After broadcasting the ancient times live, I handed the system over to the state.

Those below do not deny this point; it was originally a rope with a chicken leg hanging in front of the Western Xia people, used to occasionally dangle the Western Xia.

It's not like the Western Xia can keep changing its ways while my Great Song has no means of countermeasures, is it? It's normal for me to give you a nudge from time to time.

The words "salt method" quickly appeared on the PPT, swiftly bringing everyone's attention back to the present.

Even cows and sheep know to lick some minerals to ingest salt.

If a person doesn't eat salt, they will feel weak all over, experience dizziness, loss of appetite, or even nausea and vomiting, which can endanger their life.

Salt and grain have always been two of the most important commodities throughout the history of the Chinese nation.

A few grains of salt are never underestimated; they can even determine the life or death of a nation.

"The salt laws of the Song Dynasty were quite changeable because they had to adapt to the changing circumstances, and overall, there was a reason for them." Lu Rao had previously stated that the Song Dynasty government was relatively responsive to external events and was able to adjust its policies in a timely manner.

Lu Rao thought this was pretty good.

When studying something, we always make horizontal or vertical comparisons.

Lu Rao must have done this horizontal comparison as well. Compared to the Ming Dynasty government, the Song Dynasty court... Lu Rao thought it was still pretty good.

The Ming Dynasty court also had many political elites, but these political elites had too many tricks up their sleeves. Many of them were typical of fighting with their colleagues, superiors and subordinates, or even the emperor. They probably still wanted to restore the ideal state of the Song Dynasty, where the emperor and scholar-officials ruled the country.

Unfortunately, Old Zhu was a stubborn man, and each member of the Zhu family was stubborn in their own way.

The political landscape of the Ming Dynasty was quite different from that of the Song Dynasty, and the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were not like those of the Song Dynasty.

You want to seize power? Fine, then I'll lie down and neither of us will get it.

The Song Dynasty officials below must have also studied the salt laws, and they agreed with what Lu Rao said.

“A proper salt law is very important for a country. Adjusting the salt law can even regulate the country’s military needs, tax revenue, and the enthusiasm of merchants, etc.”

Those under the canopy echoed in agreement.

Zhu Yuanzhang brought about ten officials with him, and Zhang Juzheng was also summoned. He is now sitting in the classroom, and occasionally he can learn a lot from the lessons taught by later generations.

Now, upon hearing Lu Rao's account of the benefits of the salt administration to the Song Dynasty, he subconsciously thought of its benefits to the Ming Dynasty as well.

However, the situation will change considerably afterward, because later generations will arrive, and with the arrival of the Myriad Realms Mall, everyone will likely be able to afford salt, and the effectiveness of the Salt Law will gradually diminish.

Zhang Juzheng recalled the salt fields that were established everywhere during the Hongwu reign, as well as the salt companies that had cooperated with later generations. He estimated that the industrialization level of later generations, brought to this area, would cause salt production to increase by leaps and bounds.

Salt might become as cheap as it is in later generations.

This is a good thing for the common people, but for the imperial court, it means one less means of operation, and they have to find other solutions.

Zhang Juzheng was not discouraged; on the contrary, he found it quite interesting.

After a moment of reflection, he continued watching the lecturer above recount the salt laws of the Northern Song Dynasty.

“In the early Song Dynasty, the Three Offices were established, and the Song Dynasty directly intervened in the production, transportation and sales of salt, dividing different salt sales areas. For example, there were regulations on which type of salt should be sold to which region.”

The map above clearly shows that strict salt prohibition laws were implemented in the salt-control areas. For example, private possession of more than three catties of salt was punishable by death! Anyone who transported more than ten catties of official salt to these areas without authorization was also subject to death!

This shows how strict the salt laws were at that time.

When Li Jiqian rebelled against the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty banned the import of Qingbai salt, intending to disrupt the economy there. However, this actually caused salt shortages on its own borders. As a result, the Song Dynasty made targeted adjustments to the local salt laws.

It was changed to allow trade.

However, after only three years of trade, it was changed back to a monopoly, which caused widespread discontent among both officials and the people.

The Song Dynasty official, who had initially thought it was a compliment, was now somewhat numb.

They looked a little embarrassed.

Sometimes, a quick response can easily turn into changing orders frequently.

"Because the people below were full of complaints, it was changed back to trade. Later, during the Tiansheng era, it had to be changed to large-scale trade."

Lu Rao's tone remained calm, but at this moment he let out a soft laugh, making the people below feel a little embarrassed.

It's actually quite easy to understand: the government wants to take the lion's share and still wants to live the comfortable life they had before, with production, transportation, and sales all under their control.

But where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure.

The amount of official salt produced by those below was small and of poor quality. Gradually, even officials started to sell it secretly. The imperial court could no longer plug this loophole, so it simply opened it up. This way, they could collect taxes or gain a good reputation, which was better than having nothing at all before.

Later, due to the tense war with the Western Xia, the government stopped trade and changed to the salt monopoly system. However, not long after the war was over, it was changed to the salt certificate system.

The salt certificate system had a significant impact on the economy and society of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Now that we're here, Lu Rao also has something to say.

"The Salt Certificate Law means that the government issues salt certificates, which specify the quantity and price of salt to be sold. Merchants pay the government cash to purchase the salt, but the cash payment location is in the border counties, and some are around Bianjing."

"After they hand over the inspection certificate and receive the salt, they can then transport and sell it on their own."

"Salt certificates can also regulate salt prices. How? It's very simple. The government set up a government agency called the Salt Commissioner in Bianjing. If the salt price in Bianjing is lower than a certain level, then salt certificates will not be issued. When the salt price rises, if it exceeds a certain level, then a large number of salt certificates will be issued to suppress merchants' profits."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qinggu felt that Zhu's method of opening up the market was modeled after the salt tax system of the Song Dynasty, but Zhu was even more cunning and greedy, as he also wanted to transport grain over.

The salt certificate system here allows merchants to distribute and sell salt, exempts the people from salt service, and unifies salt prices and taxes.

Old Zhu's method of opening up China could even be used to develop the border regions...

The more Zhu Qinggu thought about it, the more he felt that Old Zhu was a cunning and sly man.

Killing several birds with one stone.

"In the following ten years or so, although the salt certificate system underwent some changes, it remained largely the same, and the core remained unchanged." Lu Rao quickly began to talk about the economic impact of the salt certificate system on the Northern Song Dynasty.

It explains things in great detail, with each point interconnected, showing how a few grains of salt can influence the economy of a vast country.