Zheng Peng is a man of action, on the same day he sent people to protect the stone mountain closely, after three days of tentative mining, early in the morning of the fourth day, Tang Chengcheng with a large sum of money went straight to Khotan Town, a few days later brought back more than 60 Jian Nu, just before the return of Jian Nu, the craftsmen and miscellaneous servants of the logistics battalion of the Fourth Army of the West Gate had built a row of simple wooden houses near the stone mountain.

This is the benefit of power, after the discovery of mineral salt, trial mining, building houses, buying slaves, and mining in large quantities add up to only half a month.

On April 18, the day of the official mining of the Stone Mountain Salt Mine, Zheng Peng took Guo Ziyi and Cui Xiyi in the newly built pavilion next to the Stone Mountain early in the morning, drinking and watching Jian Nu develop the Stone Mountain Salt Mine.

As soon as the auspicious time arrived, under the order of the salt chief, sixty-three Jian slaves officially began to mine salt.

Cui Xiyi was forcibly pulled here by Zheng Peng, thinking that Zheng Peng was bored, and he went hunting by himself, he was a little resistant at first, not very happy, but after seeing the situation here, the whole person was stunned, and after a while to see the mining situation of Jiannu, and then around those salt-making equipment, from time to time he also pulled the insider to ask a few words, like a curious baby.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen him for half a month, and the third brother has found a way again, and it's still a salt nest, which is amazing."

"This stone is really salty, my God, I didn't expect that in a place like this where birds don't, there are salt mines."

"I got rich, the Western Regions only produced very dirty black salt, sprinkle a handful in the dish, even if it is sweet and becomes bitter, this salt looks good quality."

"Third brother, it's amazing, is your nose a dog's nose, how can you touch good things everywhere."

Cui Xiyi was talking to himself while watching, and after looking at it for a while, he couldn't help but take Zheng Peng's hand and asked: "Third brother, your luck is so good, even if you hunt, you can find a golden mountain, tell me, how did you find it, is there a God of Wealth who gave you a dream when you were asleep?" ”

During the military training, Cui Xiyi took his subordinates around here many times, never thought that there was a salt mine here, but let Zheng Peng pick it up.

Zheng Peng waved his hand a little proudly and said: "It's nothing, it's just that the blind cat touched the dead mouse, and accidentally saw that the animal likes to lick the stone here, so he took a look, but he didn't expect good people to have good rewards, and found that there is a salt mine here." ”

"The third brother has always been very serious and attentive in his work, and it is reasonable to have this kind of gain." Guo Ziyi couldn't help but say a few words.

"Big brother praises." Zheng Peng said with a smile when he heard this.

Guo Ziyi quickly said worriedly: "Third brother, now your duty is to train the troops, is it appropriate to come here to collect salt?" ”

"Isn't it okay to train the army with you" Zheng Peng said with a relaxed face: "With two brothers here, I'm not worried at all." ”

After hesitating for a moment, Guo Ziyi whispered: "Third brother, this salt is not simple, if you are not careful, people will grab the handle, since you found out that there is salt here, you will mine it when you say that it is mined, and you will not report it to the imperial court, nor will you report to the relevant salt pond envoys, will it be a bit overstepping?" ”

Regarding the management and taxation of salt, it has begun in the Western Han Dynasty, until Emperor Wen of Sui opened the salt ban, let the people decoction, lasted more than 700 years, Li Yuan overthrew the Sui and Tang Dynasty, adopted the old system, and still let the people make salt freely.

Emperor Wen of Sui opened the salt ban, mainly because the economy and agriculture have been greatly developed after entering the Sui Dynasty, and the agricultural tax revenue is sufficient. Li Tang Dynasty was founded, abolished a lot of harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, in order to win the hearts of the people, coupled with the early Tang Dynasty rulers advocating frugality, the government did not spend much, still opened the salt ban, to the Gaozong and Wu Zhou periods, in the internal construction of a large number of buildings, foreign frequent use of troops, so that the expenses are getting bigger and bigger, so in the Sinong Temple under the salt pond envoy, began to be rich in salt areas to levy salt tax.

Regarding Zheng Peng's private opening of a salt mine, Guo Ziyi was a little worried.

Zheng Peng said disapprenorantly: "Big brother, don't worry, this is not an area rich in salt, and it is an important military camp, so the hand of the salt pond envoy can't reach here, and there is no so-called salt pond envoy in the Western Regions, so there is no need to report a trivial matter." ”

Joke, the salt mine that I discovered by my ability happened to be in the forbidden area where I had the final say, so what else to report, just make a fortune in a muffled voice.

Guo Ziyi nodded and said: "Indeed, this is a salt-free area, not within the scope of the salt pond envoy's expropriation, as long as the Ximen Fourth Army is not used to mine, it is not a big problem." ”

Although the salt tax was restored during the Wu and Zhou dynasties, it could not be restored thoroughly, and the object of taxation was the salt-producing areas that were nationalized, mainly sea salt and salt wells, as for those scattered small salt-making workshops, which could be collected or not, and could be collected more or less, Zheng Peng mined here, and it was not a crime, but could only be regarded as taking advantage of his position to take advantage of a little advantage.

If it were someone else, it might be a lot of trouble, but Zheng Peng was in the Western Regions, and he often paid out of his own pocket to subsidize the soldiers.

Cui Xiyi shook his head and said: "Big brother, this matter cannot be taken lightly, as far as I know, many powerful people use the power in their hands to mine a large amount of salt, destroy the normal sale of salt, and even have salt ponds to collude with outsiders to damage the public and private interests, so that the salt tax has been greatly reduced, the new left widow Liu Tong has made a proposal to His Majesty to standardize the salt tax, this matter has been supported by the emperor and a major minister in the court, I believe that the law will be re-established soon, and the future of the Shishan salt mine is uncertain." ”

Salt is a necessity for the people's daily life, the common people can not eat meat, but they can't not eat salt, don't look at the need for salt every day, but so many people in the world, the daily consumption of salt is an astronomical amount, taste the benefits of the salt tax, Li Longji will definitely be reluctant to give up.

Li Longji raised tens of thousands of musicians, and he also continued to expand his private army, spending money like running water, and it was difficult to throttle money with Li Longji's character, so he could only open source, and it was imperative to fully collect salt taxes.

Zheng Peng said disapprerovingly: "It doesn't matter what it does so much, tomorrow will be tomorrow, take today's benefits first, and then say, hehe, it is a comprehensive tax, see which one dares to find Ben will collect." ”

Cui Xiyi also has a heavy identity as a bad lieutenant, well-informed, Zheng Peng knows that he is not alarmist, in his memory, Li Longji will soon issue an order to monopolize salt and iron, and then the salt and iron envoys with the color of the Tang Dynasty will appear.

Now, I can't care so much, there is a "golden mountain" in front of me, I can dig as much as I can, the expenses in front are so big, I need to return to blood, and there are so many people in the Fourth Army of Ximen, according to my temper, there are many places to spend money.

Cui Xiyi said with a smile: "I'm not afraid, anyway, the sky is falling, and the third brother is carrying it." ”

"The second brother is reasonable," Guo Ziyi also said playfully: "The third brother is a minister of the Son of Heaven, so just pick up the cheap." ”

"Brothers, what do you mean?"

Guo Ziyi and Cui Xiyi glanced at each other, and then said with a tacit understanding: "Share the blessings together, and you should be the ones who are in trouble." ”

Zheng Peng shrugged helplessly, and the cardinals and Tang Chengdu on the side snickered.

Just wanted to say that the two of them had no face and no skin, an old man with white hair and beard was holding a plate in both hands, and he ran over, it was Xu Gong, the salt leader of the Shishan Salt Mine, Xu Gong sang loudly while running: "Daji, the salt is out, Daji, the salt is out." ”

.。 m.