Chapter 463 Currency Reform
"The power is really good!"
Zhao Xing turned around and looked at Cao Mian and said, "You did a good job this time."
"I didn't do anything, it was all done by the craftsmen, especially Chen Kui, who was often too busy sleeping and forgetting to eat and drink." Cao Mian said.
"No need to be modest."
Zhao Xing waved his hand and smiled and said: "I heard that you have been staying in the Firearms Prison during this period and have not gone home to visit your parents, wife and children. I am worried. I will go back and have a good rest for a few days. There will be no need to do this in the future. I must go to my mother and queen. File a complaint against me.”
Since something went wrong last time, the Firearms Supervisor has moved further away. Cao Mian has been staying in the Firearms Supervisor and has never even returned home.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cao Mian knew that what happened last time was over.
Zhao Xing looked at Chen Kui and said, "You have made a meritorious service this time, what do you want?"
"These are all ideas provided by His Majesty. Common people dare not take credit." Chen Kui bowed.
"There is also a prison without merit."
Zhao Xing waved his hand and said: "Let's do this. I will reward you with a thousand acres of fertile land. The participants will be rewarded with a reward ranging from a hundred acres to ten acres according to their merit. Cao Mian, you can work out the specific details."
"Yes!" Cao Mian responded quickly.
Zhao Xing looked at Chen Kui who was looking happy and said, "If you can build a cannon for me, I will make you an official."
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely build the cannon!" Chen Kui said firmly.
No matter what the official position is, it is a huge temptation for people like Chen Kui who come from a lower class background.
"Okay, you go back."
Zhao Xing looked at the bronze pipe in Chen Kui's hand, shook his head, and gave up the idea of staying for fun.
Although the muskets at this time were somewhat crude, most men had little resistance to them.
It's just that a gentleman doesn't stand behind a dangerous wall. Zhao Xing is now in control of the world. If something goes wrong, he will be in trouble.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report has been sent from the north."
Sanshui hurried over, holding an unopened letter in his hand.
Zhao Xing took it and unfolded it to read. When he saw the contents of the letter, his face darkened.
"Gu Tingyu really guessed it right. It's a pity that he lost such a talent." Zhao Xing sighed.
This letter was passed back by Li Ge, saying that Yelu Chongyuan seemed to have been in secret contact with Empress Dowager Xiao recently, and that was why he had not agreed to the conditions of the Song Dynasty.
In order to increase credibility, Li Ge also mentioned the source of the news in the letter.
Regardless of Yelu Zhongyuan or Zhao Xing, they had actually guessed that Li Ge was playing both sides between them.
However, the two of them needed such a person, so they did not expose him.
Ordinarily, Li Ge would not know this kind of news unless the news had already spread.
But if that were the case, the news would be of little value.
The reason why Li Ge knew it was through Nerugu, the son of Yelu Zhongyuan.
Years ago, Nerugu went on a mission to the Song Dynasty and told Zhao Xing that if the road was open, 200,000 war horses would not be a problem.
Zhao Xing deliberately took it seriously. Later, Li Ge met Zhao Xing and discussed the number at 50,000.
Although Yelu Zhongyuan never agreed after returning, Li Ge also helped Nerugu a lot.
Coupled with Li Ge's deliberate flattery, Nerugu trusted him more.
Nerugu spilled the beans after drinking, and Li Ge learned the news.
Zhao Xing had never thought about the possibility of cooperation between Empress Dowager Xiao and Yelu Zhongyuan before, but Gu Tingyu mentioned this possibility in his analysis of the situation in the Western Xia Liao Kingdom before his death.
In fact, Zhao Xing thought of this possibility from the news that came from the Liao Kingdom later in the year.
Years later, Empress Dowager Xiao named Yelu Yixin as regent, allowing him to co-manage the government with her.
After Yelu Yixin became the Queen Regent, she did not get along well with Empress Dowager Xiao. Instead, she installed her own cronies in the court.
Although Empress Dowager Xiao was unwilling, Yelu Yixin had great power and could only give in repeatedly. But this is not the solution. Once Yelu Yixin takes complete control of the court, Empress Dowager Xiao and her son will become puppets completely.
For Empress Dowager Xiao, she had to either accept her fate or recruit foreign aid.
But when Gu Tingyu died, these things had not happened yet, but he had calculated these things, which shows his talent.
But from this point of view, Gu Tingyu's talent is completely enough to become a general.
However, this incident was a good thing for the Song Dynasty. Yelu Chongyuan and Empress Dowager Xiao united, and the Liao Kingdom would still be in turmoil. Whether Yelu Chongyuan would give him war horses or not was secondary.
……
In the first year of Xuanwu, on March 18th, Zhao Xing paid homage to the Ancestral Temple, and officially named Zhao Yong, his eldest son who was just over a month old, as his eldest son.
After canonizing the crown prince, Zhao Xing asked the British prince to go to the north to take charge.
Now that the weather is getting warmer, after the spring plowing, the construction of the Great Wall in the north will continue. Someone must go and guard it to prevent the Liao Kingdom from invading.
After the British government left, Zhao Xing began to rectify the government and reform the currency.
Although a large amount of silver flowed into the Song Dynasty due to commercial prosperity, silver was also one of the important currencies in the Song Dynasty.
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However, silver is not particularly convenient in actual use.
The reason for this is due to issues of quality and weight.
In some TV dramas, silver is cast into silver ingots of a certain weight, and you can know how much it is by weighing it after you get it.
However, in actual use in ancient times, the quality had to be checked and weighed.
In the Song Dynasty, silver was used as currency and appeared in large transactions.
Ordinary people not only don’t know how to use it, they don’t even know how to collect it.
Because people cannot tell the quality, they are easily deceived.
Regardless of whether to make artillery or not, even making muskets requires a lot of copper.
Moreover, it is very inconvenient to trade copper coins. Not to mention large-scale transactions, copper coins usually weigh several kilograms. They are not only heavy, but also inconvenient to carry.
It's not just a matter of money. Zhao Xing asked Yin Hanzhang to carefully investigate the currency situation of the Song Dynasty. It's hard to explain in a word.
Although copper coins were minted after the founding of the Song Dynasty, the copper coins of the Tang Dynasty were not abolished.
There are even copper coins circulating among the people before the Tang Dynasty.
These are nothing, there is a more serious problem, and that is the private minting of copper coins.
Although the copper coins used in ancient times were made of copper, the values of copper and copper coins are not equal.
Otherwise, there would be no need for the imperial court to mint coins, and it would just be better to use copper as the weight.
It is precisely because the types of currencies are messy that it gives some people room to take advantage of loopholes.
Currency reform is necessary.
Not only to make the circulation of silver more convenient, the existing copper coins of the Song Dynasty also needed to be recycled and recast.
Currency reform can bring a lot of revenue to the court.
Not to mention anything else, recycling and exchanging new currency can definitely increase your fuel consumption.
For example, only 90% of the new currency can be exchanged. As long as the circulation of the previous currency is prohibited, everyone in the world must exchange it.
The losses suffered by the people in this way are not big, because most ordinary people have almost no money.
But it's different for those who have money.
Copper coins are only small profits, the important thing is silver.
Zhao Xing planned to let people try to cast silver coins for later generations, unify the quality, and turn silver into common currency.
Forbid those broken pieces of silver to circulate in the world. If you exchange the silver for fire consumption, you can charge more.
(End of chapter)