Chapter 547 Salt
(Thanks to Linxtong for casting 2 monthly votes.)
In May, the sea breeze in Jian'an already carries a warm, humid, and salty smell.
But even stronger was the lingering stench of blood and the scent of money that permeated the area in front of the government office.
The "Order to Kill the Bandits" was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, creating ripples far beyond anyone's imagination.
Li Shiyue stood behind the scenes, coldly watching the almost frenzied feast that she herself had ignited.
The will of the people can be used, and their power can also be mobilized.
What she wanted was never just the heads of a few Japanese pirates, but to completely mold the disorganized Jian'an into the shape she desired.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mirage Boat was once again decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
Unlike the previous Feast at Hongmen, the nineteen merchants invited this time had very complicated and indescribable feelings.
Most of them donated money because of the "Order to Kill the Bandits," with some donating as much as three thousand taels and others as little as five hundred taels.
A few days ago, when they received a message from Li Shiyue's Xuanjia Army at their doorstep, each of them felt a little uneasy and suspicious.
Li Shiyue, the female general who came from Jinzhou, was ruthless and unpredictable. First, Zhao Liangfu lost a finger and his whole family was killed. Then, she issued the "Kill the Bandits Order" which stirred up a storm.
Now that she has hosted a banquet, it is by no means simply to thank these merchants for "voluntarily" donating silver.
As night falls, the city lights begin to twinkle.
Still on the third floor of the Mirage Pavilion, in the "Sea and Sky Pavilion," the room was filled with the sounds of clinking glasses and the atmosphere outwardly harmonious.
Li Shiyue remained seated in the main seat. She was not wearing martial arts attire, but rather a dark brocade robe with subtle patterns. Her long hair was tied up high, not in a bun, but with the ends hanging down behind her head.
This outfit made her look less fierce and more playful like a young woman.
However, if you look at her face, it's fine when she's smiling;
If she looks at you expressionlessly, the scar that Li Shiyue deliberately left at the corner of her eye alone makes you feel that she is not someone to be trifled with;
You never know when she might suddenly strike, drawing her long sword and pointing it at someone's neck.
Therefore, all the merchants present, whether they were big merchants like Li Yu or small merchants with some reputation but not yet big merchants, all had smiles on their faces and flattered Li Shiyue.
At the banquet, Li Shiyue didn't say much, only briefly raising her glass to thank the many merchants for their "great understanding" and for their "generosity."
But Li Shiyue's sharp eyes swept over every face at the table, making those being watched feel an invisible pressure.
After several rounds of drinks, we sampled five different dishes.
Li Shiyue put down her wine glass, and the crisp clinking sound instantly silenced the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"The threat of Japanese pirates is not something that has arisen overnight."
Killing the enemy and bringing peace to the people is not something that can be accomplished overnight.
The treasury is empty, and although the reward money needed for the "Order to Kill the Bandits" has relied on your great help, it is not a long-term solution.
In the future, this general will definitely lead troops to wipe out all the Japanese pirates surrounding Jian'an.
The merchants held their breath, knowing that the highlight of the banquet was about to begin.
With a wave of her hand, Li Shiyue had the servants of the Mirage Boat clear away the leftovers from the round table.
Not only that, but they also brought out hot tea and delicate refreshments again.
Then, Chen Yong directed the Xuanjia Army, who had been prepared beforehand, to present a white porcelain jar covered with a red cloth.
The red cloth was lifted, revealing a white porcelain jar containing something snow-white, delicate, and crystal clear like sand.
"This is?"
Li Yu, sitting at the lower end of the table, couldn't help but speak up. As a salt merchant, he was extremely sensitive to this matter.
"Salt."
Li Shiyue uttered a single word. She stood up, leaned forward, and picked up a small pinch with her fingertips, letting the white particles slip through her fingers and eventually fall back into the white porcelain jar.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is fine salt sun-dried on the coast of Jian'an."
As soon as Li Shiyue finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the room!
What?
Salt?
Smuggled salt?!
This female general actually dared to touch this thing!
Li Yu suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the white porcelain jar, his voice trembling slightly: "General... is this true?"
"This...this was really sun-dried, rather than boiled?"
Li Yu was an expert, and he could tell at a glance that the salt was of excellent quality, even far surpassing official salt, let alone ordinary smuggled salt.
If it's truly sun-dried, then the cost...
"Mr. Li is an expert; he might as well examine it himself."
Li Shiyue gestured to Chen Yong to bring the jar to Li Yu.
Li Yu carefully picked up some fine salt, put it in her mouth and tasted it. The color drained from her face, instantly replaced by a flush of excitement: "Pure! Not bitter at all! This, this... this is simply..."
"Yield?"
Li Shiyue chuckled, his laughter carrying an undeniable ambition: "As long as there's enough mudflats and enough manpower, we can have as many as we need."
It requires almost no firewood, relying solely on sunlight and sea breeze.
"boom!"
Li Shiyue's words caused an uproar in the room!
The merchants could no longer maintain their composure and began whispering among themselves.
Apart from Li Yu, who was a salt merchant, it was impossible for anyone else present to claim that they hadn't been involved in the illegal salt trade at all.
It's just a matter of how much or how little they got involved.
At this moment, the merchants' faces were filled with shock, greed, and deep fear.
This is an overwhelming fortune!
It was also the cause of the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan!
"General!"
A chubby merchant looked at Li Shiyue and said in a trembling voice, "Smuggled salt...selling smuggled salt is a serious crime!"
"A serious crime?"
Li Shiyue interrupted him, her gaze sweeping over him like an icy blade, "How can this be considered selling smuggled salt?"
In Jian'an, the official salt trade was under the jurisdiction of this general, and the salt produced in Jian'an was to be traded and allocated by this general.
How could this be smuggled salt?
This is government-owned salt!
However, this general has a method that can reduce the cost of salt production by 70% using the existing boiling method!
"Not only can it reduce costs, but the fine salt obtained by this method is also the same," Li Shiyue pointed to the white porcelain jar in front of Li Yu.
Li Shiyue gave Chen Yong a wink, and Chen Yong immediately instructed the Xuanjia soldiers standing to the side to take white porcelain plates and scoop some fine salt from the white porcelain jars into the plates.
Then he placed the plates of fine salt in front of the other eighteen merchants one by one, so that they could carefully examine the quality of the salt.
Li Shiyue stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the dark sea outside: "This fine salt produced by the sun-drying method, I, the general, shall pay the full salt tax."
Besides, why do you think this general is going to such lengths to produce salt?
Li Shiyue turned around, looked at everyone present, and said in a serious tone, "When I came here, I brought two thousand elite soldiers from Jinzhou. Later, Your Highness will send some more troops to Jian'an."
"I have so many men to support; do you think I can keep relying on you wealthy folks forever?"
Li Shiyue's words made it clear to all the merchants present what they shouldn't say and what they couldn't say; otherwise, someone would definitely jump out and yell at Li Shiyue.
"ah?
Taking advantage of the wealthy?
Is it that the imperial court is not providing you with military pay and provisions, or that the Prince of Zhenbei is not providing them?
No matter how you look at it, it shouldn't be us big spenders who have to pay, right?
However, the merchants only thought these things to themselves; they dared not say them aloud.
So, after Li Shiyue looked around at the merchants, she pretended to sigh and then continued to say to everyone: "In recent years, natural disasters and man-made calamities have occurred frequently. Many of the merchants here are grain merchants. I ask you, are you aware of the climate changes in recent years?"
Not to mention Andong, even the Jiangnan region is starting to experience drought, and grain production is decreasing to varying degrees.
Whom can we, Jian'an, rely on?
Not to mention, how long has it been since this general issued the 'Order to Kill the Bandits'?
Although this wave of Japanese pirates landing was largely stopped, what about the future?
These Japanese pirates are just like the Turks to the north; every single one of them is always trying to take a bite out of us.
Can I possibly expect the Japanese pirates to have a change of heart and stop burning, killing, and looting in Jian'an in the future?
Or are you suggesting that the garrison troops are of one mind with this general, and that a bloodthirsty bastard like Cai Hua can actually go out to sea and kill pirates?
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