Chapter 56 Getting on the Right Track

  The reason for the haste was that the salt merchants who attended the gathering that day were in a hurry, saying that the sales of Ling Shan salt had been declining gradually, as the local area had become more stable, and the salt production in Yuer Town and Hai Cang had increased, and the salt from Chang Lu had begun to enter the Ru Deng Lei area.

  After the four salt-policing teams were dispatched, several key water and land routes were tightly controlled. To know that the semi-bandit nature of the external salt merchants had no way to confront the salt-policing team, a military organization, after several clashes, they all retreated.

  As for the two salt farms in Yuer Town and Haicang, they were directly blocked by Li Meng's men at the entrance, selling publicly, everything followed the rules of Lingshan Salt, and not too long after that, a private salt farm was opened between the two salt farms, and the salt-making households were all dug up from these two places.

  In the sixth year of Chongzhen, August, the private salt in Laizhou Prefecture, to the west of Dengzhou and to the east of Qingzhou, except for some small households that operated independently, were all under Li Meng's control.

  Although it was a hot summer in August, Meng Town was close to the sea and the summers of recent years had been much cooler than before, so it was still bearable. On the official road from Meng Town to Jiao State City, there were over a hundred people gathered on one side, constantly looking towards the direction of the state city, as if waiting for something.

  Standing in the front was Hou Shan, wearing a long shirt. He looked even more majestic than when he first met Li Mengchu, with a straight back and an air of grandeur. Behind him stood the manager of Wangjia Salt Store. If it were in the past, Hou Shan would not have had a place to stand in front of these two salt store managers, but now they had to stand behind him.

  Further back was Liaoning civilian Guo Dong, who had been rescued by Li Meng a month ago. He no longer had the desperate and numb look of a disaster victim, but rather looked spirited. Further back were various people related to private salt or Li Meng, all waiting in welcome.

  It was almost noon when someone with sharp eyes spotted it from afar and shouted loudly.

  "Mr. Li has arrived! Mr. Li has arrived!"

  The crowd that had been waiting here for half a day suddenly burst into cheers, some wiping away sweat and tidying up their appearance, while others shouted at the people beside them to hurry up. Although they saw him, it wasn't until after half a day that Li Meng finally arrived in front of them.

  Now Li Meng is much more robust than when he first came to this era (in the eyes of the people around him, it was a recovery of his senses). He still wears a half-old linen short gown. The four captains and Ning Shifu repeatedly advised Li Meng to wear silk, but he refused every time. Everyone thought that after becoming rich and noble, Li Meng did not forget his simplicity, which is the style of a heroic person.

  It's actually not that complicated, it's just that Li Meng feels that this set of clothes is quite similar to the uniform he wore before, and the movements are also convenient.

  Li Meng, who was normally agile and nimble, looked a bit comical at this moment. He rode his horse with great care, looking as if he was afraid of falling off. To be fair to him, in modern times, Li Meng didn't even have the chance to ride a horse when he went out to play, but now that he had come to the Ming Dynasty, riding a horse was the fastest mode of transportation, and he had no choice but to learn.

  But this month, what riding skills will be practiced, so there is such a careful appearance of leaning on the horse. Although it's funny, no one in the audience dares to laugh, they all bow their heads and pay respects. Guo Dong and the Liao people behind him are all kneeling down and kowtowing, these Liao people are all Li Meng's slaves, they must show such respect.

  Li Meng got off his horse and smiled at the two salt shop owners, nodding at them before walking ahead in big strides. Hou Shan hurried to catch up with him, laughing softly as he said:

  "Wouldn't it be better for Old Man Li to live in the provincial city? Although this village is his hometown, it can't compare with the city!"

  "First arrange for the salt workers who followed me to have food and lodging in the city, but what's the point of being surrounded by high walls on all sides? While it may be convenient, when things get critical, it's also convenient to lock people inside!"

  Hou Shan didn't understand either, but just smiled and nodded in response, not planning to ask any more questions. Li Meng also didn't hope that Hou Shan would understand, after all there was a difference in status and closeness, those few team leaders were all called "sir" or "big brother", while Hou Shan was called "master", the distinction wasn't small.

  Li Meng now has more than 700 people under his command, and the money spent on these people is truly not small. It's no longer the old way of layer-by-layer exploitation, but rather using the military training method to pay salaries. The entire salt administration inspection system in the Ming dynasty is roughly the same, with hundreds of thugs and henchmen under their command. What Li Meng did was not wrong, but it's still too abnormal, if someone with ulterior motives were to seize on this handle.

  Once the city gate is closed, it's really hard to fly with wings. Although Li Meng said that the monthly allowance for each government department was given - Ning Shifu did a good job in this matter, but this was just giving out the money that should be given, and not having a good relationship with the governor and various officials.

  In the state city, if someone wants to calculate Li Meng, Li Meng will only be caught off guard. And those who calculate Li Meng are only related to the government.

  After arriving at Meng Town, the wind and grass within a radius of ten miles are all clear to Li Meng. Moreover, the transportation here is convenient, with four roads and eight paths, making it extremely free and easy to move around. The distance from the state city and the salt field is only half a day's journey, and it is free to come and go. With the support of Ling Mountain Wei, this can also be considered as Li Meng's foundation. However, these words will not be spoken to Hou Shan, but only that the villa here is convenient for renovation and living.

  After exchanging a few pleasantries with others, Hou Shan and Guo Dong followed Li Meng towards the manor, which was actually just a courtyard surrounded by a wall. Inside, the only decent house was Li Meng's residence, a two-story building with its own private courtyard within the manor.

  The land in Mengzhen Town is barren and the fields are not worth much. Although this piece of land is large, it didn't cost a lot of silver. Inside the courtyard, apart from Li Meng's small mansion, there were also many houses being built by the Liao people and their current dwellings, which were all in disarray. It was estimated that they would be busy until October to finish everything, and this was still with sufficient manpower and materials.

  After entering the manor, Li Mengsi glanced around and directly entered his own courtyard. Others thought he was going to rest and went about their own business, no longer disturbing him.

  After lunch, the management is not strict, so the people of Liao are used to going out for a stroll or taking a nap. After working hard for several years, it's also a rare rest. Guo Song carried a long package into Li Meng's mansion and carefully closed the door after entering.

  Who would have thought that when he turned his head back, he found two salted eggs holding waist knives staring at him with a cold voice:

  "Come on in if you don't report, what's going on!"