Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party that Traveled to Another World

"Can some taxes be reduced in the early stage?"

As soon as Bennett said this, there was silence in the hall.

Some people secretly laughed at him for being crazy. There was no natural disaster or man-made disaster, so you asked a lord to reduce taxes?

Some people were secretly glad that Bennett was the first to say what he wanted to say.

Some people who were familiar with him were worried about him.

Paul stared at Bennett motionlessly, which made him feel uneasy. Would he leave a bad impression on the lord?

The lord finally spoke: "What's your name?"

Bennett answered nervously: "Ben... Bennett, Bennett Todd, uh... I'm a ship merchant in Port Fulan."

Paul nodded and said, "Oh, Mr. Todd. Your suggestion is very good. In fact, this is also one of the business-friendly measures I will talk about next."

Mayor Theodore and consultant Old Peter looked at each other and saw each other's doubts. It seems that the count didn't tell them about this in advance?

Paul cleared his throat and continued, "As for how to reduce taxes specifically, we have to discuss it with the State Council before making a decision."

Seeing that his proposal coincided with the measures the lord was going to say, Bennett breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Lord Graman."

He thanked Paul gratefully and sat down.

The merchants in the hall were also excited. It seemed that the lord was really determined to support them. They looked at Paul gratefully, and many of them had secretly made up their minds to make a big deal.

Paul was depressed: Damn it, how could I forget such a measure that could whet the appetite of merchants, and it was actually proposed by others first.

Then I saw that everyone in the hall looked at him eagerly, waiting for him to announce the rest of the business-friendly measures.

By the way, I just said it was one of them.

Okay, let's go for it. Paul stood up from his seat and threw two big bombs:

First, he would order the State Council to set up an organization called "Bank" to lend money at low interest rates to those operators who lacked start-up capital.

Second, he was going to follow the example of the Horn Bay Alliance in the south and set up a stock exchange, where operators could sell securities through the exchange to raise idle funds in society.

"Wow--" The hall was in uproar again.

In fact, these two things are not new.

There are many lending organizations in the private sector, but the interest rate is very high, which often makes the borrowers bankrupt. In comparison, the low-interest loans of "banks" are very tempting.

The securities trading of the Horn Bay Alliance has been established for a long time, but there has never been a similar institution in other places.

With Bennett as the first bird, others also let go of their courage.

A businessman asked: "Lord Graman, I wonder which technologies you will authorize to us?"

What, I have said so much, but I haven't said which industries I want to open up? I really should let Bernard write a manuscript for me in advance.

Paul thought for a while and said: "The first one is papermaking. I believe everyone has used this kind of paper."

Everyone nodded. This cheap paper has entered everyone's daily life.

Paul continued: "The second one is salt making."

Salt making? Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Alda already had a salt-making industry, and salt was one of the few products in the northwest coastal area that could be sold outside the area. After all, not every place could make salt.

Seeing the confusion of the crowd, Paul asked: "Are there any salt merchants here? Please raise your hands."

After several people raised their hands, he pointed to the one sitting in the front and asked: "Tell me, how do you get salt on weekdays?"

The salt merchant who was pointed stood up and introduced himself first: "Sir, my name is Godwin Toby. The area around the Northwest Bay uses seawater to boil salt. There are salt farmers who make a living by boiling salt in the villages and towns near the sea. We salt merchants go to buy it every month and then transport it to various inland places for sale."

"How much sea salt can you buy every month?"

Godwin thought for a while and said: "All the salt merchants in Alda add up to about 2,000 kilograms."

Paul said: "Too little, I have a way to increase the monthly sea salt production to tens of thousands of kilograms, and there is no need to burn fire, the cost is extremely low."

Everyone felt incredible after hearing this. If Alda can really produce tens of thousands of kilograms of sea salt every month in a low-cost way, the money earned will be dozens of times more.

The method Paul mentioned is to use seawater to make salt. He thinks the climate and light of the Northwest Bay are very suitable for the salting method.

Choose a large flat beach to build a salt field. The salt field is generally divided into two parts: evaporation pool and crystallization pool.

Use the high tide to introduce seawater into the evaporation pool. When the water evaporates to a certain extent through the sun, pour it into the crystallization pool. Continue to sunbathe, and the seawater will become a saturated solution of salt. Salt crystals will gradually precipitate out after further sunbathing. However, it cannot be dried directly, because there are many other components in the seawater, which will be mixed into the salt if it is completely dried.

At this time, coarse salt is obtained, which contains impurities such as mud and sand. If you want to improve the quality, you can add clean water to dissolve, filter, and then directly dry and re-crystallize to get cleaner salt. However, the output will decrease a lot if this process is added.

In fact, the salt after secondary crystallization is still coarse salt. It is not only large in particles, but also contains magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and other components that make the taste bitter, and may even be mixed with sodium nitrite that is harmful to the human body.

However, this is a harsh world similar to the Middle Ages on Earth. The lower-class people are very happy to eat coarse salt, and only rich businessmen like Bennett can eat finely ground salt.

The nobles in this world can also eat refined salt after purification, but they must get it from well salt.

No mistake, one post, one content, one 6, one 9, one book, one bar!

The specific method is: grind soybeans into soy milk and put it into the pot. After boiling with brine, because plant protein has strong cohesion, it can absorb impurities such as calcium sulfate and humus in the brine to form foam floating on the liquid surface. Then take the foam, which plays the role of extracting impurities and purifying brine.

However, the refined salt made by this method is simply a luxury among luxury goods. The lower-class people and ordinary rich people should not think about it. Some places directly legislate to prohibit non-nobles from buying refined salt.

Seeing the incredible look of everyone, Paul smiled mysteriously: "The specific method can only be known after you obtain authorization."

The mysterious smile of the lord whetted the appetite of salt merchants such as Godwin.

Paul continued, "The third is food processing. I said at the beginning that there is a war in the south. In addition to staple foods such as bread, the soldiers on the front line also need to eat meat and vegetables. But everyone knows that under normal circumstances, meat and vegetables cannot be preserved for a long time. The quartermasters of every army in every era are very troubled by this problem."

"If we can find a way to preserve food for a long time without deterioration, His Majesty the King will definitely place a large order for us."

Someone asked below: "Does Lord Graman mean that we should process some dried fish and dried meat and sell them to the kingdom's army?"

Paul shrugged and said, "This is also a way. You can try to make some yourself. But I want to talk about another method. It can preserve not only meat, but also vegetables and fruits. Moreover, the meat preserved by this method tastes much better than dried meat."

"I named this processed food-canned food. The Lord's Mansion plans to build a canning factory by itself. I believe that everyone will see it on the market soon."

Canned food? Another new thing. Count Graman can be regarded as a prolific inventor. Everyone admired him.

The cans Paul mentioned were the most primitive cans.

In 1800, in order to solve the stomach problems of the soldiers, Napoleon, the first ruler of France, offered a huge bonus of 12,000 francs to collect solutions or inventions that could preserve military rations for a long time.

In 1810, a man named Nicolas Appert won the bonus by inventing cans.

His method of making cans is very simple: process the food, put it into a wide-mouth bottle, put it all in a boiling water pot, heat it for 30 to 60 minutes, plug it with a cork while it is hot, and then reinforce it with wire or seal it with wax.

The cans made by this simple method, after several months of sea transportation, hot weather and humidity, still did not deteriorate after opening.

What is more suitable than cans for the kingdom's army that will fight deep in the south in the future? Of course, if they will not "resupply on the spot" from the residents.

Hansel almost went crazy after learning about the characteristics of canned food. He cried and begged Paul and the State Council to give priority to supporting the development of the canned food industry.

Okay, the meeting is almost over here. Paul stood up and said:

"Everyone, I have said everything that needs to be said. Today's meeting ends here. If you are interested in cooperating with the Lord's Mansion, please find Mayor Theodore and Consultant Peter to sign up, or you can go home and think about it first, haha. I have other things to do, so I have to leave first."

Seeing that the Lord was leaving, everyone stood up to see him off.

After Paul disappeared from the side door, the town Theodore and Consultant Old Peter were almost instantly surrounded by the people who rushed to the front...