"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Xiao Hou."
As soon as Zhu Biao and Xiao Han got off the carriage, Shan Anren, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, hurriedly came out to greet them and bowed.
"Shan Shangshu, no need to be polite."
Zhu Biao showed a gentle smile, then took a step forward, held Shan Anren in his arms and said.
"Thank you, His Royal Highness."
Shan Anren stood up, looked at Zhu Biao and said again.
"Shan Shangshu, how are those templates made?"
Xiao Han took the fur robe from the guard and put it on Zhu Biao. Then he turned to look at Shan Anren and asked softly.
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis. Although it is a bit complicated, it is nothing to the Ministry of Industry."
"It's been built."
Shan Anren quickly looked at Xiao Han and said.
Once you talk about state affairs, you should treat each other with courtesy, not private titles. After all, business matters are business.
"How many craftsmen were used?"
Xiao Han looked at Shan Anren again and asked.
"Brothers Gongshu and seven skilled craftsmen have just created it."
Shan Anren didn't hide anything, just looked at Xiao Han and replied.
"This matter is of great importance and there cannot be any omissions. Therefore, the list of craftsmen who built the module must be confirmed and cannot be leaked."
"Otherwise, everyone at the Ministry of Works will not be able to escape the death penalty."
Xiao Han nodded again, looked at Shan Anren and asked: "So, Shangshu must be sure, otherwise, if trouble occurs in the future, His Highness the Crown Prince must be held accountable according to the court's laws."
"Um."
Zhu Biao also nodded and said: "This is inevitable. It is related to the national system and must not be careless."
"Your Highness, please rest assured."
"Please rest assured, Lord Marquis."
"I have already considered this point. In order to prevent counterfeiting, the craftsmen used by me all made a part of it themselves, and the rest was handed over to Gongshu brothers."
"As for brothers Gongshu, I will guarantee with my life that nothing will happen. Please rest assured, Your Highness and the Marquis."
Shan Anren looked at Xiao Han and Zhu Biao confidently and said.
The template created by the Ministry of Industry is the template for the new currency of the Ming Dynasty. It is related to the future economic system of the Ming Dynasty, so it is not careless.
Moreover, if it was an ordinary template, would Xiao Han come to the Ministry of Industry in person?
"Shan Shangshu does his work, so don't worry about being alone."
Immediately, Zhu Biao nodded, and stepped into the Ministry of Works with Xiao Han and many officials from the Ministry of Works.
Not long after, Lu Youwei, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, came over with a tray in his hands and said, "His Royal Highness, please take a look."
"Um."
Li Heng next to Zhu Biao took the tray. Zhu Biao nodded, and then waved his hand and said: "Except Shan Anren, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and Lu Youwei, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, the other officials and guards have retired. Down."
"As commanded."
"Wei Chen resigns!"
Officials from the Ministry of Works naturally did not dare to stay. Then they bowed out of the lobby of the Ministry of Works and waited in a side room.
"It's such a complicated pattern, but it's also really exquisite. It might not be easy to reproduce it."
After all the officials retreated, Zhu Biao uncovered the red cloth, looked at the currency template in the tray, and suddenly exclaimed.
The pattern in it is indeed as Xiao Han said, one link after another, but it does not lose its beauty, and it is not easy to reproduce it, unless you are proficient in the skills of a craftsman.
"Well, according to the design of this template, as long as the craftsmen who did not create this template personally can never reproduce it one to one, and according to the pattern of the new currency, the gap between the templates created is still very big, and the people can also use this To distinguish the true from the false.”
Xiao Han nodded slightly, with a flash of emotion in his eyes. In order for the template of this new currency to perfectly fit the Ming Dynasty at this time, he really put in all his efforts, whether it was from the design pattern or the anti-counterfeiting seal. , all done by him personally.
But according to the current technology of the Ming Dynasty, it is impossible to directly distinguish the authenticity. After all, no matter how fast the Ming Dynasty develops, if you want to have that kind of technology, you have to wait at least a hundred years before it can be realized.
But now the Ming Dynasty cannot afford to wait, so Xiao Han can only keep everything simple, starting from the chain buckle of the pattern, and coupled with the chain anti-counterfeiting seal he designed, he can probably eliminate more than 90% of counterfeit coins.
As for the remaining 10%, there is no absolute thing in this world. You can only take it one step at a time, and don't say anything too full, so as not to cause trouble for yourself.
"I understand what you mean. Market supervision and currency supervision are both imperative."
A cold light flashed in Zhu Biao's eyes.
"Shan Shangshu, please tell me that we must create three thousand sets of currency templates in the spring of next year, and you must supervise the entire process. Each set of templates must be marked, and there must be no slack in the unified management of these craftsmen. .”
Xiao Han turned around again, looked at Shan Anren, and said seriously.
"Your Highness, please rest assured."
"I guarantee with my life that three thousand sets of currency templates will be produced by next spring."
Shan Anren thought for a moment, then looked at Xiao Han and Zhu Biao and cupped their hands.
"Well, thank you for your hard work."
Zhu Biao nodded and just said: "The imperial court cannot treat its meritorious officials badly. When they finish creating all the currency templates, I will personally ask for credit for them."
"The old minister thanked His Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of these craftsmen."
Shan Anren bowed slightly again.
"Um."
Zhu Biao nodded slightly, glanced at Xiao Han and said, "Then let's go?"
"Um."
Xiao Han nodded, stood up, looked at Shan Anren and cupped his hands and said: "Please Shangshu pay more attention to the currency template. As for me and His Highness the Crown Prince, if they have something to do, I won't bother you."
"Old minister sends off His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Marquis."
Shan Anren nodded slightly and said quickly.
"No need to send it away."
"There aren't that many rules."
Zhu Biao shook his head slightly, and then waved his hand to Li Heng, indicating to Li Heng to put the tray away, and then walked directly out of the lobby of the Ministry of Industry.
"Farewell."
Xiao Han looked at Shan Anren again, slightly cupped his hands, and then followed him out of the lobby.
"Your Highness, walk slowly."
Shan Anren came to the entrance of the lobby, looked at Zhu Biao's back, and gave another slight salute.
"Now let's try printing?"
As soon as he returned to the carriage, Zhu Biao couldn't wait to look at Xiao Han and said, "This matter can finally come to an end. With these templates, the most difficult step has been solved."
"Well, to reform the currency trading system, there is only the initial template, which is the most difficult to formulate. After all, we must prevent counterfeiting,"
"But since the template has come out, there is no need to worry for the time being. When it comes to printing, you can't avoid the old man, so tomorrow, you and I will go to Kunning Palace and ask the old man to come with us, and then we will print the new Ming Dynasty currency. .”
Xiao Han thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Well, I really should inform the old man."
Zhu Biao patted his head gently, smiled helplessly and said, "I almost forgot that I am the supervisor, and the old man is the emperor. Such a big thing must be witnessed by the old man in person."
"Well, our current yamen has been set up, and statistics on the grain stocks in the Tianfu area have been made. The statistics should be available in two days at most. So, how much new currency should be issued?"
"Now is really the time to finalize it."
Xiao Han sat in the carriage and looked at Zhu Biao again and said: "Now that the face value of the currency has been finalized, how much currency should be issued and how much should it be summarized?"
Suddenly, Zhu Biao began to think deeply. After all, this was related to the economic recovery of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Biao had to be concerned about it, but a layman was always a layman, and the little theoretical knowledge Xiao Han instilled was simply not enough.
Later, Zhu Biao shook his head and said: "You are better than me in reforming the currency trading system. I dare not make any decisions without authorization. Therefore, you should take the lead on these matters. I will be responsible for handling the affairs and clearing the obstacles."
"Well, what's the price of food in Yingtianfu market now?"
Xiao Han glanced at Zhu Biao helplessly and said.
Sure enough, even if a lot of theoretical knowledge is instilled, it is still incomprehensible to the inherent thinking of ancient people. Even Zhu Biao cannot fully digest it.
Of course, it is possible that the old Zhu family does not have this talent.
"About a thousand yuan, which is one tael of silver and one stone of grain. After all, the troubled times just ended, and the price of grain has remained high."
Zhu Biao spoke directly without thinking.
"Then issue new currency based on this grain price."
Xiao Han nodded slightly.
"Um"
"What do you mean? It wasn't said before that a piece of currency is equal to one penny, so why is it equal to one tael now?"
Zhu Biao was slightly stunned and said in a daze.
And if you only have one tael of silver and one piece of currency, how can you make the best use of it and make it universal for the common people?
"Of course not. First we have to build a grain depot in Yingtian Mansion and collect all the grain in Yingtian Mansion. The total value of these grains is the total amount of new currency we want to issue."
"Furthermore, the imperial court must buy all the grain at private prices. As for the face value of the new currency, it remains the same. Ten pieces are equal to one tael of silver, which can be exchanged for one stone of grain in the Yingtianfu grain depot as the new currency. Guaranteed credibility.”
"As for free trade and official trade, that is the business of the people themselves. Anyway, the guarantee given by the court is that in the official trading market, prices are absolutely transparent, and the market prices will not change."
"In the later period, when the country is strong and the food is abundant, the food can be repriced. As for whether it is a loss or not, the investment in the early stage is definitely inevitable, but the return in the later stage will definitely be a huge return."
Xiao Han looked at Zhu Biao and explained.
After all, at this time, the Ming Dynasty was short of gold and silver. If it wanted to recover, it had to work internally and develop its own market instead of large-scale foreign trade.
Moreover, gold and silver are common to all countries, and their external attributes are too strong, which can easily cause the Ming Dynasty's economic market to be impacted by external forces.
Therefore, Xiao Han did so much in the hope of establishing a grain-based currency system, focusing on internal production, and allowing the Ming Dynasty to quickly recover.
At the same time, accumulate original capital, and when the Ming Dynasty is strong, it can start foreign trade.
"Brother, while you are collecting the old currency, you are also taking back the people's food. Aren't the people going to starve to death?"
Zhu Biao was shocked and stared at Xiao Han in disbelief.
"Brother, you need to use your brain. You can't just leave it at home, otherwise it will break."
Xiao Han immediately rolled his eyes.
"We take back the grain and put it in the imperial grain depot of my Ming Dynasty. It does not mean that it will not be put on the market. On the contrary, it can also help the people solve problems such as mold caused by improper storage of grain. Otherwise, I will let you establish the market supervision of my Ming Dynasty. What does the department do?”
Xiao Han said angrily again.
He really didn't expect that Zhu Biao could get to this point?
But in fact, Zhu Biao cannot be blamed for this. After all, the concept of "standard" is really too advanced for Zhu Biao, an ancient man.
Even though Zhu Biao, as the prince of the Ming Dynasty, couldn't understand it for a while and couldn't turn his head around, it was normal.
"Etc., etc!"
"Give me some time to relax."
"No, no."
"There's something wrong with your approach. If we collect the grain and put it on the market, those people don't have enough confidence in our Ming Dynasty and just buy the grain back at the original price. Wouldn't our work be in vain?"
Zhu Biao patted his head and waited for a while before he figured out what was wrong. He looked at Xiao Han and asked.
Right, he is the Ming Dynasty Prince Zhu Biao. Although there is no Xiao Han, this Huaixi young man is almost as resourceful as a demon, but he is also a smart group. How could he make such a low-level mistake?
"so."
"You went to such great lengths to even set up a market supervision office just to investigate the information?"
"Use your brain, how long can the people of Yingtian Mansion, and even the food of the world, be able to eat it?"
Xiao Han's eyelids twitched slightly, and he looked at Zhu Biao with an expression that said, "You didn't explain clearly." He felt helpless like a chicken talking to a duck.
"In other places, this year's grain harvest is not good. In some places, there is no harvest. After all, it is a year of great disaster. It would be good to have enough food. But in Yingtianfu, it is not bad. At least it can last until next year's harvest. .”
Zhu Biao sighed softly again. This is not because Ming Dynasty did not work hard, nor does it mean that Ming Dynasty does not want the people to live a good life. It is just that this natural and man-made disaster is really difficult to resist.
"So, why do we allow them all to be exchanged?"
"After all, you also know that in a year of great disaster, it is difficult to say whether the people's food can survive this winter. Then next spring, the court must solve this problem. Therefore, we must not only collect the food of the people of Yingtian Mansion , and also collected the food from wealthy families."
"Then next, we will limit the new currency released, calculate the food consumption of a family, and limit the amount of food that people can exchange with the new currency every month, including wealthy families. Of course, for a wealthy family with a big business, accurate accounting must be done.”
"So, with the food from wealthy families, it is not difficult for the people of Yingtian Mansion to survive until next year's food harvest. Moreover, the remaining new currency that cannot be exchanged for food can naturally circulate into the market."
Xiao Han spread his hands slightly, looked at Zhu Biao again and explained.
As for the current Ming Dynasty, there is no large-scale foreign trade, and the new currency system of the Ming Dynasty is supported by the grain standard. It can be said that as long as it does not encounter large-scale natural disasters year after year, it will be a hundred benefits and no harm.
Of course, if we encounter consecutive natural disasters and there is no harvest at all, regardless of your position, should the market collapse or collapse, and the people should rebel or rebel?
After all, food is not something that is created out of thin air, nor does it disappear simply because it is placed in a grain depot by the imperial court.
"feasible."
Zhu Biao nodded heavily.
"Well, you have to understand why we need to issue new currency. It's because the gold and silver in the Ming Dynasty's treasury are not enough to support its use."
Xiao Han also nodded.
This is a fact. It is no exaggeration to say that today's daimyo are leaking air everywhere, demolishing the east wall to repair the west wall every day. However, during the Hongwu Dynasty, they were notoriously poor, and it was not only the people who were poor, but also the officials. Poor, otherwise, there would not be so many corrupt officials.
"Then do you still remember that I told you that printing more new currency when we don't have enough money is tantamount to robbing the people?"
Xiao Han continued to look at Zhu Biao's soul and asked.
"of course I remember."
"But even if I, the Ming Dynasty, die of poverty and starvation, I will never do the same thing as Bao Yuan, who plunders the people's fat and anointing."
Zhu Biao said firmly.
The Ming Dynasty shared the world with the people, so how could it use new currency to rob the people?
"Isn't that enough? The purpose of recovering gold and silver is for subsequent foreign trade and as a reserve of gold and silver for our Ming Dynasty."
"But we only use this to issue currency. After the over-issuance, can we grow gold or silver from the ground to fill this hole? Neither can we?"
"But grain can be used. Even if the supply is occasionally exceeded, the harvest can be used to make up for it later. This is one of the advantages."
"Furthermore, all the food in the world is in the imperial court, mainly the families of scholar-bureaucrats, wealthy gentry and wealthy merchants. They want to do the things of rich families, wine and meat, people who freeze to death on the road, arrogance and extravagance. What do you think will happen?"
The corners of Xiao Han's lips raised slightly. This move is called equality of all living beings. There is only so much food given to you, and there is no room for waste.
"It just can't be done!"
Zhu Biao's eyes suddenly lit up. This two-pronged approach, firstly, was the accumulation of primitive capital as Xiao Han said, and secondly, all the food in the world was in the imperial court.
Besides, he, the great Ming prince, has a simple diet every day, so why can those wealthy gentry and wealthy businessmen eat chicken, duck, fish, and delicacies every day?
"Of course, there's another benefit to this."
The corners of Xiao Han's mouth raised slightly again, and he looked at Zhu Biao and said: "All the food in the world is in the imperial court. If we guard the food depots everywhere with heavy troops, Your Highness, what will happen if someone wants to rebel at this time?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"That's it, that's it!"
"We hold the world's food in our hands. If anyone dares to rebel, they will have no choice but to snatch the food from the hands of the people. In this way, all people's hearts will be lost. But as long as the Ming Dynasty itself does not make mistakes, it will be as stable as Mount Tai. This is a long-term solution!" "
Zhu Biao suddenly understood and laughed loudly, and then his whole body could not help but reveal ecstasy and shock!
"This is a two-pronged approach. Ming Dynasty must accumulate original capital. Gold and silver will always be the hard currency for foreign trade. But in the domestic market, we must focus on food to win over the people and attack the wealthy gentry and wealthy businessmen."
Xiao Han gently clenched his fist and said with a smile.
Continue to ask for recommendation votes and monthly votes. Brothers, please give me some. Thank you. I also want to join the group. Brothers, please join the group quickly. Let’s chat together. The author is really working hard to update!
(End of chapter)
