At the beginning of the year, Zhu Youxiao, in addition to arranging the Northern Expedition, was also fully promoting the power and influence of the Royal Chamber of Commerce.
Because of its own secret support, the Royal Chamber of Commerce has basically occupied more than 70% of Shanxi's market.
In Shanxi, Zhu Youxiao can be said to have achieved complete control whether overtly or covertly.
The control over mutual markets has also been improved unprecedentedly.
Whether the Mongolian tribes have food to eat or not is entirely a matter of Zhu Youxiao's words.
Therefore, this is why he is confident that those Mongolian tribes will help him in his northern expedition to Horqin.
However, in order to influence the country, especially the capital, it was necessary to get rid of the threats of water transportation and Jiangnan gentry.
The Royal Chamber of Commerce cannot just be in Shanxi.
It is necessary to seize more than 50% of the market in the capital, so as to ensure that the lifeline is not pinched by others.
Because Zhu Youxiao had killed and confiscated many wealthy gentry and merchants in the past two years, and last year he even killed the nobles of the capital.
Therefore, it was effortless for the Royal Chamber of Commerce to enter the capital market.
Zhu Youxiao even secretly handed over most of the shops and warehouses to the Royal Chamber of Commerce.
Unbeknownst to outsiders, the Royal Chamber of Commerce took less than half a month to establish a firm foothold in the capital.
After the Royal Chamber of Commerce stabilized in the capital, the first thing Zhu Youxiao did was to directly stipulate and unify the prices of grain, rice and salt.
The fundamental reason why people were in dire straits in the late Ming Dynasty was not the war, but the economic collapse and high prices.
If we want stability in the rear, stabilizing prices is the top priority.
If people have food to eat, they will not choose to rebel.
With the assistance of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, Zhu Youxiao also officially launched the silver dollar, a brand-new currency, after the beginning of the new year.
Based on the silver dollar and as a reference, the price of grain and salt was completely determined directly.
One silver dollar can buy five stones of grain, including wheat, corn, beans and other grains.
As for rice and fine grains, one silver dollar can buy two stones.
As for table salt, given the current situation and conditions, the price cannot be set too low.
Because Zhu Youxiao does not control the current salt channels, and is still choked by the Lianghuai and Jiangnan salt merchants.
But he still tried his best to keep the price as low as possible. One silver dollar can buy five kilograms of salt.
According to today's market price, one tael of silver can buy about three kilograms.
This price is already much lower. You must know that one silver dollar is directly equivalent to one tael of silver. I believe it will definitely play a great role in stabilizing public sentiment.
The first target group for Zhu Youxiao's promotion of silver coins were all the officials in the imperial court.
Zhu Youxiao was also a rare generous person. He paid up the salary owed in previous years more than once, and also paid them three months' salary in advance.
Naturally, all the money was converted into silver dollars and distributed.
As for the new copper coins of small denominations, they were also promoted at the same time as the issuance of silver dollars.
The new copper coin was named Tianqi Tongbao. One thousand Tianqi Tongbao was equivalent to one silver dollar, and Zhu Youxiao was immediately destined to die.
Since the new money has been distributed to officials and ministers, edicts and newspaper publicity are naturally indispensable.
Therefore, after the beginning of the new year, everyone in the capital was discussing the reliability of this silver dollar and Tianqi Tongbao.
The silver dollar is actually not bad, because the court documents and His Majesty's imperial edict have stated that it is made of silver.
Neither the common people nor the gentry showed much resistance.
For them, if they can't beat it, they can just dissolve the silver coins and make them into silver again, and the loss will not be too big.
But this Tianqi Tongbao is different.
No matter which class of group they belong to, they all maintain a great skepticism towards it. It can be said that they do not believe in this thing at all.
Because they are really scared of being tricked.
Every generation of emperors almost always introduces their own new money.
The so-called new king, new money and new atmosphere.
However, these things depreciate over time, such as Jiajing Tongbao and Longqing Tongbao. No one uses this money now, because since the Wanli Tongbao was released, it has become worthless.
Only Dazhong Tongbao and Hongwu Tongbao are still barely usable.
Zhu Youxiao also knew that it would be impossible to change the views of the masses for a while.
Therefore, he is not in a hurry. As long as the officials start using the two currencies of silver dollar and Tianqi Tongbao, it will not take a year or two to change their perception.
Not to mention, today's silver coins and Tianqi Tongbao are tied to grains, rice and salt.
In order to promote these two new types of money more quickly, Zhu Youxiao ordered the Royal Chamber of Commerce to open fifteen banks in the capital.
After the bank implemented it, another edict followed.
All shops and businesses affiliated with the Royal Chamber of Commerce only accept silver coins and Tianqi Tongbao.
If you don't have these two kinds of money, go to the bank to exchange it yourself.
Regardless of whether it is silver or any kind of copper coin, as long as it is genuine and of high quality, the bank will exchange it one-for-one.
That is, one tael of silver can be exchanged for one silver dollar, and one copper coin of any kind can be exchanged for one Tianqi Tongbao.
This is also a business that is sure to make a profit, because whether it is Tianqi Tongbao or silver coins, the production cost is always lower than the exchange.
The recovered silver and copper coins can be smelted directly by Zhu Youxiao without going to mines.
Through this method, currency recycling can expand the status and influence of new money, thereby accelerating changes in people's perceptions.
And there is no such thing as no one to exchange it, because the goods sold by the Royal Chamber of Commerce are basically lower than the market price.
Moreover, with its own backing, the bank of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, there is no need for money to be exchanged, and there is no chance of the store going bankrupt.
Under such circumstances, people will inevitably choose to use new money, because it is a great benefit to them and takes a lot of advantage.
Of course, such a beautiful situation is limited to the capital and its surroundings.
In areas other than the capital, to achieve such an effect requires a lot of manpower and material resources, especially time.
The most important thing is that Zhu Youxiao must have an endless supply of food and salt in his hands.
The current Zhu Youxiao obviously does not have such conditions.
Therefore, this scope is limited to the capital.
But there is no problem in building reputation and influence in the capital first.
It can also be regarded as paving the way for subsequent comprehensive promotion and popularization.
The officials and ministers of the DPRK and China rarely raised any objections to the implementation of the new money distribution.
Zhu Youxiao is also quite satisfied with this. Without those civil servants and officials chattering in his ears, he is in a better mood and is much more efficient when doing things.
And if the officials and ministers knew what Zhu Youxiao was thinking, they would definitely curse in their hearts. If we weren't afraid of the bloody knife in your butcher's hand, how could we not object?