Daming Town Haiwang

Chapter 278, the rich Tian Lianqianmo

In later generations, just one Changlu salt farm can produce more than one million tons of salt a year. In this era, even if the officials of the salt farm desperately squeezed the households, the salt produced by a single salt farm is still very pitiful.

Relying on one pot and one pot of cooking salt on the stove, the speed and output cannot be so fast, not to mention the consumption of a lot of wood, and the number of salt-producing places along the coast has already been cut down.

"Father, my son thinks that this method can be tried. If this method of drying salt is really feasible, then it can be promoted on a large scale in our Ming Dynasty to produce more salt, which will be of great benefit to the country and the people. matter."

Zhu Houzhao stood up and said that it is beneficial to the country and the people, and of course it is also very beneficial to him, the prince. Setting up a salt farm is basically equivalent to having a mountain of gold and silver, and it will be fine to just sit and collect money in the future.

Emperor Hongzhi didn't open his mouth, he kept thinking, the salt and iron franchise has been a rule since ancient times, how can Liu Jin change it immediately with his mouth.

Once the iron law of salt and iron monopoly is opened, no one knows whether it will be good or bad for Daming.

Today Liu Jin and the prince can jointly run the salt farm, and tomorrow other people will have the same request, and then the salt will no longer be in the hands of the court.

The salt opened the mouth, and when the time comes, what about the iron?

Iron can not only be used to produce agricultural tools, etc., but also can be used to produce weapons and equipment such as swords, arrowheads, and armor. These things are related to major national affairs. Since ancient times, rulers have been very vigilant about this aspect. Although this is useless, those who should rebel are still rebelling, and the dynasties that should perish are still perishing, and there will be no change because of this.

But with the salt and iron in their own hands, these rulers are naturally more at ease.

"Go back first, I need to think about this matter carefully."

Emperor Hongzhi thought for a while and replied.

I am going to wait for Xiao Jing to make a clear investigation before making a decision. Of course, this naturally needs to be discussed and discussed with the ministers of the DPRK and China, and listen to everyone's opinions.

"My son, leave~"

"Grassman leave~"

Liu Jin and Zhu Houzhao looked at each other, looking helpless, and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation at the same time.

"Old Liu, half of the saltworks hand over two million taels of silver a year, do we really still have money?"

After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help asking Liu Jin.

"Your Highness still doesn't believe me, when did I say such a big thing?"

Liu Jin said very solemnly.

"Um... I believe you, but salt and iron are really hard to get. It has been the imperial court's monopoly in all dynasties."

Zhu Houzhao nodded. Of course he knew Liu Jin's ability. If it wasn't for Liu Jin, Zhu Houzhao would still be a pauper now, and he would rely on the name of the prince to do everything. It's not like everything can be done with money now.

"Your Highness, I'm actually pretty good at making iron."

Speaking of iron, Liu Jin couldn't help but say.

Iron in this era is also very expensive, because the output is limited, and everyone knows that the iron ore content on the Chinese land is relatively iron, and basically there are a lot of impurities, and the quality is relatively poor. Even in later generations, iron ore Most of the stone is still imported.

In this era, due to technology, Daming's iron output is relatively low, and the quality is also very poor, and the price of good iron is often very high.

"Do you know how to smelt iron?"

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he said in a slightly stunned voice.

"of course."

"It's similar to this sun-dried salt method? Can it be used for large-scale iron smelting?"

Zhu Houzhao's small eyes narrowed immediately, and asked in a low voice.

"Basically, if allowed, set up a steel factory and definitely make money."

Liu Jin nodded and said that he had long wanted to set up a steel factory to make steel by himself, but he was really not in a hurry. In the era of salt and iron monopoly, it was illegal to make steel without the permission of the court, and it could even be detained charged with conspiracy to rebel.

"This matter will be difficult to handle. It is estimated that I will be able to handle it when I am in charge of the family."

When Zhu Houzhao heard it, he was very happy at first, but when he thought of the importance of iron, he couldn't help but said in a discouraged manner.

"Forehead…"

As soon as Liu Jin heard it, he was speechless. It is estimated that Zhu Houzhao was the only one who dared to say that. There is no way. Who told him that he was the only son of Emperor Hongzhi?

Liu Jin left the palace and returned to his home. Before his butt was hot, Zhang Mao, the British prince, came to him again.

"Boy, let's go, let's go and see my fields together, they are the best fields around the capital."

Zhang Mao came in a hurry, and before he had a sip of tea, he dragged Liu Jin out of the capital.

The last time the matter of selling land was mentioned in the Dingguo Mansion, Liu Jin also agreed to Zhang Mao. If the land is good, Liu Jin is going to buy some. Unexpectedly, only a few days have passed, and Zhang Mao is in a hurry. I'm here to find Liu Jin.

"Mr. Zhang, do you really want to sell the land?"

Sitting on the carriage, Liu Jin asked earnestly. There is an old saying that it doesn’t hurt to sell your grandfather’s land. It is said that only the prodigal son will sell the land passed down by his ancestors. Otherwise, even if he is killed, he cannot sell his ancestors of.

"Of course, these fields only collect some grain a year, and the sum doesn't make much money. When I make money, I can buy ten or a hundred times as much land. I'm not a prodigal."

Zhang Mao's small calculations were tinkling, and he was not bound by those outdated concepts, and he had already made up his mind.

Liu Jin followed Zhang Mao out of the capital and walked less than three miles to a flat and open field. At this time, there were farmers working hard on the flat and open field. There was a famine in the first half of the year. The wheat in the field is growing very well, and you can see flakes and flakes of green wheat in the field.

"Boy, have you seen these fields? They are all upper fields. The fields are very flat, easy to irrigate, and very fertile. If I were not in a hurry to spend money, I would not sell these fields to you."

Zhang Mao and Liu Jin got out of the carriage, and Zhang Mao pointed to the vast field in front of him and said.

"All these fields belong to Mr. Zhang?"

Liu Jin looked at the vast plain in front of him, and according to Zhang Mao, all the fields in front of him belonged to Zhang Mao.

"Well, this field, from the top of the mountain to the top of the mountain here, is all mine, and there are probably more than a thousand slopes in total."

Zhang Mao replied with a smile.

"More than a thousand tilts!"

As soon as Liu Jin heard this, he couldn't help opening his mouth wide. The people in Xiahetun Village combined had only a hundred acres of land, and his British father, Zhang Mao, had thousands of acres of land in front of him. .

Thousands of hectares of fertile land and a wealth of wealth... Lao Zhang, the princes and nobles, how much land did the rich and nobles occupy in Daming?
Thinking of this, Liu Jin couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Now it's only the middle of the Ming Dynasty, and land annexation has reached such a serious point.

The fields of the rich are connected with rice fields, and the poor have no place to stand. This is the cruelest reality, and it is all unfolding in front of Liu Jin at this moment.

"It's just over a thousand, it's nothing at all, it's just a part of the field in my hand, and the field in my hand is not much at all."

Zhang Mao said indifferently.

"..."

Liu Jin was speechless for a moment. It was just over a thousand, which was nothing at all. It was only a part of the field in his hand, and the field in his hand was not too much.

One can think about it, the other princes, nobles, and wealthy nobles must have a lot of fields in their hands. They are like tumors growing on Daming's body, each one is getting bigger and bigger, and they are constantly eating away at Daming.

"Stinky boy, I only sell you five taels of silver per mu for these farms. If you pay more than a thousand taels of silver, you can just give me five taels of silver."

"And as long as you pay now, the grain on these fields this year is also yours, and you can collect rent in a few months."

Zhang Mao took Liu Jin to walk in the fields very casually, without wasting time, and directly talked about the business.

"Five taels of silver per mu is not expensive. Mr. Zhang, are you sure you want to sell it?"

Naturally, Liu Jin has already understood the price of land in this era. Good fields like the one in front of him can generally be sold for six or seven taels per mu. In the Jiangnan area, high-quality paddy fields can even be sold for ten taels per mu, while In the Huizhou area where Huizhou merchants gather, they can even sell for [-] mu.

The prices of fields in different regions are completely different, and sometimes some policies issued by the imperial court will fluctuate the prices of fields, and the fluctuations are extremely large.

Zhang Mao sold it to himself for five taels of silver per mu, which was considered a bit lower and more reasonable.

It is only a few miles away from the capital, the location is very good, and the land is very flat. Whether it is used for building factories or real estate in the future, it is a very good choice.

"Nonsense, otherwise, what do I bring you here for, and you just say whether you want it or not?"

"That's to see if you are pleasing to the eye, otherwise, how could such a good field be bought for five taels of silver."

Zhang Mao still felt a little distressed when he thought of this. Thousands of acres of high-quality good land were accumulated by the ancestors of the British government from generation to generation. For this thousand acres of land, a lot of effort was spent.

"Yes, of course, but there are too few. Who owns the other surrounding fields?"

Liu Jin smiled and nodded, but since he wanted to buy land, he naturally had to buy more. Anyway, the money in his hand couldn't find a place to invest for the time being, so it's better to buy all the land around here.

"It seems that your kid has a lot of appetite. I will draw for you."

When Zhang Mao heard this, he couldn't help laughing immediately, and then picked up a branch and drew a simple map on the ground and said: "The east side is Cheng Guogong's field, not much, there are hundreds of acres, and the west side is The fields of Uncle Jianchang and Marquis Shouning total more than [-] mu..."

　It seems to be the same now. There are dozens or hundreds of houses with houses, and one house without houses can’t afford it~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)