jdhmnovel Chapter 634 Poison, it's fucking poisonous!
Chapter 634 Poison, it's fucking poisonous!
Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "Minister Xu is worried about competition between workshops, but I think competition between workshops is a good thing."
"For example, there are several brick kilns outside Ningyang County."
"If the bricks fired in a certain brick kiln are better, people will naturally be more willing to go to that brick kiln to buy bricks."
“If a local gentry or gentry comes and opens a brick kiln, and the bricks he fires are better and cheaper, the people will naturally buy bricks from his kiln.”
"In order to make money, the other brick kilns will naturally try to produce better bricks."
"This principle applies to other workshops as well."
“Except for those more sensitive industries.”
"For example, salt fields."
Xu Da first hummed in agreement, then frowned and asked, "As you said, brick kilns can compete with each other, but can't salt and iron also promote competition?"
But as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Da shook his head, denying the claim that salt and iron could also promote competition.
According to Yang Dianfeng, sensitive issues like salt and iron are essentially a matter of taxation rights.
Therefore, whether or not competition can be promoted is not important; what is truly important is that the imperial court retains control over taxation.
However, to Xu Da's surprise, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "If we allow local gentry, wealthy merchants and magnates to enter the salt and iron industry, it will indeed promote competition."
"This kind of competition is indeed a good thing to some extent."
"In order to save costs and earn more profits, they will try every means to increase production and quality."
Xu Da was slightly taken aback.
Yang Shaofeng sneered and said, "I'm afraid they'll find a way to squeeze out the government-run salt fields and then raise the price of salt."
"I'll tell you the simplest way to play."
"Suppose that I am a local gentry or a wealthy merchant, and I happen to have my eye on a salt field somewhere."
"Then, the first thing I must do is to criticize the court for competing with the people for profit."
"I will try to make the people believe that the reason they can't afford cheap salt is because the imperial court controls the price of salt."
"If the imperial court allows merchants to open salt fields, the merchants will drive down the price of salt due to competition among themselves, and the common people will naturally be able to eat salt at a cheaper price."
Emperor Zhu and Xu Da's faces immediately darkened.
Isn't that exactly what some local gentry and elders are doing now?
Not right either.
They haven't accused the court of competing with the people for profit yet, but rather they've accused some scoundrel of competing with the people for profit, in order to test the court's bottom line.
Xu Da snorted coldly and said, "Public opinion is so strong that the court has no choice but to open up a few salt fields for you local gentry and wealthy merchants to operate, is that right?"
Yang Shaofeng nodded slightly and said, "That's right. As long as I spend a little money to bribe a few scholars to make up some stories, those ignorant men and women in the countryside will naturally be at my disposal. I can easily acquire a salt field."
"Next, what I need to do is reduce costs and increase efficiency, increase production, lower costs, and contact some close local gentry and wealthy merchants so that we can work together to bring down the price of salt."
“I can forgo making a profit, and even sell the salt to the people at a loss, but those colleagues who are not of one mind with me must die, especially those in state-run salt fields.”
Xu Da glanced at Yang Shaofeng and said, "Then you can raise salt prices at will?"
Yang Shaofeng nodded, but Xu Da chuckled and asked, "What if the imperial court insists on keeping the state-run salt fields afloat?"
Emperor Zhu chuckled and said, "Your idea is indeed quite good, but unfortunately we are not fools. We cannot allow you to monopolize the salt fields, nor can we allow you to set salt prices at will."
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Emperor Zhu and smiled, "This is the third thing I need to do next."
Emperor Zhu and Xu Da were slightly taken aback, but Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "As a respected local gentry and wealthy merchant, it's normal for me to have a few fellow villagers or relatives who are officials, isn't it?"
"On the one hand, my son-in-law continues to have people criticize the court for competing with the people for profit, while on the other hand, he tries to help his relatives and friends who are officials to climb the ranks. Isn't that normal?"
"Whatever the court assesses, whatever merits he needs to climb the ranks, that's what I'll give him."
"Once they've climbed up enough, and the people have reached a consensus that the imperial court's setting of salt prices is a way of competing with the people for profits, then it would be quite normal to hold another salt and iron conference, or even several more, at that point, wouldn't it?"
"As long as we persevere, the state-run salt fields will eventually be abolished."
"Without the state-run salt fields, how should salt prices be set? Isn't it still up to me, son-in-law, to decide?"
"Of course, I won't be stupid enough to raise the price of salt from the start. Instead, I will continue to find ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and find ways to lower the price of salt, thereby killing off other disobedient salt fields and leaving only those who are close to me."
"Then, my son-in-law will be able to manipulate salt prices at will."
These are all clichés that have been overused and exhausted in later generations.
For example, the food delivery war between Meituan and Ele.me back then.
Another example is the ride-hailing war between companies like Baidu, JD.com, and JD.com back then.
The strategy is simple: first, burn money under the guise of subsidizing users to squeeze out competitors, then raise prices to make back double the money burned so far.
You can also play some games where you profit from both the seller and the buyer.
As for the tiny bit of advantage that ordinary people gain from their competition?
They had already taken it back without anyone noticing.
More importantly, the wealthy merchants of later generations had a "wicked mother-in-law" overseeing them, and the local gentry and gentry of the Ming Dynasty were themselves part of that wicked mother-in-law. Their audacity only grew, and their schemes only became more outrageous.
Just as Yang Shaofeng was mentally ranting, Emperor Zhu and Xu Da's faces had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Emperor Zhu originally thought that as long as he didn't let his guard down, these local gentry and gentry wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
However, after hearing the examples Yang Shaofeng gave, Emperor Zhu suddenly lost confidence.
poison.
That's fucking toxic.
If someone were to actually do this, it would be almost a certainty that the imperial court would be forced to open up the salt fields, or rather, to lift the salt and iron monopoly.
The thought that local gentry and wealthy merchants could not only manipulate prices at will, but also control the officialdom, made even the Emperor Zhu break out in a cold sweat.
After a long while, Emperor Zhu frowned and asked, "Isn't there any way to control them?"
Xu Da chimed in, "Just now, the Prince Consort said he wanted to bring them in to set up workshops to promote competition, but now he says they can extend their reach into salt and iron. Isn't that a contradiction?"