He said he was going to Denglai, but Li Jia arrived in Qingzhou and didn't want to move.

Qingzhou, where Linzi was located in ancient times, was the capital of Qi State, also known as Yidu. It has been the political center of the Shandong Peninsula since ancient times.

Nowadays, the government of Shandong Prefecture is in Jeju, which is too far away from it. If you look at the map, you will find that it is too western and not suitable for the location of the prefecture.

Then why is the government in Jeju?

It is mainly for the convenience of transferring materials. Just looking at Liangshanpo, it is equivalent to an inland river port, and it is worthy of its convenience.

In addition, near Jeju, the harm suffered by civil unrest is relatively light and the economy is relatively prosperous, so it is here for the time being.

However, this is not a long-term solution. The government is too remote and is not conducive to local governance, so it still needs to migrate.

At this point, Li Jia came to Qingzhou and inspected the area while inspecting whether it was suitable for the prefecture.

In fact, there is another place that is suitable for the prefecture of Shandong Prefecture, that is, Qizhou, and later Jinan.

However, considering the unscrupulous characteristics of the Yellow River and the fact that Qizhou is too northerly, we can take a look at it in Qingzhou.

In a sense, Qingzhou is bordered by Laizhou Bay, has contact with the Bohai Sea, and has a relatively good port.

This is suitable for the development of trade when it comes.

The more important point is that near Laizhou Bay, there is one of the largest salt fields in the north, Laizhou Bay Salt Field.

On the west coast of the Bohai Sea, Changlu Salt Field near Cangzhou is also famous.

Cangzhou is too close to Youzhou, so Li Jia must go and take a look at the Laizhou Bay Salt Field in Qingzhou.

The sea breeze blows on the face, and hundreds of miles of reeds are surging and extremely imposing. Hundreds of salt gush over and barely feet, cutting reeds in the reed marsh, tied them up, and used as fuel for salt boiling.

Although there were no thorns on the ground, it was covered with gravel sand. The sun was roasting and it was quite hot, but the salted men seemed to be busy without realizing it.

He is as thin as a thorn, bony, dark skin, sallow complexion, and limbs as small as reeds, but he keeps salvaging the sea water and boiling.

"Your Majesty, Laizhou Bay Salt Field, can boil more than 23,000 stone salt every month, which is more than enough to supply the entire Shandong Prefecture."

The governor of Qingzhou respectfully guided the way and introduced.

Li Jia narrowed her eyes and looked at the miserable group of salt dicks, and couldn't help but shake her head and said, "How many such salt dicks are there in total?"

"About five hundred households and three thousand people."

"how come?"

"Either they are refugees nearby or they are hereditary salt households..." the governor said softly.

"Haha!" Li Jia smiled and said, "Since the early Tang Dynasty, until Kaiyuan, there was no salt tax in the world, and there were no salt households. As a result, Anshi was in chaos and the court could not continue, so he could only make money with salt tax. In this way, the salt households came."

The emperor spoke while approaching these salt households.

At this time, there is no iron pot. Salt owners usually use a pan for boiling salt.

A large pan two or three inches thick is made of several pieces of iron into a disc shape, with a diameter of six feet.

The gaps in each block are filled with mud and lime. The iron plate is placed on a low weir made of mud and has the same diameter as the iron plate and is about two feet high. This is the stove.

Several brick columns are built in the stove to support the shelf blocks and leave the smoke door.

The ash made of mud, lime and thatch are mixed around the plate to form a two-foot-high edge, pour thick brine, put it in the stove, and use reeds, thatch, etc. as fuel to make it torment.

The sea breeze and smoke invasion have made many salt households blind. In this era, they cannot afford to support a disabled person.

The salt households were very surprised by the arrival of strangers, especially their clothes were particularly special, and they looked extraordinary.

Li Jia walked in and looked at the sea water in the pan, and couldn't help but say curiously: "Is the sea water boiled here?"

"This gentleman is not salt water-" The old man's lips were chapped, his cheeks were thin, and his eyes were protruding. Seeing such a big man, he couldn't help but say: "This is boiled in brine. If it is sea water, a hundred pounds will only cost five or six pounds of salt, which consumes hundreds of pounds of reeds."

"Brine?" Li Jia said curiously: "How did you get it?"

"Brine means that when it's just dawn, collect the layer of sand on the surface from the beach, then put reeds on it, and then water the sea water, which will become brine."

It seemed that the young man was a high-ranking official, and the old man became more cautious in what he said: "If you boil salt in brine, you can get about ten kilograms of salt by fifty or sixty kilograms. This is a method that has been passed down from ancient times to the present."

"Also, the sea water cannot be taken casually, so you have to choose a good location, which is relatively salty."

These words were very different from what Li Jia thought. This method accumulated by the ancients was indeed strange. He continued to ask: "How about a good sea water?"

"Stone Lotus Seed." The old man was puzzled for a while before continuing: "Put the stone lotus seed into the brine. If it sinks, it means it cannot be done. If it floats half, it is half a salt brine. If it floats on the water surface, it is full salt brine. You can boil salt."

Li Jia suddenly realized that the so-called stone lotus seeds are the fruits of lotus pods. The core is bitter and needs to be pulled out to eat. It can be used to use medicine to clear away heat and relieve heat.

I never thought that there was a way to identify the salt content of brine, which was really fun.

Although I don’t know the principle, I guess I can’t make a false statement, judging by his faithful appearance.

Afterwards, Li Jiaze left directly. On the way, he couldn't help but say: "The salt workers in the salt farm are so hard, so many people will escape!"

"The years have been much more stable, but many people can't stand the pain and escape a lot!" The governor said while following closely.

"Then, selling private salt has made a lot of money!"

"The eminent minister Xiao Gui and Cao Sui did not seek too much—"

The governor of Qingzhou said casually, but immediately reacted, bowed his hand, and said nothing.

Li Jia smiled, looked at his trembling body, and couldn't help but say, "If I remember correctly, whether it is Zhou or Song, selling private salt is a serious crime. You can be beheaded for about ten kilograms, right?"

"Your Majesty, please spare me-" Qingzhou Governor crawled on the ground and said in tears: "Everyone is doing it. If the Wei minister does not participate, he may not be able to protect his life. The Wei minister must not do so..."

"Where are you from?"

Li Jia ignored his words and asked sternly.

"Weichen is a person from Guangzhou Prefecture—"

"I know!" Li Jia said coldly: "No wonder his accent is so familiar, I guessed it. It really gives me a face!"

Looking at the governor who was like a dead dog under his feet, Li Jia snorted coldly: "I have repeatedly ordered and there are also commanders to conduct an inspection. Unexpectedly, after half a year in Qingzhou, you will become like this, and you will still have the face to see me?"

"I, I am not like this in Qingzhou..."

The man cried and burst into tears.
Chapter completed!