What Chai Yuanming said made sense, so Su Yonglin was silent for a while before speaking.
What he has to say is simple: he does not support the policy of credit money.
"Using banknotes is indeed the simplest solution at present, but for now, I still insist on the strategy of using precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper to link the currency, rather than simply issuing banknotes to circulate around the world based on the government's reputation. "
Chai Yuanming was stunned for a moment, and then looked very puzzled.
"Why? Chairman, isn't the current state the best? Bai Tiao has established an unshakable trust between the government and the people. This kind of trust has never been seen in ancient and modern times. Isn't this the basis for launching the banknote reform? The best time?"
Yes, this is indeed the best time, but it is precisely because of this that Su Yonglin cannot allow the reform of credit banknotes to become a reality.
because.
He did not believe that the Ming court could maintain its credibility forever.
Even in the modern era when banknotes have become mainstream, there are still some governments that use their own banknotes as toilet paper. Basically, the mainstream banknotes are said to be credit banknotes, but in fact there are some equivalents linked to them to maintain their value.
At present, it seems that there is no banknote that can be issued based solely on the credibility of the government and can maintain credibility and strong currency value for a long time.
To put it bluntly, credibility is a metaphysics. In an era where modern information is so accessible, there will be banknotes that are worse than toilet paper, let alone the Daming Palace at this moment?
He, Su Yonglin, is still alive, and his powerful prestige dominates the world. Despite this, there are still lawless people who use their power and position to do illegal things and harm the people and the country. One day, if he dies, what will happen to the Ming Dynasty?
Can his successor uphold his ideals?
Even if he adheres to his ideals, can he maintain the situation he wants to maintain?
He insisted on unwavering credibility and allowed the people to identify with paper money because they trusted him. Then once the Ming Dynasty court took a detour one day, some unscrupulous bastards could instantly turn paper money into a weapon to plunder people's wealth.
As long as a few government decrees are passed throughout the country, they can easily appropriate the wealth that all citizens have earned through decades of hard work.
Such a thing is definitely possible, and Su Yonglin will never pin his real-life worries on such metaphysical issues as the morality and ethics of future generations.
Keep physical currency, or link physical currency to banknotes, so that even if banknotes become obsolete, people will not have no physical currency at all.
Paper money is gone, but physical currency still has its own value, so people will not be left destitute and desperate overnight.
Although I really want to believe that his successor will make everything better, but what if?
He had to leave some safety valve for the entire population against this eventuality.
Although there was a lot of luck in his journey to this point, the clearer he became about this kind of luck, the more he hoped to eliminate this kind of luck and prevent this kind of luck from happening again.
Physical currency is good because it has its own value, but once credit notes lose their credibility, they are just a piece of waste paper.
So Su Yonglin stood up and firmly rejected the idea of issuing credit notes that were separate from physical objects.
"Issuing banknotes based on the credibility of the government is still okay. Once the credibility of the government is lost, the banknotes will immediately become useless paper. Where will the people go? This situation must not happen! Even if banknotes are to be issued, they must be linked to physical currency. , this is an unshakable iron law!”
Su Yonglin looked at Chai Yuanming and said: "Your idea is very good and forward-looking, but the problem is that we have to leave a way out for the people so that they will not have any resistance when they encounter danger. This This is not what revolutionaries like us should do."
Su Yonglin then expressed his views on the current monetary situation, believing that the current situation could be maintained for the time being and that changes would be made after the Song Dynasty was completely destroyed.
The plan for credit notes was permanently sealed and denied by him and was not allowed to be restarted.
Now that he had spoken, others had nothing to say, and the issue of currency reform was never raised again at the five-year Hongwu State Council.
Regarding currency, what Su Yonglin desires most is precious metals.
As the saying goes, currency is naturally not gold, gold is naturally currency. Gold and silver not only have value recognized by human beings, but are also very stable in nature and have extremely low maintenance costs. They are far beyond the comparison with materials such as food and salt.
Although currently only the Lingnan land in China can circulate gold and silver due to the existence of the Guangzhou Shipping Department, if a gold and silver standard system can be established and then banknotes are issued, or gold and silver currency is simply issued, it will have a profound impact on the financial status of the entire country. It must be excellent.
Even if paper money becomes obsolete in the future, gold and silver will still be there.
And if we really want to achieve this, we must not only capture Japan and master Japan's rich gold and silver minerals, but also take the lead in opening up American waterways and establish commercial relations with the Native Americans.
Through commercial trade with each other, the three major items of tea, porcelain and silk were used to obtain excessive amounts of gold and silver from the Native Americans. After several years of accumulation and preparation, the gold and silver standard could be established.
If you want to go directly from mainland China to the American continent, the safest route at present is of course not to cross in a straight line, but to follow the coastline from the northeast, cross the Bering Strait and enter the American plate, and then sail southeast along the coastline. , you can reach the American continent and land on the west coast of North America.
By then, it is estimated that some navigation transfer stations will be established in places such as Siberia and Alaska to create a [golden route] to the Americas.
This does not happen overnight and requires a long time of exploration, but once it is figured out, at least there will be a way out of the predicament.
The current complicated currency situation in the country is by no means a good thing for economic development. Completing the gold and silver standard reform as soon as possible is of extremely important significance for the economic development of the Ming Dynasty.
So after thinking over and over again, Su Yonglin made up his mind to immediately form the Ming Dynasty's expeditionary exploration fleet after the smuggling case in Guanzhong Province was settled.
For this reason, Su Yonglin specially ordered the establishment of a navigation department, which was independent of the major departments of the imperial court, directly responsible to himself, and directly listened to his orders.
Then he ordered the Privy Council to recruit the best and most capable shipbuilders and select the most suitable wood for ocean voyages to build strong and powerful ocean-going ships.
Then, outstanding naval officers and experienced sailors were selected from the navy, and private sailors who had been living at sea all year round, navigators who were well versed in maritime navigation, etc. were recruited from the two main ports of Quanzhou and Guangzhou.
Su Yonglin is preparing to form the strongest exploration and navigation team of this era to explore and discover the waterways of the American continent. The ultimate goal is to establish a safe and reliable voyage route and conduct preliminary exploration for the Ming Dynasty to establish a stable sea trade route with the American continent.
This fleet was named the Northern Route Expedition Team by Su Yonglin.
At the same time, Su Yonglin remembered that there seemed to be relatively rich copper mines in the Philippines. Although the Ming Dynasty would adopt a gold and silver standard system in the future, copper was also considered a type of precious metal. If you could get more of it, why not? But not?
So Su Yonglin asked for the establishment of a Nanyang route expedition team.
Compared with the dangers and risks of the Northern Expedition, the Nanyang Expedition is much safer and its mission is much clearer.
Let me explore for minerals on many large and small islands in Southeast Asia, especially gold, silver and copper mines. If minerals are discovered, no matter whether there is an owner or not, someone must be sent back to report immediately.
The establishment of the Department of Navigation showed the Ming Dynasty’s determination to take the first step towards the ocean.
However, Su Yonglin's decision still encountered a lot of resistance within the entire court.
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