hope that the King of Liao will not move the idea of surrendering, and give Shi a happy one!"

"Surrender?"

At the mention of this word, Mao Jue suddenly heard some joke, covered his stomach and burst into laughter, panting from laughter, laughing tears flowed out, looking at him in amazement and laughing wildly, the anger on Shi Kefa's face also emerged more and more.

"Why is the King of Liao laughing, did Shi say something wrong?"

"Of course, how did you think that I could recruit you, and what use do you have to this king?"

finally stopped smiling, and Mao Jue pulled up his fingers in front of Shi Kefa.

"Tell me about you, the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department, what did you do when the soldiers and horses of Southern Province fell? Sleeping with a girl at home! ”

"This Jingshi Imperial Court is gone, and finally you are in charge, what are you doing? I didn't do anything useful, I wanted to establish a family and a virtuous person, so Ma Shiying's old boy took the lead, and you were kicked out of Nanjing again. ”

"Yangzhou overseers are also OK, Mao has waited for almost a year to go south, this kung fu, if Lao Tzu, sixty corps have been pulled up, you haven't done anything nonsense, you say, why did this king recruit you? Waste of food? ”

Embarrassed and indignant, Shi Kefa at this time was definitely proper, an old face was flushed with shame, and he was stunned for more than ten seconds, and he hugged his fist in great pain.

"Since Shi is so unbearable, it is a waste of food to keep it, why didn't the King of Liao kill Shi with one sword, why bother to invite Shi to the court to humiliate and waste time, the King of Liao has so much leisure?"

"Of course this king is very busy!"

This time, Gu Mei was also taken into Yangzhou City, although she was used as a tool, but it was not Mao Jue's character to eat and wipe clean and turn around and walk to the end, he still needed to take a look tonight, naturally he was very busy, facing Shi Kefa with a black face, Mao Jue didn't go around in circles, he clapped his hands and stood up, and paced around him a few times.

"You are useless to this king, but you are still a little useful to the Hongguang pseudo-emperor of Nanming, so I brought you here, and this king asked you, Qin Hui'er, do you want to do it?"

"A traitor through the ages? Why? ”

It's really Shi Kefa, very human, neither yelling angrily, nor brushing his sleeves away, hearing that it is useful to Nanming, he immediately couldn't help but bow his head and listen.

The fish finally took the bait, and the corners of Mao Jue's mouth couldn't help but show a bad smile, and he immediately lowered his voice.

After listening to it for just a moment, Shi Kefa's grizzled face was full of incredulity.

"Is that true?"

"Lao Tzu is the one who is going back to Beijing to claim the emperor, you have not heard of it?"

The thing was too shocking, even Shi Kefa was stunned and muttered there for a long time, and then he showed an extremely difficult and resolute look on his face, and his head was bruised, and he nodded heavily at Mao Jue and responded.

"Okay, this Qin Hui, Shi did it!"

Nodding with satisfaction, Mao Jue immediately slapped him heavily.

"Come on, take Shi Ge's subordinates down to freshen up and change their clothes! A dignified scholar of the imperial court, so sloppy, what kind of system has he become? ”

Although there was still a lot of sarcasm in his words this time, this time Shi Kefa's face was as firm as a stone, and he followed the maid who came in out without caring and went out to freshen up and change clothes.

.........

"The prince is going to the back house?"

As soon as Shi Kefa was sent away, Mao Jue didn't wait to stretch his waist, but a sour voice sounded suddenly, a woman is a woman, although she gave Gu Hengbo to Mao Jue to unite the generals, she also agreed, but now, Sakura Ji's face is still like a vinegar jar.

Originally, I really wanted to go to visit Gu Mei directly, but looking at her stinky face, Mao Jue suddenly sighed again.

"Aren't there any more captives? One is also a release, and the two sheep are also poles, so let's drive to the prison! ”

If you don't go to see Hengbo's vixen, it's okay to go anywhere! This Sakura immediately showed a happy smile, and hugged her fist heavily in front.

"The last will be ordered!"

.......

Born to work hard, he went out of the house at night, Mao Jue went straight to the prison again, and now a new resident was ushered here.

Both arms are wrapped in bandages, and the body is also circled, like a mummy, and a cane is still placed on the side of the body, which is a little more miserable than Mao Jue, but sitting here, this man always holds his chest high and raises his head, as if he is not in prison, but continues to command thousands of troops and horses in the military array.

Governor of Luzhou, Marquis of Jingnan, Huang Degong!

(End of chapter)