After listening to the Gai brothers' remarks, Xiao Zheng smiled, and suddenly remembered the state monopoly of the salt industry in later dynasties.

"Since the salt industry is so profitable, why have I never seen the salt industry pay taxes since I came to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and isn't salt an exclusive monopoly?"

As soon as the words came out, Xu Jingzong, who was sitting next to him, coughed lightly, and Xiao Zheng knew that he had said the wrong thing.

Gai Wenda glanced at Xiao Zheng in surprise, and said very tactfully: "Isn't Xiao Gong not very familiar with my Datang salt system?" ”

"This, I really don't know," Xiao Zheng said with some humility.

Xu Jingzong continued quietly: "Xiao Gong is troublesome, how can he bother to take care of these things, this is what I should do when I wait for the lower officials."

After listening to Xu Jingzong's words, Xiao Zheng knew that although salt looked worthless, it was an indispensable thing in daily life. Before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the state's control of salt was relatively easy, and many people got rich by boiling and selling salt by themselves. In the middle of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, due to the long-term war against the Xiongnu, resulting in too much military expenditure and a deficit in the treasury, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty accepted the proposal of Dongguo Xianyang, Kong Zhi and others to carry out a state monopoly on salt, and the people were not allowed to cook or sell private salt, and the price of salt was set by the government to be very high.

Sang Hongyang said in the book that "the benefits of salt and iron are twenty times that of ancient times", which guaranteed the government's financial revenue, and salt was an indispensable material for the people's lives, so the country made a great profit from it and used it to conquer the Xiongnu. Since then, the imperial court has monopolized the salt industry in terms of both finance and rule.

But in the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian made the Sui Dynasty extremely wealthy, so he relaxed the control of the salt industry, and the ban on salt ponds and salt wells was released in the third year of the emperor's reign, and they were exempted from taxation. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the salt industry system of the Sui Dynasty was inherited, and it was left unchecked. As a result, these salt merchants became even more like fish in water, and after they wholesaled the salt, they often crossed the mountains and mountains to make more money, carrying loads of salt into the poor countryside to serve the people.

Xiao Zheng said: "This is also a good thing, businessmen through the exchange of salt to establish a large number of isolated social systems to establish interconnection, as a connector businessmen also naturally gain the advantage of information, standing on the commanding heights of information, businessmen can find various opportunities between systems can arbitrage, and further profit-seeking behavior has expanded the type and geographical scope of exchange."

Gai Wenda nodded and said: "The old man also agrees with your point of view, the imperial court advocates agriculture first, because farmers and farmers are the most stable and easy to control society, because people are bound to a small piece of land, the energy is minimal, if the illegal salt is not prohibited, the number of salt sellers is not controlled, and because most areas of the Tang Dynasty do not produce salt, salt sellers have to wander around the country." In this way, it is difficult to hunt down these people if they break the law, and at worst, this kind of salt seller group with a wide range of contacts is a considerable threat to the safety of the imperial court. Many Confucian scholars think that the farmer is simple and the merchant is treacherous, and the latter is obviously more difficult to rule, and according to the old man, this is pure fart."

It's rare for an old master like Gainda to scold the street.

"Today, taking advantage of your old words, I didn't see the wrong person when you became the dean of Hangzhou Academy," Xiao Zheng said with a smile.

The room full of people laughed.

After drinking enough wine and tea, Xiao Zheng said to Gai Wenda: "Thank you for your advice, I will meet these Shu merchants in the next day."

Gai Wenda smiled and said to Xiao Zheng: "Just now the old man said that you can't go, but now you are here again, your dignified ministers of the court went to meet a few businessmen, this is not Corporal Lixian, it is not good to say."

"Then what if he doesn't come to see me, and I can't see him?"

"Gong Xiao, your wise old man has heard a lot, and you will definitely be able to do things that others can't do," he said very confidently.

"Don't say it, I don't dare to say anything else, but it's really not difficult to get the salt seller to come to me?" Xiao Zheng said with a smile.

"Then the old man will wait for your means."

A few days later, a large group of people appeared at the mouth of the Qiantang River near the sea, and Xu Jingzong led hundreds of people here.

Xiao Zheng was followed by the local county order, and the two were followed by an elderly fisherman.

Including Xu Jingzong, many officials were confused by Xiao Zheng, standing on the beach by the sea and looking at it, raising their eyes to see a barren place, poor birds in this place don't, in the past, Lord Xiao was mostly looking for rich businessmen, but this time he suddenly changed direction, how did he deal with the poor ghosts of several villages near the sea?

Wu Dake, the local county magistrate, also couldn't figure it out, knowing that this Shangguan was usually kind, but his own one-third of an acre of land was a well-known poor county in Hangzhou, and his own top boss asked him to recruit hundreds of villagers to say that he had work to do, turned his head and looked at the hundreds of ragged strong laborers behind him, and carefully looked at this Shangguan who was nearly ten years younger than himself, and his heart was at a loss.

Xiao Zheng turned his head to the old fisherman behind him and asked, "Old man, did you just say that the estuary of this place is mostly salty tide throughout the year?" ”。

"My lord, our place is the closest place to the sea, the tide in this place is a little strange, the water at the mouth of the river is salty every year, and it is all salty from March to November every year" The old fisherman's face was a little dark, and there were many wrinkles on his face, and his life was very hard.

Xiao Zheng smiled at the old man and said, "Haven't the old man's life been too comfortable these years? ”。

The old man sighed and said: "Don't hide it from my lord, our place is all saline-alkali land, rice does not grow, other crops do not grow, just go out to sea to catch some fish, but these things rely on the sky to eat, and you can't eat every day, after you arrived, you were exempted from the taxes of our county, but it is not very good."

Wu Dake, the county commander, arched his hand to Xiao Zheng and said: "Xiao Gong, forgive the foolishness of the officials, I have been in this county for nearly three years, how can I help this place is poor, located in the remoteness of Hangzhou, and the officials are incompetent."

After finishing speaking, Wu Dake was also ashamed, Xiao Zheng also knew Wu Dake's virtue, although this person was not a capable official, but he was also dutiful.

Afraid that Wu Dake would misunderstand, Xiao Zheng patted him on the shoulder comfortingly and said: "Lord Wu doesn't need to blame himself, the big family is different, and the brothers in the family live a rich and poor life, not to mention that the situation in the big prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River is different."

"Thank you, sir," Wu Dake said with a look of gratitude on his face to Xiao Zheng.

Turning his head and smiling, he said to the old fisherman behind him: "Old man, it would be a good thing if this place was salty."

"Why do you say that?" The old fisherman said with a little dissatisfaction: "It is not an exaggeration to say that this is a barren land, and I have heard a lot of the reputation of the adults and the villains, but you can't say anything about making fun of the poor under your rule, my lord."

"The old man misunderstood".

After Xiao Zheng finished speaking, he took a long box from Zheng Xuanli's hand, opened it and took out a few drawings three feet square, Xu Jingzong looked at the drawings and asked, "My lord, do you want to raise fish?" ”。

"Fish farming?!"

"You big pools made of stones, aren't they all fishing ponds?"

Wu Dake was startled when he heard Xu Jingzong say this, and hurriedly said to Xiao Zheng: "My lord, I can't help it, you don't know, this thing is different from the freshwater fish in the south of the Yangtze River, this thing can't be raised, you are really working hard and losing money by doing this."

Xiao Zheng looked at Wu Dake and nodded approvingly and said: "Lord Wu misunderstood, I just made a joke with Lao Xu, rest assured, when did I Xiao Zheng do the free service to the people, this time I came to take a look at this place, the county under your rule is holding a golden bowl and asking for food."

Fat Da is too busy this time, so busy that I can't watch my favorite World Cup, thank you for your support and love! This book is by no means too strong! Never!! This is not Fat Da's style, thank you again for the support and understanding of Shuzhi!!