Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 205 Work Must Have Focus (II)
"Swish~" Zhu Youdong took out a cloth bag from his waist and then poured all the contents of the bag onto the meeting table.
"My Lords, on this table are the silver coins from Spain and Japan that I asked people to collect." Zhu Youdong picked up a famous Spanish double column and said, "This one is a silver coin minted by Spain in its colonies in America. Because there are two columns behind each silver coin, it is called a double column. Each of these coins is marked with a weight of 25 grams, and the actual weight of each coin varies slightly, but the overall weight is controlled between 24 and 26 grams. Our Fangshan Laboratory has analyzed that the composition of this double column is nine silver and one copper. Therefore, its actual silver content is 22.5 grams. And the pure silver ingot of my Daming weighs 37.3 grams per ounce. In other words, the silver content of this silver coin is only about 60% of the silver of my Daming."
The American colonies and the relationship between the two were often mentioned in the Jinling Daily, so the ministers attending the meeting did not feel uncomfortable. But Zhu Youdong's next sentence made them uneasy: "However, in the southeast coast, especially in Yuegang, when the goods are settled, the merchants of our Ming Dynasty generally agree that this double pillar is equivalent to 0.9 taels or even directly one tael of silver!"
"ah?!"
"Your Highness, are the merchants of the Ming Dynasty stupid? Would they agree to pay 30% or 40% less silver?"
"Why not? First, this double column is exquisitely made, and the weight of each one is basically constant. In addition, it contains copper, so it will oxidize, uh, and turn black much later than our silver. Second, the double column is surrounded by serrations, so it cannot be scratched or forged. Third, it is fine for merchants in our Ming Dynasty to do business domestically, but if they want to sell goods abroad, they must use double columns. Because the circulation of these double columns is worldwide, whether it is Japan in the east, or Annan, Zhenla, Siam, Johor, Mughal, and Persia in the south, they all recognize double columns. Therefore, our merchants must agree!"
There are many problems with pure silver ingots. The most troublesome one is that someone secretly scrapes off a circle of silver flakes around the silver ingots, and another one is that someone makes the silver ingots hollow. Although people in this era have realized the relationship between density, mass and volume, but it is said that a thief can be thieves for a thousand days, so how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days? In short, almost everyone who has been doing business with silver ingots for a long time has been cheated.
But this double column is different: it was forged by the Spanish in a factory near their Mexican silver mine using a hydraulic forging machine. According to the technological level of other civilizations outside Europe in the historical plane, this silver coin is extremely difficult to counterfeit. Moreover, its constant weight, the serrations around the silver coin, and the exquisite patterns on the coin surface can effectively prevent scratches. Therefore, since it was launched in 1535, it has quickly gained the favor of merchants from all over the world. By this period, the double column had become the world currency.
In short, businessmen are all profit-seeking. Whoever uses such an excellent currency will like it. It has nothing to do with nationality.
"This." Zhu Youdong held up another silver coin. "It is the national currency recently minted by Japan. It is also made of nine silver and one copper. It also has serrations around it and is also 25 grams in weight. The only difference is the image on the silver coin. The front is the head of the current shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the back is Mount Fuji.
In addition, the newly minted currency of Japan also includes five silver and five copper, one silver and nine copper, etc. These are subsidiary coins. "
"Keng, keng, keng~" After displaying the currencies of the two countries, Zhu Youdong knocked on the table with his knuckles: "My lords, when the Ming Dynasty was founded, silver was scarce, so the currency notes and copper coins were circulated at that time. But now you can see where the currency notes are still on the market? As for copper coins, ordinary people may use them to buy things in their daily lives, but what I see is that every citizen carries a pair of scissors, a scale, and mud with them when they go out...
In the past, Japan could not mint coins, so they had to exchange fine copper and silver ingots for our Yongle Tongbao coins. But now? They are using silver coins with only 60% to 70% silver content to buy our products!
Therefore, on the one hand, the salaries of officials and soldiers, daily transactions of the people, and national taxes in the Ming Dynasty are mainly in silver. On the other hand, foreign silver coins have taken away too much of our country's profits. Therefore, it is imperative to mint our own silver coins! "
"Your Highness is wise, and we all admire you."
"By the way, Grand Tutor, aren't you worried about having no money all day long? Once the coins are minted, the remaining silver and the interest generated from it, just these two items, the revenue of the Ministry of Revenue can increase by at least 40%! If the operation is done well, it is possible to increase by 50%!"
"Your Highness!" Xu Honggang was already sixty-three years old this year, but after hearing Zhu Youdong's teasing, his face had already flushed: "Your Highness, let's start minting coins quickly! The Ministry of Revenue will definitely take responsibility for this matter!"
"Huh! Grand Minister has a really good idea." From the other side of the meeting table, there was a sudden sound of a chair sliding backwards. "Your Highness, according to the Ming Dynasty's ancestral system, coinage is the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry! Our Ministry of Industry has been minting copper coins for the country for more than 200 years. Now it is the destined mission of the Ministry of Industry to directly use silver as the silver coin!"
"Hey!" Although the current Minister of Works is Mr. Xu, Xu Honggang could not care less about the interests of his department. "Grand Marshal, I don't want to say more about the casting level of your Ministry of Works. You have also worked in Nanjing for many years. Didn't you see what was said in the Jinling Daily? Before Japan minted its own coins, it liked the Yongle Tongbao of the Ming Dynasty the most, which was called Shanqian. The following Xuande and Zhengtong were also acceptable. In the past hundred years, especially since Jiajing, the copper coins of the Ming Dynasty have been called evil coins in Japan. When they were circulated in the Japanese market, they could only be used half as Shanqian!"
"This..." Xu Guangqi's face turned red with shame and he twisted his neck. "When I was in Fangshan Laboratory, was there anything I supervised that was bad? Now that I am in charge of the Ministry of Industry, the casting of this silver coin will definitely not be bad."
“Hahahaha~~” Seeing the two senior officials arguing with each other, Zhu Youdong laughed: “You two, stop arguing. This coinage issue has nothing to do with you.”
"Ah? Then who will Your Highness ask to mint the coins?"
"I have my own beauty." After saying this, Zhu Youdong stood up and said loudly, "Call Cao Sanxi to the palace!"
As soon as these words were spoken, both the officials of the Crown Prince's faction and other officials showed expressions of sudden enlightenment.
How could he forget about this person? Although he has no achievements, he has been helping His Highness manage his business for seven or eight years! If you were to ask who His Highness trusts most in terms of money, wouldn't it be this person?
"My Lords, the technology of hydraulically casting silver and gold coins has been completely mastered by our Fangshan Laboratory in recent years. We have also imitated some double-column coins and put them into circulation in the market, and they have never been rejected or discovered. Therefore, this technology is not a problem .
In terms of the principal, the royal family will pay 10 million taels of silver, and the Ministry of Revenue can pay 5 million taels of silver after paying taxes next year, and borrow part of it, for a total of 20 million taels of silver for coinage. According to the calculation just now, this silver can at least be used to mint 35 million silver coins that are no less than double columns. It can fully cope with the first wave of circulation and replacement. After that, the court will issue a strict order to gradually prohibit the circulation of pure silver in the market within three years. In this way, while taking back silver and constantly minting, within five to ten years, the silver coins of our Ming Dynasty will be unified in domestic circulation. By that time, the reconstruction of household registration, yellow book and even fish scale atlas will be completed. My lords, will the Ming Dynasty still be short of money at that time? Wouldn’t it be okay to increase everyone’s salary?”
"Your Highness is wise!" As a minister who can attend the State Council, he can see a lot of things. Everyone knows that the Ming Dynasty's finances are in tatters. If things continue like this, the country will fall sooner or later. But facing this situation, everyone doesn't have many solutions. And now, it seems that the Crown Prince has come up with a practical plan?
After so many years, we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. If the Ming Dynasty can be revived in our generation, it will be remembered for generations to come!
"I have made up my mind to establish the 'Ming Royal Bank' to be in charge of the minting and issuance of all Ming currencies. It will also undertake functions such as national economic regulation, credit intermediary, payment intermediary, and financial financing. Starting next year, we will set up branches in six places: Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuchang, Chengdu, and Xi'an. At the same time, we will start minting coins, issuing new currencies, accepting deposits, and granting loans. The first president of the Ming Royal Bank is Cao Sanxi!"
