Chapter 607: The Salt Fields Must Be Vast
In the southwestern reaches of Xie Lake, a vast expanse of new salt villages began to rise.
These were the welfare residences, or "allocated housing," for the salt artisans who had "pledged allegiance to Gao Family Village."
Skilled workers employed by Gao Family Village received not only a monthly wage of three taels of silver but also full room and board. While the board was self-evident, the lodging aspect was also given significant consideration.
Houses constructed from concrete lined the southwestern shore of Xie Lake, presenting a uniformly neat architectural style. From a distance, their orderly appearance was pleasing to the eye.
Moreover, for the safety of the skilled workers, the salt village was encircled by long concrete walls. Should rebels attack, these outer defenses could hold them off for a considerable time.
Inside the salt village, spacious "salt fields" spread out like true agricultural plots.
The sheer scale of these salt fields was astonishing!
Upon seeing such an intimidating expanse, the salt artisans couldn't help but wonder, *How much lake water will need to be drawn in to sun-dry? Can we manage to haul this much water by shoulder and hand?*
One salt artisan, carrying his meager belongings, moved into the newly built salt village and immediately felt a surge of panic. Spotting a **Blue Hat** engineer nearby, he quickly approached. "My lord..."
**Song Yingxing** asked, "What is it?"
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The salt artisan quickly replied, "My lord, the village you've built for us is truly magnificent. It's just these salt fields... aren't they dug a bit too large? How many people would it take to fill these fields with brine, hauling by shoulder and hand? We... we don't have that many salt artisans."
**Song Yingxing** chuckled heartily. "So that's what this is about? Ha, I'm here precisely to solve that problem."
The salt artisan looked utterly bewildered. "Is my lord going to help us draw water?"
**Wang Zheng** let out a small "Pfft!"
**Song Yingxing's** expression became a bit awkward, but it was nothing new. He had witnessed too many such reactions on Gao Family Village's path of expansion.
**Song Yingxing** instructed, "Gather all the salt artisans. Prepare to see our latest machine."
The salt artisan let out a few shouts, and soon, everyone from the entire salt village gathered.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, **Song Yingxing** quickly arranged for the technical workers to begin assembling the machine.
By the lake, they quickly installed a strange, enormous contraption. At its center was a steam engine, providing the power. Connected to it were numerous gears, wheels, and levers.
The salt artisans simply couldn't comprehend it!
Even **Wang Zheng**, the newcomer, had a wide-eyed, eager expression, ready to learn diligently.
**Song Yingxing** announced loudly, "This device is called a 'steam water pump.' Watch closely, all of you. With this, you'll never again need to carry water from Xie Lake into the salt fields by shoulder or hand."
With that, he opened the steam engine's cover, tossed in a few chunks of coal, and ignited it...
The steam engine whirred into motion, rotating continuously and driving the connected mechanisms. These, in turn, powered the rocking arms, which propelled the pumping device. With a resounding splash, the pipes attached to the machine drew up the lake water, channeling it into the adjacent large salt field.
At this sight, the salt artisans couldn't help but let out an astonished "Wow!"
The machine worked tirelessly, continuously drawing water from Xie Lake with powerful gushes and discharging it into the salt field. In a short time, a very large section of the salt field was completely filled with water.
**Song Yingxing** then retracted the pipe and smiled at the salt artisans. "Well? Are you still worried that this vast salt field won't be filled?"
The salt artisans exclaimed, "Master, what a divine skill! With this pumping machine, the amount of salt we can produce will surely be several times more than before!"
**Song Yingxing** clapped his hands. "Then get to it, produce more. Soon, your wage system will also be reformed. From now on, you won't just receive a fixed salary. Instead, a basic wage will be set, and then bonuses will be calculated based on the quantity of salt you produce."
The salt artisans, upon hearing this, wondered, "Oh? Is that possible?"
**Song Yingxing** laughed. "Why not? Tell me, if you produce a thousand catties of salt in a month, and another person only produces five hundred, could you tolerate them receiving the same pay as you?"
The salt artisans responded, "No... we certainly couldn't tolerate that."
**Song Yingxing** declared, "Exactly!" —
The spring of the fifth year of **Chongzhen** arrived.
A season of rebirth...
This year truly promised a bountiful harvest. From last winter, the heavens had blessed them with timely rains, and by spring, continuous spring showers brought immense joy.
Shaanxi and Shanxi, all the regions that had suffered years of drought, seemed to have found salvation this year. Countless displaced people, who had been begging in the cities, resolutely returned to their ancestral homes, taking out the precious seeds they'd saved, even preferring to starve rather than eat them, and began their spring planting.
With the people's hearts settled, the rebels faced a harsh reality!
**Bu Zhan Ni's** forces, who had crossed the river and returned to Shaanxi, suffered repeated crushing defeats at the hands of **Hong Chengchou** in northern Shaanxi, leaving them barely able to function. Previously, when rebels lost, they would simply flee, and in their flight, their numbers would often swell again, recruiting more forces.
But with the heavens blessing the land with rain, that tactic was no longer viable.
Common folk, with land to till, chose to fight to the death rather than follow **Bu Zhan Ni**.
Unable to carry on, **Bu Zhan Ni** was forced to personally execute his generals, Shuangchihu and Zijinlong, and surrender to the court.
However, there were also cunning minds among the rebels.
In the first month of the fifth year of **Chongzhen**, Huntianhou, disguised as a rice merchant, infiltrated Yijun County. Under the cover of night, he coordinated with insiders to seize the county town. He then went on to occupy Bao'an and Heshui counties.
**Hong Chengchou** issued a mobilization order, dispatching **Cao Wenzhao** and Zhang Quanchang's forces for a combined encirclement and suppression campaign.
In the second month, Kefeitian and Hao Lin'an attacked Qingyang.
In the fourth month, **Bu Zhan Ni** rose again, establishing seventeen outposts and sixty-four strongholds in Xichuan, and attacked Mizhi and Jiazhou. **Hong Chengchou** ordered **Shaanxi Regional Commander Wang Cheng'en** to assemble three thousand combat soldiers for a decisive battle. **Bu Zhan Ni** was defeated and subsequently beheaded.
**Bai Yuan**, currently on official business in **Jishan County**, held a stack of military reports. Reading the news of **Bu Zhan Ni's** death, he couldn't help but sigh. "**Bu Zhan Ni** is finally dead, then. We were old acquaintances."
The phrase "old acquaintances" startled **Mo Xiaopin** beside him. "Good heavens, Master Bai, you... what did you just say?"
**Bai Yuan** laughed. "Hahaha, I'm just joking. Actually, he was an old adversary. This **Bu Zhan Ni**, back in the first year of **Chongzhen**, crossed **Huanglong Mountain** and attacked my **Bai Family Fortress** with a large band of rebels. We defended it desperately, and we've fought many battles since."
**Mo Xiaopin** finally exhaled in relief. "You scared me. So that's how it was."
**Bai Yuan** said, "Never mind the rebels for now. Let's focus on the spring planting in **Jishan County**. How is your newly constructed fertilizer plant doing?"
**Mo Xiaopin** chuckled. "Thanks to Master Bai and the **Third Miss**, my fertilizer plant is progressing very smoothly. It's already producing large quantities of fertilizer, and it's proving immensely useful for this spring's planting."
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