Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 274 A great country with great strength in prosperous times!
"What about the other salt merchants who didn't come?" Someone noticed the problem in Xia Zhibai's words.

After this, the other salt merchants suddenly woke up and looked at Xia Zhibai with some shock and uneasiness. Fang Rengang forced a smile and said, "Your Excellency is wrong? Haven't our salt merchants from all over the south arrived? Why do you still say this?"

Wang Chongde said: "Yes."

"We have all followed the imperial court's orders and arrived as scheduled. We dare not be negligent in the slightest."

"Not only us, I believe that salt merchants from all over the south have come. They dare not not come. Although merchants are dissatisfied with this official-merchant conference, they are not so dissatisfied as to anger the court for these things. Sir, you must be careful with your words."

"."

There were reminders everywhere in the lobby.

They were all telling Xia Zhibai that no salt merchants had yet arrived.

Xia Zhibai sneered, slowly stood up, glanced at the salt merchants who had spoken in the lobby, and said, "Are they really all here?"

"How come I heard that there are more than just salt merchants here in the south?"

Fang Rengang exchanged a glance with Wang Chongde and the others, a trace of panic in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed his uneasiness and laughed dryly, "You are joking, sir. This must be a rumor. It is also very likely that the local pariahs are jealous of our salt merchants and maliciously slander us. We are loyal to the Ming Dynasty and we know who is ruling us. How could we do such an unwise thing?"

"Moreover."

"My Lord has given us a serious order."

"If they don't come, the salt factory will be confiscated directly, which will be a huge loss."

"We are businessmen, how could we do such a loss-making thing?"

Zhou Maolin also added: "I also think that adults are overly suspicious."

"If there really are salt merchants who don't come, how can the Salt Transport Bureau not find out? Moreover, we pay salt taxes to the court every month, and the accounts are all there. We can tell the truth at a glance. Your Excellency is actually affected by these nonsense. It's really inappropriate."

"."

Xia Zhibai didn't look at Fang Rengang and other salt merchants, but his eyes were fixed on the salt official Zhang Tong. He looked at Zhang Tong with a smile and asked, "Sir Zhang, I wonder if you can give me a definite news. Have the salt merchants from the southern governors arrived?"

"I advise you to tell the truth."

"You should also be aware of my style of doing things."

"Handle the salt administration on behalf of Your Majesty."

Done.

Xia Zhibai looked at Zhang Tong with a playful expression, waiting for Zhang Tong's final answer.

He was not in a hurry at all, as if he was enjoying the scenery, very leisurely and elegant.

Zhang Tong's expression changed again and again, and the look he gave Xia Zhibai was full of vigilance and suspicion. He pondered secretly in his heart, and suddenly became a little uncertain. If it were before, he was sure that Xia Zhibai would never be able to find out the real situation. Xia Zhibai's recent every move was under his nose, and there was no reason for Xia Zhibai to know.

But what Xia Zhibai had said one after another had already made him feel extremely shaken.

He was a little confused whether Xia Zhibai was deceiving him or really had other clues.

Zhang Tong's eyes rolled around, but he quickly calmed down. He looked at Xia Zhibai with an uncertain look, and bowed respectfully, "My lord, this is a bit difficult for me. I dare not guarantee it."

"It's not that our rule is untrue."

"But there is another reason."

"The steam-powered salt machine you invented has been promoted very quickly in the south, and it has been built everywhere. Just like what you said before, if too many are built, it will inevitably lead to an accumulation of production. Merchants are chasing profits, but now that so many people have poured into the salt industry, it is bound to cause some people to lose money."

"In addition, there have been disturbances by cooks in the past six months, and many salt factories have actually closed down."

"We have not informed these salt factories."

"So I'm really not sure whether these salt factories will reopen in the future. Please forgive me, sir."

Zhang Tong apologized sincerely.

Zhang Tong's explanation was very sophisticated. Not only did he clear the Salt Transport Bureau of its problems, but he also prepared a patch for the new "salt factories" that would emerge in the future. It was not because they failed to supervise properly, but because the competition pressure from the salt factories was too great during this period. Many salt factories had been closed, and it was possible that new salt factories were being prepared.

It is understandable that they fail to supervise.

Zhang Tong was very satisfied with his own explanation.

Regardless of whether Xia Zhibai really discovered some clues or not, he was already in an invincible position, and the salt factory they intended to "protect" had indeed been closed down in the past few days. There was nothing wrong with his explanation.

It's all true!

But deep down, Zhang Tong had become even more wary of Xia Zhibai. This man was too clever and thoughtful. He could stir people's hearts with just a few words, making it hard to guard against. Moreover, Xia Zhibai was very clear about his own advantages, and he had been relying on his status as an "imperial envoy" to bully others.

It forced him to think twice about every word and action he took.

If you are not careful, you may fall into Xia Zhibai's language trap.

He now finally understood why Li Benmo and others were unwilling to come, and even took the initiative to push the matter away. They must have realized how difficult Xia Zhibai was, and simply didn't want to face Xia Zhibai's difficulties. However, he had to come because he was deeply involved.

Thinking of this, Zhang Tong's face turned ugly.

For a moment, he even hoped that this conference would end soon.

"Really?" Xia Zhibai nodded thoughtfully, and continued: "But that won't work either. The salt production in the south is already excessive. The extra machines must be confiscated and cannot be left in the local area. Otherwise, it will be a huge waste."

"Master Zhang, after the conference is over, remember to organize the information."

"Collect all the information about the closed salt factories in the south, or the salt factories that are about to be planned. I will discuss with the officials of the Chief Secretary and send people to take over. It is our duty to ensure the stability of local salt production. This is also to protect the interests of other salt merchants."

"I am promoting reform, how can I discourage the existing salt merchants?"

"I should make some amends."

Zhang Tong felt his scalp tingling, and said with gritted teeth: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? After all, these machines were bought with real money. The court's direct requisition is a bit too overbearing and may cause criticism. In addition, many salt factories have been closed for some time. Those machines may have been changed hands many times. Maybe many of the steam engines in the hands of the salt merchants here came from these people."

“This is too much of a task.”

"I think it's better to take a long-term view."

Xia Zhibai frowned, looking somewhat unhappy as he said, "This is not negotiable."

"The south already has a surplus of salt. How can we tolerate them continuing to disrupt the southern salt market? Since they are merchants, we can invite them over and ask them where they are going. How difficult is that? If the Salt Transport Bureau is unwilling, I can ask the Provincial Government or the Jinyiwei to do it for me."

"The supply of salt must be controlled from the source."

Hear the words.

Zhang Tong's face froze.

He really wanted to say that Xia Zhibai was meddling too much.

But he didn't dare to say anything for the moment, because no one could guess whether Xia Zhibai would really let the Governor or the Royal Guard take action. The Governor was fine, but if the Royal Guard took action, there was no guarantee that they would find out something.

Zhang Tong looked around and felt heavy in his heart.

He gritted his teeth and said, "After all, the steam engines are made of high-quality iron. Maybe they have been melted. How can we trace them?"

Xia Zhibai said, "Isn't there a saying that goes 'If it's alive, you have to see the person; if it's dead, you have to see the body'? Iron, even if it's melted, it won't disappear out of thin air. And a steam engine as big as this, even if it's melted, can be used to make many things. A little investigation will reveal everything."

"in addition."

"In order to ensure the production of salt factories, the imperial court will gradually strengthen the control over coal in the future and strictly control the amount of coal entering the market. Only salt factories under the jurisdiction of the Salt Association and the Salt Transport Bureau can get sufficient coal supply, and completely put an end to illegal salt production from outsiders!"

Coal is a bulk commodity. Although the south is short of coal, it is not without it. Places like Jiangxi and Fujian have considerable coal production. With the widespread promotion of steam engines, the local coal industry has actually achieved rapid development, and Xia Zhibai also has to keep an eye on the coal.

He came to the South to gradually collect tax sources.

Economic development must be under the macro-control of the imperial court.

The era of wild growth is over.

The imperial court must keep a firm grip on energy and people's livelihood-related production and never allow it to fall into private hands.

Zhang Jing, an official from Fujian, said: "Sir, isn't this a bit too much?"

"We are discussing salt this time. Why does it have anything to do with coal?"

"Moreover, the coal production in the south is already insufficient, and much of it is in remote areas, which makes transportation difficult. If the court strengthens supervision, wouldn't it be adding another hindrance to the already difficult coal production? I don't agree with this."

"It is to restrict the excessive use of coal in the salt industry." Xia Zhibai said in a serious tone: "It is not to restrict the development of the coal industry.

“There is a fundamental difference between the two.”

"And there is one thing I can tell you in advance. Coal is only allowed to be operated by the government. Any private enterprises will be gradually eliminated within the next six months. No private individuals will be allowed to participate. Coal, as the most important energy material in the future, can only be controlled by the government."

"It must be strictly supervised by the court."

"This was decided by the court."

"It's just that the time for promulgation has not come yet. However, once the salt policy is on the right track, these new policies will be promulgated one after another. The new dynasty has a new atmosphere. The Ming Dynasty needs to put things right, change the decadent atmosphere of the past, and bring the major commodities that affect the direction of the court under the control of the court."

"This is beyond debate!"

"The Ming Dynasty will re-establish a new system for the world, so that the world's commerce and manufacturing will be gradually regularized, standardized, scaled, and institutionalized, so as to truly benefit the country and the people."

“This long-lasting chaos must end!”

“It will also end!”

“Salt policy is just the beginning.”

"You and I will be witnesses and participants of this change."

"A great country, a prosperous era with great strength!"

(End of this chapter)