Five days later, Zhao Xin signed a loan agreement on behalf of Beihai Town and Guangnan, and paid the first installment of 600,000 silver dollars through the Bacheng Military Control Commission.
The loan period this time is ten years, with an annual interest of 3%. The payment method is divided into three installments. The monetary part of 1.2 million silver dollars will be completed within half a year, and the other 800,000 will be completed in the form of arms and supplies within one year. The quotations for weapons and ammunition provided by Beihai Town were all made into a booklet, and Ruan Phuc King had to take it back and read the details carefully before Ruan Phuc Ying made the final decision. As before, 300,000 silver dollars will be paid in copper coins, and now the mint in Hoi An will be very busy again.
Chen Yan got his wish and got the first-level agent of cooling oil. In addition, Zhao Xin also asked the Bacheng Trade Department and Chen Jue to sign a wood purchase agreement totaling up to five million silver dollars. The two parties agreed that the Chen family's business would provide Beihai Town with a large amount of shipbuilding timber, including ironwood and teak, within five years, with the delivery location located at the Citrus Ao base.
This big deal from heaven made Chen Xianglei very nervous. After the agreement was signed, she immediately offered half of the share to Ruan Fujing. She would not dare to monopolize such a large business. In her heart, she thought Zhao Xin was expressing his apology in some way, but she didn't know that the latter didn't mean it at all.
Zhao Xin bought so much wood not only for Beihai Town's own use, but also because he was inspired by Kong Shaoan's "fishery cooperative". Nowadays, almost all shipbuilding along the northern coast uses southern fir and pine wood, which are expensive. Most of the boats used by fishermen are single-masted boats with insufficient power. Moreover, due to the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's maritime ban policy, the largest fishing boat was only 500 shi, equivalent to 30 tons. It was unthinkable to go fishing overseas.
After finishing all this, Zhao Xin and He Xiwen, who had returned from Xilang, talked behind closed doors for an afternoon. Early the next morning, he took A Miao and the guard company on the journey back north.
Watching the huge Thor go away, Chen Yan felt a little bit disappointed for some reason. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't live without him as the head of the family, she would really like to visit Beihai Town.
One day later, the Thor docked near the estuary of the Kajiang River in West Borneo. Luo Fangbai, Xie Jie and other leading Chinese figures who had been notified in advance and were already waiting at the new port boarded the ship to pay their respects.
This matter had been decided a long time ago, but it was postponed for a few days due to the arrival of the Guangnan delegation. Zhao Xin felt that instead of letting these big Chinese brothers go to Bacheng sparsely, it would be better to come over by himself and get there all at once.
After the harmonious meeting scene ended, Zhao Xin held a meeting with more than 20 Chinese brothers in the conference room on the ship. This move of his made all the big brothers feel that Beier was proud. You must know that this person in front of you is the future "Emperor". We don't even have any official title, but we can actually sit in the same room with the Emperor to "discuss national affairs" ”, who would believe it!
Everyone present, including Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng and Xie Jie, was ready to erect a monument when they returned home to write down this matter.
However, the next words of "Emperor Zhao" gave these big brothers a blow to the head.
He told these big Chinese brothers in a serious tone that considering the contracts that various companies had signed, this would be it this year. However, starting from New Year's Day in 1794, Chinese mines in West Borneo were prohibited from selling gold and silver to maritime merchants, or directly using gold and silver to purchase supplies. From now on, all gold and silver produced in West Borneo would be exclusively purchased by the Bacheng Military Control Commission; In addition, half of the output of the tin mine must also be purchased by Bacheng. Diamonds are not included in this list and can be sold casually.
"This matter will be issued by various administrative offices in West Borneo in the form of a decree. It must be communicated to every mine before the new year!"
As Zhao Xin spoke, he looked around at the stunned Chinese elders present. He continued: "I'm putting the ugly words ahead. Next year, no matter which company it is, if it dares to sell gold and silver to foreign merchants, as long as it is found out, the mine will not be closed to the public, and the mine owner will not only be fined, but also Go to jail!"
The half-hour meeting ended quickly. When Zhao Xin left with Chai Rugui and others, everyone in the house was silent. Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie winked at each other, then stood up and followed them out, leaving behind a group of Chinese elders looking at each other.
Zhao Xin knew that Luo and Xie would come to him soon, and he was too lazy to explain to those big brothers just now. His Mandarin with a Beijing accent made many people feel like they were listening to heaven; almost every sentence Luo Fangbai said had to be translated in Hakka.
The sentence is really long-winded.
When Luo and Xie came in, they found that the furnishings in the cabin were not as magnificent as they imagined, but simple. This gave them another layer of understanding of Zhao Xin.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for being stupid, but this ban on the use of gold and silver..."
"You don't understand, right?"
Zhao Xin smiled slightly, waved his hand for the two of them to sit down, and then said: "Let me ask you something first. How many types of Western gold and silver coins are circulating in the market in the entire Southeast Asia today?"
Luo Fangbai thought for a moment and said, "There are always dozens of kinds."
"How much is the total amount in circulation?"
The two of them were stunned when they heard this, wondering how they could count clearly.
"Then do you two know why foreign money is so popular in Nanyang?"
Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie thought about it and gave answers including that it is easy to carry, easy to count, difficult to forge, and the silver content is stable. However, after hearing this, Zhao Xin told them that what you said is all right, but there is another point. The reason why foreign money continues to flow into the entire East Asia is because some foreign businessmen are making money through money.
"Your Highness, do you mean money interest?" After all, he had been a scholar, so Luo Fangbai responded quickly.
"Yes!" Zhao Xin nodded, and then explained it to the two of them.
It is said that under the tribute system of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, except for the Edo shogunate, which cast gold and silver coins, other countries in East Asia implemented a monetary policy of "using both silver and silver coins." In addition, the monetary standard system of the entire Qing Dynasty cannot be generalized. It was neither a copper standard nor a silver standard, nor a parallel standard.
The biggest problem here is that under the system of small-scale peasant economy, both money production and money receipts are based on silver as the accounting center. However, neither broken silver nor silver ingots are currency, they are essentially silver nuggets.
The correct term for this monetary system in which silver and money are mutually reinforcing each other - "Use silver for large numbers and money for small numbers" - is "a bimetallic system with parallel silver and copper metals." It is completely different from the Western monetary system.
When these silver ingots cast into ingots entered the market, due to their excessive currency value, the complete silver ingots were divided into pieces of silver, which were exchanged in money shops and hidden in cellars or turned into various silverware. , thus exiting the circulation field and returning to the status of precious metals.
This is why some people in later generations said that China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the ultimate funnel of world silver. Think about the example of Shanxi merchants who like to cast silver winter melons. They cost 1,600 taels each. Robbers can't take them away, but can they be circulated?
So good, in this case of currency silverization, since each silver bullion cannot be unified in terms of specifications, fineness or weight, each payment needs to go through complicated procedures of fineness identification and weighing, making the market in urgent need of a kind of Silver coins of certain fineness, weight and specifications to enable rapid capital turnover.
The emergence of foreign money just met this demand. Nowadays, it is not only used in Nanyang and Guangdong and Guangxi, but also almost everywhere except the northwest and northeast. Among them, after the Dutch horse money, American silver dollars and Maria Theresa silver coins flowed into the mainland, they were usually melted into silver bullion by merchants due to their unstable quality. The ones with the largest circulation were those issued by the Spanish. Mexican Eagle Ocean.
The eagles currently in use on the market are divided into three categories: large, medium and small. The large one weighs about seven cents and two cents, the medium one weighs half a dollar, and the small one weighs a quarter. Among the third grades, the larger ones are mainly the ones with a silver content of 90.1@
It was either smuggled out of the country or stored in strips by wealthy people. As a result, there is less and less silver on the market, resulting in "silver is expensive and money is cheap." Since the 30th year of Qianlong's reign, the price of silver coins across the country has begun to rise, from an average level of around 800 coins to more than 1,000 coins.
The rise in the price of money has also caused prices to continue to rise, making people's livelihood increasingly difficult. Don’t forget, the people at the bottom use money every day, and prices are anchored by silver.
Zhao Xin has been paying attention to the currency issues of the Qing Dynasty over the years. Especially in Bacheng, he saw a large number of silver coins from various countries circulating on the market. After transforming into a "straw hat boy" and talking carefully with some maritime merchants from Fujian and Guangdong, he discovered that among them serious problem.
After understanding the key here, he quickly notified the Beihai Town Mint to lower the silver content of the Beihai silver dollar from 925 to 900, and at the same time increase the production of copper dollar auxiliary coins.
Although the silver content has been reduced, since most goods in Beihai Town implement unified purchasing and marketing, especially the prices of grain and industrial products are set by Beihai Trading Company, the purchasing power has not been affected in any way. For merchants and money shops under the Qing Dynasty, the Beihai silver dollar was far superior to the Mexican Yingyang because of its production technology. Even if the water level was a little lower, it was still easy to use.
Zhao Xin finally said: "The right to mint money is the embodiment of the country's highest power, and is as inviolable as the emperor's throne. Whoever controls the right to mint money has the power to control the entire country's resources. Dare to compete with the country for the right to mint money, it is tantamount to rebellion!"
Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie were still confused after listening to Zhao Xin's long speech, but Zhao Xin's last two sentences were so weighty that sweat broke out on their foreheads. You must know that in the Chinese mines in West Borneo, tin coins privately minted by various companies have always been popular.
"You go back and think about it carefully, and enlighten the leaders of other companies by the way. I have said everything that needs to be said, and I have also given you time to prepare. Confucius said, not teaching is killing, it is cruelty, not being disciplined is called treating He is so violent that he is called a thief by his slow orders. Commissioner Luo, what do you think?"
"I understand."
Thor stayed in West Borneo for only one night. Zhao Xin did not want any of the gifts sent by the Chinese eldest brothers of various families and the Sultan of Pontianak, and Chai Rugui kindly blocked them all. For him, as long as he controls the gold in West Borneo, it is more useful than any gift.
On the way north, he originally wanted to visit Southern Kyushu and Jiaodong, but Wang Zhong sent a telegram urging him one day, so he had to give up.
On September 11, 1793, which was noon on the first day of the eighth lunar month, the Thor slowly sailed into the dock of Whale Bay. When Zhao Xin got off the boat, Wang Zhong and others came to greet him.
When Wang Zhong saw Zhao Xin, he teased: "Your Highness, you are finally back. If you don't come back, Wang will have to take a boat to Nanyang to find you."
Zhao Xin smiled and cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Rong Fu, I'm really sorry. I have too many things to deal with. You also know that I can't sit still."
Because Yuan Mei, Zhao Yi and several of their disciples were present, Wang Zhong couldn't say anything more and immediately introduced Zhao Xin one by one.
"Yuan Zicai from Qiantang, pays homage to His Highness King Zhao."
"Are you Cangshan layman? I have long admired your name!"
"Yanghu Zhao Yunsong, pay homage to His Highness King Zhao."
"Mr. Oubei, I have admired you for a long time!"
Zhao Xin smiled and cupped his hands while looking at Yuan and Zhao.
Needless to say, Yuan Mei's name can be recognized by Yuan Zi. Unlike what he imagined, the 77-year-old Yuan Mei is a thin old man, wearing a felt hat, his cheeks and forehead are covered with wrinkles, his gray beard is almost a foot long, and he is wearing a dark gray lake silk jacket. He was wearing a black waistcoat, brand new black cloth shoes, and a cane in his hand.
As for Zhao Yi, he was completely unfamiliar with him except that he had written that "talented people have emerged from generation to generation, and each has led the way for hundreds of years." Although this person is eleven years younger than Yuan Mei, he looks old enough. , especially the wrinkles on his forehead, which are more than twice as many as those of Yuan Mei, and he wears simpler clothes. The coat is made of homespun cloth, the vest is made of cotton, and the shoes on his feet also look gray and about to be worn out. .
It is said that if you are looking at others, others are also looking at you. Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi first arrived in Beihai Town
At that time, I heard that King Zhao didn't pay much attention to etiquette and was very easy-going. When we first met, it was true that most of the tension and uneasiness in my heart disappeared.
It has been two full months since the two came to Beihai Town. Except for not meeting Zhao Xin, they have seen everything else they can. Not only did they take the train to Heilongjiang City, they also took a steamboat to Trinshiji and paid homage to the Yongning Monument. The vast area of Beihai Town, the prosperity of the town, and the vast stretches of wheat fields stretching as far as the eye can see, greatly amazed the two of them, and they said that their trip was worthwhile.
They had read the notes of their predecessors before and knew that the area beyond the pass was very large, but they had no concrete idea. Furthermore, whether it is Fang Gongqian's "Jueyu Jilue" or Yang Bin's "Liubian Jilue", although they describe a lot of local customs and customs, they also mention the hardship of the natural environment.
However, what surprised them was that whether it was Khabarovsk or Heilongjiang City, which is located at the intersection of three rivers, let alone Fuldan City and Beihai Town, they were all lined with streets and lanes, densely populated, and every house was red. The bricks and black tiles are no worse than Guan Nei, and it is even more prosperous.
There were too many things that they couldn't understand in Beihai Town. The most shocking ones were not only the boats, but also the various agricultural machinery and trains racing across the fields. When he learned that a green tractor that was almost three people tall could cultivate and sow hundreds of acres of land in a day, Zhao Yi, who attached great importance to agriculture, was so surprised that his jaw was dislocated.
Compared to Zhao Yi, Yuan Mei's trip not only broadened her horizons, but also gave her a feast for the eyes. In order to take care of the two people's daily life and food, Zhao Xin's wife Shen Xuan specially transferred a cook from Yangzhou in the family. Yuan Mei was hooked on all kinds of delicacies, including delicacies from mountains, rivers, and seafood, fried and stewed every day. Knowing that many dishes in Beihai Town came from another time and space, he felt that his eyes had been opened this time, and "Suiyuan Food List" could enrich a lot of content.
By the way, both of them got their wish and were hired as consultants for this new imperial examination, and they were also honorary examiners. In order to show formality, Yu Deli specially made two gilded red-letter certificates, asked Wang Zhong to write the content, and finally stamped them with the seal of the Civil Affairs Committee.
Seeing that the imperial examination was about to start in a few days, Zhao Xin rested for two days after returning home. On the third day, he was dragged to the examination hall by Wang Zhong.
