Chapter 616 [Second Update]

The governor of Ji County did not expect that the King of the North would turn against him directly. He originally just wanted to join in the fun. If he could persuade him, that would be the best. But if not... Anyway, with the King of the North's temper, he would probably not be able to tolerate the current Ji City sooner or later.

As a result, the other party attacked directly, and the Jijun prefect's legs went weak and he knelt down.

He was a bit confused at first, but soon came to his senses and began to cry, "Your Highness, I... I have no choice. Other counties can still make their own decisions, but here... I have the Prime Minister and the King of Yan above me. No, no, no, the former Prime Minister and the former King of Yan above me, and I have to obey their orders."

Liu Tan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you saying that the current state of Jicheng has nothing to do with you?"

The Jijun prefect was a little hesitant to admit it, and simply said, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty was just following orders."

Liu Tan said expressionlessly, "Even if you were just following orders, you're still an accomplice. Do you know where Liu Dan and the former Prime Minister of Yan are now?"

The governor of Ji County was shocked. Of course he knew that the grass on the graves of these two people was several meters high.

Liu Tan said to Miao Rui, "Go and get the document on the desk in the study."

Miao Rui immediately took the order and left. The governor of Ji County knelt on the ground and suddenly had a bad premonition.

Not long after Miao Rui returned, Liu Tan took the document and flipped through it. He said, "You said the people of Jicheng were being exploited severely, and you were forced to do so. Then, were those pavilions, towers, rockery, and gardens in your home, as well as the mountains of copper coins... also forced to do so?"

The governor of Ji County immediately broke out in a cold sweat, his mind full of thoughts: How did he know?

Ever since the King of the North came, he has been much more low-key and has dealt with his family property, for fear that the other party will suddenly attack him.

He thought he did it very cleanly, so how come he was still discovered?

The Jijun prefect asked cautiously, "Your Highness, how did you know this? I…I have spent so many years to earn this house. As for the mountain of copper coins, I…I would never dare to do that."

Liu Tan leaned forward and smiled, "You're not going to cry until you see the coffin? Do you know how I found out?"

The Jijun prefect shook his head. Liu Tan said calmly, "To tell you the truth, it wasn't me who discovered this. It was the embroidered envoy who gave these things to me. What else do you have to say?"

The prefect of Ji County suddenly looked pale. Officials like them might not know other things, but they must know about the Embroidered Robe Envoy.

It was the emperor's largest spy agency. It was said that as long as the Embroidered Uniform Envoy wanted to find something, no matter how well it was hidden, they would be able to find it.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Messenger always obeyed the emperor and reported only to the emperor. Generally, the emperor would not hand over such information to his subjects.

But now that His Majesty the Emperor has handed this information to the King of the North, his attitude is already very clear.

The governor of Ji County immediately said, "I...I am willing to donate all my property to support the military. I beg Your Highness to forgive me this time."

He didn't have a particularly good psychological quality. He just thought that he had hidden well and shouldn't have been found out by Liu Tan. He thought that His Royal Highness the King of the Northern Territory was trying to trick him, so he dared to argue.

But facing the embroidered robe envoy, he didn't dare to admit it.

Now all he asked for was to save his own life. Of course, he still played a little trick and said to forgive him instead of sparing his life. In this way, if His Royal Highness the King of the North agreed, he could continue to be the governor of Ji County.

If they disagreed, he would take a step back and only ask to save his family's lives, even if it meant becoming a commoner.

Liu Tan looked at the Jijun prefect coldly and said, "The state has its own laws for those who commit corruption. It's useless for you to ask me for help. Come, drag him away."

The governor of Ji County suddenly became very dazed. When he came out in the morning, he was still thinking about what benefits he could get if he could renovate Ji City. As a result, just a few hours later, he became a prisoner.

Dou Sibo happened to come over when he was being dragged away. Dou Sibo looked at the Jijun County Magistrate who looked like a dead fish and couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, what happened?"

What had this guy done to cause His Highness to drag him away?

Liu Tan handed him the document and said, "Take a look."

Dou Sibo took it and glanced at it, and couldn't help but be shocked: "How could a mere Ji County Magistrate be so corrupt?"

Liu Tan said, "No matter how bad the Yan State is, it's still a country. He is in charge of Ji City. It can be said that he is the second most powerful person besides the King of Yan and the Prime Minister. Over the years, he helped the former King of Yan and the former Prime Minister of Yan to squeeze the people's wealth, so naturally he also got a lot of benefits."

Dou Sibo said bitterly, "I visited the city a while ago and saw many people without enough clothes to wear and food to eat. They have absolutely no regard for the lives of the people. This is a heinous crime!"

Liu Tan looked up at Dou Sibo and asked, "Did you visit the city?"

Dou Sibo said a little embarrassedly: "Isn't it almost New Year's Day? Yan State should also have a new look, but the situation in Jicheng..."

Liu Tan waved his hand: "There's no need for those face-saving projects. Even if you give everyone money and gifts this year just to look good, what about next year, and what about the years after that?"

Dou Sibo hesitated and said, "If we want to help the people recover, the most important thing now is to exempt some miscellaneous taxes. However, the Yan State's treasury is currently supported by these miscellaneous taxes... After the exemption..."

Liu Tan said generously, "Forget it. Even if you don't, what can you do with the money you collect? And haven't you already sent people to look for limestone and red mud suitable for making bricks? Once we find a suitable place to build a workshop, everything will be fine."

As they were talking, Wei Deng ran over excitedly and said, "Your Highness..."

He was halfway through his words when he saw Dou Sibo and hesitated for a moment.

Dou Sibo was no fool, and immediately said, "I came here to ask Your Highness whether you would like to exempt the tax. Since Your Highness has other important matters, I will take my leave now."

"Wait a minute." Liu Tan said, "Why are you leaving? Remember, you are the Prime Minister of Yan State. Apart from my personal affairs, you don't need to avoid other matters."

Huo Guang handled this point very well. Of course, Huo Guang could even take care of Liu Tan's private affairs, probably because Liu Tan trusted Huo Guang very much.

As for Dou Sibo, he certainly did not trust him as much as he trusted Huo Guang, but he was still trying to trust him.

If the princes do not care about things, then it doesn't matter what relationship they have with the prime minister, but if they care about things, it is best to try to trust each other, otherwise things cannot be done, and at best they can barely maintain peace, and it is impossible to develop.

Dou Sibo was a little surprised, but he still stayed.

Wei Deng didn't say much, and said directly: "Your Highness, the salt is out!"

As he spoke, he took out a porcelain jar and opened it, which was filled with coarse salt that was a little yellowish and black.

When Dou Sibo heard the word "salt", he couldn't help but breathe heavily and subconsciously took a step forward to see it clearly.

But he still had some rationality, so he restrained himself and did not move forward.

Liu Tan was quite calm. He took out the freshly dried coarse salt, looked at it, and put it back. "Is the production high? How long does it take? How does it compare to Dangli's?"

Wei Deng thought for a moment and said, "The numbers are similar to those from Dangli. The sun has been shining brightly these days, so the production is quite good. I guess by winter, it might not be as good as Dangli's."

Liu Tan nodded. He had thought of this result before. There was no way to solve the climate problem, and as long as enough brine pools were opened, even just for a quarter would be enough.

In fact, the best season for drying salt in this place is not summer. Although the sunlight is strong in summer, there is more moisture in the air and the humidity is high. The best climate is spring and autumn.

It is late autumn now, so I believe the effect will be very good.

He asked directly: "Where is the paperwork?"

Wei Deng immediately handed over the recorded document with both hands. Liu Tan took the document and said, "Show it to Sibo."

Wei Deng handed over the porcelain jar in his hand. Compared to Wei Deng's usual indifference and Liu Tan's indifference, Dou Sibo treated the jar with great care, holding it in his hands for fear that he would drop it accidentally.

He looked at it carefully for a long time, and even put a grain of coarse salt into his mouth.

I immediately felt the salty taste in my mouth.

Liu Tan looked up and saw him doing this. He quickly said, "Hey, this salt hasn't been processed yet. Why did you put it in your mouth? Spit it out quickly."

Although the taste in his mouth wasn't very good, Dou Sibo didn't seem to care and asked directly, "Your Highness... Doesn't this salt require a lot of coal?"

He knew that his prince had sent a message to the Northern Border Kingdom to send coal here, but the coal delivery team had not arrived yet, and he had not seen Liu Tan's men purchasing large quantities of firewood. So where did this salt come from?

Liu Tan looked up at him and said, "It's rarely used."

In fact, coal is not needed for salt drying, but a little bit is needed for a series of subsequent operations such as purification, but not much.

However, even if Liu Tan really trusted Dou Sibo, he would not say it so clearly. This prescription was of utmost importance. Now Jiaozhi State and the Han Dynasty were still arguing. As long as these coastal areas did not fall into the hands of the Han Dynasty, Liu Tan would not release this prescription.

In fact, the people of Jiaozhi may not be unaware that salt can be produced by drying, but the salt produced by drying seawater contains many impurities, so the subsequent extraction is the top priority.

He told no one about this except Princess Dangli.

Of course, he could tell Huo Guang, but Huo Guang was much more sensible than Dou Sibo, and he didn't ask any questions from beginning to end.

Dou Sibo said with a hint of joy, "Then...will Yan State also be able to sell salt at a fair price in the future?"

Salt accounts for a large proportion of people's expenditure. After all, in the small peasant economy, many things can be produced and sold by themselves, but salt cannot.

Once the price of salt goes down, even if the income does not go up, the money in the hands of the people will actually increase in disguise.

Liu Tan glanced at the document and said, "We can maintain the same price in Jicheng for now. Guangyang County and Liaoxi County are both acceptable. Hmm, let Li Kangcheng choose a place for me. The standards will be based on those in Liaoxi County. I will send troops to garrison there later."

Li Kangcheng looks quite honest now. It is said that Li Xi dealt with him again after he came over, and he is more obedient now.

Li Xi happened to be there, so Liu Tan could just send someone over and let Li Xi take care of it. As for Li Xi knowing the recipe... well, let him know if he knows it. Li Xi's family has been branded as a member of the Northern King's faction from beginning to end.

Over the years, Liu Tan has taken care of many people, but he has not taken much care of the Li family. As for Li Buyan... he said that he gave Li Buyan a chance. In fact, if Li Buyan had not followed him out, he could have been a playboy in Chang'an. He would not have to guard the bitter and cold border for many years without being able to go home.

Rather than saying that he gave Li Buyan a chance, it would be more accurate to say that at that time there were too few trustworthy people around him and he needed Li Buyan to support him.

Over the years, the Li family has been grateful to him for saving Li Xi from castration. They try their best to meet his requests and protect Liu Tan no matter where they are.

For this reason, Liu Tan thought it would be better to hand over the salt fields in Guangyang County to Li Xi.

Anyway, Li Kangcheng is also from the Li family. If the two families reach a cooperation, there is no need to worry about the distance being too long.

However, he knew Li Xi very well. If he gave it to him directly, Li Xi would definitely not dare to accept it. Since it involved salt and iron, most people would not dare to get involved.

So what Liu Tan called giving Li Xi the salt field was actually giving him dividends, not giving him the salt field.

He was still waiting for a suitable opportunity to propose that the salt and iron industries be nationalized.

These two things must be in the hands of the court to make people feel at ease, and the reason why he never dared to mention it was because of Princess Li.

The most important thing in Dangli is salt production. Most of the taxes also come from salt. Princess Dangli's money comes from salt. If the salt industry is handed over, Dangli will go from being one of the best fiefdoms to being mediocre or even not very good.

Liu Tan would not dare to deceive anyone but Princess Dangli, not to mention that he couldn't bear it. Princess Dangli's marriage was not going well. Although she had a child, judging from the way the princess educated the child, it would be a blessing if the child didn't become the second Zhaoping Jun in the future. There was no way to rely on him, so the princess could only save more money for herself.

At this moment, Liu Tan thought a lot, but Dou Sibo, a straightforward man, only thought that people would be able to buy salt much cheaper in the future.

Dou Sibo asked, "Your Highness, can I release this news?"

Liu Tan glanced at the documents in his hand and said, "Let him go. Oh, and prepare a shop for me in the most prosperous part of the city to sell salt." He turned to Wei Deng and said, "Send some salt here first. Leave some in Liaoxi County, and have the governor of Liaoxi County find me a shop. Also, send it to the army as well. It's free."

Dou Sibo went there happily, and Wei Deng also immediately took the order and left.

To be honest, Liu Tan didn't take the salt issue seriously. He knew that supplying the army would require a lot of salt, which cost money, but he could afford it.

Dou Sibo chose to release the news by posting it on a bulletin board. At first, no one quite believed it.

To be honest, the credibility of the Yan court has always been poor, and there have been many cases of it going back on its word, so people are generally skeptical about the court's notices.

However, a few days after the notice was posted, everyone saw salt trucks coming in from outside the city.

Although the car was closed, you could faintly smell the smell of salt as you drove by, especially the water flowing behind the car, which smelled like sea water.

Those carts of salt stimulated everyone. Everyone could see that the salt carts were escorted by the elite regiment under the King of the North, an elite regiment that was said to be invincible even to the Huns. That was why no one dared to rush in. But even so, their eyes were red.

They didn't want to rob money, but they really were short of salt.

After the salt arrived, Liu Tan's salt shop opened immediately. As mentioned before, Liu Tan directly set the price of salt in Yan State to the same price as that in the Northern Border State.

This price was almost one-fifth of the previous general price of salt in Yan State.

On the day the salt was put on sale at the shop, everyone was a little skeptical at first. But after someone actually went in and bought one, everyone rushed in like crazy to buy it, as if salt was free.

The owner of the salt shop was an experienced worker temporarily transferred by Liu Tan from the Northern Border Kingdom. Seeing the situation on the first day, he decisively went to the palace to meet Liu Tan.

As soon as he saw Liu Tan, the steward knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness, please think of a solution. The people are buying salt by the dozen or so pounds. At this rate, we won't have enough salt to last two days. Moreover, there are too many people. I'm worried that the shop will collapse."

Liu Tan: ????