King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

"Brother Rong, who is this new salt transport envoy?"

The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, speaking with a Chaohu accent.

The man called Brother Rong was a man in his thirties, very strong, with dark and greasy skin.

Rong took a peanut from his plate and ate it while drinking a large glass of beer.

"Yeah, I'm here to cause trouble."

Brother Rong is a small leader in Qingkou Town. In the feudal era, the people most likely to form underground gangs were the canal workers, canal workers, and cooks.

Relying on his status and military force, Brother Rong managed thousands of kitchens and was granted the position of a captain of a thousand men.

Brother Rong has a large group of people under him, including some big businessmen and officials. They have made a lot of money from the salt mines and have a considerable fortune. He has officially joined the gang and is considered a small gang leader.

Brother Rong is a businessman. As soon as Zhu Tan and others arrived, he used his connections in Qingkou Town to get a general understanding of the situation.

"Brother Rong, what do you mean? Can't even cook?"

Brother Rong laughed, "You're right, but we can't use water now, we have to use sun-dried salt, isn't that too stupid?"

Brother Rong naturally also knew how to dry salt. This was a method passed down from ancient times. It was not only troublesome, but also sensitive to the weather. If it encountered rainy weather, I don’t know how many people would choose to commit suicide.

"Go and inform them. The distinguished guest said that they should continue to work and not delay the regular salt for a month. Only when the regular salt is sold out can they have extra income. Let's go!"

"What are you doing? Before Brother Rong could finish his words, he saw a man named Wu Jie standing behind Xiao Wuzi.

Wu Jie is the big businessman in charge of the business in Qingkou Town. He is also a fellow villager of Brother Rong, and the two have a good relationship.

"Old Wu, you came really quickly. We won't be able to sell the salt next month!"

Wu Jie is about the same age as Brother Rong, but Wu Jie is fat and has a smile on his face.

"I'm not here to ask about salt. Could it be that someone from outside has come to Qingkou Town?"

"Old Wu, you really have great powers. You got wind of this group of people as soon as they arrived."

"What information? They must have told me."

Brother Rong handed a glass of wine to Wu Jie and motioned Xiao Wuzi to report, "Yes, you don't know how big this battle is. In front are the Imperial Guards, and in the back are the City Guards!"

"Of course. He is the emperor's brother-in-law, Marquis Jianchang. How can this force be small?"

Brother Rong picked up a piece of fried fish and handed it to Wu Jie. "I heard that this salt inspector is of a very high rank, but who would have thought that he is actually the emperor's brother-in-law. This makes him even more difficult to deal with. It's better to avoid his edge!"

"You are smart. I heard that the Marquis of Jianchang is coming to the court to reform the salt policy. As the saying goes, a new official starts with three fires. This fire is burning on us. No matter what he does, we will not change."

Wu Jie discussed with Brother Rong and then left. He wanted to take his men with him. After returning, he was almost exhausted.

The beautiful concubine poured a cup of warm water for Wu Jie to soak his feet.

He had just finished combing his legs when a servant came to report that Censor Qian was here to visit. Wu Jie sighed and had no choice but to go out to greet him.

Censor Qian, also known as the Inspector General, was in charge of the salt administration. Wu Jie colluded with the subordinate salt fields under the orders of Censor Qian.

"Old swindler, I have no time to rest. I just went to the salt shop. Look at my legs. They are all blistered."

"Old Wu, you did a great job. I had no choice but to do this. It's not easy for anyone sent by the higher-ups."

Wu Jie knew the political rules and he could listen to them, but he couldn't stand it!

"Master Qian, even if he is a member of the royal family and the emperor loves him so much, he can't do anything to us! We help him carry the sedan chair, which not only gives him face but also brings practical benefits. Isn't that enough?"

"I am a seventh-rank official, how can I know what the higher-ups are thinking? However, I can only tell you one thing, that is the salt tax. If we don't handle it well, tens of thousands of people will be implicated. Then, we will be in trouble."

Wu Jie took a deep breath. This was a tax on salt, which involved many things.

In the past, the issue of paying taxes and opening up to China and France was not very clear. In recent years, it has become even more chaotic, starting with paying silver and opening up to China and France.

Although Wu Jie was not clear about the details, he estimated that the salt tax embezzled every year was at least several million taels.

No one dared to take such a huge amount of silver, nor could they take it out. How could those who made a living from the salt tax not be anxious?
Suddenly an imperial envoy appeared, and he was the emperor's most trusted person. No one knew whether he came for the salt tax or not. Perhaps he just wanted to get away with it!

Censor Qian watched Wu Jie react and continued, "If this ship is overturned, the cabinet ministers will not be able to calm it down. They will die, and maybe a big case like the previous dynasty will happen. No matter how hard it is, as long as you stay in the salt fields of Lianghuai, I can't pass on this information to you through a single channel. Do you understand?!"

Wu Jie swallowed his saliva and suddenly felt that the salt business that made him a lot of money was no longer so delicious. He might as well do something important and chop off his own head. It was really tasteless.

The most important thing is that Wu Jie did not get any benefits from the salt tax. Instead, in order to maintain his own network, he suddenly felt very wronged.

However, there is no way around it. Once the sea water is polluted, it is difficult to escape.

Wu Jie was sure that if he did not cooperate, he would die on the street the next day, so it was better to be careful.

However, the people who had been keeping an eye on Qingkou Town discovered that Marquis Jianchang was doing something that had nothing to do with salt.

If Gu Dayong wanted to build a brick kiln, he had to hire people locally. Gu Dayong thought that he could pay the wages to the cooks, but was rejected by Zhu Tan.

Zhu Tan said seriously: "We just arrived here, what have we brought for the cooks? Anyway, they don't like being fooled by us, so we should at least give them something practical. With money, they will think that we are not cheating them!"

Gu Dayong said flatteringly, "My Lord, you are right. This is the true meaning of keeping one's word!"

"You're doing a good job of flattering me! Stop it. Hire people to work quickly. It's hard labor. One dollar a day. I want to hire people." A notice for coolies was quickly posted. One dollar a day was paid. The tenants in Qingkou Town were stunned. They thought the court was playing a trick on them and wanted them to do coolie work.

Firstly, the chefs in Qingkou Town didn't believe it, and secondly, Brother Rong also issued a death order prohibiting the villagers from cooperating with the government, so they trusted Brother Rong more.

Although Brother Rong was also exploiting them, there was still a tacit understanding between them that the official did not have, even though the plaque read "Marquis Jianchang".

Could it be that the Marquis of Jianchang is someone of theirs? If it was the emperor, that would be fine, but they want to see if the emperor is made of gold.

Zhu Tan waited for a whole incense stick of time. After Gu Dayong repeated the content of the notice several times in his hoarse voice and still no one came forward, he knew he could not wait any longer.

In this situation, the only thing they can do is to use conspiracy and trickery.

"Gu Dayong, you recruit everyone from Qingkou Town. Anyone who wants to work has to pay."

Gu Dayong thought the same thing, he just pretended to do it and then continued talking.

The "stooges" are real "actors", not Jinyiwei or garrison soldiers. That would make people feel embarrassed and less convincing.

More than ten people came from a village near Qingkou Town. They were all old people, old people, old people, and old people. Some of them could not even walk. They ran forward and wanted to ask for help.

Gu Dayong's face was filled with touched expressions, and he kept agreeing, thinking that this marquis was really cruel and ruthless, how could there be so many ugly monsters!
Gu Dayong told everyone what he was going to do, and then distributed today's salary, one ingot of silver to each person.

He has already discussed with his agent that he will pay on time and will not force himself or blame him for being lazy.

Where can you find such a good job? If you can work as a childcare worker for more than ten days, you can have enough food to eat for a year.

With so much silver being presented, the people in Qingkou Town were getting a little restless.

They are all very familiar with these dozen people. Even if they are not familiar with them, they are very familiar with them. These dozen people are not cooks at all, but refugees who do not even have household registration.

Such a group of people can actually get advance reward money from the government. Look what they are doing, isn’t it digging the ground?

The chefs in Qingkou Town all focused their attention on Xiao Wuzi. Since Brother Rong was not around, Xiao Wuzi still had some weight.

Although Xiao Wuzi didn't understand the court's intention, he couldn't help but move when he saw the boxes of silver, not to mention the other cooks.

If they attacked together, Xiao Wuzi saw a group of guards in gorgeous clothes and holding sharp weapons, and immediately gave up the idea of ​​suicide.

The cooks in Qingkou Town all had red eyes. Xiao Wuzi also understood what it meant to not offend the public, so he quickly ran to report the matter to Brother Rong.

"Are you really giving me a reward?" After getting Xiao Wuzi's confirmation, Brother Rong laughed and said, "Okay! Find someone to help! But we still need extra compensation. Apart from the wages of the cooks, each person can get a commission of about one ingot. I want to see how rich this uncle from the capital is."

Xiao Wuzi plucked up the courage to negotiate a price with Gu Dayong, and raised the price so high that Gu Dayong immediately told Chu Deng.

Zhu Tan said to Wang Min, "It seems that it was the brother Rong you mentioned who did this. It's okay. I can pay for it, and the project can't be delayed. Pay the money and start working."

Zhu Tan also has his own personality. If he wants to earn my money, I am happy to hire someone at a high price. But if he wants to play tricks, he has to let others know that his money is not easy to earn.

Qingkou Town suddenly became a huge construction site. Zhu Tan also saw the cunning of the civilians. No matter whether they were men or women, they all gathered together, wanting to get benefits from Chu Tian.

After dividing Brother Rong's money, Zhu Tan could earn about two thousand taels a day. He thought it was okay and he could still afford it.

The eldest nephew Zhu Houzhao drew a detailed blueprint, and Zhu Tan instructed Gu Dayong to guard the gate.

This is not a joke. If you want to build a chimney, wouldn't it be a waste of time if you turn the blueprint upside down and dig a well on it?
Gu Dayong promised her that he had participated in all the brick kilns in the capital, and this time, what he had to do was to expand the construction and ensure that there would be no problems.

The news spread quickly, and in the next few days, more and more people wanted to make more money. They were worried that if they missed this opportunity, they would never have it again.

The number of construction workers quickly increased to 4000. Wang Qiao was also a man with vision. He personally gave 10 taels of silver to Zhu Tan, which resolved Tang Yi's urgent problem.

What happened to Zhu Tan in Qingkou Town was also known by Zhang Yuanying and others.

"This guy is lucky to be alive." Cao Da had known that Zhu Tan had escaped, but he did not expect that Zhu Tan was hiding in the government office in Anlu, and he almost killed Zhu Tan.

Zhang Yuanying was not angry either, he just sneered and said, "Here he comes. Changing the salt policy is simply courting death. We will just watch the show from the sidelines, waiting for him to be beaten black and blue, and then give him a fatal blow."

Cao Da frowned and said, "You think too much. It is really unreliable to pin your hopes on these big businessmen!"

"It's not just the big businessmen. Just watch! Even if we do nothing, the Lianghuai Salt Field and the surrounding areas can't bear it. They won't agree if we break the traditional rules."

Zhang Yuanying was also a smart person. Although she had not considered the salt tax, she had heard that a big businessman from Shanxi once gave her grandfather 20,000 taels of silver in exchange for the protection of the garrison in the northern border.

No matter how much money one has, it is still a kind of strength. By doing this, Chu Tian is challenging the money of many people. His survival is equivalent to harming other people's lives. Someone will let Chu Mu know this.

No one cared what Zhu Tan wanted to do. As long as it didn't involve salt, the emperor's uncle could do whatever he wanted. After all, the money was paid by the emperor's uncle himself, and they had no right to interfere!

It takes a lot of effort to burn concrete, from cutting materials to production. Zhu Tan dare not delay. He has decided to expose this piece of land because he has promised to do it well.

In order to avoid getting in the way, Zhu Tan decided not to touch these established salt fields, but instead to build a brand new drying yard.

Both of them want to know who is the best.

A few days later, Zhu Tan sent Guo Ning to the Southern Pacification Office, and used the connections there to secretly track down the whereabouts of Zheng He's treasure ship.

Even if not, he could preserve the ruins of the shipyard and try to extract some core technologies from it.

This is the biggest reason why he decided to go to the south. (End of this chapter)