While establishing county yamen and township offices in Tongchuan Prefecture, expelling rogues and suppressing bandits and bullies entrenched in various places, Yang Lin focused more on expanding the army and reforming the maladministration of the late Ming Dynasty.

In this battle of Tongchuan, more than 10,000 people were captured, plus those bandits, scoundrels, and bullies, the number of prisoners was even more.

According to past experience, with the exception of those who were young and strong and of good moral character to join the Volunteer Army, a small number of habitual bandits were sent to re-education through labor, and the rest were placed under the supervision of local township chiefs.

In addition to the captives, the largest source of soldiers is the local security team, or the strong men who voluntarily enlist in the army.

After two years of rule by the Great Western Army, the place was in ruins, and many families had a very difficult economic life, and some were even more unsustainable.

Some families with large numbers and little food at home also hope that the strong laborers in the family can go out to seek a way to survive.

Those who are alone also want to go out and break through.

Participating in the Volunteer Army, there is a subsidy of five taels of silver (more than four loads of rice in famine years), and more than 1 tael of silver per month, which can completely solve the livelihood of a family.

In just half a month, the Volunteer Army has expanded by 2,000 troops, and now the two independent battalions of Wang Shuji and Ma Mingluan have been expanded into two battalions, and the other regiments have been expanded into three battalions.

In addition, the biggest change was the formation of a separate Fran machine gun battalion to cooperate with the battlefield operations.

In the battle of Tongchuan Prefecture, the newly formed artillery team was unusually generous, and as soon as the battle ended, Yang Lin decided to form the Franco machine gun battalion under the responsibility of Fan Mingshan.

The Fran machine gun battalion has a full strength of 500 people, including four Fran machine gun brigades and a logistics brigade.

Unlike other places, there are a large number of small salt mines in Tongchuan Prefecture, and in the previous life of the Dead Sea civilization in the world, there was also such a Dead Sea in Suining County, Tongchuan Prefecture, which contained a large number of salt mines.

At the beginning of the development of financial instruments such as paper money in the feudal dynasty, salt, as a daily necessities for the common people, replaced modern finance to become the most profitable industry in China under certain circumstances.

The new policy was slowly rolled out, the local area gradually stabilized, and while the officials handled their daily affairs, Yang Lin focused on salt fu.

When he was in Shunqing Mansion, Yang Lin paid attention to salt politics, but Shunqing Mansion did not produce salt, and at that time it was mainly concerned with salt sales, which was different in Tongchuan Prefecture.

Pipe? According to the record of "Sea King", Guan Zhong calculated an account for Qi Huan: a large country with 10,000 military vehicles, about 1 million taxable people in the total population of 10 million, each person levied 30 yuan per month, and 30 million yuan a month;

But on the other hand, as long as the price of salt is increased by 2 yuan per liter, because the sale of salt is strictly in accordance with the household registration and the implementation of "selling salt by mouth", you can get an extra 60 million yuan per month, far more than the income brought by the high poll tax of 30 yuan per month.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, through Sanghong sheep, he implemented a monopoly system of salt products, official transportation, and private sales, which brought a lot of money to fight against the Xiongnu.

Although the Sui Dynasty had abolished the salt monopoly system, it was not until the end of the Tang Dynasty that the salt and iron monopoly system was re-implemented, and after hundreds of years of development, the salt tax became the third largest tax in the country after Tian Fu and Ding Fu.

In the Ming Dynasty, salt mines were discovered in Pengxi, Yunxian, Suining and other places, and the local people mined them and then sold them to various prefectures and counties.

When I was a child in Dongfang, I also heard my grandfather talk many times about going to Pengxi to pick up salt to buy when he was young, and it can be said that in the Ming Dynasty, where the transportation was not very developed, Suining salt ensured the supply of salt in the entire northeast of Sichuan.

After now controlling the six counties of Tongchuan Prefecture (Pengxi, Shehong, Tongnan, Suining, Lezhi, and Anyue), Qin Mintang, the governor of Tongchuan, summoned the eight major salt mine owners, the four major salt merchants in Tongchuan Prefecture, and several private salt leaders to come to Yamen.

Now seeing that there were salt farm owners, salt merchants, and smugglers at the same time in the venue, not to mention these people, even the officials next to them also felt that the atmosphere was extremely tense, and some even clenched the board in their hands, and rushed over and beat them up at the slightest mistake.

Everyone looked at each other with contempt for each other, and if it weren't for the yamen, some people might have rushed over and scuffled together, and at this moment a government official shouted loudly: "Your Excellency has arrived, please keep quiet."

Hearing this, these people hurriedly tidied up their clothes, and when they saw Yang Lin walking by, they hugged their fists and said hello (the Ming Dynasty is different from the Qing Dynasty, and everyone has quite a personality).

Yang Lin turned around, looked at everyone and said with a smile: "Everyone, please sit down, you may also know that my mantra is that taxes should be taken from the people and for the people, and as a magistrate, you should fight for the welfare of the people."

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been reading the history books for the past two days, and I feel very confused about one thing, and now I would like to ask you for advice.

History of the Song Dynasty? The Currency Chronicle said that the price of each piece of salt in the Song Dynasty was 6 guan, that is, each quotation was equivalent to a tax of 6 taels of silver, and 30 copper coins were paid as a tax for each catty of salt in the Northern Song Dynasty.

I Ming divided the country into 10 outlines, each class of salt for 200,000 citations, each introduction of salt weight of 300 catties (large citation).

In the forty-fifth year of Wanli, it was changed to the Gang Salt Law, and the government no longer interfered in salt affairs, only collecting taxes, and only needed to pay 2 taels of silver for a small salt (200 catties), and 10 copper coins per catty of salt, which was far lower than the level of the Song Dynasty.

Let's talk about it, should my Ming official salt be sold lower than that of the Great Song Dynasty? ”

Everyone was stunned, and everyone didn't study the ancient books, but since Yang Lin said so, everyone nodded and said: "My lord, my Emperor Ming is sympathetic to our businessmen and adopts a policy of light and light endowment, my lord, I am a benevolent government." ”

Yang Linle smiled and said, "Really? Since the imperial court treats us businessmen so well, we businessmen should also be kind to ordinary villagers.

In the History of the Song Dynasty? The Currency Chronicle clearly states that the market price of a pound of salt is only 50 copper coins.

On the other hand, we are in the Ming Dynasty, and the government only receives 2 taels of silver per citation, and each catty of salt is only 10 copper coins.

The retail price of the official salt market is 2 or 3 yuan a catty in some places, and the private salt is also bought for 60 copper coins. ”

Everyone was shocked, and heard that salt trading has been liberalized in Shunqing counties, and as long as a certain deposit is given, as long as normal taxes are paid, salt can be bought and sold freely.

With a slight change, the price of salt on the market has been reduced from 300 copper coins a pound to 100 copper coins.

Several salt mine bosses glanced at each other and explained: "My lord, every small salt (about 200 catties) from our salt mine is exchanged for 1 load of grain, and the cost of each liter of salt is only 5 copper coins.

My lord, the conscience of heaven and earth, we are just supporting our families, and we don't make any money? ”

Some salt merchants were the first to react and opened up salt sales channels in Shunqing Province, and it seems that adults already know the way.

Now that everyone is gathered to discuss the matter, is it to openly punish the lawlessness?

After thinking about it, some people stood up and publicly shouted: "My lord, you don't know that I have a Ming officialdom, it costs money to buy salt, and when you sell salt, you have to bribe the salt envoys and local officials."

Although the official name is set as 2 taels of silver for a quotation of salt, how can ordinary people get it? It needs to be related, it needs to go the way, like those of us who keep our duty, what to get in our hands is 6 taels of silver, which is converted, and it takes 30 copper coins per liter.

To get the salt guide, you need to go to the stove to exchange it for salt, you need to transport the salt back to the local area for sale, there are demons and monsters along the way, the yamen wants to collect money, the checkpoints need to collect money, and the local ruffians and hooligans need to be dealt with.

Just like Tang monk meat, everyone has to eat a bite, and finally go to the market, although it sells for 100 copper coins a catty, but how much risk do we salt merchants have to take, and there are too many expenses, and the profit is meager."