Because of the mine supervision system, the person who really made the call in Jiezhou Yanjing was the mine supervisor.
The mine supervisor was someone who was close to the emperor and was there to serve the emperor. But mine supervisors are also human beings. Since they are human beings, they have greed, not to mention that these eggless eunuchs always have a greater desire for money than ordinary people.
The main reason why Zhu Shenzui and Wang Jiacun were able to obtain salt from Jiezhou was because they bribed the person next to the mine supervisor, a supervisor below.
As a mine supervisor, isn't it normal to make some money privately while doing things for your master? So the same is naturally true for the stewards below. This is no different from the original nature of an official. The only difference is that no matter how much money the mine supervisor makes, the bulk of it is still filial to the emperor. After all, without the emperor's support, he cannot be a mine supervisor.
Zhu Shenzui knew the situation in Jiezhou very well, so after listening to Xia Dong's words, he made a judgment in his mind. The so-called increased demand in the military was probably an excuse. You must know that the north of Shanxi has been very peaceful in the past two years. Since Lin Dan Khan and After the court reached an agreement, the border market was opened, and everyone stopped fighting for a long time. Since there was no war, there was no need to talk about military needs.
Nowadays, the only place where there is war in the Ming Dynasty is in Liaodong. After the Battle of Saarhu, the situation in Liaodong changed drastically. Now the Ming army has turned from offense to defense because of its defeat. If it is Liaodong, it is true, but the problem of Liaodong has nothing to do with them in Shanxi?
Even if salt is used, the salt used in Liaodong is Changlu salt. The two places are far apart.
Changlu is one of the three major salt fields, and the salt produced far exceeds that of a small place like Jiezhou. If even the Changlu Salt Field cannot meet the needs of the Liaodong war, then the people of the entire Ming Dynasty may not even be able to eat salt.
Jiezhou's salt production has always had a fixed number. The so-called fixed number is also called "positive salt", and anything outside the fixed number is called "remaining salt".
To explain in simple words, it is the difference between planned and unplanned. The positive salt was done openly and openly, and the residual salt was off-the-book. Zhu Shenzhui and the others were engaged in private salt trading, and the salt they took was actually the unplanned residual salt.
Surplus salt can be decided by the mine supervisors and subordinate managers themselves, and the price is much cheaper than normal salt, also known as "cost salt". But at this time, Xia Dong told Zhu Shenzui that there might be changes in getting salt from Jiezhou next year, and also found a reason for military demand that didn't sound very reliable. The real reason behind this is a bit intriguing. .
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Shenzui said to Xia Dong: "In this way, you don't have to go this time. You can go to Jiezhou with a few people and get a batch of salt back before things change. It's just the right time to leave. The warehouse has also freed up the goods, and the salt shipped back will be put directly into the warehouse and sealed until next spring, depending on the situation."
Xia Dong also considered this. Hearing Zhu Shenzui's arrangement, he naturally agreed and nodded immediately in agreement.
After explaining this matter, Zhu Shenzui adjusted the number of people who would set out tomorrow, and assigned some to Xia Dong to take with him to Jiezhou. After the explanation was completed, Wang Jinwu couldn't help it anymore.
"Brother Six, take me with you when you go back!"
Zhu Shenzui was stunned and subconsciously looked at his uncle Wang Rong.
Wang Rongchong nodded to Zhu Shenzui: "Jin Wu is not young anymore. This time we have sent people to Jiezhou, so let him follow him. When father and son go into battle, brothers fight against tigers, it is also time for him to follow and practice. ”
Hearing what Wang Rong said, Zhu Shenzui understood what his uncle meant. Moreover, Wang Jinwu was his cousin. Although he was a bit reckless, he was a good fighter in terms of boxing and kicking skills. The road he took this time was very common. There is no risk in taking the route, so it is not a problem to take him with you.
So Zhu Shenzui didn't refuse, he just made a three-part agreement with Wang Jinwu in front of everyone. We are all brothers at home, but it's different when we go out. What they were doing was no ordinary business. When they were on the road, Zhu Shenzui went east and west. All actions must be under his command and he must not act without permission. If Wang Jinwu couldn't do it, it would be better not to go. If he had to go, , these ugly words were said at the beginning. If Wang Jinwu makes a mistake, Zhu Shenzui will not let this boy off easily for the sake of his cousin.
"Brother Six, I can swear! I promise to listen to you on the road!" Wang Jinwu saw that Zhu Shenzui was willing to take him on the road. His face turned red with excitement, and he patted his chest and swore.
"You kid, remember, go out and learn from your sixth brother. Just do whatever your sixth brother tells you to do. If you get into trouble outside, don't tell me that your sixth brother will punish you. When you come back, I will screw your head off." Come down and be a urinal!" Wang Rong reminded with his eyes wide open.
"Uncle, it's not serious. Besides, why do you want my cousin's head? Wouldn't you feel scared if you put such a big thing next to your bed at night?"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and even Wang Rong shook his head with laughter.
The main thing at the dinner table is chatting. After talking about the serious business, everyone eats.
Because we were leaving tomorrow, we didn't drink much, so we only took a few sips of the prepared bottle of wine. After dinner, we all got up and went back, making an appointment to set off early tomorrow morning.
After a good night's rest, Zhu Shenzui woke up the next day and had breakfast with Wang Rong and his son, then packed his bags and headed to the entrance of the village.
When they arrived at the entrance of the village, everyone was already there. Apart from Zhu Shenzui, Wang Jinwu, and Wang Chuer, Wang Gui, and Wang Yinsheng whom they met yesterday, there were sixteen young people.
Among these sixteen young men, one was named Xia, another was named Zhao, and the rest were all descendants of the Wang family.
The descendant named Xia is from Xia Dong's second uncle's family, that is, his cousin. The descendant named Zhao is the nephew of the blacksmith Zhao, and they are also from Wangjia Village.
Everyone was ready, and when they saw Zhu Shenzui coming, they quickly stepped forward to salute.
Zhu Shenzui waved his hand and took a look at their preparations. After completing the circle, he was quite satisfied. After all, this was not the first time for them to do this kind of work. After two years, they had become experts and everything was in order. of.
"Uncle, please keep an eye on this place at home."
"Don't worry at home, but be careful on your way here." Wang Rong nodded seriously.
After bowing his hands to Wang Rong, Zhu Shenzui turned around and said to everyone: "Let's go!"
Everyone responded, then drove their donkeys and mules, carrying their burdens, and silently walked away along the path at the entrance of the village.
Smuggling salt is very risky. Zhu Shenzui and the others' destination this time is Zhao Village in the east.
The reason why I chose this place is also very particular.
Zhao Village is located in the east of Shanxi. After Zhao Village and further east is Yuxia Pass. After passing Yuxia Pass and over the Taihang Mountains, you will be Lin County, and Lin County is the boundary of Beizhili.
There are many people smuggling salt in Shanxi, and the main ones are the big merchants.
Since Lao Zhu implemented the Kaichu Law in Shanxi, it has long been common practice for Shanxi merchants to sell salt privately through salt channels. Moreover, due to the monopoly of these Shanxi merchants, many trade routes have long been divided up.
It is simply impossible for small private salt dealers like Zhu Shenzui and Wangjiacun to compete with these Shanxi merchants for the market in Shanxi. The family has a big business, half-official and half-private, and there are big figures such as Qianhusuo, commanders, and even frontier army generals, deputy generals, and soldiers in charge behind the scenes. Taking food from the tiger's mouth is simply whimsical.
Because of this, for the sake of safety, Zhu Shenzui had spent a lot of time in the past two years and finally selected two private salt trading routes, one of which was the road they took this time from Wangjiacun to Zhaocun.
This private salt trade road is not easy to follow, and Zhao Village, like Wangjia Village, is only a small military village with a hundred households. The demand is limited and is far inferior to other trade routes. But this is only relatively speaking. For those Shanxi merchants, the gains outweigh the losses, but it was different for Zhu Shenzui.
Zhu Shenzui and the others only paid forty or fifty dan each time. This amount was considered a lot for ordinary people, but for Shanxi merchants who spent hundreds or even thousands of dan each time, it was simply child's play.
Even if the quantity is small, it is still profitable, and the profit of private salt is huge.
The cheapest salt in the Ming Dynasty was during the Jingtai period, when it was only 1.79 Wen per kilogram. During the Jiajing period, the price of salt was around 4-5 Wen, reaching a high of 10 Wen.
During the Wanli period, the price of salt often fluctuated, and the price was not the same in the north and south. From the early years of Wanli to the present, the price of salt in various places has been on the rise. Taking Beizhili as an example, the current price of salt is 43 Wen per catty. up and down.
The cost of Zhu Shenzui's salt from Jiezhou was only 2 Wen per pound, which meant that they could make more than 20 times the profit by transporting the salt to Zhaocun and selling it. Even if Zhao Cun had to share 30% of the profit, it would still be more than ten times as much as Zhu Shenzui and the others.
The profit from such a trip is about more than 200 taels of silver.
This profit is indeed not small. The purchasing power of Ming Dynasty's silver is extremely strong. More than two hundred taels is considered a huge sum of money.
You must know that the full salary of Zhu Shenzui as a clan member was 300 dan. According to the later discount ratio, it was 30%, which is 90 dan. According to Wanli's permanent quota system, the total amount received was almost 45 taels of silver. In other words, as long as Zhu Shenzui makes such a trip, he can earn nearly five years' salary in just one month.
