The world's first county magistrate

Chapter 54
Liu Yang hurriedly descended to the bottom of the pit along the reserved ramp.

He reached out and picked up a piece of coal, placing it in front of his eyes.

The thing in his hand was indeed very similar to the coal that Song Wei said, but Liu Yang didn't know whether it was coal or not.

Because he also met in a different place.

He stretched out his hand and rubbed it on the coal, leaving a black mark on his hand.

Liu Yang was overjoyed. The brochure left by Song Wei said that as long as he rubbed his hand against the coal, marks would be left on his hand.

It seems that this thing should be the coal that adults are talking about, right?
Liu Yang thought in his heart.

Then Liu Yang stood up and showed the coal in his hand.

"This is coal, everyone remembers what it looks like, and this is what you dug."

All eyes were on Liu Yang's hand.

This thing is coal?

But what's the use?
Everyone thinks so, but no one will answer them.

Because others don't know what this thing is useful for.

"Keep digging, all the coal you dig out will be transported to the village."

Liu Yang said.

Afterwards, Liu Yang put down the coal and left the bottom of the pit.

The coal has been dug out, and he wants to tell Song Wei the news.

After Liu Yang returned to the stockade, he asked someone to inform Song Wei, and then he cleared a large area in the stockade for the storage of coal in the future.

After Song Wei sent Liu Yang and his party away, Song Wei returned to his room.

Now the Yamen is mostly empty.

In the past, it seemed a bit more lively when there were many people, but now it seems that it is a bit quiet.

This made Song Wei feel that manpower was still not enough.

Thinking about when to recruit another group of people.

The current salt mine has almost developed, and Song Wei sent people to get cement and brick kilns.

Now there is another coal mine, and Song Wei's people are simply not enough now.

And once the coal is dug out and the cement and bricks are made, there's so much that can be done.

Of course, more people are needed.

Song Wei has gradually fallen in love with Zhen'an County, and Song Wei also wants to completely change Zhen'an County.

Thinking about it, Song Wei suddenly realized that if he asked the people in Zhen'an County to help him, and he gave them high salaries, the current situation of Zhen'an County with more poverty and less wealth would soon change.

At least to improve their lives.

But Song Wei can't afford the hiring money now.

All the expenses of the current county government can barely support it. If they continue to hire people, I am afraid that they will be the first to fall.

So Song Wei was thinking about how to make himself richer.

Salt mine?

The first thing Song Wei thought of was the salt mine, but the salt produced by the salt mine is already enough.

Unless it continues to expand elsewhere.But if you want to expand, I am afraid it will be a big expense.

Suddenly, Song Wei's eyes lit up.

Just because you don't have money doesn't mean other people don't have money.

Notify the government officials and ask them to call several salt merchants from Zhen'an County to come to the county government office.

Afterwards, Song Wei began to think for himself.

Now the output of the salt mine can fully support the salt needed by the county, and it can even be said to be more than enough.

Difficult times are only when Wu Zhenkun starts to raise prices.

At that time, there were many people who needed salt, but now that time has passed, Wu Zhenkun's salt merchants have also turned to Song Wei.

Now people don't need so much salt. After all, cheap and delicious salt can be bought in Zhen'an County.

After the people's demand for salt in Zhen'an County stabilized, Song Wei's income also dropped sharply.

Now if you want to continue to rely on salt to make money, you need to sell salt outside the city.

I don't know if those salt merchants have shops in other places.

Time passed bit by bit, and soon all the salt merchants who took refuge in Song Wei came to the county government.

When they saw Song Wei, they all knelt down: "My lord."

Song Wei hummed and made them all stand up.

Then Song Wei sat on the main seat and let the adults take their seats one after another.

"I called you here today to discuss something."

Song Wei sat on the main seat and spoke after seeing everyone seated.

The salt merchants raised their heads to look at Song Wei.

Since Song Wei discussed with them, it must have something to do with salt.

Having been businessmen for several years, they are very sensitive to these.

"Does your lord want to raise the price?"

asked a salt merchant.

In fact, he has long wanted to raise the price of salt, especially now that he has lost a lot of money selling salt compared to before.

Every time he looked at the account book, his face hurt.

Now that Song Wei was looking for them to discuss, the first thing he thought of was that Song Wei wanted to raise the price of salt.

But after he finished speaking, he immediately knew that he had said something wrong.

One's own thoughts should not be revealed.

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the other salt merchants all glared at him.

Surreptitiously compared the mouth shape of "don't talk nonsense".

But Song Wei didn't feel anything, he knew that the price he sold for salt was very low.

Moreover, the people in front of them all followed Wu Zhenkun before, so I don't know how much money they made.

Shaking his head, Song Wei said, "No."

"My lord, in fact, if you have anything to tell us, you don't need to discuss it with us. As long as it is something your lord ordered, we will try our best to do it!"

At this moment, Li Bei stood up and said righteously.

Li Bei has followed Wu Zhenkun for the longest time among the few people who have been doing it.

The tempering of time has long polished him into an old fritters.

At this time, he knew what to say and what not to say.

Song Wei nodded and stretched out his hand for Li Bei to sit down.

"Presumably you have also discovered that the people in Zhen'an County don't have that much demand for salt, so you can't make much money now."

Song Wei said.

Everyone else nodded.

As salt merchants, they discovered it earlier than Song Wei.

But under Song Wei's pressure, they didn't do anything.

Especially now that Song Wei has wiped out a generation of mythical red foxes outside the city, now is the time to be in the limelight.

They won't do anything anymore.

Song Wei looked at the crowd and continued: "So I called you here today, mainly to ask if you have any salt shops in other places in Zhen'an County?"

Song Wei went straight to the point.

After Song Wei finished speaking, everyone was suddenly enlightened.

"My lord, the small ones have a few shops in a few villages outside the city, but the sales are not good."

Li Bei said now.

He already knew what Song Wei wanted to do.

"My lord, my little one also has a salt shop in a village outside the city, but the sales are not as good as Brother Li's."

I thought the salt merchant followed suit.

Song Wei nodded, the people in the villages outside the city were much poorer than those inside the city.

In many cases, salt cannot be afforded, so the salt merchants are not selling poorly, but the common people cannot afford it.

"In this way, the official will also pay for all the salt in your shops in the villages outside the city. The price is the same as the price of salt in the city, so how about the same share?"

Song Wei said after taking a sip of tea.

The salt merchants all acted like this.

When Song Wei asked them if there was a salt shop outside the city, they thought of this result.

But they won't say no.

At this time, Li Bei stood up and said.

"My lord, I am willing to rent two salt shops outside the city to my lord!"

(End of this chapter)