The military and political circles of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces began to carry out large-scale military and political reforms, and personnel were adjusted.

Wang Zhongying, who came to negotiate with the Shanxi Governor's Mansion on behalf of the imperial court, was from a literati background. However, in order to solve the urgent needs of the imperial court, he was born as a literati and still rushed all the way to Datong Mansion.

In the living room of the Shanxi Governor's Mansion, facing his old acquaintance Wang Zhongying, Wei Zheng's face only flashed a trace of surprise, and he returned to calm. Then, he asked Wang Zhongying bluntly.

"Lord Wang, you are the emperor's right-hand man, you are in such a hurry to come to my Shanxi Governor's Palace, no accident, there must be something other than the imperial court? Say, the emperor asked you to come over, what's the matter? ”

Wang Zhongying, who knew Wei Zheng's character, did not hide it, and directly told what the imperial court had done during this time, the problems and huge pressure that the imperial court was currently facing.

Then, he said with a sincere face: "Wei Dashuai, I can't hide it, this official came to Datong Mansion this time, firstly, I hope that Wei Dashuai can help the imperial court through this difficult time." The second is to send benefits to Wei Dashuai...."

For Wang Zhongying's first request, Wei Zheng directly ignored it.

However, Wang Zhongying's second purpose, to give benefits to herself, attracted Wei Zheng's attention.

At the last Standing Committee meeting, Vice Premier Zhou Lao made a guarantee that he would meet all the food and salary needed by the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Haw Par Army. However, Wei Zheng was not satisfied with this...

In Wei Zheng's eyes, the limited tax revenue of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, in addition to meeting the needs of more than 100,000 soldiers of the Tiger and Leopard Army, also has a very important purpose, that is, to meet the needs of the people...

So. For Wei Zheng. The more income from the Shanxi Governor's Palace, the better......

But. When Wei Zheng's eyes, because of what Wang Zhongying said, quickly shot out two rays of light. The difficult situation that the imperial court is currently facing directly comes to Dao Weizheng's mind.

Then, facing Wang Zhongying in front of him, he asked with a slight mockery: "Benefits....Lord Wang, this commander heard me right....The current imperial court can't even settle the food and salary of the garrisons in various places." And the ability to give Ben Shuai benefits? ”

"Of course, as long as Wei Dashuai is willing to help the imperial court overcome this difficult situation in front of him, the imperial court will have a way to benefit Wei Dashuai....As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse....no matter how difficult the current situation of the imperial court is, the imperial court is the imperial court after all, managing more than a dozen provinces and millions of troops in the entire Ming Dynasty.......

"The emaciated camel is bigger than the horse....well said..."Wei Zheng nodded noncommittally.

Facing Wang Zhongying in front of him, he asked with an interested face: "In this case, Ben Shuai really wants to listen carefully, the current imperial court." What benefits can I give Ben Shuai......"

After a hint of confidence flashed on Wang Zhongying's face, he replied loudly: "This official knows." Of all the revenues of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, refined salt and glass mirrors account for a very large proportion...."

However, the official also believes that the current Wei Dashuai must be thinking about how to sell refined salt and glass mirrors nationwide. Increase the sales of refined salt and glass mirrors to the maximum and earn more silver......"

Hearing this, if Wei Zheng still doesn't understand the small abacus of the imperial court, then Wei Zheng, the governor of Shanxi, will be in vain.

Under Wang Zhongying's gaze, he directly asked: "Ben Shuai understands, the imperial court intends to help Ben Shuai sell experience and glass mirrors..."

Wang Zhongying affirmed loudly: "Yes, looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, only the imperial court has the strength to sell the refined salt and glass mirrors produced by Wei Dashuai to every corner of the Ming Dynasty..."

"Therefore, the one who cooperates with the imperial court and ultimately benefits must be Wei Dashuai......"

Hearing this, Wei Zheng was directly moved. However, Wei Zheng did not immediately give Wang Zhongying a reply.

Because, as the supreme commander of the Haw Par Army, Wei Zheng knew very well that this kind of cooperative relationship between himself and the imperial court could not be maintained for too long. Sooner or later, one day, he will still be in a state of confrontation with the imperial court.

Therefore, in any case, he cannot control his two major economic lifelines in the hands of the imperial court.

So, an idea quickly came to Wei Zheng's mind.

Under Wang Zhongying's gaze, he said decisively: "Ben Shuai can cooperate with the imperial court and earn money together." However, Ben Shuai has one request. As long as the court agrees to this request, Ben Shuai can now make a decision and cooperate with the court...."

Wang Zhongying's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "What requirements?" ”

"The colleagues who supply refined salt and glass mirrors to the imperial court will also supply glass mirrors and refined salt to all the surrounding merchants. In other words, Ben Shuai did not allow the imperial court to monopolize the sale of refined salt and glass mirrors throughout the Ming Dynasty..."

"After the lessons learned from the last time, Ben Shuai has to be cautious and not put all his eggs in one basket."

"Of course, Lord Wang, don't worry too much, the price of refined salt and glass mirrors given to the imperial court by Ben Shuai is definitely lower than that of ordinary merchants."

Therefore, as long as the imperial court does not engage in malicious competition, it is still the imperial court that will eventually master the refined salt and glass mirror market. In the end, it is still the imperial court that makes money. As for those merchants, they could not be the opponents of the imperial court at all......"

In addition, after the refined salt was given to the imperial court, it belonged to the so-called official salt. There is no need to secretly sell in private like the original. In this case, the price of refined salt must be appropriately raised...."

"Therefore, from now on, the price at which the imperial court extracts refined salt from Ben Shuai is fifteen taels of silver per load. As for the price of ordinary merchants, it is sixteen taels of silver per load......"

"It's so expensive..."After listening to what Wei Zheng said, Wang Zhongying subconsciously let out an exclamation.

Wei Zheng sneered without the slightest hesitation: "Is it expensive?...according to Ben Shuai, within a month of military confrontation between the imperial court and Ben Shuai, the price of refined salt in the capital has risen from 15 taels of silver to 25 taels of silver today. ”

"Ben Shuai began to think that after transporting refined salt all over the country, the price fell in time, and it was impossible to fall back to the original fifteen taels of silver. So, no matter what, the court has a profit..."

"Besides, in today's Ming Dynasty, those who use refined salt are all gentry and landlords....these people have silver, as for how to take out the silver in their hands, it depends on the ability of the lords of the court..."

"In addition to the refined salt accident, starting next month, the Shandong Peninsula, which Ben Shuai has already controlled, will also sell sea salt without any impurities to the provinces of Daming at the price of two taels of silver and cleaner than ordinary coarse salt..."

"If the imperial court wants it, Ben Shuai will also sell it to the imperial court at the same price, and let the imperial court help Ben Shuai sell these sea salts."

"As for the price of the glass mirror, Ben Shuai can definitely tell Lord Sù Wang that the price is definitely more expensive than when it was supplied to the imperial store. As for the specific price, there will be a special person to negotiate with the imperial court at that time...... Ben Shuai won't say much. ”

After listening to what Wei Zheng said, Wang Zhongying closed his mouth directly.

Because, what Wei Zheng said is all true...

Even if the imperial court bought refined salt at the price of fifteen taels of silver, it still made a very large profit.

However, with those merchants competing with the imperial court, the price at which the imperial court sold it was obviously not too high. Otherwise, the refined salt business will all fall into the hands of those merchants.

However, no matter what, it is still necessary to earn a tael of silver for a load of refined salt.

Of course, Wang Zhongying, who knows the population of the Ming Dynasty, will definitely not underestimate these two pieces of silver.

Not to mention anything else, only the capital, which has a population of hundreds of thousands, needs to consume around 50,000 quintals of refined salt a year, not to mention the entire Ming Dynasty....

According to Wang Zhongying's consideration, as long as the imperial court sells refined salt to every corner of the Ming Dynasty. With those official gentry and landlords of the Ming Dynasty, there is absolutely no problem with consuming 1.5 million quintals of refined salt a year.

One and a half million quintals of refined salt, for the imperial court, is one and a half million taels of silver.

What's more, this is only the income from refined salt.

If you count the more profitable glass mirror, it will cost you an extra three or four million taels of silver a year, and it will not be a problem...

Three or four million taels of silver a year is definitely a lot of income for the imperial court, which has long been unable to make ends meet.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhongying directly showed a hint of an imperceptible smile in her heart.

However, what Wang Zhongying didn't expect was that although the imperial court took a lot of advantage from it. However, it was not the imperial court that really made money, but Wei Zheng, who was sitting in front of him, and on the surface, he still had a calm face.

A load of refined salt is fifteen taels of silver, and one and a half million quintals of refined salt is more than two million taels of silver.

You must know that since Laizhou Bay began to produce sea salt, the cost of each load of refined salt produced by the Shanxi Governor's Mansion has been reduced to five yuan of silver. In other words, the cost of 1.5 million quintals of refined salt is less than 800,000 taels...

In this way, the income of the Shanxi Governor's Mansion alone reached more than 20 million taels.

Of course, these are only temporary.

Wei Zheng, who plans to reform the entire Daming salt industry, does not intend to let the price of salt in Daming continue to fly all the way.

The reason why such a high price is set now is entirely to earn the money of those official gentry and landlords in the Ming Dynasty.

After they have enough strength, the major extensions of the Shandong Peninsula can produce enough sea salt. Wei Zheng will embark on the reform of the salt industry that he has already thought about.

At that time, the consumption of refined salt in the entire Ming Dynasty will definitely be greatly reduced.

Not to mention 1.5 million quintals, maybe not even 500,000 quintals.

However, even so, Wei Zheng can also pass the guò ordinary sea salt and earn a large sum of silver with a profit not less than refined salt.

Because, although the quality of the sea salt produced in Laizhou Bay far exceeds the coarse salt in the Daming market, its cost is as low as a figure that no one can imagine...

The cost of drying a load of sea salt is less than three cents of silver, which is almost nothing......

In other words, the Governor's Palace's profit from the sale of a load of sea salt was almost an astonishing two taels of silver.

According to the calculation of the 150 million population of the Ming Dynasty, at least 20 million taels are needed a year. According to the profit of two taels of silver and one load of sea salt, it is a full 40 million taels of silver, which is much higher than the income of refined salt. (To be continued......)