Chapter 424 Salt Merchant Fleet
[I’m really sorry, I was out and just got home, so this chapter is a little late! ]

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News in the officialdom always spreads the fastest. Within just a few days, the news that Prince Jin had used thundering means to force out the Wujun Governor Wei Yue spread throughout the counties in the Jiangnan Road, causing a sensation in the officialdom. There had never been a precedent of using the threat of killing to force out a governor. This was the first time in history, not to mention that the governor who was driven away was the brother of the prime minister of the time.

Officials from all over the country were shocked. Fortunately, it was not yet the end of the month, so the county magistrates immediately ordered an inventory of the checkpoints and their demolition, and the garrisons at the city gates were also cancelled.

This news surprised merchants and people from all over the country, and they all applauded.

Xiao Xia stayed in Wujun for two days. After completing the inventory and verification, he immediately returned to Jiangdu by boat.

Xiao Xia returned incognito without any cavalry accompanying him. He took three official ships. He wanted to see the actual situation of the Jiangnan Canal. As expected, there were many ships and the river was narrow, so ship jams were commonplace.

Just after dawn, Xiao Xia was awakened by a loud noise. He put on his clothes and walked out of the cabin, only to find that the river was blocked and the boats in front were noisy and cursing.

“Where are we?” Xiao Xia asked, turning around.

“Your Highness, we have arrived at Piling County!”

Piling County is today’s Changzhou. It has always been an important military settlement. A large amount of land belongs to the military, and most of the families of Xiao Xia’s army were settled here.

“What’s going on ahead?”

The guard shook his head. “I’m not sure. It is said that the traffic jam started yesterday afternoon. We have sent people to check it out. Your Highness, why don’t you ride a horse?”

“No rush, just wait and see.”

At the last symposium, Xiao Gui complained that the Jiangnan Canal was prone to congestion. Now it seems to be true, as he encountered a ship jam the first time he came here.

“It’s those damn salt merchants again!”

Xiao Xia suddenly heard two boatmen, one older and one younger, complaining on a nearby boat. Although they were far away, he could still hear them clearly.

“Uncle, keep your voice down. If you offend the salt merchant, you will be in big trouble.”

“I’m not afraid of shit. I’m so old, so what if they kill me?”

“Uncle, the salt merchant will not only kill you, but also your family. What about your grandson? If you complain about the salt merchant here, won’t you bring trouble to your grandson?”

Perhaps because his grandson was his lifeblood, the old boatman dared not say a word. At this time, two guests behind him asked, “Boatman, it is said that salt merchants are the richest merchants in Jiangnan. Is that true?”

The old man took over the conversation and said, “It has always been the case that the salt merchants are the real wealthy. Everyone says that the Xiao family in Jiangnan is rich, but compared to the salt merchants, they are nothing. I tell you, the only merchants in the world with armies are the salt merchants. Most of those who are rampant in the canal are them. Don’t ask, they are coming!”

The boat suddenly became quiet. Xiao Xia looked ahead and saw three dark figures holding knives, jumping on the small boats and heading towards them.

Xiao Xia’s personal soldiers were furious and were about to draw their swords, but Xiao Xia waved his hand and said, “Don’t be impatient. Let’s see what they are doing.”

I saw three men in black standing on a boat, pointing their knives at a boat and cursing. They spoke in Jiangnan dialect, which Xiao Xia couldn’t understand. It seemed like they were threatening the boatmen, telling them not to talk behind their backs, otherwise they would hack them to death.

Soon, the three men in black jumped back with their knives in hand. The old boatman sighed, “These salt merchants are really barbaric! They blocked the river in a domineering way and don’t allow others to talk about them behind their backs.”

At this time, Xiao Xia’s personal soldiers also came back and boarded the ship to report: “Your Highness, it is the Lin family, a large salt merchant in Jinling County, who are unloading the goods. They started unloading yesterday evening and occupied half of the river, blocking the river. They have already unloaded the goods, and the river will be cleared soon.”

Xiao Xia took out a small golden box from his arms and opened it. Inside was a note. This was given to him by his father before he left Hexi, asking him to open it after arriving in Jiangnan.

There was only one word on the note: “Salt”. He had never understood what his father meant. It seemed that now was the time to solve this mystery.

Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and asked, “How far is this place from Jinling County?”

“About thirty miles more!” At this time, the ships began to move. Xiao Xia’s ship was an official ship, and the other ships did not dare to compete for it. They all made way for a waterway. Three two thousand stone passenger ships passed through the densely packed ships and went about ten miles before arriving at the place where they had just unloaded.

This should be a small town with many houses and various shops along the river. A long dock was built on the east bank, with hundreds of flat-bottomed cargo ships moored there. The cargo has been unloaded, and the salt bags on the shore are piled up like a hill, stretching for dozens of feet. Thousands of laborers are moving the salt bags into several large warehouses.

The personal soldier who was asking for information whispered, “Your Highness, this is Qixing Town. That dock is the private dock of the salt merchant Lin family. Other shops can also use it, but the Lin family fleet is coming, so other ships have to make way, so the river is blocked.”

Xiao Xia nodded, thinking that he could use this opportunity to get a good feel for the salt merchant’s background.

“Go to Jinling County!” Xiao Xia gave an order, and three official ships sailed northward to Jinling County.

The Xiao family in Jinling County is not located in the county seat, but outside the county seat. It is a manor of medium size surrounded by walls. There is a small river flowing through it, flocks of ducks and geese, rice fields and fish ponds, which is quite interesting as a farm.

Xiao Xia’s boat sailed directly into the manor and stopped in front of the manor’s mansion. There was a small pier here. The head of the family, Xiao Lin, was already waiting at the pier with his clansmen.

As Xiao Xia stepped off the boat, Xiao Lin quickly stepped forward and bowed, “Your Highness, your humble servant Xiao Lin pays respects to you!”

Xiao Lin was not an ordinary commoner. He was granted the title of Duke of Piling County. The Xiao family of Jinling was famous for their silk business. Two out of ten pieces of silk from Chang’an and Luoyang came from the Xiao family of Jinling.

Despite being one of the richest families in Jiangnan, the Xiao family of Jinling remains very low-key and never shows off.

Xiao Xia smiled and said, “Master, long time no see. How are you?”

“Thanks to your highness, I am in good health!”

Xiao Lin invited Xiao Xia into the mansion, and asked the housekeeper to arrange for Xiao Xia’s entourage to eat and rest.

Xiao Xia sat down in the VIP Hall and smiled slightly, “I went to Wu County to deal with some things this time. I passed by Jinling County on my way back, so I came to see the head of the family!”

“Your Highness forced Wei Yue to leave Wujun, and ordered the removal of checkpoints in various parts of Jiangnan. Your Highness is very courageous!”

“Does the Patriarch already know about Wei Yue’s matter?”

“As soon as something happens in the Jiangnan Province officialdom, it is immediately spread through various channels at an astonishing speed. Moreover, Wei Yue is very powerful in Jiangnan Province. If something happens to him, the news will spread even faster. Yesterday, Dou Shan, the governor of Piling County, happened to host a dinner, and I went there, so I learned about this matter.”

Xiao Xia nodded and said, “I encountered a river blockage when I came back. It seems that it was caused by the salt merchants unloading. I am a little curious about the salt merchants. Can the head of the family tell me about them?”

“Your Highness, when you were in Jiangdu before, you never heard of salt merchants?”

Xiao Xia shook his head, “Never heard of it!”

“That’s no wonder. Salt merchants are never on the stage. The major families don’t even want to talk about them, but they exist like giants underwater. Your Highness encountered a ship jam when unloading. This salt merchant’s surname is Lin. He is one of the four major salt merchants in Jiangnan, but he can only rank fourth. Even if he ranks fourth, the wealth he has is not even a fraction of what our Xiao family has.”

Xiao Xia was really shocked, “How can you make so much money by selling salt?”

“Of course. A pound of salt costs fifty cents. It is shipped from the seaside. The cost is less than ten cents. The profit is five times. In all dynasties, the imperial court has monopolized the salt business. But in the third year of Kaihuang, the imperial court abolished the monopoly. The imperial court no longer intervened in the sale of salt. The spring of salt merchants has come. Over the past few decades, which salt merchant has not made a fortune?”

“Why should the salt monopoly be abolished?” Xiao Xia asked puzzledly.

Xiao Lin sneered, “Your Highness, do you want to know who is the world’s largest salt merchant?”

“Guanlong nobles?” Xiao Xia blurted out.

(End of this chapter)