Money is not everything, but without money, nothing is possible!
I don’t know which hero from later generations said such penetrating words?
Money is the mother of government!
Without money, nothing can be done. Just like the dilemma faced by the Song Dynasty today, whether it was fifty thousand troops entering Hexi, or nearly one million Sichuan soldiers and civilians immigrating to the border, or building water conservancy projects, building ports and docks, or even the Song Navy's voyage to Nanyang, all the measures taken by the Song Dynasty court , all related to money.
Not to mention the current compulsory education and related school expenditures.
No money, nothing to discuss!
It is difficult for an abandoned woman to make a living without rice, so she cannot print money wantonly, otherwise the entire country's economy will collapse and her life will become worthless.
"Mr. Zhen, how much money does the Ministry of Finance have in its treasury now?"
"Your Majesty, the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue is only more than 3 million guan. The payment of wages in the northwest alone is more than 2.3 million guan, not including rice and grain. To repair the city walls, fortresses and road stations on Hexi Road and Lintaofu Road, more than 3 million guan of silver are needed. . The flood on Jinghu Road destroyed the houses and turned fertile fields into swamps. More than 100,000 people were affected by the disaster, and 300,000 dan of money and food were needed. There was also a naval expedition to Nanyang, which cost more than 3 million guan of money and food."
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance does not have much money to support such a huge expenditure. I'm afraid we have to find other ways."
Expenditure on military and education, especially on troops, seems unnecessary.
Looking for another way?
Zhao Hong smiled bitterly and leaned back on his chair.
What can he do? He is not an economic expert. It is not easy for him to be able to reach this point without bankrupting the Song Dynasty's national economy.
"Your Majesty, Chief Xu is here."
"Announce him to come in!"
"Which one is the counterfeit coin?"
Zhao Hong looked at the Huizi in his hand in surprise. It was beautifully printed and on high-quality paper. At first glance, it was almost exactly the same as the real coin pointed by Xu Liang. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was real.
"Your Majesty, the paper used for the counterfeit currency is produced by the government paper mills of Huizhou and Xuanzhou. It is of high quality and is exactly the same as the paper used by Huizi. The engraving craftsmen and layout painters of the copper plate are all top-notch masters among the people, so they made it The counterfeit coins are almost the same as those from the imperial court.”
Xu Liang's explanation made Zhao Hong nod slightly.
The masters are among the people. Being able to create such counterfeit coins that can be easily mistaken for real ones proves that this statement is indeed true.
"Your Majesty, when Huizi was established, the currency value was very strong. Based on the Zuobi coin of 100,000 coins, the price comparison between Huizi and copper coins was roughly around 770 coins per coin. After the Qiandao, the issuance of Huizi increased greatly, and we are preparing to The money has not increased by a penny, so the Huizi is in decline. In order to prevent the Huizi from devaluing, in the fourth year of Qiandao, the imperial court took out another 2 million taels of silver from the inner treasury and burned the Huizi that had been redeemed."
Xu Liang talked eloquently, and Zhen Dexiu continued what he said.
"Your Majesty, what Master Xu said is absolutely true! Since the reign of the late emperor, first the Kaixi Northern Expedition, and then the Jiading Song-Jin Seven Years' War, repeated wars have left the national treasury empty and financial distress. In order to raise military expenses, the imperial court, in addition to raising taxes, only Duoyin Huizi."
Zhen Dexiu frowned, and after speaking slowly, Zhao Hong understood something about it.
From ancient times to the present, there is no exception. The issuance of currency has its own rules. If there are too many banknotes in circulation, their value will inevitably fall. In the words of later generations, it means "money is worthless" and inflation occurs.
According to the money flow theory, if prices are too low and people's purchasing power is not high, economic depression will trigger an economic crisis. The government can adopt a slight inflation policy. Rising prices is not a bad thing. However, when inflation becomes malignant, banknotes depreciate, and prices soar, the monetary system becomes chaotic or even destroyed, eventually leading to economic collapse. This is one of the reasons for the demise of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Prices during the Jiading period increased significantly compared with the previous generation, and the circulation of Huizi reached 230 million yuan. However, compared with the hyperinflation in the late Southern Song Dynasty, it was still very slight.
In addition, he implemented the New Deal and successfully implemented the Economic Boundary Law, allowing the powerful officials to hand over all the taxes. Just for the two Zhejiang, Liangjiang and Sichuan Fourth Roads, the annual tax increase was about 10 million yuan, which can be said to be This greatly alleviated the internal conflicts in the Song Dynasty court.
But 10 million yuan seems to be a drop in the bucket compared to the huge 230 million yuan.
Not to mention anything else, the pension and rewards for the Northwest Frontier Army this time alone amounted to more than two million yuan. Coupled with the cost of immigration to the border, it costs tens of millions, which is really a headache.
"Damn it!"
Thinking that money was being used everywhere in the country, which often made him anxious, but the Quanzhou City Shipping Company was "stable but declining" even as other cities' shipping companies' taxes increased significantly, Zhao Hong's anger gradually increased.
What four big families, four piles of shit! From ancient times to the present, China has been ruined by these scum!
He worked hard, opened mines and built factories, prospered all industries, stimulated export trade, and wanted "Made in the Song Dynasty" to become popular around the world and avert the economic crisis that had long been a problem in the Song Dynasty. According to his vision, in the first five years, the average annual trading profit will reach 5 million guan, and in the second five years, it will reach an average annual average of more than 10 million guan.
But now, these guys from the Quanzhou Shipping Department slapped him hard.
You can't always count on stealing a few corrupt officials' homes to make a living! If this is really the case, the Song Dynasty is really over.
"Approximately how many counterfeit coins are issued?"
Zhao Hong picked up a counterfeit banknote with "two notes" and read it for himself.
The fake paper was very beautifully made. The paper was much larger than the hundred-dollar bills of later generations, and it looked a bit like... stocks of later generations.
Zhao Hong felt excited and subconsciously remembered something.
"Your Majesty, according to the counterfeit currency dens discovered in various places, the number of counterfeit coins leaked out in the past five years has been around 3 million guan. From the fourth year of Jiading to the present, the number of counterfeit coins on the market should be around 6 to 7 million guan."
Xu Liang made an estimate and said that there were only a lot more counterfeit bills, six to seven million counterfeit bills, which was still a conservative estimate.
"Your Majesty, since the fourth year of Jiading, the imperial court has issued the 15th Jiehuizi, with an amount of 230 million coins, and the period of change is 20 years. Even though the court spared no effort to crack down on the production of counterfeit coins, counterfeit coins still appear in endlessly. Six to seven million coins Counterfeit banknotes, no surprise.”
"20 years!"
Zhao Hong was surprised by Zhen Dexiu's explanation and couldn't help but shake his head.
According to common practice, boundaries are changed every three years, but no more than once every four years. From four years in Jiading, it suddenly changed to 20 years. It is not surprising that millions of counterfeit coins have appeared after so many years. It’s no wonder that the ruling minister Jin Deok-soo frequently urged him to change his career.
It seems that his teacher is not that bad.
And his "father" Mr. Song Ning is really "Ning", but really bad.
According to historical records, it was exactly twenty-one years after Shi Miyuan's death that the next realm change was the sixteenth realm, with a circulation of 329 million coins.
Shi Miyuan is indeed cruel and treacherous! And Song Lizong Zhao Yun was indeed a "good son"!
National affairs are all played in the hands of these people, carelessly. How miserable is the Song Dynasty and the people of the Song Dynasty!
"Your Majesty, how will the criminals involved in the counterfeit currency case and the officials involved in the Xuanzhou Paper Mill in Huizhou be dealt with? Are these seized counterfeit coins to be destroyed?"
"Of course, we must punish them severely! Especially those who steal huge sums of money and commit crimes will be severely punished according to the law. Together with the burning of counterfeit coins, they will be punished clearly!"
After Zhao Hong finished speaking, he looked at the two ministers below and raised the brand new fake greeting card in his hand.
"The imperial court cannot make ends meet through taxes. Do you think it is possible to raise funds from the private sector?"
"Financing?"
Xu Liang and Zhen Dexiu both opened their eyes wide.
"No, no, it's not financing. Just selling these things is equivalent to borrowing money from the private sector. Do you understand?"
While Xu Liang and Zhen Dexiu were confused, Zhao Hong himself suddenly became enlightened and couldn't wait to ask and answer questions before continuing.
"In fact, it means printing some large-denomination bonds and selling them to the public, of course, mainly to the rich, just like borrowing money. The redemption date is three years or five years, up to ten years, and the interest rates are 10%, 150% and 20% . Of course, behind this is the credibility of the Song Dynasty court. Let’s call it a national debt.”
The imperial court's finances were unable to make ends meet, so it discovered national debts and borrowed money from society to make up for the lack of financial resources, raise enough funds, and continue to implement various national policies.
As for the issued treasury bonds maturing, if finances are tight, new treasury bonds can be issued, and the raised treasury bonds can be used to repay the principal and interest of the old maturing treasury bonds, and the cycle starts again.
"Your Majesty, this is good governance. I ask your Majesty to issue an order, and I will take care of it immediately!"
Zhen Dexiu's irritability immediately subsided.
He was a dignified minister of household affairs, but his bank account was empty, which really upset him. Immigration goes south and north, education is complicated, roads and bridges are built, not to mention huge military expenditures. Where is money not needed?
Fortunately, now, we finally have a good solution to the dilemma.
"Okay, this matter will be handled by Zhen Gong. The national debt must be well-printed and difficult to counterfeit, and there must be some regulations to ensure the interests of the court and buyers. This first issue of national debt coupons is temporarily set at 20 million yuan. Bar."
Zhao Hong looked at the two humerus ministers and spoke seriously.
"Remember, national bonds can only be purchased with gold, silver or copper coins. The maturity payment is also the same gold, silver and copper coins. With enough gold, silver and copper reserves, you can prepare to change the world."
Twenty million guan, in exchange for 20 million guan corresponding silver and copper coins, should be able to solve the urgent need. When issuing treasury bonds, the exchange of borders can be carried out boldly and linked together.
"Your Majesty, do you really have so much gold, silver and copper to repay it by then?"
While Zhen Dexiu was excited, he began to worry again.
There were not many gold, silver and copper mines in the Song Dynasty, and as the national debt matured, we were afraid of being stretched.
"Don't worry! I have my own sense of discretion!"
Zhao Hong smiled confidently.
The navy of the Song Dynasty expanded the gold, silver and copper mines in Australia and South Africa. Are they afraid that they will not be able to supply the needs of the Song Dynasty?
Returning to the harem, he saw in the Ciyuan Hall, his mother-in-law, Mrs. Yu, was holding her daughter Zhao Xin to sleep. Zhao Hong felt that he wanted to take her over.
"After a busy day, go back and have a rest."
Seeing the tired look on Zhao Hong's face, Mrs. Yu urged her son to wake up.
Now there are several imperial grandsons in the harem. In addition to the eldest grandson Zhao Quan, there are also two other imperial grandsons, born to Li Weiming and Jia Sijin respectively. There are also two granddaughters of the emperor, one is born to Zhou Xiuniang, and the other is Zhao Xin who is held in Yu's arms.
Three grandsons of the emperor, two granddaughters of the emperor, five grandsons in total. Mrs. Yu was very happy and extremely busy.
In comparison, Queen Mother Yang Guizhi seemed to be much colder to her royal grandchildren and granddaughters.
"Where's Yang Yi? Are you asleep?"
Zhao Hong asked subconsciously.
"She moved to Cining Hall and said she wanted to take a good rest. You should go back and rest quickly."
Yu urged, and Zhao Hong resigned and left.
Yang Yi almost had dystocia when she gave birth to her daughter. I don't know if this was the reason why she was lukewarm towards her daughter and even moved to Cining Hall.
Zhao Hong was helpless and shook his head. After eating, he would also look at his wife and children and fulfill his responsibilities as a husband and father.
