In the hall, King Yi and King Jaw each had their own opinions. Neither side seemed to have any intention of compromising, and Mei Siyuan was unable to say anything for a moment. Yi Wangxian remembered why he came and had no intention of continuing the stalemate. He looked at Mei Siyuan and asked, "Master Mei, my father has appointed you to take charge of Anxian Salt Administration for more than ten years. Although you have not yet taken office, I think you have thought a lot about it. , if you have any good ideas, why don’t you tell me more about it?”
Mei Siyuan stood up from his seat and said politely, "Thanks to the recommendation of His Highness King Jaw, and the grace of the Emperor, I dare not rest for a moment since I accepted the order. The salt crisis is widespread and the people are living a difficult life. I feel deeply that now After receiving fortune-telling salt, I feel the weight of my responsibilities. In the past ten days or so, all I have been thinking about is the salt administration. I am afraid that my experience and lack of thinking will interfere with the important affairs of the country. Since His Highness King Yi has inquired, although I have not given a comprehensive answer Strategies should also be expressed based on assumptions!" After saying that, he looked at Xia Muchao and saw his smile. It was obviously what King Tongyi had thought. He had already made up his mind and elaborated: "I think it is not necessary to spend a lot of time to resolve the salt crisis. It’s time to go to great lengths to investigate the original mistake. Now that the crisis has occurred, we should go all out to resolve it.”
Upon hearing this, both Yi Wang and Jia Wang unconsciously nodded slowly.
"I have broken down the salt policy into five parts, one of which is tool refining. I checked the documents and found that the current mining salt mines mostly use a three-tooth pickaxe provided by the Ministry of Industry. The handle is eight minutes in diameter and four feet in length. It is made of fine iron and has three-inch teeth. The three-pronged pickaxe weighs more than eight kilograms and five taels, and a man mines more than twelve stones of salt per day. After repeated consideration, I thought that the three-toothed pickaxe could be improved, so I had it forged by a famous iron shop master in the capital a few days ago. An iron tool is made by adding sawdust, ash, and copper during the smelting process. Its shape is forged like a spade or a pickaxe. It can be shoveled or chiseled. I temporarily named it a spade pickaxe. The size of the spade pickaxe is the same as that of a pickaxe, and its teeth are twelve small teeth without edges. However, due to the addition of copper, it is heavier than a pickaxe, about nine pounds and twelve taels. It is brighter than a pickaxe and is less likely to wear out the skin of the palm. Moreover, copper is more wear-resistant than iron, and the body of the instrument is stronger when iron is added with sawdust. Pick it according to your own measurement. The stone should be no less than fifteen stones."
"Excellent!" The head of the Ministry of Industry and several directors were all subordinates of Xia Muchao, so as soon as Mei Siyuan finished speaking, Xia Muchao understood the reason.
Xia Muren also nodded, obviously agreeing with this statement.
Mei Siyuan continued, "Not only can the tools for mining be modified, but the tools for refining salt can also be modified. Boiling salt in large pots is really time-consuming and laborious. Taking the Danzhou Salt Farm as an example, there were more than 7,600 conscripts and 2,000 soldiers. There are more than 2,300 salt pots working day and night, and the amount of refined salt at sunrise is only 30,000 kilograms. I think that a kang bed can be built in the salt field, with a cauldron or cauldron on top and a charcoal fire below. One salt kang can hold sixteen cauldrons. One cauldron is filled with 200 jins of water and 300 jins of salt and sand. Based on the mineral salt texture of Fuzhou, after removing the sand, one cauldron will produce at least 320 jins of salt water at a time and 60 jins of salt precipitation. One kang can produce 1,000 jins of salt per day. One salt farm If you set up a hundred kangs and recruit three thousand soldiers, you will produce one hundred thousand catties of salt, which is equivalent to eight hundred stones. If the soldiers have less wrestling and more rest, the complaints will be reduced."
After hearing this, King Yi knew that this method was generally feasible. He raised his head and sighed: "Using the tripod kang instead of the pot is indeed twice the result with half the effort! According to this, a hundred kang field can produce nearly 200,000 dan per year, which is enough to supply three counties. What we really need is a shower of dew!" He looked at Mei Siyuan again and said, "Master Mei, please write down the details and submit it to your father. Master Mei, please continue."
"Boiling salt uses salt sand as the body, clean water as the medium, and slow fire as the guide. The salt is melted in the water, and the brine is evaporated to dryness and the salt is precipitated. During this period, there are many tricks for pounding, fetching water, and boiling the salt. There are many laborers in the salt field. As a villager in Jinzhou County, there are few people who have received education, and it is difficult to grasp the right balance, which is detrimental to the production of salt. Therefore, I believe that the salt field servants should be assigned specific posts, and their work should be as big and small as the pounders who are dedicated to pounding grains. What is the particle size? What is the quality of the salt? Bofu is responsible for boiling salt. When to get water? What is the water level? When to get salt? Everyone is familiar with what they do, and there is no mistake. This is the second one. "
"Wonderful!" Xia Muchao couldn't help but clapped his hands in praise after hearing this!
"This method is very good!" Xia Muren agreed.
“Currently, all salt farms use clay jars to store salt, but there is a disadvantage: there are many dangers in Mount Anxian, and the official road is rugged and steep. People and horses are tired from long distances, and there are many accidents. Jars of broken salt are often destroyed on the road, and the annual transportation loss reaches tens of thousands. Shi, what a pity!" Speaking of this, Mei Siyuan's face showed a trace of regret. "I think that a turnover station can be set up in the post road. Take the transportation of salt from Fuzhou to the capital as an example. There are many waterways from Fuzhou to Qingzhou, so it can be transported in tanks; there are many mountain obstacles from Qingzhou to Danzhou, so it should be transported in bags. Danzhou The roads to the capital are flat and wide, and then transported in cans. Although it was dismantled and assembled many times during this period, which took some time and effort, the amount of salt destroyed in the transportation will be reduced. In the end, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This is the third reason. "
A smile appeared on Xia Muren's face, and he stood up and said to Mei Siyuan, "Master Mei has really thought carefully about this. This shipping method is very novel and it sounds very feasible! It seems that Master Mei has indeed put in a lot of effort!"
Mei Siyuan bowed and saluted and said, "I live in a temple and have received favors from the emperor. I should share the worries of the imperial court. I am afraid that my talents and knowledge will be limited and I will not be able to repay the emperor's favor!"
Xia Muchao smiled and said, "Haha, Siyuan, you don't have to be humble. Come on, keep talking!"
"Soldiers are the most powerful weapon of the country. The lack of training in transporting salt all year round means that the combat effectiveness is not strong. Once a foreign war breaks out, these salt transport soldiers may not be able to attack the city or defend the country."
"If we don't send soldiers to transport the salt, how will the salt be transported?" Xia Muren asked.
"Private bodyguard bureaus. Encourage the large bodyguard bureaus to register with the government secretary. The government secretary will issue the bodyguards, the bodyguard bureau will escort the bodyguards, and the state government will collect the bodyguards. The money for the bodyguards will be allocated to the government offices of each state by the Ministry of Household Affairs." Mei Siyuan replied, "Of all the transportation capabilities, civilian bodyguards are the most important. The Escort Bureau makes a living by guarding escorts. It has always been famous for its short-term luck and never missing darts. If the civilian escorts are used by the court, the soldiers can return to the barracks for training. The Escort Bureau, Salt Administration, soldiers, and the people all benefit without any harm! It’s four.”
"Fifth, build a new post road. At present, the Anxian salt transportation post is only on the line from Fuzhou to Danzhou. Once the supply of salt increases, it will be difficult to control, and no matter whether you go east, south, or north, you must pass through this road, which will only increase the distance. I believe that post roads can be opened to go north and south. To go north, you can go out of Dengzhou through Azibo County, and to go south, you can go through Muqin County, turn to Wangta River and go to Pudu County, and then take the Pingzhou official road south. The details of this, I want to know. Ask Mr. Duan Zeqing for advice."
"Yes, once the salt production in Fuzhou increases, one official channel is really not enough. The establishment of an official post will cost a lot of money, require a lot of conscription, and take a long time. The process needs to be accelerated." Xia Muchao also felt the pressure for a while and said to Xia Muren.
"Well, why don't we jointly report this matter to our father tomorrow?" Xia Muren obviously agreed with Xia Muchao's statement.
"That's the best!" Xia Muchao nodded, and then praised Mei Siyuan, "Siyuan, it's a shame you mentioned this, otherwise I'm afraid it would take a lot of time to think about it again!"
Xia Muren listened to Mei Siyuan's five-point theory on salt management, and he admired it very much. He couldn't help but praise, "I have benefited a lot from listening to Mr. Mei's talk about salt management. I once recommended Sima Ang to be the Anxian Salt Transportation Secretary , I saw today that Master Mei’s strategy is far superior to his. With Master Mei in charge of the salt transportation, the salt crisis in Dahua will be resolved within three years!” After saying that, he walked to King Jaw, and King Jaw stood up to face him. "Mu Chao, I'll go back and make preparations. Tomorrow you and I will discuss it with the Department of Internal Affairs and ask my father for a report at noon."
Xia Muchao smiled and said, "Very good!"
Xia Muren nodded to Mei Siyuan and strode out.
Mei Siyuan held the ceremony and said, "Best farewell to Your Highness, Prince Yi!"
Xia Mu approached Mei Siyuan, and when Xia Muren was far away, he said warmly, "Siyuan, you are full of worldly talents, and you are only beginning to show them today!"
