Huang Zongxi said: "You only need to tell me where the money went?"
Ma Mingluan said: "The money is all in the accounts of the Industrial and Commercial Bank, the Shipping and Shipbuilding Bank, the Water Conservancy and Food Bank, the Royal Market and various workshops. They owe the Ministry of Internal Affairs more than 50 million."
Huang Zongxi frowned and asked, "Why do they refuse to hand over the money they owe?"
"They don't have any money either." Ma Mingluan said with a wry smile, "If they had money they would have given it to them long ago."
"Then the question is, where did the money go?" Huang Zongxi was already interrogating a prisoner, "More than 50 million silver can't just disappear into thin air, right?"
Now Ma Mingluan was a little angry.
You, Yao Jiang and Huang Xiaozi, are not done yet, are you?
"Huang Taichong!" Ma Mingluan said angrily, "Are you interrogating a prisoner?"
"Forgive me, Master Ma." Huang Zongxi said hurriedly, "I just want to ask for clarification."
"Huang Zongxi, I'm afraid Ma Mingluan can't explain this clearly." Chongzhen interrupted the two of them, "However, I can tell you where the money went."
Huang Zongxi said: "Please give me some advice, Your Majesty."
Ma Mingluan and other subjects also pricked up their ears.
Chongzhen said with a smile: "When I landed from the small pier outside Qingliangmen this morning, I found that the shops along the street near the pier were much more prosperous than at the beginning of the year, and there were many times more street vendors. When I entered Qingliangmen, the street shops
It’s even more crowded, and pedestrians on the road are rubbing shoulders with each other.”
"It's not even the end of the year yet, and people in Beijing have already started preparing New Year's goods."
"And if I remember correctly, the street near Qingliangmen used to be very deserted. There weren't so many shops and vendors at the beginning of the year. Isn't that right?"
Ma Mingluan smiled and said: "That's right, Nanjing has become much more prosperous this year."
Fu Shan, who was in the medical department, also smiled and said: "Your Majesty, not only the Qingliang Gate, but also the streets and alleys near Jinchuan Gate, Shence Gate and Dinghuai Gate are also a lot more lively."
"That area used to be a vast wasteland."
"But now, many houses have been built."
Ma Mingluan said: "Most of the people living in that area are our scholars and family members from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
While he was talking, Zheng Zunqian, the big shopkeeper of the Industrial and Commercial Bank, suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I have figured it out!"
"Zheng Zunqian, what do you want to understand?" Chongzhen asked with a smile, and other people also looked over.
"Your Majesty, I want to know where the money has gone." Zheng Zunqian said with joy, "The money has flowed into thousands of households in Beijing, oh no, it has flowed into the hands of 30 million people in eight prefectures and prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River.
"
"That's it!" Zheng Zunqian said this, and Qian Xi, the head of the shipping and shipbuilding bank, also reacted instantly.
After all, he was a professional who dealt with money. Chongzhen just clicked a little and they reacted.
To put it bluntly, this is the lack of liquidity in the market, which causes the capital chain to break, so there is a shortage of money everywhere.
However, Ma Mingluan, Fu Shan and others were still confused and could not figure out the key. The principles of economics are still somewhat difficult for laymen to understand.
"What do you mean?" Shibo Kedu frowned at Xia Yunyi and asked, "I don't understand."
Zheng Zunqian explained: "Yi Zhong, let me ask you whether the people in Beijing are rich?"
"That's true." Xia Yunyi said, "Since the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China invested in workshops to support various industries, almost every household in the capital has entered the workshops to work and earned a lot of money. But this is different from what we are discussing.
What does silver have to do with it? How many taels of silver can the people have in their hands?"
"Of course it does matter." Zheng Zunqian said loudly.
"Thirty million people, each with 10 taels of silver, is 300 million taels!"
"I seem to understand." Xia Yunyi nodded, and then added, "But I don't seem to fully understand, but one thing I do understand is that there is indeed no money in the accounts of various banks and the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Ma Mingluan also said: "It turns out that the money has flowed into the people's pockets. No wonder."
Chongzhen asked again: "Are the prices of goods on the market getting lower and lower now?"
"It's really like this." When talking about the price of goods, Zhu Shunshui, who was in the baggage department, was confused and immediately became energetic, "Your Majesty, the prices on the market in Jiangnan have been half cheaper in the past year, and the price of rice has dropped to five cents per stone! Many
Grain merchants became anxious and hoarded grain without selling it, artificially raising the price of grain and creating a grain shortage. This is how the grain shortage in Songjiang came about."
Chongzhen said with a smile: "The money supply in the market is insufficient and money is more valuable, which will inevitably lead to a decline in the prices of daily necessities such as food, rice, flour, and oil. This reason is easy to understand."
However, only a few people such as Zheng Zunqian and Qian Xi could barely understand.
Among them was the Crown Prince Zhu Cihong, who had made great progress in business because he had been in contact with the Crown Princess for a long time.
Zhu Cixiang frowned and said: "Father, if this situation is allowed to continue, it will be extremely detrimental to the development of our industrial and commercial industry. Shouldn't we think of a way?"
Chongzhen asked with a smile: "Prince, do you have any ideas?"
"You can increase the mining of silver mines." Zhu Cixiang thought for a while, then continued, "You can also increase sea trade with the Western Barbarians and exchange silk, tea, porcelain and other items for more silver."
"Prince, I'm afraid these are not enough." Xia Yunyi shook his head and said, "Our Maritime Department has done calculations and found that the total annual sea trade between Ming Dynasty and Xiyi is only more than three million taels. This amount of money is just a drop in the bucket.
"
"Your Majesty, you can issue treasure banknotes." Zheng Zunqian suddenly said, "Only treasure banknotes can solve this difficulty."
"Bao Chao? I'm afraid it's inappropriate." Zhu Cixi said worriedly, "My Ming Bao Chao has almost been reduced to waste paper. I'm afraid it will be difficult for the officials and gentry to accept another kind of treasure banknote."
Chongzhen said: "Of course treasure banknotes can't do it, but banknotes can."
"Bank notes?" Zhu Cixiang said blankly, "What does your father mean?"
Chongzhen said: "The meaning of silver notes is notes that can be directly exchanged for silver. Silver notes are exclusively issued by the Royal Bank. Every time the Royal Bank issues a silver note worth one yuan, it must reserve one tael of silver in the bank treasury. Any merchant can
Once a person has taken the silver note, he or she can redeem the corresponding amount of silver at the Royal Bank at any time."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Wonderful!" Zheng Zunqian praised after hearing this, "In this way, merchants and officials and common people will no longer have to worry about anything, and they can use banknotes with confidence and boldness, and banknotes
Once credit is established, as long as 50% or even 40% of the silver is reserved, it will be enough to meet the payment needs of the officials, gentry and common people. In this way, the demand for silver will be greatly reduced, and there will be no more silver on the market.
If there is a shortage of money, there will no longer be a dilemma where banks and even the Ministry of Internal Affairs are short of money."
Chongzhen said in his heart that you are still too conservative. How can you use 40% to 50% of the reserve fund?
Once the credit of the bank note is established, 20% of the reserve is enough to cope with it. A run is impossible. Even if there is a run, there is nothing to worry about. Just decouple it from the full-color silver. By then, it will have been used
It is impossible for the officials, gentry and common people who are accustomed to silver notes to go back and use silver again.
Because banknotes are much more convenient than money.
But there is no need to say these words.
Smiling, Chongzhen added: "In addition to issuing banknotes, the fineness of the silver currently circulating on the market is really too complicated, and the use of silver also requires weighing, which is really inconvenient. I think it is necessary to issue uniform specifications and uniform fineness.
Silver coins, the amount of silver coins can be divided into three types, one yuan, five jiao and one jiao."
"One dollar of silver coins among them is equivalent to one or two full-colored silver coins."
"Fifty cents is equivalent to five cents worth of silver, and one dime is equivalent to one cent."
"In addition, copper coins need to be re-minted, with values divided into five cents and one cent."
"The previous copper coins can still be used. Ten copper coins are equivalent to one copper cent."
After a pause, Chongzhen continued: "From now on, unminted silver will not be allowed to be used as coins in the Ming Dynasty. If foreign merchants want to trade with the Ming Dynasty, they can only bring gold or silver to the Royal Silver Bank in exchange for an equal amount.
Only then can you participate in the trade of goods."
Chongzhen's hand was as great as his plan.
He went there to collect seigniorage.
Moreover, Chongzhen wanted to collect not only the seigniorage of hypocrites, slaves and surrounding countries, but also the seigniorage of the entire world.
Of course, this happened a long time later.
For now, let's make the banknotes, silver coins and copper coins first.
After saying this, Chongzhen said to Zhu Shunshui in the baggage department: "Zhu Shunshui, tomorrow morning, you will tell me that the owner of the bond printing workshop is named Xu, right?"
"Yes, his surname is Xu." Zhu Shunshui said hurriedly, "Xu Guo, a bookseller in She County."
"Yes, that's him." Chongzhen nodded and said, "Call him over, and then ask him to call the most skilled ink makers and micro-engravers in the printing shop. Let's discuss the anti-counterfeiting methods of banknotes."
"Yes." Zhu Shunshui responded respectfully, "I'll be here on time tomorrow morning."
"Okay, let's get down to business now." Chongzhen turned to Ma Mingluan and said, "The wealth of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is now about 300 million, and the profit on the books this year is 50 million taels, right?"
"Yes." Ma Mingluo said, "The wealth that the Holy One obtained from Yunnan was not included in the calculation."
"The goods obtained from Yunnan cannot be liquidated yet," Chongzhen said. "Those treasures are still on the way. When they are shipped back to Nanjing, it will have to be after the first month of next year, and they will not be liquidated until March or April."
The Wang and Hu families did not have the financial resources to directly buy treasures worth fifty million taels.
Therefore, we must wait until the Wang and Hu families have disposed of most of the treasures before they can redeem the money.
Ma Mingluan asked again: "Then, are the mansions and farmlands under the names of the Huguang vassals, King Jingjiang and the Duke of Guizhou included in the register? If so, how much will the price be?"
If these mansions and farmland are registered, they will also be counted as profits of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Don't worry about these mansions and farmlands." Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "They are all left to the vassal offices in Guangxi, Yunnan and Huguang to pay for the restoration of the land and the placement of soldiers."
"Okay." Ma Mingluan nodded with some disappointment.
"Ma Qing, don't be disappointed." Chongzhen said with a smile, "Even without the vassal palaces and farmlands in Guangxi, Yunnan and Huguang, the Ministry of Internal Affairs still made money from the battle in Yunnan. I have already calculated it.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs spent less than 5 million taels in total on this battle, but the goods obtained from Yunnan included 8 million taels of silver alone, in addition to various rare and rare items worth 50 million taels.
Treasure, so no matter how you calculate it, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is making a profit."
At this point, Chongzhen finally understood why Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were able to grow stronger.
Because after letting go of your hands and feet, fighting can really make money, and you can make a lot of money.
The Duke of Guizhou was already so fat. Chongzhen could not imagine how much money and rare treasures Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong had robbed from the vassal kings of Henan, Huguang, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Shanxi.
The combined value of these rare treasures is unimaginable.
Of course, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong may have difficulty realizing it.
"Your Majesty, I am greedy." Ma Mingluan said with a smile.
Waving his hand, Chongzhen asked again: "How are the ordnance preparations going?"
Ma Mingluan said hurriedly: "Going back to the Lord, 200 4-inch cannons have been built, 20 of which have been taken to Yunnan by the Lord, and the other 180 have been sent to Huguang. A total of about 20,000 flintlock guns have been built.
of which 15,000 have been sent to Huguang Communications and the New Army, and the remaining 5,000 are still in the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Two hundred 4-inch cannons and 20,000 flintlock muskets are still a bit short." Chongzhen sighed, "This reserve is not enough to launch a large-scale Northern Expedition, but can only launch a small-scale harassment war."
Ma Mingluan said quickly: "Your Majesty, the production capacity of each arsenal can be doubled this year. In other words, by the end of next year, the new army will have 50,000 flintlock muskets and 1,000 4-inch Hongyi cannons.
At that time, we can have an upright and upright decisive battle with Jiannu."
"To fight a decisive battle with the Jiannu, it is not enough to have weapons alone, but also to have food."
Chongzhen asked again: "Ma Qing, how much food has the Ministry of Internal Affairs saved in total?"
Ma Mingluan's face became a little embarrassed: "Your Majesty, there are only 400,000 shi of food left, a decrease of 100,000 shi."
Zhu Cixiang heard this and said hurriedly: "Father, this is all down to my son. It was my son who urgently transferred 100,000 shi of grain from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to Songjiang Mansion to stabilize the price of grain, but in the end..."
Chongzhen said: "In the end, all these grains were bought by grain merchants?"
"I can't hide anything from my father." Zhu Cixi said bitterly, "Father, those grain merchants are so treacherous. They specially hired people to line up in a long line in front of the rice shop designated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the end, they actually wanted to buy
The common people could not buy rice at all, and all the rice fell into the hands of grain merchants."
A similar scene three hundred years later suddenly came to Chongzhen's mind. It was just speculation.
In this way, the nature of these merchants has never changed. These people are really willing to make any money. It is no wonder that there are Shanxi merchants who secretly resell grain and information to the slaves.
Zhu Cijiong said again: "Father, why don't you just give an edict to Yingtian Governor Jin Xuan and order him to dispatch the model soldiers of Caojiang Town to arrest these profiteers who are hoarding money?"
