"Reporting back to the thousand-year-old master," Ji Kun had no choice but to settle the accounts with Zhu Cixiang on his fingers, "Half of the world's salt industry is in Huaiyang. There are 30 salt fields in the two prefectures of Huaiyang, more than 12,600 pavilion stoves, and more than 5,800 brine ponds. There are nearly 70,000 kitchen workers, and the annual output of salt is more than 705,000 yin, and the remaining salt is 3 million yin, totaling 740 million jins. In addition, there are some private salts that are not included in the salt yin. It's about one billion pounds.
The price of salt on the market in different parts of the Ming Dynasty varies greatly, ranging from one and a half cents to three cents of silver per catty, with an average of about two cents. The market value of one billion kilograms of salt is 20 million taels of silver..."
"And during the Wanli period, when the income from salt classes was the highest, the annual income from salt classes in Lianghuai and Huaihe was only 680,000 taels." Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "Of the 20 million taels, only 680,000 taels belong to the imperial court. Oh, in Chongzhen In sixteen years, there probably won’t even be 340,000 taels left! This salt law is boring, so it’s better to abolish it and let the people buy and sell it freely!”
"Your Highness..." Ji Kun was startled by Zhu Cixiang's words, "This is absolutely impossible!"
"Can't you?" Zhu Cixang said with a smile, "Where can I find three hundred thousand taels in this palace? Senior brother, what do you think?"
Senior Brother Zheng Sen understood and hurriedly took over the conversation and said: "My family can pay an annual tribute of one million taels to His Highness!"
"Okay, okay!" Zhu Cixiang said, "I will issue an edict tomorrow to cancel the Salt Transport Department of the Lianghuai Salt Capital!"
What? Playing for real? How many jobs has this guy ruined? Are you really powerful, or are you just stupid and don't know how powerful you are?
Zhu Cixiang then said: "Ji Juren, I will accept the report on the rebellion of Xu Yongji, the commander of the Yangzhou Guards, and Zhu Guobi, the admiral of Yuyun Funinghou. I will send the East Palace guards to protect you. You can go back first." Well, when I send people to investigate them strictly, I will announce you to others."
Send someone to protect him and put him back... Chitose doesn't mind the trouble!
Ji Kun, a litigator, was so clever that he immediately understood what Prince Zhu meant. That was to send a message to the four general merchants of Huibang salt merchants, asking them to quickly calculate how much money should be paid to the court so that the salt policy and salt law could continue.
"Junior Brother, do you really want to abolish the Salt Law and Salt Policy?"
After Ji Kun left, Senior Brother Zheng Sen immediately came up and asked about the Salt Law and Salt Policy.
Zhu Cixiang smiled and nodded, "Yes, we will discuss this matter at noon tomorrow... the order should be issued soon."
Zheng Sen shook his head: "But this matter is too involved. Not only are the nobles of the two capitals involved, but my mentor also seems to have a lot of friendship with the Huaiyang salt merchants."
Later generations have legends about the relationship between businessmen and Donglin. In fact, not all businessmen will use a lot of money to support the Donglin Party as their protective umbrella. For example, although Zheng Zhilong also paid tribute to Qian Qianyi, Lao Zheng did not rely too much on the Donglin Party. Lao Zheng's wealth was built with the navy! On the seas of East Asia today, except for Westerners, no one dares to say that they can compete with Old Zheng.
But those Huaiyang salt merchants have no strength, and their business is actually not difficult. Not as good as those silk merchants in Jiangnan and the porcelain merchants in Jingdezhen! After all, they can get Westerners and Japanese to send boatloads of silver. Moreover, silk and porcelain are neither a monopoly nor a necessity, and competition is quite fierce.
But table salt is different. Table salt is a necessity for monopoly operations! Moreover, the processing cost is very low, and salt merchants are not kitchen households. They do not process salt themselves. In fact, they are just a group of tax-paying merchants. And when the tax-contracting merchants could not pay a sufficient amount of tax to the court that issued the contract, what did Zhu Cixiang want them to do?
"So what?" Zhu Cixiang sneered, "The water in Slender West Lake is cold. As a teacher, we don't dare to jump in!"
Is the water cold? Why does junior brother always say that the water is cold? Zheng Senxin said: It's okay. It's only July now, so it's not very cold...
...
Xu Yongji, the commander of the Yangzhou Guards, is a descendant of Xu Da. He is not a direct descendant of the two princes, but a branch of the Wei State. Therefore, he cannot be a prince, but he still got a job as a commander, and he is a relatively well-off Yangzhou Guards. Commander.
Yangzhou is an important town in the salt industry. The Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department is located in Yangzhou, and the eight major salt managers also live in Yangzhou. Therefore, Xu Yongji, the commander of Yangzhou Guards, has to get involved in the salt industry. On the one hand, he is the agent of Wei Guofu in Yangzhou - collecting protection fees from the eight major salt generals in Yangzhou on behalf of Wei Guofu. He is also involved in the business of four old Western salt generals. , Wei Guofu has secret shares of these four companies!
Except for Xu Yongji, Nandu's distinguished nobles would almost always have a hand in the Huaiyang guards such as the Yangzhou Guard, Huai'an Guard, and Gaoyou Guard under the jurisdiction of Yizhen Garrison, so that they could intervene in the Lianghuai Salt Industry.
These guard stations all have the power to investigate smuggled salt. Controlling these guard stations is equivalent to strangulating the throats of Yangzhou salt merchants!
In addition to the Yizhen garrison system, there is also a Nanjing navy that also has the power to detect illegal salt. This navy is also a tool for Nanjing nobles to intervene in salt affairs.
The emperor of the Ming Dynasty probably also knew that there were too many tricks in the salt industry, so he wanted to use multi-party supervision to fight corruption. Therefore, Nanjing nobles could intervene through the guards under the Yizhen garrison and Caojiang Navy, and civil servants could intervene in salt affairs through the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department, the Salt Censor, the Jiang Censor, the Yangzhou Magistrate, and so on.
The Nanjing garrison eunuchs and Huai'an garrison eunuchs from the inner court could also intervene in Yangzhou salt affairs.
So all the nobles, officials, and eunuchs involved in salt affairs had to get a share. There were too many people sharing the money and too many people protecting private salt, so the salt tax that could be paid to the court was pitifully small.
The intrigues between nobles, civil servants, and eunuchs in Yangzhou mainly revolved around salt.
The eight major salt managers who openly controlled the Huaiyang Salt Industry gradually became the white gloves of these three parties.
Although Ji Kun Ji Juren is a member of the military, he is relatively close to Donglin and Fushe. He often represents the Huibang Salt General who is protected by the Donglin Party and brings trouble to the old Xi Salt General who is protected by Nanjing Xungui, so he is quite annoying. .
But before the fall of Beijing, Xu Yongji did not dare to do anything to him. His identity as a civil servant was obvious, and Old Xu did not want to become a public enemy of Shilin.
But the situation was different after the fall of Beijing! At least it seemed to Xu Yongji that he had become a lot stronger... Especially after Zhu Guobi told Xu Yongji about joining forces with Shi Kefa when he passed by Yangzhou, Xu Yongji felt that Wei Guofu was going to be awesome again. , the imperial court had to rely on Wei Guofu. So he wanted to expand his interests in Yangzhou's salt affairs, so he picked Ji Kun to start rectifying it.
Unexpectedly, halfway through the campaign, Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu went to defend Confucius, but Zhu Cixiang came to Yangzhou with his troops. At the same time, there were rumors that Shi Kefa had betrayed the Wei government!
Now Xu Yongji was a little confused. Just when he reported the news to Nanjing, Ji Kun sued him inadvertently!
The news reached Xu Yongji's house, and the old guy suddenly felt like he was in danger.
We can’t stay in Yangzhou, we have to run!
"Dad," one of his sons, a young man named Xu Hujue, had already changed into common people's clothes and was carrying a waist knife. He hurriedly walked to Xu Yongji who was in the back garden looking at the pool and rockery in a daze, " There is a knight from Jinyiwei outside the door!"
"What? So fast..." Xu Yongji took a breath, "How many people are there?"
"There are about ten people who have blocked the front entrance of our house!" Xu Hujue said anxiously, "Dad, let's leave through the back door quickly..."
How smart!
Even the royal guards and cavalry are here, and they can still escape through the back door! Are you thinking about the past and the future when you are wearing a royal uniform?
"Okay!" Xu Yongji gritted his teeth, "Let's go to Nanjing and find the Duke!"
The old man was worthy of being a descendant of Xu Da. He was decisive in doing things. He made a prompt decision to put on makeup and run away. He packed up some of his belongings and then slipped away from the back door of his house with his son.
Actually managed to escape...
The reaction of the Jin Yiwei who came to arrest him was slow enough. It wasn't until the two father and son left Yangzhou City that they slowly entered the house to arrest him.
Of course, the person could not be caught, but a lot of evidence was found. It was not evidence of Xu Yongji's rebellion, but evidence of the four old Western salt generals in Yangzhou paying tribute to Xu Yongji and Wei Guofu.
Since Xu Yongji is suspected of treason, then of course the four salt bosses are suspected of being co-conspirators.
