Chapter 42 The bud of crisis
When He Xi heard this, he made some calculations in his mind. Even if one hectare is two hundred acres. More than 2,000 hectares, that is, 800,000 acres, and even counting the hottest two months and 60 days, a hundred catties of salt are produced every day. Just add two zeros after 800,000.
Even if the price of salt falls sharply, calculated as one tael of silver per hundred catties, this is more than double the price. There are also more than 40 million taels of silver. It is definitely enough to solve his financial burden.
Sure enough, there is a reason why the salt industry has been a monopoly since ancient times.
However, He Xi also knew very well that things would not be that easy. Even such a large output will bring big trouble to He Xi. The first is oversupply. This quantity is almost equal to the total of other salt transportation departments in the Ming Dynasty.
Such a big benefit. The price of salt in remote Liaodong will definitely flow into the Ming Dynasty.
Where the interests lie, even if beheaded, they cannot be stopped.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty implemented the Kaizhong Law, although the salt tax was not high. However, there is a lack of important conditions for maintaining food at the border. It can be said that with the implementation of the Open China Law, the northern border of the Ming Dynasty has always been possible. After the repeal of the Open China Law, things seemed to be in decline.
In this way, large-scale illegal salt production will definitely cause changes and even crisis in the Daming Salt Industry.
He Xi secretly thought: "Perhaps, this is also where the opportunity lies."
Before He Xi, it was just to get rid of Liaodong's financial difficulties. But he never expected that the real explosive capacity expansion would not be the cloth industry he hoped for, but the salt industry. It can only be said that the Chinese have been playing with salt for thousands of years and have already reached the critical point. Technological reform was only suppressed by production relations.
He Xi achieved breakthrough development with just a push.
Many things affect the whole body. However, what He Xi wants to move is this whole body. Before, I just wanted to create a model in Liaodong. Then expand across the country. But how to expand? He Xi didn't expect that he suddenly had an idea at this moment.
It comes from the salt industry.
Since ancient times, China has had its own mountains and seas, and there are many handicraft workshops, salt fields, mines and the like that are directly managed by the government. He felt that it was impossible for him to directly seek the highest power in the Ming Dynasty. But it is most appropriate from this perspective to move from Liaodong to the whole country.
At least, these courts directly managed the workshops, and their importance in the entire court was not too high.
With He Xi's current status, he might be able to give it a try.
Moreover, there is a difference between asking for it yourself and asking others to do it. So crisis, crisis. Even in danger there is opportunity.
He Xi looked at a handful of salt, and seemed to see through the white particles that the Ministry of Revenue would be in chaos in the future in the face of a large-scale reduction in salt taxes, food shortages at the border and other issues. If they can't handle it, they will naturally ask him or someone to take action.
I think Zhu Yuanzhang was also happy to see the results.
He Xi's emphasis on the salt industry has increased a lot. He Xi said: "Yes, Tie Xuan, do you need anything? You can tell me directly."
Hearing what He Xi said, Tie Xuan remembered a lot.
He took charge of the salt industry project last year. At that time, there was not even an acre of salt field in Liaodong, and no one was proficient in drying salt. After understanding He Xi's idea, he gradually implemented the idea into what it is now. There are now salt fields all over the peninsula.
Among them, there is too much hard work.
Apart from anything else, although Tie Xuan was not born into a wealthy family, he was not well-off. The calluses on my hands are all from writing. Now it has been due to long-term contact with sea water and high-concentration salt brine. It's already extremely rough. There are deep black ravines on it.
After touching the salt water, it still hurts.
This shows the hardship Tie Hyun has endured.
Just thinking that from now on, people in Ming Dynasty will be able to eat cheap salt. Tie Xuan was very happy, he didn't need anything. But his people are in need. He said: "Sir, starting from this year, several groups of Koreans and hungry people from Liaodong have been resettled in the salt fields. Everything else is easy to say. Temporary housing is enough. There is just a shortage of food rations. After Xiaguan improved the technology, he will Originally one sedimentation tank was changed into several sedimentation tanks. There are also a large number of stirring and transportation tasks. They are all heavy manual labor. The quantity given by the court is for ordinary people. Not for salt collectors. Sir, please see, can you raise it? a little?"
Tie Hyun has a good idea.
Now that we have made achievements, we must seek more benefits for the people below. But if it was something else, He Xi would satisfy him without saying a word. But now food consumption is almost hovering at the warning line. He Xi seems to be safe for the sake of food. But inside, I was already extremely anxious.
In fact, he also needs to know that Tie Xuan is right. According to the rules set by He Xi, the Koreans would be released as common people after three years.
The reason for this is that the land can be considered normal mature land only after three years of land reclamation. Then the land opened was distributed to the people so that they could settle down and settle down. From then on, they became the people of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this is also explained to the outside world. He Xi also used this process to exploit three years of free labor.
When formulating rations, all Koreans were treated equally.
However, He Xi also knew. Labor intensity varies from place to place. Just like agriculture, except for busy farming time, the labor intensity is not too high in many cases. There is a lot of time left. After the spring comes and the flowers bloom, there is a lot of time to dig some wild vegetables and hunt some small prey, such as fish, so their rations can be suppressed.
The salt field is different.
In other words, it was fine at the beginning. There are also technical problems due to sunlight. Not much salt is produced. But as the weather gets hotter day by day, coupled with Tie Hyun's technical improvements. Although He Xi didn't know some details of Tie Xuan's technical improvements. But if I think about it, I will straighten out the steps and increase the labor intensity.
Otherwise, there will be no high output.
As a result, the salt workers have no time to think about their stomachs.
It is normal to have insufficient food rations.
This situation, even if it is not a common phenomenon, can still represent a large number of people.
It's just that He Xi cannot solve this problem now. He Xi was silent for a while and said: "Tie Xuan, this matter is of great importance. The salt farm will increase rations, and other fields will need to increase rations. Do you think it should be increased? If so, it will cost tens of thousands more a month." Stone grains. This matter cannot be solved in one go. Let me send someone to investigate and see if the ration standards are set too low. In other words, the ration standards should be graded and should not be one-size-fits-all." This is delay.
The investigation takes time. One or two months have passed since the investigation. Maybe the problem will have been solved by then.
"Let's do this. I see there are some ports here. I will allocate a group of fishing boats from Port Arthur and distribute them to each salt farm. You can send people to fish and be self-sufficient. Anyway, you have enough salt here. Save any excess. Now there is a batch of salted fish ready in Lushun, so I will give it to you. Although it is a bit unpalatable, it is still meat."
This is comfort.
There is always some benefit to be given.
Moreover, at the Lushun Shipyard, the production volume of fishing boats is very large, just like small dumplings. But sailors on ships are not as easy to train as dumplings. Therefore, fishing boats are not only enough, but also redundant. It is also very easy to allocate them to various salt farms.
Although He Xi's words did not satisfy Tie Xuan, they were enough.
Tie Xuan said: "Thank you for your understanding. I am extremely grateful."
He Xi said: "Work hard. The current Hedong Salt Transportation Department is just words. In the future, I will inform your majesty to implement this matter. I dare not say anything else. There must be a place for you in this Salt Transportation Department." .”
Tie Xuan said: "I thank you sir."
After He Xi comforted Tie Xuan, he had a vague premonition in his heart.
Because he remembered that the labor intensity of salt workers was indeed high. But the really labor-intensive people are not the salt workers, but the coal and iron miners. Mining is the real heavy physical work. Moreover, the Han population was expensive, and there was an increasing influx of Korean people.
He Xi has already completed the transfer of the original people in Liaodong from miners to safer positions with more technical content.
In other words, the miners in all mines today are all Koreans.
"Is there really no problem?" He Xi asked herself again.
