Treasure money or silver and copper, this is a very critical issue, related to everyone's life and interests.
Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the policy of treasure banknotes, prohibiting gold and silver transactions, and vigorously promoting treasure banknotes. This means that gold and silver are not easy to use. If you want to use them, you must first exchange them for treasure banknotes. .
It should be noted that the exchange is one-way.
Gold and silver can only be exchanged for treasure banknotes, but treasure banknotes cannot be exchanged for gold and silver.
This non-gold and silver standard system flaw directly led to the proliferation of treasure banknotes. The gold and silver standard means that as much gold and silver as everyone brings to exchange, the equivalent amount of treasure banknotes will be issued.
It would be better for Lao Zhu to just get a lot of treasure money and put it in the household department. He can use the money to buy food and various goods and just spend it. Even the gold and silver were not confiscated and put directly into the market for use...
The consequences are obvious, that is, the Ming Dynasty Baobao that was born in the eighth year of Hongwu. The Yiguan Baobao is equivalent to the Yiguan copper coin. By the 23rd year of Hongwu, the value of the Yiguan Baobao was only 250 Wen, depreciating by 10%. seventy-five. By the thirty-first year of Hongwu's reign, the value of the consistent treasure banknotes was only one hundred wen.
Of course, the devaluation of treasure banknotes is also related to Zhu Laosi and others. After all, when Lao Zhu rewarded him with things, most of them were treasure banknotes. Zhu Laosi also knew that this thing was not easy to use, so he simply threw it away among the people and exchanged it for things. Going to Peiping, the more treasure banknotes entered the private sector, the more they depreciated in value, so that before the Hongwu Dynasty was over, gold and silver transactions began to appear among the people again.
Gu Zhengchen didn't want history to repeat itself, and he didn't want Zhang Xiwan to complain to him one day. The court gave him a pile of waste paper. Yesterday he could buy more than a hundred kilograms of grain, but today he can only buy fifty kilograms...
The depreciation of banknotes was very serious in the middle and late Yuan Dynasty, but Lao Zhu did not learn this lesson. No one in the current Ministry of Household Affairs or Zhongshu understands economics, and Xia Yuanji, who is known as the "Steward of the Ming Dynasty", has only now At seven years old, it was impossible to count on him.
Zhang Xiwan looked at Gu Zhengchen who was sighing, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to grind: "If your husband wants to make a suggestion, it's better to do it as soon as possible. The Baochao Lifting Department has just been established, and the corresponding personnel and arrangements have not yet been started. If the Baochao Lifting Department is ready, Once I’m ready to submit the letter, I’m afraid there will be resistance.”
Gu Zhengchen looked at the smart Zhang Xiwan and raised his hand to stop: "This proposal is not easy to write, so you better think about it carefully."
Zhang Xiwan smiled and said: "You actually troubled your husband?"
Gu Zhengchen glanced at Zhang Xiwan: "My husband can't do everything. It's not difficult to persuade him. What's difficult is how to change His Majesty's mind."
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Xiwan asked curiously.
Gu Zhengchen leaned on his chair, one arm half hanging: "Your Majesty's intention is that Ming Dynasty is a family, and he is the only head of the family. When money is needed, he can issue it at will."
Zhang Xiwan asked uneasily: "Don't your Majesty know that doing this will cause the price of treasure notes to drop?"
Gu Zhengchen shrugged his shoulders, rather feebly.
Whether Lao Zhu knows this is hard to say.
He said he didn't know. It's very possible. You have to know that Lao Zhu was born as a farmer. He was a cowherd boy when he was a child. Although he was smart, he didn't know much about literacy. Later, he worked hard to learn how to read. He didn't read much, and the Confucian scholars around him Most of what I talked about was about the principles of governing the country. Most of them were written in the Four Books, Five Classics and History, but none of them talked about economic issues. It is very likely that there are gaps in the knowledge.
But he should be aware of it. All civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty came up from the late Yuan Dynasty. Although these people were very poor, most of them had copper plates or barter. They may not have used Yuan Dynasty treasure banknotes, but they must have heard about it. However, I also know that it is worthless, so there is no reason why everyone should not write to Lao Zhu and warn him to restrain himself.
Lao Zhu had been begging for help for several years. Gu Zhengchen didn't believe that Lao Zhu had never received a single treasure note as a beggar. This thing was worse than a copper coin...
Regardless of whether Lao Zhu knew it or not, in fact he had never restrained himself.
Gu Zhengchen sat behind the desk and thought for a long time, then he thought: "In order to let Lao Zhu..."
"Shh!"
Zhang Xiwan was so frightened that she quickly covered Gu Zhengchen's mouth.
What can you say about Lao Zhu and not Lao Zhu? If someone hears it and spreads it, it will be disrespectful and decapitating.
Gu Zhengchen pulled Zhang Xiwan into his arms and said with a smile: "My husband has thought of a way to allow Your Majesty to link the treasure banknotes to gold and silver, so that the issuance of the treasure banknotes can be more cautious, and the court will not issue excessive treasure banknotes."
"What method?"
Zhang Xiwan's eyes sparkled.
Gu Zhengchen smelled the faint fragrance of Zhang Xiwan and said softly: "As the founder of the country, His Majesty should be known to the world. If His Majesty's head is engraved on the banknotes, then Your Majesty will not want to see the banknotes depreciate in value. Seeing that the people regard the treasure banknotes as waste paper, they will work hard to maintain the value of the treasure banknotes, and future generations of monarchs will also inherit Taizu's wishes and continue the treasure banknotes..."
"Tai, Taizu?"
Zhang Xiwan's eyes widened and she looked at Gu Zhengchen in disbelief.
Zhu Yuanzhang is still alive and well, and no one dares to give him a temple title. This thing was given to him after the emperor died.
Gu Zhengchen secretly blamed himself, he blamed those history books, Taizu came and went one after another, causing himself to spill the beans, and quickly explained: "Your Majesty and Liu Bang are a bit similar, they both started from commoners, and they both had the founding of the country. Gong, Your Majesty has great respect for Liu Bang, so what, Liu Bang is the Taizu, and your Majesty will naturally be the Taizu in the future..."
Zhang Xiwan looked at Gu Zhengchen suspiciously and shook her head: "My husband is lying."
Gu Zhengchen looked at Zhang Xiwan and decided to punish this guy who didn't believe in him. He picked up Zhang Xiwan and walked to the bed. It was already dark, so Mu Ying couldn't come out to disturb the two of them...
Zhang Xiwan felt aggrieved. She was obviously right, so why was she the one who suffered the torment?
My husband must know something!
Taizu!
The husband said these two words so naturally, making it clear that they were revealed without thinking. When this happens, it's usually a statement of some kind of fact. But the emperor is still fine, and no one knows what temple name he will be given in the future.
It's just that my husband knows it and is very sure and confident, as if this is the fact.
Zhang Xiwan lay on top of Gu Zhengchen, saying nothing, just looking straight at him.
Gu Zhengchen regretted that he could still keep his wits about him when talking to outsiders, but he could never keep his wits about him when talking to Zhang Xiwan. Looking at her like this, I'm afraid she won't be able to get around this problem...
"If you have anything to say, just say it!"
Gu Zhengchen closed his eyes to avoid feeling guilty.
Zhang Xiwan smiled, leaned into Gu Zhengchen's ear, and blew a breath: "Why Taizu and not Gaozu? Although Liu Bang's temple name is Taizu, he can be given the posthumous title of Emperor Gao. Confucian scholars and people mostly call him Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. If Liu Bang is called Emperor Gaozu by his husband For an explanation, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to call him Gaozu?”
Gu Zhengchen was a little depressed.
Marrying a smart wife is not necessarily a good thing, and it is difficult to coax her.
Gu Zhengchen opened his eyes, looked at Zhang Xiwan, and sighed: "It's because..."
There were footsteps outside the door, and the sound stopped.
"Sir, Jurong Guard has sent documents from the Far Fire Bureau."
Zhang Pei's voice came.
Gu Zhengchen turned over with excitement on his face. He thanked the Yuanhuo Bureau, put on his clothes, and said to Zhang Xiwan, who was complaining: "You know, there is nothing trivial in the Yuanhuo Bureau. No matter when documents are sent, your husband will have to do it." Go check it out.”
Zhang Xiwan looked at Gu Zhengchen, who was running away, and twisted the quilt: "This is your home, you can run away whenever you want..."
Gu Zhengchen took the document, glanced at it, and immediately ordered someone to lead the horse. He and Zhang Pei left the county and went straight to Jurong Guard.
Far fire bureau.
Tao Chengdao handed a long fire gun to Gu Zhengchen and said solemnly: "This is a new type of fire gun modified by the Smelting Department and the Manufacturing Department."
Gu Zhengchen weighed the iron pipe in front of him. The format was exactly the same as the previous fire gun, and there was no improvement in appearance. However, Tao Chengdao, Shen Minger and others clearly made a breakthrough when they passed it.
If the appearance is not improved, then there can only be internal improvements.
Gu Zhengchen pointed his finger at the raised medicine room and asked in a deep voice, "Have you improved this place?"
Tao Chengdao, Shen Ming and others were in awe.
You must know that Gu Zhengchen is not a craftsman, and no one told him where the improvements in firearms were, but he found the improvements at a glance. Perhaps in his understanding, this medicine room should have been improved long ago.
Tao Chengdao smiled helplessly and nodded: "Yes, we have completed the improvement!"
Gu Zhengchen frowned slightly, looked at Tao Cheng who was smiling and said, "It seems that you are very satisfied with the results of this breakthrough. Let's talk about it in detail."
Tao Chengdao looked at Shen Ming'er: "This is the credit of your manufacturing department. You can tell me."
After Shen Ming'er thanked him, he introduced to Gu Zhengchen: "Since the last test of the fire gun being unable to achieve a hundred-step stable armor breaking, all the craftsmen of the Far Fire Bureau have been working hard to overcome this difficulty. The craftsmen of the Manufacturing Department unanimously believe that firearms fire lead Bullets, the key to achieving a kill is gunpowder, and the power of gunpowder is not only the gunpowder itself, but also related to the medicine chamber."
"Therefore, after discussing with the Smelting Department, the Manufacturing Department decided to improve the medicine chamber, transforming the nearly circular medicine chamber into different shapes, and then arranged tests. It was found that if the end of the medicine chamber close to the lead bullet was narrowed, and the medicine chamber was By adding a piece of wooden horse between the lead bullet and the gunpowder, the power of the gunpowder is greatly increased, and it is easy to break armor in a hundred steps, and it can even be achieved in a hundred and fifty steps!"
Gu Zhengchen was pleasantly surprised: "Really?"
Xu Azhu took out a test document and handed it to Gu Zhengchen: "The results of thirty firearms tests after the improvement are recorded here. One hundred and fifty armor penetration. In one shot, at least two lead bullets penetrated."
Gu Zhengchen looked through the test records carefully and nodded with satisfaction.
The improvement of the medicine room and the addition of wooden horses have greatly increased the power of firearms. This is a huge improvement for firearms to restrain cavalry!
Gu Zhengchen was pleased and arranged: "The result of breaking through leather armor in one hundred and fifty steps is quite amazing. However, the firing process of firearms is too slow and is not suitable for use. You need to allocate manpower and try every means to reduce the time of loading and firing. , let the Jurong Guards sergeants charge on horseback several times, and measure how long it takes to get close in one hundred and fifty steps. You must achieve three firings in the process."
Tao Chengdao, Shen Ming'er, Chen Youcai and others were shocked.
A distance of one hundred and fifty steps doesn't take long at all for the cavalry, but they have to fire their firearms three times in such a short period of time?
Difficult, too difficult!
Almost impossible to achieve!
