Li Yu was busy preparing to welcome the Emperor. The people in the county were also looking forward to it. The Emperor, it is already a blessing for you to come to the county.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan really became full-time chefs. They cooked for the important people in the team every day. In the end, they just ate hot pot or barbecue every two days to save time.
Gao Lishi did come to ask Zhang Xiaobao about opening a bank. Zhang Xiaobao could tell his godfather some truth, but he didn't say too much. He just said that the bank would be helpful to the entire Tang Empire in the future. As for what kind of help it would be, he only revealed that a bank could be opened all over the Tang Empire and that it would be enough to make silk, the currency, gradually withdraw from the market.
Gao Lishi, who originally thought that he was very smart, didn't understand why silk could be withdrawn from the market with a bank.
When they were about to arrive at Linfen, Gao Lishi finally summarized what he heard from Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He found Li Longji, who was still unwilling to stay in the cabin and ran to the deck to take a good look at his country.
Bi Gou and Yao Chong, who weren't invited at the beginning, were also beside him. Even Old Man Chang, Zhang Jiuling's former butler, was allowed to come. It wasn't because of Zhang Jiuling, but because Old Man Chang was close to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
If he wanted to understand Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan more, he had to start from the people around them. He had to be able to tell Li Longji everything. The people in the inner courtyard of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan naturally couldn't tell him everything.
Because they were traveling along the river, the most they could see on both sides of the river were the banks and the rice paddies in the distance.
Some of the paddies were slightly yellow, while others were still green.
Li Longji held the binoculars in his hand and couldn't get enough of it. He was satisfied with what he saw and wanted to share his happiness with others. He said to Bi Gou, Yao Chong, and Old Man Chang, "Look at the Tang Empire. In less than a month, it will be golden and the people will live a good life."
In the past, if they knew that the imperial treasury was already very rich, Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao would definitely flatter them. However, they had always been by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's side, so they naturally knew that even if the imperial court was rich, it did not mean that every commoner was rich.
There were rich people, and there was no lack of poor people. This was especially true for the poor. They could only eat a mouthful of rice. They were far from reaching the point where every family could have a new house and eat meat for every meal.
Not to mention how much savings he had.
Even if there was a family in Zhuangzi whose food was moldy and whose money was rotten, they did not share it with the people around them who still needed to dig up some wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
Thinking of this, Old Man Pi could not follow Li Longji's words. Instead, he asked Li Longji, "Your Majesty, what kind of life do you think is a good life for the commoners?"
Li Longji really did not know how to answer this kind of question. Everyone had a different definition of happiness. After thinking about it, Li Longji said,
"I think that if the commoners have clothes to wear and don't starve, that is a good life. Oh, if they can build two more rooms so that it is not crowded, that would be even better. We can't let the commoners eat and wear the same clothes as us. What does Official Bi think?"
Old Man Pi still did not follow Li Longji's words. He asked again, "Your Majesty, where do you think the commoners are living the best life now?"
"Naturally, it's Sanshui County. Although I haven't been there, I've seen the model. Every family there has a good house. As long as the commoners want to eat meat, they can eat meat. If they want to eat fish, they can eat fish. Even the prawns in the sea can be eaten if they are willing to spend a little more money. Don't tell me all the commoners in Great Tang are like that?"
Li Longji said this without thinking. He did not know the specifics of Lu Zhou's situation. It was the same in Shuzhou. However, Sanshui County was close by. Moreover, there was a model. He could find out if he wanted to.
After saying this, without waiting for Old Man Pi to say anything, Li Longji suddenly understood and said, "I understand. Sanshui County is not only good in terms of food and clothes, but also because all the children there can go to school. Moreover, they don't need to pay for medical treatment. It's a good thing. It can be said that it is the best county in the world. However, not all places in Great Tang can be like Sanshui County.
After all, there is only one Zhang Family and one Wang Family. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan are only a couple. We can't let all the local officials reach their level. "
Li Longji's eyes were filled with yearning as he spoke those words. If all of the regional officials were as capable as the Zhang Clan and Wang Clan, he would be able to lead his troops into battle and conquer even more territories.
When he saw that he had achieved his goal, Old Man Pi said, "Your Majesty is right. We should let the people of Great Tang be like Sanshui County. It may seem difficult, but it's not. As long as we can produce more food, and as long as there are more people raising poultry and livestock, the price of things will naturally fall.
Moreover, Zhang Family and Wang Family are currently looking for places to plant and cultivate medicinal herbs. In the future, many people will naturally benefit. If we want to succeed, we will succeed. If we don't, we will cripple. Everything is like this. "
"Lord Bi, what you said is what this subject wants to say as well." Old Man Yao chimed in from the side. He had the same idea as Old Man Pi. He wanted Li Longji to be more concerned. He did not think that the people of Great Tang were living a good life just because they had more food and more money.
The goal could not be set so small. There had to be a comparison. Sanshui County was the real good life.
"The two of you are too kind. I understand. In the future, I will be strict with the officials and not be soft-hearted." Li Longji thought of what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan said the other day. Any good policy needed to be implemented by people.
He had already decided to send more people to patrol various places. He had to constantly send people to every place. If the people patrolling later found that a place had made a mistake before the previous patrolling person arrived, then the previous patrolling person would also be unlucky.
Although there were many people sent and the expenses were high, no matter how high the expenses were, it could not compare to the amount of money that local officials could get from corruption and accepting bribes. If they did not take bribes and sell a part of the national resources at a low price, it would be enough to support the salaries of the patrolling people.
When Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao saw that the Emperor was so easy to talk to, they were happy. They flattered him together and began to talk about the autumn harvest today.
At this time, Gao Lishi came over and looked at Li Longji. Seeing that Li Longji was in a good mood, he said, "Your Majesty, I have asked Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. After thinking for a few days, I have a rough idea. I can tell you now."
"Oh? Is it about the bank? "After Gao Lishi said this, Li Longji remembered that there was such a thing. He had almost forgotten about it in the past few days.
"Yes. Xiao Bao said that as long as the bank is opened in the future, our dynasty will no longer need to use silk as money. After all, the damage of silk is too great. In order to ensure the status of silk, the imperial court has already taken out a lot of money to balance it. Also, silk accounts for a certain proportion of the rent collected.
The amount of silk lost every year is the imperial court's loss. Moreover, we have to spend extra money to think of ways to not let the silk go moldy so quickly. In the long run, the Tang Empire will not be able to bear it. "
Gao Lishi explained the disadvantages of using silk. In fact, even if Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not mention it, everyone knew that using silk as a currency was very inconvenient. A bolt of silk was always used as two hundred copper coins. It was not so comfortable to transport it. If one wanted to buy something that cost five hundred copper coins, they had to carry three bolts of silk.
What if they were drenched by the rain? What if they were roasted by the sun for too long and became brittle? Furthermore, if they were to use three bolts of silk to buy something that cost five hundred copper coins, the other party would have to give them a hundred copper coins. Nowadays, the common people were not willing to accept silk. If not for the imperial court's order to force the sale of silk, no one would accept it.
Hearing Gao Lishi's words, Li Longji nodded. "Then, Lishi, did you ask how to solve this problem? Our dynasty has very little copper coins and very little gold and silver. Other than silk, what else can we use as money? We can't possibly use money like in ancient times, right? Or cast iron coins? "
"Naturally, we can't cast iron coins. There are many skilled craftsmen nowadays. Even the Kaiyuan Tongbao is cast with copper, not to mention iron, which is even cheaper than copper. Unless we use steel to make it."
Gao Lishi first rejected the idea of using iron to make money, then said, "Xiao Bao said that he is gathering the best craftsmen in Tang. As long as no one makes trouble, he and Cuckoo can increase Tang's national strength by several times in a short period of time. They say that they are copying the industrial revolution model.
This subject doesn't know what the industrial revolution model is, but I feel that it should be very powerful. The model of the Zhang Family and Wang Family has never been simple. Therefore, this subject intends to send more craftsmen to Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. They must be flexible and not inflexible. "
When Li Longji heard that the national strength could be increased by several times, his interest was piqued. Suddenly, he remembered that this was not what they were talking about, so he changed the topic and asked, "Previously, you were talking about silk. What does it have to do with the industrial revolution?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, it has to do with it. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo want to use industrial products as their currency. It will be difficult for others to imitate them. In the future, they will not use silk as money, and they will not release copper coins and gold and silver.
This subject doesn't think that Xiao Bao and Cuckoo can't do it. What this subject is worried about is that once they make a currency to replace copper coins and silk, won't they be able to make as much money as they want? In addition, the banks are under their control. How will the imperial court control them? "
This was the key point that Gao Lishi had thought about for a few days. It was only Xiao Bao and Cuckoo who suggested this. If it was someone else who suggested it, he would have directly ordered people to arrest them. If money was not controlled by the imperial court, then it would be chaotic. Who would rule the world?
Today, he suggested this because he wanted to see if there was any way, because Xiao Bao did not say what to do next.
When Gao Lishi said this, not only was Li Longji shocked, even Old Man Pi and the other two people gasped. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's idea was too bold. Could it be that they wanted Tang Dynasty?
"Your Majesty, this subject thinks that we should ask Xiao Bao and Cuckoo to come over and ask them clearly. Perhaps there are other things that they haven't said yet." Old Man Pi was worried that the emperor would punish Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in a fit of anger, so he reminded him.
Old Man Yao also said worriedly, "This subject thinks that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan won't do that. Otherwise, this subject wouldn't have told General Gao."
After Li Longji recovered from his shock, he was not as angry as Old Man Pi and the other two people thought. He still believed in Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. The two of them had always put what they wanted to do on the surface and never avoided it. Occasionally, they would calculate and exchange with each other. It was just a game, and there was no harm to Tang Dynasty.
After hearing Old Man Pi and Old Man Yao's words, he said, "We'll ask again when we eat. There's no need to think about who will be in charge of the money. I think that Xiao Bao will be in charge of the money. Now that I'm not the only one in charge of the casting of the copper coins, Zhang Xiaobao will be in charge."
When Gao Lishi and the others heard this, they felt that it was right. Now that the Emperor was not in charge of making the money himself, he would be exhausted to death. Similarly, he would let others take care of the matter and supervise each other.
In the future, if Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan wanted to make money, he would let them do it and let them make money for the Imperial Court.
After feeling relieved, the few people looked at the surrounding scenery again. There was an iron chain bridge in front of them. Along the way, they had seen several of them. The only difference was that today, other than the iron chain bridge, there were many people gathered on the other side of the bridge.
Some were carrying poles, some were carrying baskets, and some were carrying baskets. Children were running around, and adults were talking to people there. With Qian Li's eyes, they could see clearly.
There were many people doing business there, but there were no houses. They just put things on the ground and shouted from time to time to attract people to take a look. They were either using money or bartering. It was very busy. To be precise, it was a mess.
Fortunately, there were people patrolling there. Occasionally, they would let people who were not in line with the other stalls move back.
"This is a market?" Old Man Chang, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. After saying this, he looked nervously at the Emperor. He did not have an official position, so he could not speak casually.
"Linfen County's Fangyang Village's Farmer's Market." Li Longji saw the banner above the place where the group of people were. These were the words written on the banner.
"Your Majesty, I will send someone to ask. Also, Li Yu is waiting in front. He said that he wants Your Majesty to go to his Changning County to take a look. The development there has been good recently."
Not knowing what the farmer's market was, Gao Lishi began to ask people. At the same time, he did not forget to mention Li Yu.
"Oh? Eldest Brother's fifth son? Well, let's go and take a look. " Li Longji agreed without hesitation. In fact, Li Yu was the sixth son. However, because his elder brother was adopted by someone else, he became the fifth son.
Very soon, the people Gao Lishi sent to gather information returned. At this time, the fleet had stopped at the bridge. Li Yu had already brought many people to wait on the shore. The eyes of the guards swept back and forth, as if they were looking at an assassin who wanted to assassinate the Emperor.
Li Longji did not disembark immediately. It was almost time for dinner. If he disembarked now, he would be hungry when he reached Changning County. He planned to eat first.
He could not stay long. At most, he would go this afternoon and stay in Changning County for the night. Tomorrow, he would have to come back and continue to go to Jinyang.
Li Longji had not seen Li Yu for a long time. He ordered someone to call Li Yu over while he listened to the report of the person who went to inquire.
"Your Majesty, the farmer's market over there is a tax-free place for local farmers and craftsmen. It's held on the fifth day of every month. The previous one was on this side of the bridge, and the next one is on the other side of the bridge. The crossing fee is very cheap, and there is no management fee.
According to the people who are doing business, even if it's not on the fifth day, people who are free will still come here to buy their produce. Many people say that this place is good. Without the bridge, it would be inconvenient to travel. In the past, when they had a lot of food, they would have to carry it to the county. It would take ten days to half a month to get there and back.
Unlike this market, it's quite a distance away from the county and there is no tax. Therefore, people are willing to come here. There is also a market further away. "
Hearing the words of the person who went to inquire, Li Longji did not say much. He nodded to show that he understood and continued to wait for Li Yu to come.
It did not take long for Li Yu to come with Little Worm. The other officials in Changning County were not summoned, so they could not follow. They could only wait for the Emperor to come ashore. Only then would they have the chance to see him.
Little Worm could come because he did not want to see the Emperor. He came specifically to see Zhang Xiaobao and wanted to learn from Zhang Xiaobao. After all, they could be considered acquaintances after meeting once.
As soon as Li Yu saw Li Longji, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed. This was not the etiquette of an official meeting the Emperor. It was a family etiquette.
Seeing Li Yu like this, Li Longji happily let him stand up. He said, "Yu 'er, you haven't seen me in two years, right?"
"Yes, more than two years. I have been working in the county for these two years and have never gone back." Li Yu respectfully sat on the side and answered.
Li Longji looked at Li Yu carefully again and said, "Yu 'er, why did you lose weight and become darker?"
"I have been busy in the county recently, so I have to keep an eye on the outside to avoid being schemed against. The people in the county are waiting for me to lead them to a better life. It is hot outside with the wind and the sun, so it is natural for me to become darker and thinner. However, I am in better shape than before."
Speaking of this, Li Yu seemed to have made a great contribution. He could not help but reply proudly.
Li Longji really did not know what Li Yu was doing here. Hearing this, he asked curiously, "Who dares to scheme against you? I will teach him a lesson later. Did the registrar and deputy disobey? "
Even though he knew that Li Longji was joking, Li Yu was still happy. He answered, "It is not my officials. It is a foreign merchant who wants to cheat me of the county's resources and money. They want to turn Changning County into a place where they can get resources for free. They are from Xinluo and are related to the Four Seas Academy. We have to be careful."
"Oh? Were you cheated? " Li Longji's interest was piqued when he heard the word 'lie'. Recently, he had been talking to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. His words were not ordinary, especially when it came to the matter of the bank and the Yellow River Bridge. Who knew how many secrets were hidden behind it, so he was very interested in lying.
Li Yu gently shook his head, leaned forward, and said in a low voice, "I was almost fooled. What I mean is that we shouldn't use our status to suppress economic matters. After all, it's impossible to solve all problems with administrative means in the future.
I was lucky that the other party asked me to pay 50,000 strings of coins. I did not have that much money at that time. I happened to hear that you were building a workshop with Xiao Bao and Cuckoo in Xincai County. Last time, during my birthday, you gave me 10,000 strings of coins. This time, I wanted to borrow more, and then … "
"Then you met Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. You got a good idea from them." Li Longji did not care that Li Yu was changing between the words' me 'and' nephew '. When he heard what he said, he continued.
"That's right. Then …" Li Yu began to tell Li Longji everything that had happened since he met Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. Li Longji and the people around him were all stunned.
After he finished the story, Li Yu said, "Now I have more than 30,000 strings of coins. The account in the yamen is ten times more than before. After this year's autumn harvest, I can pay more rent to the court. I don't think the people from the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce can do anything. Besides, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are here. I will ask them what to do in the future tonight."
The others nodded and agreed with Li Yu. The people from the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce could not do anything. How could they be fine after meeting Zhang Xiaobao? They would probably take revenge later.
Everyone knew that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were like this. When they attacked their opponents, they would give them a chance. The Qianshi Chamber of Commerce got such a chance. If they did not use the contract to exempt other merchants, they would follow the contract and not take revenge. But since they did, it showed that they were up to no good. Naturally, they had to be taught a lesson.
"I see. Xiao Bao and the others still have time to care about you. Did they ask for anything from you?" Li Longji was very surprised. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were very busy in Boxin County. They had to carry out local construction, watch the tourist area, and deal with the people in Xincai County. When they were building the workshop, they had the time to scheme against the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce.
Moreover, it seemed that they were not troubled by the complicated contract at all. They continued to set up a trap and put the 150,000 jingles of the Qianshi Chamber of Commerce in Changning County. This was too amazing. It was like the remote command in Tubo. Once the plan was out, the others would follow step by step and predict the enemy first.
However, he did not know what benefits Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan would get this time. The two of them could not have done this for nothing, right?
When Li Yu heard his uncle's question, he was stunned. After thinking about it, he realized that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not ask for anything, so he replied, "There is no other benefit for me to give them. They said it was a friendship sponsorship. When the time comes, I just want to return the money they took out. They did not even ask for shares. I was just thinking if I should give them more when I return the money."
"No request? That's strange. How can there be no request? Yu 'er, don't return too much when you return it. Can you trust Xiao Bao and Cuckoo's words? I'm looking for someone to discuss whether the two of them are scheming. Remember, even if you don't see what they are up to now, it doesn't mean that they don't have plans in the future.
Yes, that's it. Maybe they were already scheming when they helped you. Don't underestimate them. Otherwise, you will be foolishly helping others count the money when you are sold. "
Li Longji did not believe that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not have any ulterior motives. They had already suffered a lot. How could they give away Fengzhou, which was a good place for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, which others would not want to go to? They had underestimated Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and sent them there.
The more he thought about it, the more certain Li Longji was that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had set their eyes on Changning County, which was so far away. It was just that they did not see it yet.
"Yes, I can't let them succeed. When they are ready to be promoted after the autumn harvest in Baoxin County, I can't send them here. There is no place for them in Ci Zhou."
Li Longji made up his mind. In fact, he did not want to harm Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He just thought that it was fun to play this kind of game with them. The more you want to do something, the more I won't let you do it. I want to see what else you have not used.
Li Longji did not say what he was thinking, but Gao Lishi, who was good at observing people and knew him very well, could guess what he was thinking.
He reminded him, "Your Majesty, maybe Xiao Bao and Cuckoo wanted you to consider it, so they asked Childe Yu to come here and welcome you. It's a scheme within a scheme. It's just like when they said they wanted a ranch in Jiannan Province, but they did not train people to withstand the cold. Their target was the cold land in Hebei Province.
In the end, after some discussion, we gave Feng Zhou to them. They immediately organized people to run the ranch there. We have to be careful. "
This time, Gao Lishi had to think for Li Longji. It was not that he was unwilling to side with his adopted son, but if he did, Li Longji would lose even more. He could not keep losing.
Li Longji was stunned by Gao Lishi's words. He nodded and said, "Yes, we can't be fooled again. It's troublesome. Let's not talk about this first. Yu 'er, since you're here, I want to ask you something. Is it good or bad that there is a farmer's market here, and we don't have to pay taxes?"
"Here? Xiao Bao and Cuckoo asked people to do it? Good, of course it's good. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo will not harm the people. " Li Yu followed Li Longji's gaze and knew that it was Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan who did it. He immediately agreed. How could they not do it?
"Yu 'er, haven't you thought about it? If the people do business here and don't pay taxes, how can the county earn money?" Li Longji asked again.
Li Yu understood. It turned out that he was thinking about this matter. If it was in the past, he would not have understood. But now, there were many merchants in Changning County who did not have to pay taxes. At first, it seemed that the county's income had decreased, but in the end, it was more than before.
"I don't think it's a big deal. There are many tax-exempt merchants in Changning County, more than Linfen County. However, the income of Changning County, where I'm from, didn't decrease. Instead, it increased by more than ten times.
It was the same in Changning County. When merchants came to recruit local workers, they had to pay them wages. With wages, the people would want to live a better life and buy things in the county. Those who could not afford to eat meat would have extra money to buy meat back home. There were more things to eat, so the merchants had to bring more things over.
This part was not tax-exempt. It was the same in Linfen County. In the past, because it was far from the county, it was inconvenient to travel and delay the work. The people would rather let the things produced in the fields rot than to sell them. Now that they have sold their goods, their lives are better and they need more things. In this way, Linfen County's tax would only be higher, not lower.
This way, they would give up one part of the tax in exchange for the people not wasting resources. They would increase the flow of goods and thus increase the consumption. They would then increase the tax from another part. "
Li Yu summed up these words himself. In the plan that Zhang Xiaobao gave him, every step was explained to him so that he could be more flexible. After seeing this many times, he naturally developed the habit of thinking from this perspective.
Li Longji was happy and praised Li Yu, "Good, Yu 'er has learned a lot. You can do more things in the future. This is the importance of economic means. In the past, many people looked down on merchants. But now, because there are more merchants, the speed of the flow of goods can be faster and thus more tax can be collected.
Good, in the future, you have to communicate with Zhang Xiaobao and Cuckoo often. Learn more and ask more questions. After you have taken care of Changning, I'll arrange more important things for you to do. "
"Nephew understands." Li Yu nodded in response.
*****
At this time, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who had no idea that they were being watched, were cooking and answering Xiao Chong's questions.
It was not easy for Xiao Chong to see Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan in the kitchen. He had to change his clothes and was forced to take a bath. His fingernails were cleaned and his mouth was pried open to see if there were any false teeth. What if he brought in poison?
After being tormented for a while, Xiao Chong was finally let in. Even so, there was still someone standing at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at him. This was all because Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had recently stopped allowing others to test their food for poison. When they brought the food over, the two of them would eat it together with Li Longji.
If they were poisoned, everyone would be poisoned together. No one would be able to escape, so there was no need to worry about Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. It would be different if an outsider came in.
"Young Master, Master Li has already ordered people to plant willows and bamboos according to your instructions. He also bought the grass and the stalks after today's autumn harvest. What's the next step?"
Xiao Chong stood there obediently, not daring to move closer to the pot. Zhang Xiaobao's plan was ruined after the planting of the willows, so he had to ask about the next step.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had been cooking every day and were tired of it. Today, they planned to do something simpler. They first made the braised pork, then stewed it with eggplant, green onions, carrots and other ingredients. Unfortunately, there were no green peppers, tomatoes or potatoes, so they could only use other ingredients to replace them.
Zhang Xiaobao put a cabbage into the pot and looked at the fire. He stopped and wiped his hands on his apron. He said to Xiao Chong, "Things will be simple in the future. There are only so many people in the county. Those who have land will find odd jobs when they are free.
Digging and mining require manpower. Weaving also requires manpower. There will definitely not be enough manpower. What if there is not enough? Outsiders will come to Changning to find work when they see an opportunity. It doesn't matter if they are permanent residents or come to Changning to find odd jobs when they are not busy. They will all spend money in Changning.
When the time comes, you just need to organize them well. Remember, don't let the locals bully the outsiders, and don't let the people who hire them deliberately lower their wages. It's best to set a standard.
When the county has more money, there will be interns and doctors from Deyi Hospital coming here to open a clinic. You can count the locals in the county and give them free medical treatment. Also, you can open a school. Every year, there will be a lot of graduates, enough to teach the children. I don't need to say more, right? "
"No need, no need to say more. I know. Actually, I should have thought of this myself." Xiao Chong agreed. There was nothing else to say. It was just another place where the people in the county could live better lives. The county could pay more taxes to the court. Those who should leave their names would do so, and those who should work harder would do so.
However, Xiao Chong couldn't see how Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan could benefit from this. In terms of reputation, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were already famous enough. In terms of money, the two of them didn't participate in this, so they couldn't make any money at all.
With that thought in mind, Little Worm asked the question.
Zhang Xiaobao and Weiwei smiled and said, "We'll talk about the future later. Not everything needs to be repaid. How can we avoid fortune and misfortune when it comes to the survival of a country?"
These words made Xiao Chong suddenly feel that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were like saints.
Only Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan knew that they couldn't help Li Yu for free and not ask for anything in return. Wouldn't that be stupid? They were just thinking about the long-term.
The stew took a lot of time. By the time the people on the other boats had started to eat and Xiaobei came over with a hungry stomach, the stew was ready.
Xiao Chong didn't have the right to eat with them, so he could only eat with the people on the boat. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan ordered a large pot of stew to be placed on the table where Li Longji was going to eat.
Everyone had their own bowl. If they wanted to eat, they could have someone serve them. The main dish was steamed rolls and a few small salted vegetables.
Li Longji still didn't find anyone to accompany him. For example, he hadn't seen Wu Huifei for several days.
During the meal, Li Longji didn't ask for anything like not talking while eating or sleeping. They just talked and asked what they should.
This led to the question of Zhang Xiaobao's future plans to issue a currency.
"Xiao Bao, tell me, what do you plan to use as a currency in the future? Make it difficult for others to copy, and release? "Li Longji felt that the stew was too bland, so he asked Zhang Xiaobao.
Zhang Xiaobao had been waiting for several days, wondering when Li Longji would ask. Now that Li Longji asked, he replied, "Your Majesty, there's something called alchemical fire oil. It's possible to make something else from it. This subject isn't skilled enough and only knows the general idea. I need more craftsmen to cooperate with me.
At that time, if this technology isn't released, no one will be able to copy it. I estimate that it will take several years. Also, when the banks are more or less established, a temporary solution is to find a special dye and use this dye to leave patterns on specially pressed paper. This will replace the current cloth and silk. "
When Zhang Xiaobao said this, he glanced at Wang Juan. Wang Juan continued, "The place where the money is made has to be separated from the place where the money is issued. The place where the money is made doesn't care how the money is used, only the amount is controlled. The people who issue the money are not allowed to do the same. When the time comes, we'll use Zhang Xiaobao's and Zhang Xiaobao's businesses as a trial. We'll use that kind of money to buy things from Zhang Xiaobao's and Wang Family's stores.
At the same time, the banks can use copper coins to exchange for other people's money. Right now, the value of copper coins isn't as high as the value of the currency it produces. When the time comes, no one will be willing to use copper to make money.
Also, there can be a restriction on the items sold by Zhang Xiaobao's and Wang Family's businesses. That is, they can only use paper money to buy things, including daily necessities and luxury goods. If possible, we can work together with other merchants. The imperial court also collects paper money when collecting taxes. "
Other than Xiaobei and the others who didn't care about such a big matter and worked hard to fill their stomachs, everyone else put down their chopsticks and thought carefully about this matter.
After thinking for a while, Old Man Pi spoke first.
"Do we have to use the goods sold as a guarantee? Can't we just use copper coins as a guarantee? "
This question hit the nail on the head. What was used as a guarantee was very important. In other words, it was the gold standard or the copper standard.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had also discussed this issue. If it was the gold standard, the most likely possibility was that the gold would be suddenly exchanged by people with bad intentions. At that time, there would be a shortage of gold, forcing the people who issued the currency to give up on the exchange of gold and change it to a free market form of currency exchange.
What did that mean? It was very likely that people would use financial means to reduce the value of the newly issued currency, making the currency worthless. This would cause people with paper money to want to use the fastest speed to exchange for the money. In this way, the more they exchanged, the less valuable the money would become and the lower the value.
When the time came, people with bad intentions would use this opportunity to buy and sell copper coins from the banks. Then, they would privately produce copper coins to exchange for paper money. If they used the paper money to buy things or pay taxes, would the shops and the imperial court accept it? What kind of currency would they accept?
Therefore, this definitely wouldn't do.
Zhang Xiaobao then explained the situation to Li Longji and the others.
Li Longji's chopsticks trembled as he listened. Although he was usually very calm, at this time, his forehead was sweating. Old Man Pi and the others did not have a good time either. They all felt that their mouths were dry.
After a while, the charcoal under the pot that kept the stew warm gradually went out. Only then did everyone recover one after another. When they looked at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan again, the look in their eyes was even more different than before.
Li Yu rubbed his numb face with his hands and said, "It's all thanks to Xiao Bao and Cuckoo that they are from Tang. It's all thanks to us."
Even if the others did not say it out loud, they admitted it in their hearts. If they were from another country, they would naturally not help Tang solve the problem of the cloth.
The scariest thing was that they hid their identity and opened a bank to lure Tang's imperial court to use copper or gold to stabilize the value of the paper money. When the time came, they would use the method that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan said, and Tang would be in chaos.
Since such a terrible thing had not happened yet, it could be avoided. Gao Lishi pondered for a while and then asked Zhang Xiaobao, "Xiao Bao, are you saying that we can use goods to stabilize the value of the paper money?"
"No, we can't do that with goods because our goods also require raw materials. If the supplier of raw materials changes the price of the paper money, especially when the price of the paper money rises, there is a possibility that the paper money will be affected by other people. We can use technology to maintain the value of the paper money. By gradually releasing the technology for civilian use, we can let merchants use the paper money to buy things. They will take the initiative to protect the value of the paper money.
This is because they don't want others to have this technology. Monopoly is the only way to make money. In order to maintain the value of the goods produced by this technology, they have to take the initiative to protect the importance of the technology. Naturally, they have to protect the value of the paper money.
Therefore, good craftsmen who can participate in all kinds of research have to sign a contract with the imperial court. They are not allowed to leak the information, and they will even lose their freedom before the technology they are researching becomes outdated.
Of course, this period will not be too long. It could be three years or five years. At that time, they will regain their freedom and receive a large amount of compensation. "
Zhang Xiaobao chose technology as the exchange rule to balance the value of the paper money.
"Is three to five years really feasible?" Gao Lishi asked again.
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