Great industrialists and businessmen in the Warring States period. Originally a poor scholar of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period. When his life was difficult, he heard the news that Fan Li abandoned his official position and became rich in business, so he "asked for advice". Fan Li told him: "If a son wants to get rich quickly, he should be the fifth (female) animal. All the way to Xihe (present-day southwestern Shaanxi), settled in Yijia Liao Wang, raised cattle and sheep, and later engaged in salt industry. In ten years, he became as rich as Tao Gong.
During the Warring States Period, Yi Dun, a Wei native, was given his real name, and his name and date of birth and death were not verified. He was a famous industrialist and businessman in the early Warring States period, which greatly promoted the development of handicrafts and commerce in Shanxi.
"Historical Records" quoted Kong as saying: "A meal was originally from Shandong, and the youth was poor. "The tiller is often hungry, and the mulberry is often cold." He is hungry and cold and leads a hard life. Just when he was at his wit's end, he heard that Gou Jian's advisers had helped Yue destroy Wu and helped him take the lead, so he abandoned his official position and went into business, and implemented another strategy of seeking a big country for his family. Later, in 19, he moved to Dingtao (now Dingtao, Shandong Province), "taking charge of production and life, and earning money from time to time". Riding on envy, I tried to ask. Tao Zhugong sympathized with him and gave him a secret recipe: "If a son wants to get rich quickly, he must be an animal." Cows are often called females. Tao Zhugong asked him to raise a few cattle and sheep first, because he was poor and had no capital at that time, and he could make a fortune after a long time. This is indeed a feasible way to get rich for Yi Dun. So, according to the instructions, Qidun moved to Xihe (now southwest Shanxi) and raised cattle and sheep in the south of Yijia (now Linyi, Shanxi). At that time, the soil in this area was moist and the grassland was vast, especially in Duizhe, 20 miles south of Yixian County. It is a low-lying place with a large shovel, rich aquatic plants and pleasant scenery, which is an ideal place for animal husbandry. Eden used to wipe it here.
Due to Eton's efforts, the scale of animal husbandry is expanding day by day. "In the past ten years, countless people have become famous all over the world." Because it originated from Yi Jia, it was named Yi Dun. To express gratitude to Tao Zhugong, Yidun built the Tao Zhugong Temple in Liaowang Village, Linyi County.
Riding a horse can enrich the princes with animal husbandry, and its animal husbandry scale can be imagined, which played a great role in promoting the development of animal husbandry in southern Shanxi at that time. At the same time, the process of making a fortune by cattle and sheep also accumulated some business experience for him.
A meal in the management of animal husbandry at the same time, has noticed the salt in the Hedong pool in the south of Yijia. When he sells cattle and sheep, he will bring some pool salt to sell with the livestock. In this process, people realize that trafficking in pond salt is a more profitable way to get rich. Therefore, after he accumulated abundant capital by animal husbandry, he deliberately developed Hedong pond salt, engaged in pond salt production and trade, and became a craftsman and businessman.
During the Warring States period, although the development of the interests of mountains and rivers was controlled by the government, the government did not directly manage it, but let the "people" run it by taking three-tenths of the tax, but this "people" was by no means an ordinary craftsman, but a rich and powerful citizen. Because this kind of development requires a lot of investment and a certain amount of labor, as "Salt and Iron Theory Banning Farming" says: "Non-noble people don't get the benefits". Yidun belongs to Hao Min, so he has the right to develop salt in Hedong pond. The direct producers should be the poor and employees attached to him.
The first volume of Yongzheng Xiuhe Hedong Salt Law says: Hedong pool salt is "salt poured in the pool water, which can be eaten directly (at that time). No need to cure, bring your own particles. " That is, when the pool water is scratched on the ground, it will become granular salt after exposure to the sun, and it does not need to be boiled. Therefore, it was called "the treasure of the country" in the six years of success in Zuo Zhuan. It is precisely because Hedong pond salt is a kind of natural beauty and inexhaustible financial resources that Yidun constantly expanded the production and sales scale of pond salt, making him a famous rich man in China at that time.
It is said that in order to manage the pond salt more effectively and speed up the trafficking, Yidun tried to change the backward donkey-cart transportation mode and wanted to transport it by boat, so he dug the first artificial canal in Shanxi. According to Gan Long's "Linjin County Records" (Volume 6), this canal starts from Hedong Yanchi, passes through Wuxing Lake, enters the Yellow River from Wuxing Lake, and reaches Mengming Bridge in Puban (now Yongji County, Shanxi Province), which is about a hundred miles (this is basically the route of the post-Wei Yongfeng Canal). Just because the Yellow River silt blocked the mouth of the canal, it can't be used. At present, there is no original data to prove the canal, so we have to doubt it. Here only from several aspects to analyze its possibility. Objectively speaking, digging this canal is not only the need to transport pond salt, but also the need to protect pond salt, because Hedong pond salt is most afraid of soaking in guest water (foreign water) and destroying pond salt production. The canal can draw away the guest water and protect the salt pond. Since then, the excavation of Yongfeng Canal is also for this purpose. Topographically, this line is flat, there is no rock, and the project is not difficult. Considering the level of productivity, the extensive use of iron at that time greatly enhanced people's ability to develop water conservancy. The Han ditch dug by the State of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period, the 12 diversion canal dug by Qiu State of Wei in the early Warring States Period, and the cut gap all proved that this canal could be dug at that time. Financially speaking, Yidun had become a rich man and had the strength to build a canal. Of course, historical facts need sufficient information to explain, and this issue remains to be further explored in the future.
"The corpse governs the world" said: "The way of wisdom is nothing more than virtue. If you borrow a horse's bole, you can borrow a jade. " "Huai Nan Zi Xun Lun" also said: "Jade workers dazzle jade like green (a kind of beautiful jade), and they are tired without losing their feelings." Yidun's appreciation of jewelry is so high that it can be compared with Bole Xiangma. From this, it can be speculated that a meal may also sell jewelry while operating pond salt, and has accumulated quite rich experience.
Through diversified management, Yidun eventually became a rich man and was very famous in the society at that time. "Han Feizi's Interpretation of the Old Chapter": "People who act rashly because of their reasons, although respected by emperors and generals, are rich in a meal, Tao Zhu and Buzhu, but lose their people and their wealth." Thus, Eaton's wealth has surpassed that of Tao Zhugong, and it can be compared with the king.
The above facts show that Yidun played a very important role in the development of animal husbandry in southern Shanxi and salt industry in Hedongchi, and also played an important role in the history of Shanxi's commercial development. He is the earliest wealthy industrialist and businessman in Shanxi and an important figure in Shanxi's economic history. Its hard struggle experience is worth summarizing.