Taiheiki

Chapter 170 Salt

"I'm no longer a prisoner?" Qin Ke was both surprised and delighted. "Then can I send someone back with a letter to invite my younger siblings and parents to come to Panyu to live with me?"

"Of course!" the boss laughed. "Didn't you just tell Master Shou? He nodded, so why not? But first you have to do what he instructed, otherwise, not to mention your younger siblings, he could kick you back to the quarry to quarry for the rest of your life with just a word from him!"

Upon hearing the word "quarry," Qin Ke instinctively shuddered and quickly nodded repeatedly: "Then I'll go back and immediately calculate the copper coins I need. Could you give me two days off? I won't come to the dock to distribute fish; I'll focus on this matter!"

"Two days? I'll give you five days! Is that enough?" The boss patted Qin Ke on the shoulder with a smile: "You've made your way up from our docks, so work hard and don't forget about us when you make it big!"

"Yes!" Qin Ke nodded gratefully, "I will definitely make a name for myself!"

In the days that followed, Qin Ke worked day and night. He first went to the plot of land allocated to him, meticulously planning the locations of the stables, well, shops, lodging, and inn, as well as the required labor and materials. He calculated and added everything up. When he finished, he was faced with an astonishing figure—seven thousand four hundred coins, not even including the price of the land. Faced with this number, Qin Ke hesitated. He had never imagined he would be so indebted in his lifetime. Finally, when he reported this figure to Wang Shou, he was terrified, fearing he would be kicked back to the quarry and forced to quarry stones for the rest of his life.

"Seven thousand four hundred coins? Hmm, not bad, not bad!" Wang Shou struggled to decipher Qin Ke's crooked handwriting, calculating whether he had made any mistakes in addition. Forced into this task by Wei Cong, he had to work hard to learn to read and do arithmetic at his age. If it weren't for his time as the steward at the Zhang family estate in Jiangling, where he had actually taken on some basic duties, he would have given up long ago. After confirming there were no errors, he took out his official seal from the leather pouch at his waist, dipped it in ink, and stamped it firmly at the end: "That's it. Take this to get the money, and then get to work. Remember, be frugal; you'll have to pay all this back yourself in the future!"

Qin Ke kowtowed as if in a dream, took the official document with the official seal, went out, went to the yamen next door, and received a large bag of copper coins with the document. After counting and confirming that everything was correct, he carefully took the copper coins back to his residence.

In the days that followed, he worked like a madman. First, he hired people to dig the foundation, then he bought materials. He sent word to his youngest brother to come from his hometown. The two brothers took turns eating and sleeping at the construction site, watching the courtyard wall grow as if it were alive. Then came the gate, the stable, the well... The feeling of watching his family business grow little by little was really good. It made him forget the hard work and feel like he had inexhaustible energy.

"Brother!" His younger brother's shout startled Qin Ke from his thoughts. He took the lotus leaf wrapping the flatbread from his brother's hand: "I'm going to eat something and take a nap. You keep an eye on things here for me. If anyone slacks off, wake me up and let me take care of them!"

"Yes!" The younger brother nodded vigorously. "Brother, you can rest assured and leave everything here to me!"

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Salt is perhaps the most important seasoning for humankind. Without salt, food would become bland and unpalatable, and a long-term bland diet could lead to weakness in the limbs, edema, indigestion, osteoporosis, and overall poor health. As early as ancient times, salt was an important commodity in human trade.

Shian County, Lingling Commandery, Jingzhou (present-day Guilin City, Guangxi Province).

When the salt ships arrived at the dock in Shian County, people banged gongs on the city walls, while others blew horns. After a while, the city gate was opened through a narrow crack that only allowed two people to pass through, and a dozen or so archers emerged, dressed in leather armor, watching the merchants warily as they descended from the gangplank.

"Who are you?" the leader, Du Bo, shouted. "What are you doing here?"

“We are merchants!” Zhao Po replied as he stepped off the gangplank. “We are not thieves. The ship is loaded with salt. You can come up and see for yourselves!”

"Salt?" Nadubo's eyes immediately changed: "Really? Isn't Jiaozhou at war? Has the salt route been cut off?"

"The battle in Jiaozhou is over!" Zhao Po replied. "Now the five counties north of Jiaozhou are all under Wei's command. This salt is sea salt transported from Hepu and Xuwen. It's very pure and has no bitterness at all. Would you like to try some?"

Du Bo swallowed hard. In the past, local salt generally came from two sources: sea salt from Jiaozhou and Lianghuai salt from Jingnan. A little rock salt was produced in the local mountains, but the quantity was small and it had a bitter taste. No one except the mountain barbarians and the poor would eat it. However, the Wuling barbarian rebellion cut off the salt route from Jingzhou, and soon after, the war in Jiaozhou cut off the sea salt route as well. The local people of Shian could only survive on the bitter and astringent rock salt. When they heard that sea salt was being transported, how could they resist?

"You, and you! Get on board and check!" Du Bo ordered two crossbowmen to board the ship. A moment later, one of the crossbowmen ran onto the deck, waving his arms excitedly.

“We are the most honest and trustworthy business people! There’s salt right under the deck, we would never lie to you!” Zhao Po smiled, took a large bag from his attendant, and stuffed it into Du Bo’s hands: “You can try it yourself first, you can’t go wrong!”

Du Bo took the bag, opened it, and sure enough, there were crystal-clear white salt grains inside. He dipped his finger in it, put it in his mouth, and tasted the saltiness he remembered. Tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily: "It's salt, it really is salt, very good salt!"

The city gates were opened, and the men loaded the salt into wheelbarrows and carried it into the city. The former governor, along with dozens of archers, vigilantly surveyed their surroundings, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.

“I was here a few years ago!” Zhao Po laughed. “I remember there were many boats moored here then, and a market on the shore. It seems, it seems, much more desolate!” “Ah, that’s all in the past!” After receiving the twenty catties of salt from Zhao Po, Uncle Du’s attitude became much friendlier. He shook his head with some emotion: “Don’t underestimate Shian just because it’s a county town. It’s the waterway connecting Jingzhou and Jiaozhou. Two days’ journey upstream along the Li River leads to the Ling Canal. After crossing the Ling Canal, you can take the Xiang River to Dongting Lake, and then the Yangtze River directly to Jiangling City. It was incredibly convenient. In peaceful times, the stone steps and docks at the city gate were always packed with boats. There were bamboo sheds and small businesses along the city walls. There was everything you could want. Unlike now, alas—!” He couldn’t help but let out a long sigh at the end.

"Don't be too discouraged, brother!" Zhao Po laughed. "Things will always get better eventually. Look, we're here now, aren't we? By the way, this salt sells well in Shian, right?"

"Is the salt selling well?" Uncle Nadu laughed. "Do you know what? The last time I ate such good salt was half a year ago! As soon as you start selling this ship's salt, no matter what price you ask for, it will be sold out before dark!"

"How can that be!" Zhao Po laughed. "It's true that we do business to make money, but we can't go too far. In short, this salt is transported from Guangxin. A shi (a unit of dry measure) of salt there costs about 700 coins. I'll just add 50% here as a small commission for my hard work! How about it?"

"That's wonderful! You're such a kind person!" Du Bo was overjoyed upon hearing this. There was a waterway connecting Guangxin and Shian. Normally, adding 50% would indeed be considered greedy, but times had changed. Since the Wuling barbarian rebellion cut off the land route from Jingzhou to Jiaozhou, there were bandits everywhere along the banks of the Li River, and trade had been cut off for a long time. For someone to take such a great risk to deliver the salt, adding only 50% was absolutely a kind gesture.

As they were talking, the salt on the ship had already been transported into the city, and Zhao Po was welcomed into the city by the governor. Before he could even settle into the inn, a messenger arrived, claiming to be the county clerk, to invite him. Zhao Po had no choice but to wipe his face and follow the messenger to the county government office.

Welcomed into the inner yamen, Zhao Po followed the messenger up to the hall, where he saw a middle-aged man in his early thirties sitting at the head of the table. Just as Zhao Po was about to bow, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "I am Wen Shuai, the clerk of this county. I heard that you came from Guangxin and brought a lot of salt with you, so I wanted to ask you some questions. There's no need for formalities between us! Sit down and let's talk!"

"I wouldn't dare!" Zhao Po knew that the county clerk was usually a son of a prominent family in the county, so he didn't dare to be negligent. He bowed slightly before sitting down at the table next to him: "May I ask what you wish to inquire about, sir?"

"No rush, you haven't eaten yet! Let's eat and talk!" Wen Shuai said with a smile. Following his gesture, maids brought out wine and dishes in a flowing stream. Wen Shuai raised his wine cup and laughed, "In this haste, the food and wine are simple; please forgive my humble offerings, esteemed guest. We must enjoy ourselves to the fullest tonight!"

"I wouldn't dare, please!" Zhao Po hurriedly raised his cup in response. Just as he finished drinking the wine in his cup, he felt a soft body leaning against him. He looked up and saw a beautiful maid kneeling beside him, pouring wine for him.

After a few cups of wine, Zhao Po was also slightly tipsy. Wen Shuai didn't ask any questions, but kept urging him to drink and eat, acting like a hospitable host. Zhao Po had traveled all over the country and knew that people always had something in mind when they offered gifts. So he secretly slowed down his drinking pace. Every time the young woman wanted to pour him wine, he carefully prevented her from filling the cup too full. He would tap the table with his finger when the cup was about seven or eight-tenths full, signaling her to stop adding more wine.

After several rounds of drinks, Wen Shuai finally put down his wine cup and asked, "Merchants are in the business of making a profit. I heard from the gatekeeper that you only plan to sell 50% more salt than Guangxin. Why are you not making money?"

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to make money!” Zhao Po replied cautiously, “It’s just that I’m only here to scout ahead. The salt will keep coming in, and if I sell it too high, the people who bought my salt will compare and resent me. Then it will be difficult for me to do business next time!”

"I see!" Wen Shuai's eyes lit up and he laughed, "You said the salt goods kept arriving in an endless stream, what do you mean? Even if there's a lot of salt, there has to be a number, right?"

"My lord, you may not know this, but after Wei pacified the five counties of Jiaozhou, he opened salt fields in Hepu and Xuwen, using a new salt-making method that eliminates the need for firewood and straw for boiling. This not only consumes less salt but also produces more and better quality salt. The price of salt in those five counties of Jiaozhou has already dropped by more than 20% compared to the past. Every day, two or three salt ships head to Guangxin, each carrying five or six hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). If so much salt is not sold, how can the people of Cangwu County possibly consume it all!"

"Salt can be produced without firewood and boiling? It consumes less resources and produces more and better salt?" Upon hearing this, Wen Shuai showed a look of skepticism. Although Shian didn't produce salt, he had visited Yizhou and witnessed the production of well salt. He knew that whether it was sea salt, pond salt, or well salt, it all involved heating brine containing salt to remove the water, allowing the salt to precipitate out; the only difference was the source of the brine. How could salt be produced without boiling? After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Then do you know how salt is produced?"

"This—" Zhao Po smiled wryly, "I don't know! I've only heard that it depends on the sun and the wind!"

"The sun and the wind?" Wen Shuai frowned. This answer sounded too far-fetched to be true; after all, if the other party wanted to deceive him, they would have made up something more believable. But if what he said was true, then in the future, the consumption of Jiaozhou sea salt would not only be limited to Shian, but would extend to the counties of Jingnan, and even the boundless, vast mountainous regions north and west of Cangwu and Yulin (i.e., present-day Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, as well as the inland mountains of Southeast Asia), where people would gradually become accustomed to eating the high-quality and inexpensive sea salt transported from Jiaozhou.

If we forget about the man-made borders, we will find that there is a large, continuous mountain range stretching from four southwestern provinces of my country (Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and parts of Sichuan) to the central highlands of Vietnam, and across five Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar) all the way to northeastern India.

This vast region is characterized by its fragmented terrain, numerous waterways, and rugged landscape. Due to its unique geographical environment, the inhabitants of this area have always maintained a high degree of independence and isolation. No matter how great an empire may be, its authority weakens rapidly as it reaches the edge of the mountains, where its own rules exist.

Wen Shuai may not know how vast this mountainous region is, but he knows that this boundless mountain range contains countless treasures, but it is impossible to conquer it by force. No matter how many troops are deployed, it will only be a drop in the ocean. The mountain people who are familiar with the terrain can hide in safe places and let hunger, thirst and disease eliminate their enemies.

The only way to acquire wealth was through trade. Salt was one of the few necessities that the mountain people could not produce themselves. In other words, as long as a stable supply of salt could be provided, a steady stream of wealth and mercenaries could be obtained from the mountain people. This was the fundamental way that allowed the Wen family to establish themselves in Shian, but now Wen Shuai felt threatened.

(End of this chapter)