Chapter 650 Silver Crisis and Response (First Update)

Style: Historical Author: Winter plum blossoms startle the snowWords: 3494Update Time: 24/02/20 16:17:24
Xia Yuanji was moved.

Zhu Yunwen also knew that Chang Baiye made an offer that the Ministry of Revenue and the court could not refuse.

At present, the monetary policy of the Ming Dynasty is the coexistence of silver banknotes, that is, copper coins, silver and treasure banknotes are circulated together. The problem arises here. Although the treasure banknotes are promoted in the market and some businessmen and people also recognize the treasure banknotes, in many transactions, the treasure banknotes The proportion is not high.

The Ministry of Household Affairs has conducted surveys and statistics. Among the transactions between people and merchants in the capital, treasure banknotes circulate quickly and account for a relatively high proportion. It only reaches 40%, not yet half. The further away from the capital, the lower the proportion. Su The area around Hangzhou is quite good and can reach 30%. However, in places like Huizhou, Fengyang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places, Baochao is very popular, but its proportion is always low, mostly less than 20%. In some rural places, it is even less than 20%. There is no trace of treasure money.

Even with the continuous promotion of the imperial court and the county government, some people still believe in copper coins and silver, and their understanding of new types of banknotes is still somewhat weak. Coupled with the shadow of the sharp depreciation of Hongwu banknotes and the lack of use of banknotes, the entire public is still inclined to Use copper coins and silver for transactions.

Although Zhu Yunwen knew the distribution of many copper and silver mines and excavated a large amount of copper and silver, due to increasingly frequent commercial activities and the policy of focusing on silver and treasure banknotes, silver was once in short supply, and there was a shortage of silver on the market. The problem of insufficient silver, the exchange ratio of silver, copper coins and treasure banknotes fluctuated again, and silver rose.

Especially droughts and floods require a large amount of money to purchase goods and support reconstruction. The court holds treasure notes, but the victims and local merchants do not accept it. Force is not appropriate and the only option is to use silver and copper first. These are all aggravated. The silver and copper in the household department dropped sharply.

During the Hongwu period, the circulation of copper and silver was banned, but it lost its effect after problems with the treasure banknotes. This also shows that imperial decrees cannot control economic laws. The only way to maintain a relatively balanced exchange ratio of silver, copper coins and treasure banknotes in the long term is to control the proportion of silver and copper coins circulating in the market, and gradually realize the exchange ratio of treasure banknotes. Lord's situation.

Zhu Yunwen remembers that when many historians comment on the demise of the Ming Dynasty, they always involve one of the factors:

The court is out of money.

The fiscal deficit is too large, we cannot make ends meet, and we cannot come up with money to pay wages, so we can only impose excessive taxes. What will happen in the end...

But the problem is that many people directly equate the court's lack of money with the Ming Dynasty's lack of money, and think that the late Ming Dynasty was extremely poor. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. The court has no money, but the people have plenty of money. The court cannot produce silver, but the people have plenty of silver. Alas, it is not for the court to use...

Some people even bluntly said: The Ming Dynasty perished due to lack of silver.

There are deep economic law issues in this. To put it crudely:

Silver is in short supply and its value has risen, creating a situation where silver is expensive and cheap.

Both commercial activities and a whipping method require a large amount of silver, and the collection of taxes is also converted into silver. Now silver is precious and cheap. Originally, the output of your land could be exchanged for one tael of silver, but now it can only be exchanged for two hundred coins, but the court still It costs one tael, so you have to sell more grain.

No food?

That's your business. The agreed amount cannot be less. Sell ​​your children, sell your daughters, sell yourself, it’s up to you.

As a result, refugees appeared in droves, taxes from various places could not be collected at all, the imperial treasury dropped sharply, and gradually ran out of money...

If you don’t have money, then raise taxes.

The more taxes are raised, the less money there is and the more refugees there are...

Like an unbreakable curse, it formed a knot that tightened the throat of the Ming Dynasty.

Now, as Zhu Yunwen implemented a whipping method and lifted the ban on commerce, this problem began to emerge, and silver panic appeared in some places. After all, in the Jianwen Dynasty, there was no large amount of silver input from the West.

If Zhu Yunwen hadn't dug a number of large-scale silver and copper mines, it would have been impossible to support the further development of the commodity economy. But there are only so many silver mines in the Ming Dynasty. With the further development of the economy, no amount of silver mines may be able to keep up with the market demand. Now Zhu Yunwen has no way to go to Japan and South America to mine silver mines. The only way to solve the problem is to expand the treasure bank. The influence of the currency has allowed people to recognize treasure banknotes, reducing the status and proportion of silver in the circulation of commodities.

But the promotion of treasure banknotes is one thing, and the increase in the circulation ratio is another matter. Tough laws cannot solve this problem. The only feasible way is to let businessmen act as intermediaries between the court and the people, and give full play to the role of merchants in expanding treasure banknotes. role in.

If merchants go to the countryside to collect grain, stand in the same position as the imperial court, and use treasure banknotes uniformly, and all goods sold will be sold with treasure banknotes. When this phenomenon lasts for a year or two, and the people have clearly seen the stability and value of treasure banknotes, The circulation of silver naturally decreased, and treasure banknotes became the mainstream.

Only by maintaining and ensuring the value and purchasing power of treasure banknotes could the Ming Dynasty overcome a series of problems caused by the shortage of silver. The imperial court would have enough ability to adjust whether it was inflation or deflation.

Zhu Yunwen allowed the Yinglie Chamber of Commerce to grow, and saw the growth of the Shanxi Merchants Chamber of Commerce, and the emergence of large business groups. What he valued was the collective strength of the merchants. It was difficult for isolated and scattered merchants to cooperate with the court in doing these things, but it was much easier for the collectives. .

Although there are huge risks hidden in waiting for the business group to grow, compared with the danger of shortage of silver, it is related to the success or failure of the implementation of the whip law and the national economy and people's livelihood. Zhu Yunwen has to bear this risk.

Now the merchants began to bargain with the court. They saw their own power. This time they opened their mouths for money, but the next time they opened their mouths, it might not be pure money, but greater interests.

Zhu Yunwen looked at Xia Yuanji. Xia Yuanji thought about it and said, "I think it is feasible, but some restrictions need to be added."

"Xia Shangshu invites you."

Chang Baiye felt excited, as long as the court agreed, the matter would be easy to handle.

Xia Yuanji said solemnly: "Businessmen who buy the trophies snatched by sergeants must quote the price according to the truth. They must not bully the sergeants and deliberately lower the price."

"It's natural."

Chang Baiye had no objection. Although the businessman was seeking profit, after all, he was a sergeant with a knife. If he really messed up, he might come back.

Xia Yuanji nodded slightly: "The trophies in Duobang City, Shenglong City, and Qinghua City can be sold to your merchants, but the price must be negotiated with Zhang Fu and others, and the trophies in the palace will not belong to you."

Chang Baiye nodded.

You may not dare to use the things from the palace. If you violate the rules, you might be accused and the whole family will go to the market to set up a stall.

Xia Yuanji reminded: "You are responsible for safety issues yourself, and you must follow Zhang Fu's arrangements. If you break away from the command, act without authorization, and behead your head, don't blame the court."

Chang Baiye and Zhou Dajiang agreed repeatedly.

Seeing Xia Yuanji finish speaking, Zhu Yunwen stood up and looked in the direction of Wenlou, and said calmly: "I would also like to mention two points for you. First, if you want to borrow money from the bank, that is no problem, but the prerequisite is that you must first borrow money from the bank. Deposit one-half of the banknotes, that is, for every one million taels of banknotes borrowed, you need to deposit 500,000 taels. You are allowed to deposit from the capital and withdraw it in Guangxi, Guangzhou, Yunnan, Jiangxi and other places without charge. Transportation difficulties on the way there.”

Chang Baiye suddenly stared. Zhu Yunwen's words meant that the imperial court had a large amount of money and silver and copper stored in banks in Guangxi, Guangzhou and other places. Was the imperial court really prepared for all this?

However, how could he predict that merchants would participate in the expedition to the south?

Zhu Yunwen did not expect that businessmen such as Chang Baiye would be involved. The reason why he transferred countless amounts of money to Guangxi, Yunnan and other places was that when the sergeants returned with their trophies, they would deposit them in banks, exchange them for bills, and return to the capital or After going to the guard station, you can withdraw the money. Now the businessman wants to get involved, which saves him a lot of trouble.

"Secondly, treasure banknotes must dominate. After you return, you must use all your strength to expand the use of treasure banknotes. If you can do without silver, don't use silver. If you can do without copper coins, don't use copper coins. The proportion of treasure banknotes in your chamber of commerce's goods transactions will be The proportion must not be less than 80%.”

Chang Baiye and Zhou Dajiang looked at each other and agreed that there would be certain business risks, but compared to the benefits that would be gained, this risk was nothing.

More importantly, Chang Baiye believed that Zhu Yunwen could stabilize the value and purchasing power of Bao Banknotes, and he also knew the benefits of Bao Banknotes being popular. From the perspective of large business, the advantages of Bao Banknotes replacing silver and copper coins outweighed the disadvantages.

Taking a step back, if there is no way to achieve 80% proportion during the implementation process, the court will be anxious. They will take the initiative to find ways to solve the problem, and the risks will not be borne entirely by the chamber of commerce.

Chang Baiye agreed and represented the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce.

Master Zhou also agreed, on his own behalf. The Huizhou merchants do not yet have their own chamber of commerce. Although there are many Huizhou merchants behind him, Master Zhou has no say and will have to discuss it later...

After Chang Baiye and Master Zhou left, Xia Yuanji was a little worried: "The Annan War made businessmen see the existence of interests. Once they abandon their stance and become several business groups, it may not be a good thing for the court."

Zhu Yunwen nodded solemnly: "Yes, so the court needs to prepare early."

Xia Yuanji raised his heels and stepped forward: "The Ministry of Household Affairs has investigated the issue of the floating tax rate and has formulated a strategy. We only need the emperor's approval before it can be implemented throughout the world."

The floating tax rate will become a sharp knife for the court to cut through large business groups. The Ministry of Household Affairs not only pays attention to issues such as luxury goods, but also divides them into categories based on revenue. If the annual revenue of a businessman's store exceeds 5,000 taels, it will be divided into categories. The tax rate will be slightly increased. If the tax exceeds 10,000 taels, the tax will be increased. If the tax exceeds 100,000 taels, the tax will be even heavier.

Businessmen want profits, and so does the court. The bigger the businessman, the more they need to be stabbed, unless they split up the family early and transfer the stores to the names of their sons...

"Let's postpone the floating tax rate. Now is not the best time."

Zhu Yunwen believes that the destructive power of floating tax rates is somewhat high. If the enthusiasm of businessmen is stifled too early, the court's commercial taxes are likely to drop sharply. It may be better to give them some breathing time.

Pigs need to be raised to gain fat.

Heroes Chamber of Commerce.

The originally spacious hall was now very crowded, and there was no place to sit. Many businessmen could only stand.

Chang Baiye looked at the people waiting anxiously and said seriously: "The court has agreed!"

"good!"

The businessmen suddenly became excited and the whole hall cheered.

Chang Baiye asked everyone to calm down, and after clarifying the various conditions, he said: "If you want to ask for money and join the game, you must agree to the court's request, otherwise you will not be allowed to enter Annan."

"We agreed!"

someone among the businessmen shouted.

How could there be so little loot in a war to destroy a country?

Although Annan Thang Long City has been captured by Champa several times before, Annan has a lot of treasures. As long as they are given three to five years, they can accumulate a lot of treasures. What's more, after more than twenty years of accumulation, it's strange that there are so few treasures.

Obtaining treasures from Annan and selling them to the capital would cost at least eight or nine times to make a profit. The imperial court gave them the opportunity to make a fortune, so it was only right to help the imperial court when the time came.

Everyone unanimously agreed and signed the agreement document in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry at the Heroes Chamber of Commerce.

Various chambers of commerce and merchants are recruiting manpower, and some discerning and knowledgeable shopkeepers have been selected. For a businessman, the shopkeeper is the most precious thing. If he misjudges the goods and does not gain much benefit, wouldn’t his work be in vain?

Groups of capable clerks left the capital with the merchants and went to Guangxi. At the same time, a group of people entered Beijing, totaling seventy-two people.

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