The negotiation lasted from Chen hour to noon. There was no third person present during the period, and it is unknown what the two people talked about. After Xue Mai came out of the official house, Fang Jun sent his gift outside the salt pond, and returned surrounded by his family members.
Fenyin.
Subsequently, the review of the salt pond accounts by the "Three Law Divisions" accelerated and was concluded two days later. Wang Fukiao, Liu Changyun and the deceased Sima Yu bore the greatest responsibility. Liu Changyun was deprived of his position as salt farm manager, and after the corruption was recovered, "penalty and redemption" were allowed. Wang Fukiao continued
Serve as "supervisor".
The other stewards each had their own culpability, and were more or less "redeemed" with money, and then returned to their original posts...
A vigorous event came to an end very quickly, with a bit of anticlimax, but in fact it made progress that shocked the world.
The Hedong Family lost the ownership rights of the Hedong Salt Pool, and then instead of forcefully withdrawing from the salt pool and causing the salt pool to completely cease production, they bowed their heads and confessed, bowed their heads and surrendered the ownership rights of the salt pool while re-entering the scene as a "host".
This made the onlookers from all over the world shocked and angry. By doing this, the Hedong Family would not only increase the arrogance of the center, so that they could repeat the same tactics on other families in the future without any scruples.
When it's your turn, will you follow the example of the Hedong family and stop fighting and bully them at will, or will you rise up with hatred and fight to the death?
The Hedong family gave a bad start to the struggle between the powerful family and the center, which made the powerful family feel a little discouraged...
Merchant ships loaded with sea salt departed from Huating Town and went north along the canal to Guanzhong to alleviate the problem of salt shortage in Guanzhong and Longyou. However, this was a drop in the bucket. The unique geographical structure of "Sanmenxia" made shipping on the upper and lower reaches of the Yellow River extremely difficult.
, even the transportation of grain was restricted, resulting in the lack of food in Guanzhong and forced the construction of the Eastern Capital, let alone the transportation of salt?
However, a slight relief can also solve the current dilemma, and the Hedong Salt Lake has begun to resume production.
…
“What is the ‘five-step method of making salt’?”
"Why is it necessary to add clean water to the brine? Xiaguan has been in the salt pond for more than ten years and understands all the salt-making processes. He has never heard of this."
"Why do you make brine flow under the nitrate plate? What's the significance?"
Every day, Wang Fijiao followed the technicians mobilized from the Huating Town Salt Works. He saw these novel operations and knew what they were doing but didn't know why. So he kept asking questions.
The technicians at the Huating Town Salt Farm did not hide their secrets and taught them new salt-making methods.
"The so-called 'five-step salt making method' is the five processes of collecting brine and evaporating it, passing it through a basket, storing it, crystallizing it, and shoveling it out."
"The purpose of adding clean water is to precipitate impurities in the brine and produce a higher purity salt."
"The nitrate plate looks smooth, but in fact there are countless holes in the ground. The brine is purified and impurities are filtered out when it flows through it."
Wang Fijiao and other former salt pond technicians were greatly shocked.
Since the Zhou Dynasty, the salt production technology of Hedong salt ponds has been "sun exposure, natural crystallization, and intensive harvesting". It mainly relies on sunlight and the frequent "south wind" in summer, which causes the salt water along the salt ponds to quickly evaporate and condense into
Salt grains, taken in the morning, bring them back to life, taken in the evening, they come back to life, they are inexhaustible.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the "cultivation method" was invented, which was nothing more than stacking "brine storage borders" on the shore of the salt pond, which increased the brine area and accelerated the evaporation rate.
But now, under the supervision of technicians, the entire salt pond's salt collectors and farmers are constantly taking out the brine from the salt pond and pouring it into the fields. The degree of manual participation is extremely high, which greatly speeds up the salt production process. In addition, the clear water is used for brine and the salt plate
Through filtration and other processes, the purity of the table salt visible to the naked eye is getting higher and higher, and the precipitated salt particles are snow-white and fine, which is different from the previous "bitter salt".
The sun is shining brightly and the south wind is warm. The brine evaporates quickly under the wind and sun, and layers of snow-white salt grains crystallize out. The number of salt cubes in the salt field has almost doubled, but no one has time to spare. More
Manpower and more advanced process technology bring higher output and better quality.
The officials who came from the Hedong family couldn't help but feel a little scared. They thought Fang Jun was aggressive and wanton before, but now they know that there is no room for it. If the Hedong family is forced to take over the salt pond and all the Hedong family are expelled, then the people from the Huating Town salt field will be mobilized.
With manpower and the support of Xingyang Zheng's family, the salt pond can also be resumed quickly, and the output and quality can be improved to a higher level.
If such a situation really occurs, the Hedong family will suffer heavy losses and lose everything...
…
The public opinion originally caused by Fang Jun's forced takeover of Hedong Yanchi quickly subsided after the Yanchi resumed work and production and the Hedong aristocratic families fully complied. The previously clamoring aristocratic families ceased their activities, and Hedong, Henan and other places cooled down from the state of a pot of boiling water.
.
It is not only the rapid resumption of production and the huge increase in production in the Hedong Salt Lake that has caused more people to become unknown, but also the political significance behind this move.
The Hedong Family, a relatively isolated group, did not rise up to fight after their financial resources were cut off. Instead, they chose to lie dormant and cooperate. This shows the central government's determination to "suppress the clan" and Fang Jun's tough and clever tactics.
What if the next strategy of "suppressing the family" is their turn, and the financial source and foundation they rely on for inheritance is cut off?
If a family has no financial resources or private soldiers, is it still a family?
Although "farming, reading and inheriting the family" is what the aristocratic families advertise, they know very well that they cannot seek the best interests for themselves by relying solely on classics and classics. What the aristocratic families rely on for inheritance has never been these, but food, population, armaments, and military equipment.
Only with these can we "restore a country and destroy another" in troubled times, and "depose and establish an emperor" in the Taiping Festival.
When the children of an aristocratic family all have a copy of the scriptures and spend their days "talking about it, as the Master said Meng Yun", can they still leverage the interests of the country for their own use?
However, before the families in Hedong and Henan could recover from the shock of the "change of ownership" in Yanchi, another move aimed at the foundation of the family families had begun.
*****
Looking at the sun in March, it rains lightly.
Leaving the city from the upper east gate of Luoyang City, the canal flows slowly on the south side of the official road. Countless ships pass through it, and the boats are like clouds. Looking to the north, you can see the lush green Beimang Mountain stretching from east to west, blocking the mighty Yellow River.
outside.
Xu Jingzong rode forward first, followed closely by officials from Henan Prefecture and Luozhou Governor's Prefecture. On both sides were Ashina Zhong and Luoyang Prefecture soldiers led by Duan Baoyuan, including hundreds of Ashinazhong's personal soldiers.
The mighty force drove Yanshi directly.
As soon as they arrived at Yanshijie Monument, county government officials were waiting at the roadside. Xu Jingzong reined in his horse and stood still, and the entire team stopped in unison.
Xu Jingzong got off his horse, looked around, and said, "Let's start from here."
At your feet, the Luoshui River is in the north and the Yishui River is in the south. They merge into one in the distance and flow into the Yellow River from the east side of Beimang Mountain to the north. The terrain is flat, the river water is abundant, the land is fertile, and the flat farmland spreads out as far as the eye can see.
The officials of Henan Prefecture looked at each other and remained silent.
An official from Yanshi County stepped forward and said cautiously: "This is the Yu family's land. The account books are complete and the entries are clear. There is no need to measure it. How about we cross the Luoshui River and measure north from there?"
Xu Jingzong shook his head and said solemnly: "I came here under the emperor's order, not to thoroughly investigate a certain family or the land of a certain surname, nor to verify the authenticity of the county government's account books, but to carefully measure the vast territory.
Every inch of land in Tang Dynasty is meticulous and accurate. I don’t care whose farm it is, it starts from here.”
"Here."
When the officials of Yanshi County saw that the officials of Henan Prefecture were silent, they naturally did not dare to say anything, so a subordinate in charge of the household picked out an account book from a carriage filled with account books and handed it to Xu Jingzong.
Xu Jingzong took the account book and held it in his hand, and looked around: "Where is the Yanshi County Magistrate?"
"Replying to Xu Shangshu, the county magistrate has been ill recently and is being treated in the mansion. He is unable to come to help."
"Ah."
Xu Jingzong sneered and asked again: "Is anyone from the Yu family present?"
"Yesterday, the county informed each family that their fields would be measured today, and asked each family to send people to the fields to wait. However, the farmers also said that they would not send people to the fields despite the measurement."
"snort!"
Xu Jingzong snorted angrily, feeling deeply angry at Luoyang Yu's domineering behavior. This was because he didn't take him, the Minister of Rites, seriously!
"Where are the subordinate officials?"
"exist!"
Dozens of people emerged from Xu Jingzong's death, all young and handsome. They were talents selected by Xu Jingzong from among the disciples of Zhenguan Academy to assist him in coming to Luoyang to measure the acres of land. These academy disciples were not only good at arithmetic, but also quick in thinking.
And everyone listened to the words of him, the former chief secretary of the academy, and hit wherever he pointed, just like an arm.
"Let's start measuring!"
"Here!"
A boy from the academy came forward and took the account book from Xu Jingzong, unfolded it, looked at it carefully, compared it with the actual object, and confirmed the boundaries. Then he took a tape measure and started to measure. Others followed him, measuring and recording at the same time.
It was raining lightly, and all the officials were standing in the rain holding umbrellas. In front of them were fields that had not yet begun to be cultivated. The grass was already sprouting, and the willow branches by the river were swaying. The only sound was the sound of raindrops falling on the umbrellas, and no one spoke.
As the measurement slowly progressed, people gradually came closer from a distance. Most of these people were wearing bamboo hats, with their trouser legs rolled up high, and walking barefoot on the muddy field ridge.
He looked like a farmer, a tenant, or a long-term laborer.
As more and more people gathered together and got closer, the atmosphere gradually became tense.
Ashina Zhong frowned and shouted loudly: "Everyone, stop and stay away! Who are you?"
The leader, a man who looked like an old farmer, was short and stocky, with a dark face full of wrinkles. Hearing the words, instead of retreating, he took two steps forward and said, "We are tenants of the Yu family."
A tenant is a farmer who has lost his land, but has not sold himself into slavery. He only rents the land from his master for farming, pays a certain tax every year, and keeps the remainder as his own.
Ashina Zhong said impatiently: "The imperial court is measuring the acres of land, but no one from your master's family comes. Why are you tenants joining in the fun?"
The old farmer looked bitter and resentful: "May I ask the general, do you want to re-create the account books and increase the number of acres so that more corvees and taxes can be distributed?"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere became quieter.
Xu Jingzong's heart skipped a beat and he felt something was wrong...