Chapter 10 Private Salt

Chapter 10 Private Salt

Chapter 10 Private Salt
It is extremely difficult to do legitimate business in this world. At that time, both Zhu Shenzhui and Wangjiacun were extremely poor. They couldn't even afford rice and flour. They had no food to eat, so how could they have the capital to do business?

Therefore, the business that Zhu Shenzhui and his people were engaged in was quite special. Although it was not the kind of business that took over the mountains and killed people and robbed people without any capital, it was not far from it. Because the business they were engaged in also had great risks. In layman's terms, this business was the smuggling of salt.

Smuggling salt has always been a risky business throughout all dynasties, but to be honest, this business has low capital and high profits, and you can make a lot of money from it.

Therefore, people doing this business have never been stopped, even wealthy merchants with salt permits sell contraband salt privately.

Zhu Shenzhui encouraged Wangjia Village to smuggle salt, a decision he made after much consideration.

First of all, Zhu Shenzhui and Wangjiacun are all poor people. It is impossible for poor people to make money through normal means. Only by taking risks and taking shortcuts can they have a chance.

Smuggling salt is such a shortcut. The cost of smuggling salt is small but the profit is huge. One trip can earn at least dozens of times the profit. Moreover, salt is a necessity. Both humans and animals need to eat salt. If they do not eat salt for a long time, the lightest is weakness and the worst is death.

Especially in the military, both people and horses consume a huge amount of salt. In addition, the Mongols in the northern grasslands also have a huge demand for salt, so this thing has no worries about sales.

Secondly, Zhu Shenzhui was very clear that as the Ming Dynasty entered the countdown, this chaotic era was about to come.

Although the weather has been unpredictable in recent years, they can still survive. But it won't be long before drought and severe winter come. In addition, after the defeat in Sarhu in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty has to spend a lot of money on military expenditure every year in order to fight against the Later Jin.

In order to maintain the war, the Ming Dynasty court began to levy "Liao salary". As soon as the Liao salary was issued, local people complained. Moreover, corruption had reached the extreme in the Ming Dynasty officialdom. The upper level levied one and the lower level dared to demand ten times the amount. In addition to natural disasters, there were man-made disasters. When the day comes that the people can no longer survive, that will be the death knell.

In order to prepare for a rainy day, Zhu Shenzhui started preparations early. In addition to making money to make a living, his most important purpose was to take advantage of Wangjiacun's base.

Most of the people in Wangjia Village are military households, and Wangjia Village is also his mother's clan. The village chief and centurion Wang Rong is his uncle. No matter from which aspect, Wangjia Village is not only reliable, but also can be used by people in Wangjia Village. You should know that although Wangjia Village is not big, there are nearly a hundred young people in the village. Except for a few people, most of them are the best sources of soldiers, especially the children of military households. Each of them has some ancestral skills. As long as they are trained a little, they can be of great use.

Troubled times are coming, and anyone who has soldiers will become a king.

Zhu Shencui didn't want to be a beast of burden at the mercy of others, so by taking the entire Wangjia Village for his own use, Zhu Shencui felt more confident. When the time came, Zhu Shencui had enough confidence to lead the children of Wangjia Village to carve out a way for a living.

Another reason why Zhu Shenzui led Wangjia Village to smuggle salt was the geographical environment here.

Wangjia Village is close to Pingyang Prefecture in the north, and not far from Jiezhou in the south.

Jiezhou is a famous salt producing area in Shanxi. The salt wells here have existed as early as the Tang Dynasty and have been mined during the Song and Yuan dynasties until today.

The salt from Jiezhou was supplied to most of Shanxi, and even sold to the grasslands. However, it was forbidden to sell salt to the grasslands, but it could not be said in private. Who sold it to the grasslands had long been an open secret. As early as the promulgation of the Sino-Japanese War, the phenomenon of privately hoarding salt with salt permits had never been eliminated. To put it bluntly, what Zhu Shenzhui and his men did was just to drink a few sips of the salt that leaked through other people's fingers.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded, lowered his voice and said seriously: "Since everyone has made arrangements, I won't say much. We will set off early tomorrow morning. If everything goes well, this trip will take about a month. After this trip, we can rest this year, and everyone can have a good new year."

"Don't worry, Sixth Master. Our brothers are fully prepared and are just waiting for your order." Wang Yinsheng looked excited. Wang Yinsheng was Wang Chuer's cousin and also a member of the Wang family. In addition to Wang Rong, Wang Jinwu and his son, Wang Yinsheng and Wang Chuer, there were two other young men, Wang Gui and Xia Dong.

Wang Gui and Wang Yinsheng are both members of the Wang family. As for Xia Dong, his surname is not Wang. However, although his surname is Xia, he is also one of the Wang family. The Xia family settled in Wangjia Village a hundred years ago, and the family has intermarried with the Wang family for several generations, so they have long become one of the Wang family.

"Sixth Master, there is something I don't know whether I should tell you or not." Xia Dong spoke as soon as Wang Yinsheng finished speaking.

"We are all brothers, there is nothing inappropriate to talk about." Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile.

Among these young people, Zhu Shenzhui actually values ​​Xia Dong the most. Compared with Wang Jinwu and others, Xia Dong has studied, and his ancestors also had a student, which can barely be considered a family tradition of farming and studying. Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Rong privately told each other that if he is not in Wangjia Village, he can discuss with Xia Dong if there is anything. Xia Dong has also been doing his best to assist Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Rong in managing the private salt business. As a result, he not only won the trust of Zhu Shenzhui, but also made Wang Rong and others look at him with admiration. His status in the gang is second only to Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Rong father and son.

Xia Dong is a reliable and talented person, and now the task of smuggling salt from Jiezhou has been handed over to him.

"There has been some unrest in Jiezhou recently," Xia Dong said seriously.

"Not peaceful? What's the meaning?" Zhu Shenzhui asked with a serious expression.

"The salt route in Jiezhou may change next year."

"Has there been any change? Has a new mine supervisor been appointed?"

"That's not the case. I just heard from the manager of the mine that the demand from the army has increased and the salt output will be adjusted. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to get salt from Jiezhou next spring..."

"Military needs?" Zhu Shenzhui frowned slightly. This reason was too vague and too powerful.

Jiezhou is the most important salt producing area in Shanxi, and since the 24th year of Wanli, Wanli began to set up the post of mine supervisor in various places.

The so-called mining supervisors were eunuchs sent by Emperor Wanli to manage mining and collect taxes, thereby collecting money for the inner treasury. After Wanli established the mining supervisors, they were soon spread all over the country, making officials extremely dissatisfied.

In fact, the mining supervision system did not have much impact on ordinary people. Instead, it had the greatest impact on local officials, especially those in charge of mining affairs.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, whether a mine is opened or not, and how much profit it brings, have nothing to do with them. But it is a different story for the emperor and officials.

Whether it is iron ore, copper mine or salt well, all of these belong to mining affairs. Although there are accounts of how much mining is done and how much profit is made, how to record and report these accounts is in the hands of local officials. Wanli is not stupid. You have to know that Wanli is a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, and his IQ ranking among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty is not low.

Ming officials deceived their superiors and subordinates, colluded with both internal and external forces in order to gain more benefits, and cooked the accounts behind the emperor's back.

Especially in the mining business in various places, there are many phenomena such as over-mining and under-reporting, arbitrarily increasing costs, illegal mining and private selling. For a business that is obviously very profitable, the data shown in the final account books is either barely maintaining or making losses.

Wanli was very smart and saw the problem at a glance. He knew that the court officials and local officials were colluding to make money from this, but they just left him, the emperor, aside and said that the mining was at a loss and needed subsidies from the court.

How could a smart man like Wanli do such a thing? It's obviously a profitable business, but you guys are enjoying the benefits privately, while I, the emperor, get nothing and have to take the blame for you? Since you big turbans are unjust, then don't blame me, the emperor, for being unkind.

In this way, Wanli directly issued an order to set up a mining supervision system and sent eunuchs around him to various places for supervision. He wanted to see how you guys were losing money every day and where the money went. You turned a business that was obviously profitable into a loss-making one. Since you can't make it, don't blame him for coming here in person.

The mining supervision system was established. Eunuchs were the emperor's servants. Their power and status came from the emperor, and they were also responsible to the emperor. Therefore, with the establishment of the mining supervision system, the phenomenon of mining losses in various places was changed instantly when the mining supervision was in place.

The mining supervision system made the mining business turn losses into profits, and the inner treasury had money. But the pie was so small, and if Wanli took the lion's share, the officials would have less. This caused great dissatisfaction among the officials who originally controlled the mining business. For their own interests, officials at all levels united and wrote to the emperor, criticizing the mining supervision system for plundering the people and strongly demanding that Wanli abolish this system that ruined everyone's jobs.

How could Wanli agree to this? Wanli, who was a Pixiu, would never give back the benefits he had gained.
In the 33rd year of the Wanli reign, due to pressure from all sides, the emperor nominally agreed to abolish the mining supervision system, but in reality he dragged his feet and never implemented it. In this way, the mining supervision system has continued to this day.

(End of this chapter)