Just as Zhu Youxiao expected, when officials from the Ministry of Rites organized a charity meeting and mobilized people from all over the world to donate money and materials to relieve the suffering people on the Western Expedition, there were indeed many people who enthusiastically showed their kindness.
Rich businessmen who wanted to get to know more important officials in the court through charity were also very active in charity.
Soon, the Ministry of Rites received a large amount of money and materials.
As a result, the Ming Dynasty's national financial expenditure on the Western Expedition was greatly reduced.
Chief Assistant Bi Ziyan had to admit that his Majesty the Emperor was the one who was really good at managing money and food. He could understand the human nature of the people so well, and in this way turned a war of external expansion that should only belong to rentiers into a war of expansion. A just war supported by all the people.
Wang Zaijin, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, has been worried recently that there will be insufficient money and food to support the Western Expedition.
For this reason, he had to prepare to withhold money and food for deportation to Beijing to prepare for unexpected needs.
Wang Zaijin even said to the officials of the Shaanxi and Gansu divisions: "If the imperial court blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone. You can submit the memorial to impeach me. Submit it now. I will have no complaints and pay all the charges." Everything is put on this officer alone! But we must be able to always prepare sufficient money and food in Suzhou Guard, so that if something unexpected happens on the Western Expedition, we can use the money and food immediately instead of waiting for the court to come all the way from the south of the Yangtze River. Transfer the place over! Besides, no one knows whether the imperial court still has money and food leftover. After all, the imperial court is currently building railways, providing disaster relief, training troops, building ordnance warships, and building cities outside the Great Wall. It must have spent a lot of money. Even if the imperial court There is a golden mountain, and I’m afraid it’s almost dug out.”
"But if the imperial court is really short of money and food, I'm afraid it will be even more unwilling for us to withhold the money and food delivered to the West Factory Branch, right?"
Shaanxi governor Zou Weilian replied.
"Report! Your Majesty's order has been delivered."
At this time, Wang Zaijin's subordinate Li Shichun came in and gave Wang Zaijin a telegram sent by wired telegram.
"The capital's national funds are still abundant, and it has received donations from various provinces worth more than five million yuan in silver coins. This was originally used to pay for the Western Expedition, but there will be wear and tear during the transportation. This money for the Western Expedition is left in the capital for use and can be handed over to The money and food from the Shaanxi Xichang Branch will be temporarily reserved for the expenses of the Western Expedition."
When Wang Zaijin read the contents of the telegram, he was quite surprised: "The imperial court still has money and food! It's really unexpected, and it was money and food donated by various provinces. It seems that the Ming people really believed what was reported by Chongwen Temple and thought that the Ming Dynasty's Western Expedition It is an act of justice and kindness.”
…
"The Western Expedition only brought spiritual gains to the people of Ming Dynasty. This is not enough. The people must also gain economic benefits from external expansion. They must issue bonds to raise private funds for the court's external affairs. Expansion, when the time comes, the benefits generated by external expansion will be distributed to the people who lend money to the court, so that they can truly feel the benefits of external expansion."
Zhu Youxiao mentioned a new idea at this time.
They all issued national bonds, allowing the court to have more money for military and construction.
"Bond? Is this possible, Your Majesty?"
Liu Hongxun was still relatively unfamiliar with the concept of national debt, so he couldn't help but ask.
And he, who has always been conservative, prefers that the court can reorganize its internal affairs and save more national funds to prepare for emergencies, instead of increasing military expenditures and construction expenditures like it is now, and even borrowing money from the government now. The people continued to ask:
"Your Majesty, I wonder if this will cause the imperial court to spend too much money for a while, and eventually lead to the phenomenon of people eating more food than they need, making the country poor and the people poor as well?"
"Now that there is a telegraph, news can be transmitted and updated very quickly. In addition, steam engine-type printing machines have also appeared, which can print out more anti-counterfeiting patterns. Therefore, there is no problem in issuing bonds. In my opinion, it is even possible to Down the line, the Bank of Ming Dynasty can issue some notes representing the value of silver coins. Like the previous treasure banknotes, it can be used as money, but it certainly cannot be issued indiscriminately like the treasure banknotes. There must be reserves. I believe that in the near future, Ming Dynasty will gradually Paper money is the main currency of transaction.”
"In addition, it is beneficial for the court to eat and eat grain appropriately, because this can mobilize the enthusiasm of the people for production, but it cannot be excessive. It depends on how the court controls it, and only the court owes appropriate debts to some wealthy businessmen. , they will hope that Ming Dynasty will continue to prosper and prosper, so that they will not be unable to pay the debt interest."
"Of course, the imperial court can't just eat the grain at will. It must have rich enough land or minerals that are attractive and yet to be developed as capital, otherwise it will only lead to the phenomenon of eating the grain from the grain becoming more and more serious!"
"So what I want to do is try to issue a territorial bond to open up the vast farmland in the Indian plains. After the imperial court completely occupies the land there, it will repay these bonds with the money obtained from selling it to the wealthy domestic merchants. Let's see. Is it feasible."
"The farmland in the Indian plains is harvested three times a year and is of great value. It is entirely possible for the imperial court to borrow money from the private sector for military expenditures to occupy this place."
Zhu Youxiao said.
Liu Hongxun was quite shocked after hearing this. He did not expect that His Majesty the Emperor would say that banknotes were a trend, but he could not deny that according to the news brought back by the Ming Dynasty World Development Company in the Indian Peninsula, there were indeed many sacred lands there, and His Majesty I want to first lend money to the people of the world to seize the fields there, and then sell them to the many wealthy businessmen in the country who are obsessed with the fields. I will indeed have enough money to repay them.
"Your Majesty, I think we can try this. This will make it appear that external expansion is not just about you, as some unreasonable people say, but is more about the entire world's scholars and people, without having to wait for the imperial court to have enough. Money, and then go and lay down the place, and then move the people there, that will make it easy for Ming Dynasty to lose the opportunity to seize these sacred places, after all, the situation is changing all the time!"
Bi Ziyan understood what Zhu Youxiao meant and agreed.
Zhu Xieyuan couldn't help but said: "So, while the imperial court was marching to the west, it also had to use large-scale troops on the Indian Peninsula?"
"This, this, is really something new. It's hard for me to know the pros and cons."
Liu Hongxun followed.
Zhu Youxiao answered Zhu Xieyuan's question just now and said: "Whether we want to use large-scale troops on the Indian Peninsula, we must first see the reaction of the Ming Dynasty scholars and people, and first educate the indigenous Indian people to prevent them from being too ignorant and suffering from the barbarians." Let’s try to issue ‘Crunt against the Mughal Puppet Empire’ bonds on the grounds of persecution;”
"The author told the people the rules for the imperial court to repay the interest on the bonds, and listed in detail the development value of India. In addition, he first drafted an edict to make it clear to the world from all aspects, saying that the Ming Dynasty did not recognize that the Mughal Empire had the ability to rule India. The qualifications of the peninsula! Let’s first look at the reaction of the Ming Dynasty’s people. If the people are willing to pay for bonds, it means they support the imperial court in sending troops!”
"However, we can let Chongwen Temple guide us and report more about the cruelty of the Mughal Empire and Westerners in the local area, so that the people know that buying bonds is not only for making money, but also for the spring breeze of Chinese civilization in the Ming Dynasty to blow as soon as possible. Go over there and save that land.”
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