The normal selling price of sea salt is forty copper plates per catty, which is twenty times the cost, or even more.
The huge profits have made private salt dealers as wealthy as the country since ancient times.
Yangzhou has been a prosperous place since the Han and Tang Dynasties, and is known as the "Guangling on Earth". However, it is far away from the Central Plains and the center of governance, and does not have the prerequisites for prosperity...
But Yangzhou was recognized in ancient times as the richest place in the world...
However, what makes it rich is that there are so many private salt merchants...
Yangzhou has always been the richest region in the country since the south was developed.
In the extremely prosperous Tang Dynasty, there were twenty-four bridges in Yangzhou on a moonlit night, while in the Ming Dynasty, there were thin horses and golden flowers in Yangzhou...
Salt, as the most indispensable condiment in human life, may not seem to be very profitable, but it is the most widely demanded daily necessities.
Controlling the salt industry means controlling the money of the people in the world. Its technology is simple, its output is abundant, and it has no shortage of sales channels.
Moreover, whether it is lake salt, well salt or sea salt, it is there. As long as you show it, you can make money faster than robbery!
Therefore, illicit salt dealers have never been eliminated since ancient times. Although all dynasties have severely cracked down on illicit salt dealers, due to huge profits, some people will always take risks.
In places of origin such as seaside and salt ponds, the inherent value of salt is very low.
However, due to transportation, monopoly and other reasons, salt was sold at sky-high prices by powerful people and businessmen in the Central Plains.
All of this naturally allowed those merchants who took huge risks to engage in private salt trade to earn high price differences.
There are also many Qin merchants in Shaanxi who are involved in the sale of salt.
Qin merchants in Shaanxi usually transport salt along the Yellow River.
Because Shaanxi has natural well salt and uses the Yellow River for transportation, we made a lot of money.
However, the output of well salt was not large, so the Qin merchants in Shaanxi were naturally unwilling to make money.
However, if you want to get sea salt, you must be controlled by the Yangzhou salt merchants and act according to the eyes of the Yangzhou salt merchants.
The content of this letter written by He Shen is about the reform of salt affairs in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Salt is a necessity for people's lives, and it is also the most profitable trading item in this era.
In fact, the top ten most famous business gangs in ancient times were all closely related to the salt industry when they first made their fortunes!
In China's long development history, many famous businessmen have appeared.
Some businessmen have developed particularly well and have attracted a large number of people, so they have formed major business gangs based on regions.
The top ten traditional Chinese merchant gangs, whether they are Shanxi merchants, Hui merchants, Chao merchants, or Qin merchants, Shan merchants, Guang merchants, Jiangyou merchant gangs, Longyou merchant gangs, Ningbo merchant gangs, and Su merchants, the top ten merchant gangs in the world , in fact, they all started by selling salt...
At that time, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang founded "Yan Yin", that is, merchants were responsible for transporting large amounts of grain to important border areas such as the north to maintain the daily life of soldiers...
The imperial court gave them salt citations as compensation. Only with salt citations could merchants go to salt-producing areas to collect salt and sell it in designated areas.
Under the implementation of the "Salt Introduction", merchants from all over the country rose rapidly.
In other words, at the beginning, whether it was Shanxi merchants, Hui merchants, Chao merchants, or Qin merchants, Shan merchants, Guang merchants, Jiangyou merchant gangs, You merchants, Ningbo merchant gangs, Su merchants, etc., the top ten merchant gangs in the world They are all salt merchants.
However, with the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty's control over salt became stronger. As things changed, the "salt introduction system" gradually changed its appearance...
The top ten business gangs in the world have also divided into different models in the sale and purchase of salt, namely merchants and town merchants.
The traders are mainly Shanxi merchants, Qin merchants, Shan merchants, You merchants, Guangzhou merchants, Jiangyou merchants, You merchants, and Ningbo merchants from the mainland.
After they paid money to get the salt, they went to various places to buy and sell. The merchants in the town were mainly Hui merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Jiangsu merchants, who were responsible for guarding the salt field and collecting salt...
Shanxi merchants, Qin merchants, Shan merchants, You merchants, Guang merchants, Jiangyou merchants, You merchants, and Ningbo merchants provided a large amount of money to the court every year and paid a high price to obtain salt...
And Huizhou merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Jiangsu merchants, because they had the advantage of guarding the salt fields and extracting salt, gradually began to sell large quantities of private salt as the main means of profit...
After the top ten largest business groups in the world, their salt management strategies became completely different due to different regions, and their conflicts began to gradually emerge...
Shanxi merchants, Qin merchants, Shan merchants, You merchants, Guangzhou merchants, Jiangyou merchants, You merchants, and Ningbo merchants who sold and bought salt were attacked by town merchants, such as Hui merchants and Zhejiang merchants. , the oppression and difficulty made by the Soviet businessmen...
Even if the mainland merchants who sell and buy salt have salt certificates issued by the court, how much salt they can take from the salt field still depends on the faces of Hui merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Jiangsu merchants...
Although, Shanxi merchants, Qin merchants, Shan merchants, You merchants, Guangzhou merchants, Jiangyou merchants, You merchants, Ningbo merchants, and other businesses...
The speed at which they make money is not much slower than that of Huizhou merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Jiangsu merchants. However, it is impossible to say that they are not unwilling to see that they are disgusted by the Huizhou merchants, Zhejiang merchants, and Jiangsu merchants. .
However, the control of the salt field has always been in the hands of Zhejiang merchants, Hui merchants, and Jiangsu merchants, and the strength and influence of Zhejiang merchants, Hui merchants, and Jiangsu merchants are not weaker than those of Shanxi merchants, Qin merchants, mountain merchants, and traveling merchants. Guangshang, Jiangyou Business Gang, Youshang, Ningbo Business Gang
So, they don't have any good ideas.
But now, He Shen's letter pointed out another way for Qin Shang and others, that is, hiding salt! ! !
"………………"
According to He Shen's letter, the price of official salt remained high, and the price was too expensive, which led to the proliferation of private salt. Simple people abandoned official salt and bought private salt one after another. The government repeatedly banned it...
In this case, it would be better to increase the production of official salt, lower the price of official salt, and compete with private salt to increase the court's income.
However, the salt fields in Huizhou and Zhejiang, as well as Shandong and Sichuan, are already mature for development. If you want to increase the production of official salt, you can only start with stored salt.
"…………"
Few people in the world know that Tibet is actually a salt-producing land. However, by the time the world knows it, time has come to modern times, and salt has become worthless due to the increasing production.
The mineral salt in Tibet has lost its mining value, so I didn’t pay this attention...
"..."
However, in the current period, table salt is still white gold, and Tibetan mineral salt is still of great value.
According to what He Shen wrote in the slips, if you want to develop the salt reserves, you must introduce large livestock, such as cattle and high horses.
When the imperial court's money is tight, those who can provide such technology and funds in this era are none other than the ten major merchant groups, Shanxi merchants, Hui merchants, Chao merchants, Qin merchants, Shan merchants, Guang merchants, Jiangyou merchants Business gangs, traveling merchants, Ningbo business gangs, Suzhou merchants, etc…
………
Heshen's plan is to trade Tibetan salt.
The specific content is to mine salt from Xinjiang and Tibet and transport it to various parts of the north.
Shaanxi is close to the Hetao area, which is rich in fine horses and cattle. Moreover, the endurance and speed of fine horses and cattle are very good.
In the era of cold weapons, grazing cattle and horses were the productivity. In a word, without grazing cattle and horses, farming would not be possible...
There are many horses, cattle and sheep in the Hetao area, and there are few vegetables and grains. Herdsmen often eat meat without vitamin supplements, so the body is prone to illness...
This gave opportunities to Shaanxi Qin merchants near the Hetao area...
Herdsmen and Tibetan people are addicted to cheese and cannot get food and tea, so they suffer from flesh-eating diseases. Therefore, since the Qin and Shang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province, they have traded food and tea for cattle and horses...
Grain and tea solved the vitamin problem of the nomadic people, and also provided Shaanxi Qin merchants with countless cattle, horses, and sheep.
Therefore, the most indispensable thing for Qin merchants in Shaanxi was cattle and horses.
Developing mineral salt in Tibet was as difficult as climbing to the sky for other businessmen of this era...
However, for Shaanxi Qin merchants who had a large number of cattle and horses in their hands, it was not completely impossible.
Tibet is located in the southwest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. Its geographical location is relatively remote and the terrain is complex...
Tibet, which is located on the plateau, has a unique climate. The temperature is low and the temperature difference is large. The air is thin, making it difficult for outsiders to survive...
Tibet's special plateau geographical environment brings inconvenient transportation, relatively scarce human resources, and extreme backwardness and isolation. These are three difficulties in doing business.
The only way to transport mineral salt to Tibet is from Ya'an in Sichuan, Xining in Qinghai and Yunnan, passing through rugged mountain roads and relying on cattle and horses.
A round trip from Ya'an or Xining to Tibet takes a year, and Yunnan takes even longer.
Only Shaanxi Qin merchants dare to pay attention to Tibetan mineral salt and have the ability to accomplish this!
How big are the profits of salt in this era?
Even if private salt merchants set the price of private salt at a lower price in order to suppress official salt, they can still make more than ten times the profit...
In addition, salt is a necessity of daily life and its sales volume is huge. It is completely the most profitable business in this era.
The world is bustling, and everyone is going there for benefit; the world is bustling, and everyone is coming for benefit...
After seeing the contents of Heshen's letter, I thought that once the Qin Shang Group controlled the salt storage, it would be able to get rid of the control of Hui merchants, Zhejiang merchants and Su merchants...
With the hidden salt in hand, large sums of money will come rolling in. How can the Shaanxi Qin merchants not be excited and excited!
"…………"
the other side.
When Heshen saw a group of Qin merchants who had read through his plan, they were all so excited that they forgot to say whether they agreed or disagreed...
Feeling a little funny, He Shen coughed lightly and asked slowly.
"Everyone, what do you think of my idea? Is there anything imperfect or room for improvement?"
He Shen's words were like a basin of cold water falling into red-hot pig iron, awakening a crowd of ecstatic Qin merchants.
"Sir, your idea is extremely wonderful and thoughtful."
"From a businessman's point of view, my knowledge and knowledge are far inferior to those of adults. How can we find anything wrong?"
"Your Majesty's method can really be said to benefit the country and the people, and its merits will last forever."
"I have often heard people say in the past that you are a contemporary national scholar. We used to not believe it, but now we finally believe it."
