The Ming government's salt policy decided that the government must trade with businessmen, but the government never seemed to realize that it was a contractual relationship between itself and merchants. In its view, the country is high above, and every citizen has the obligation to make sacrifices for it. Businessmen are expected to participate voluntarily in government activities and generate profits and taxes. When there is no profit and no one is willing to sell salt, the government will recruit businessmen to accomplish this task, just as ordinary people have to undertake all kinds of taxes and servings. In fact, it is taken for granted that businessmen bear some losses when dealing with the government, and officials may think that such losses are partly the cost of franchising business.
ing business in the text?
Taxes paid by salt merchants on the distribution of table salt