"Your Highness, can this thing really replace the copper coins?" In Shouchun, Yangzhou, Lu Su, Lu Zijing, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was holding something that looked like a portrait. It was a very famous building in Shouchun, the Hero Palace.
"Of course!" Liu Mang also took one. The one in Lu Su's hand was the Hero Palace. It was worth ten thousand coins. Because it was worth one gold coin, it was also called a gold note.
The one in Liu Mang's hand was only worth five thousand coins. It was a portrait of Liu Mang. Although there was no such thing as a sketch in this era, Liu Mang felt that the person in the picture was similar to himself.
Ten thousand copper coins, five thousand copper coins, one thousand copper coins, five hundred copper coins, and one hundred copper coins. There were no more than one hundred copper coins. You still had to use copper coins to buy and sell.
"Your Highness, won't these things be counterfeited?" Although Zhuge Liang was a great talent, he had never seen such a thing. Using such a small piece of paper to replace the gold and copper coins in one's hand? Wasn't this a bit too much?
"Counterfeiting? Haha! " Liu Mang smiled. That's right. Liu Mang wanted to use paper money to replace the copper coins and gold coins because it was too inconvenient for them to carry. For example, when Liu Mang's Yangzhou Army and Gongsun Du of Liaodong traded, the value of the transaction was more than one million gold coins. In this way, the gold coins needed hundreds of ships to transport from Liaodong to Yangzhou. If they were to be replaced with paper money, one million would be enough.
How heavy could a piece of paper be? A million pieces of paper? Perhaps a ship would be enough. Needless to say, Liu Mang was also prepared to release the hundred and thousand pieces of paper. At that time, it would be even more convenient.
As for counterfeiting, perhaps the appearance of paper money did have the possibility of counterfeiting, but for Liu Mang, such counterfeiting was not very meaningful.
First of all, the paper Liu Mang used to print the paper money was a special kind of bleached paper. The quality of the paper was very good. His bleaching process could only be found in Yangzhou. Other paper on the market was yellow or had a green color. It was rough to the touch. The paper in Liu Mang's hand was made of bamboo in Chuanzhong.
His paper was smooth, so he wasn't afraid of being forged by anyone other than the material used.
Also, when the seal on the paper was circulated, Shouchun would give one seal to each province, each prefecture would give one seal to each prefecture, each prefecture would give one seal to each county, and each county would give one seal to the bank. and finally, the bank would give another seal to the people. This was an effective anti-counterfeiting measure.
The serial numbers on the paper also had to correspond to each other.
Lastly, there was the punishment for counterfeiting. It had already been written into Yangzhou's law by Zhuge Liang. Those who counterfeited would be sentenced to ten years in prison if the amount was ten thousand. Those who counterfeited a hundred thousand would be exiled and engraved.
As for those who counterfeited a hundred or more, there was no need to think about it. They would be sentenced to death.
Liu Mang did not dare to say that these three aspects would be effective in the long run, but at least for a short period of time, the paper money could be circulated normally. It would not be counterfeited. As for the future, the materials and the amount of counterfeiting would slowly increase.
"These paper money are very convenient!" Lu Su nodded. With these paper money, it would be much more convenient for merchants to come and go.
"Your Highness, how much will these paper money be printed?" Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue, asked directly. As expected of someone in charge of finances, Mi Zhu immediately got to the point. Mi Zhu looked at Liu Mang. If these paper money could be printed without any restrictions, then Yangzhou would become the wealthiest place.
Liu Mang shook his head. The printing of paper money was not that simple. "Zi Fang, how much gold does Yangzhou have in storage?" Liu Mang asked Mi Zhu.
Mi Zhu took out a bill. On it was written the amount of gold in Shouchun.
"There is 1,320,000 gold coins!" Mi Zhu said to Liu Mang and the others.
"So little?" Zhuge Liang was a little suspicious. Wasn't there a few million gold from Liaodong not long ago?
"Kongming, you are not in charge, so you don't know how expensive money is!" Mi Zhu smiled bitterly and shook his head. What place in Yangzhou did not need money? For example, the salary of the officials was a large sum of money.
Liu Mang implemented a policy of high salaries to support honest people. Therefore, the officials could be said to be rich. At the very least, it was not a problem for them to support a large family. As for concubines, as long as they did not have the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards and seventy-two concubines, they could still afford to take in three or four concubines.
These were all provided by Yangzhou's Ministry of Revenue.
This was only one of them. There was also the military expenditure. Although the military expenditure was transferred from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War still had to ask for money from the Ministry of Revenue. This was another large expenditure. Mi Zhu felt distressed when he saw the cannons and the like.
After that, there was the construction of some cities. For example, the dams around the city needed to be reinforced. There were also some water conservancy facilities. These were all policies that would benefit the people. As for the roads, they needed money. Now that Yangzhou's trade routes were developed, there were countless merchants coming and going. The original official roads were no longer suitable for the current situation. Therefore, they needed to be widened and reinforced. This also required money.
Therefore, the several million Gold Coins could not be maintained for long before they were dispersed.
"1.32 million gold!" Liu Mang said to Mi Zhu. "Then give me 1.32 million gold in banknotes!" “
"Ahhh!" Tian Feng had been silent all this time. Now that he heard Liu Mang's words, he frowned. "Your Highness, we have 1.32 million gold. Should we only give 1.32 million gold? Isn't this a bit too wasteful? " Tian Feng asked doubtfully.
Paper money wasn't like gold or copper coins. There was a risk of counterfeiting. But now, if it was only equivalent to gold, it wasn't worth it just for convenience.
"Mister Yuanhao, don't be anxious! Our banknotes have just appeared. We are afraid that no one will use them. Therefore, we have to do it one by one. If we have one gold, we will give one gold. If we have ten gold, we will give ten gold. If we have hundreds or thousands, we will give hundreds or thousands of banknotes! This way, we can establish the integrity of the banknotes! " Liu Mang said to Tian Feng with a smile.
This was a new thing. Everyone might not be able to accept it immediately, because the gold that I worked so hard to earn suddenly turned into a piece of paper. No one would be able to accept it at first, so I waited for everyone to accept it.
Then I can give more banknotes. Of course, we cannot print unlimited banknotes. This way, the banknotes you print will depreciate. In the end, the one who will regret inflating the banknotes will be you.
We can't be too excessive, but we can give a ratio of one to three.
For example, if I have one million gold, I can give three million gold. As long as everyone is not crazy enough to accept the banknotes, I can guarantee the credibility of my banknotes. This way, it is equivalent to having three million gold to buy things in the market. When I earn back three million gold, I will give nine million gold. This way, it will only accumulate more and more.
Of course, earning money was one thing. Liu Mang wanted to control the hard currency, gold, in his hands. When everyone gets used to the banknotes, who wouldn't like such a convenient thing that doesn't depreciate? Therefore, no one would be stupid enough to bring more than ten big boxes full of gold to buy things.
Only a stack of banknotes was enough.
But how do you get the banknotes? Naturally, you need to use the gold in your hands to come to me. In this way, the gold in your hands will be the banknotes, and the gold in my treasury will be the gold.
Then, your financial power will be in my hands. Slowly, most of the gold will be in my treasury.
Once I announce that there is no need for the banknotes, you can just wait to cry while looking at a pile of paper.
"That's a good plan!" The big and small foxes' eyes lit up. Once the enemy started using the banknotes on a large scale, the financial power of Yangzhou would really be handed over to them.
"But Your Majesty, how can you guarantee that everyone will use your banknotes? What if the commoners aren't willing? "Lu Su stood up and expressed his different opinion.
"That will take time! We will also need to enforce it. Zifang! "Liu Mang looked at Mi Zhu.
"Yes!"
"Have the salaries of the officials and soldiers not been given out yet?" Liu Mang looked at Mi Zhu and asked.
"Yes!" Mi Zhu nodded. Every month's salary and provisions was a huge problem, causing Mi Zhu to have a headache.
"For this month, all the salaries of the officials and the provisions of the soldiers are to be paid in cash!" Liu Mang ordered Mi Zhu.
"Ah!" Mi Zhu was stunned. "Your Majesty, what if the soldiers aren't willing?"
"Even if they aren't willing, they have to use it!" Liu Mang was determined to change the value of the banknotes.
"Your Majesty, the officials are fine, but it's hard to say about the soldiers. After all, they don't understand Your Majesty's good intentions. If they are instigated by someone, it will be a turmoil for our Yangzhou!" Tian Feng, who was experienced and prudent, said.
"Hm?" Liu Mang frowned. He hadn't thought of this, but it's easy to handle. "If the soldiers aren't willing, then they can go to the various banks to accept the banknotes. Give them as much as they can! "
"Yes!" If that's the case, there won't be any problems.
Everyone discussed the details of the banknotes for a long time before leaving.
After a few days, a new thing appeared in the cities of Yangzhou. It was a bank opened by the government. Everyone's money could be put in the bank. If you felt that your home was not safe, you could also put it in.
Of course, this bank wasn't like the ones in his previous life that gave interest. There was no interest, but it kept your money for free. If you wanted it, you could take it whenever you wanted.
After a few more days, Yangzhou began to give out salaries and rewards.
There were commoners repairing roads and dikes, soldiers carrying swords and sabers, and officials. However, what they received this time was not white grain or gold, but sheets of ink and paper.
"What the hell is this?" Everyone's first reaction was the same.
"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Listen to me, this is the new money that our King Of Shu has given to us! These things are called 'jiao zi'. Look at the one in my hand, on it is the military flag of my Yangzhou [Capture Barracks]. It is worth a hundred coins! "The Ministry of Revenue had sent people from all over the country to explain things to everyone.
"A hundred coins, such a broken piece of paper is worth a hundred coins? Are you trying to make me mad! " A commoner wasn't willing. I've worked hard for you for half a year. I originally wanted to receive a hundred coins to go back and buy some land, and then buy some tools to go home.
But now, the hundred coins were gone, and it became a broken piece of paper. Although the paper was very comfortable to the touch, paper was still paper. Therefore, everyone was very dissatisfied.
"Brother, why am I tricking you? If I tricked you, how can I get an extra piece of meat? You guys, don't tell me that you guys are paid like this? Even us officials are paid like this!" As he spoke, the official from the Ministry of Revenue took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket.
Printed on it was a thousand coins. There were two in total, and it was his monthly salary.
"Those big men are also given these things?" Some people were a bit similar. After all, the King Of Shu had never been late with his salary or the wages of the commoners. He had to personally teach the commoners. If someone was greedy for the money of the commoners, Liu Mang would not allow it.
"Of course!" The Ministry of Revenue official took out the thousand coins in his hand. On it was the military flag of the Yangzhou City Guard.
"This thing can be used to buy things?" Someone asked. ,
"Of course it can be used to buy things!" The Ministry of Revenue official explained.
Immediately, a commoner wanted to buy a few meat buns from a stall nearby. In the past, he could not bear to eat them. This time, he asked for ten buns at three copper coins each. Ten buns would be thirty copper coins. He gave a hundred coins to the stall owner and asked him to give him seventy copper coins.
The stall owner pulled a long face. He wanted to do this big business of ten buns, but he needed money. Moreover, he was not sure if this thing called bribes would work. If it did not work, wouldn't his small business be finished?
"Look, look, this is useless. You are still giving us money. We want copper coins!" “
"Ladies and gentlemen, look at how convenient this exchange is! Just one note is worth a hundred copper coins! " The official from the Ministry of Personnel advised earnestly.
"We don't want convenience. We just want our money!" The commoners did not buy it at all.
No matter how hard you tried, it was useless.
The Ministry of Revenue official drank a mouthful of water. Fortunately, His Highness the King Of Shu had a solution! Otherwise, he would not be able to get out of this embarrassing situation. "Alright, alright. Everyone, stop arguing. Don't you want money? Fine! I'll give you your bribes! " "Do you know about the bank in the city?" The Ministry of Revenue official asked the commoners below.
"Yes!" This bank is a new thing. Many people have tried it. If you deposit your money in the bank, you won't have to worry about losing it at home. If your money is lost in the bank, as long as you have the note, the bank will compensate you. "
"Go to the bank and take your payment. The value of your payment is written on it. Then you can exchange it for as much money as you want from the bank!" The Ministry of Revenue official explained.
Liu Mang and the others were afraid that the commoners would not buy it when they were discussing, so they came up with a backup plan. If you don't mind the weight of the copper coins and feel that the bribes are not good, fine! Then you can go to the bank and exchange your coins. I will give you the amount written on it. "
"Alright, we will go to the bank now! We want money, we don't want the bribes! " The commoners shouted loudly.
"Yes, we don't want the bribes. We want money. Let's go, let's go!" "Like a swarm of bees, the commoners all flocked to the bank in the city.
The Ministry of Revenue official couldn't help but feel relieved. He took out two bribes from his pocket. He couldn't help but wonder if this little thing could really be exchanged for two thousand coins.
It seemed that all the gold shops in the various prefectures were prepared. The doors were opened one by one, and armed policemen with sabers and armor were standing outside the doors. This was to prevent people from robbing the gold shops.
Even so, the influx of commoners still made them shocked because there were too many people.
Fortunately, they were also hardworking people, so they exchanged as much money as they could for the commoners.
After the exchange, the commoners' thoughts began to change. In the beginning, no one believed it. They thought that this tattered piece of paper was useless and that it was more practical to exchange it for a large sum of money. Slowly, they began to realize that this piece of paper was quite valuable.
Because as long as someone wanted to exchange, the banks in the various places would exchange for it. No matter how much you had, if you were a hundred coins, I would give you a hundred coins. If you were a thousand coins, then I would give you a thousand coins. There were many people who didn't believe it.
Therefore, the queue was very long. Even if the bank was very efficient, it couldn't handle so many commoners.
The queue was long, so it was delayed. The people at the back looked at themselves and thought that if they wanted to exchange for money, they would have to wait until at least tomorrow. It seemed that as long as one had a chance to exchange, the bank would exchange for it.
Therefore, the people who were very eager to exchange for it stopped.
Looking at the endless queue, they thought about it and decided to forget it. This bribes seemed to be quite valuable. They would come back tomorrow.
Therefore, many people began to leave.
The next day, the situation was still the same. There were still people who didn't believe it and came to exchange for money. The banks in the various places didn't refuse at all. They would exchange for as much money as you wanted.
After seven or eight days, there were fewer people at the bank's entrance. There weren't so many people who went to exchange for money.
Because everyone seemed to have discovered that as long as you had this thing called bribes, you could go to the bank to exchange for money at any time and place.
In that case, couldn't I go exchange for it later? Or, for example, a merchant who had a bribe in a city and didn't feel at ease exchanging for money and went to another city to do business.
Instead of exchanging for it now, I might as well wait until I reach the city and go to the city's bank to exchange for it.
In this way, the credibility of the bribe slowly increased. Merchants, especially those who had larger transactions, were more welcoming of this thing called bribes.
Because he is lazy and convenient, moreover, his value is stable. If you are not at ease, you can take him to any city in Yangzhou and exchange him for the same amount of money and gold.
In the long run, if one went to a restaurant, to a hotel, to buy goods, or to buy food, unless it was too small, such as buying a steamed bun for three copper coins, as long as it was more than a hundred copper coins, one would be laughed at by everyone if one didn't hand over the coins and went to buy things with a string of copper coins. This fool didn't use the convenient bribe and insisted on using the heavy copper coins.
Liu Mang listened to his subordinate Mi Zhu's report and couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, I don't know when Milord became so happy!" Xu Shu happened to walk in and saw Mi Zhu and Liu Mang. He couldn't help but ask.
"Yuanzhi, you came at the right time. I was planning to start another bribe!" Liu Mang saw Xu Shu and said to him. This bribe wasn't something that Liu Mang could decide alone. He had to bring along Xu Shu and the six ministers.
This is because Liu Mang also knew that he was not a sage. There will always be times when he makes a mistake. If he is possessed by the devil, he can turn back with the help of Xu Shu and the others. If he makes a mistake by himself, it will be too late to repent.
"Oh? Then the bribe is going very smoothly in Yangzhou? " Xu Shu asked with a joyful expression.
"You ask Zifang. Zifang, you tell Yuanzhi!" Liu Mang asked Mi Zhu to tell him.
"Internal Minister Daren, according to the reports from all the gold houses in Yangzhou, the exchange rate for gold coins is much lower than it was ten days ago. Now, out of a hundred people who enter the gold house, at most, only ten will exchange gold coins for gold. Of the remaining ninety, thirty will exchange gold coins for gold coins in Zijing's hands! "Ten versus 30, as long as you pass math, you can calculate it."
The bribe is becoming more and more accepted by everyone.
This was the effect that Liu Mang wanted. Only by having everyone trust the Jiaozi and having public trust in the Jiaozi, Liu Mang would be able to further print the Jiaozi to maximize his own benefits.
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