124: Return with Full Rewards! The Siege Belongs to Qin Shao!

Duke Xiting first showed a horrified gaze, and then said angrily: "Earl Sauron, are you playing tricks on me?"

Over a million gold coins? More than the kingdom's tax for a year? How can there be such a business in this world?

Well, there are such businesses in this world, such as the Wangcheng Jinhao under Shili, because it has the power to issue gold tickets, it can be called a wealthy country, and the gold coins it holds even exceed the public treasury of the Ministry of Households.

But the money in the Wangcheng Jinhao does not belong to Zhili alone, it belongs to the nobles and princes of the world. Zhili and Shenning are just managers and the largest shareholders.

He, the Duke of Xiting, can also be called rich as an enemy. It is already very remarkable to earn 20,000 to 30,000 gold coins in a year.

There is no business in this world that earns more than 50,000 gold coins a year. So it's no wonder that Duke Xiting was angry and felt that he had been fooled.

Sauron took out a bag from his pocket, then slowly poured the salt inside on the table and said, "My lord duke, this is the business we want to do."

"Isn't it just salt?" Duke Xiting said dismissively: "I know that the rocky island where you are located was originally a secret salt field in Guixing. He captured thousands of slaves to cook salt on it. In the salt field, how much salt can be boiled by thousands of salt slaves a year, more than one million catties, is amazing."

Salt is indeed a good business, everyone in the world eats salt, and there are only three countries that can make salt, Nulang Kingdom, Yan Empire, and Dongli Kingdom.

Without him, because these three countries are coastal, in this world, there is no well salt, no rock salt, and we can only rely on boiled salt. So only coastal countries can boil salt.

As far as Nulang Kingdom alone is concerned, there are hundreds of saltworks, large and small, producing about two to three hundred million catties of salt a year.

These salts not only need to supply the tens of millions of people in Nulang Kingdom, but also sell to Xiliang Kingdom and more than a dozen countries, large and small. There were even barbarians from the South.

That's right, the barbarians in the south also need to eat salt. Although they also cook salt, they are barbarians after all. Production efficiency is far inferior to that of the human kingdom. And although the two sides are enemies of life and death, as long as there is money to make, any business in this world can be done.

What's more, there are many precious minerals among the southern barbarians that humans don't have, and they happen to be exchanged with each other.

So the business of boiling salt. Coastal counties, nobles, and princes are all doing it. Moreover, in this world, the salt and iron monopoly system has not yet been opened. Anyone with a little strength can cook salt, including him, Duke Xiting, who has two salt farms, and he is the same as Guixing.

Also use slaves to boil salt.

After all, it was profitable enough to boil salt with slaves. If you really hire civilians to cook salt, the cost will be so high.

However, some nobles who pay attention to reputation, as well as the official saltworks of the kingdom, can only hire professional saltmen.

So boiling salt is a good business, but no matter how big the salt farm is, earning tens of thousands of gold coins a year is already the sky's the limit.

The largest salt field in Nulang Kingdom is in the southeast province, which is directly under the Governor's Mansion. It is tens of thousands of acres in size, with tens of thousands of salt workers, and the amount of salt boiled in a year is only tens of millions of catties. This output is far incomparable with the well salt fields in ancient China.

Duke Xiting asked, "How big is your salt field?"

Sauron said: "For the time being, there are only 10,000 mu, but as long as there are enough people, I can open up 50,000 mu at any time. One hundred thousand mu of salt farms."

The Duke of Xiting bared his nose and said, "Your deserted island doesn't grow a single blade of grass. The trees on the mountain have already been cut down by Gui Xing. Where are you going to cut down the wood and cook the salt?"

This is the biggest problem of this era. Any salt field must meet two conditions, and there are enough trees. It is close to the sea, so the scale of the salt field has a bottleneck.

Duke Xiting said: "And even if you have enough trees, even if you open a salt field of 100,000 mu, it will require at least tens of thousands of slaves. How can you get so many slaves? Even if there are so many slaves, the salt field of 100,000 mu How much salt can be produced in a year, more than 10 million jacks, how much money can it make? Ten thousand gold coins is the sky."

Sauron looked at Duke Xiting and said, "My salt field needs only 5,000 salt workers for 100,000 mu. And the output is not 10 million catties."

"It's not ten million catties, how much is that?" Duke Xiting asked.

"It's more than a hundred million catties," Sauron said.

As soon as these words came out, Duke Xiting was choked by his own saliva, pulled out his ears vigorously, and said in a startled voice, "How much?"

"It's more than a hundred million catties," Sauron said.

"Impossible!" Duke Xiting sneered and said, "Don't think I don't know anything. There are two salt farms below me. The output of a salt farm of 10,000 mu is about one million catties, and at least three thousand salt is needed. Slave. Your 100,000-mu salt field only needs 5,000 salt farmers, and you can produce more than 100 million catties of salt? It’s completely a dream, and how many logs and how much salt can you boil on your rocky island?”

Sauron said: "I know His Excellency the Duke doesn't believe it, so I ask you to send a confidant to visit my Luanshi Island, and you will understand everything."

Seeing that Sauron's expression did not look like a joke at all, Duke Xiting was startled.

This Sauron was in the royal city, but he created shocking miracles, which made both Xi Ning and Xi Li suffer greatly. Could it be that he really has some shocking skills?

However, it is too appalling for a salt farm to produce hundreds of millions of catties of salt every year.

"What you said is true?" Duke Xiting asked.

"Of course, how dare I lie to the Duke." Sauron said: "In fact, as long as there are enough people, my salt farm can produce 100 million, 200 million catties or even more salt. Not only can it be sold to Nulang The kingdom can also be sold to the Xiliang Kingdom, to Beiting, and to the southern barbarians."

Duke Xiting held his breath and asked, "How much does your catty of salt cost?"

"There is almost no cost." Sauron said: "Because my salt is not boiled, so I don't need to consume wood."

The table salt in this world is directly coarse salt, and only the fine salt used by noble people needs to be purified and recrystallized. Therefore, it can be sold directly after it is published.

Although Duke Xiting couldn't believe it, the salt in this world didn't need to be boiled. But this did not prevent him from making calculations in his mind.

If it is really possible to produce 100 million catties a year, it will be billions of copper coins, which is a full 100,000 gold coins. And if it was the 200 million jin that Sauron said, it would be 200,000 gold coins.

And as long as there is salt, Duke Xiting can sell as much as there is.

If the Nulang Kingdom could not be sold out, it would be sold to the Xiliang Kingdom, to the Beifeng Kingdom, to the southern barbarians, and so on.

The whole of Middle-earth alone. There are dozens of countries, large and small, with hundreds of millions of people.

Let's put it this way, the world can only rely on seawater to cook salt, and there are only a handful of saltwater lakes in the inland areas. Salt has always been relatively scarce. So much so that it was sold at a sky-high price of ** ten copper coins per catty when it was sold to the common people.

So as long as there is salt, no matter how many Dukes of Xiting there are, they can be sold.

If there are really 200 million catties, it will earn more than 100,000 to 200,000 gold coins in a year, and this is a long-term business that can be done from generation to generation.

In this way. You can earn more than one million gold coins in ten years, which is really more than the kingdom's annual tax.

Sauron said: "Your Excellency, I will only do this business with you alone. I will be responsible for the production and you will be responsible for the sales. The two of us will share 50-50."

Immediately, Duke Xiting could hardly breathe, and his eyes burst into an incomparably bright light.

"What you said is true, you didn't lie to me?" Duke Xiting didn't dare to believe it.

Sauron said: "You are my benefactor and my only backer in the royal city, how dare I deceive you?"

"Hehe. Your only backer is not me." Duke Xiting said: "But, I really can't believe it. Your barren land can produce 100 to 200 million catties of salt every year. It's really unbelievable even in a dream."

Sauron said: "It's very simple. You only need to send one of your confidantes to visit my Chaos Stone Island and you will know that everything I said is true."

Duke Xiting closed his eyes, pondered for a long time, then opened his eyes suddenly and said: "I don't want to send any confidants anymore, it's such a big thing. I will go by myself."

Sauron was stunned, and said: "This is going to sea, and there may be a returning fleet on the way, you..."

"I don't believe it. How dare Guixing take action against me?" Duke Xiting sneered and said, "That's it. I will follow you to Luanshi Island myself. I want to see how your salt came out? "

...

That night, Duke Xiting secretly entered the palace.

The next day, Duke Xiting, who almost never left the royal city, announced. Go to the southeast of the kingdom to relax.

Immediately, the nobles in Wangcheng rejoiced, this scourge was finally going away, even though it was only for a while.

The governor, county guards, and nobles and princes in the southeast of the Nulang Kingdom are very worried. This pest must not come to my territory. The biggest dude in the royal city is notoriously greedy for money. Notoriously difficult to wait on.

Under the protection of thousands of elite soldiers, Duke Xiting left the royal city in the most comfortable and luxurious carriage, and headed east along the official road.

Hurrying quickly, it still took a full seven days to reach Izumo County on the northeast coast of Nulang Kingdom.

The reason why I chose to go to sea here is because Izumo County is rarely the territory of Duke Xiting. The county governor here, Zuo Daojin, was originally a down-and-out aristocrat, and he climbed up to the position of Izumo county governor step by step by kneeling and licking Duke Shitei shamelessly.

Of course, his official position has come to an end here, Duke Xiting's power in the political arena is so great.

Moreover, he has two saltworks in Izumo County, which need the care of Zuo Daojin. However, he was completely satisfied with being able to sit firmly as the governor of Izumo for a lifetime, and even the ancestral grave was smoking.

As for him kneeling and licking the Duke of Xiting, being despised by the world's nobles? So what, fame is nothing compared to glory and wealth.

Hearing that his lord was coming, Izumo Magistrate Zuojima was both scared and excited. He had already arranged everything, prepared the most exquisite food, the most gorgeous manor, the most beautiful woman, and even his wife and concubines. .

In this way, he was afraid that his preparations were not thorough enough, and he would not be able to sleep all night.

As a result, when Duke Shiting arrived in Izumo County, he didn't stop at all, and directly boarded the magnificent and huge ship, and led a fleet of ships to the sea.

Immediately, the Izumo County Sheriff knelt on the ground and almost urinated in fright, completely out of his wits and cold all over his body.

"I, what did I do wrong to make the Lord unhappy? Am I going to die?"

He was disgraced by all the nobles, and his only support was the Duke of Xiting. If he was abandoned by the Duke of Xiting, his family would be completely ruined.

Not to mention how frightened and desperate Zuo Daojin was when he returned to the sheriff's mansion in a frightened state, hiding in bed and crying loudly.

Duke Xiting's fleet consisted of dozens of ships, large and small, loaded with food, vegetables, and cured meat, and sailed to Luanshi Island in a mighty manner.

After sailing for hundreds of miles, after a day and a night, the rocky island ahead is already in sight.

But what is that? Random Stone Island was besieged?

Going back to the line and taking charge dared to risk the displeasure of the world. Openly send troops to attack Luanshi Island?

After tens of miles, Sauron saw dozens of boats surrounding the wharf of Luanshi Island.

...

To be precise, there were twenty-five ships, a full two thousand soldiers, and the elite naval forces of Guishi in Linhai City came out in full force.

There are thousands of crossbowmen on board. Zheng bent his bow and aimed his arrow at the island.

At this time, almost all the warriors and salt people on the Rocky Island came out in full force, armed with various weapons of aphorisms, and confronted the returning army on the ship.

Suo Ningbing looked at Gui's fleet. Angrily said: "This is my Suoshi's sacred territory, any outsider is not allowed to set foot on Luanshi Island without permission."

"Hahaha... What is your Suoshi's territory, it's just a rotten bone thrown out by my family, and thanks to you, Suoshi's, you treat this barren land like a treasure." Gui's navy leader sneered.

He is the third son of Gui Xingchen, Gui Qin Zhong, a high-ranking warrior and the commander of Linhai City's navy.

Suo Ningbing said: "Even so, you Gui Shi has no right to land on the island, please leave quickly, otherwise..."

"What else?" Gui Qin Zhong said coldly, "Just relying on your thousands of cats and dogs, you also want to block my thousands of troops? A traitor escaped from Linhai City Lord's Mansion, and many people saw him fleeing to Luanshi with their own eyes. The island is hidden. If you are not guilty, why don't you let me go to the island to search?"

Suo Ningbing was so angry that her delicate body trembled, Gui Shi was really shameless, she made up such an absurd reason for going to the island to find out the truth.

Immediately, she didn't want to talk nonsense, and directly ordered: "Everyone is ready, once someone lands on the island, they will be killed."

"Yes!" All the warriors present and all the salt people shouted in unison.

Now in the warehouse on the island. There are millions of catties of salt, and the secret of the salt fields. Once these robbers are allowed to land on the island, with all the hard work in the past few months, Soxhlet will restore all hope. will be completely destroyed.

What's more, these salt fields are all present, each acre has been opened up, I don't know how much blood and sweat has been shed, and all their hopes have been condensed, and they would rather die than let the robbers snatch them.

So despite the disparity in power. But everyone on the island did not hesitate to fight desperately.

Looking at the more than a thousand salt people on the island with wooden sticks and forks, Gui Qin Zhong smiled disdainfully and said, "Rush forward, and anyone who stops me from searching for the rebels will be killed."

Then, dozens of ships rushed towards the pier desperately. Thousands of crossbowmen are ready to shoot killing arrows at any time.

...

"Your territory has been robbed, what should you do?" Duke Xiting asked.

Sauron said: "Can you borrow thousands of soldiers from the Duke?"

"Of course." Xi Ting said: "If what you said is true, then half of the salt field on the island is mine, how can I let robbers get their hands on it."

Sauron said: "What if the people we sent by Gui Xingzhang were killed completely?"

With a shudder, Xi Ting killed them all, then... that would be a lot of trouble.

Sauron said: "Guixing bears the number of soldiers who can go to sea, which is a few thousand. If we kill them all this time, there will probably be no large-scale attack on Chaoshi Island from the sea next time. It is once and for all."

Duke Xiting tremblingly said: "Your island can really produce so much salt?"

Sauron said: "Whether it's true or not, His Excellency the Duke will be able to see it in two hours at most."

Duke Xiting closed his eyes and pondered, hesitating, and finally his eyes became cold and determined.

"All the troops are ready, advance at full speed, and kill all the pirates in front." Duke Xiting said.

"Yes." The officers on the upstairs ship shouted in unison: "All ships speed up, all archers, get ready!"

In the darkness, Duke Xiting's fleet began to speed up desperately, outflanking Gui Qin Zhong's fleet.

...

"Third Young Master, what if we really want to kill him? What should we do?" A general asked.

Gui Qinzhong said: "What else can we do? Kill all the people on the island, leaving only Sauron, and Suo Ningbing alive."

"But..." the general said: "After all, this is the territory of Suoshi, and what we do is against the laws of the kingdom."

Gui Qinzhong sneered and said: "Now Sauron is like a bereaved dog. It would be good if he didn't starve to death on this deserted island. How could he still go to the royal city to file a complaint?"

Gui Qinzhong searched the crowd several times, but he didn't see Sauron.

Sauron, a waste, really didn't dare to show up at a critical moment. Fortunately, the old man kept warning himself not to go to Luanshi Island without his order, and to be careful of his schemes.

My father is a little too weak. How could he endure this bastard who insulted my family and my sister's reputation so much?

In the past two days, when his father was not there, his younger sister Gui Qinshao stole his father's military talisman, and then his mother Turingsi came forward, and he was able to lead the two thousand sailors from Linhai City to attack Luanshi Island.

That idiot Yan Tingyi almost cried in fright, unable to stop himself, he immediately left Linhai City on horseback to complain to his father.

When his father came back, he would have already finished his work. Not only had everything about Luanshi Island been found out, but everyone on the island had been wiped out.

Hmph, this family still has to rely on themselves!

Then, Gui Qinzhong looked at Suo Ningbing in the firelight, it was really beautiful, that soft figure, that beautiful face, that kind of delicate temperament, it was a gift that a man could only dream of.

"Sauron, you dare to humiliate my sister, today I will really humiliate your sister, let you enjoy the tragedy that is called heaven and earth." Gui Qinzhong looked at Suo Ningbing, suddenly full of greed and mania.

"Third brother, where's that thief Sauron?" At this moment, a woman's voice came from next to his ear, which was extremely sweet but full of incomparable hatred.

Then, a soldier stepped forward and took off the arrow-proof mask on his face, revealing a suffocatingly beautiful face, who else could it be if it wasn't Gui Qinshao?

Suddenly, Gui Qinzhong was startled, and said: "Sister, you... why are you here? Let father know, he will peel off my skin."

"Why can't I come? I stole the soldier talisman." Gui Qinshao, dressed in military uniform, looked in the direction of Luanshi Island and said, "I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Today I will definitely let Sauron not survive, but die. No. Return the shame he gave me ten times a hundred times."

Then, Gui Qinshao looked at Gui Qinzhong with her big beautiful eyes and said, "Third Brother, I don't care what you do next, and you don't care what I do."

Gui Qinzhong hesitated for a while, looking at Suo Ningbing on the island, his eyes gradually became evil, and said: "Okay, I don't care what you do to Sauron. But father said, Sauron can't be killed."

"Kill? I won't kill." Gui Qinshao said: "In this world, I don't know how many kinds of torture are more terrible than death."

Then, she directly stepped forward and said: "Rush up and kill all the people on the island."

At the same time, Sauron led Duke Xiting's fleet, like a demon in the darkness, opened its dark mouth towards Qin Zhong's fleet.

He still doesn't know that Gui Qinshao is also in this big net.

...

Note: A large chapter of more than 5,000 words is sent here. I wrote it at 6:00 am in the hotel. I still have something to do today, woo woo. (To be continued.)