Chen Boren took a sip of tea, looked at everyone with complicated eyes, and said lightly: "The price of Guangdong salt official salt is only a quarter of ours, and the price of shipping back to some salt-deficient prefectures and counties is even only one-tenth. ”

Marx said that if capital has 50 percent profits, it will take risks, if it has 100 percent profits, it will dare to trample on all the laws of the world, and if it has 300 percent profits, it will dare to commit any crime, even in danger of being hanged.

Just by taking some Cantonese salt back along the way, you can make ten times the profit, so how can these adventurous Ming merchants be crazy to participate in smuggling?

The salt of the Ming Dynasty is divided into regions, such as the Lianghuai Salt District, the Liangzhejiang Salt District, the Shandong Salt District, etc., and these salts are strictly regulated to be sold in certain areas.

It's just that there is an irrationality here, and the price of salt in the region is often determined not by the shortest distance from the salt works in the area, but by the distance from the salt works under the administration.

Prefectures such as Huguang, Changsha, and other prefectures are only a few hundred kilometers away from the salt works under the jurisdiction of the Guangdong Salt Division, but they are nearly 2,000 kilometers away from the salt works of Huaiyan, and the region can only eat Huai salt transported from the Huaiyan salt works.

Guangdong Salt has the longest sea line in the Ming Dynasty, and has abundant salt farms, and adopts advanced salt production technology. However, due to the fact that there are only a few prefectures in Guangdong and Guangxi, the price of Guangdong salt has not been high.

At present, on the one hand, there is "cheap" Guangdong salt, on the other hand, there is expensive quasi-salt, and there are many businessmen who return along the way, which naturally makes these quite bold and related businessmen take risks and transport Guangdong salt back to benefit the villagers.

Grieve!

After hearing this price difference, Zhao Minghuan and the others gasped. But I don't know whether to blame the greed of some Huai salt merchants, or to scold Guangdong salt for selling the price so "cheaply", resulting in such a big gap in the price of salt between the two places.

"Then let's start with the local officials in Guangdong and ask them to stop the salt shop from selling Guangdong salt in large quantities to foreign merchants!" Zhao Minghuan didn't seem to give up, and made another suggestion.

Gao Yao just took a sip of tea, and when he heard this, he shook his head lightly and said, "Zhao Yushi, this method is useless!" Lin Haoran had just participated in the foreign inspection of Guangdong, and I don't know how many officials in Guangdong had accepted his affection, and his words were better than Yan Ge's words. Besides, this Cantonese salt is a big cake, and the families of those local officials are afraid that they will more or less get the salt, so how can they spit on the bowl where they are eating? ”

He has been in the household department for most of his life, and the household department is the subordinate yamen of the various salt class promotion divisions, and I am afraid that no one can see the Tao of this salt introduction more thoroughly than him.

The people who can get the salt guide have never been ordinary people. And most of these people are family members or relatives of local officials with real power, and even he suspects that Lin Haoran developed by pouring salt.

"Is Lin Haoran's influence in Guangdong really so great?" Zhao Minghuan's brows furrowed, and he asked in confusion.

Gao Yao looked at Zhao Minghuan with a wry smile, and said seriously: "The new Guangdong Salt Class Lifting Division is called Su Changgui, and the official personally came forward to win him over, but he received an invitation from the official and did not come to the appointment, but went to the Shuntian Mansion early the next morning to see Lin Haoran, and then left Beijing from Xizhimen. ”

Although Su Changgui has a loyal element, his dignified household secretary wants to see him, but Su Changgui does not dare to come to meet him, and this also contains Lin Haoran's authority.

"If he avoids him like this, isn't he afraid that you will rectify him?" Zhao Minghuan said hatefully.

Gao Yao held the teacup and splashed the tea lightly, and said helplessly: "Although the local officials are afraid of the Beijing officials, they are usually when they are outside the inspection. It's just that now that the external inspection has ended, even if I, the head of the household department, can't remove a salt department secretary who is far away in Guangdong for no reason. As he spoke, he looked at everyone and said bitterly: "In the next three years, Guangdong may still have the surname Lin!" ”

"This doesn't work, that doesn't work, what should I do?" Zhao Minghuan recognized Gao Yao's analysis, and his eyes looked helplessly at Chen Borendao.

Gao Yao and the others also looked at Chen Boren, after all, the matter was first proposed by Chen Boren, it was he who wanted to attack Yueyan going north, and he should have a way.

Chen Boren gently put down the teacup, faced everyone's eyes, and finally fell on Xu Fan, and said in an astonishing voice: "Get rid of Lin Haoran!" ”

These five short words shocked everyone's hearts, and they immediately felt a sense of enlightenment.

Chen Boren is a big salt merchant, and he was originally unwilling to make an enmity with Lin Haoran, a rising political star. It's just that the development of Yueyan has deeply threatened Huaiyan, so he has to kill Lin Haoran.

Yan Song stood in their way, and they all dared to try to get rid of the first assistant of the current dynasty, not to mention this Shuntian Mansion Yin, who was only the third grade.

"This bell must be tied to the bell, this strategy is very good!" Gao Yao was the first to respond.

Zhao Minghuan also nodded and agreed: "This method is really good, only by getting rid of Lin Haoran can this solve the problem of Guangdong salt smuggling!" As he spoke, he also looked at Xu Fan.

"President Chen, what do you want me to do?" Xu Fan drank all the tea in the cup and asked with determination. He had already formed a grudge against Lin Haoran, and if he was able to get rid of Lin Haoran at the moment, he also decided to add some strength.

Chen Boren looked at Xu Fan's response, and immediately said excitedly: "You should have heard about Mrs. Zhang's case, right?" ”

"Got it!" Zhao Minghuan and the others nodded.

Chen Boren no longer sold Guanzi, but directly said the plan: "Lin Haoran's judgment violates the law, and such judgments are bound to not be liked by scholars, so we can use this case to make a difference!" ”

"Okay, let's do it!" Xu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up, knowing that this matter could be used.

They have targets to attack, and now they have arrows to attack, especially with the proud record of shooting Wu Shan, which has given them great confidence.

The crowd discussed some details again, and after getting rid of Wu Shan, the spearhead turned directly to Lin Haoran, a local official in Guangdong and the real leader of the local forces.

In the same way, in the next few days, the attack on Lin Haoran was an all-round public opinion war. From the restaurant in the capital, to the duty room in the yamen, and then to the impeachment of Lin Haoran one after another.

For a while, if you just listen to the remarks of the Beijing restaurant, or watch the performance of hundreds of officials, then Lin Haoran is undoubtedly a dumb official who abuses public power, flouts the law and is unbearable.

In a huge whirlpool in the capital, Lin Haoran had already been pushed to the center of the whirlpool, and this huge black whirlpool wanted to devour him madly.