Qin Official

Along the way, the group finally came to the salt field where salt is dried. Heifu ordered the craftsmen to make some modifications and excavate some rectangular acres, with stone bricks as the bottom, shallow and wide, and the qualified brine at the filter was filled by the craftsmen. The ministers carried it here with small wooden buckets and watered it in the salt field.

It was now afternoon, with the scorching sun and strong sea breeze, the brine was constantly evaporating, and crystal clear salt grains had formed at the bottom of the salt field. After the water was completely dry, the concubines went down to the field and piled up the salt with shovels. In every salt field, there are salt domes half as tall as a person...

These salt mounds looked pleasant. Qin Shihuang asked someone to take a spoon to look at them. He saw that the salt was white and fine, of pure quality, and its color was no less than that of Anyi salt.

It turns out that the salt mud and bamboo mats used in the previous filter screen, in addition to increasing the concentration of brine, also have another purpose, which is to filter impurities in seawater. Therefore, the brine in the salt field looks very clean, and the salt impurities released by the sun are less.

If there is no problem with quality, then what Qin Shihuang cares about is efficiency and output.

He then asked Hei Fu: "How many days will it take to use the new method of rinsing and drying salt?"

The reason why people in Qi cook salt is because simply drying salt is too slow, and it depends on God. Once the time is too long and a sudden rain falls, all the previous efforts will be wasted, so not every place is suitable for drying salt.

Heifu reported: "It took three days to scrape the soil and collect the soil, and drain the brine through the orifices. As for drying salt, you need the right time and place. Make sure the sun is at its peak and let the brine be exposed to the sun until dusk. Get salt!"

So in summary, this method actually only requires four days and five processes! Its speed is no less than boiling the sea! The cost is much lower than boiling the sea.

But Heifu also said that this method is extremely dependent on the weather. First, make the salt mud, and then dry it after the tide goes out. Generally, there are two times of high tide every month, each time for about five or six days, so every month The time for salt exposure is only about half a month to 20 days.

If the sunlight is not strong enough, the salt production rate of brine will be very low, so the best time of the year to dry salt is from April to October, which is the opposite of boiling salt. This means that a lot of labor will be occupied in this industry. .

This is a difficult choice. To judge the pros and cons of the two methods, there is only one criterion left: "Which old method or new method will produce more salt?"

Jiang Qi used the method of boiling salt and worked for three months from October to December, and obtained 36,000 bells of salt, which is equivalent to more than 200,000 Qin stones.

During the reign of Tian Qi, a new salt field was opened, and the output increased to 300,000 shi, of which Jiaodong produced 100,000 shi. However, now, due to various reasons, the salt production in Jiaodong has shrunk to 50,000 shi.

When Qin Shihuang thought about it, it would be good for Jiaodong to catch up with the previous output.

But Heifu gave him a big surprise: "In September of the thirty-first year, in just one month, this salt field had already harvested 20,000 shi of salt! Even if it only basks in the sun for half a year, it can still produce at least 120,000 shi of salt. Stone, plus other small salt farms, the annual output is 150,000 stones, no problem!"

Not only does the yield exceed half that of boiled salt, but the cost is also much lower.

Zhang Cang carried a small abacus with him and immediately made an account for Qin Shihuang: "The amount of salt for a husband is less than half of five liters per month, three liters for women is less than half, and two liters for babies is less than half. In this way, a family of five will 15 liters of table salt per month.”

150,000 shi can supply one million households and a population of about five million. This means that in addition to meeting its own needs, Jiaodong can also solve the salt problem of more than four million people!

Moreover, the salt produced is still better quality white salt, not black salt mixed with a lot of sediment. The salt these days contains a lot of impurities. The soil salt in many places must be "cleaned to remove the soil" and dried before consumption. It is normal to have two liters of soil in a bucket of salt.

This is also the reason why people in the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties ate a lot of salt, reaching 45 grams per capita, far exceeding the standards of later generations. Firstly, it’s because the physical work is heavy, and secondly, because the salt you eat is actually not that much.

Zhang Cang was very happy: "In this way, if Jiaodong's method can be extended to the whole world, especially the three counties of Langya, Donghai, and Kuaiji, an additional two to three hundred thousand shi of salt can be produced every year! In this way, the Shaofu can pass the conquest Salt tax, huge profits!”

Zhang Cang specializes in managing expenditures and living within one's means, equivalent to the National Development and Reform Commission. Naturally, he understands that salt is the cheapest and most effective means of taxation!

He immediately gave advice and said: "Your Majesty, I have read "Guanzi". Although this book is written by Jixia doctor based on ancient times, it contains many true insights!"

"In the chapter "Guo Sheng", Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong about the strategy of enriching the country. Duke Huan planned to tax the population, buildings, trees, and livestock, but Guan Zhong denied them one by one. In his view, giving to the people will bring happiness, and taking away will bring happiness. Anger is the common sentiment among the people. Taxes are visible, and collecting money and food directly from the people will naturally lead to dissatisfaction. A better way is to take it from the invisible, so that people will not be angry!"

Zhang Cang meant what he said. In recent years, the imperial court has spent a lot of money, but the Qin Dynasty had many people who knew the law, but not those who knew the economy. The solution is nothing more than to continuously increase the oral tax, causing complaints from all counties in the world.

Theoretically, the oral money only needs to be paid once a year, which is only 100 yuan per household. The burden is not too heavy, but whenever the imperial treasury is tight, it will make decisions about the oral money, so 200 yuan per household per year is the norm. , as much as three or four hundred!

Many households in the Central Plains have reached the point of not giving birth to children in order to avoid paying endless money! Zhang Cang believed that if things continued like this, the empire would lose the support of the people sooner or later, and he would have to think of new ways.

But he is good at calculations, but he doesn't know much about practical politics. Fortunately, Heifu always seems to be able to open up new ideas with novel ideas...

Qin Shihuang was very interested in how to increase the income of the young government. He sat down at a pavilion by the sea and asked Zhang Cang to explain in detail: "How to get it from the invisible?"

Zhang Cang said: "It's very simple, the tax is included in the price!"

He used an analogy: "There are more than 6 million registered households in the world and more than 30 million people. According to the law, a person over one year old must pay 20 qian per year, and one household has a total of 100 qian..."

100 yuan, which is also the amount of each additional tax.

But as long as the price of a liter of salt is increased by 10 yuan, a bucket and a half of salt can be paid an extra 150 yuan, which is more than the oral tax paid by a family. On the surface, it is true that the government has never levied taxes, which will not arouse "vocal" opposition from the people.

Salt is something that must be eaten, and no one can leave it for a moment. Even if the people find it expensive, they still have to find a way to buy it. In addition to direct purchases, the salt tax is also hidden behind many products. Most people will not realize that the government has already levied taxes on the salt on the salted fish they bought...

Hei Fu also nodded. Zhang Cang's suggestion was common in later generations. Hiding taxes in commodities and implementing indirect collection make taxpayers invisible and intangible. Taxes are paid unknowingly without causing any harm. Psychological resistance.

Zhang Cang was excited when he spoke, and bowed again: "This is the economic policy of Qi State in the past, boiling the sea to benefit the world! The reason why Qi State is so rich is because the King of Qi is already at the head of the world. Collecting an invisible layer of salt Tax!"

"These Qi people have actually come up with a good plan."

Qin Shihuang pondered: "You said that this policy comes from "Guanzi" and was written by Jixia doctor? It seems that Jixia's learning is not all useless learning and useless books..."

He looked at the vast sea and said with a smile: "On the contrary, I am sitting on boundless profits, but the Shaofu and Zhisu Neishi can only extract oral wealth from the head of Guizhou. I never thought that in the East China Sea, there is actually a place to take it. The inexhaustible treasure trove is really in vain!”

Hei Fu felt a little awkward when he heard this. Isn't it for the Shaofu and Zhisu Neishi to collect rents and taxes for your majesty's grand cause? Every time he collected taxes, he got the emperor's tacit approval, but the emperor also understood that this was a way to quench his thirst by drinking poison. Since there was a better way to make money than adding taxes, he would of course abandon the old and use the new.

Zhang Cang's words moved the emperor's heart. Salt was resold by the government. The Qin Dynasty had been doing this as early as the Shang Yang era. However, Guanzhong was not a salt-producing area. He had to rely on supplies from beyond the Great Wall, Bashu, and Hedong. He did not understand this strategy deeply and made a profit. Not too much money, just to control this strategic resource and avoid being hijacked by salt-producing countries.

Now, Qin Yihai is surrounded by the sea, and Heifu has proposed the method of soaking in brine and drying salt to double the salt production. It is time to sacrifice Guan Zhong's brine stick and use it to beat the world, gather wealth and gather in the Shaofu. Let it be used by the country!

Seeing that Qin Shihuang was about to readily adopt Zhang Cang's strategy, Hei Fu came forward and said: "Your Majesty, although Zhang Cang's words are reasonable, I think that taking it from the invisible premise is a hole in the salt. But now , but illegal salt is rampant in Jiaodong.”

"Private salt?" Qin Shihuang frowned. In the Qin Dynasty, anything with the word "private" was not a good thing.

Heifu said: "However, the coast of this county is thousands of miles long, and the county soldiers and thieves are short of manpower, so they have repeatedly banned it. Therefore, even if the official salt is taxed, it will have little effect. The head of Guizhou would rather take the risk and buy cheaper." Private salt consumption..."

"Who are these people cooking and selling private salt?"

Hei Fu shook his head and sighed: "Most of them are from coastal wealthy families, that is..."

He raised his head and said those two words calmly.

"Morota!"