Bohai Salt Field.
This place belongs to Zibo County.
A hundred miles away from the salt field is the mouth of the Yellow River.
It is also the only port in Linzi.
As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat from the mountain; live by the sea, eat from the sea." At that time, the salt fields were built on the seashore, and you could see lonely boats fishing on the sea from miles away.
The salt slaves, exposed to the wind and sun for long hours, were busy carrying seawater to the workshop on their shoulder poles. A large amount of sea salt was piled in the open space outside the doorway, and the quality was indeed not very good. The salt blocks were at least the size of a fist and were generally brown.
This kind of coarse salt was not eaten in Chang'an. The people of Chang'an ate green salt and pond salt. The main reason was that the cost of transporting sea salt to Chang'an was too high.
Emperor Feng grabbed the salt block.
Ignoring Manager Hu's objection, he lifted it up and licked it.
Not only is it very salty, it also has a bitter taste.
“Is this the salt you made?”
Emperor Feng raised his eyebrows.
The salt field owner is also an honest man.
Standing by and shivering.
Facing the imperial power, he couldn't even utter a word.
He was given the task at a critical moment.
He was originally just an ordinary worker in the salt field.
Because his position was too low, Tian Zhongxun didn't even consider him. Ouyang Zheng had no choice, after all, the entire Linzi area was a mess, so he could only promote him to the position of farm owner. His ability was limited, so he was lucky that he could resume production now.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
“The salt fields have only just been restored.”
"This sea salt is of poor quality, but it's barely edible."
"I know."
Emperor Feng sighed softly.
He is not an unreasonable person.
Linzi has a lot of work to do, which is normal.
But he was anxious!
I am even more worried about Ning Que!
Ning Que only has one year...
Can he really manage it?!
How much more effort will it take later?
Ning Que had more to do than just govern Linzi; he also had to train his troops. His three guards weren't particularly adept at naval warfare. An attack on Goguryeo would inevitably involve a naval battle. Tian Zhongxun, for example, also had a fleet.
Looking at the salt block, Ning Que couldn't help but sigh.
"Can this sea salt be sold?"
"Disaster……"
Ouyang Zheng was also quite ashamed. He whispered, "I've calculated the cost. A pound of sea salt costs at least fifteen coins. If you include the transportation manpower, it must sell for at least twenty coins to break even. But the sea salt from Jiaodong only sells for fifteen coins, and the quality is even better!"
"clear."
Ning Que nodded in understanding.
The most urgent task is to resolve the issue of the salt fields.
“It takes manpower to cook salt.”
"We need more skilled craftsmen."
"Unfortunately, there is none in Linzi now."
"As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice, and the lower officials have no other options."
Ouyang Zheng sighed with red eyes.
As a county, Linzi had a population of less than 50,000.
There are also many old, weak and sick people here.
There are not enough people to farm the land, how can we make salt?
"Minister Gao."
"I am here."
"Have you heard what Magistrate Ouyang said?" Emperor Feng looked at Gao Teng and said slowly, "Given Linzi's current situation, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate some personnel, money, and grain. And Minister Du, you should also transfer some craftsmen to Linzi."
"This..." Gao Teng's face was bitter, and he raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, this is really difficult for me to do. This tour has cost a lot of money and food, and has already emptied the national treasury. As for manpower...right now, there is a shortage of people everywhere, and we have to relocate people to the north."
"It's difficult for me too!" Du Xiang also sighed and said quickly, "The Ministry of Works only has so many craftsmen, and they still have to build roads and bridges, smelt iron, forge bronze, and forge armor and weapons. If they were transferred to Linzi, I'm afraid they would be unable to catch up with the many construction deadlines."
"Um?!"
Emperor Feng frowned.
Can't even fulfill this small request?
"It's all right with the people." Ning Que smiled and waved his hand, saying calmly, "I heard there are quite a few pirates and bandits in Linzi right now. I also have 30,000 personal guards, which can be used to garrison the city. As for the money, hey, I have my own way. It's just that the method is a bit extreme, so I hope your Majesty will approve it."
"What method?"
"I can't tell you now."
"That's fine." Emperor Feng nodded helplessly. "Linzi was originally your fiefdom, and now it's in ruins. Since you have a solution, everything will be decided by you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"And look at this salt pan."
Emperor Feng walked in front.
Ning Que was also looking around.
Linzi's current salt-making method is relatively primitive. Simply put, it uses the tides to draw seawater into a brine pool. After exposure to wind and sun, the brine concentration increases, and then salt blocks are obtained by boiling the seawater. Due to cost considerations, filtering is not an option. As long as it's edible, it's good enough.
Of course, this is definitely not enough.
Ning Que remembered a method called brine leaching, which was widely used during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was used by many saltworks to produce salt.
The solution is actually very simple.
The seashore is full of compacted sand, which contains salt. Therefore, bamboo strips can be buried in a specific location and, over time, placed in a brine pool. The tides draw the seawater into the pool, passing through the bamboo strips and carrying salt into the pool, naturally increasing the concentration.
The principle is that sea salt dissolves in water, while sand eventually sinks to the bottom. The higher the concentration of the brine, the more sea salt you'll get after boiling.
As for improving the quality, it is even easier, just use charcoal sand to filter it. Although it is not as fine and white as snow, it is at least much better than Jiaodong sea salt.
After inspecting the salt fields, Emperor Feng led them up a hill. Standing on the edge of a cliff, they looked down at the sea from above. The waves crashed continuously, making a deafening sound.
“The scenery here is really beautiful.”
"No wonder the late emperor once stayed on the sea for several months."
"Unfortunately, I don't have time anymore."
"Even Minister Gao is urging me to return to the capital."
"The Prime Minister has also sent several urgent reports, saying that there are many matters in Chang'an that need my attention. Xiaoning, I'll leave this place to you from now on."
"Don't worry, my royal brother."
Emperor Feng looked down at the seascape and smiled as he said, "It's rare to see such a beautiful view. How about you compose a poem about it?"
"yes!"
"It's nice to hear Prince Ning's poetry before leaving."
Ning Que smiled and nodded.
After thinking for a moment, Lang Lang spoke.
"Looking eastwards at Jieshi, I can see the vast ocean."
"The water is so calm, and the mountains and islands stand tall."
"Trees grow thickly and grass grows luxuriantly."
"The autumn wind is bleak, and the waves are surging."
"The movement of the sun and the moon seems to come from it."
"The stars are shining brightly, as if they came from the sky."
"I am so blessed that I can sing to express my feelings."
Emperor Feng was shocked when he heard this.
"good!"
"What a wonderful poem!"
"Prince Ning's talent is truly enviable!"
“Any one of them can be passed down through the ages.”
“It seems to be describing the scenery, but it is actually expressing emotions!”
Emperor Feng looked at Ning Que and said slowly, "I understand everything. I hope you can achieve great things and realize your ambitions in Linzi."
"This poem is not only what I have in mind, but I also wrote it for my royal brother." Ning Que raised his hand and smiled, "I hope my royal brother can realize the long-cherished wish of our ancestors and unify the world!"
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