Ambassador Qian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the matter was finally resolved. He was afraid that Li Jie would hold on to certain issues in his youth and anger, but he didn't expect that the other party would just hold it up high, but then put it down gently.
Li Jie was a little bit dumbfounded when he saw Ambassador Qian looking relieved, but he didn't intend to make an attack now.
“Is this kind of thing common in Shangli Salt Field?”
Ambassador Qian quickly replied after hearing this: "There are many, but there are not many places. The problem of salt merchants keeping their branches is becoming more and more serious. At present, there are three parts of salt merchants in the world. Border merchants are responsible for paying for grain imports. Domestic merchants go to the border to buy salt imports from border merchants, and then
Leave it to the water merchants to sell it, and all those gathered here are domestic traders."
Li Jie did not comment on Ambassador Qian's words. The domestic merchants gathered at the Yamen Gate were probably salt merchants with no connections. Firstly, the border merchants did not want to stay away from their homeland, and secondly, they suffered from the problem of keeping their branches. They often sold salt to domestic merchants at a low price.
Although the profits have become smaller, it is still better than keeping the profits for a few years. Most of the big salt merchants in the domestic business have means to give priority to the payment. Many people see the huge profits from selling salt and follow suit. Most of the salt merchants gathered at the Yamen Gate are like this.
Kind of businessman.
Li Jie didn't ask much about this matter, and changed the topic and said: "Ambassador, could you please take me to the salt field for a visit? I came here this time, firstly, to understand the current situation of the salt field, and secondly, to confirm some improvements in salt drying methods.
The method still requires the cooperation of the ambassador."
Seeing that Li Jie did not continue to ask questions, Ambassador Qian was secretly happy and said quickly: "No problem, this is what the lower official should do, not to mention that the official document has already stated that the lower official should cooperate with your Excellency."
There are thirty-one regiments under the jurisdiction of the Shangli Salt Farm. The destination for Li Jie and his two brothers was the Tiandi Group. When they arrived at the pavilion, they saw the stove farmers, led by the general manager, drying ashes and getting brine. Li Jie saw
I was very surprised by this scene and asked.
"Why do kitchen households still use the method of frying salt? Isn't the yield of the sun-dried salt method insufficient for the amount of salt?"
Ambassador Qian respectfully replied: "It used to be enough. Since the official document from the Capital Salt Transfer Company was issued, businessmen from other salt fields have heard about it. The regular salt has been used up. The weather has been unfavorable recently, so we can only use traditional frying."
Produced by the salt method.”
The men, women, and children on the salt field were sweating profusely. The men were doing strenuous physical work, while the old, young, women, and children were preparing firewood for frying salt in the evening.
During Ambassador Qian's introduction, Li Jie learned that when using the traditional method of frying salt, the whole family would rush to the pavilion (the place where salt is cooked) before sunrise to dry it on the ash beach, and burn the salt after frying.
Grass ashes are spread out in layers on the pavilion before dawn, and they are busy from sunrise to sunset without stopping.
After listening to Ambassador Qian's narration, Li Jie couldn't help but sigh: "Salt is bitter, salt is bitter, and it is boiled in waves and boiled in brine all day long. Autumn is known in one leaf, and this is still the case in the Shangli Salt Farm. Important salt areas such as Lianghuai and Liangzhe have always used fried salt.
The salt method is a heavy coursework, and those kitchen households are afraid that they will not be able to rest day and night at all times."
When Ambassador Qian heard this, he flattered him quietly: "In life, I don't want ten thousand households, but I hope the salt will be beneficial to the west of Huaihe River. The salt tax of Lianghuai River is 3 million, and the rice can be used as water transportation to earn the full value. However, most people only look at it."
When the salt and profit are high, we have never seen the suffering of kitchen households. There are not many people who care about the lives of kitchen households like adults."
While the two were talking, they came to the place where salt is usually dried. Stone brine dishes were scattered in the open space. Ambassador Qian explained to Li Jie: "Look, sir, these are the things for drying salt. First choose
For a suitable brine site, after the tide goes out, take the sea mud and expose it to the sun until it is extremely dry. Then put it in the pool and pour it with sea water. Repeat this to make the brine available. Then put the brine on the brine tray and expose it to the sun for several days to form salt. No need for firewood.
Therefore."
Li Jie asked: "The method of drying salt is so convenient, why do most of the ministers in the DPRK don't know about it? Didn't everyone transfer the salt to the envoy?"
Ambassador Qian pondered for a moment and replied: "It's not that we don't report it, but it's useless even if we report it. Fujian Salt Farm is located in a remote area with inconvenient transportation. It has never been taken seriously by the imperial court. The imperial court has no time to care about anything else. It just needs to ensure that it can complete the fixed amount of tax revenue."
"
After listening to Ambassador Qian's words, people feel even more deeply about the disadvantages caused by inconvenient transportation in ancient times, low administrative efficiency, and turning a blind eye to good methods even though there are good methods. Of course, this also includes the reason why it is more difficult to control private salt using the sun-salting method, but it is also
Don't give up eating because of choking.
Most of the kitchen households Li Jie saw along the way were in ragged clothes, barefoot and with unkempt hair. Except for adult men, most of the women, children and children had disheveled faces. The children's eyes occasionally showed a trace of longing for the future, while the adults mostly had numb faces, as if
He works mechanically, resigned to his fate.
The situation in front of him couldn't help but shock Li Jie. For a huge empire, these people are like screws in the machinery. They are inconspicuous among all living beings. Most contemporary officials would not care about them. From modern times,
Li Jie came with a heavy heart. Since he came to this era, maybe he should do something for them.
Originally, Li Jie's utilitarianism had the upper hand in promoting the reform of the salt method, but what he saw and heard today made him change his original intention and become more determined to promote the salt-drying method.
The children of each family participated in the imperial examination, and the most important thing in the imperial examination was education.
In addition to local prefecture, state, and county schools, the Ming Dynasty also had social studies. Social studies were established during the Hongwu period. Their main purpose was to educate based on customs and customs. They were the most basic school-running units. In addition to education,
It is also an enlightenment school for preliminary cultural knowledge education.
Thinking of this, Li Jie asked: "How is the social studies in the salt field going now?"
Ambassador Qian looked embarrassed when he heard this: "I don't dare to lie to you, social studies are becoming increasingly depleted and useless. The Zao households have no food to eat and no clothes to wear. They really don't have the heart to send their children to school. Even if the Zao household children are admitted to the county school, other
Students are worried that the quota will be taken up, and there are many cases of exclusion."
Li Jie sighed after hearing this. There is a long way to go to change the salt law. Not to mention important salt areas like Lianghuai and Zhejiang, and even secondary salt areas like Changlu and Shandong, if you want to implement sun-dried salt.
Law, given my current status, I am afraid that I am unable to do so.
However, the time for this dungeon is still very long. Li Jie firmly believes that he can climb high enough in the remaining time. When he is in control of the power, he will not be tied up like he is now. Managing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and there is no rush.
When the two of them arrived at a tidal flat, Li Jie said to Ambassador Qian: "The salt-drying method used today also requires the preparation of brine. Why not omit this step? I have a method here that I need Ambassador Qian to help verify."
Ambassador Qian was quite disapproving when he heard that Li Jie wanted to improve the salt method, but on the surface he still asked respectfully: "Sir, please tell me, I will definitely take it to heart!"