My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 121 Paying Homage to Mi Zeng
"Of course I'm not joking."

Liu Feng, however, seemed unfazed and said to himself, "Since Brother Wang is unwilling to sell, would you be willing to take it if I offered to sell it to you at this price?"

Wang Yu was amused and annoyed, feeling that the other party was just there to make fun of him. If it weren't for the four fierce warriors behind Liu Feng, he would have flipped the table and taught Liu Feng a lesson long ago.

Even so, Wang Yu's expression turned somewhat ferocious: "Go ahead and ask. How many do you have? My Wang family is willing to buy them all at this price."

"Okay, then it's a deal."

Liu Feng responded quite seriously, then got up to leave.

Wang Yu was somewhat confused about what the other party meant. Their previous words seemed to indicate that they wanted to buy salt, but the price they offered was far too low, almost like those unreasonable commoners.

But now it seems like they're trying to sell salt?
This is even more ridiculous. Who would come to the saltworks to sell salt?

Seeing Liu Feng about to leave, Wang Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although he wasn't afraid of Liu Feng, it was still a good thing to avoid a complete falling out.

At the same time, he secretly instructed his attendants to inform Xu Qin, asking him to redeem himself through meritorious service, and to select a few clever people to follow him and find out what the other party was up to.

Liu Feng also reaped a great harvest.

Actually, both the gift of rock candy and the introduction of his family were tests.

Liu Feng was very satisfied with the result of this test.

First, Wang Yu was unaware that the Mi family had obtained the rock sugar, indicating that even Mi Fang hadn't carelessly leaked the family's secrets, which shows that the Mi family was still reliable.

Actually, Liu Feng was just testing the waters. Even in later generations, no matter how stupid someone is, they wouldn't tell their family secrets to a friend for no reason, right?
Not to mention the Eastern Han Dynasty, an era rooted in a particular family.

In this era, the family is the core, and Bing Tang is clearly the future of the Mi family. If Mi Fang dares to reveal even this, then there is nothing she wouldn't dare to reveal.

The Mi family has just obtained the rock sugar and is currently conducting large-scale trials. All aspects are still immature and the entire process is temporary, making this the time when secrecy is most crucial.

If other families knew that the Mi family had mastered the process of making rock sugar, even a fool could guess how they would react.

I'm afraid that the people who will go to great lengths to steal the manufacturing process will be these very friends.

The Mi family's smartest approach was to keep it secret. Not a single piece of information about the rock sugar could be leaked. They would keep it secret for as long as possible, and the rock sugar produced could be secretly shipped out to other places for sale first.

It's okay if some appear occasionally locally.

After all, rock sugar is rare, not unique.

In fact, that's exactly what the Mi family did. Judging from Wang Yu's reaction, Mi Zhu was quite shrewd.

It's just that Mi Fang had done a lot of stupid things in history, so Liu Feng had to take precautions to avoid overestimating Mi Fang's intelligence and being betrayed by his foolishness.

It seems that Mi Fang wasn't that stupid. At least with the dual suppression of Mi Zeng and Mi Zhu, Mi Fang was still able to control himself.

If Wang Yu learned about rock sugar from Mi Fang, how could Liu Feng dare to reveal other secrets and cooperate with the Mi family?

Even if Mi Zhu remained loyal, he couldn't stop Mi Fang from leaking secrets behind the scenes.

Secondly, it's good news that Wang Yu doesn't seem to recognize him either.

This shows that the Mi family did not try to infringe on their own reputation.

In ancient times, apart from the official and military information transmission systems, the transmission of information among the common people was quite slow and often relied on the government.

Take Liu Bei's successful recapture of Langya as an example. If it weren't for the intelligence systems of various warlords transmitting the news, and if it had only spread freely among the people, the western part of Yanzhou might not have known about it even a year or two later.

This is only because the two sides are close to each other; if they were farther apart, it would be even more difficult to make contact, and it would take even longer.

For wealthy families like the Mi and Wang families, although they lack the systematic intelligence transmission system of the government and the army, they can conduct special investigations.

In other words, it means sending out specialized people to collect intelligence that interests them.

It is obvious that the Wang family, at least the most powerful clan in Haidong, did not have much interest in Liu Bei. They didn't even know what Liu Bei's son looked like, nor did they care much about him.

If they had even the slightest reverence for Fang Bo, they would at least have known about Fang Bo's preferences and family, and at the very least, avoided offending Fang Bo without knowing the truth.

This is understandable. In the eyes of these people from the East Sea, Liu Bei, the governor, was promoted to the position by the head of the Mi family, so what is there to fear?
As for taking Langya, several months ago, Old Master Mi Zeng personally came forward to ask everyone to raise grain.

Everyone gave us face and contributed tens of thousands of bushels of grain.

In these days, food is so precious that even if you have money, you might not be able to buy it in the dead of winter. Isn't this enough to express our respect and support for Fang Bo?

With this in mind, the powerful clans of Donghai felt indebted to Liu Bei, and with the Mi family backing them up, they couldn't help but look down on Liu Bei.

Even the recent news of the defeat of Zang Ba and the recapture of Langya has not changed this fact.

Based on his inspection tour of Qu County, Liu Feng has made three preliminary judgments.

First, we can cooperate more deeply with the Mi family. At least Mi Zeng and Mi Zhu are very reliable. As for Mi Fang, we'll see if there's an opportunity to help him out in the future.

Secondly, the counties in Haidong have deep-water ports that are worth investing resources in for development, as well as large areas of excellent coastal mudflats where large-scale pilot salt production methods can be implemented.

Third, the powerful clans and gentry in Haidong were not only rotten to the core, but they also didn't really respect his father. Isn't that a coincidence?
It just so happens that there's no place for this group in Liu Feng's economic blueprint, and when he kindly offered them one last chance, the Wang family flatly declined.

Since they don't want to eat, we'll just have to ask them to get off the table.

Liu Feng decided to show these shallow-minded aristocratic clans what a "dimensional reduction attack" really meant.

"Young Master, there are a few more tails behind us."

Zhou Tai quietly followed and whispered, "Should we...?"

Zhou Tai raised his right hand menacingly and made a slash in the air.

Understanding what the other party meant, Liu Feng shook his head: "It's alright, just let them come along."

In just a few days, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, along with Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, had already changed how they addressed Liu Feng, now calling him "Young Master."

Liu Feng didn't care, as long as his father didn't mind.

"Let's go, it's time to visit the Mi family."

Liu Feng had already found out the location of the Mi residence, so he turned around and headed there.

Xu Qin's men were unaware that they had been exposed. They followed the man all the way to the Mi residence, where the man presented his calling card. The Mi residence then opened its main gate and respectfully welcomed him inside before rushing back to the Prince's residence to report the news.

It's unclear whether Liu Feng's arrival was timely or unfortunate.

Mi Fang, the second young master of the Mi family, had just received the appointment from the provincial envoy who had summoned him to serve as the governor of Langya County.

After a grand banquet to celebrate with many friends, Mi Fang left Qu County two days ago to visit the governor of Tancheng before taking up his post.

However, receiving Liu Feng's invitation alarmed Mi Zeng, the old master of the family, who was living in retirement at home.

"Is it a young boy who came?"

Mi Zeng looked at the name card in his hand, which clearly bore the name Liu Feng.

He couldn't help but hesitate. When did Uncle Fang's son come to our Qu County?

However, it is better to be cautious than to make a big mistake. Like Mi Zhu, Mi Zeng is calm and cautious and does not easily offend people. If he does offend someone, then that person will lose all sense of propriety.

"Open the main gate, and I will personally go to greet you."

Mi Zeng put away the name card in his hand and instructed his attendant, "Help me change my clothes."

Soon, Mi Zeng changed into a formal suit and walked into the gate, where he immediately saw Liu Feng walking out of the gatehouse.

Mi Zeng was able to recognize Liu Feng at a glance, partly because Liu Feng was indeed outstanding and possessed a unique temperament that was difficult for others to imitate, making him stand out from the crowd.

On the other hand, Mi Zhu had secretly carved portraits of Liu Bei and his son Liu Feng into wood, which were then sent back to the East China Sea by his trusted confidants.

Mi Zeng naturally saw it immediately, and even studied it repeatedly, memorizing it so as not to be unaware of it upon seeing it again, which would be extremely embarrassing.

"It really is you, young master. I did not expect you to visit my humble abode in person. Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Mi Zeng knew it was Liu Feng and prepared to pay his respects with great ceremony from a distance.

Upon seeing this, Liu Feng was startled and rushed over to catch the millet pot.

“Old Master Mi, there’s no need for this.”

Liu Feng helped Mi Zeng up and said humbly, "When I was in Tancheng, I addressed you as my uncle. You are diligent in your duties and love the people. You work hard day and night, filling in the gaps in my father's work. The peace and tranquility in this prefecture is all thanks to you."

Supported by Liu Feng, Mi Zeng listened to the other's words, nodding as he spoke: "Although Zi Zhong is a steady person, he lacks wisdom. Fortunately, the governor of the province did not abandon him and was willing to appoint him as his chief advisor. Although he is not qualified, he will do his best. It is a blessing for him to receive praise from the prince."

Liu Feng quickly declined, and after some polite conversation, they both figured out each other's positions. Liu Feng was secretly pleased, and led by Mi Zeng, the two entered Fu Lou.

This restaurant is not only exquisite, but also a natural enclosed space.

Once you get to the third floor and drive the servants away, no one will be able to eavesdrop anymore.

Now that both sides had confirmed each other's positions, Liu Feng didn't mince words after entering the restaurant. After praising its exquisite food, he got straight to the point.

"Old Master Mi, I have some ideas that I would like to ask you to give me your opinion and guidance. Would you be willing to do so?"

Mi Zeng recalled Zi Zhong's letter, which frequently mentioned that Liu Feng often had ingenious ideas and thoughts, all of which were quite feasible.

Now it seems that what Zizhong said was true.

Liu Feng had only just arrived and already had the idea of ​​making a show of himself, which piqued Mi Zeng's curiosity.

Mi Zeng then replied, "I dare not presume to offer my guidance, but if it is merely for observation, I would like to hear the young master's thoughts."

Liu Feng turned and nodded to Xu Sheng, who quickly took out a box from behind his back, opened it, and placed it in front of Mi Zeng.

“Old Master Mi, these silk scrolls contain the purpose of my visit. I wonder if the Mi family is willing to cooperate with me and make this a great undertaking.”

Mi Zeng glanced at Liu Feng, then at the box.

The box was split in two, each containing a bundle of silk.

Mi Zeng first picked out a piece of silk made using the sun-drying salt method and began to examine it.

You really don't know until you see it, and once you do, you're shocked.

This bundle of silk contains several silk scrolls, each containing text and illustrations.

The text records the detailed steps of the salt-making process and the required labor and equipment, while the illustrations simply depict each step of the salt-making process.

Even with Mi Zeng's composure, his hands trembled slightly at this moment.

This is hardly a lesson.

This is clearly a gold mine blocking the door.

Mi Zeng is over sixty years old, almost seventy, how could he not understand Liu Feng's subtext?
However, he remained calm, glanced at Liu Feng, and seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking but was just smiling at him, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

In his experience, this method of sun-drying salt is far superior to the current method of boiling salt.

It is no exaggeration to say that the sun-drying salt method completely surpasses the boiling salt method in many aspects, including labor, cost, consumption, output, and quality. At the same time, it can turn large areas of coastal mudflats into valuable resources.

It's important to know that although Xuzhou has a long coastline, very little of it is usable, mainly because there are too many mudflats.

This was originally a flaw, but now it has become a treasure. With the vast tidal flat area of ​​Xuzhou, even if only one-tenth of it could be used as salt fields, the salt produced would be enough for the use of the Central Plains.

Moreover, the cost of this salt will be far lower than that of salt produced by the traditional boiling method.

Other salt merchants will have no competitive advantage and will have no choice but to surrender or follow suit.

Surrendering is easy, but following the crowd is difficult.

The old man from Mizeng was shrewd and experienced; how could he not see the difference between the two?

The old method of boiling salt did not require much space, and even if the governor banned it, it was a lot of effort for little result and difficult to eradicate.

But the salt-making method is completely different. You can run away, but can the salt fields run away?

Or if you run away, wouldn't it be better to leave Yantian behind?

What's even more ingenious is that the power of discourse is entirely in Fang Bo's hands, and he can take action at any time, while others can only react passively.

Only a person who commits a thousand days can be a thief, how can a person who can spend a thousand days guard against thieves?
The balance of power has shifted.

Then, Mi Zeng opened the second bundle of silk.

"The Salt Monopoly Law".

Just by looking at the name, Mi Zeng had a vague idea that this was a salt administration reform plan similar to the salt and iron monopoly of Emperor Wu of Han.

It's just unknown how big Liu Feng's appetite is.

Mi Zeng lowered his head again and continued reading, only to be surprised to find that Liu Feng had an unusually small appetite.

After Liu Bang founded the Han Dynasty, the early Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, allowing private enterprises to operate salt and iron businesses. Private individuals could operate salt businesses, and the state would collect taxes. However, these taxes went directly to the Imperial Household Department, which was in charge of the imperial finances, while the revenue of the vassal states went to their royal palaces, and neither belonged to the central treasury.

Until Emperor Wu of Han waged wars for years, leading to an empty treasury, the Minister of Finance, Sang Hongyang, with the emperor's support, implemented a salt and iron monopoly, nationalizing all salt ponds in the country and establishing a "complete monopoly system." The court dispatched officials to organize production, transportation, and sales, making the production, transportation, and sales of salt entirely state-run.

This was the most severe salt administration in the history of China.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu's momentary leniency directly led to the predicament that the profits from salt and iron could never be recovered.

As a result, the Eastern Han court could only rely on salt taxes to collect a small portion of the revenue, while the vast majority of the profits ended up in the pockets of salt merchants, making them extremely wealthy.

Originally, I dared not hope for such leniency as this dynasty, but at least I hoped it wouldn't be like the previous dynasty's salt and iron monopoly.

In fact, Mi Zeng's judgment was correct. During the Three Kingdoms period, the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu all implemented strict salt and iron monopolies, completely copying the Han Emperor Wu's model.

But Liu Feng would not do that.

Historical experience told him that the Han Wudi model was far less effective than the salt monopoly system.

Even the earliest version of the on-site monopoly system was far superior to the salt and iron monopoly during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, generating several times more revenue.

Mi Zeng let out a soft "hmm," becoming even more engrossed in watching.

In the silk manuscript, Liu Feng detailed the salt tax system he constructed, from production to acquisition, transportation, and sales—a complete system of regulations that left Mi Zeng in awe.

In particular, this system not only includes government-run enterprises but also introduces market mechanisms, with profits shared between officials and businesses. It adapts to local conditions, allows private enterprises to operate, but always firmly keeps the initiative in the hands of the government.

The best part is that the government doesn't need to maintain a large number of personnel, which has a significant positive effect on improving efficiency and reducing corruption.

After reading the Salt Monopoly Law, a sentence kept churning in Mi Zeng's mind.

Seeing is believing.

Under Mi Zhu's influence, Mi Zeng had overestimated Liu Feng as much as possible.

But the two things the other party brought today, no matter which one, far exceeded his expectations of Liu Feng.

Mi Zeng carefully rolled up the silk scroll in his hand and placed it into the box, fearing that it might be damaged.

After doing all this, he sighed softly and looked at Liu Feng.

"Young master, you have created a great problem for the Mi family."

With the wisdom of the millet steamer, it is not difficult to see the purpose of these two things.

Liu Feng clearly intended to use the private sector portion of the salt production and salt monopoly laws to gain his and the Mi family's support for his salt administration reforms.

With such generous and tempting conditions, Mi Zeng could not possibly refuse; this was exactly what he wanted.

Even so, Mi Zeng still had a huge question. If this question could not be answered, Mi Zeng would not only be unable to cooperate with Liu Feng, but would at least be very worried.

That is, how to solve the problem of mutual trust.

Going a step further, Mi Zeng couldn't understand why Liu Feng trusted the Mi family so much.

Was it merely because of Mi Zhu's loyalty to Liu Bei?

That's a rather far-fetched argument.

Suddenly, an idea struck Mi Zeng.

The opportunity that my eldest son and I had been keeping in mind but hadn't had a good chance to seize might finally be here.

Mi Zeng raised his head and met Liu Feng's eager gaze.

A thought struck him, and he asked, "Young master, I have a question that I cannot understand. Could you please enlighten me?"

Liu Feng was taken aback, not expecting Mi Zeng to ask such a question.

However, he quickly came to his senses and nodded: "Old Master Mi, please speak frankly. I dare not presume to offer guidance, but I will do my best to give you an explanation."

(End of this chapter)