The next day, at the court meeting.
When Li Shimin announced the monitoring of the market and the silk system of the Tang dynasty, it immediately caused a great uproar in the court.
"Monitoring the market is a good plan of the previous dynasty, and I have no objection to it. But the silk system of the Tang dynasty is really unheard of. It's simply incredible!" Wei Zheng said with a blank face.
In fact, it was not only Wei Zheng who was confused. Among all the officials, only Fang Xuanling and a few other important officials seemed to understand. The other officials felt like they were listening to a book from heaven.
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "This matter is both complicated and simple. In the future, transactions between the Tang dynasty and other countries will be settled in silk, and silk will be used as the currency for bulk goods transactions in the world. That is to say, as long as one person has the silk of the Tang dynasty, he can move freely in the world."
Li Shimin had thought about it all night and finally understood the silk system of the Tang dynasty. He could not help but apply what he had learned.
"This …"
All the officials could not help but be shocked. The phenomenon described by Li Shimin was so amazing that they could not accept it for a while.
"Your Majesty, are you trying to imitate Qin Shihuang's action of abolishing the wealth of the six countries and making Qin banliang the only currency in the world?" Fang Xuanling was surprised and doubtful.
After Fang Xuanling finished speaking, all the officials in the court were in an uproar. Qin Shihuang's unification of the world's currency was the first currency unification in China's history. At this moment, what Li Shimin did was even more amazing. He did not want to unify the currency of the Tang dynasty, but wanted to unify the currency of the world.
Li Shimin said proudly, "The principle is the same, but what I am doing is not abolishing the currencies of other countries, but adding a kind of money that can be used in all the countries in the world. You are all learned people, and I believe you must know the benefits of unifying the currency of the Qin dynasty."
All the courtiers were silent. Naturally, they knew the benefits of unifying the currency. However, the Qin Ban Liang's success in unifying the world's money was based on the Qin Dynasty's unification of the world. How could the Tang dynasty control the countries in the Western Regions that were thousands of miles away?
"The countries of the Western Regions are unruly and difficult to tame. I'm afraid this will be extremely difficult to implement!" Fang Xuanling frowned. The officials nodded in agreement.
Li Shimin nodded solemnly. "That's why Mo Jiu came up with an excellent idea, which is to link silk with silver and allow the various countries to exchange silk for silver."
Li Shimin knew that one would not act without seeing the hare. If the Tang dynasty did not pay some real money, it would be absolutely difficult to achieve this. If silk was equal to silver, the possibility of success would be very high.
"Mo Jiu! Use silk to exchange for silver! "The officials instantly focused their gazes on Meton, who was sitting in the corner.
Li Junxian, who was in front of Meton, felt the sharp gazes of the officials and was startled. He quickly moved to the side, exposing Meton to everyone's line of sight.
"You have no sense of loyalty!" Meton could not help but look at Li Junxian with hidden bitterness. He could only bow to the officials with a guilty conscience and walk out.
The officials were also helpless. Everyone knew that Mo Jiazi was a troublemaker, but it seemed that each time he did something bigger than the last. This time, he caused such a big disturbance. Once the silk system of the Tang dynasty was implemented, it would not be a matter of tens of thousands of strings of cash. It would not be an exaggeration to say that hundreds of millions of money would go through it. How could the officials not be frightened?
"Mo Jiu, what's going on?" Fang Xuanling said word by word.
Under the scrutinizing eyes of the officials, Meton calmly took out a piece of cotton from his arms. "It's a long story. Please tell me in detail."
…
"You're saying that because of this item, the currency system of the Tang dynasty will collapse within five years?" Wei Zheng looked at the cotton in Meton's hand in disbelief.
Meton nodded. "Gold and silver will naturally not be a problem, but the value of silk will definitely plummet. I believe that none of you will be willing to see the consequences of this."
The entire court was in an uproar. Silk was an indispensable part of the currency system of the Tang dynasty. If the price of silk collapsed, the shock it would cause would be earth-shattering.
"Your Majesty, please seal this item and protect the stability of the Tang dynasty," Quan Wanji suddenly said.
For a moment, many officials agreed.
Meton sneered. "You all avoid this item like the plague, but you don't know that it is the greatest wealth in the world. In the future, its value will be a hundred times that of silk."
Meton did not exaggerate this point. In the future, the value of cotton was more than a hundred times that of silk. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a thousand times more valuable.
"A hundred times more valuable than silk!" The officials looked at the shining white cotton in front of them in disbelief.
"Mo Jiu, don't bully an Old Man. Isn't this just the Western Regions' White Die Zi? What's so valuable about it?" Wei Zheng said in disbelief.
The officials also agreed. They did not believe Meton's words at all.
Meton waved his hand, and a group of guards immediately entered the Taiji Palace. Each of them held an item in their hands, and it immediately attracted the attention of the officials.
Meton introduced the items one by one to the officials. "This is a cotton thread made from cotton, this is a cotton cloth made from cotton thread, this is a cotton jacket made from cotton cloth, and this is a quilt used to sleep."
The officials looked at Meton in confusion. They did not understand what Meton meant.
"This means that cotton can be grown anywhere like hemp. It's cheap! It can also be like a mink coat. It's warm! If we use Mohist craftsmanship, it can also be as exquisite as silk. Once this item is produced, it can be used to cover three people. Everyone in the world will have clothes to cover themselves and things to keep out the cold. They will no longer suffer from the cold. "Meton said proudly.
"Really?" Wei Zheng trembled and said in disbelief. If Meton's words were true, it would be a blessing for the world.
Su Lingnong said without hesitation, "Old Man can prove that this item is true. At present, the Mo Family Village has collected all the cotton seeds. Within five years, the cotton can be planted everywhere in the Tang dynasty."
He was the finance minister of the Tang dynasty. He was in charge of the cotton plantation in the Mo Family Village. Naturally, he knew the best.
Li Shimin also nodded to confirm this.
"God is really blessing the Tang dynasty!" Wei Zheng said in a trembling voice.
The officials also showed joy on their faces. Cheng Yaojin could not wait to put on the cotton jacket. After a while, he was covered in sweat.
"This item can really keep out the cold!" Cheng Yaojin said affirmatively.
Li Shimin nodded and said, "This is where I am in a dilemma. On the one hand, cotton is related to the survival of millions of people in the Tang dynasty. On the other hand, silk is the lifeline of the Tang dynasty. It can not be easily shaken. Fortunately, there is the silk system of the Tang dynasty that Mo Jiu envisioned. Silk can be transferred to other countries. In this way, the price of silk can be stabilized and the cotton can be promoted vigorously. This is a way to have the best of both worlds."
"In this way, the silk system of the Tang dynasty is indeed a good solution. I second the motion." Fang Xuanling bowed and said.
"I also second the motion!" Wei Zheng also nodded.
In front of the officials, Zhangsun Wuji, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Mo Jiu, Old Man has a question. I wonder if you can answer it."
"Lord Zhangsun, please speak!" Meton frowned and said.
"According to Mo Jiu, five years later, cotton will be popular in the Tang dynasty. The importance of silk will be greatly reduced. Then, will the countries in the west still accept silk as currency?" Zhangsun Wuji said seriously.
The officials calmed down from their ecstasy and lowered their heads to think about this question.
Meton said without hesitation, "When the time comes, although the price of silk will drop in the Tang dynasty, the demand for silk in the far west will be endless. This will not affect the value of silk. Moreover, if the imperial court recognizes that the Tang dynasty is silk and can be exchanged for silver, then the silk system of the Tang dynasty will not be affected. In other words, as long as the imperial court agrees to exchange silver unconditionally, not to mention silk or precious white deerskin, I will even dare to accept a piece of paper. "
The other officials only thought that Meton was joking. Only Dai Zhou was deep in thought.
Zhangsun Wuji asked again, "What if one day, the Tang dynasty does not have so much silver to exchange?"
After Zhangsun Wuji finished speaking, the entire court fell silent. Everyone frowned.
Meton sneered and said, "Then the silk system of the Tang dynasty will no longer need to exist. The price of silk in the hands of other countries will plummet! The one who will suffer losses will not be the Tang dynasty. "
In the future, the collapse of the Bretton Woods system originated from the United States of America overspending their domestic gold reserves to print the US dollar. After the collapse, the US dollar depreciated, which was equivalent to the United States of America reaping a wave of wealth.
"In this case, I have no more objections. I second the motion!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed to Li Shimin and said.
"I second the motion!" The officials all bowed and said.
The silk system of the Tang dynasty was officially approved by the imperial court.
./4_
.。 m.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
