A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 121
The ruins of Yanjingzhai were filled with cheers, and everyone was full of excitement and joy.

As the saying goes, as soon as the brine comes out, the money and silk will come, and from then on, you can fish for silver in the water.

On that day, many kitchens had already resumed work. Although some workshops had not yet resumed, as long as the stoves were set up and the pots were set up, salt could be made first, and the rest would take their time.

The fire in the kitchen can’t be stopped once it’s lit, and a lot of firewood is needed. As a result, a large number of victims and people have jobs. As long as they have two hands, they can earn a wage for chopping and picking firewood. Brine, etc. also require a lot of manpower.

Green smoke curled up from Yanjing village, the stove owners came back, and so did the burners, the firewood cooks and the porters were rushing back one by one.

Huaiyu visited every kitchen and found that the salt they made, no matter whether it was salt or water salt, was of very average quality, or even poor.

If this thing is left to future generations, it is estimated that even pickled vegetables will look down on it.

But in the hands of these Shaoshou and salt families, they are proud to say that this is good salt, at least better than the salt in Chengzhou Yanguanzhai and Qinzhou Yanquanzhai, and the Qiang salt in Mintao is even worse. .

In other words, the Wubaichi salt in Shuofang and the Jiechi salt in Hedong can compare with them.

After the salt was boiled in each kitchen, the first pot of salt was specially delivered to Huaiyu. The pot that went up the well produced [-] catties of salt, and the pot that went down the well produced [-] catties of salt. , sent a catty of six taels, Xiaojing sent ten catties of salt, and also sent a catty.

"It's the rule."

Salt official Zhao Zongchang told Huaiyu that the Tang Dynasty, like the previous Sui Dynasty, did not monopolize salt, and people could not help mining salt wells and ponds in various places.

Salt production here in Yanjingzhai, after the Sui Dynasty resumed the salt production industry that was interrupted for more than 200 years due to the chaos of the Five Dynasties, left a rule that the households were allowed to collect brine to make salt and sell it, but the salt produced was also subject to tax. It is divided into two parts, one part is to pay one-tenth of the salt directly, and the other part is to collect money and silk.

Fifteen catties of salt in Shangjing is paid for at the price of one catty, which happens to be one ingredient.

Salt from the official saltworks must also be handed over.

Some of the salt and money handed over had to be handed over to the imperial household tax, some had to be handed over to the Qinzhou Governor’s Mansion, and some had to be handed over to the Weizhou Prefecture, Zhang County, and the flats originally stationed in Zhang County. Yuetong Military Mansion, etc., there are many people who share the money.

Salt in Yanjing village is better than the Kaiyuan Tongbao copper coins of the imperial court. This is hard currency.

Whether it is exchanging food for money, it is very smooth, especially if you trade cattle and horses with the Qiang people for fur and medicinal materials, you can make another fortune.

"Is the salt in the past also this fine?"

Zhao Zongchang looked at the salt sent by each family, "According to the convention, it is paid once every ten days. Today, because of the first pot of salt, everyone specially sent [-]% of it. This is also a lottery. The salt is very good, even better than the usual one." Better than two points."

Hearing what he said, Huaiyu finally believed that the quality of this salt was indeed average, or most of the salt at this time was average.

"I remember when I was in Chang'an, the salt I used seemed to be quite white, with uniform grains, bluish white color, and large and full grains."

"Erlang is talking about the green salt used by the noble officials in Chang'an. These salts are refined again. Just like our salt, they put it back into the water to dissolve it, then filter it, and boil it again to form the salt. This cost is not low, even higher than the cost of directly extracting marinade and boiling salt.

It's not that noble officials are powerful, who can afford such salt. "

"Is there a big price difference?"

"Of course big."

After hearing this, Huaiyu fell into deep thought, and the method of refining and decocting with secondary dissolution and filtration did greatly increase the cost, and the refined salt was naturally expensive.

But he felt that if the first salt-making process could be improved, wouldn't the cost be reduced a lot?If it can not only improve the quality of salt produced by salt wells, but also lower the cost than the secondary extraction method, then there will be great business opportunities and benefits.

There are many ways to purify salt, but if cost considerations have to be taken into account, they are also limited.

He felt that he had found another way to make a fortune, which was no worse than his way of using Glauber's salt and sebum.

If you rely on mountains to eat mountains, you rely on salt to eat salt.

For several days in a row, the Yanjing Village was very lively, and more and more people flocked here after hearing that Wu Huaiyu had invited the God of Salt to return to his throne and produce salt again.

There are so many business opportunities here.

Powerful families, merchants and caravans all came, and the hungry people also came to seek a way out.

Chopping firewood, carrying water, carrying salt, and even building workshops and houses, you can find ways to earn rations everywhere here. In the early autumn just after the military disaster, people can see hope here.

Now the hospital town has also enclosed a large area in Yanjingzhai, and set up barracks, warehouses, and playgrounds. There are only fifty town soldiers left in the town, as well as some sent criminals and some Turkic captives. His mission is to guard Yanjingzhai, maintain order here, and ensure the interests of the court.

Huaiyi and Cheng Chumo's Pingyuefu Mission is stationed in the county town on the other side of the river, and they are only two miles away from each other, and they can see each other every day.

Nine teams of town soldiers patrolled the nine salt roads respectively and led a group of beacon shops.

Everyone is busy.

A kitchen with a thatched roof stood up, and the green smoke continued to curl up all day long. The firewood market also flourished again. A large amount of firewood was delivered every day, and each kitchen bought it and piled it around the kitchen. , The size is neat.

Even next to the kitchen, white piles of thenardite began to pile up again.

Everything is coming back.

The ringing of caravan bells is crisp and sweet, the sound of salt sellers haggling over prices, and even a long row of thatched wooden houses have been newly built by the river beach, which are tea shops and restaurants, and there are even newly opened brothels, gambling houses, inns, shops, etc. Mansion.

It looks different here almost every day, constantly attracting people from the surrounding areas, and also gathering money, food and goods.

Huaiyu has been very busy recently. He, Lu Huairang, Cheng Chumo, Wang Da and others have been busy fighting for territory recently. The restored Yanjing Village has also broken the old pattern by these outsiders. Snake, as well as some forces, are here to compete for territory, fight openly and secretly, and reconstruct the pattern here.

Relying on his high status, Concubine Lu didn't even care about his ugly appearance, so he stepped in everywhere, not only opened a salt cooking stove, but even opened an inn, a warehouse, a tavern, a brothel, a gambling house and a teahouse.

Huaiyu opened the Qianjintang branch here, and began to make alkali, soap, Xuanming powder, watermelon cream and other medicines. He also opened a teahouse and tavern. firewood room.Hou San also partnered with other town soldiers to start a business in private.

Huaiyi, Cheng Chumo, etc. basically had some side jobs.

It is very convenient for them to take advantage of the right time, place and people to seize the opportunity and do whatever they want.

Moreover, several people basically opened kitchens to make salt in secret.

In fact, this stuff doesn’t cost much. Some salt makers are hired to burn their hands, and the rest is hired to work hard, and then it is to fetch brine, buy firewood, cook salt, and pack.

Ordinary people are mainly not qualified for admission.

The Yanhu in Yanjingzhai used to be monolithic, forming an alliance of interests long ago, and it was difficult for outsiders to step in, but this time the situation was broken due to the Turkic invasion. Huaiyu and the others were too fierce to cross the river. He is the prince's son, Huaiyu and Chumo still hold soldiers and horses, and Wang Da and Lu Huairang also hold important positions.

After some private contests, the local tycoons and kitchen households could only compromise and let them enter the game, and even quickly re-reached a cooperation agreement. Various industry chambers of commerce were re-established here, and an alliance of interests was re-established. It's hard to get in.

The advantage of this is that they can compete in an orderly manner, and even hold the pricing power over the sale of salt, and have the initiative when trading with foreign salt merchants.

When Hospital Town came to guard Yanjingzhai, and Pingle Prefecture re-elected a large number of government soldiers to return to Zhang County, there were no expected thieves or Qiangs to resist raids, and they seemed to disappear overnight. gone.

The Youyisuo dispatched by the Nine just caught some stupid thieves who didn't know how to live or die, killed two Xiao Qiang Luo who didn't know the situation, and then the Nine Salt Roads resumed unobstructed.

Caravans, donkey teams, convoys, porters, etc. went back and forth smoothly, and each of the nine playhouses built forts and set up customs at dangerous locations along the salt road. At this point, some nearby people were gradually attracted to open tea shops and inns here, and many surrounding people also came here to sell vegetables, etc., and soon formed some small markets.

The guards in the Youyisuo are very healthy now. Although they patrol the salt road every day, there are criminal soldiers and prisoners under their command to do miscellaneous tasks, and there is some extra oil and water for guarding the customs and patrolling the road. Even the small market has to ask them There is no danger in paying the money, and it is very comfortable. Many local families even take the initiative to send the girl to them, wanting to establish a hard relationship.

Huaiyu, who lives in Yanjingzhai, is more comfortable.

The few deals he has done have been very smooth, and he is now famous here, second only to Mr. Yanshen, and is even regarded by everyone as the spokesperson of Mrs. Yanshen.

In the Yanjing Village rebuilt here, it is not an exaggeration to say what it says.

"The pickles pickled in salty brine are extraordinarily fresh and tender."

In the evening, Huaiyu, Lu Huai, Cheng Chumo, Wu Huaiyi, Zhou Wu, Jun Wei, Wang Da and others had dinner again, in the backyard of the Zhensi Yamen in Hospital Town.

Autumn is getting cooler, this evening in the courtyard stewed tofu with pickled vegetables, braised fresh fish from the river, roasted a lamb, fried a local chicken, and made a few cold dishes, it was really pleasant like a fairy.

"The brine in Yanjingzhai is really good. Every winter, the local kitchen households marinate the meat with the brine mud of the salt well, and then pile it up, turn it over, wash it, dry it, hang it up and dry it. After two or three years of fermentation and maturity, it has a unique flavor and is salty. It is fragrant and sweet, especially after the pork hind leg is marinated and dried, it can be eaten raw."

Yanjingzhai not only produces salt, but also the pickled vegetables, bacon, and salted fish are very unique and delicious, especially the pickled pork leg, which is marinated with stewed mud.

The tofu in the village is also very famous. The tofu made with salt is very fresh and tender. After a busy day, salt workers and tea drinkers like to order a portion of pickled vegetables to cook tofu, then some local wine, and some salted pig ears. That's really better than a living god.

"How busy is Erlang recently? Can't see you?" Lu Huairang asked Huaiyu with a smile. This guy has always been a dog with a keen nose and penetrates every corner. He had already noticed what Huaiyu was doing recently, so he took this opportunity to ask.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to get some refined salt, and you are all here today, so I'll let you have a look." Huaiyu went to carry a box and came back.

"What a good thing, so mysterious?"

"Salt."

The most important thing in Yanjing village now is salt. The brine is constantly boiled out day and night. One stove in Shangjing can cook [-] catties of salt in two shifts a day. One hundred stoves is [-] catties of salt.

Now Yanjing Village not only has government-run salt farms, but also 65 big households that have obtained the qualifications to cook salt, and there are also many small shops.

"My salt is not ordinary salt, neither cracker salt nor water salt loose salt." Huaiyu opened the box with a smile.

Everyone looked up together.

"hiss!"

There was a sound of gasping for breath.

(End of this chapter)