Chu Huan glanced at Du Fugong next to him, and couldn't help asking, "Does the old lady mean that there is a shortage of salt in Xiguan now?" ”

The old lady sighed: "There has never been enough salt in the northwest, and the adults may not know that there are three types of salt, sea salt, lake salt and well salt. Zhiruohu salt and well salt are only produced in some inland areas, and are mainly concentrated in the Sichuan region, although there are also a few salt wells in the northwest, but the salt produced is not only not good, but the quantity is extremely limited...... Don't say that solving the salt market in the northwest is to solve the salt market in a state, and that is also a problem. ”

Chu Huan asked: "In this way, the salt needed by the Northwest Salt City is all transported from Guannei?" ”

The old lady stroked his beard and said: "For a long time, salt, like iron, belongs to the official match. ”

"Official?"

Du Fugong has already explained on the side: "My lord, since the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong of Qi State put forward the policy of 'Guanshan Hai', and began to monopolize salt and iron...... Until the early years of the Han Dynasty, the open to the private sector, but did not want to deal in salt and iron businessmen Fubi princes, to the Han Dynasty Emperor Wu, forced by financial pressure, under the auspices of Sang Hong Yang to implement the 'cage salt iron', the salt and iron business back to the government, the implementation of the monopoly of salt and iron. ”

The old lady heard Du Fugong's eloquent words, but looked at Du Fugong with a hint of surprise, Chu Huan didn't think there was anything unusual now, even if Du Fugong said something surprising, he wouldn't be surprised, he was now sure, reading poetry and books with a full stomach should refer to people like Du Fugong, and Du Fugong's talent and learning is not the kind of scene of moaning without illness, but the knowledge that can really be learned and put into practice.

"In the salt-producing areas, there are special salt officials to manage them." Du Fugong said slowly: "People are not good without salt, everyone must eat salt, the people do not eat salt, their limbs are weak, their bodies are swollen, their whole body is weak, they can't work at all, and if the soldiers don't eat salt, they can't fight, and they don't have the slightest combat effectiveness, so if the people and soldiers can't eat salt, it's really the people's livelihood and the political situation is turbulent...... Since the time of the Han Dynasty, the salt transportation yamen was set up, and the salt produced in the salt factory was transferred to various places through the salt transportation yamen, and handed over to the government-run salt merchants for sale, and each county will set up several salt merchants, and the price is uniformly allocated by the government, and it is strictly forbidden to increase prices and hoard, which is to avoid someone from monopolizing the operation in private, if this is discovered, it is a first-class felony. ”

Chu Huan asked, "The price of salt controlled by the government shouldn't be too high, right?" ”

"Salt and iron are related to the lifeblood of the country, salt is the people's livelihood, and if the people's livelihood is in chaos, the country will naturally be in chaos." Du Fu said fairly: "Therefore, in all dynasties, the government has been very strict in controlling the salt market, and the salt market is in too much demand, so this is also the most important benefit of the country...... If there is a problem in the salt market, there must be a serious problem in the country. ”

Chu Huan thought for a moment and asked the old lady: "Is there already a problem in the salt market in Xiguan?" ”

"The salt used in the various provinces of Daqin is mainly from the southeast coast." The old lady explained: "Now that the southeast Tianmen Road is in turmoil, the imperial court and Tianmen Road are in a stalemate, of course, the two sides first compete for the control of Haiyan, which not only reduces the salt-producing areas of the imperial court a lot, but also the war is stalemate, and the degree of salt production is naturally not as good as ......before!" ”

Chu Huan understood, and said, "Mr. Du also said just now that in order to prevent the salt market from getting out of control, it is forbidden to hoard salt, that is to say, there are not many tun salts in the various provinces of Daqin?" ”

The old lady nodded and said: "That's right, the empire has a special salt road, and the salt is allocated to various places through the salt transportation yamen, but now there is a war in the southeast, and there are problems in the salt road, and the salt transportation yamen is no longer able to transfer salt to various places smoothly as before, especially in our northwest, the mountains are high and the roads are far away, and the amount of salt that can be transferred from the southeast has been greatly reduced, and other provinces are vying for salt. ”

Du Fugong said on the side: "Many places in the Guannai can also use the supply of lake salt and well salt, and there are even big problems in the northwest ...... this one!" His brows also furrowed, although he had been calm and calm in the encounter, but at this time, there was obvious worry between his eyebrows, "Even if my lord can really deal with this plague this time and sweep away the epidemic, but once there is a real shortage of salt for a long time, the supply in the customs will not be available, I am afraid that I will face a more serious dilemma at that time." This plague, although it is not easy to deal with, can be solved by medicinal herbs after all, but if there is a lack of salt, then there is nothing to replace. ”

The old lady immediately agreed: "What Mr. Du said is that this salt is no better than others, and no one can lack it, but there is nothing else that can replace ......!" ”

Chu Huan thought for a while, and finally asked, "If you can find something to replace table salt, can many troubles be solved?" ”

"Find something to replace table salt?" The old lady and Du Fugong glanced at each other, and their faces showed suspicion, but in a moment, Du Fugong had already smiled and said: "My lord said that I am joking, since ancient times, there is really nothing that can replace salt, if there is really such a good thing, salt will not become one of the ...... of the government's salt and iron monopoly together with iron!" But seeing Chu Huan's expression, he didn't want to be joking, and he was a little suspicious, but after thinking about it, he finally felt that what Chu Huan said was a little whimsical.

Chu Huan said with a straight face: "Old lady, Mr. Du, you said that the output of salt mainly comes from sea salt, lake salt and well salt, and there is no other way to get salt except for these three?" Or is it that the Northwest itself can't produce a lot of salt? ”

The old lady and Du Fugong glanced at each other again, Du Fugong was erudite and talented, and the old lady was well-informed, and the two looked at each other, and they both saw the meaning of each other's eyes, and they both shook their heads.

Chu Huan sighed and said, "It seems that this is indeed the case." ”

Du Fugong listened to what Chu Huan said strangely, and couldn't help asking: "My lord, what you said is really like this, I don't know what you mean?" ”

Chu Huan thought for a while, and finally said: "Old lady, Mr. Du, it's not easy to explain to you now, you give me a day, and at this time tomorrow, there is still something for the two of you to identify." ”

The old lady and Du Fugong didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Chu Huan's gourd, and they saw that Chu Huan's eyes were shining with a strange light, and their hearts were full of suspicion.

"They're going to send patients over later." Of course, Chu Huan will not forget the gambling contract with Ma Xiangu, "Mr. Du, when they arrive, I will bother you to arrange it, Doctor Sun is in the house, he remembers the method, according to the method last time, there should be no ...... of any problems!" ”

Du Fugong naturally agreed, and after the old lady and Du Fugong left, Chu Huan went back to the study, made a list, called Sun Zikong, handed the list to him, and asked him to prepare the things on the list.

Sun Zikong couldn't help but be very surprised when he saw the things on the list, only to see that the things listed on the list were very strange, sieves, hammers, linen, wooden barrels, charcoal, etc., as well as the hand-cranked stone mill Sun Zikong became more and more surprised the more he looked at it, he didn't know what Chu Huan wanted to do, according to the items on Chu Huan's list to find, many things in this mansion could not be found at all, and there was no hand-cranked stone mill governor's mansion alone, so he could only go out to find it.

By the time Sun Zikong had gathered all the things on the list, it was already past noon, and when he returned to the mansion, Chu Huan was no longer in the mansion.

Chu Huan was not in the Governor's Mansion at this time, but he arrived at the Yamen of the Ministry of War, and the director of the Ministry of War was surnamed Zhao Mingxin, but he didn't expect that the Governor would come to the Yamen of the Ministry of War in person, and hurriedly led the officials in the Yamen out to greet him.