Yang Gai's fist kept smashing on his palm.

In the room, it was the sound of Yang Gengai smashing his palms with his fists.

As long as you work hard to dry salt and use salt in exchange for food, this famine at the end of the Ming Dynasty seems to be no problem at all. Yang Gengai was in a fugue state, thinking.

"Master Xu, this is the opening of the Chinese method, how much salt is exchanged for one stone of grain?" Yang felt that the salt output of the whole country should be clarified first, and the proportion of this exchange should be clarified first.

Xu Guangqi obviously studied this salt policy, and immediately said: "Back to Your Majesty, according to the distance, a lead of salt can be exchanged for one to five stones of grain, if Your Majesty opens Shaanxi, through the canal, take the Yellow River, to Kaifeng, a lead to salt can be exchanged for about three stones of grain, if you want to go to Xi'an, there are about two more stones, if it is the counties of northern Shaanxi, it is estimated that there can be one stone and a few buckets is good." Xu Guangqi estimated the exchange ratio between China and France.

"How much salt is a lead?"

"Back to Your Majesty, one lead is three hundred catties of salt." Xu Guangqi immediately replied.

To the disaster area, one salt can be exchanged for two stones of grain on average, that is to say, the ratio is almost 3:2, and 300 catties of salt can be exchanged for 200 catties of grain. Yang Reform thought in his heart, if it is this exchange ratio, it depends on how much salt production in the country has, if the salt production is high enough, Yang Reform does not mind exchanging salt from the sea for grain, as for the interests of salt merchants, in Yang Reform's view, what is more terrible than the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty? The brocade guard in his hand, the knife is still moving. Yang Reform this time, he plans to let it go, whoever dares to block himself, he will cut whom, he has always warned himself before, not to easily mix into salt and iron and other businesses, but now, Yang Reform was forced by the silver to be moved, and his heart was extremely excited, thinking that he wanted to cut people and cut those salt merchants as violently as the old boy, Yang Reform smashed his palm.

"Master Xu, how much salt can I send in a year?"

"Back to Your Majesty, I have ten outlines every year, 200,000 taels of salt per outline, and 300 catties of salt per outline."

Outline law? Another outline law? Yang Reform was dizzy, wasn't he talking about opening China and France just now? Now it's out again? Ten outlines per year, 200,000 citations per outline, that is, 2 million salt introductions per year, 300 catties of salt per introduction, so calculated, the salt introduction of the Ming Dynasty every year, about 600 million catties of salt, this number, very huge, Yang Reform is also surprised, how can this salt eat so powerful.

"What is the Outline? How much salt do I have to eat per person per year? Yang Reform asked this again in a daze, for some professional terms in ancient times, Yang Reform couldn't find the door, originally didn't plan to participate in these things with intertwined interests, Yang Reform also knew, this salt iron tea and other ancient ways to make money, the relationships inside are intertwined, relying on each other, Yang Reform before the gun is hard, don't plan to pay attention to these things, but now, the disaster is coming, I have to take risks, I have to take a machete to cut people like the old boy, Yang Reform wants to cut the object, It's the salt merchants, and the ink-hungry officials.

"Your Majesty, a family of five needs about fifty catties of salt every year, and each person needs about ten catties of salt per year." Xu Guangqi really did his homework, and quickly reported the numbers.

Each person eats ten catties of salt every year, Yang Reform is very surprised, when can he eat salt like this, I remember that I used to stir-fry vegetables, and only a few spoonfuls were enough! Eat ten pounds a year? If it is an annual salt output of 600 million catties, divided by ten catties, doesn't that mean that the Ming Dynasty only had a population of 60 million? This one doesn't seem to be right! I remember that in many documents, the population at the end of the Ming Dynasty was **10 million, close to 100 million, and some even showed that the population at the end of the Ming Dynasty was more than 100 million, close to 200 million. Now, judging from the amount of salt introduced, the trade of illicit salt is still very prosperous, and Yang Gai estimates that at least half of the people eat illicit salt. Doesn't that mean that this salt tax, in fact, is only half collected? Yang Reform once again gained a certain understanding of the administrative capabilities of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Guangqi added knowledge to Yang Reform: "Returning to Your Majesty, the outline is to introduce the salt received by the salt merchants in the world into a compendium, which is divided into ten outlines, with the ten characters of 'Shengde Chao Eternal Phoenix and Phoenix Fan Nine Circles' as the book number, and the outline allows all merchants to be used as a "nest book" forever, and every year according to the old number on the book, the new introduction is made, and the nameless ones are not allowed to join, that is, the private merchants buy and sell underwriting, and the imperial court is only responsible for collecting taxes from it. ”

Underwriting? Monopoly monopoly, or hereditary monopoly. Yang has a big head for reform. The entanglement of interests in the salt industry is really not an ordinary chaos, and I want to get involved in the salt industry, it seems that I haven't even figured out the door yet.

Yang Reform can't figure it out in the clouds, this matter really has to be carefully figured out! What is the opening of the middle method, the outline law, what underwriting, the nest, the salt introduction, the mess. Yang's reform has been completely big. If you are going to cut into the salt industry, you don't know where it is better to cut in.

"Master Xu, in your opinion, how should we implement the law of opening the salt industry, or the outline law?" Yang Gengai wiped his head, and his head was already a mess. Still ask Xu Guangqi if he can do it, since Xu Guangqi dares to say that he will reopen China and France, obviously, there is a countermeasure.

"The minister thinks that China and France should be reopened, and businessmen should be encouraged to transport grain to the border gates, or disaster relief ...... in the disaster areas of Shaanxi."

Yang Gai is about to agree to this matter, this matter, it seems to be a good thing. 300 catties of salt can be exchanged for 200 catties of grain in the disaster area, there are 2 million catties of salt that can be verified every year, which can be exchanged for more than 1 million stone of grain, if you pour down the convenient Kaifeng of water transportation, you can exchange it for four or five million stone of grain, this seems to be, as long as you work hard to dry some salt every year, you can calm the disaster, and the salt, for your own traverser, is no longer a problem, especially your own Baidu man, go back to search Baidu, immediately know how to dry salt, there is nothing more beautiful than this. What's more, more than half of the people who eat illegal salt every year, if we get a little closer to the salt industry, then the potential of this salt industry seems to be even greater. Yang Reform is full of confidence and is ready to go back tonight to check how this salt drying field is drying. As soon as this salt comes out, the cost drops immediately! Seems to be more profitable.

Someone came out on one side and said: "Your Majesty, you must not, the outline law is for the imperial court to lose one million silver taels every year, and the grain and salary at the border pass rely on the outline law to a large extent. ”

"Your Majesty, the outline law must not be abolished, the expenses of the imperial court are already embarrassed, if the outline law is stopped, the imperial court will be in a serious deficit. Your Majesty must not. ”

"Your Majesty, the outline law cannot be abolished, a million taels of salt every year, if Your Majesty abolishes the outline law, where will the million taels be found?"

…… A group of ministers said in a wordy manner that the outline law could not be abolished. Yang Reform, who was originally a mess, was even more dizzy by the noise, and Yang Reform has been completely stunned to death by this salt today. Now he is being noisy by a group of ministers, and he is even more dizzy and can't tell the difference.

Previously, Yang Reform had always been very jealous, if he started the salt industry, the salt merchants colluded with the officials, took the salt tax card to their necks, or threatened themselves with the salt stoppage. I threw myself into a rat trap, so I kept telling myself not to do it casually, and once I did, I would have to die so that those salt merchants would never turn over.

was a little moved, ready to meddle in the salt industry, but being quarreled with by these ministers, Yang reform's courage shrank back.

However, a flash of light crossed Yang Reform's mind and was captured by Yang Reform, as for the quality of this salt law, Yang Reform felt that he already had a standard.

"Wait, which Aiqing just said that I will enter the salt class for one million taels every year?" Yang Gai quickly grabbed the tail. A salt tax of one million taels a year? Not millions of taels in memory? If your math is correct, then the salt tax, which is similar to the "compulsory poll tax" (the privileged class can be exempt from taxes, can make false accounts, but cannot avoid eating salt, the salt tax is natural but accurate poll tax. Each person received more than a cent of silver (0.016 taels of silver), which was really low in the Ming Dynasty. No wonder Chongzhen in history had no money to fight. If each person eats ten catties of salt, then the tax per catty of salt is actually only 0.0016 taels, that is, one catty of salt is levied on no more than two copper plates.

The minister who said that one million taels of taxes was levied just now stood up and said: "Back to Your Majesty, I do have one million taels of salt every year, and it is even increasing year by year, I think this year, it will not be a problem to increase by hundreds of thousands of taels, if Your Majesty abolishes the law, this salt tax, to be collected, it will be difficult." ”

Yang Gengai already knew in his heart that these ministers were always going around with him, never willing to tell himself the real secret, and never willing to explain the core issues to himself, so he asked directly: "How much can the annual salt tax in the Song Dynasty be levied?" ”

Yang Gai felt that the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were both unified feudal dynasties, so why didn't he use the records of the Song Dynasty to compare the salt tax? Otherwise, just a group of ministers singing to themselves can't raise the salt tax, can't abolish the law, that's a fart.

This salt tax, Yang Reform always felt that he was always like wandering in the fog, unable to see the direction clearly, unable to figure out why, and did not know where to go. Even Xu Guangqi said vaguely, and he didn't know why, and the other ministers even persuaded themselves not to get the outline law. Where is this problem, Yang Reform has been thinking about it for a long time, and he has not figured out what a lot of ancient technical terms mean. However, apparently a minister leaked his words, there are millions of taels of salt every year, and since there are numbers, then you can directly use the numbers to make comparisons. Or make a comparison chart of the salt class between the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, so that it is not clear at a glance? I'm a 21st century person, I've never eaten pork, haven't I seen a pig run?

The Song Dynasty is the previous dynasty, there is a historical record, why don't you compare it with the Song Dynasty, isn't this enough?

Yang Reform's mind gradually became clearer, and the question asked also asked the key, the ministers saw that the emperor suddenly asked about the salt tax of the Song Dynasty, they were all shocked, looked at each other, no one made a sound, Xu Guangqi was expressionless and didn't know what to stare at, Sun Chengzong was even more simply, closed his eyes and recuperated.

Seeing that no one answered for a long time, Yang Gengai asked again: "How much salt tax can the Song Dynasty collect every year?" In the voice, there was already a little anger, Yang Reform looked at the expressions of the ministers, and knew that there was something greasy in it, seeing that the ministers were with this attitude, he was even more angry in his heart, and he didn't have such an obvious flicker, which clearly wrote "Kaizi", "idiot" and "fool" on the emperor's face.

Seeing that the emperor's words were getting colder and colder, a minister couldn't help it, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, this matter must be checked by historical materials." ”

Looking up information? Yang Gai thinks this person's words are very interesting, you have to check historical materials for everything, so what do you want your cabinet, auxiliary ministers, and Shangshu to do? Eat dry rice? The anger in my heart is already uncontrollable, and it is about to burst out.

"Back to Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty can collect 25 million guan of salt every year, and the highest even reaches more than 30 million guan." With a little passionate words, Xu Guangqi shouted out the salt class of the Song Dynasty.

"Twenty-five million? Twenty-five million taels of silver? Did I hear me right? Yang Reform's voice immediately raised Badou, he was really shocked! 25 million taels of silver, which is higher than the total amount of taxes and taxes in the Ming Dynasty for the whole year! My God, if you collect more than 20 million taels of salt tax every year like the Song Dynasty, then what kind of golden finger do you have to open? What else do you need from Baidu? With these salt lessons, you can sweep away Li Zicheng and trample on the skin of a wild boar.

Seeing that Xu Guangqi told this "secret", the faces of the other ministers changed drastically. Just now, he was still running for the salt class of one million taels of silver a year, calling the outline law indispensable, and now Xu Guangqi has burst out that the salt class of the Song Dynasty is twenty-five million taels of silver a year, which is dozens of times different, making these ministers like a cone top. I kept glancing at the emperor to see how the emperor would get angry.

With a gap of twenty-five times, Yang Gengai sat on the dragon chair, his heart was cold, wow cool, wow cool. All show the darkness of the dynasty, but I didn't expect it to be so black, black more than twenty-four times the profit, if it weren't for Xu Guangqi to blow up the gap, Yang Reform would not believe it, the gap is so big. The difference between 25 million taels of silver and 1 million taels of silver is that even if the Bureau of Statistics comes forward, it can't figure out any good tricks.

"Who is the largest territory of my dynasty or the Song dynasty? Who has the most population? What is the price of salt? What about the salt tax? "Emperor Chongzhen was as cold as fast ice, and this Wenhua Palace, which was originally quite warm, was frozen like a piece of ice.

"Returning to the emperor, our dynasty has a larger territory than the Song Dynasty, and the population registered is similar to that of the Song Dynasty, but the actual population is definitely more than that of the Song Dynasty, and there are tens of thousands of people; The price of salt in the Song Dynasty was 120 Wen per catty, and in my Dynasty it was 360 Wen per catty; The Song Dynasty salt tax pumped 50 wen per catty of salt, and I took 27 wen per catty of salt in the salt tax; The annual salt tax in the Song Dynasty was as high as more than 25 million taels, and the annual salt tax of one million taels in our dynasty was ......" Xu Guangqi obviously studied this salt policy, and this data was reported in a flash.

Listening to these data, Chongzhen's heart was cold. The price of salt was three times that of the Song Dynasty, the tax rate was only half of that of the Song Dynasty, and the population was more than that of the Song Dynasty. That's not what to say. Yang Reform suddenly felt that if the Ming Dynasty did not perish, there would be no heavenly reason. Yang Reform's heart was really chilled to death by this kind of "genius" data, Yang Reform was decadent, and suddenly felt that he was too whimsical, and he was still counting on Zhongxing Daming, looking at the "drifting" degree of this salt tax, or just let this rotten dynasty fend for itself, Ming Dynasty, to hell!

Emperor Chongzhen sat on the dragon chair, expressionless, silently in a daze, with deep sadness in his eyes, cold eyes looking into the distance, revealing a trace of despair, the ministers stood at the bottom, looking at the emperor, hoping that the emperor would be angry, and was ready to bear the emperor's anger, in the silent Wenhua Palace. Depressed, very uncomfortable.

Yang Reform now knows why Xu Guangqi was so worried when he said this, and why he was so worried when he said this. This matter, in fact, is the collusion of officials and businessmen in the entire Ming Dynasty, corruption drifted, deceived the emperor alone, and made the emperor cloudy, unclear, thinking that he could continue his happy life, but as everyone knows, the doom of the Chinese nation has come in the greed of these people.

Yang Reform's heart is a little cold, why are you so busy? It's making glass and weaving, but you just want to make some money to raise some troops and not let the lives be ruined? It's good now, this salt tax is "floated" to 10 million taels every year, and only a fraction is left for himself, which is still a fraction divided by three.

Yang Reform's heart is in tears.

Yang Gai suddenly found that he seemed to be very tired, and he didn't want to discuss the matter of the salt tax, so he was just fine because of the pain in the egg, so he went home and went to sleep. said lightly: "Let's disperse, go home and wash and sleep." After speaking, he dragged his heavy and tired body back to the Qianqing Palace.

The rest of the ministers looked at each other and saw that the emperor was not angry, which was obviously not normal. It seems very disappointed and tired. Who knows that Chongzhen's heart was crying at this time, tears for the Chinese nation, tears for the greedy elites of the Ming Dynasty, tears for those tragic deaths in China, tears for the people buried in China, and tears for the suffering of China.

Some people looked at Xu Guangqi with ill intentions, that look, as if blaming Xu Guangqi for blowing away the fog shrouded in the emperor's head and eliminating the fog, the emperor knew the mystery of this, it seems that the emperor was deeply hit, and he didn't know what to go crazy about, all blame you, the guy who told the truth, stay away from him in the future, and dismantle his platform.

Xu Guangqi stood there with his head held high with a resolute face, not moving at all, not caring about the vicious gaze of others, his eyes staring at the emperor's distant figure, as if he was thinking about something, with a hint of anxiety.

The ministers shook their heads and left, Sun Chengzong had been closing his eyes to recuperate, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that everyone else was gone, and then he said to Xu Guangqi, who was still standing there staring: "Brother Zixian, Chengzong supports you!" This Ming Dynasty has indeed reached the point where it is necessary to take heavy medicine, husband, there are things to do, there are things not to do, you and I are people who are half in the ground, what are you afraid of, aren't you? After speaking, Sun Chengzong also walked out by himself.

Xu Guangqi breathed a sigh of relief, this time to the emperor to uncover the dark curtain of the salt class, the person he offended, it can be said that half of the court, fortunately, this Sun Chengzong still supports him, the emperor still supports him, otherwise, he is alone, not to mention the reform of the salt tax, even the qualification to stand in the court must be lost, do not reform the salt class, like this, the Ming Dynasty has no other way than to gradually suffocate. Sun Chengzong is not wrong, how many years do he have to live? What are you afraid of?

Chongzhen Yang Reform went back to the Qianqing Palace alone and went to bed. This heart is very broken.

(To be continued)