After doing the ideological work of his mother-in-law Xu in advance, the process of persuading Zhou Zong was easier than expected. After Zhou Zong returned home at noon, at the banquet, when Li Yuan once again revealed the secret of the salt well, Xu immediately launched an offensive and echoed continuously. Although Zhou Zong kept smiling and said nothing, the twinkling light in his eyes betrayed his heart.
After Li Yuan explained everything he wanted, even though Zhou Zong kept saying that the risk of merging private salt into the imperial salt monopoly was too great, fearing that the consequences would be disastrous if his deeds were exposed, having said that, how did Zhou Zong become Everyone must know the richest man in Huainan, and who in the entire Southern Tang Dynasty knows better than Zhou Zong how to plan this matter and how to maximize benefits.
Zhou Zongxi started his career in Japan from the position of Jinling Yin concurrently as Duzhilang beside Liezu, and then stayed in Yangzhou to take charge of the country's salt and iron power. He not only knew the court's fiscal and tax revenue well, but also knew the salt industry in detail. How much income does it bring to Southern Tang every year?
Last year alone, the salt business brought nearly 9 million guan in revenue to the court. This excludes the net income from all aspects of salt production, transportation and sales. If calculated in total, it would definitely exceed 12 million strings. With such huge profits, it's no wonder that no matter how strict the court's laws are, they can never stop adventurers from participating in the trafficking of illegal salt regardless of their own safety.
In fact, Li Yuan did not know that since Li Jing ascended the throne, the salt affairs in the Southern Tang Dynasty were very different from those during Liezu's reign.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were many wastes waiting to be renovated, and the laws of the court were loose. It was easy to make huge profits from them. But now in the Baoda period, Li Jing had already re-regulated the seaside salt fields owned by the court. Salt wells and salt mines in various places, even if It was Li Jing who tacitly approved the royal family's participation in the private salt business and all the places were registered. The amount of salt produced and sold every year was very clear. It was really impossible to do anything about it, unless it was possible in cooperation with the royal family, but that also meant that Most of the profits will be cut away in vain...
After all, after Li Jing came to the throne, even Zhou Zong rarely profited from the salt industry. If it weren't for Zhou Zong's innate business acumen, he would have immediately deployed other industries, such as shipping trade, after making a fortune through the salt industry in the early days. , such as the jewelry and jade business, otherwise how could he maintain his reputation as the richest man in Huainan to this day? Outsiders didn't know this, and they just thought that this man made a fortune from salt.
But what Li Yuan said today aroused Zhou Zong's long-depressed thoughts. If the salt wells in Lizhou were real, it would be the best time to return to his old profession. After all, Lizhou was under the rule of his son-in-law. Chu Di is not within the scope of the imperial salt affairs registration at all. How could Zhou Zong not be able to obtain huge profits from it?
In Zhou Zong's view, the method was extremely simple. As the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he could completely reduce the annual salt output of the imperial court by closing the salt mines. However, the total demand for salt in the Southern Tang Dynasty would naturally not change. , but it is rising every year because of the increase in population and livestock. In this way, Zhou Zong could mix the salt from Lizhou salt wells and sell it through government channels.
This will not trigger a crisis of salt shortage, but can also cut off a large piece of the salt cake. This is like using the court's means to forcefully sell these private salts, and the profit will be Not a penny will be turned over to the treasury. Because according to the general accounts, the total salt production decreased after the closure of the salt mine, it is understandable that the court's income from salt services decreased, and the court could not be held accountable.
Of course, closing salt wells and salt mines is a technical job, and salt wells and salt mines cannot be closed for no reason. After all, Zhou Zong, the Minister of Revenue, has several old foxes under Zhongshu's sect above his head, so this requires some flexibility. s method.
For example, to close any salt well that produces 300,000 kilograms of salt every year, it may also require some timely rumors, such as saying that someone in the prefecture, county and village near the salt well was poisoned and fell ill after eating the salt, etc. Of course, the Ministry of Revenue can immediately launch an investigation, confirm that the salt well is a poisonous salt well, immediately seal it, stop salt mining, etc.
Of course, a more ruthless and direct way is to find a way to make some salt wells that go deep underground collapse or become water-permeable, which will solve this problem more easily...
In short, there are many ways to close salt wells. Zhou Zong can think of several at random. He only needs to ask a few Yuanwailang from the Ministry of Revenue to do it. For these officials with low titles but mastery of practical matters, as long as they use both hard and soft methods, With power
After making a request and then promising them a little benefit, they will often be more obedient than a dog.
Then we have to return to the most critical issue, whether Li Yuan's salt well can really produce salt, this is one; second, whether Li Yuan can successfully win the war in Jingnan in the short term; third, after the victory How to divide the accounts?
These are all real questions for Zhou Zong. Although Mrs. Xu on the side was very dissatisfied with the third question raised by Zhou Zong and felt that the family was really out of touch, she still shut up under Zhou Zong's eyes. .
But Li Yuan was very happy, because once he talked about these practical issues, he knew that the matter was about to succeed. Just as he expected, although Zhou Zong was a founding noble, the Minister of Household Affairs, and enjoyed the first-class treatment of the title of Taifu, and was even the richest man in terms of family wealth, it was often these powerful people who were obsessed with money, fame, and fortune. The pursuit is never-ending.
So Li Yuan began to answer the three questions of his old father-in-law one by one. There was no need to answer the first question. Li Yuan had already prepared it. All he had to do was take out a pack of snow-white powdered salt and let Zhou Zong dip it in and have a taste.
"This is the refined salt from the salt well. Father-in-law, please see, this salt is as bright as crystal and as white as snow, and more importantly, it tastes very delicious. The coarse salt we usually eat has a bitter taste, and this salt But it has a delicious taste. If you don’t believe it, you can try it." Li Yuan pointed at the puddle of salt in his hand and said with a smile.
It was rare for Zhou Zong and his wife Xu to see this kind of refined powdery fine salt. After hearing this, they dipped a few bits of the salt into their mouths with disbelief. As expected, they nodded almost simultaneously and exclaimed with satisfaction.
"My dear son-in-law, is this really the salt from the salt well?" Zhou Zong's white beard trembled with satisfaction, but he still licked the salty taste in his mouth and asked worriedly.
Li Yuan smiled and said: "Who does my father-in-law think of me? Do I have to deceive you about this? What benefits can I get from making up a story for Lao Taishan?"
Zhou Zong nodded and smiled: "If it were all this kind of salt, the price would definitely be higher, and the profit would be immeasurable! My dear son-in-law, I congratulate you, this is a cornucopia of treasure falling from the sky!"
Li Yuan continued to smile and said: "I can't give my father-in-law an answer to the question of whether Jingnan City can be captured in a short period of time. I can only say this, Jingnan is a small place with few people, and our Wuping Army is more than enough to take care of them. I will definitely do it." We will try our best to end it as soon as possible, but in a war like this, the situation on the battlefield is constantly changing, and no one can predict the outcome of the war."
Suddenly Li Yuan muttered in a low voice: "Especially my father-in-law, after you deducted the money His Majesty gave me from Wuping and gave me a lot of rags and equipment, I can't guarantee that the war in Jingnan will be ended in the short term. Already..."
