Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

The boat gradually approached the salt field. Looking from the sea, one could see salt pavilions densely packed on the beach stretching for dozens of miles. The black smoke from the burning firewood and the white steam from the boilers floated in the sea breeze, and the air was filled with a salty smell.

"How much firewood will be burned this year?" Zhang Mo couldn't help but click her tongue when she saw this scene.

"I don't know about that, but I do know that almost all the trees within a hundred miles have been cut down."

Lu Qian muttered, "No wonder the shipyard is short of raw materials!"

The fisherman said, "My lord, we can't dock here. We have to turn around and go back to find a fishing port."

"Then turn around and we'll go over to the shore."

The big ship docked, and the team that had been following on the shore also came over. Everyone got on their horses and walked for about half an hour before arriving at the salt field. The gatekeeper saw that the people coming were of extraordinary status, so he sent someone in to ask the person in charge to come out.

The clerk came out to see the scene and without thinking, he wanted to send for the county magistrate. Lu Bu said, "There's no need to mobilize troops. I just stopped by to see how salt is made."

When the clerk heard Lü Bu's self-proclaimed name, he lowered his head even lower in fear. "So it's His Majesty the King of Tang who has come to visit. I apologize for not coming in to greet you. Please come in, Your Majesty!"

Lu Bu asked his guards to wait outside, and walked into the salt field with his wife, children, and Xu Chu. As soon as he entered, he felt a salty and acrid heat wave coming towards him. Although it was winter, it became hotter the further he went inside.

The clerk took the group to one of the salt pavilions and enthusiastically explained, "Boiling salt isn't difficult, it just takes a lot of manpower!"

He pointed to several laborers on the beach not far away and said, "They are responsible for scooping seawater into buckets with long-handled ladles. Then two of them carry it to the pavilion and pour it into the pool above the stove. There is a pipe connecting the pool to the stove, so seawater can be continuously added to the pot. The person at the stove is responsible for adding firewood and watching the fire. The person next to the stove with a spatula is responsible for scooping the crystallized salt in the pot into the vat next to it."

"How long will it take to cook this pot?" asked Zhang Mo.

The clerk said, "It needs to be boiled continuously for four to ten days!"

Zhang Mo sighed, "This is not only labor-intensive, but also extremely wasteful of firewood!"

"That's why salt is so expensive!"

Everyone watched for a while longer, then came to the clerk's studio. Zhang Mo asked, "Have you ever considered other methods of extracting salt? Like using the sun to allow it to evaporate naturally?"

"Dry it in the sun?" The clerk was puzzled. "How do you dry it? What is evaporation?"

In her previous life, Zhang Mo lived in a southern coastal city for several years and visited salt fields, so she had a general understanding of the salt-drying process. She explained, "First, build some pools on the flat coastal wasteland. The pool banks are generally about half a foot high and are built in a square shape. The pools are gradually lowered from top to bottom to create a drop. A pool gate is opened between the upper and lower pools to allow water to flow down. A platform is built under the bottom pool to store salt. In addition, two or three large ditches are dug around the pools, commonly known as salt ditches, to collect tidal water. A sluice is opened on the ditch embankment facing the sea, and a gate is installed for opening and closing. In addition, a 'tidal ditch' is opened outside, directly connected to the sea to guide the tide into the ditch and prepare for the salt ditch to collect the tide."

The man was confused and disoriented. Zhang Mo said, "I'll go back and draw a blueprint and talk to the county magistrate about this matter. It's no use telling you."

Having found another way to make a lot of money, Zhang Mo even forgot about eating seafood. After leaving the salt field, she went straight back home to draw a blueprint of the salt field and attached the specific process next to it.

She originally wanted to ask the county magistrate to discuss this matter, but after thinking about it, she decided to hand it over to Sima Yi, who was temporarily serving as the governor of Bohai. If feasible, salt fields could be built not only in Yangxin County, but also along the coast of Qingzhou.

On the third day, Sima Yi rode a fast horse from Nanpi City to Yangxin County. Zhang Mo handed him the blueprint. He carefully reviewed it and said, "In theory, this method is feasible. It is much more labor-saving and firewood-saving than boiling salt with firewood. The salt output of a salt field can be hundreds or thousands of times higher than the current amount. However, building the salt pond is expensive and time-consuming."

Zhang Mo said, "Once the salt pond is built, it can be used forever. If you can really produce salt, these costs won't be a concern at all. However, since the climate in the north is different from that in the south, you should build a small one first as a test. If it works, you can then build larger ponds in various places."

Sima Yi nodded and said with a smile, "If this really works, the salt produced by our Tang Empire will completely crush all salt merchants in the world. This is different from textiles, where the raw materials are inexhaustible."

Zhang Mo shook her head and laughed. "Why would we want to squeeze out all the salt merchants? The world is so vast, from the Han Dynasty to the Western Regions and the Xianbei, who doesn't consume salt? The market demand is immeasurable. Even if the Tang Empire has more salt, it can't sell it everywhere on its own. We still have to rely on salt merchants to make a profit."

"What will the princess do?"

Zhang Mo said, "Money is worthless in this era. Market transactions are mostly based on barter. Whatever our Tang State lacks, we ask merchants to exchange it for salt."

Zhang Mo's idea was inspired by the merchant settlements of the Ming Dynasty. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, in order to raise food and wages for the border defense troops, the court ordered salt merchants to pay grain to the border areas and then issue salt permits. The permits were used to support the transportation and sales of salt. In order to facilitate the payment of grain, the salt merchants recruited farmers to open up wasteland on the border and obtain grain locally, thus solving the food problem of the border troops.

Of course, the reason why the Ming Dynasty implemented this policy was not because the court was short of food, but mainly because transporting grain to the border was very expensive. However, Zhang Mo was short of many things now, so why not exchange them for salt?

"Once low-cost salt is produced, we'll have merchants from Dongwu and Jingzhou exchange shipbuilding materials for salt. Having ready-made keels would be best, but if not, we can offer shipbuilders or even food. Merchants from Liaodong can also exchange for wrought iron. By driving down the price of salt, we'll allow them to reap huge profits. It won't be long before merchants everywhere are as envious as hearing shit..."

Zhang Mo paused, then changed her tone, "If we can all buzz around like bees to flowers, then why would the Tang Kingdom worry about lacking raw materials and craftsmen to build ships? Furthermore, this move would also boost trade between Qingzhou and Bohai, killing two birds with one stone!"

Sima Yi said, "Dongwu should be wary of us now. I'm afraid it's difficult to get ship materials. And Gongsun Du won't let the iron from Liaodong flow into the Tang Kingdom easily, right?"

Zhang Mo said, "A great man once said that if capital can make a 50% profit, it will take risks. If it can make a 100% profit, it will dare to trample on all human laws. If it can make a 300% profit, it will dare to commit any crime, even risking being hanged. As long as the salt can be dried and the merchants can make enough profit, there is no fear of not getting what we want in exchange."

"Where did this come from?" Sima Yi thought carefully, but couldn't remember. He asked blankly, "Why haven't I read it before?"

Zhang Mo pointed at herself without blushing or beating her heart, "It's from me, of course you haven't read it!"

Sima Yi had no doubts and was deeply impressed. "Benefiting the people according to their needs, without wasting money, Your Highness truly has a brilliant plan for the state. I sincerely admire you!"

"Haven't you always admired me since childhood?" Zhang Mo joked.

Sima Yi followed with a smile, "This time it's buried in the ground!"

Zhang Mo laughed out loud, "I haven't seen you for over a year, you've become quite talkative."

She regained her composure and said, "Do this well. This method of drying salt is unique to the Tang Kingdom. Keep it confidential. If it leaks out within five years, I will bury you in the ground."

"Don't worry, I won't take such a big thing lightly!"

"Well, you try it first. If you succeed, go to Qingzhou and give this method to Yuan Hao. As for where to build the trading port, you two can discuss it. Leave the matter of attracting bees to my third brother. He has been in business for many years and has many connections."

"Yes!" Sima Yi replied with a bow.

"Is there anything else? If not, go back early!"

Sima Yi asked, "It's getting late today. Can I stay here for one night before returning to Nanpi?"

Zhang Mo looked outside. The sun had not yet risen to the zenith. She also saw that he kept glancing towards the back hall, and she immediately understood.

"Chunhua didn't come, so she's the one who came this time." She glanced at Wang Yi and introduced, "My new female secretary, Wang Yi!"

Wang Yi clasped his fists and saluted, "My Lord, you are polite!"

Sima Yi's handsome face flushed, he returned the greeting, and said to Zhang Mo, "I, I didn't ask Chunhua."

"Not yet? Your eyes have almost penetrated the door behind. Since you are not in a hurry to go back, it's just right. I will talk to you about this." Zhang Mo stood up and invited Sima Yi to talk in the yard.