After being reminded by Qin Yilu, Zhao Xing began to seriously think about the issue of eating salt, which is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, but has never been taken seriously.

Zhao Xing vaguely remembered that ordinary people in later generations mainly ate well salt and sea salt, and most of them were cleaned and added with a small amount of iodine, which seemed to prevent big neck diseases. The reason why salt can be sold so cheap is related to the huge domestic salt mine reserves and the convenience of salt drying in seawater.

Zhao Xing also remembered the ridiculous scene of rushing salt in China after a tsunami in an island country in his previous life due to a nuclear power plant leak. This also reminded us that in order to increase fiscal revenue, many dynasties in China implemented a salt monopoly system, controlling the production and sales of salt with severe punishments and forced salt households to produce salt through the formation of corvee. Producers worked very hard and had to bear heavy salt classes, which seriously hindered the development of production.

It seems that salt is usually inconspicuous, but once it is missing, it can really make people crazy.

Afterwards, Zhao Xing and Qin Yilu talked separately about some specific situations involving the salt industry. After learning in the middle of the night, Zhao Xing finally had a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the salt industry in the Han Dynasty.

It turned out that during the Han Dynasty, the salt consumed by the people mainly came from salt ponds in Bingzhou and other places, the well salt in Yizhou and a small amount of salt made from seawater. In this era, salt was not the main canal, and because of the many impurities of seawater, the salt produced by the production was yellow in color. It was not as white as the salt produced in salt ponds and deep wells, so it was not favored by the people, and it was only eaten by poor families.

Zhao Xing also learned through Qin Yilu's introduction that the Han Dynasty's most profitable place is right next to Jin State, which is the salt pond in the south of Anyi County, Hedong County, which is directly controlled by the court! This place produces a large amount of salt every year and sells it to various parts of the north, bringing rich profits to the Han Dynasty. Of course, in addition to the salt pond in Hedong County, there are also some small salt ponds in Jin State, but because of the simple production process and low output, it can at most ensure self-producing and self-selling.

Zhao Xing asked Qin Yilu: How long does the salt reserved in Jin State have enough for us to use?

Qin Yilu thought for a moment and replied: If the salt that continues to be produced is not considered, the existing reserves can be eaten by the people for half a year.

Then, the reserves for three months were urgently transported from the treasury to the surrendered city! Zhao Xing made up his mind and gave Qin Yilu orders without hesitation.

Or do you want to pickle bacon? Qin Yilu asked a little unwillingly.

Yes, it must be pickled. Because I can guarantee that the price of salt will plummet after three months, and one day it will be cheaper and open for supply all over the world. No one in the common people will worry about not having money to eat salt! Zhao Xing answered Qin Yilu confidently.

Hearing Zhao Xing's case, Qin Yilu thought he was preparing to launch a war against Hedong County and capture the salt-rich Anyi County, so he hurriedly said: Please think twice before you can do anything to the court for this disaster relief, and shake the established policy of internal affairs construction for three years!

After hearing Qin Yilu's words, Zhao Xing was a little amused and had to explain further: You were arbitrary this time! Whoever wants to eat salt has to beat Hedong County? There are more places in the world that can make salt, and there are more methods to make salt. This time I will open your eyes and see how I completely squeezed out the salt pond of the court!

After appeased the people of Suijiang City, Zhao Xing continued to ask Gao Shun to join forces with Yan Sheng Division and advance northward according to the method of smashing snow into ice. Behind them, they followed the transport team that transported disaster relief supplies. These materials can not only be consumed by the open road troops, but also can help small tribes surrounded by heavy snow along the way. When the first batch of supplies is about to be consumed, the subsequent materials prepared from various parts of Jin will be transported to Suijiang City one after another, ensuring that the open road troops will never fall into danger.

After another seven days, the opening troops had advanced northward to a place where heavy snow could be buried. There was no need to go northward, so the opening troops turned eastward, preparing to open up a circular rescue tunnel in the desert to rescue the herdsmen surrounded by heavy snow as much as possible.

The Flying Tiger Army, which had always worried about Zhao Xing, finally got news, but it turned out to be a false alarm. When the weather changed, the Flying Tiger Army was wandering on the territory of the Xianbei people in the north of Youzhou. Military advisor Li Tiezhu was a ghost. When he saw that the snow was getting heavier and he immediately suggested that Lu Bu lead the army to retreat south.

During the retreat of the Flying Tiger Army, it was depressed to find that Fengxue was chasing her butt endlessly. Finally, it simply ran into the Great Wall and arrived at Youbeiping County in one breath. It hid in the Xiongju military camp stationed here, and happened to escape a heavy snow disaster, and also harassed Xu Shu.

Under Zhao Xing's personal command, the disaster relief operations in the north were carried out in an orderly manner, and they also diverted their attention from this matter and focused their attention on the salt making plan.

Zhao Xing asked Wohu Steel Plant to produce 50,000 honeycomb coal stoves that had just been invented and established through emergency letters, and at the same time, he gave an order to the official coal mine in Pingcheng (now near Datong, Shanxi) to the emergency production of honeycomb coal spheres.

Zhao Xing also wrote to Shangdang Ceramics Factory, requiring the customization of 200,000 large casseroles that can hold at least 40 kilograms of weight, and all of them will be delivered to the Taifu Mansion of Wohucheng at the latest in June this year.

All the departments and relevant persons in charge who received Zhao Xing's order were very puzzled by Zhao Xing's anxious request to produce a large number of products that were unknown to them, including Qin Yilu and Liu Jili.

In fact, the preparations made by Zhao Xing are all preparing for the mass production of edible salt. Jin State is still thousands of miles away from the seaside, and the sun intensity and climate in the north are suitable for salt drying in seawater. Therefore, if you want to gain a foothold in Jin State in a short time, there is only one way to go\u2014\u2014 boil salt!

Compared to relying on sun and wind to dry salt, the production cycle can be shortened to one tenth or even shorter. The process of boiling salt is not complicated, and only three main materials are needed: clean brine containing salt, water containers for boiling salt, and firewood. However, the biggest problem with boiling salt is that it is too expensive. Before the honeycomb coal stove and before it is used, relying on wood to boil salt is not only very hard but also consumes an amazing expense.

However, the honeycomb coal stove and large casserole produced by Zhao Xing will greatly reduce the cost of boiling salt, and it will make people much easier. For the people of Jin who live on the mines, the coal mines buried underground in the entire Jin State are enough for people to use for hundreds or thousands of years without worrying about resource exhaustion, so Zhao Xing used coal to replace firewood to cook salt effectively reduces the cost. Moreover, the advantage of using a honeycomb coal stove is that the firepower is uniform, unlike firewood burning in the stove, which requires people to watch it at all times, and it is very tormenting.

Using a casserole to cook salt is also a good way to reduce costs. If you use an iron pot to cook salt, the pot will be corroded and damaged by brine in no time. As a ceramic product, this problem does not exist. Especially for rough casseroles, the production cost is very low, but it will not affect the quality and speed of salt making at all.

According to Zhao Xing's idea, in the future, ceramic tubes that draw brine will be set up around all small salt ponds in Jin State, and windmills and keel water wheels will be used to lift water to each large water tank for boiling salt. Then, each household specializing in salt production will place a row of honeycomb coal stoves in the yard, and a large casserole on the stove, and the pot will be burned with brine. If the entire salt boiling forms industrialization and assembly line operation, an adult can cook thirty to fifty kilograms of exquisite snow salt every day.

Although salt is a necessary seasoning for people, a person can eat ten to fifteen kilograms of salt a year after he dies. That is, according to the salt cooking method designed by Zhao Xing, a labor force that does not require much effort can be used for 1,500 to 2,000 people per year. Jin State, Liang State and Youzhou currently have a population of 6.5 million, so only more than 4,000 people are needed to cook salt specifically for everyone to eat. Zhao Xing plans to let 20,000 people specialize in salt making!

What is this concept? The salt cooked by 20,000 people a year can be used for 30 million people to eat! The total population of the Han Dynasty at this time is estimated to not exceed 50 million. If Zhao Xing wanted to deliberately lower the salt price, then it would not be a joke to Liu Jili mention that the Anyi salt pond, which was specialized in the imperial court, was not a joke.

Moreover, Zhao Xing has a more complete salt-making plan. After he completely controls Xuzhou in the future, he can use seawater to dry salt on a large scale to further reduce the cost of salt making. At that time, the vow of people all over the world to eat cheap salt will become a reality. ~
Chapter completed!