As the Minister of Rites, Li Shouzhong had too many things to consider.
At his position, if he can't make a decision with one word.
Generally speaking, one does not easily express opinions in court.
Bosses like them need to retain their authority.
The final word can only be made at a critical moment.
For example, Zhang Songyue, the chief assistant of the cabinet, usually looks like an old god.
But as long as you open your mouth, it will basically be the final decision that seals the coffin.
Although Li Shouzhong did not join the cabinet, he was still among the top civil servants.
You can't always charge into everything yourself.
If there is no absolute certainty, someone needs to take the lead.
It's enough to wait until the last moment to take sides.
What's more, he's optimistic about banknotes.
Although it won't dampen Feng Yibo's concern for the country and the people, he still somewhat disagrees with it.
If Feng Yibo is willing to try, it doesn't matter.
He is still young anyway, so it doesn't matter if he is wrong.
Li Shouzhong even hoped that he would be denied several times.
He firmly believes:
Talents are made through tempering, and they must always be determined to make progress.
Success or failure is hard to see and is not enough to determine talent.
To put it bluntly, heroes are not judged by their success or failure.
In his opinion, Feng Yibo still needs to practice.
Therefore, his attitude was to let Feng Yibo go up alone.
And he won’t co-sign.
Feng Yibo actually understands this truth, but the banknote matter is indeed a bit tricky.
It is not easy to intervene across departments.
Considering his status, he can't have much effect.
Even if the specific situation is stated in this memorial, I am afraid it will be in vain.
To be honest, Feng Yibo is not a loyal minister.
Having experienced the experience of "being born under the red flag and growing up in the spring breeze", he did not even have basic respect for the imperial power.
How can we talk about loyalty to the emperor?
For him, the emperor is not as important as the teacher.
Generally speaking, the emperor is regarded as the top leader.
Even a few curse words behind my back are pretty good.
But from another perspective, Feng Yibo is also a loyal minister.
He asked Donghai County to submit its territory and become part of the Central Plains Dynasty.
From a geographical and legal perspective, they are opening up territory for the Central Plains Dynasty.
Thousands of years later, this was evidence of inherent territory.
With such a strong heart, who can say that he is not a loyal minister?
But, for himself.
This is not "loyalty to the emperor", it can only be regarded as "patriotism".
Similarly, he was worried about the excessive issuance of money by the Wei Dynasty, and it was not for the sake of Emperor Jingshun.
First, as he said, he is afraid that the excessive issuance of banknotes will affect the national economy and people's livelihood.
At that time, countless people will be affected.
Since he knew the risks involved, if he did nothing.
I always feel like I can't get through it.
Just as Li Shouzhong said, what he wants is "but to have a clear conscience"!
Second, it is also because his foundation is in Donghai County, and Donghai County is based in the Wei Dynasty.
The two face each other across the sea, separated by water.
If something goes wrong with Da Wei, it will not be a good thing for Donghai County.
The current prosperous trade in Donghai County is based on the trade between the East and the West.
What's more, the immigrants in Donghai County also moved there from the Wei Dynasty.
The two are inseparable.
After talking to Li Shouzhong, Feng Yibo sent several memorials.
Explain the dangers of excessive issuance of banknotes.
The risks caused by insufficient reserves are also clarified one by one.
Unfortunately.
After these memorials were handed over, they were like nothing.
Not causing even the slightest ripple.
Feng Yibo didn't know what Emperor Jingshun and the cabinet thought about this.
It is because he has limited knowledge and his explanations are superficial.
So the other party can't understand these financial issues?
Or are you, like Li Shouzhong, optimistic about this?
Just laugh at his suggestion.
Or rather, they had expected it and were fully prepared.
Is it just inconvenient to make it public?
Or perhaps, he was blinded by the temporary gain.
Do you think what he said is nonsense?
Two months passed by in a blink of an eye, but Feng Yibo never waited for an answer.
On the contrary, the change of the folding color to banknotes has become a regular practice after two months of trial.
The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were also accustomed to using banknotes.
Now that the matter has come to this, Feng Yibo no longer pays too much attention to this matter.
Instead, he will focus more on his own Donghai County.
In case that day comes in the future, the losses can be kept to a minimum.
"How is the coin prepared now?"
Starting today, Gouzi will come over to report on his daily work.
Feng Yibo was not in a hurry to review the documents, so he asked about the coins first.
"I just wanted to tell you about this."
Gouzi grinned and said with a smile:
"Now we have about 300,000 gold coins, almost 2 million silver coins, and more than 10 million copper coins."
It’s good to have mines, and you can make your own money.
Every time Gouzi sees those gold, silver and copper coins, he grins from ear to ear.
Gold and silver coins are stamped by water, so the speed is naturally not slow.
It can suppress hundreds of pieces at a time.
However, copper coins were cast using the sand casting method.
As long as there are enough copper tubes, hundreds or thousands of pieces can be produced at a time.
Compared with the limited number of hydraulic stamping machines, the method of casting copper coins is much simpler.
Just open a few more furnaces and you can pay tens of thousands.
However, manual polishing is required after sanding, otherwise it will be faster.
Hearing this reserve amount, Feng Yibo nodded with satisfaction and said:
"It seems that our silver shop can be opened. As long as we continue to mint, it should be enough for daily use."
Yinzhuang has begun preparations long ago, with one location each in Beigang and Xincheng.
The most conspicuous locations were chosen.
Before it even opened, soldiers were already assigned to guard it.
Gouzi nodded with a smile and replied:
"I think we can redeem it while recycling it, so there shouldn't be any problem."
The two have discussed this issue many times.
There are gold mines and copper mines in Liuqiu.
But there are no silver mines.
Although gold mines also have associated silver mines, their output is only equivalent to that of gold mines.
In terms of value, gold coins are ten times that of silver coins.
The usage rate of silver coins will be much higher.
This output is inevitably dwarfed by comparison.
Previously, Feng Yibo cashed all the money orders.
In addition to fearing that the imperial court would issue excessive bills of exchange, it was also because there was insufficient silver for forging silver coins.
Even if gold and silver coins are officially used, the cash must be recycled and remade.
Avoid insufficient silver coins causing the value to exceed the face value.
"I will issue an order when I return this time. From now on, our Donghai County can only use gold, silver and copper coins, and other forms of gold and silver are not allowed to be used as currency."
We have enough preparations now, and we will continue to cast them after the release.
Therefore, Feng Yibo immediately made the decision and Donghai County's legal tender was officially implemented.
"All government agencies, as well as personnel, as well as the salaries of officials and soldiers, will also be paid in this form starting next month."
Feng Yibo also learned some experience from the circulation of banknotes.
The most important facilities in Donghai County, such as ports, yamen, and even brothels, etc.
Behind it is the Black Dragon Mansion.
In addition, officials at all levels and the army are also the major contributors to finance.
If these are implemented first, they can drive a large part of the currency use.
"In addition, the silver bank at the port must reserve more for merchants to exchange. For taxes, berths, etc., they only accept our legal currency."
This exchange is only in, not out.
Cash silver can be exchanged for gold and silver coins, but it cannot be exchanged back for cash silver.
Otherwise, it would be necessary to reserve cash, which would not be conducive to currency circulation.
The most important thing is that it is still profitable to exchange gold and silver coins.
A silver coin is seven cents and two cents, containing 89% silver.
Even seven cents and two cents is silver.
If you exchange one silver coin, you will earn a net profit of two cents and eight cents, and if you exchange ten silver coins, you will earn two cents and eight cents of silver.
Is there any better deal than this?
If the calculation is not accurate, silver coins are easy to use and easy to count.
It can also prevent counterfeiting by observing the texture and sound.
Feng Yibo didn't dare to do this.
Thinking of anti-counterfeiting, he warned again:
"Also, let alone suppressing the gold and silver coins, the matter of hydraulic stamping is still the highest level of confidentiality."
Hydraulic stamping itself has the function of preventing counterfeiting.
Due to the limitations of the times, when it comes to coins, they are thought to be cast.
However, you will find out if you try it.
The pattern of casting cannot be so delicate, nor can it be as bright as a mirror.
"Understood, no one knows about this except me and the person in charge of the coins."
Gouzi nodded and added:
"Don't worry, we only tell the outside world that they are all cast."
According to legend, Leeuwenhoek, the father of optical microscopes, used the gravity method to burn 200 times lenses, but claimed that they were ground.
As a result, countless people tried to imitate it, but all failed.
It wasn't until hundreds of years later that someone revealed the secret.
This shows the importance of the right direction.
If someone wants to imitate Liuqiu’s gold and silver coins.
As long as the casting method is used, it will not succeed for hundreds of years.
Feng Yibo nodded with satisfaction before starting to review the documents.
As he watched, he suddenly frowned and said:
"Is there any action on the Japanese side?"
Liuqiu has begun preparations for war.
The disturbances in the Japanese country made him particularly concerned.
When Gouzi heard this, he shook his head and said:
"Actually, it's not an action. It's just that our patrol fleet captured a few ships in Xiaoliuqiu."
Feng Yibo took the document and said seriously:
"So, Japan still doesn't give up on Xiaoliuqiu, so it dares to send troops to test it?"
He was just about to find an excuse to send troops, and the other party came to his door?
Unexpectedly, Gouzi shook his head again and replied:
"No, no, just a few fishing boats."
The document said it was a Japanese ship, so Feng Yibo wanted to confirm it again.
After hearing Gouzi's words, he did not continue to ask any more questions, but said:
"How are we preparing?"
Donghai County has been training soldiers and hoarding food and grass.
Preparing for war.
When Gouzi heard this, he said seriously:
"Now the food and weapons are almost there, but the muskets are still far behind."
What Feng Yibo wants to start is a war to destroy the country.
This is very different from the previous small battles.
If the preparation before the war is not sufficient, it may affect the situation of the war.
Donghai County has been developing gunpowder weapons in the past two years.
The form of muskets has been improving, but for the time being it still cannot meet the standards for field installation.
The first is the insufficient production capacity of gun barrels.
Barrels forged from iron plates are prone to cracking due to pressure.
Craftsmen can only drill holes in iron blanks and then forge them to make gun barrels.
This requires first burning the iron ingot red and perforating it, and then inserting a steel bar.
Then the iron ingots are forged continuously to form a qualified barrel.
Because it is formed in one piece, it will be stronger.
Not allowed to explode.
But due to craftsmanship issues, it would be good if a blacksmith could make one in a day.
Even with the help of hydraulic forging, you may not be able to make a few qualified ones in a day.
Feng Yibo wanted to avoid unnecessary losses as much as possible and had high expectations for gunpowder weapons.
After hearing Gouzi's words, he pondered for a moment and hesitated:
"Then each team will first have two. In addition to muskets, they must also carry grenades and landmines. In short... a dedicated person is responsible for the firearms."
The complete version of the Yuanyang Formation originally had firearms.
Just not relying on firearms.
Moreover, because Liuqiu accommodates a lot of students, there is no shortage of archers.
So I haven't been in a hurry to equip myself with imperfect muskets.
Only the captain will be equipped with two grenades, and he is not allowed to use them easily.
Now that Feng Yibo wants to launch a large-scale war, he wants to add firearms to it.
While reducing losses, also test the effectiveness of firearms.
Hearing this, Gouzi nodded and said:
"Okay, I'll go back and talk to Mengzi and let him try it."
When Feng Yibo heard this, he thought about it again, and finally waved his hand and said:
"Forget it, let's experiment on a small scale first, and we'll talk about the rest in the future."
Joining a new unit requires some training.
Otherwise, it will easily affect the formation.
But now, time is running out.
At the court meeting a few days later, all civil and military officials met in the Taiji Hall.
After the ceremony, the attendants came out to start today's agenda.
"The King of Donghai County, Your Majesty Shusheng, said that the Japanese invaded the southeastern part of the Wei Dynasty many times. In recent years, despite the efforts of Donghai County, dozens of groups of large and small Japanese pirates have been wiped out."
The first item in the court meeting surprised all the civil and military officials in the court.
This mysterious king of Donghai County, except for the time when he surrendered his land.
This is the first time I have submitted a memorial.
"However, the leader of the Japanese country was incompetent and the shogunate ruled unfavorably. It was unable to restrain many daimyo, which led to the Japanese pirates becoming more and more rampant."
There have been very few reports of Japanese pirates recently?
Man Chao Wen and Wu were confused.
Especially the southern officials frowned.
Could it be that the Japanese pirates were causing trouble again, but why didn't they receive the news?
Since the surrender of Donghai County, the Japanese pirates have not been completely eliminated.
But the number of times it has appeared can only be counted on one's fingers.
Why is it causing trouble again?
"Recently, another Japanese vessel ignored the dissuasion of Donghai County and used fishing as an excuse to survey the terrain near Xiaoliuqiu in an attempt to encroach on our Wei territory."
Using fishing as an excuse to survey the terrain?
All the civil and military officials in the court were a little unresponsive.
"Although they were all discovered in time by the Donghai County patrol navy, the matter cannot be left alone, otherwise the Japanese pirates may take advantage of it and relapse again."
】
Feng Yibo wrote a letter asking for a fight, but it was just a formality.
It doesn't really matter what the excuse is.
What's more, Donghai County has already issued an announcement.
The Japanese are not allowed to stay in the East China Sea!
Let alone a fishing boat, even if it is for business.
The shogunate and the leader of the Japanese country had already promised to the Wei Dynasty.
Close the country!
Naturally, Feng Yibo wanted to help them and prevent Japanese ships from entering the sea.
So, fishing boats are not a problem.
The problem is that they can’t go into the sea!
Having said this, the attendant also paused slightly before reading out:
"Therefore, the king of Donghai County has written a special letter to request war. Only by landing in the Japanese country and giving the Japanese pirates a severe blow can we live up to the responsibility of guarding the sea territory given by the Holy One!"
