The sun is high in the sky, scorching this desert land.
To the west of Longxi, after crossing the Yellow River and following the Huangshui River, a tributary of the Yellow River, upstream, in the triangle area between the Yellow River and Huangshui basins on the south side of the Qilian Mountains, the valley area composed of the Yellow River, Huangshui and a large number of tributaries is the "Hehuang Valley"
”.
It is also the historical corner of Tuyuhun, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty’s Western Tour, Qinghai Road, Tang-Tibet Ancient Road and Xining Kaibian of the Song Dynasty.
As the intersection into Tibet, Xining Prefecture is an important jurisdiction in Gansu. After Li Zicheng fled to Kham, there were areas where Mongolians and Tibetans lived together, and they were controlled by the Ming Dynasty.
Immediately after controlling the Hehuang Valley, Xining Prefecture was naturally established and was then planned to Gansu.
"Xining Prefecture governs the four counties of Haixi, Haidong, Hainan, and Haibei. It has more than 300,000 people, 3,000 border troops, and 2,000 local patrol battalions."
On the baked desert, a caravan consisting of a pair of camels continued for hundreds of steps, with bells ringing and the sand beneath their feet.
The sky is clear and the huge sun is shining with light, driving away all the clouds. As far as the eye can see, the ground is covered with yellow sand and there is no one to speak of.
The businessmen riding on the camels covered their mouths and noses with gauze scarves, and they did not dare to pull them off easily even if they were extremely hot.
Sima Bu couldn't care less. He took off his scarf, took the skin bag from the camel's back, and poured water into his mouth.
After a while, he finally regained his breath: "What's the difference between these four counties?"
The middle-aged man on the side chuckled: "Haidong, Haixi, Hainan, and the three counties are all settlement areas. Many herdsmen also like to live in this kind of land, so it has become a granary."
"Whenever Gansu is short of food, it will transfer food from Xining Prefecture to alleviate the disaster."
"As for Haixi, isn't this the reason why you are here, young master?"
Sima Bu then smiled bitterly and said: "After seeing the scene in Haidong and other counties, I am really not used to the sudden entry into Haixi."
"Cha'erhan Salt Lake!"
When he mentioned this name, his expression was extremely serious.
In the past, green salt refers to salt lakes in Gansu, Ningxia and other places. It is white in color and green in color, and tastes slightly salty.
But with the development of Xining Salt Lake, especially the huge Qarhan Salt Lake, a development frenzy immediately ushered in.
The term green salt has become synonymous with lake salt in Xining Prefecture.
Compared with other green salts, the salt from Qarhan Salt Lake is brighter in color, less bitter in taste, thinner and has a better taste.
Of course, the most important thing is that the Qarhan Salt Lake is huge, easy to mine, and low-cost, so it naturally became the first choice.
Moreover, Xining Prefecture is located at a crossroads, with Gansu to the north, Anxi to the west, Weizang to the south, and Shaanxi to the east. The salt produced in the salt lake can be easily transported anywhere.
"For this salt lake, Xining Prefecture specially built an official road and built it on the scale of a national highway." The middle-aged man sighed.
Sima Bu then smiled and said: "Relying on this salt lake, Xining Prefecture has become the number one prefecture in Gansu. It pays millions in taxes every year. I can't cherish it enough!"
"Who says it's not?" the middle-aged man said in agreement: "It's precisely because many Tatars no longer herd cattle in the Salt Lake, so they lead camels and horses to help run businesses."
"It's six hundred miles from the Salt Lake to Xining City. Without these Tatars, the salt would be really unlucky."
Only then did Sima Bu notice the roadside.
Several camels fell to the ground panting, their eyes closed and they could only breathe.
One of the white camels is extremely conspicuous.
But the Mongolian who was walking suddenly left the team, took out a precious water bag from his arms, and poured it into several heads.
As if noticing this, the team also slowly stopped.
Many people came over and knelt on the ground to pray.
"this?"
"The white camel is a sacred animal to them, and it will bring good luck whenever they encounter it."
The middle-aged man added: "This camel looks like a wild camel."
"What if this is dedicated to the imperial court?" Sima Bu's eyes lit up.
"Master, you'd better put your heart aside!"
The middle-aged man said hurriedly: "As long as you take this white camel away, you will not be able to leave Haixi County."
"Those Tatars are very tough, and they can stab you with a knife."
Sima Bu's face was filled with regret.
At this time, a camel suddenly came over, and the round-faced Mongolian man waved his whip angrily, making a frightening sound.
"Tatar, Tatar, I am not a Tatar."
"Don't think that I can't understand Chinese. This is a curse word. I'm not a Tatar. I'm a herdsman, just like a farmer."
"Yes Yes!"
The middle-aged man immediately bowed his head and admitted his mistake, laughing along with him: "It's all my fault for my bad mouth. Please forgive me, you sir have a lot!"
"Huh, keep your mouth clean from now on."
After saying this, he left.
At this time, the middle-aged man turned his head and whispered: "This man's name is Battle. I heard that he is a noble from the Heshuote tribe. His family has more than 100,000 acres of pasture land. Now he transports salt, and he has hundreds of
people……"
"Noble? He is a noble and does business?"
Sima Bu was puzzled.
And there are more than 100,000 acres of land. This is too exaggerated. Even in the Ming Dynasty, he was a first-class landowner!
"Sir, in Xining, nobles are not valuable, and land is not valuable either."
The middle-aged man explained: "Back then, Li Zicheng came to the Qinghai area and killed all the big nobles, leaving only some small and medium-sized nobles to survive."
"When my Ming Dynasty King arrived, I rescued them, but I gave all the pastures, cattle and sheep to the herdsmen and slaves."
"Even the most humble herdsman has three to five thousand acres of grazing land at home. Although there is a lot of Balte land, there are no people to hire for grazing."
"Besides, grazing cattle is not as valuable as transporting salt..."
Only then did Sima Bu suddenly realize.
Compared with Hetao, Suiyuan, and Qinghai, this place is very different. The evil man Li Zicheng burned, killed, looted, and robbed the nobles of their money, shaking the foundation of his rule.
Then when the Ming Dynasty came here, it no longer recognized noble titles, and then equalized land. All herdsmen owned land, and farmers had farmland, laying the foundation for rule.
This is also the case, the imperial court's dominance in Xining Mansion is extremely high.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile: "Li Zicheng is very capable. If he goes to Hetao and Suiyuan, he will probably make a great contribution."
"Who says it's not the case?" The middle-aged man also chuckled: "If it weren't for this, we wouldn't dare to come to Haixi to buy salt!"
"Otherwise those Mongolian nobles would loot without restraint."
Sima Bu nodded.
Although camels are slow, they have strong endurance. As long as they have sufficient water and food, they can walk slowly and cover hundreds of miles in a day, just like they are playing.
However, the caravan cherished the camels, so they only walked sixty miles a day.
It happens to be an inn.
Compared with the mainland, the inns here in Xining are simpler, basically built with rammed earth and wood, and are characterized by rows of stables.
The camels were led to the stables, a large amount of fodder was put in, and the most important thing was water.
For the first time, Sima Bu saw hundreds of camels drinking and eating, and they grunted endlessly.
"Sir, the construction of this post station is very important. It dug three wells, two wells with bitter water for the livestock, and one deep well with sweet water for people to eat and drink."
The middle-aged man introduced at the side: "Water here also costs money. A bucket of bitter water costs two cents, and sweet water costs five cents. Food is not expensive..."
Sima Bu watched with interest, then nodded and left.
However, this camel team did not stay in the inn. Instead, after feeding the camels water and food, they came to camp in a nearby open space.
After spending the night, the entire cavalry moved on.
We encountered a sandstorm on the way, and it took us eleven days to pick up and walk before we arrived at Chaerhan Salt Lake.
The first impression is green.
The entire lake seemed like a piece of fertile soil that had just been cultivated, and also like fish scales, layer by layer, wave after wave. Unfortunately, there was no green grass on the land, no fish swimming in the lake, and no birds in the sky. It was silent.
The salt flowers may be shaped like pearls, corals, pavilions, or birds and animals. They stand in clusters, one by one, in the salt lake, decorating the salt lake as beautiful as a fairyland.
“Legend has it that in the days of Qarhan, gold, silver and jewels were everywhere here, but the mountain gods, demons and monsters were not responsible enough and indifferent, so they fought endlessly all year round to snatch the treasures.
After the Queen Mother of the West, who lived deep in the Kunlun Mountains, learned about it, she ordered the Water God to bring down the water from the sky and flood all these treasures so that no one could get them, leaving only us humans."
The middle-aged man sighed with emotion: "Now that I see it, it is indeed true. Isn't this the treasure left to us by the Queen Mother of the West?"
Sima Bu then went down to the ground. He stepped on it and felt it was extremely thick.
It was especially hard for him to believe that he was actually walking on the lake.
These salts are as thick as rocks.
"Sir, this salt is several feet thick. You can see that so many people are fine walking on it, so don't worry."
Only then did Sima Bu walk.
He looked around and saw many men, barefoot on the lake, holding hoes or shovels in their hands, shoveling the salt from the lake into bamboo baskets.
Then one by one, the teenagers lifted up the bamboo baskets, staggered to the stone ground on the shore, and poured the salt directly on the ground.
Hills are formed, glowing under the sun.
At this time, a young man passing by slipped his foot and almost fell. Sima Bu quickly helped him and was thanked.
"Can you speak Chinese?"
Sima Bu was quite surprised.
"I'm studying social studies."
The young man was not afraid either. He stared at his round eyes and said:
"My family is poor, so I come here every few days to earn money and then go to school."
"How much does it cost to work here for a day?"
"Fifty Wen." The young man smiled and said, "If I work for ten days, it will be enough for me to go to school for twenty days."
Sima Bu showed a knowing smile and encouraged: "You must go to school. As long as you pass the exam and get a good reputation, you will have no worries about food and drink in the future."
In Xining Prefecture, Suiyuan, and Ningxia, herdsmen can take the imperial examination. This is also an important way to change their destiny in addition to the Naadam Conference.
It can even be said that the imperial examination is far more important than the Naadam Conference.
Because the Naadam Conference is so competitive, anyone from Han, Mongolian, or any other ethnic group can participate, and the number of places is limited.
No threshold is the biggest threshold.
"Thank you, sir." After saying this, he bowed his hands and thanked her, then resolutely picked up the bamboo basket and walked to the shore.
"Sir, there are many young men like this."
The middle-aged man said hurriedly: "Don't pity him. This is much better than in the mainland. It's fifty cents a day, which is one yuan and a half a month!"
"I know."
Sima Bu was too lazy to pay attention to him and turned his attention to the lake.
Lake salt costs three cents per catty, and the freight to Xining is one cent per catty.
If you sell it to other provinces, it will be about ten yuan. If you mix it with other things, you will make more.
His family was also a salt merchant.
And he is also a Shaanxi businessman.
Back then, relying on the emperor's momentum, Shaanxi businessmen who had been harmed by Li Zicheng collectively entered Sichuan and seized the well salt.
With the possession of well salt, Shaanxi merchants regained their strength and began to develop greatly, making it possible to compete with Hui merchants and Shanxi merchants.
Naturally, they will not let go of the lake salt in the northwest.
He came here just to expand the Sima family's trade routes.
Qarhan Salt Lake belongs to the northwest salt field and is managed by officials.
All salt merchants do not organize horse teams to transport the salt. Instead, they directly purchase lake salt and then hire horse teams to transport it to Xining.
Then they would let their caravans transport them to Shaanxi, Gansu, and even Henan and other places.
And this is naturally a regulation of Xining Prefecture, in order to give herdsmen a way to survive and retain a lot of profits.
After all, the Salt Lake belongs to the imperial court, and there is no money to be made locally.
The salt merchants could not twist their legs with their arms, and they did not dare to walk through the six hundred miles of desert. The sandstorms and other bad weather along the way were enough to torture the livestock to death.
If you set up a camel team specifically, you will lose more than you gain.
Therefore, since all the lake salt has gone to Xining, a tax will naturally be levied. Even if the tax is minimal, it is still a huge amount.
After communicating with Yan Guan, Sima Bu learned some bad news:
Even if the salt is sold to the plateau, it still needs to be transported to Xining by horse teams, and the salt cannot be dissolved on the spot.
"Damn it!"
Sima Bu became angry: "Isn't this the opposite?"
His trip was in vain.
Even if he prepared three thousand silver coins.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man shook his head and said: "Sir, I'm not attacking you. These salt officials are well fed by us on weekdays. How dare you mess around with thousands of dollars."
"If Xining finds out about it, he might be involved in a book!"
"Is there no way?"
Sima Bu was helpless.
If he cannot dissolve the salt on the spot, he will have to travel a lot longer and will be easily discovered.
Selling salt to Wei Zangguo will be a new way of making money for the Sima family in the future.
You must know that in the past, the Ancient Tea Horse Road was the most important trade route in the plateau area. Qinghai is too far from Lhasa, so it was naturally ignored by people.
But the Sima family discovered a new way.
Many herders from northern Tibet like to come to Xining to buy lake salt, which means that the vast country of Weizang needs a new trade route to meet its needs.
Although the Ancient Tea Horse Road is good, it is too far and is exploited by Kang State.
After opening up new roads, saffron, cordyceps and other herbs can also be sold at a good price, not to mention there are so many furs.
The annual profit is hundreds of thousands.
Although he encountered setbacks, he was not resigned to it and started walking around the entire Salt Lake.
He met that boy again.
"Why did the young master come to Salt Lake? Are you waiting for someone?"
The young man asked seriously.
"Huh?" Sima Bu raised his eyebrows.
With that said, the young man pulled him to the corner, his eyes bright: "Do you dare to do the private salt business?"
Sima Bu was overjoyed. He was really a fool. No matter how strict the court was, how could his private life be cut off?
If you ask openly and honestly, how can someone give you an answer?