Chapter 91 This salt-making method cannot be shared with the people
Chun Yuyue congratulated Ying Zheng: "Congratulations to the king, congratulations to the king, the king promotes this plow. This is the government of a holy king and will be admired by all people!"
Seeing that it was Chunyu Yue, he won Zheng just listened to Li Shiqi's story from Li Nian yesterday and had a deeper understanding of this group of Confucian students:
These Confucian students are not actually bad, but they are too deeply influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and they want everything. Rely on benevolent government, Zhou rites, and sage kings.
Too lazy to pay attention to him!
Ying Zheng pointed to the salt that was carried on the tray by a chamberlain, and said: "After you have enough food, you should eat well, that is, if you want the food you eat to be better and more delicious, you all have a taste of this salt."< br>
The servants carrying the salt dish brought the salt to the ministers. The ministers were quite surprised when they saw the white salt in the dish.
It’s not because I’ve never seen salt of this quality before, but according to the king’s wishes, this salt seems to be mass-produced so that everyone in the world can eat it.
The ministers dipped their fingers in the salt dish and put it in their mouths. A salty taste suddenly poured in from the tip of their tongues. This salt did not have that familiar bitter taste!
Actually, the odor is still there, it’s just reduced.
The salt currently used in Daqin is mainly mineral salt with many impurities. According to the production steps of modern industry: excess barium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium carbonate need to be added in sequence to remove the corresponding sulfate, magnesium ions, and calcium ions, and then It turns into precipitate and is filtered out.
Then add hydrochloric acid to remove excess hydroxide and carbonate, and finally evaporate and crystallize. The hydrochloric acid is evaporated, leaving sodium chloride, which is table salt.
But in the current environment of Daqin, where could Li Nian find barium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid? He could only use another method that could be applied to Daqin - adding plant ash.
The main component of plant ash is potassium carbonate. Boiling it with the table salt of this era can change the magnesium ions and calcium ions contained in it into magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate, which are precipitated and filtered out.
But using plant ash is not as complete as barium chloride and hydrochloric acid in removing impurities, but it is a rare improvement in this era.
After some ministers dipped their fingers in it, they seemed not to believe it and were not afraid of being salted, so they twisted a small amount with their fingers and put it in their mouths.
It still has that pure salty taste, no bitterness.
After a minister tasted it, he asked Ying Zhengdao: "The king wants to spread the method of making this salt to the world?"
Ying Zhengdao: "What is wrong?"
The minister said seriously: "There is nothing wrong with the king's concern for the people, but there is something very wrong! Everyone in the world needs salt, and the benefits of salt are more sufficient and more stable than taxes."
"Farmers must depend on the weather for farming, but salt does not. Therefore, I believe that this method of making salt cannot be spread to the world, but should be strictly controlled and taken over to the Qin Dynasty."
Hearing this, Chunyu The more he couldn't bear it anymore, he jumped out and said: "Shameless son, you want to make the king and the people Strive for profit! Your Majesty intends to bring benevolent governance to the world, but Zhu Zi wants to ruin your good deeds.”
Although Da Qin also controlled the salt industry at this time, it was not like the later Yantie Guanying. It is strictly controlled by the state and is completely run by the state, but some salt and iron merchants are allowed to exist.
The Shu Zhuo family, the Cao Bing family, the Diao Jian family, the Cheng Zheng family, the Wan Kong family, etc. all became extremely wealthy by operating salt and iron.
The minister looked at Chunyu Yue and said coldly: "This salt-making method may be beneficial to the people if it is spread throughout the world, but it may not be beneficial to the Qin Dynasty, let alone the people! Dr. Chunyu is knowledgeable about the past and the present, but he is also What a shallow person!”
Chunyu Yue's face turned red with anger, and he was about to retort when he heard Ying Zheng say: "Please tell me in detail."
He really didn't think much about how this method of making salt would spread. How, Li Nian didn't mention it when he handed him the salt-making method.
The minister explained his reasoning to Ying Zheng in detail, that is, salt must be monopolized by the state, so that there can be a stable source of tax revenue.
Da Qin now does not keep all the profits from selling salt. Instead, it allows some salt merchants to exist: First, salt is not difficult to make. As long as there is a source of materials, anyone can make it. Instead of forcing There are many people making salt secretly, so it is better to allow a few;
The second is that Daqin cannot take care of the entire world, and needs the existence of salt merchants to send salt to all parties;
The third is that allowing some salt merchants to exist is conducive to the stability of Daqin's salt industry. The salt merchants who are allowed will definitely not want to Having the other salt merchants show up, I went upstairs, making sure to pull out the ladder.
But now times have changed, the world has been unified, and those salt merchants who were once recognized can be eliminated. Are they still left to continue to divide the salt profits?
This minister was originally thinking hard about how to get the salt merchant's license to sell salt, but after much thought, there was no good way.
Forcing the salt merchants with political decrees may allow them to take it orally, but it cannot convince the salt merchants and is not justified enough.
The new salt that Ying Zheng brought out today gave him an idea.
What kind of salt does the salt merchant sell?
The taste is bitter and astringent.
But this salt is white and has no bitter taste.
As a salt buyer, which kind do you buy?
All it takes is Daqin officials to produce enough of this salt to impact the entire salt market and capture the salt buyers from the salt merchants.
No one goes to the salt merchants to buy salt anymore. Doesn’t this mean that the salt business license once granted to the salt merchants has been withdrawn in disguise?
The minister said: "I am not blocking the king's intention to benefit the people, but I am planning for the Qin Dynasty. This salt making method cannot be spread at least for now!"
After listening to this minister Cheng said that Ying Zheng and other ministers were also aware of the problems contained therein.
Chun Yuyue opened his mouth, but finally sighed and said nothing.
Is it really a good thing that salt is completely returned to the state-owned monopoly of Da Qin?
Ying Zhengdao: "In this case, according to your words, this salt production method will not be announced to the world for the time being."
He was going to ask Li Nian how future generations would control the salt industry. ?
The minister said: "This salt-making method will not be spread, but the salt industry is the exclusive business of Daqin, and the people will be able to buy this high-grade salt in the future."
Many ministers shook their heads secretly. , The words are nice, but how can things be so simple? If something falls into the king's pocket, do you still want him to take it out again?
Even if the current king has the courage to take it out, what about the king who can come after him? Will the price of salt be increased and a heavier salt tax imposed?
Seeing that the atmosphere in the palace was a little heavy, Ying Zheng said: "There are two more things that I would like to invite you to taste. One is tofu, which is made of Shu. Although it has the taste of Shu, it is not as good as rice. It’s so hard to swallow.”
“Please try it, gentlemen!”
The servants carrying the salt dishes retreated, and another servant brought the tofu and thirteen incense to Daqin. In front of all the ministers.
The ministers took a look and saw three things on the tray, a plate of green and white things, a plate of brown powder, and a pair of chopsticks.
The brown powder exudes a strong aroma, not floral or grassy, but an alluring and appetizing smell, as if adding it to food can make the food taste even better.
(End of this chapter)