"The Tang dynasty's silk system!"
This was the first time Li Shimin had heard of this term and he couldn't help but wonder.
Dai Zhou, who was standing at the side, was also confused. He looked at Moton in confusion.
Meton explained, "The so-called Tang dynasty's silk system is to use the influence of this grand parade and the power of the Tang dynasty to force the Tang dynasty's silk to be used as the common currency of all countries in the world. It can be used in all countries and can be transported to the far west to earn high profits. It can also be traded between countries. In this way, it will greatly facilitate the transactions between the Tang dynasty and the Hu merchants, as well as the large transactions between the countries of the Western Regions. In this way, the Tang dynasty's silk will definitely sell well all over the world. "
"Silk as the common currency of the world!" Li Shimin's eyes suddenly lit up. Just thinking of this possibility made him excited.
"Then how will the countries of the Western Regions agree to use silk as money?" Dai Zhou was excited and nervous. The picture Meton painted for him was too big, so big that he couldn't accept it.
Meton shook his head and said, "But this will require the influence of the Tang dynasty to sign an agreement with the ambassadors of the other countries to use silk as the only currency for transactions between the two countries."
The Silk Road was flourishing, and now was the time when the value of silk was at its highest. It was the best time to use silk as the common currency of the world.
"In this way, won't silk become another Bailu coin?" Dai Zhou didn't immerse himself in surprise and instead calmed down.
"Bailu coin!" Li Shimin was shocked and slowly calmed down from his ecstasy.
The Bailu coin was invented by Emperor Wu of Han. At that time, the Han Dynasty was at war with the Xiongnu, and Emperor Wu of Han's finances were tight. In order to raise money, he directly used Bailu leather as the currency, and it was very valuable.
Meton shook his head and said, "Lord Dai's words are wrong. Bailu leather is worthless, but silk is also very valuable in the Tang dynasty. It can even be used as money. On the Silk Road, it is often used for large transactions, and its value is recognized by the countries of the Western Regions. How can Bailu coin compare to it?"
Li Shimin nodded. From this point alone, the difference between silk and white deer coins was like heaven and earth.
"But silk is not gold or silver. How could the countries of the Western Regions be willing?" Dai Zhou said with a frown. As the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he dealt with money all day long. If he suddenly changed all the money in the treasury of the imperial court into silk, he would probably go crazy immediately.
Meton took a deep breath and felt that it was necessary to popularize the knowledge of money to the two of them. He stood up and said, "Gold and silver are indeed recognized currencies, but they are not the only currency. Your Majesty, do you know that most of the words about money in Huaxia are next to the word 'Bei'?"
As Meton spoke, he wrote the words' wealth ',' account ',' expensive ',' poor ',' cheap '… and so on.
Li Shimin took it and looked at it. He suddenly felt very strange. He had been writing all his life, but this was the first time he had seen such a strange phenomenon.
"This old subject has heard of this before! In ancient times, the oldest form of wealth in Huaxia was shells! As a result, the written language slowly evolved to this point, "Dai Zhou explained.
Li Shimin suddenly understood. He looked at these words with a sigh and looked at them curiously.
"Yes, the ancients used shells as money. Even now, the grassland tribes use animal skins as money. The currencies of the countries of the Western Regions are countless, and there are even more rare ones. So why can't we use silk as money now?" Meton asked in reply.
Dai Zhou suddenly became silent. As the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Tang dynasty, he could be said to be the most proficient in the way of money. He naturally knew that Meton was right.
"Moreover, this is not a bad thing for the countries of the world. There are many small countries in the Western Regions, and their currencies are different. Even the quality of gold and silver is different. The transactions between them will not change. If they all use silk to trade goods, it can be said to be extremely convenient. This is also the biggest opportunity for silk to become the universal currency of the world. Moreover, this move can also reduce the Tang dynasty's shortage of copper!" Meton said seriously.
Li Shimin immediately nodded. Now that the Tang dynasty was the most powerful country in the world, and he was the Heavenly Khan, the money of the Tang dynasty could naturally become the universal currency of the world. The Tang dynasty's currency was Kaiyuan Tongbao. In addition, they were short of copper, so they used silk as the currency. The shortage of copper had always been the Tang dynasty's biggest problem.
Moreover, silk was a unique product of the Tang dynasty. There was an endless supply of silk every year, so there was no need to worry about the supply of raw materials.
"This is indeed very beneficial to the Tang dynasty, but how can the Tang dynasty force the countries of the Western Regions to use silk instead of gold and silver?" Dai Zhou shook his head and said.
"The Tang dynasty is a country of etiquette. Naturally, we will not do anything like robbery. However, in the future, the transactions between the Tang dynasty and other countries must be done in Guangzhiguan City. The Tang dynasty will only pay with silk when buying goods from other countries and only receive silk when selling to other countries," Meton said with a trace of confidence.
Dai Zhou thought for a moment and gradually understood the reason behind it. He wanted to use the power and influence of the Tang dynasty to facilitate this.
"At the moment, the envoys of other countries are in Chang 'an City. We can use this as an opportunity to sign an agreement with the envoys of other countries, so that the countries of the Western Regions will not only trade silk with the Tang dynasty, but also accept silk as the universal currency when trading with other countries. In this way, the Tang dynasty will be in control of the world's coinage! "Meton said excitedly.
"Coinage!"
Li Shimin and Dai Zhou suddenly stopped breathing. As imperial officials, they naturally knew how profitable the coinage industry was. If this was successful, the Tang dynasty would gain a lot of benefits. Li Shimin and Dai Zhou could not help but be tempted.
Li Shimin did not expect that they only wanted Meton to sell the silk, but Meton actually took the opportunity to arrange such a grand plan. Once the silk of the Tang dynasty became the universal currency, the Tang dynasty would not only gain a lot of economic benefits but also a lot of political influence. It was killing two birds with one stone.
"Is this feasible?" Li Shimin asked, worried about the gains and losses.
Dai Zhou lowered his head and said, "If this is successful, it will be beneficial to the Tang dynasty. However, if we want to carry it out, I'm afraid it will be very difficult."
Dai Zhou naturally knew the benefits, but he also understood how difficult it was to do all this. Moreover, the countries of the Western Regions were not united and there would be countless objections.
Li Shimin's expression suddenly froze and he could not help but look at Meton.
Meton smiled and said, "It's easy to do this, but it depends on whether Your Majesty is determined or not."
"No matter what price we have to pay, this matter must be done." Li Shimin said firmly.
Meton heard this and said seriously, "As long as the Tang dynasty makes a public promise, the countries can exchange the silk with the Tang dynasty at any time according to a fixed exchange rate with the Tang dynasty!"
This was the core of the silk system of the Tang dynasty, which was to link silk with silver! The core of the Bretton Woods system of later generations was to link the dollar with gold. However, gold was not the most common currency in the Tang dynasty at this time. In large transactions, silver was the real main force. Moreover, the Tang dynasty did not have enough copper coins and gold was rare. Only silver was the most suitable medium.
"Link silk with silver, free exchange!" Li Shimin was suddenly enlightened.
Even Dai Zhou nodded and said, "If so, this matter will certainly be successful."
"This matter is very important and needs to be discussed by the three provinces and six ministries. Meton, you will explain this matter to the officials in the court tomorrow." Li Shimin was not blinded by the benefits and said seriously. Such a big matter could not be carried out without the cooperation of the entire court.
"Minister, as you wish!" Meton said seriously.
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