It's difficult to stop it with violence. Even if it's a business involving losing people's heads, there are still people willing to do it, and Bai Tu doesn't want to make it so bloody. After all, it's salt trafficking, not drug trafficking, it's just a struggle for interests.
Use profit to stop it, it's very simple...
There are people who do the business of losing money, but no one does the business of losing money - when the cost of official salt is far lower than that of private salt, and the production capacity and quality are far higher, it is too easy to make private salt dealers lose money!
In November of the second year of Jian'an, the Cheqi General's Office officially announced that from next year, Yangzhou's salt tax would be included in the General's Office for war preparation purposes.
When several Jiangdong magnates who built their careers in salt heard the news, they were really panicked.
However, Bai Tu already had many communication channels with the nobles at this time, so this panic did not escalate into a conflict...
Before the Cavalry General's Palace announced the return of the salt and iron tax, selling smuggled salt was also illegal, but before that it was equivalent to poaching the court.
Now, as the nominal governor of the country's military, the General's Office of Chariots and Cavalry has placed the Yangzhou salt tax that could not be collected under the name of the General's Office, and then sells illicit salt, which is poaching Baitu!
It is easy to imagine that this is to attack Hao You, who is a salt-based businessman. Bai Tuye, Lu Kang and others had mentioned it in a vague way before.
Along the Jiangdong coast, there are a large number of aristocratic families who control salt fields. There are 17 families in total, and seven or eight of them use this as their pillar.
The strongest among them is undoubtedly the Lu family, but boiling the sea into salt is only one of the pillars of the Lu family's economy, and it would only be a pain to cut it off. The Zhang family, the Yu family, and the Wei family are also among them, but these real
The family would not put its foothold in such a fragile industry.
Seventeen salt merchants have met several times because of this, but they were appeased by the Lu family and other big nobles.
Bai Tu's actions after that made everyone relax their vigilance. It seemed that he had no intention of cracking down on illegal salt, but...in the name of General Chariot Mansion, he occupied a large flat beach in the eastern part of Wuxian County, saying that it was to be used as a salt field.
?
Is it going to compete with private salt?
This actually made everyone feel relieved - competition? As long as it is not a direct attack on dimensionality, even if the General Mansion is sidetracked, they cannot compete with their old profession.
The Zheng family in Kuaiji, who had been very worried before, was a wealthy family with some years. At this time, he even said frivolously to the Lu family member who was in charge of the salt cooking business, "It seems that Mr. Bai really has no money... Do you want us to pool our money and donate some?"
Wouldn't it be a waste of money to open a salt farm in a place like that? Hahaha..."
Seeing Zheng Xing's somewhat proud look, Lu Da glanced at him, and the former calmed down.
In terms of seniority, Lu Tao is Lu Kang's nephew. Although he is only a side branch, his ancestors and Lu Kang did not have the fifth service, and they once had an official at the prefect level. He is considered a relatively recent side branch. At this time, he is in charge of the Lu family's salt fields.
"My old man has long said that Mr. Bai's mind is beyond your imagination. Only by deepening contact with the General's Mansion as soon as possible can we gain greater benefits from future changes and challenges!" Lu Tao said.
"That's right, that's right."
"Mr. Lu is wise..."
Everyone said 666 one after another, but most of them disagreed - it sounded nice, but I didn't see your Lu family donating the salt fields to the General's Mansion!
"I've said ugly words earlier. Mr. Bai has given us the opportunity to communicate and has never forced anyone. But... if someone wants to cause trouble to Mr. Bai, I, Mrs. Lu, will be the first to let him go." Lu Tao relayed.
What Lu Kang means.
"How dare you? Mr. Bai will be satisfied if he can leave some leftovers for us." Zheng Xing said immediately.
Lu Tao glanced at him. Can the profits from private salt be leftover?
But... after all, he is not very noble, so he doesn't criticize anything.
At this time, the seventeen salt merchants, who were either distant or close to the General's Mansion, had the same view on the so-called official salt fields - if they really wanted to cook salt there, they would lose money!
What kind of place is suitable for boiling salt?
There is endless sea water, but boiling salt requires the use of fire, so it needs to be close to the fuel. Of course, it cannot be far from the coast. Otherwise, whether it is transporting fuel or sea water, the cost will rise to an unacceptable level.
.
Therefore, only those located near the reed swamps or the coast near mountains and forests are qualified to become salt fields.
For example, the largest sea salt field in later generations, the "Changlu Salt Field", was originally located here because of the abundant reeds in the area. Later, even though the salt drying method was developed, the salt field was not moved.
As for the beaches circled in the white picture, there are no shade trees around, only patches of sand. Wouldn't it be a waste to boil salt there?
Of course, we can't blame Baitu for choosing a bad location. After all...all the places suitable for salt fields have long been bought by Jiangdong's wealthy family through various means.
At this time, Pang Tong was inspecting the site selection. Looking down at the large flat beach from a high place, Pang Tong quickly calculated the size of the trench beach, the evaporation pond, the division of the crystallization pond...
"Unfortunately, based on the composition and concentration of seawater, the seawater near the entrance of the Huaihe River is more suitable for use as salt fields... But we will have to wait until the lord regains Huainan in the future before we can open up a salt field there.
It is not a waste to build a factory here now. There is not only salt in the sea, but also the sand here meets the needs of firing colored glaze, and soda ash can be extracted from seaweed..." Pang Tong said to himself.
"Dr. Pang, what did you say?" Zhou Tai asked doubtfully.
"Nothing, construction will start tomorrow, and the defense task will be left to General Zhou." Pang Tong said.
Pang Tong was temporarily appointed as a doctor of the Ministry of Industry. At this time, "doctor" was originally an official position, and Zhou Tai had been reinstated by the official after the last "rebellion".
At the same time, Bai Tu gave him a task that was no less important than protecting himself—protecting Pang Tong!
At first, Bai Tu was worried that those powerful right-wingers might have a wrong idea and consider sending someone to assist Pang Tong, but then he thought about it... Although he is now starting to develop into engineering, that is Pang Tong!
Give him enough people and authority, who can use crooked ideas against him?
Previously, Bai Tu had always had a headache about selecting candidates for the Ministry of Industry. He once wanted to send someone to proactively look for Ma Jun, the famous engineering expert from Cao Wei, but Ma Jun's hometown was in the north.
Now there is the best "substitute". Pang Tong is not only more versatile than Ma Jun, but... regardless of his attainments in engineering, he is also a first-rate strategist in terms of the art of war and internal governance!
Pang Tong is just obsessed with knowledge now, and he calls "the art of war" and "politics" as trivial things. But if someone treats him as an ordinary science and engineering man, he will probably experience all-round crushing.
Even as a top student who is tired of physics and takes a break from chemistry, Pang Tong is ready to bring out the secret of glass firing in "Secondary Secondary Chemistry"...
Moreover, burning glass also requires fuel. Considering the value that the glass can achieve at this time, it is completely acceptable to transport the fuel to burn it, which can play an additional confusing role!