Time flies to late February.
A huge incident broke out throughout Qingzhou, and that was Xiahou Dun, who had just squeezed out Jiao He and assumed the post of governor of Qingzhou.
Suddenly he became the governor of his state.
An order was issued to all counties and counties in Qingzhou, and was posted in the form of a document to make it known that from now on, no private salt farms are allowed to be built in Qingzhou, nor is private water diversion for salt extraction allowed.
All existing saltworks at the same time.
The state government will pay a certain price and buy it all at a discount. This order is mandatory and is not allowed to be held in hand without selling.
In other words, from now on, there will be only official salt in Qingzhou and no more private salt.
The private salt fields that have been in use for a long time in the past will become history from today on. In the past, those families who made a fortune by mining salt made a lot of money and accumulated huge wealth from generation to generation.
They will be forced to cut off their livelihood.
Gradually transform into the most primitive and ordinary landowning family that makes a living by cultivating the fields.
And that's not all.
While the Qingzhou Prefecture issued the edict unilaterally, all the territories ruled by the Cao family, including the entire Yanzhou, northern Yuzhou, and southern Jizhou, all issued orders in unison and in unison.
Without exception, the content is that from now on, private salt farms will no longer be allowed to exist. The scale of operations in the past and the amount of salt handled will be ignored. They will just let bygones be bygones.
However, in the future, setting up salt farms privately and mining salt privately will be classified as a violation of the law.
Once discovered by the government, the illegal gains will be confiscated and a huge fine will be imposed. An ordinary small salt merchant will never be able to bear such a heavy fine.
In more serious cases, the person's home may be confiscated directly, and those who refuse to change even after repeated admonishment, or whose private salt farm is too large, may even have to spend time in jail.
If you are more courageous, you may have to go to the execution ground. It is not impossible to be missing an arm, a leg, a body part or something.
All in all the penalties are very high.
…………
Although in the actual area ruled by the Cao family.
Only the coastal areas of Qingzhou produce salt. In inland areas such as Yanzhou and Yuzhou, there is not even a trace of salt flowers to be seen. This simultaneously issued decree actually only targets private salt farm owners in the Qingzhou area.
But the momentum it created was huge!
How many states are there in the Kanto region?
The current situation is that except for Xuzhou, the other four states all have the same caliber. It is so powerful that it really seems to be overwhelming.
The families and businessmen engaged in salt mining and selling in the Qingzhou area were all terrified. From the day they received the documents from Haifa, they felt like the sky was falling apart all day long, and everyone was anxious and angry.
This is the key to inheriting their family and keeping their business, and for their descendants to enjoy wealth forever. It is the lifeblood that maintains their status as a superior class forever.
It is also the source of food and clothing for countless salt workers!
Now the state government has issued an order that private mining of sea salt is no longer allowed and all rights are to be taken back to government agencies. Isn't this killing them?
If you have never enjoyed it before, then of course it doesn’t matter.
But from having something to nothing, how can they endure this feeling that they are used to enjoying?
Therefore, the fear is getting stronger day by day.
…………
What worries the families and businessmen who operate the salt mining industry the most is the chain reaction that will occur. They are afraid that the decree implemented by the four-state linkage may become a weather vane.
in other words.
They are afraid that this decree will spread and become a sign of unified reform in coastal areas.
That would really cut off their lifeblood completely.
After all, the current sea salt production areas of the entire Han Dynasty were concentrated in Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay, plus some coastal sections south of the Huaihe River estuary. Together, these places basically monopolized sea salt.
But now Qingzhou has banned illegal salt sales.
That means that salt mining and salt drying activities will be prohibited in the southern part of the Bohai Bay and the entire Laizhou Bay.
And once the Bohai County and Xuzhou areas are also linked, then the salt mining areas in the northern Bohai Bay and the Huaihe River estuary will have to completely return to the embrace of the government.
At that time, what would be left for these families and businessmen who had been engaged in salt mining for generations?
So panic is spreading.
The resistance and various secret plans are also increasing, and there are faint signs of an explosion.
…………
And now the situation is getting worse and worse.
While the fire of resistance gradually ignited.
Located in Luxiang County, Donglai County, hundreds of cavalry led by Cao Ang and a large force led by Xia Houyuan successfully merged here.
Donglai County is located in the easternmost part of Qingzhou. It is also the only county in the entire Qingzhou where all cities are along the coast. Compared with Beihai State, Qi State and other places, it can be said that it relies entirely on the sea for its livelihood.
The shape of the entire Dongnae County is roughly similar to "╮", which is an N-shaped ring with the opening facing the southwest. It is just inlaid with the protruding part of Beihai Country to form a whole.
Luxiang County, where Cao Ang is currently located, is located in the northwest corner of this semi-ring, adjacent to Laizhou Bay, a salt-producing area, and still some distance from the coast.
At this moment, he is in the temporarily requisitioned government office.
Cao Angzheng met Xia Houyuan secretly, and the two discussed the current situation.
"Uncle Miaocai, it has been some time since you led your troops into Donglai County. You must have sent people to contact most of the counties and villages in the county. Do you know what their current situation is?"
Xia Houyuan first bowed respectfully to Cao Ang, and then reported the situation of the past few days.
"To be honest, Zixiu, I set off from Yanzhou this time and led more than 10,000 troops into the territory of Donglai. Such a huge army was intimidated by everyone wherever it went. The clans and officials in every county, city, and city all It’s a warm welcome from all walks of life, and it’s so warm that you think you’re the king!”
"It's just that since Yuan Rang issued a decree announcing that from now on private salt farms will not be allowed to be built and private salt mined, the direction of the situation seems to have changed."
"Although these people are still afraid of the army I command, I can clearly feel what they are planning in private."
…………
Listening to Xia Houyuan's narration.
Cao Ang couldn't help but sneered.
"They are just clowns with scabies. At first, they thought that our coming with troops was just to change Qingzhou's masters. Those who benefited still benefited, so they ate pots of pulp to welcome the king's master. .”
"In the end, we found that we wanted to carry out drastic reforms and recover the capital that they relied on to suck blood. Naturally, the situation changed."
"It's just that they are small characters, and they are doing such dirty things in private. What can they do to us? They are not worthy of my serious look!"
After a cold scolding without mercy.
Cao Ang changed the subject again.
"These local clans and businessmen are nothing to be afraid of, but their ability to incite the people must be guarded against, especially the salt workers who work for the salt fields."
"These salt workers are ordinary people, just young people in the market. They are the most susceptible to instigation and the easiest to be incited to become swordsmen."
"Once they are instigated to become enemies of our army, even though I have strong troops and horses and am not afraid of them, it will still be a minor trouble. Besides, I don't want to take action against these ill-fated people unless necessary."
Regarding the meaning of Cao Ang’s words.
Xia Houyuan can naturally understand.
The Cao family's army is the king's division. Both Cao Cao and Cao Ang are loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. If the people are incited to go against the Cao family.
Things are really tricky.
…………
But understanding is understanding, Xia Houyuan was not worried about this at all. Instead, he showed a somewhat relaxed smile on his face, and then pointed in the direction of the window.
"Don't worry, Zixiu. Just look at the heavy snow falling outside and the biting cold wind. You will know that we have all the time now!"
"Since last month, the coastal areas adjacent to several major salt fields in Dongnae County have been affected by the extreme cold and have become frozen. There are many floating ice on the sea surface, making it extremely difficult to extract salt."
"For the families and businessmen who hold several large salt fields, it is a loss-making business to raise a group of young men while they cannot start work in the cold winter months, so they sent the salt workers back early."
"Now it is almost impossible for them to reunite this group of people to cause trouble. After all, after the salt workers were dismissed, they returned to their hometowns early to busy themselves with family affairs."
Xia Houyuan said it easily and freely.
Cao Ang couldn't help but smile.
Yes, he was aware of the heavy snowfall as early as on the way to Zhuxu County.
This is the timing of the three elements of heaven, earth and man.
The sea is frozen and the sky is snowing heavily. If you want to dry salt in this climate condition, even if you dry it for ten or eight days, you won't be able to get 2 taels of salt flowers.
As a qualified capital investor, he certainly couldn't let his young man go without work. Naturally, he was sent back to his hometown early to go about his own business.
Wait until the spring thaws.
Bring these people back again.
In this way, Cao Ang was left with a huge opportunity. After all, the transportation and communication conditions in this era were extremely poor, and breaking the rules to contact these demobilized people was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
In this way, as long as no common people participate, it will not trigger civil uprising or anything else.
Then there are some small and medium-sized families and businessmen left. They are nothing. If they dare to cause trouble, they will be crushed to death!
Do you understand the value of the army? !
…………
But erring on the side of caution.
Cao Ang still gave an extra warning.
"Uncle Miaocai, this matter requires a lot of effort. Although large groups of people cannot gather together, it is not difficult to do it on a small and scattered basis."
"We still focus on appeasing these people. We can send people to read out our decree in coastal counties and towns. That is, after the state government takes over the salt fields to the government, it will still hire young people like them to mine salt."
"It's impossible for us to do this kind of work ourselves, so they don't have to worry about losing their job because they switch from private to official."
Xia Houyuan nodded heavily.
Xiang Cao Ang responded in a deep voice to show that he understood.
Only after recording the order.
Xia Houyuan suddenly remembered something.
He hurriedly reported to Cao Ang: "In fact, after the order from the state capital was issued, and before you arrived, Zixiu, there were these days."
"Many people have found me with excuses, either explicitly requesting, or secretly hinting, either promising huge profits, or showing off money."
"They all think that our military can be proud and relax the control a little to give them some breathing space."
As soon as this statement came out.
Cao Ang couldn't help but chuckle.
Sure enough, the clan forces in these places are smart and know how to find the rightful owner when something happens.
We understand who the state government is making the decision and who is behind Xiahou Dun, the governor of Qingzhou. If we want to take a breather from the decree prohibiting illicit salt sales, whose words are most effective.
So they didn't come to find Xia Houyuan.
He wanted to use Xiahou's words to turn to him.
…………
If it were something else.
Cao Ang might want to think about it again.
But the salt and iron official camp will become the basic national policy of the Cao family for a long time to come.
Let’s not talk about iron for now.
The salt must be taken back.
This is related to the money bag of the Cao family.
Not to mention that Cao Ang has now mastered the technology of purifying coarse salt and the method of mining salt flowers more efficiently. The sooner the salt mining industry is brought under government control, the sooner massive wealth will roll in.
Compared with such ambitious goals.
Those local clans and businessmen who lie on Haiyan and suck the blood of several generations, who are they?
Think of this.
Cao Ang was only slightly interested and asked in a flat tone: "Oh? What kind of regulations did they talk about specifically, and how do they want us to show our respect and give them a breather?"
Xia Houyuan did not answer immediately.
Instead, he quickly came to the map hanging in the house, then drew a line along the northwest coast of Donglai County, and then focused on Huang County, the county seat of Donglai County.
"These people are smart people. They know our determination to bring the salt industry back to the government, and they also understand that their strength is not enough to fight against the state capital."
"So the meaning behind the words is whether we can leave a few openings in this coastal area for them to operate."
"Or maybe the vast majority of small and medium-sized salt farms, as well as salt farms run by small and medium-sized families, are willing to hand over all the salt farms to the government, but they only want to release a few big families and allow these families to continue to operate the salt industry as representatives."
"As a token of investment, they are willing to give priority to selling the salt flowers to the government after they are mined, and use a large portion of their annual income to pay taxes."
…………
have to say.
This plan is quite sincere.
Leave a few holes, or sacrifice some small and medium-sized families in exchange for the survival of the remaining people, and turn over a certain amount of benefits every year.
It's a pity that Cao Ang doesn't care about this.
Is this all he wants?
"ha!"
After moving his muscles a little, Cao Ang couldn't help but sneered.
Then he said in a cold and ruthless tone, like the wind of the Nine Netherworlds that lasted for nine cold days.
"If we only take over the salt fields of some people, or only target those small and medium-sized families, wouldn't it be equivalent to a slap in our face if the news spread?"
"Since the government order has been promulgated, it must be strictly implemented. If we treat it differently, the so-called government order will be in vain, and the prestige of the state government will be gone in an instant."
"Besides, what qualifications do they have to bargain, and how can they have the face to let me give them a breathing space? They have already received enough!"
Speaking of which.
Cao Ang paused for a moment.
Then he stepped to the window, opened the originally closed window slightly, and the cold wind from outside suddenly poured into the house.
The room, which had been somewhat drowsy due to the burning fire, suddenly became refreshing.
…………
After so much.
Cao Ang just put his hands behind his back, looked out the window through the gap, and murmured with deep eyes.
"The so-called salt and iron franchise has existed since ancient times. In the land of Qilu, since the Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period, there has been a decree on salt and iron official operations."
"After I, the Han Dynasty, became the master of the world, due to the Huang-Lao philosophy of ruling by inaction in the early Han Dynasty, the Yantie official camp was suspended. However, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, this decree was re-passed to In order to obtain a large amount of national treasury revenue, and to crack down on the local wealthy and powerful."
"But soon during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhao, the Salt and Iron Controversy broke out. After that, the imperial court was forced to give up its monopoly on wine and abolish some iron officials."
"It wasn't until Emperor Guangwu reestablished the Han Dynasty that the so-called salt and iron government operations were completely abolished and turned into private and self-operated operations by wealthy merchants, while the court collected taxes from them. This operation continued for more than a hundred years."
After briefly stating the historical evolution.
Cao Ang suddenly narrowed his eyes.
With an increasingly cold tone, he slowly said a shocking sentence.
“Whether it was the Salt and Iron Debate during Emperor Xiaozhao’s time, or the private taxation system pursued after Emperor Guangwu, the reason for such changes was because this decree was greatly obstructed and opposed.”
"Those who take the lead in singing the opposite tune are mainly the large businessmen in Qilu, including those Confucian schools who recite classics and always have benevolence and righteousness in their hearts."
"The only flag they hold high is that the court should not compete with the people for profit!"
"But the people they refer to in their words are those who face the loess and turn their backs to the sky, burying their heads in the fields all day long. They work hard for a year but have very little left. Year after year, the cycle goes back and forth, and they can barely maintain their status. In addition to food and clothing, if there are some natural or man-made disasters, will the people lose their land and go into exile, selling their sons and daughters?"
…………
When talking about this.
Cao Ang patted the window sill heavily with his right hand.
He shook his head with an even colder look in his eyes.
"The people obviously do not refer to the common people, but to the nobles and merchants. The Confucian school wants to warn the emperor and the court not to compete for profits with these people."
"Hey!"
"But this principle doesn't work for me. If it can make all the people in the world rich, the country rich and the people prosperous, then I am willing to give up this benefit."
"But if it is just given to these scholar-merchant clans, or to this small group of large and small families in the Qingzhou coastal area, I absolutely cannot agree with the so-called principle of not competing with the people for profit!"
"This is also the reason why I am determined to overthrow the private salt taxation system that has been implemented for more than a hundred years since Emperor Guangwu. Does Uncle Miaocai understand?"
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(End of chapter)
