All in all, a lot of people scolded me after the introduction of banknotes.
But there are more people who applaud it, especially the workshop owners.
Due to tight money, there is not enough liquidity in the market. As a result, most factory owners do not have enough money to buy more raw materials and hire more workers to expand production. In addition, upstream suppliers and downstream customers cannot collect payments.
After returning, the production and operation of the factory was severely disrupted.
For example, Xu Yingwei's uncle Shi Jiuke opened a silk cutting workshop and a silk weaving workshop in Huangtan Town. Because the silk produced was of good quality, he had no worries about sales.
Well, it has nothing to do with the texture.
But now, no matter how much silk the Ming Dynasty produced, they would not have to worry about selling it.
Because it was profitable, Shi Jiuke wanted to expand the scale of his workshop.
But if you want to expand the scale, you need to hire more workers, more cocoons, more looms and embroidery weavers, but to do these things you need money.
Shi Jiu was not short of money, but all the money was in the hands of downstream silk merchants.
But the silk merchant didn't have any money in his hands. Oh, no, there was money in the silk account, but there was no cash, because all the money was deposited in the bank account.
Therefore, the entire business operation was stuck.
The bank has no money to give to the silk merchants, the silk merchants have no money to give to the silk workshops, the silk workshops have no money to give to the silk-suppression houses, the silk-suppression houses have no money to give to the silk merchants, and the silk merchants have no money to repay the bank's loans.
But at this moment, the bank suddenly had money, and then the operation of the entire business closed loop immediately became smoother. Everyone suddenly had money, and the triangular debt and even the seventy and eighty cent debt were repaid.
Because of this, banknotes were recognized by industrial and commercial owners in a very short period of time.
Even large and small grain merchants such as the Mao family, Qian family and Xu family are vying to borrow banknotes from the household bank account to buy grain, because borrowing money from local wealthy owners to buy grain requires paying high interest. However, the household bank account
The annual interest rate is as low as only one yuan. Such a low interest rate is almost the same as that of bonds issued by the stock exchange.
As a large number of banknotes entered the circulation market, Jiangnan's money shortage was solved.
The money shortage that has plagued Jiangnan Commercial Tickets for nearly a year has finally been alleviated.
…
The money shortage in Jiangnan has been alleviated, but the "food shortage" has not.
What's more, the relief of liquidity has made the food shortage more serious.
By the end of the first month, Nanzhi Grain Merchant had already taken in nearly 10 million shi.
But the price of food also rose again, from six taels during the Lantern Festival to twelve taels and one stone.
Then on the second day of February, the day when the dragon raised his head, the headline on the fourth page of the Huangming Times suddenly published a news about the price of rice: Long Yan was furious, and the emperor decided to increase the supply of grain.
After Qian Qianyi saw this news, he was completely stunned on the spot.
Because this article said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been adjusting grain from Huguang to Nanzhi in an attempt to stabilize the price of rice in Nanzhi. However, the grain merchants of Nanzhi have been secretly obstructing it and eating all the grain shipped by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, resulting in
The price of rice in Nazhi remained high, so the emperor was alarmed and decided to transfer 20 million dan from the official treasury of Huguang to Nazhi in one go!
As soon as this article was published, rice prices in Nanjing fell.
In just three days, the price of rice plummeted from ten taels to five cents.
The people in Nanjing clapped their hands and cheered.
I am grateful for the kindness of the Holy One.
…
"After more than three months, it's finally over."
"Finally, people no longer have to bear the high price of rice."
Chongzhen asked Wang Pingshan again: "Wang Qing, where are the accounts?"
Wang Pingshan and Hu Renzhi have donated money to Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Go back to your Majesty, the accounts are here." Wang Pingshan quickly took out the account book.
Chongzhen took the account book and glanced at it, he felt that one was bigger than the other.
Because Wang Pingshan still used old-fashioned accounting, which used Chinese characters and wrote them vertically. Chongzhen's head was as big as a bucket when he looked at such an account book. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has now switched to Arabic numerals for accounting, and they are written horizontally.
At that moment, Chongzhen returned the account book to Wang Pingshan: "Wang Qing, it's better for you to read it to me. Besides, you don't need to talk about everything without details, just pick the key points and read it to me."
"I accept the decree." Wang Pingshan opened the account book and said, "Let's talk about Huguang's food dominance first."
"The grain purchased was 19.7 million shi Youqi at a price ranging from 3 cents and 5 cents to 4 cents per stone, and the total expenditure of silver was 7.486 thousand taels."
"Later, in order to suppress the price of grain, he successively sold 9 million shi Youqi of grain at a price of 3 yuan per shi, and the total income was 2.7 million taels of silver."
"Borrow a Huguang grain merchant fifteen million taels."
"Because the price of grain plummeted to one cent and five cents per stone, the grain merchants in Huguang could not pay the principal and interest, so they could only use the grain merchants as offsets. They received a total of 70 million stone in grain, which was converted into a total of 10.5 million taels of silver.
.”
"The Huguang grain merchant still owes me more than 4.5 million taels, which has not been repaid."
"Let's talk about Nanzhi's grain dominance. Our number has trafficked a total of 10 million shiyouqi of grain to Nanzhi. The price ranged from 30 to 50 taels per shi, and the total income was 40 million taels of silver.
"
"I borrowed 20 million taels from the Nanzhi Grain Merchant through the Royal Bank, the Household Bank, and the Shipping and Shipbuilding Bank."
"Because the price of grain plummeted to five yuan per stone, the principal and interest protection clause was triggered. The Nanzhi grain merchants could not pay the principal and interest, so they could only use grain as offset. A total of thirty million stone was received from Youqi, which was equivalent to fifteen million in silver.
two."
"The debts have been paid off, and the Nanzhi grain merchant still owes Youqi five million taels, which he has not repaid."
"The income and expenditure of Huguang and Nanzhi are even, with a total income of 200,000 taels in cash and 100 million shi in grain. In addition, Huguang grain merchants and Nanzhi grain merchants still owe 9.5 million taels of silver that have not been repaid."
After reading the last sentence, Wang Pingshan gently closed the account book.
"It's over?" Zhu Cijiong asked in disbelief, "No more?"
"It's over, no more." Wang Pingshan said, "All the accounts are here."
Zhu Cijiong chuckled and said, "In other words, this time the Water Conservancy and Food Bank did not spend even one tael of silver, and got 200,000 taels plus 100 million shi of food in vain?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "There are still 9.5 million taels that have not been recovered." Wang Pingshan said with a smile.
"Oh, yes, there are still more than 9.5 million taels of silver owed that have not been recovered." Zhu Cijiong said in disbelief, "This thing is really evil. Does it mean that there are 10 million taels of silver plus 100 million shi of grain out of thin air?"
"These ten million taels of silver and one hundred million stones of grain are not extravagant." Chongzhen said with a snort, "but they were squeezed out of hundreds of large and small grain merchants in Huguang and Nanzhi."
"This time, the Huguang grain merchants and the Nanzhi grain merchants were squeezed out of their bones."
After a pause, Wang Pingshan continued: "However, these people are worthy of death. They are a group of businessmen who dare to disobey the holy order and hoard. If they don't die, who will die?"
"Wang Gong, is there really as much food as 100 million stones?"
Zhu Cixi also couldn't believe it, this was 100 million stones of grain.
Before the 17th year of Chongzhen, the annual grain tax collected by the Ming Dynasty was less than 30 million dan, but now, only 100 million dan were squeezed out from Huguang and Nanzhi, which is really scary.
"Prince, there is really as much food as 100 million stones."
Wang Pingshan solemnly said: "Of which 30 million stones are in the main warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 20 million stones are in the Wuchang warehouse, and the other 50 million stones are in the official warehouses of Changde Mansion, Yuezhou Mansion and Changsha Mansion. If the prince is worried,
You can send people to check at any time. If there is a shortage of one stone of food, I am willing to use the head of the item to pay for it."
"No, no, I don't mean to distrust Wang Gong." Zhu Cixiang said quickly.
"Xun'er and Jiong'er, now you know that if you are familiar with Huguang, you will be sufficient all over the world. Isn't this nonsense?"
Chongzhen smiled and said: "It must be nonsense to rely on Huguang Province alone to feed hundreds of millions of people throughout the Ming Dynasty, but it is more than enough to feed half of the Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Cixiang frowned and said, "But my father, Huguang didn't have so much official food before."
Chongzhen said: "In the past, Huguang only levied a grain tax of three liters, three and five spoons per mu, and the farmland under the name of each vassal did not need to pay grain tax. Naturally, it could not collect a few shi of grain."
"But now all the cultivated land in Huguang is distributed to the people."
"The people of Huguang have harvested two more crops this year."
"So you can sell half of the remaining grain to the court."
"Originally, half of the surplus grain, which is 80 million dan, would flow into the granaries of various feudal lords and local gentry in the form of rent, but now it has all flowed into the official warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
"Oh, that's it." Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong understood now.
Zhu Cijiong even said with a black face: "Father, so the vassal kings and local gentry are really hateful. Together with us, the grain tax of Ming Dynasty has been eroded by them?"
"What else?" Chongzhen's expression turned cold.
"Where do you think the vast wealth of each vassal comes from?"
To this day, Chongzhen is deeply impressed by the more than 8 million taels of silver and the rare treasures worth 50 million taels that Sha Dingzhou snatched from the Duke of Guizhou's mansion. This is true for the Duke of Guizhou's palace, let alone the clan and vassals.
It is said that the wealth of these vassal princes and nobles is the wealth of the people, and this is how the Ming Dynasty was hollowed out.
In addition to the noble clan officials, there are also evil gentry and profiteers.
…
Qian's back garden.
"Master, master, please don't be impulsive."
"We can still save money if we don't have it anymore."
"As the saying goes, if you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood."
Liu Rushi shouted loudly at the top of the rockery while running quickly.
On the top of the rockery, Qian Qianyi hung a white silk ribbon on the top of a willow tree and prepared to hang himself. However, after several attempts, he found that the willow tree was too thin and could not be hung at all.
After another failed attempt to hang himself, Liu Rushi finally arrived.
"Master." Liu Rushi hugged Qian Qianyi and said with tears, "It's just a few taels of silver, Master, why can't you think about it."
"Madam." Qian Qianyi said with a long sigh, "That's not just a few taels of silver, but a million taels. It's all the savings for my husband's life!"
