Daming: Wanted to be a small landlord, but was forced to ascend the throne

Chapter 463 Are they all salt fields?

Zhu Youzhen was a little surprised that the new emperor said that he would not be allowed to be a magistrate!

You must know that after the internship of the Shinke Scholars, especially those who did not enter the Imperial Academy, they basically experienced slowly from the bottom officials.

What does the new emperor mean by this?
"Sizhe, I know that if you don't take the scientific examination, you can guarantee a few lifetimes of food and clothing based on your status in Xiangfan, but what is the purpose of you giving up all the hard scientific examinations?"

Qin Shao looked at Zhu Youzhen's eyes and asked.

"His Majesty?"

Zhu Youzhen was a little puzzled why the new emperor asked himself these words, and why he did these things. The new emperor should understand. Although he was not as capable as the new emperor and not as ambitious as the new emperor, as the descendants of the Zhu family, their Their personalities are somewhat similar, they just don't want to be idle for the rest of their lives, they want to be free, and they want to do something for the great Ming Dynasty to prove that their whole life is not in vain!

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty should understand me. Naturally, he wants to do something to help my great Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Youzhen looked into the eyes of the new emperor and said firmly.

"Correct!"

Qin Shao slapped the table violently, his face was still flushed after drinking, obviously the wine had gotten a little stronger.

Zhu Youzhen knew that Xinhuang had a lot of food, but he really drank a lot today!
"Sizhe, we are all descendants of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty. Although I, Ming Dynasty, look at An Ding now, I know that the past hundred years of tossing is actually vain and unstable inside. The Tatars are staring at each other. If we don't work hard, the Ming Dynasty will not last for many years. The people don't care, whoever is the emperor, they have enough to eat. They just feel sorry for my Zhu's descendants. Once the court is gone, the Zhu's descendants will never recover! How can we Sit in peace..."

"His Majesty!"

Qin Shao's words made Zhu Youzhen's blood boil.

He had been an intern in the Ministry of Households for a long time before, so he naturally knew many disadvantages of the Ming Dynasty. Now that the new emperor came to power, he implemented some measures, which really played a lot of role.

But after these years of tossing, the national treasury has long been empty. If the new emperor hadn't wiped out some tyrants and given the land to military households, let them grow sweet potatoes, etc., and also reduced taxes for two years, it is estimated that there will be troubles again by now!

Previously, Liu Liu, Liu Qi and other thieves almost attacked the capital. The Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapsing, but all the sons and daughters of the clan who had some ideas were worried, not to mention Zhu Youzhen, who had been paying attention to the court!

No matter how many conflicts of interest there are in the Zhu clan, when facing foreign enemies and the stability of the court, their hearts are naturally one.

"Your Majesty, Sizhe has been worried about the Ming Dynasty since he was ten years old. When the late emperor was here, he still had a lot of paperwork, but his strength was too weak to be valued by the late emperor. Now that your majesty can appoint ministers, the ministers have already done their best for the Ming Dynasty. , The determination to die! Your Majesty will send his ministers to the frontiers to suppress the enemy today, and you will not hesitate at all. Your Majesty will just say what to do!"

Zhu Youzhen immediately got up and knelt down.

"Sizhe, you and I are close relatives of the clan. There is no need to be like this. There are naturally people guarding the border. For the time being, you don't need to throw your head and blood. If one day, the Ming Dynasty is not guaranteed, I will fight side by side with you! Remember that fighting is not just about having strength and kung fu! If you want to win a big battle, you need money first! We don’t need to fight in person, what I want to do is to make money for Ming, and everything will be solved with money!”

"Your Majesty, I'm a little blunt in this regard, so you just say what to do! How to make money? What can I do!"

"I plan to send you to Yingshan to dig salt!"

"Go to Yingshan to dig salt?"

"Yes!"

"What kind of salt does Yingshan have? I heard from you that His Majesty wants to issue Daming Treasure Banknotes and link them with salt. Your Majesty, I think this method is reliable, just like the salt introduction. That thing is now more useful than silver." Top job! If you want to do this, you must firmly grasp the salt mining. I am willing to do the backyard work for Your Majesty, but for digging salt, I have to either go to Shanxi or go to the coast! It’s just sea salt. The drying time is relatively long, and I can also go to Sichuan, where the well salt..."

"Go to Huguang Yingshan!"

"Huguang Yingshan? Your Majesty, are you a little drunk? Huguang has no salt. If there is salt, it will not be squeezed by Jianghuai and Zigong salt merchants. Our Huguang had a salt shortage in the early years, and the price of salt soared to [-] yuan , that is because there is no salt in the territory, if there is salt, our Huguang will be more prosperous..."

Zhu Youzhen looked at the new emperor, although his face was a little flushed, but his eyes were bright, he didn't look like he was drunk, but what he said seemed a little nonsense.

If it is the first emperor, it is okay to say, after all, he has been in the palace all the time, and he may not know much about the situation in various parts of Ming Dynasty.

This new emperor came from Huguang just like him, and both of them are very familiar with Huguang!

Huguang has no salt, this is something that ordinary people understand!
Because both the Jianghuai area and the Zigong Sichuan area wanted to monopolize the salt in Huguang, there was a lot of friction. In the early years, there was a lot of fighting in private. The ministers in the court were also divided into two factions. Advantage.

From the standpoint of the common people in Huguang, of course they hope to eat salt from Zigong, because it is close to Huguang and the cost is low, so the price of salt will be cheaper.

But because there are many senior officials in the Jianghuai area in the court, they have more say.

Therefore, for so many years, Huguang can only eat high-priced salt that is higher than other places.

Zhu Youzhen complained in the early years that if he could do things in the imperial court and have the right to speak, he must beat the price of salt in Jianghuai.

At that time, it was just talking about anger!

To know that to be able to get in touch with such things as salt, one must have an absolute right to speak in the court. It is absolutely extraordinary, and one can only think about it!

For people in Huguang, it is already a luxury to eat cheap salt, and now the new emperor has asked him to dig salt in Yingshan, Huguang!Isn't this a joke?
Also, the boundary of Yingshan happened to be the original border area between Xiangfan and Xingwang. Others don't know the situation there.
"There is a salt mine in Yingshan!"

"There is a salt mine in Yingshan? Where is it?"

Zhu Youzhen was a little puzzled, could it be that a new salt mine was discovered in Yingshan?But he didn't get the news!

The discovery of the salt mine is a big event, and it must be reported to the imperial court, and it is such a happy event, the imperial court must reward it, and it will naturally be known.

"You are very familiar with that place, that is the great barren mountain and basin in Xiangfan that you sold to us earlier!"

"Your Majesty? Then... there is salt in that place?"

Zhu Youyou asked uncertainly.

"Yes! There is salt in that place, and there is an inexhaustible supply of salt. As long as you dig it well, it will last for hundreds of years, no! Even a small millennium can't finish it!"

"Your Majesty, are you joking?"

"Do you think I'm joking?"

"Of course not! I have always believed in His Majesty's words!"

Zhu Youyou said immediately.

Thinking of the person in front of him, many impossible things, as long as he proposes them, basically become possible.

It seems that there is indeed salt in Huguang Yingshan!

Zhu Youzhen suddenly thought of the news that someone had reported to him earlier, that there were often horse teams pulling loads of goods in and out of Sutunfu in Yingshan, and I heard that they seemed to be pickles or something like that!
pickle!

pickle!

Zhu Youzhen suddenly remembered!
A large number of pickles poured into the market around Huguang and other places, and the sales are booming. It seems... It seems to be the business of Xinhuang in Anlu Prefecture now!

Those pickles are cheaper than salt, how are they pickled?

Unless...unless Yingshan really has a salt mine!
"His Majesty?"

Zhu Youzhen looked at Qin Shao with a smile in his eyes in disbelief.

Xiangfan sold that piece of salt land for hundreds of taels of silver!
If King Xiang knew, he would probably vomit blood!
"Since it's confirmed, that's good! You can clean up in the next few days. After seven days, the Ministry of Finance will send some officials and craftsmen who understand salt mining to assist you to set up a salt department in Huguang. You will be promoted. If established Your salt industry department has dug out Yingshan Salt, so you should plan it carefully! As for any assistance you need, just report it!"

"Yes Yes!"

……

When Zhu Youzhen brought people to Yingshan Sutun with a feeling of anxiety, he was stunned by the situation in front of him!

To be honest, he's been here before.

When he was in Xiangfan, because of his rebellious personality, he often took people out secretly.

He also passed through the boundary of Yingshan, and knew that there were several small villages in the mountain, but to him this was a barren land.

But now here, there are rows of houses, busy people pulling vegetables in front of various wells and vats, what kind of deserted village is this?It's clearly a bustling town.

"Meet Mr Tiju!"

Two young men dressed like shopkeepers had already stood at the intersection to greet Zhu Youzhen.

"You are?"

Zhu Youzhen didn't expect that someone would come to greet him at the entrance of the village. Obviously, the other party already knew they were coming.

He knew that this place was originally the private property of the new emperor, and if someone came to pick him up, it must be someone arranged by the new emperor.

It's just that these two people should not be people with official positions, judging by their clothes.

"Grassman Su Tiezhu!"

"Caomin Su Shuanzi!"

"My lord, we are in the pickle business for His Majesty. I heard earlier that this place has been managed by the Salt Promotion Department. We are arranged to stay and assist you in your work."

Su Shuanzi explained.

"Good! Good!"

Looking at the fiery scene around him, Zhu Youzhen was actually very excited inside.

To be honest, although he has been in business for many years and has been an intern in the capital for two years now, he is very familiar with the problems of the salt industry, and even knows a lot about salt mining. The new emperor gave him a book, all about salt mining Smelted.

The content inside is very detailed. According to the paper, it is obvious that the book is new and has not been copied for a long time.

Zhu Youzhen had never heard of the methods and techniques in it, it was so strange!

Zhu Youzhen has been traversing these days without sleep and food, and he still can't let go of the book along the way.

Even so, Zhu Youzhen was still a little anxious.

The reason is that he knows the places like Yingshan Sutun very well. In such a desolate place, if you want to build a salt farm, not to mention recruiting workers, preparing various equipment, drilling holes and other follow-up work, it will take a long time to set up a residential area and build a house first. .

If you live here for a long time to mine salt, you must consider the issue of settling in first. Who can work here if you don’t have a place to live or eat? The first thing to consider when doing anything is to eat, drink, and scatter.

While reading books along the way, he was also troubled by the problem of arranging board and lodging. It wasn't that he didn't have money. The Ministry of Household Affairs had already allocated a lot to him. Salt could be mined to make money. This was a profitable business, and no ministers objected at all!
What's more, in today's imperial court, the new emperor basically has the final say. Although those ministers will laugh at their own opinions on many things, they basically follow the new emperor's lead.

Zhu Youzhen had seen those old guys in Wang Yin's courtyard before who seemed to have become the new emperor's little fan, but he never thought that he was actually the new emperor's earlier little fan!
As long as the new emperor said something to be done, although they would be surprised, inquire, and have doubts, no one would ever feel that it could not be done!

In short, one word: unconditional trust!

It's just that many things need to be implemented or a lot of effort must be made!

The new emperor said that there is salt in Yingshan, and after thinking about it, Zhu Youzhen realized that the new emperor already had a plan in this place!

It's just that this task is important, and the Xinhuang faction himself is obviously the most important to him, and Zhu Youzhen is excited to treat him as one of his own.

But this task is also very heavy. From the words of the new emperor, Zhu Youyi can feel that the new emperor is interested in the issuance of new currencies.

Although he didn't fully understand what method the new emperor would use to make the people trust the new currency after the Daming banknotes had become a piece of bad paper, he knew that the new emperor's requirement was a large supply of salt.

Yes, a big supply of salt!

Although the Ming Dynasty has made great progress in salt mining compared with the Song Dynasty.

At least it is easier and more convenient for people in Ming Dynasty to eat salt than in Song Dynasty.

But table salt is still in short supply in the market.

The reason is that there are many people, few salt fields, and the technology of mining salt is not particularly exquisite.

In addition, because many local tyrants and evil gentry occupy the right to manage salt, they have engaged in hunger marketing in order to increase the price of salt.

Yes, hunger marketing!

This term was proposed by the new emperor.

Everyone didn't understand what it meant at first, but after Xinhuang explained it, they felt that the word was really vivid and vivid.

Zhu Youzhen understood that since the new emperor linked the issuance of new coins with salt, there must be a lot of salt to support it.

Zhu Youzhen looked at those banknotes.

Although I don't know how the new emperor plans to issue banknotes at the beginning, it is clearly stated on the banknotes that the banknotes can be used to buy salt, and if there is a report on someone who prints counterfeit banknotes privately, it is also based on the reward salt.

Otherwise, if there is not enough salt at that time, the people will lose their trust, and the issuance of banknotes will also be useless.

Zhu Youzhen felt the heavy pressure on his body. According to Xin Huang's confession, his first batch of salt had to be dug out in mid-June, because Xin Huang was about to take action at that time!
In the past few days, Zhu Youzhen has not slept well for several days. He is thinking about how to speed up the installation of the residence and let the people he recruits come to work as soon as possible!
Yes, since the new emperor issued the task, Zhu Youzhen has practiced with Xing Xun, the governor of Huguang, to recruit people to dig salt in Huguang.

Xing Xun, none other than the fierce man who rebelled against Wang Shouren and Zhu Chenhao.

After learning that there is salt in Huguang, Xing Xun jumped three feet high!

As a parent officer, no one is happier than knowing that there are a lot of inexhaustible resources in your place!
What's more, this table salt is comparable to gold and silver!

With these resources, Huguang will no longer have the problem of salt in the future, and he, Xing Xun, can also flex his muscles in the governance of Huguang!
Immediately ordered local recruitment to cooperate with Zhu Youzhen's work.

"Your Majesty really helped me!"

Looking at the rows of houses and the unexpectedly orderly living quarters, Zhu Youyou's voice trembled a little.

"Please get up, both of you, quickly take me to see the surrounding situation!"

Zhu Youzhen was also not polite, and directly asked the Su brothers to get up and lead him to inspect the surrounding situation.

"My lord! Your Majesty said that the surrounding basins are full of salt fields. Several waves of craftsmen have come here these days. We have asked people to clean up the vegetation in those places, and we are now in the follow-up!"

Su Zhuzi pointed to the cleared land in the distance and said that the place he pointed was too far away, and he couldn't see the edge at a glance.

"Is such a large area covered with salt land?"

Zhu Youzhen's voice trembled a little.

"No! My lord, His Majesty said that this is only part of it, there are many more on the other side of the hill..."

(End of this chapter)