Originally, Li Shimin had some other strategies to stimulate the price of war horses, but was persuaded by Li Xiang. We only need to announce this one. If we announce it frequently, it is very likely that these people will find out. Don't think they are fools. When it comes to planning strategies, they are ahead of us.
However, Li Xiang is now facing a serious problem, that is, he has no money. He has bought too much land in this period of time, and the number of slaves has been soaring. Li Xiang must find a new way to make money. Although the previous projects were profitable, they were far from keeping up with the expenses.
One item is table salt and the other item is newspaper.
Li Xiang had wanted to start the project of selling salt a long time ago. You know, in this day and age, many people in the Tang Dynasty simply cannot afford to eat salt because it is very expensive. Everyone can only use vinegar cloth to season their food, which is so disgusting when they eat.
Before going to Tuyuhun, Li Xiang had already asked people to buy salt from the mountains. In this day and age, most salt is dug from salt wells, but because a lot of salt is bitter and contains various impurities, people cannot use it at all.
However, this is not a difficult task for Li Xiang, because he possesses extremely advanced technology and can separate all these impurities from the salt, and can extract all the harmful substances, and finally produce snow-white salt.
The price of salt in this era can be said to be very high. Ordinary people ate salt with impurities, and the color did not look very good. Even so, it still cost ten cents per pound.
Slightly better salt is used by well-off families and tastes a little better, but the price is 20 wen per pound.
The third grade is used by ordinary bureaucrats. Except for a few black spots, the rest can be passed off as good quality salt. However, compared with the best table salt, there is still a gap. The price can reach thirty-five to forty cents per catty.
The highest grade is used by top families and the royal family. It basically costs one hundred coins per pound, but it is still inferior to what Li Xiang made.
"It's just a pile of salt. Can you please stop drooling?"
Looking at Zhou Huairen and Qian Ping, Li Xiang really didn't know what to say.
"Your Highness has seen a lot, so there's nothing to be surprised about. Even the salt used in the palace can't compare to this. It has gone through hundreds of processes."
Qian Ping just tasted a little bit, and it tasted nothing but saltiness. You know, the salt sold outside can let you taste the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy flavors, because there are too many impurities in it. No matter what process you use, you can't get those things out. Li Xiang's salt does not contain any impurities, even if we sell it for three hundred coins per catty, there will be absolutely no problem.
In terms of cost, it can be said that there was almost no cost. When Li Xiang purchased the two salt mines, he only spent 500 strings of cash, because the salt produced by the two salt mines was useless and all black. If this kind of salt was to be processed, the money spent would be huge.
Once the production process is established, it is a one-time investment, and most of the people Li Xiang uses are slaves, so apart from giving them a bowl of rice, there is no labor cost.
"Eunuch Qian is absolutely right. If our salt were to be put on the market, it would definitely crush them all. However, Your Highness should think carefully. The more expensive the salt, the greater the profit. If we really start selling it, we will only offend the most powerful people."
In those days, salt and iron were monopolies, and apart from the imperial court, only a few top officials had such ability. Even if they obtained the right to sell salt, they had to find a way to keep it. The profit was simply too huge, and people were watching everywhere.
"In the beginning, we are still targeting the high-end market, and the price per catty is set at 500 coins. However, we want to expand nationwide, and wherever there is a treasure, it can be bought."
Zhou Huairen was a little confused when he heard what Li Xiang said. Whenever Li Xiang launched new products in the past, he would always auction them off or use hunger marketing. But why was he offering unlimited purchases this time? If that were the case, wouldn't our products lose their mystique? There would be no way to generate huge profits.
"You all feel strange, right? Actually, I do this for a reason. I do this because salt is a commodity sold in large quantities, unlike other things. If we set the price at 500 wen, then some people's goods will definitely not be sold. The price will drop at each level, and the ordinary people will benefit in the end."
Li Xiang also wanted to provide certain benefits to the people, but the salt produced by Li Xiang could not be eaten by all the people. If Li Xiang set the price too low, it would target other salt merchants, and then these people would unite and bring great trouble to Li Xiang.
However, within the operational range, Li Xiang will definitely not refuse to give certain benefits to the people. We only occupy a part of the high-end salt at the top of the pyramid, then the salt merchants below will gradually lower the price, which will eventually affect the bottom part, and some people will be able to benefit.
"Your Highness truly cares about the people. In addition to the salt mines around Chang'an City, we have also selected six other locations across the country."
Zhou Huairen took out a simple map. Fortunately, this was not the first time Li Xiang saw this map. If it was the first time, he probably wouldn't be able to see the marked places clearly. It only had a general direction. According to Li Xiang's memory, 60% of it was wrong.
To expand sales across the country, it is impossible to have only one salt mine in Chang'an City. After purchasing salt mines in various places, salt-making workshops must be opened in various places. Of course, the most important thing is security. Once this thing starts to be sold, it will have a huge impact on salt merchants in various places. If they want to take risks, we have to give them a chance to meet.
Li Xiang retrieved 12,000 soldiers from the system world, dressed them in ordinary civilian clothing, and then headed to the six salt-making workshops across the country. Their mission was to ensure the safety of the workshops. As for the salt permits needed to sell salt nationwide, Li Xiang had no choice but to go to Li Shimin in person...