Chapter 3173 The Beauty of Pork
As soon as Zhou Silang left Yangzhou, Tang He arrived with his men.
In addition to people from the Censorate, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, Tang He also brought five hundred imperial guards.
Because there were too many people, they were stationed directly outside the city.
With these five hundred imperial guards, the assassins who used to appear every once in a while disappeared in an instant.
Tang He and Yang Heshu said, "Originally, we only brought fifty guards. His Majesty gave us military tokens, thinking that we could mobilize local garrisons if necessary. We didn't expect to encounter two assassins along the way."
"After we submitted the petition, His Majesty ordered five hundred imperial guards to rush over at full speed, and we arrived together."
Don't underestimate the small number, 500 people, they are carefully selected imperial guards. Not to mention the salt field, they are not afraid even if the entire Yangzhou garrison rebels. What's more, Tang He has the military order in his hand, and Yang Heshu has the power to directly mobilize troops.
Tang He rolled up his sleeves and said, "Come on, where do we start?"
Yang Heshu smiled slightly and said, "I know where they hid the official salt."
Tang He raised his eyebrows, gave a thumbs-up and said, "Based on this alone, their loss was not unfair."
Tang He and the three ministries conducted a thorough investigation for a period of time. After verifying some information, one night, when the moon was bright and the sky was clear, they all took action together and wiped out all the places where the official salt was hidden, including the officials in charge of each salt field...
Hiding official salt meant embezzling official salt and using it as private salt, not to mention that Yang Heshu also found out that they had falsified the amount of official salt transactions in previous years and embezzled salt taxes.
Each one of them is enough to kill you.
The situation in Jiangnan is changing rapidly, but news spreads slowly, and people in Qingzhou still know nothing.
As autumn approached, more and more people came to buy salt. After Bai Shan asked about their origins, he would keep those who were close to Qingzhou or introduce them to Shouguang County.
Those near Laizhou, he recommended to Laizhou;
He recommended going to Dengzhou, which is closer.
Of course, he would not let anyone make a wasted trip. Wouldn't that ruin the reputation of Beihai County?
So he would first invite people from Laizhou and Dengzhou, and ask them to bring their own salt. When the salt buyers arrived, he would introduce them to each other.
As for how they traded and how they were dragged to Laizhou and Dengzhou, he didn't care.
Bai Shan was so friendly that he not only taught the students until they learned the skills, but also provided after-sales service, which really surprised the governors and county magistrates of Laizhou and Dengzhou.
Then the two provincial governors could not help but say to their county magistrates, "No wonder he has such a promising future at such a young age. This kind of broad-mindedness is rare in the world."
What can the county magistrates do?
I could only nod repeatedly to express, "Yes, yes."
Zhou Silang met many people after following Bai Shan.
He should have returned to the capital long ago. The sea route is much faster. If he manages his time well, it would be enough for him to go out to sea again before the New Year.
But after drinking that night, although he no longer suffered from insomnia, he did not plan to return to Beijing. Instead, under the banner of protecting Zhou Man and Bai Shan, he began to travel between the county seat and Longchi.
He originally planned to take people to guard the county town, but after following Bai Shanzhou for two days, he found that they were not only accompanied by guards but also by yamen runners. He quietly got up several times at night and found that there were indeed guards on duty openly and secretly, so he felt relieved.
Now that he was relieved, he couldn't bear to be lonely anymore, so he went to Longchi every few days. Firstly, he wanted to sell some of the goods he had, secondly, he wanted to buy some things from the shops in Longchi, and thirdly, he wanted to buy some things he thought were easy to sell from the returning merchants.
He ran up and down happily. Bai Shan was recently keen on taking the officials who came to buy official salt for a stroll. Longchi Wharf, as one of the economic pillars, was one of the places that he paid special attention to.
He especially liked to recommend that buyers take the salt back on official ships, which was not only fast but also safe.
Xuzhou Caimai, who had been following him all the way in a daze, looked at the dock in confusion. He was heading west, so what sea route was he taking?
Do I have to take a boat to Pingzhou or Cangzhou, and then go back to Xuzhou from there?
Zhou Silang followed Bai Shan and got to know many people.
Although he couldn't see any use for it for the time being, it was just like he didn't understand why Bai Shan kept taking people to see his Guantian Manor.
You have to know that these are officials who purchase official salt, not farmers.
Zhou Silang bumped into his brother-in-law and whispered, "Not only are you wasting your time, but you're also wasting a lot of money. I heard you're keen on treating people to dinner?"
Bai Shan said, "There are many pigs and chickens raised in Guantian Manor. I have to find a good market in advance. Although the county can consume them now, the harvest will increase in the future and we will definitely not be able to consume them by then."
He said, "States like Qizhou and Yanzhou are close to our Qingzhou. If they are willing to purchase these things from our county..."
Even if the salt field was later taken over by the Salt Transport Bureau, his official farmland could still generate a lot of income and he could do a lot of things.
Zhou Silang: "It's a pity that pigs and chickens are difficult to carry. Otherwise, I could take them out for you and sell them along the way. I'm sure you'll make a lot of money."
Castrated pigs and chickens do have better meat quality and are easier to grow and be slaughtered, saving a lot of food.
Bai Shan put his hand on his shoulder and said with a smile: "Fourth brother, I think it's okay. I won't talk about chickens, but pigs can be driven just like cows..."
Zhou Silang took his hand away and said, "No, don't try to fool me. How can pigs and cows be the same? When I take the cows with me, I only need to bring some hay or beans in the car. At worst, they can eat some grass on the road to keep them alive."
"But if I don't feed the pig well, do you believe it will lose all the meat you worked so hard to raise when we get there?" Zhou Silang said, "Pork is all about the fat. If that meat is gone, wouldn't it be a waste for me?"
Bai Shan had never raised pigs before, so he just watched for fun. Therefore, he didn't consider this point and was dumbfounded. "So I can't sell my pork?"
"Not really," Zhou Silang said after a moment's deliberation. "Didn't you say Qizhou is close to Qingzhou? You could sell them in Qingzhou first, and then gradually move on to Qizhou. Do you have that many pigs? They should be enough for the two states, right?"
Bai Shan slumped his shoulders and said, "I think it's okay, but everyone is reluctant to eat meat and just won't buy it. What can I do?"
Zhou Silang: ...
Bai Shan sighed.
Zhou Silang hesitated and said, "I remember pork is cheaper than other meats. Rich people may not like pork, but do ordinary or even poor people not buy it?"
Bai Shan: "They don't know the taste of pork, and they are reluctant to buy meat. When they really have to buy meat, they would rather pay a high price and choose chicken and lamb, which are safe."
Zhou Silang stroked his chin and said, "Then let them know the beauty of pork."
Bai Shan thought for a moment and raised an eyebrow at him.
Zhou Silang said with a smile: "Let my sister-in-law make some meat dishes with pork and put them next to the stall. Let people taste them, and they will naturally know how delicious pork is."
See you tomorrow, good night
(End of this chapter)
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