Chapter 42: The Beginning of a Crisis

When He Xi heard this, he made a silent calculation in his heart. Even if it is an acre of 200 acres. More than 2,000 hectares, that is, 800,000 mu, is only counting the hottest two months and 60 days, and the daily output of salt is 100 catties. That is, after 800,000, add two zeros.

Even if the price of salt falls sharply, one tael of silver and 100 catties is calculated, which is more than doubled. There were also more than 40,000,000 taels of silver. It's definitely enough for him to solve the financial burden.

Sure enough, the salt industry has been monopolized since ancient times, not without reason.

It's just that He Xi also knows very well that things won't be so easy. Even such a large output will bring big trouble to He Xi. The first is the oversupply, which is almost equivalent to the sum of other salt transportation divisions in the Ming Dynasty.

Such a big benefit. The price of salt in the remote areas of Liaodong will definitely pour into the Ming Dynasty.

Where the interests are, even if they kill the head, they can't be stopped.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty implemented the Open China Law, although the salt tax was not much. However, there is a lack of important conditions for maintaining grain at the border gates, and it can be said that under the implementation of the Kaizhong Law, the northern border of the Ming Dynasty has always been possible. After the repeal of the Kaizhong Law, it seems that the river is declining.

In this way, large-scale private salt will definitely cause changes in the Daming salt industry, and even a crisis.

He Xi secretly said in his heart: "Perhaps, this is also where the opportunity lies." ”

He Xi was just trying to get out of Liaodong's financial predicament. It's just that he never thought that the real explosive expansion of production capacity was not the cloth industry he hoped for, but the salt industry. It's just that it can be said that the Chinese have been playing salt for thousands of years, and they have long been on the tipping point. It is only that the technological reform is suppressed by the relations of production.

He Xi just pushed lightly, and there was a breakthrough development.

A lot of things affect the whole body. However, it is this whole body that He Xi wants to move. Before, I just wanted to create a model in Liaodong. Then it expanded to the whole country. But how to expand? He Xi couldn't imagine for a while, he suddenly had an idea at this moment.

It came from the salt industry.

Since ancient times, China has been a country of officials, and there are many handicraft workshops, salt farms, mines and the like that directly managed by the government. He felt that it was impossible for him to directly seek the supreme power of the Ming Dynasty. But this is the most appropriate from this point of view to go from Liaodong to the whole country.

At least, these imperial courts directly managed the workshops, and in the entire imperial court, the weight was not too high.

With He Xi's current status, he may be able to touch it.

Moreover, if you want to touch it, you take the initiative to ask for it, and it is different from others asking for it. So crisis, crisis. It's just that there is a chance in the midst of danger.

He Xi looked at a handful of salt, and seemed to see through this white particle that the household department would face a large-scale decline in salt taxes and a shortage of food at the border in the future. If they can't handle it, they will naturally ask him to come out of the horse.

Thinking about it, Zhu Yuanzhang is also happy to see it.

He Xi's attention to the salt industry has improved a lot. He Xi said: "Yes, Tie Xuan, do you need anything?" You can tell me directly. ”

Hearing He Xi say this, Tie Xuan remembered a lot.

He began to be in charge of the salt industry project last year, when there was not a single acre of salt fields in Liaodong, and no one was proficient in the matter of drying salt. There are now salt works scattered all over the peninsula.

Among them, there is too much hard work.

Not to mention anything else, although Tie Xuan's background is not considered rich, it is not bad. The calluses on the hands are all written in handwriting. Nowadays, because of the perennial contact with seawater, it has a high concentration of brine brine. It's so rough that it doesn't look like it's going to be. There are also deep black ravines above.

After touching the salt water, it still hurts.

This shows the hardships that Tie Hyun has endured.

It's just that I thought that from now on, the people of Daming will be able to eat cheap salt. Tie Hyun was very happy, he didn't need anything himself. But his men were in need. He said: "My lord, since this year, several groups of Koreans and hungry people from Liaodong have been settled in the salt farm. Everything else is easy to say. Temporary housing is also sufficient. It's just that there is a shortage of food rations. After Xiaguan improved the process, he changed the original one sedimentation tank into several sedimentation tanks. There are also a lot of mixing and transportation tasks. It's all heavy physical work. The amount given by the imperial court is that of ordinary people. Not salted. Look, sir, can you mention a little bit? ”

Tie Hyun has a good idea.

Now that you have made achievements, you must seek more benefits for the people below. But if it was something else, He Xi would satisfy him without saying a word. But now food consumption is almost hovering around the warning line. He Xi seems to be stable for food. But in my heart, I was already anxious.

In fact, he also needs to know that Tie Hyun is not wrong when he says it. The rules set by He Xi, after three years of Koreans, will be released to the people.

The reason for this is that after three years of reclamation, the land can be regarded as normal cooked land. Then the land opened up was distributed to the people, so that they could settle down, and from then on they were the people of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this is also explained to the outside world. He Xi also used this process to exploit three years of free labor.

When it came to formulating rations, all Koreans were treated equally.

However, He Xi also knows. The labor intensity is different from place to place. Just like agriculture, except for the busy time of farming, the labor intensity is not too high in many cases. There's a lot of time left. After the spring flowers bloom, there is a lot of time to dig up some wild vegetables and hunt some small game, such as fish, so their rations can be pressed.

The saltworks are different.

Or maybe it was okay when it was just beginning. Because of the sunshine, there are also technical problems. Not much salt is produced. But as the weather gets hotter day by day, coupled with Tie Hyun's technical improvements. Although He Xi didn't know some details of Tie Xuan's technical improvements. But if you want to come, you should straighten out the steps and increase the labor intensity.

Otherwise, there would be no high yield.

As a result, the salt workers had little time to think about their stomachs.

It is also normal that there is not enough food rations.

Such a situation, if not a universal phenomenon, can represent a considerable number of people.

It's just that we can't solve this problem now. He Xi was silent for a while and said, "Tie Xuan, this matter is very important. The salt field will increase the ration, and the other fields will increase the ration, do you think it should be added or not, if it is added, it will cost tens of thousands of stone of grain more a month. This is not something that can be solved overnight. Well, I'll send someone to investigate. Let's see if the ration standard is lowered. Or that ration standards should be graded and should not be one-size-fits-all. "It's procrastination.

The investigation takes time, and a month or two has passed since the investigation, and perhaps the problem has been solved by then.

"So be it. I see there are some ports here. I transferred a number of fishing boats from Lushun and distributed them to each salt farm. Send your own men to fish and be self-sufficient. You have enough salt here anyway. If you have more, you will save it. Now that Lushun has a batch of salted fish ready-made, I will allocate it to you, although it is a little unpalatable, it is meat anyway. ”

This is appeasement.

It's always a matter of giving a little good.

Moreover, the Lushun shipyard has a large batch of production for fishing boats, which is like small dumplings. But sailors with boats are not as easy to train as dumplings. Therefore, fishing boats are not only sufficient, but also redundant, and it is easy to allocate them to the salt works.

He Xi's words, although they did not make Tie Xuan very satisfied, were enough.

Tie Hyun said, "Thank you for your understanding. Xia Guan was extremely grateful. ”

He Xi said: "Do things well, now the Hedong Salt Transportation Division is just verbal." In the future, I will make this matter a reality, Your Majesty. Don't dare to say anything else, there must be a place for you in this salt transportation division. ”

Tie Xuan said, "Your Excellency has thanked you. ”

After He Xi appeased Tie Xuan, he had a faint bad premonition in his heart.

Because he remembered that the labor intensity of the salt workers was certainly high. However, it is not the salt workers who are really labor-intensive, but the coal mines and iron miners, and mining is the real heavy physical work. Moreover, the Han population is expensive, and the influx of Goryeo people is increasing.

He Xi has already completed the transfer of the original people in Liaodong from miners to safer positions and more technical positions.

In other words, the miners in each mine today are Koreans.

"Is there really no problem?" He Xi asked himself again.