Lao Zhu smiled bitterly and explained to her: "I had the same idea as you at the time, but Han Du told me that it wouldn't work. He said that in the past few years, the imperial court had issued about 40 million yuan of treasure banknotes.
Because the value of treasure banknotes has been declining, most of these treasure banknotes are circulating in the market and kept in the homes of ordinary people."
When Lao Zhu said this, he paused.
The critical moment came, and Queen Ma immediately understood what the emperor meant.
"The people recognize the value of treasure banknotes because I endorse them. If I stop issuing treasure banknotes now, it means that I will no longer recognize the value of treasure banknotes. Those treasure banknotes that have been issued before, no matter whether they are in the market
What circulates in the market or is kept in the homes of the people will turn into worthless pieces of paper in an instant. The entire Ming Dynasty will return to the ancient times of bartering in an instant. The people have worked hard all their lives.
The wealth accumulated will disappear in an instant. Girl, can you imagine what this is like?"
"The world is in chaos and the people are in dire straits, just like thirty years ago." Empress Ma finished the sentence with difficulty with trembling lips. Having experienced the end of the dynasty, she was all too aware of the horror of such consequences.
Empress Ma still doesn't want to recall the tragic scenes at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. But her feelings at that time were not as profound as they are now, because after all, they were aimed at the previous dynasty. Although life was difficult, the emperor later rose up to resist, and no matter how hard it was,
Also overthrew the previous dynasty?
If the situation mentioned by the emperor happens, the people who want to overthrow it will be the Ming Dynasty.
How could this not frighten Queen Ma?
Fortunately, Lao Zhu had already experienced it once, and his reaction to this was much smaller than that of Queen Ma. He continued to explain: "Therefore, the treasure notes cannot be stopped, but according to Han Du, they cannot be issued indiscriminately like before.
Treasure banknotes must be strictly controlled. If this can be done, treasure banknotes can actually benefit the country and the people."
After hearing this, Queen Ma asked hesitantly: "Did Han Du say these words?"
Lao Zhu nodded, "Yes, that's why I asked him to take charge of the Baobao Lifting Division."
Empress Ma finally understood why Han Du, at such a young age, could directly serve as an eighth-rank official in the capital.
You must know that there are a lot of vacancies in the treasure bank examination department in the capital. Generally speaking, let alone the promotion of people, even a second-class Jinshi cannot be in charge of the treasure bank note promotion department without strong support.
"To untie the bell, you need to tie the bell. Your Majesty's skill in employing people is truly superb." Empress Ma praised.
"Hahaha, I am helpless. Apart from him, I can't think of anyone else who can untie this knot." What Lao Zhu said is the truth.
The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, with the exception of Han Du, would only try their best to exchange the gold and silver on the market for their hands when the treasure banknotes depreciated. Who would have thought that this would aggravate the panic of the people and lead to the further exacerbation of the treasure banknotes?
depreciation.
Of course, they didn't expect this.
And this is also the reason why Lao Zhu did not punish the civil and military officials. After all, he who does not know is not guilty.
Since Lao Zhu couldn't even see this clearly, he naturally didn't dare to hand over such a vital department as the Baoqian Prosecution Department into their hands.
Although Han Du is young, his knowledge of treasure banknotes surpasses everyone else. It is more appropriate for him to be in charge of the treasure banknote lifting department.
Empress Ma lowered her head and pondered for a long time, then looked up at Lao Zhu and sighed: "Even if we strictly control the treasure money and can benefit from it, its harm has never disappeared. Your Majesty, this is a double-edged sword.
Sword!"
After hearing this, Lao Zhu stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked out from the door, as if he saw the whole world.
He sighed: "Why didn't I know that this was a double-edged sword? Unfortunately, the sword has been unsheathed and cannot be taken back, so I can only hold it like this. You think it's funny or not, I still pulled it out with my own hands.
It's sheathed. If Han Du had told me these things about the treasure banknotes before I issued them, I'm afraid I wouldn't have pulled out the sword. Now I can only hope that what Han Du said is true and can turn it into harm.
Just for profit."
Empress Ma walked up to Lao Zhu, rested her head on his shoulder, and said softly: "The Emperor's great blessings will definitely turn disadvantages into advantages. In fact, even if Han Du did not appear, the treasure banknotes would still be distributed. It's time
The dangers that exist will also exist. Now that Handu is here, isn't it just to help the emperor solve problems? This is a sign of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty. Whenever there is a difficulty, someone must step forward to resolve it."
"exactly!"
When Lao Zhu thought about it, he also felt that what Queen Ma said made sense.
Don’t be afraid if there are difficulties. As long as someone can solve them, it is not a difficulty.
Since ancient times, have all the dynasties encountered no difficulties? Li Shimin, who initiated the Zhenguan rule, even had the shame of being an alliance under the city. But later on, didn't he rely on the heroes gathered around him to avenge his shame?
And now that Han Du has come to me, isn't this also a sign that Yingjie is gathering towards me?
What did Lao Zhu rely on from a commoner to dominate the world? Isn't it just the talented people who followed him?
Now, although treasure money is a big trouble, as long as Han Du, who is proficient in treasure money, is around, Lao Zhu has nothing to fear.
Han Du didn't know that he had become a hero and a talented person in Lao Zhu's heart. He was discussing matters with Xiong Shi and Huang Lao.
The Baochao Lifting Department now has strong troops and sufficient money and food, so it is time for a bold sprint.
At Han Du's signal, Mr. Huang was the first to report: "Sir, although the rails have been delayed due to matters at the Ministry of Industry, the casting has now begun. According to the current speed, if everything goes well, it will be completed in a few days.
.”
Han Du nodded after hearing this, and then ordered: "We need to step up the road leveling at the coal mine, and build the track foundation first according to my requirements. Once the construction is completed, pull the rails over and start laying."
Speaking of this, Han Du suddenly frowned and thought of a problem. The rails were laid in the wild where they were exposed to wind, sun and rain, so rusting was inevitable.
In the modern steelmaking process, there are naturally many anti-rust methods, but none of them are what Handu can use now.
After thinking for a while, Han Du couldn't think of a good way, so he had to look at Xiong Shi and the other two.
"Although the steel we make is good, it will inevitably rust when exposed to the outside. Is there anything you can do?"
Xiong Shi and Huang Lao looked at each other.
Mr. Huang nodded with a smile and said: "Sir, this is simple, you just need to apply tung oil."
"Tung oil?" Han Du thought about it carefully and finally recalled this thing.
Tung oil is an excellent drying vegetable oil. It has the characteristics of fast drying, light specific gravity, good gloss, strong adhesion, heat resistance, acid resistance, alkali resistance, anti-corrosion, anti-rust, non-conductivity, etc., and has a wide range of uses.
And although tung oil is very common in China, it is almost non-existent abroad. In modern times, tung oil has attracted much attention as the country's only strategic resource that can be exported. Because of the large number of aircraft, ships, and various
Tung oil is often used on instruments to prevent corrosion and moisture.
Mr. Huang continued: "It's tung oil. Sir, tung oil can not only prevent corrosion, but also prevent rust. It's perfect for smearing on the rails. The soldiers like those who maintain their waist knives use tung oil. Just lightly dip a little linen cloth into it.
Wiping tung oil on the waist knife can prevent the waist knife from rusting for a long time."
Knocking on the table in front of him with his fingers, Mr. Huang explained: "Also, these tables and chairs in front of me are all painted with tung oil to prevent corrosion."
Han Du took a closer look at the table. The wooden texture of the table was clear, but it seemed to be protected by a transparent film on the surface.
Han Du nodded, tung oil is indeed a good thing, so use tung oil.
I asked Xiong Shi casually, "What's the price of tung oil?"
Xiong Shi immediately replied, "The price is not low, but it's still acceptable."
Han Du thought about it and understood that although tung oil has many uses and is a good thing, since it can be used on ordinary tables and chairs, even if it is expensive, it is not that expensive.
The matter of laying rails is generally like this.
After Han Du made arrangements, he continued to talk about the treasure notes.
The matter of the treasure banknotes has been delayed until now, and there is still no improvement. Lao Zhu sent someone to urge him again. Han Du felt that if he didn't speed up the process of counting the treasure banknotes, maybe that day, Lao Zhu would get it if he couldn't wait any longer.
Ask yourself.
Looking at Xiong Shi, he asked: "How did you go about purchasing cotton?"
"I harvested more than a hundred kilograms..." At this point, Xiong Shi hesitated and asked: "Sir, because almost no cotton is produced around the capital, and it is not the harvest season for cotton.
Therefore, the price of cotton is now much higher than that of new cotton. Should I wait until the harvest season and have the official go out to pick it in person? "
Han Du frowned when he heard that he had just received more than a hundred kilograms of cotton. However, he thought that cotton was rarely grown around the capital. Almost all the cotton sold in the capital was sold by vendors from other places. In addition, it was not cotton now.
It’s the picking season, so it’s hard to blame Xiong Shi.
Regarding Xiong Shi's suggestion, Han Du shook his head.
Cotton picking will not be until September in the autumn, but now it is impossible for Han Du to wait until September to start making treasure banknotes. In that case, Lao Zhu might kill him in advance.
“What’s the price of cotton now?”
When Xiong Shi saw Han Du frowning, he knew that he had done something wrong in this matter. When he was worried about Han Du's scolding, he heard Han Du ask, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Han Du did not blame him.
He quickly replied: "The price is now more expensive than when new cotton first came out. When the cotton was harvested a few days ago, it was more than 90 cents per pound at first. Later, perhaps because of the harvest, the price increased to 100.
Wen, I thought it was a bit expensive, so I didn’t take any more.”