Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 95: Open a Textile Factory! (Subscribe)

Zhu Yuanzhang ate the noodles in big mouthfuls.

While eating, he asked, "How is Xia Zhibai's salt selling?"

Pu Gou'er smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it's selling very well. Most people in the city are buying it. Many people are praising Your Majesty for your wisdom and bravery. They all praise Your Majesty for your compassion for the people and for knowing that merchants value profit, so you specially let Xia Zhibai, the top scholar, to do business."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.

There was a strange look in his eyes.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "This has nothing to do with us."

Pu Gou'er said, "How can this not have anything to do with Your Majesty? Xia Zhibai is Your Majesty's minister. Whatever he does, he needs Your Majesty's approval. His ability to sell salt and gain the love of the people are all gifts from Your Majesty."

"Xia Zhibai is just taking advantage of your majesty."

"If it weren't for the grace of His Majesty, would he be able to engage in business as an official? Would he be able to get so many conveniences?"

"This is all due to your Majesty's tolerance."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, looked at Pu Gou'er with eyes full of joy, and said: "What you said seems to make some sense. If we don't loosen this restriction, how can he, a mere scholar, do business without changing his household registration? How can he violate so many laws without authorization?"

“This really has something to do with us.”

"Haha."

"That's right." Park Gou'er quickly replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "From what you said, Xia Zhibai's salt is selling well?"

Pu Gou'er said, "It's not just good. It's very good. In just 20 days, we sold more than 200,000 kilograms."

"Some people have estimated that if the entire Yingtian Prefecture is added together, it would probably exceed 300,000 kilograms."

"How much?" Zhu Yuanzhang's voice suddenly became louder, and the chopsticks in his hand that were holding the noodles shook. He put down the chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and asked solemnly: "Tell us again, how much did he sell in the past 20 days?"

Park Gouer gave a bitter smile.

This number is indeed somewhat astonishing.

He was also shocked when he first heard it.

This is not something else.

This is salt.

Pu Gou'er said, "Your Majesty, according to estimates by many people in the city, more than 300,000 kilograms of salt may have been sold. However, there is no exact data, but in Yingtianfu City, the number of salt sold has been announced to be around 200,000."

"This data is not fabricated by me, but is published daily by Xia Zhibai Salt Shop."

"At least for now, no one has any objection."

Park Gouer replied respectfully.

"So much salt? Sold it out in 20 days? Can he produce so much? Can Yingtian Prefecture sell so much at once?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked in disbelief. The data was too exaggerated. The population of Yingtian Prefecture was only about 500,000 or 600,000.

This is equivalent to a family of three, with each person buying one kilogram.

How can this be?

Zhu Yuanzhang instinctively didn't believe this number.

Pu Gou'er smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, how dare I deceive you?"

"Xia Zhibai's salt shop publishes its sales figures every day, written in black and white on paper."

“Indeed, so many were sold.”

Zhu Yuanzhang straightened up, pointed at Pu Gou'er, and said seriously: "Since you have some knowledge, then tell us how he sold so much at once, and how he produced so much at once."

“This is not a small amount.”

Pu Gou'er pondered for a moment, thought about it in his mind, and said, "Your Majesty, as to why it can produce so much, it seems to have a lot to do with the steam engine. It is said that it has been improved several times, and the efficiency has been greatly improved. It is much better than manual labor. Now the machine and the people are working day and night, which is why such a terrifying output can be achieved."

"But I am not sure whether it is true or not."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Such confidential matters are indeed not easy to find out.

But how they sold so many is no longer a secret.

Park Gouer continued: "The reason why Xia Zhibai can sell so much is for one reason: the price is low."

"He sold it to the people at fifteen cents a pound."

“It’s half as much as other salt shops.”

Zhu Yuanzhang was thoughtful.

This is barely understandable.

The people had no money in their pockets, so when they heard that salt was being sold at a low price, they would naturally rush to buy it. However, the fact that 300,000 kilograms of salt could be sold was still beyond Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations.

This number is simply too high.

Pu Gou'er smiled and said, "The reason why so much salt has been sold is mainly due to your Majesty's efforts. If Xia Zhibai had not been the top scholar of this year, how could it have attracted so much attention? If your Majesty had not won the hearts of the people and been loved by the people, the people would not have given such great support."

"This is all thanks to your majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, knowing that Pu Gou'er was flattering him, but it did sound pleasing to the ear.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "As long as the people are well, then that's good."

"We don't have much to hope for, except that people's lives can get better."

"Xia Zhibai is good at business."

"Go tell the people at the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office that in the future, the salt distributed by the imperial court to officials and local vassal kings will be this special salt. Sometimes I have a bad temper, but as long as they work hard for us and the Ming Dynasty, I will not treat them unfairly."

"I obey your command." said Pu Gou'er.

into the night.

The nights in early summer are really hard to bear, especially when there are more and more mosquitoes, and you can only feel the constant buzzing in your ears.

An open space outside the salt factory.

There were some charcoal stoves burning nearby, lighting up the open space.

There were more than a dozen people sitting in the open space, mostly women, and two or three elderly people.

There were hundreds of people gathered outside the open space, all staring at the open space inside, curious about what Xia Zhibai would say.

Not long after.

There was a commotion among the crowd.

Xia Zhibai's figure slowly appeared before his eyes.

Everyone's faces darkened and they all stood up, not daring to be the least bit presumptuous.

Xia Zhibai held a bamboo fan in his hand and walked to the middle of the open space. He looked at the dozen or so representatives around him and nodded, saying, "I have heard about your recent demands and I understand them, but rules are rules. I built the salt factory and mine, and I selected the people."

"I have the final say on who comes in and who comes out."

"It's not you."

"This time, there was no impact. If it really affected the normal operation of the salt factory and the coal mine, I would not care who your relatives are. I only know that their existence has affected the normal operation of my factory, which means that they are no longer suitable to stay here."

"I will directly clear these people out."

"Go back to where you came from."

"in addition."

"I'm not short of people."

“There really aren’t that many skilled salt workers and miners, but I have the time and patience to train them.”

"My business model is different from the previous independent business model. The experience that many of you have mentioned is not applicable to me. I will have to start from scratch."

"I can tell you clearly."

"My current company only exports people, not hires them."

"Even if we recruit people, we will only choose from other places, not from among you."

"I don't like people taking advantage of their numbers to get more than they deserve."

"There is only one of you in the company now, and you outsiders are arguing endlessly, trying to squeeze this person out, replace that person, and let you in. Once you are really let in, I am afraid that I will have to change people to run this factory."

"No rules no standards."

"Before the salt factory and coal mine were established, we really didn't have that much energy for design."

"Now that things are gradually getting back on track, it's time to establish some rules."

"Public is public, private is private."

"If there are any more instigators or provocateurs that affect the production of the salt factory or coal mine, whether they are participants or plotters, they will all be expelled; if there are any more malicious slanders, defamations, or rumors about the salt factory or coal mine workers, they will all be sent to see the authorities; if there are any workers who bully others by taking advantage of their power and taking advantage of their contributions, they will all be fired and never employed again; if there are any more. "

Xia Zhibai set dozens of rules in a row.

Not only do they restrict those who have not yet joined the company, but they also focus on restricting those who have already joined the company.

Especially those who form factions and cliques.

There were too many people from Chuzhou and Shouzhou in his salt factory and coal mine.

Many of them already know each other, so it's easy to get together.

This trend is unacceptable.

Regardless of whether this incident happened or not, he decided to split these people up.

But it is not the right time yet. He will make adjustments only when the demand for output from salt factories and coal mines decreases.

The enterprise he wanted to establish was institutionalized and regulated, rather than a group of gangs.

Hearing Xia Zhibai's words, the workers' family representatives around looked at each other. They could all tell that Xia Zhibai was angry.

Xia Zhibai continued: "I might as well tell you."

"The salt factory and the mine will adjust their salaries in the future. They will no longer spend so wildly like they do now. Instead, there will be rules and regulations, and everything will be decided based on the actual situation. Many of you are fighting to get into these factories, and most of the reasons are because you are jealous of the rewards they received in the past two months."

“But this situation cannot last forever.”

"As the situation of salt factories and mines gradually stabilizes, the demand for salt will gradually decrease. It will become increasingly difficult to improve salt production, mining, and ore transportation. Salaries will gradually stabilize in the future. Of course, the current incentive mechanism will continue to be retained, but income will indeed be greatly reduced."

"Many of you are not from Yingtian Prefecture."

"Right now, the whole family, young and old, is supported by one person."

“It’s stressful.”

"I can understand that you might want to divide the work and share the household expenses, but the salt factory and the mine are not places where disputes arise, nor are they places where you can gain benefits by making trouble. I will not tolerate this situation, and I will never compromise or give in."

“We will never compromise on matters of principle.”

"I just observed that most of the people who came here are women."

“There are also some elderly people in their 40s and 50s.”

"Although it is possible to have you work in the mines or work day and night to produce salt, the factory does not need so many people at the moment. However, you have never been idle in the past. I am afraid you will be anxious if you are idle all day long."

"I have thought of a good place for you."

"Textile!"

"Since ancient times, the world has had the custom of men farming and women weaving. Most of you can also weave cloth, so I thought about it and decided to open a textile factory nearby and absorb some of your people into it, still in the form of employment."

"What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)