According to the history of the development of metal currency, gold is the more ideal currency and has been used until the twentieth century.
However, at this stage, the Song Dynasty's annual gold income was only tens of thousands of taels and silver was hundreds of thousands of taels. Minerals were scarce and not enough to be used as currency.
The large influx of silver was still a matter of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in later generations, so now we can only use copper coins with great hidden dangers to transition.
Cao Bin's original plan was to fully engage in maritime trade within ten years, plunder gold from South Africa and other places, and complete enough reserves to replace copper coins.
It is not that he has never thought about using banknotes entirely, but finance at this stage is not complete. Without reliable anchor goods, it will be difficult to gain recognition from the people, and it is easy to over-issue banknotes and cause disasters.
Although there are banknotes and salt banknotes today, they are mostly used by local or private banks, and they use cash silver and table salt as the benchmark products.
Even so, in order to collect the military expenditures of the year before last, the salt administration of Huaidong was messed up by Cai Jing.
If it were widely used across the country and Queen Mother Pan could taste the benefits, would she still have to print money? At that time, Cao Bin, the initiator, will be blamed.
Although he doesn't care about reputation, he doesn't want to be taken advantage of either.
Now that Wang Anshi has proposed maritime trade currency, it is different. Even if the over-issuance is excessive, foreign countries will be harmed.
Moreover, a lot of copper materials can be saved, and the problem of insufficient copper coins can be avoided, and the plan to rob gold does not need to be so urgent.
Of course, as long as the sea trade is in the hands of Cao Bin, he will not do anything like fishing in the lake. Even if the money is issued, it must be done quietly and secretly.
At this stage, the most important thing is to encourage maritime merchants to use banknotes to ensure credibility.
"Okay, Mr. Jiefu's plan is very clever. In this way, there will be no worries about coin reform."
Cao Bin smoothed over his thoughts and couldn't help but smile while stroking his palms. He also praised Wang Anshi and raised his glass to pay tribute.
Wang Anshi hurriedly declined and took a drink and said:
"Marquis Cao is humble. Without the foundation laid by Marquis Cao, Anshi would not be able to come up with the plan, let alone implement it."
As he spoke, he picked up the plan written by Li Qingzhao from his side, held it in front of Cao Bin and said:
"This book is full of national plans. Anshi doesn't dare to stay for a long time. Please ask the Marquis to take it back."
Cao Bin waved his hand and said:
"I would like to recommend Jiefu to be the first chief officer of the Song Dynasty Bank and take charge of the construction of the bank. I wonder if Mr. Jiefu dares to accept the order?"
In the plan, the Bank of the Song Dynasty was in charge of the issuance of coins across the country and formulated various monetary systems. It was no less important than the departments such as Duzhi and Hubu under the jurisdiction of the three departments.
Although Wang Anshi has been in the officialdom for many years, he has mostly been a local official. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered Beijing, Cao Bin had high hopes for such an important position to be given to him.
"This... Anshi's qualifications are slightly inferior. This may break the rules of the court, and Anshi really dare not accept the order."
Seeing his refusal, Zhang Dun disapproved and said:
"Well, Han Jiang of the Department of Salt and Iron was admitted to the imperial examination in the same year as Mr. Jiefu. His qualifications may not be as good as yours, but he can use his family to help you all. Why not, sir?"
"What's more, the Bank of the Song Dynasty is a key means for the Marquis to accumulate financial resources for the court and prepare troops to defeat the Liao Dynasty. Sir, you have great talent, how can you miss the opportunity to establish a great career because of a trivial matter?"
As he spoke, he added:
"Sir, did you think that after the Liao Kingdom was defeated in battle the year before last, it would remain contented?"
"The Marquis has always been paying attention to Northern Liao. Since pacifying the rebellion in the country last year, Emperor Yelu Longxu of Liao has worked hard to reorganize his troops, plunder money, and vigorously suppress and integrate surrounding unstable tribes."
"Now they are using both soft and hard tactics against Goryeo... Whenever the humiliation of defeat in previous years inspires the soldiers, it is not difficult to guess that their ambition must be to take revenge on the Song Dynasty."
Finally, he said with a ruthless expression:
"Therefore, it is not that we are warlike and martial, but that the national conditions are like this."
"If you want to be stable, you must deal with these barbarians ruthlessly and regain Youyun so that they will not dare to peek at our divine weapon."
Cao Bin nodded and smiled:
"Zihou is right. It is not easy to recover Yanyun and completely defeat Bei Liao. The Song Dynasty still has many shortcomings, which need to be changed one by one."
"You and I are determined to strengthen the country and enrich the people, and restore the Song Dynasty to the strong style of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Time will not wait for us, so Jiefu does not have to abide by the small details..."
Wang Anshi couldn't help but look moved when he heard Cao Bin casually talking about his ambitions. Just as he was about to speak, Shi Qian suddenly walked into the room quickly and whispered in Cao Bin's ear:
"Master Hou, Cai Zhongshu has something to ask for."
Cao Bin was stunned for a moment, nodded and said:
"Tell him to come here."
This man was originally a member of Cai Jingtong's clan and held the title of Vice Minister of Zhongshu. Later, he took refuge with Wang Yanling, but he informed Cao Bin of news from time to time. He was considered an opportunist.
When Cai Zhongshu came in, he saw Zhang Dun and a few outsiders. His face was a little embarrassed, but seeing that Cao Bin didn't take it seriously, he had to say:
"Master Marquis, Han Jiang sent a private message to Xianggong Wang in Huaidong asking for help, saying that the Huaidong salt merchants are threatening the salt people to cause trouble again."
"Xianggong Wang summoned us to discuss and plan to recommend Mr. Hou as the imperial envoy to take over the reconstruction of the salt field. Mr. Hou must not agree."
"In addition to rescuing Han Jiang, Xianggong Wang also wanted to take over the bank while the Marquis left the court... He said that the Marquis was deviant and unfit to preside over the new company, so as not to violate the court system again."
Hearing this, Cao Bin couldn't help but grin. He had already prepared for the Huaidong Salt Fields, and he wanted to take this opportunity to take the salt administration back into his hands.
But he didn't expect that Wang Yanling was such a thief. While using him, he also wanted to pick the fruit of the bank. Fortunately, he could come up with a high-sounding reason.
Logically speaking, the Song Dynasty Bank was proposed by Cao Bin, and the early construction should also be planned and led by Cao Bin. However, if he left the court, Wang Yanling and others would have an opportunity.
Moreover, Wang Yanling's timing was also very good, and the reasons were very good. The Pan family and his daughter were probably happy to see it happen.
After all, it is easy for the person who takes over a newly established important department to make meritorious deeds. Who wouldn’t want to have an extra bargaining chip in their hands? Kick Cao Bin out first, and the fight between the two parties will be much easier.
After Cai Zhongshu left in a hurry, Zhang Dun said with a gloomy face:
"Hmph, these people only know how to fight for power. They have been unable to restore the salt field for many days. Han Jiang is really mediocre."
"...But Huaidong's mission is thankless. The Marquis cannot let the other party manipulate him. I think we should summon the officials in advance to deal with it."
Cao Bin had originally planned to intervene in these two matters, but when they came together, he really couldn't get away.
However, he didn't care too much. Although temporary local gains and losses would cause trouble for him, it was just a waste of time and energy.
At this time, Wang Anshi suddenly sighed and said with a solemn face:
"Since ancient times, those who revolutionize the old and establish the new often encounter difficulties and dangers. Those who succeed may have a clear master and trustworthy people, or they may be able to control the court alone."
"Otherwise, his affairs will fail and his government will be abolished!"
"Judging from the current troubles, if Mr. Cao wants to succeed, he should have one of them..."
Hearing this, not only Zhang and Li, but also Cao Bin were stunned for a moment. Then he came to his senses and asked:
"Mr. Jiefu wants me to be a powerful minister?"
After developing to this point, Cao Bin no longer had much pursuit of power, but he found that when he wanted to do something, there were always random people coming out to cause trouble.
In this case, it is not a bad idea to be a powerful minister whose words can make the world fear him.
Upon hearing Cao Bin's question, Wang Anshi did not answer, but continued to ask:
"If you are a powerful minister, your reputation will inevitably be damaged. Will you be afraid of being criticized by thousands of people?"
Cao Bin laughed and said proudly:
"Jiefu is too worried. I have never had such a thing as a clear name!"
Hearing this, Wang Anshi almost choked and realized that he was really worrying too much, so he skipped the topic and continued:
"The late emperor used Tuogu's appointment to make the court a three-legged power, but if he wants to make a difference, he must not sit back and watch."
"The Queen Mother and the Grand Master are always ready to act, but they dare not act rashly because the Marquis is in court."
"In my opinion, the Marquis can take the initiative to show weakness at this time and sit on the mountain to watch the tigers fight... After that, based on this careful plan, within a few years, he can gain all the power in the world."
"We will talk about innovation when the time comes, as long as there are no obstacles..."
Hearing this, Cao Bin also understood his idea, which was to let himself hide out, and then use the "bank" as a decoy to lure Pan and Wang into a fight.
Although Cao Bin felt that his idea was too conservative, he didn't say much. He still had to consider the pros and cons of this matter... Maybe he could add fuel to the fire or something and bring Wang Yanling and Pan Renmei down together.
Not long after the conversation, Cao Bin took Li Qingzhao and left, but Zhang Dun stayed on to talk about his separation.
He looked at Wang Anshi with strange eyes and asked:
"Mr. Jiefu, if you offer advice to the Marquis, aren't you afraid that after he gains power, he will have the intentions of Wang Mang and Cao Cao?"
Wang Anshi took a sip of the remaining wine and said with deep eyes:
"What Mr. Cao Hou said just now is right. Time waits for no one. I am afraid that Wang will not have time to wait for His Majesty to become an adult and take charge of the throne. What will happen in the future is unpredictable."
"Besides, I believe in Mr. Cao's character, he will be Huo Guang and Yi Yin, not Wang Mang and Cao Cao!"
Zhang Dun took a deep look at him, nodded and said with a smile:
"Haha, sir, what you are thinking coincides with Zhang Dun. Here's to you!"
He believed the first half of Wang Anshi's sentence, which probably meant what he meant, but he didn't quite believe the second half.
But what does it matter? It's just a gamble. He even dares to gamble with his life, so what does it mean...
