"Join us?"
This word was a new term to them and they did not understand what it meant at all.
"What is joining?"
"Your Majesty, the world has been short of salt for a long time. Not only the Great Tang, but also the Tuyuhun and the Turks, so no matter how much salt is produced, it can be sold out.”
Li Er nodded. There were millions of people in the Great Tang who lacked salt.
Qin Feng continued," Although the cost of this method is low, it has to be built around a salt mine. It's convenient to obtain materials. After it's made into salt, it'll be sold all over the country."”
"The distribution of the salt mines is not concentrated. They need to be spread all over the country. "By joining, we mean that you can use this method to make salt. We won't interfere, but you have to pay a joining fee every time you make salt.”
At this point, everyone finally understood. Indeed, as Qin Feng said, the distribution of the salt mines was not concentrated. Even if Li Er sent someone to be in charge of the salt production in the country, it would definitely be difficult to manage.
Changing to the alliance method, the entire country would be divided into several large and small regions. Each lord would be responsible for the salt production in their own fief or hometown. They only needed to pay the alliance fee to Qin Feng.
It had to be said that this refreshing method was indeed the best method at the moment.
The reason why Qin Feng proposed this method of joining was mainly because today, in order to prove to Li Er that he could make edible salt from poisonous salt, they had learned the method.
If he cooperated with Li Er, the minister would definitely not dare to use this method to make salt on the surface, but there would definitely be people who used it in private. After all, this was also considered a profitable business.
If someone cut corners and the salt produced wasn't non-toxic, it would be a blow to their business. It would be better to let these people work with them and have these top-tier Great Tang elders tie themselves to their warships.
Everyone's mood was like a roller coaster ride. They originally thought that if Li Er intervened, they would have no chance. They did not expect that the tables would turn and they could become the alliance partners.
Although they had to pay a joining fee, even so, they could still make a lot of money. Salt production had unimaginable prospects.
They naturally wouldn't reject such a deal, so everything went back to Li Er's attitude.
Li Er was also thinking about it. He had already cooperated with Qin Feng in the ice-making business, so he naturally did not want to give up on the salt-making business.
Li Er wasn't doing this for himself. Even though the rebellion since the Sui Dynasty had ended, the threat of the Qiang, Tubo, and Tuyuhun was still there. The Turks would occasionally invade the south, pillaging and killing, committing all kinds of evil, and Goguryeo in the northeast was like a fish bone stuck in its throat.
In the early years of Zhenguan, it seemed that the world was at peace, but in reality, danger lurked everywhere. Only by constantly strengthening their military strength could they completely conquer them.
If they wanted to increase their military strength, the amount of money needed would definitely be astronomical. It was far from enough to rely on the annual tax. The royal family also secretly operated many industries, but it was just a drop in the ocean.
Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty had left behind a huge fortune for Emperor Yang Guang. Just the food and cloth were enough to last him for decades. Yang Guang had spent all kinds of money and manpower to wage war, but it had been exhausted in just over a decade.
For an emperor who wanted to be famous for eternity, Li Er understood that a huge amount of money was necessary, so he didn't want to give up on the ice and salt business.
However, on second thought, he had to let his subordinates drink some soup after eating the meat. This method of joining was not bad. It saved manpower and material resources, and he could get a lot of joining fees.
"Minister Qin's plan is very clever. I wonder if everyone is willing to join us?”
The second half of Li Er's sentence was obviously directed at the ministers present.
In their hearts, they were a hundred times more willing. They were afraid that Li Er would go back on his word, so they scrambled to say,"I'm willing."”
"Your Majesty is merciful."
"It was God's will that Your Majesty obtained the method to make salt.”
"Your Majesty is benevolent and benefits the common people.”
Cheng Yaojin looked down on these sycophants and asked,""Your Majesty, my nephew Qin has contributed greatly to the salt-making method this time. Shouldn't Your Majesty reward him?”
"Haha, zhen was so happy that I forgot about this.”Li Er paused and said,"Qin Feng, I'll listen to you."”
Qin Feng did not want to be tied to the Imperial Court and hurriedly stopped him,"Wait a moment, Your Majesty. This official is used to being undisciplined and is unwilling to step into the court. Your Majesty can just give me more fertile land.”
"Then I will confer you the title of Lord Lantian, a thousand households of food, three thousand mu of fertile land, a thousand taels of gold, and a thousand bolts of silk. How about it?”
It was probably the first time that the Tang, Tang, and Li Emperors had asked about the status of the person who had been conferred the title.
"Your Majesty, you were only conferred the title of Lantian County Man in the morning and became Lantian Earl in the afternoon. Isn't it a little too fast and cause others to be jealous?”
Qin Feng asked his own question. He was a cautious person by nature. If he was schemed against by others all day because of this, he might as well not do it.
"Fast?" Others think it's too slow, but you think it's too fast. I originally wanted to make you a Marquis, but I remembered that my father said that a Marquis must have military merits, so I changed it to Earl. Don't worry, when you're an adult, I'll let Old Cheng and Yuchi help you earn some military merits. It's just a matter of time before you become a Marquis and a Duke.”
"Uncle Lan Tian, just based on your method of making salt, you have blessed thousands of people and are worthy of this title.”
"Little Brother Qin is young and promising. The title of Earl is well-deserved.”
"Nephew, don't belittle yourself."
"Virtuous Nephew, you don't need to worry. Whoever dares to scheme against you, I, Yuchi Jingde, will definitely beat them until they find their teeth on the ground.”
These officials all congratulated Qin Feng, some even called him brother. Even Yuchi Old Devil also called him nephew. After all, in their eyes, Qin Feng was the God of Fortune.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qin Feng bowed. Regarding these rewards, what he wanted the most was this 1,000 mu of fertile land. As the son of the landlord, his family also had several hundred mu of land. These few years, he had been planting potatoes. The warehouse could not even fit them.
Now, there were 3,000 mu of fertile land. It was still not too late to plant them now. They would definitely be able to deal with the locust plague next year.
Seeing that Li Er was extremely happy, Qin Feng did not want to pour cold water on him at this time. He told Li Er that there would be a locust plague next year and that he would find an appropriate opportunity to talk about it later.
Next, Li Er and the ministers discussed how to divide their respective regions and how much the joining fee was appropriate.
Qin Feng was completely uninterested in these questions and bid farewell to Li Er.
Li Er would grant all of Qin Feng's requests. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he let Qin Feng leave.
As he walked, he thought about how to plan the 3,000 mu of fertile land. Just as he walked out of the palace, someone blocked his way.
Seeing that the other party was also dressed in official robes, Qin Feng asked suspiciously,"And you are?"
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