Chapter 607: Expanding the Salt Fields |
Publish Time: 2026-06-30 22:26:55
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In the southwest part of Jie Pond, construction began on a sprawling new salt village.
These were welfare residences for the salt craftsmen who had “pledged allegiance to Gaojia Village,” or what could be called “assigned housing.”
Technical workers employed by Gaojia Village not only earned three taels of silver but also enjoyed meals and lodging. While the meals were straightforward, the provision of housing deserved equal attention.
Houses built of concrete stood row upon row across the southwestern shore of Jie Pond, all sharing a uniform architectural style. From a distance, they presented an orderly and pleasing sight.
Moreover, for the safety of the technical workers, a long concrete wall encircled the salt village. Should bandits attack, this outer wall could buy valuable time for defense.
The scale of these salt fields was tremendous!
Upon glimpsing the imposing expanse, the salt craftsmen couldn’t help but murmur to themselves: just how much lake water would it take to fill these? Could we really carry so much lake water on our backs?
One salt craftsman, carrying his meager possessions into this brand-new salt village, immediately felt a pang of panic. Spotting an engineer wearing a white hat nearby, he hurriedly approached: “Wealthy lord…”
The figure wearing the white hat turned—it was Song Yingxing. Beside him stood a “trainee white hat,” Wang Zheng, who had only recently joined Gaojia Village.
Song Yingxing asked, “What is it?”
The salt craftsman anxiously replied, “M’lord, the village you built for us is truly magnificent. But these salt fields… aren’t they a little too large? Filling them with brine would require backbreaking labor from how many men? We… we don’t have that many salt craftsmen.”
Song Yingxing laughed heartily. “Is that all? Well, that’s exactly why I’m here!”
The salt craftsman looked utterly baffled. “Is the lord here to help us carry water?”
Wang Zheng sputtered, “Pfft!”
Song Yingxing’s expression flickered momentarily into something foolish, but it was fine. He’d witnessed countless such moments during Gaojia Village’s expansion.
Song Yingxing declared, “Gather all the salt craftsmen. Prepare to witness our newest machine.”
The salt man shouted, and soon, everyone in the salt village came crowding around.
Once all were assembled, Song Yingxing ordered technical workers to begin installing the machine.
They swiftly installed a strange, enormous contraption by the lakeshore. At its heart was a steam engine providing the power, connected to numerous mechanisms, rotating wheels, levers, and such.
The salt craftsmen stared in utter incomprehension!
Even Wang Zheng, the newcomer, adopted a look of earnest confusion, ready to learn.
Song Yingxing announced loudly, “This is called a ‘steam water pump.’ Watch closely. With this, you’ll never again need to bend your backs to carry water from Jie Pond into the salt fields!”
With that, he lifted the cover off the steam engine, tossed in several lumps of coal, and lit the fire…
The steam engine sprang to life, rotating ceaselessly. Mechanisms turned, driving levers that activated a pumping apparatus. With a powerful gush and spray, water from the lake surged up the attached pipes and poured into the nearby salt field.
Seeing this, the salt craftsmen gasped in unison, “Wow!”
The machine worked tirelessly, endlessly drawing and spewing water from Jie Pond into the salt fields. Before long, a vast expanse of the field was completely flooded.
Retracting the pipe with satisfaction, Song Yingxing grinned at the craftsmen. “Well? Still worried about filling this vast salt field?”
The salt craftsmen cheered, “The lord’s divine craftsmanship! With this water-pumping machine, we can produce several times more salt!”
Song Yingxing clapped his hands. “Excellent! Then put your backs into producing more. Soon, your wage system will be reformed. No longer fixed salaries! Instead, you’ll get a base wage, plus bonuses calculated by the actual amount of salt you produce.”
The salt workers blinked in surprise. “Huh? It will work like that?”
Song Yingxing chuckled. “How else should it be? Tell me – if you produce a thousand jin of salt in a month, while another only makes five hundred, should he get the same wage as you? Could you tolerate that?”
The salt craftsmen exclaimed, “This… we absolutely could not!”
Song Yingxing nodded firmly. “Exactly!”
…
Spring of the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign arrived.
A time for renewal…
This year promised true blessings. Since last winter, the heavens had generously sent intermittent rains. Come spring, continuous rains brought unbridled joy.
In Shaanxi and Shanxi, regions battered by drought for years finally felt salvation. Countless displaced peasants, once reduced to begging in cities, resolutely returned to reclaim their lands. They planted the precious seeds they’d guarded through starvation, beginning the spring sowing.
With the people settled, the bandits’ situation turned precarious!
Bu Zhan Ni’s faction, having crossed the river back into Shaanxi, faced consecutive devastating attacks in Northern Shaanxi organized by Hong Chengchou, leaving them utterly helpless. Previously, defeated bandits could melt away like smoke, eventually re-assembling and conscripting even more followers.
But the heavens’ gift of rain changed everything.
Peasants with land to till now preferred death to joining Bu Zhan Ni.
Left with no options, Bu Zhan Ni personally executed his generals Double-Winged Tiger and Purple Gold Dragon, then surrendered to the imperial court.
Yet, even among bandits, resourcefulness lived.
In the first month of Chongzhen Year Five, Hun Tian Hou infiltrated Yijun County disguised as a rice merchant, capturing it through internal collusion under cover of night. He subsequently seized Bao’an and Heshui counties.
Hong Chengchou dispatched orders commanding Cao Wenzhao and Zhang Quanchang’s forces to jointly quell them.
By the second month, Ke Fei Tian and Hao Lin’an launched assaults on Qingyang.
Come the fourth month, Bu Zhan Ni rebelled again. Establishing seventeen posts and sixty-four stockades in the Xichuan region, he attacked Mizhi and Jiazhou. Hong Chengchou commanded the Shaanxi General Wang Chengen to muster three thousand troops, engaging Bu Zhan Ni in a decisive battle. Bu Zhan Ni was defeated and executed.
Bai Yuan, currently on business in Jishan County, held military dispatches. Reading of Bu Zhan Ni’s execution, he sighed ruefully. “Bu Zhan Ni is finally dead… after all these years as a ‘good friend.'”
The words “good friend” made Mo Xiaopin beside him jump nearly out of his skin. “Good heavens! Master Bai… wh-what did you say?”
Bai Yuan chuckled ruefully. “Haha! A poor jest, merely an old adversary. This Bu Zhan Ni way back in Chongzhen Year One led a horde straight through Huanglong Mountain to attack my Bai Family Fortress. We fought desperately and held them off. We’ve crossed swords many times since.”
Mo Xiaopin breathed a sigh of relief. “You gave me quite a scare!”
Bai Yuan waved dismissively. “Enough about bandits. Our focus must be on the spring sowing here in Jishan County. How fares your newly built fertilizer factory?”
Mo Xiaopin grinned proudly. “By your graces, Master Bai, and Third Miss’s support, its progress has been swift. Production is now robust. This spring, my fertilizer will play a major role.”
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