The food produced in the Jiangnan region is actually not enough to eat, because Jiangnan is the starting point of the Grand Canal, and a large part of the food here must be sent north to the capital. Food security in the north relies too much on the Grand Canal.
We walked upstream along the Yangtze River to the Two Lakes area, which was the real granary of the Qing Dynasty. It had dense waterways, lakes and fertile land. The grain produced here every year was transported to the south of the Yangtze River through the Yangtze River.
After the rice grains from the Lianghu area and the rice grains from Jiangnan were mixed, some went north to Zhili, and some stayed in Jiangnan for local people to eat.
This model has already appeared since the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Unless there is a war, any dynasty must rely heavily on this set of food operation rules.
However, the Taiping War was too destructive to the entire Yangtze River Basin. Although the war has ended for more than five years, the food operation system in the Lianghu and Jiangnan regions has not been completely restored. This left Xiao Letian's Nanyang rice Brings huge business opportunities.
Nanyang's excellent climate is suitable for rice growth, and its low land cost is more suitable for large-scale production. This makes Nanyang rice highly competitive in the market. Even if sea freight is included, the price will not be higher than that of local rice in Jiangnan.
Coupled with Xiao Letian's strong support, the sales system of Ryukyu grain merchants has now been deeply embedded in Jiangnan, and has suppressed the impulse of local grain merchants to increase prices more than once. Now the grain prices in Jiangnan are almost all of these Ryukyu Chinese. controlled by businessmen.
In this economic crisis, the only thing that has not collapsed is the price of food. It is precisely because of the stability of food prices that the people at the lower levels have a way to survive without starving to death.
However, the power of grain merchants is also very weak. They can only slow down the collapse of banknotes, but they cannot change the trend of the collapse. It is an indisputable fact that the purchasing power of banknotes has decreased.
Until the end, when the purchasing power of banknotes and silver coins more than doubled, Ryukyu could no longer sit still. Xiao Letian began to secretly order major Chinese merchants to rescue the market, and Jiangnan's rival market officially appeared.
Why did Xiao Letian activate those treasure islands in the Pacific? Why should a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry be concentrated in one place? On the one hand, it is used for military expenditure. On the other hand, it is to prepare for future industrial investment in the special zone. The last and very important reason is to fight a battle to defend the credit of banknotes in Jiangnan. .
Foreign bankers sold and smashed the market, selfish businessmen in Jiangnan followed suit and abandoned it, small businesses and ordinary people panicked and refused to use it. The pressure from these three parties fell on the shoulders of Xiao Letian and those Chinese businessmen.
"We will eat as much as they toss! We must stabilize the price at the red line where one silver dollar can be exchanged for two yuan of banknotes. No matter what, we cannot let the banknotes become garbage!"
"You must remember that our Chinese nation will surely win the final war, and the Russian Expeditionary Force will definitely fail! The credibility of banknotes will one day be restored to its original level! God will bless those who save people! The rescue is not only about loving our people, but also This is a great opportunity for you to make a lot of money!”
"If the war is victorious, you will be able to double your profits. Why not do this kind of business? Therefore, I beg you, even if it is not for the sake of my Xiao Letian, even for the sake of money, please Please stick with me!"
"Confucian businessmen of the Chinese ethnic group, your hard work and dedication will not be in vain. The Chamber of Commerce will definitely record your achievements. I wish that all of you will obtain the title of the Chinese ethnic group!"
This was Xiao Letian's speech to all the Chinese business executives at a secret banquet. At that time, countless people burst into tears and even cried hoarsely, saying that they would live up to the Prime Minister's trust.
When Xiao Letian left the banquet with a tired look on his face, he emphatically said, "Remember to defeat the greed in your hearts. I know that many of you are still a little greedy. Now that the banknotes have collapsed and been cut in half, we can finally double our profits." ...There will definitely be someone trying to make the price of banknotes even lower, so that they can make greater profits!"
"If the purchasing power of banknotes drops to one-third, wouldn't you earn more? If it drops to 20%, of course you will be more excited... But remember, businessmen also have a sense of social responsibility! Please remember, your Your identity is not only a businessman, but also a member of the Chinese ethnic group, and you may even become a noble among the Chinese ethnic groups in the future!"
"Remember your responsibilities and don't be so greedy. If the banknotes really collapse, let those foreign predators start to search for physical property in advance. When those lands, mineral deposits, factories, workshops, and shops have become the property of foreigners! Then Doesn't your greed become the sin of treason?"
The heavy words shocked people's hearts. Xiao Letian directly lifted the cover of darkness in many people's hearts. All the businessmen present understood clearly that this was Chi Guoguo's threat. Anyone who dared to do that would probably have no chance of becoming a peer in their lifetime. .
"Prime Minister, don't worry, we dare not obey your orders!" Everyone bowed deeply to see the Prime Minister off.
All Chinese merchants finally took action, and ship after ship of silver coins began to be transported to the Yangtze River Basin. Those Chinese merchants secretly started exchanging banknotes and silver coins. People in Jiangnan suddenly found that their banknotes could be spent at once.
Two yuan of banknotes can be exchanged for a shining silver coin. Regardless of whether it is a Mexican eagle or a Ryukyu silver coin with a dragon pattern, at least it is a real piece of silver. It shines with a heavy white light in the palm of your hand, and you blow it with your mouth. The edge was then quickly placed to the ear, and a delightful buzzing sound finally began.
"Silver is better! This is money! I have learned a lesson in this life. I don't want paper bills anymore. It's a scam!"
Although the two-for-one deal was painful, it was better than not spending the money at all. The common people who were wiping their tears could only pinch their noses and admit it. Paper money can not only be exchanged for silver coins, but also for food.
The Nanyang grain ships moored in the Yangtze River are uttering heroic words. If you have no place to spend your banknotes, come and buy grain. There is as much as you want. There is plenty of Nanyang rice to last you all.
At first, people were still rushing to buy, but two days later, people in the commercial ports along the river discovered why there were more and more grain ships being grabbed. The supply of food has really been opened up. Now the people's sentiment has stabilized again, and the Jiangnan banknote credit crisis has finally appeared.
Unfortunately, the dawn only lasted a glimmer. Unwilling to fail, the bankers of Shanghai Yangren fought back. They began to sell banknotes crazily on the market, and a large number of rumors spread in Jiangnan. None of the rumors were optimistic about Xiao Letian's success. war.
The foreign devils knew very well that a financial war was a war of confidence, and they would not engage in any fueling tactics. The frenzied foreign devils actually poured 200 million yuan of banknotes into Jiangnan in three days, and all the banknote stocks on hand were exhausted.
