Wang Anshi said in surprise: "We still have to rely on those salt merchants for logistics?"

Zhang Fei nodded and said: "I am trying to find a way to let them renew the salt debt for another three years, and at the same time sell them another 500,000 guan of salt debt."

Wang Anshi gasped, "This...is this possible?"

"It will definitely work."

Zhang Fei said: "Because businessmen pursue profit, they will make the most beneficial decision."

...

...

Hezhongfu

After three years of stable development, Hezhong Mansion once again faced violent turmoil. The reason was the poison planted by Zhang Fei three years ago.

That is the salt debt.

The salt output of this salt solution is very stable and can just meet the needs of the people. It does not mean that there is a lot of surplus every year.

Issuing a salt debt under such circumstances means that Yin eats Mao Liang, which will cost his life when repaying the money. Moreover, Zhang Fei issued a salt debt of one million yuan at that time, not counting the salt banknotes that can be directly exchanged for salt.

At that time, money merchants were attracted to rush to buy salt bonds, because they all knew that as long as the salt was locked in the salt bonds, the salt merchants would not be able to get the salt, so they had to buy salt bonds from them and then exchange the salt bonds for salt.

Therefore, all kinds of monsters and monsters have appeared this year, and even landowners who are not engaged in salt trading have begun to hoard salt crazily.

Waiting to harvest this wave of wealth.

The government had no choice but to open a warehouse to sell the salt that the people needed daily, but the purchase was restricted.

I saw a long queue in front of the official salt store. Everyone was holding a small jar, standing on tiptoes, looking ahead, with worries in their eyes.

But at the door of the store, a man shouted loudly.

"Come one by one! Don't worry, everything will be available, but now is a special period. Each household can only buy one pound of salt for the time being. Bring your household registration and salt banknotes."

...

The people queuing up were talking about this.

"It's really difficult to buy salt nowadays. You have to have salt banknotes and household registration."

"Let's not complain. It's good to have one pound. But in many places you can't even see a ounce of salt."

"Yes! I heard that the salt merchants on the other side of the border are still waiting on the other side of the salt pond, but there is no salt coming out of the salt pond at all."

"It's not that it can't be distributed, but the government is now trying its best to protect the salt debt. The salt from the salt pond cannot be distributed outside. Therefore, many salt merchants from other places cannot get salt this year."

"Don't people in those places not be able to buy salt?"

"Then what can we do? If the government cannot exchange the salt debt, we will be sued in the imperial court."

...

In the restaurant diagonally opposite stood two middle-aged men dressed in silk and satin. They were Duan Chaobei and Zheng Aoping, the two major banknote dealers in Hezhong Prefecture. They looked at the long queue below and couldn't help but smile.

Rising.

“It’s different when we have the public prosecutor’s office!”

Duan Chaobei laughed and said: "In the past, the government probably defaulted on the debt, but this time the government is trying its best to protect the salt debt. Now Hezhong Prefecture has to sell salt like this. Is there any salt in other places?"

"It's long gone."

Zheng Aoping said: "Quanzi just came back from Yanzhou. The salt merchants there are holding all the salt in their hands, but they are just waiting for this wave of rising salt prices."

"Really?" Duan Chaobei said: "Aren't the many salt markets over there controlled by the Zhong family and the Zhe family?"

Zheng Aoping said: "There was a war some time ago. Food was needed. The salt controlled by them was gradually replaced by food. They didn't have any salt in their hands."

Duan Chaobei smiled and said: "God is really helping me!"

Zheng Aoping said: "Now the government is trying to protect the salt debt. There should be no grain of salt to sell to those overseas salt merchants. Now the price of the salt debt has increased by 50%. When will we release it?"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "It's only 50%, why are you in a hurry."

Duan Chaobei hummed: "I have held this debt in my hands for three years. How can we let it go unless it rises two or three times? The interest is not enough for us. I met Prosecutor Chen not long ago.

Commander, I asked him a few questions at that time, and as long as the government can't give him any salt, we can sue him. Anyway, everything will be done in accordance with the contract."

...

How calm this banknote dealer is is so torturous for Yuan Jiang and Cai Yanqing. At this moment, they are really as if they are going through a catastrophe.

Cai Mansion.

"Brother Hou is back."

Cai Yanqing hurried out of the hall and met Yuan Jiang, who had just returned from an inspection tour, "How is the situation over there?"

Yuan Jiang whispered: "Go up to the room and talk."

"Yes. Brother Hou, please come inside."

Cai Yanqing immediately invited Yuan Jiang into the study and closed the door tightly.

"well...!"

Yuan Jiang sighed and said with emotion: "This war costs money like water!"

Cai Yanqing said: "There is nothing we can do about this, but the Xihe area is crucial to our DPRK's strategy. We are lucky that we did not fall into a bitter battle."

"That's true."

Yuan Jiang nodded and said: "Thankfully we secretly transported the salt out and brought back a batch of grain. Otherwise, even if we send all the taxes in, it might not be enough!"

Cai Yanqing asked again: "Is the Xihe side settled now?"

Yuan Jiang said: "It's not completely settled yet. There are many Qiang people inside who are capricious, but it's much better than at the beginning of the year. It's estimated that the garrison still can't be reduced, and the logistics requirements next year will definitely not be much less. Let's see now.

Whether the border trade can succeed, it is said that if it succeeds, it will reduce our burden a lot, but I just ask that we are not forced to increase taxes. How many people's efforts can stabilize the tax revenue in the northwest? Don't let it change.

.”

Cai Yanqing looked sad when he heard this.

The battlefield is changing rapidly, and they can't decide whether it will happen or not!

Yuan Jiang looked at Cai Yanqing again, "This time we were able to make up for the logistics in time without hurting too many people. Zhong Yuan, you are indispensable."

Cai Yanqing waved his hand and said: "This is nothing. I have accumulated some foundation in the past few years. Otherwise, it would not be the case. Moreover, we are still standing on a single-plank bridge now."

Xihe opened the frontier successfully, but it came too suddenly. They were completely unprepared. Moreover, this was not the western and northern fronts that had been fighting Xixia, but the extra southern front. What was even more terrible was that the reform of the northwest region had just been completed.

, the public security system has been fully implemented, and people can no longer be recruited as unscrupulously as before to transport food.

This is also the first time in history that the government has relied entirely on cash capabilities for logistics.

Part of the entire logistics is handled by the imperial guards from various places, and part of it is paid by the government to hire people to transport it.

This is why the people of Hezhong Prefecture can still stand and chat on the street. If it were before, the northwest would have been in chaos again.

Fighting a war is fighting for logistics, and that’s absolutely true!

Thanks to Zhang Fei's three years of accumulation of some foundation, coupled with the abilities and experience of Cai Yanqing and Yuan Jiang, they were able to cope with it, but now they still owe a lot of salt debt.

Yuan Jiang asked anxiously: "By the way! How is the situation here?"

Although they were the only two in the room, Cai Yanqing still said in a very low voice: "As expected, all those salt merchants registered and requested to exchange salt at that time, but the salt we have now can only pay interest.

If they don’t renew the salt debt by then, we will have no choice but to follow Qingzhou’s example and carry out debt restructuring, and now we are really at the end of our rope.”

Yuan Jiang whispered: "This is really strange. At first, I guessed that Zhang San might be smuggling Xixia green salt. Only the cheap salt over there can fill this hole.

Unexpectedly, he later wrote a letter, asking us to secretly transport all the salt we had hoarded to pay for the salt debt. Taking advantage of the rising salt price, we could replace grain from various places and then transport it to the Xihe area, leaving only some salt to pay interest.

I really don’t know what he will do next?”

Cai Yanqing said: "If this salt debt can really be postponed for another three years, and an additional new salt debt of 500,000 guan is issued, then we will be much more relaxed next year!"

Yuan Jiang nodded, "What's so hateful is that that guy didn't reveal anything."

Cai Yanqing sighed: "Let's not think too much about it. Anyway, if we get on the pirate ship, we won't be able to get off."

...

Jingzhao Mansion.

Procuratorate.

"I wonder if Chief Prosecutor Su has invited me to come here. What do you want me to do?"

Cai Jing asked.

Su Zhe said: "Didn't the Chief Justice send you a letter recently?"

Cai Jing shook his head and said, "No."

"really?"

"Why does the prosecutor ask that?"

"Salt Debt."
To be continued...