Chapter 1542 The little calculations of the rich

Yang Yun had business in mind, so he did not drink freely at the wine table. Naturally, the rich men saw that Yang Yun had reservations, and they wisely did not continue to persuade him to drink. The few jars of rice wine he had originally prepared were finally opened.

Not a single jar was finished. However, the intention of this meal was not to get drunk. Everyone knew that business was important. Seeing that they were almost done eating, Gu Qufei winked and a servant went to the counter to pay the bill in advance.

After finishing their meal, the group left the county town again and marched towards the seaside for about two miles before stopping. Gu Qufei went to ask Yang Yun to get out of the carriage, and then explained to him: "Master Yang, we are here

The road where we are at that time is the official road from Xiangshan County to the seaside port, and the depression to the west is where we plan to get together to do business with your country."

Yang Yun looked in the direction he pointed, and saw a gentle slope from the roadbed to the west, and then a large area of ​​flat land. It seemed that the terrain was about three meters lower than the official road and the area to the east, and it was currently in a deserted state.

Yang Yun asked: "Why is there no cultivated farmland here? Even growing some food is better than leaving it uncultivated!"

There is not much flat land in Xiangshan County. Logically speaking, it should be the most popular land in the eyes of landlords. However, it seems that this is not the case. Yang Yun is well-informed and can't help but have some doubts about this land.

Are there any other questions?

Gu Qufei did not expect that Yang Yun would notice it so quickly, and responded with a sneer: "Sir, this place is too close to the seaside, so there is a lot of salt and alkali in the ground, and no food can be grown, so it is deserted."

So it turned out that Yang Yun immediately understood what the other party was planning. Saline-alkali land was indeed worthless for the agricultural level of this era, and the price of land was naturally much cheaper than farmland. The 100 acres claimed by these wealthy families

It shouldn't cost much money at all to acquire the land. It's more likely that the other party used this as an excuse to ask Haihan to send someone over to negotiate terms.

Yang Yun didn't have time to go around slowly with these rich country people, so he simply asked bluntly: "Then there should be more than a hundred acres of saline-alkali land here, right?"

"There are also thousands of acres." Gu Qufei didn't dare to hide it anymore and answered honestly: "From here to the west, the wasteland for several miles by the sea is all saline-alkali land. If your country wants to build some workshops here,

I will step forward to seize these territories and form a joint venture with your country."

Yang Yun smiled and said: "But the biggest local industry is fishery. We can't do much in such a big place on the shore. Is it used to dry fishing nets?"

Gu Qufei apologized and said with a smile: "Sir, you are joking. We all know that your country is the best at doing business, so we specially asked someone to contact Zhoushan. We hope that your country can send an expert like you to Xiangshan to give guidance."

Yang Yun frowned and said: "According to my understanding of Xiangshan, although there are some mineral deposits here, most of them are in the mountains. Not to mention the inconvenient transportation, the reserves do not seem to be large, and it is very troublesome to mine them. Apart from that, there seems to be no other mineral deposits in the local area.

It is an industry on land. With the agricultural technology our country has mastered, it is possible to grow some crops in this saline-alkali land, but it is not easy to cultivate and it is difficult to make any profit."

Gu Qufei couldn't help showing a look of disappointment on his face: "Sir, is there no other use for this wasteland besides growing food?"

Yang Yun thought that if this was in Sanya, where land is at a premium, it would naturally have various uses. The worst would be to build a residential area under the auspices of the Ministry of Construction, and the state treasury could also earn a large amount of revenue. But in the Ming Dynasty, such a piece of wasteland would cost

To turn it into a profitable industry, you still have to do a good job of summarizing it.

Yang Yun really understands the situation in Xiangshan County. Apart from fishery, there are no other large-scale private industries here. It can be said that there is a serious lack of industry foundation needed for Haihan to engage in manufacturing. If we want to adapt to local conditions,

In the processing industry, such as wood or stone processing, someone must be able to provide raw materials, otherwise Haihan will have to set up his own lumberyards and quarries, and there does not seem to be an industry of corresponding scale in Xiangshan that can provide Haihan with

Stable supply of raw materials.

Yang Yun was about to explain the situation to Gu Qufei, when suddenly a piece of information flashed in his mind, and he swallowed the words on his lips again, and asked Gu Qufei: "Do you remember if there is a salt field here in Xiangshan?"

Gu Qufei nodded and said: "Yes, the local area has begun to use seawater to boil salt in the Tang Dynasty. By the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yuquan Salt Field was set up. However, in the past few years, there was too much private salt coming from Fujian, and the local people were losing their jobs.

The salt farm went bankrupt."

Of course Yang Yun knew where Fujian's private salt came from. After all, he had been an official in Penghu before, and the production and sale of sea salt was also one of the trade contents he was in charge of. At least 50% of the sea salt produced in Penghu every year was shipped to Penghu.

On sale here in Zhejiang, with its low price and excellent quality, it has snatched up most of the official salt sales in coastal states. Under such circumstances, it is naturally difficult for the local official salt salt fields in Zhejiang to survive.

So just like the salt fields in Fuzhou and Guangzhou, some salt fields with relatively small scale of operation closed down one after another, and the salt field in Xiangshan was obviously one of them.

Since the Ming Dynasty set up a salt farm here in the past, it means that the salinity of the seawater here is suitable for salt production. And this place is so close to the sea and there is a large area of ​​open space. Wouldn't it be just right to set up a salt farm?

The more Yang Yun thought about it, the more reasonable it became, so he said to Gu Qufei: "Then have you ever thought about opening a salt farm here?"

Gu Qufei and others looked at each other and shook their heads with fearful expressions. Yang Yun came to his senses. This private salt farm was a taboo in the Ming Dynasty. If it was found out, it would definitely be a felony. How dare these rich people operate it at will?

This is a project that may cause you to lose your head.

Yang Yundao: "Opening a salt farm is a very profitable business. Don't you plan to give it a try?"

Gu Qufei said with a bitter face: "Sir, stop joking. We are all kind-hearted people who abide by the law. How dare we make and sell private salt at will? If the government finds out about this, how can we survive!"

Yang Yun said seriously: "Don't be afraid of this. If you really want to open a salt farm, I will naturally operate everything properly and won't let you take risks. Tell me first, can you really win all this wasteland?"

Gu Qufei said: "It is very easy to acquire these lands. It is estimated that the price of two or three taels of silver per acre can be paid. But how exactly this is going to be done, please let me know clearly."

Yang Yundao: "I will first learn about the operation of the official salt field in the past, and then talk to the county magistrate to see if we can take over the title of the official salt field. Since private salt sales are illegal in Ming Dynasty, we think

Isn’t it better to turn him into an official salt?”

Gu Qufei and others were dumbfounded. They had never thought that there could be such an operation method. It was not surprising to make and sell private salt, but directly purchasing the title of an official salt farm was really unheard of for them. Ming

People only worry about the crime of manufacturing and selling illicit salt. Probably only Haihan people who are not bound by the laws of the Ming Dynasty would have such unbridled ideas. But is it really feasible to negotiate with the county magistrate?

Gu Qufei said: "Sir, the local magistrate of Wangzhi County is a rigid person and is not so easy to deal with."

"It doesn't matter, let's go meet him first and see his attitude." Yang Yun had an idea in his mind and would not change it easily. He immediately asked his subordinates to check the topography and landforms nearby, and went to the beach to collect seawater samples before returning.

I brought it back to Zhoushan for testing to see if the salt concentration was suitable for building a salt farm.

After arranging these things, Yang Yun asked Gu Qufei to lead the way to the Xiangshan County Government Office to visit the magistrate Wang. Although Gu Qufei felt that the chance of success was extremely small, since Yang Yun insisted, he did not want to offend this magistrate.

The God of Wealth had finally been invited back. And he really wanted to see if Yang Yun could push this matter forward as he said. If he really took over the title of the official salt farm, wouldn't he be the same in the future?

Now that you have stepped into the ranks of salt merchants, you will make a lot of money every day, and your life will definitely be happy.

Since they were going to the county government office, it would be too ostentatious for Gu Qufei and his group to go, so the others went to a teahouse in the city to wait for news, while Gu Qufei accompanied Yang Yun to the county government office alone.

Later, Yang Yun met the county magistrate named Wang Huan in the county government office. He was about fifty years old. He was said to be from Shaoxing and had been in office for five years. Wang Huan showed no sign of the arrival of the Haihan people.

Not much enthusiasm, but a little bit wary, but still treated each other with courtesy, let the two of them into the study, and served hot tea.

Of course, Yang Yun also understood where Wang Huan's vigilance came from. When Haihan first arrived in Zhejiang, he started from Shipu Qianhu, under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County. Although later, a group of people including Yan Guowei, the commander of Changguo Guard,

All the officers of the local police station fell to Haihan's profit offensive, but the Wangzhi County magistrate never bowed his head to Haihan. The gifts sent from Zhoushan to the Xiangshan County government office during the holidays were always kept intact.

The envoys sent to lobby Wang Huan also ran into trouble and left every time.

It can be said that Wang Huan is one of the few officials in Ningbo Prefecture who can make Haihan unable to attack. However, he is self-aware and does not try to stop Haihan's actions in Xiangshan County. He even acquiesces to Haihan's actions in Shipu Port.

He had a controlling position. And Haihan had no intention of forcing the magistrate to submit, so the two parties maintained a strange tacit understanding for a long time, treating each other as transparent.

From Wang Huan's point of view, Yang Yun's arrival is actually no different from the Haihan people who came to visit him in the past few years. Most of them came to try to convince himself to accept the benefits they offered, and then turned a blind eye and betrayed Daming.

Interests. Although Wang Huan considers himself not a loyal minister, he is not willing to give in to this group of outsiders. Therefore, he has actually prepared a reply to the rhetoric that Yang Yun may use, so that the other party will be able to deal with the problem as soon as possible.

Some separation. As for Gu Qufei, who was introduced in the middle, Wang Huan would not blame him for colluding with the Haihan people. He knew that Gu Qufei was engaged in fishery business, and now the coast of Zhejiang is dominated by the Haihan people. If he doesn't stick to it and serve him well,

As a Haihan native, it would be difficult for Gu Qufei to continue his business.

However, when Yang Yun opened his mouth, Wang Huan was surprised. He never expected that the other party would directly target the official salt farm that had closed down. This Haihan man actually wanted to spend money to acquire the name of the official salt farm.

Then it was used in another private salt farm. Wang Huan naturally understood the trick as soon as he heard it. The other party was going to sell private salt openly in the name of official salt. His courage really amazed him.

.

But Wang Huan would not easily agree to such an unreasonable request. He did not even intend to listen to the other party's quotation, so he shook his head and rejected Yang Yun's proposal: "This move is not in line with Ming law. I am sorry that I cannot agree to this matter. What's more, I

The officials cannot take care of the affairs of the salt field. This is the responsibility of the Salt Envoy Department, the Salt Class Promotion Department and the Salt Patrol Censor. A small seventh-grade magistrate cannot take on this important task."

The transfer envoys of the Salt Envoy Department are from the third rank, and the Salt Class Promotion Department is from the fifth rank. As for the Salt Patrol Inspector, he is directly the Salt Envoy who inspects the place on behalf of the imperial court, and his authority is not restricted by official rank.

.In this way, Wang Huan has indeed shirked all his responsibilities.

However, this trick did not work for Haihan officials like Yang Yun who were well versed in the official routines of the Ming Dynasty. He smiled and shook his head and said: "There is a saying in our country that county officials are not as good as current officials. Mr. Wang is both a county official and an official.

If I don’t look for you now, who can I look for? Of those yamen with such and such departments, which one is in Ningbo? The mountains are high in this place and the emperor is far away. How can they manage it? By the time they discover the situation here, the saltworks will have already started

After making a profit, are you still afraid that you won’t be able to silence them with money?”

Wang Huandao: "Having said that, the salt field is ultimately beyond my control."

Yang Yundao: "Master Wang, there is no need to be modest. I came to the county government specifically to ask for a meeting. I just want you to give me permission. As long as you agree to this matter, starting from next month, I will give you a thousand taels of silver every month. As long as you serve as the county magistrate."

Come on, you can take it as long as the salt field is open."

Gu Qufei, who was listening carefully to the negotiation between the two men, not only secretly admired this, but Haihan was indeed a man who was not short of money. He asked for a thousand taels of silver per month. How much personal salt would he have to sell to cover the expenses?

Earn it back!

However, Wang Huan is not that easy to deal with. Hearing this, his expression did not even change. He just continued to refuse: "I am not interested in these external things. Besides, this matter is not in accordance with the Ming Dynasty's legal principles. You'd better not bother.

"

Yang Yundao: "The Ming Dynasty's legal principles ceded Zhoushan Islands and Shipu Port to our country. What else is wrong with this? No matter how hard Mr. Wang insists, the Ming Dynasty will have lost its face long ago."

"Presumptuous!" When Wang Huan heard these provocative words, he couldn't help but slap the table: "You are a bold maniac, how dare you humiliate me, Ming Dynasty, in front of me!"

"It's not me who insulted the Ming Dynasty, but the high officials in your country's court." Yang Yun was not affected by Wang Huan's anger at all, and said unhurriedly: "What Mr. Wang is protecting now is not the face of the Ming Dynasty, but the face of the Ming Dynasty.

It’s just your own face.”
Chapter completed!