Zhao Xi discovered that no matter what happened, as long as it was placed in the court, it would not be solved neatly and would have to be quarreled.
Now that the duties have been decided, Zhao Xi has to consider the issue of order.
Armor and firearms manufacturing, coinage production, transportation channel from Xiangyang to Bianliang, Dongchuan copper mine, Huiwu iron mine, etc. Only then did Zhao Xi realize that the stalls were a bit big and he couldn't take care of them at all.
There are a lot of idle people in the court, and there are quite a few people who are not doing anything with their salaries. The problem is that it seems difficult to leave these things to others.
No matter what you do, if you want to gain support and followers, you must let people see the expected benefits.
Armor and firearms are ready-made, but they must be supported by copper-iron mines and transportation channels. And the transportation channels... He wanted the court to increase this expenditure. Zhao Xi didn't even want to mention it. He proposed it, but just waited for a while to give it.
These bullshit people have more bullshit excuses.
Copper and iron mines... Oh, forget it, what Zhao Xi wants is not to find a bunch of bastards to mess around there, nor does he really want to use merchant methods to squeeze the miners, eventually allowing the local forces in Dali to take advantage of the loophole.
It can only be a plan, take your time and do it step by step. Zhao Xi must choose the most basic one.
"Your Highness, all the currency systems since the founding of the dynasty have been collected. For use in the market and barter, the ratio of copper to lead is basically different and the actual price ratio is different. Iron coins are another matter."
"There are many money guards in the country, and the systems in different places are different. There are even situations in the country where the coins of different military states are not interchangeable. What's more, the coins of the previous dynasty are still used..."
What Su Song said was something Zhao Xi never expected.
The currency of the Kingdom and the Dynasty, which was circulated even in Annan and Dali, was not used in the military states of the Kingdom and the Dynasty?
"Your Highness, our country has minted two to three million coins over the years. Although copper, seven and lead are still in circulation, most of them are kept privately, and this is also the case in border countries."
"As for copper, four and lead, six, although there is a lot of circulation among merchants in the market, the actual exchange is already a thousand and a half, and the price is increasing year by year."
Zhao Xi finally understood why even the Western Army was keen on those copper coins in Langsong and Gaobang...
It’s a unified country, but the currency is not unified? It’s weird.
Forced unification? Zhao Xi just thought about it.
It has been like this since the beginning of the dynasty, and it has existed for such a long time. Zhao Xi does not believe that it is clean and pure.
Good money drives out bad money, although it takes a little longer. In the same way, it takes warm water to boil a frog until it is cooked.
Nowadays, the dynasty of the country is mainly focused on money supervision in the four states of Rao, Chi, Jiang and Jian, with a total of nine money supervision places. Whenever the court allows it in one place, it will be made in all nine places. Therefore, although the same type of coins, the quality is different.
.
Coins are the credit of the country and the dynasty, and they were wasted so casually.
Zhao Xi really doesn't know how to evaluate the world, let alone these elites today.
It’s no wonder that they are all born with poetry, lyrics, and songs, and they live in court with their words. How can we expect them to understand the laws of economics?
“Has the prototype coin ever been completed?”
It has been less than half a month since the sample drawings of the new coins were handed over to Su Song. It is not difficult to make the coin samples. The key is that Zhao Xi has set requirements for the composition of the coins.
For example, when making copper coins, he requires copper and zinc to be mixed together, and the color of copper must not be separated.
For example, for silver coins, he also requested the addition of copper and zinc. For example, for gold coins, he requested the addition of silver...
Zhao Xi didn't know all the proportions, so he just told Su Song. It would be difficult for anyone else to satisfy Su Song.
The color of copper is easy to say, but everyone knows the difference between silver and gold. After adding other materials, it must be invisible. This requires experimentation.
The key is that according to the shape he designed, the pattern of the coin is a dragon, the kind of dragon of later generations, not the dragon shape recognized by the country. He also added zigzag patterns on the edges...
What Zhao Xi wants is not coins that are constantly rotating. What he wants is coins that can last as long as the country and remain strong.
Hearing Zhao Xi's words, Su Song twitched the corner of his mouth and took out three coins with a bitter face... There were only three coins. They were made after countless tests by himself and polished by master craftsmen countless times.
Just these three sample coins have far exceeded their face value.
I really don’t know what His Highness the Prince is thinking. How can we mass-produce just these coins?
This...Zhao Xi is stroking the sample coin in his hand...it's okay, I can only say it's okay.
At the very least, the basic requirements have been met. The hardness, fineness, and generally recognized identification methods should all agree with the material of gold, silver, and copper coins.
It's just that the feel...how should I put it, it doesn't feel familiar to him, it's still a bit rough.
"How?"
"The formula is constantly tested, and then the master craftsman continuously hammers it, almost to the point of being tempered. Your Highness, it may be difficult to make large quantities of coins that have reached this level..."
Su Song was very confused, but His Highness the Crown Prince had too many twists and turns, and he always felt that coins like this were just something His Highness the Crown Prince used to fool the court.
"Hit with hammer after hammer?"
This is Su Song! I didn’t expect that he used the stupidest method.
"Didn't you set an example?"
"model?"
"That is, the mother model."
"this……"
Su Song said and pointed to the sample coin in Zhao Xi's hand.
Okay, Zhao Xi understands. What he understands is not the same thing at all.
To make coins, you first have a model, and then you need to melt, roll, punch, roll, clean, dry, stamp, and finally weigh.
At present, some things are really impossible to do.
Manpower? Forget it, the production cost of a coin cannot be higher than its face value!
"Your Highness, the casting method cannot achieve the coin shape that Your Highness said..."
As he spoke, Su Song took out three more sample coins, which were similar to today's coins.
It's hard to explain clearly. Zhao Xi couldn't understand how Su Song made the sample coins, and Su Song couldn't understand the model Zhao Xi mentioned.
We can only go to the guard camp workshop together. There is no money prison in Bianliang, and Zhao Xi has no intention of getting involved in the current money prison.
The so-called presiding over the Qian Jian, Zhao Xi has his own purpose, which may ultimately be to clean up and rectify the Qian Jian of the country.
Whether he can still survive depends on whether he follows his rules.
When he arrived at the prison, Zhao Xi finally understood how such a coin came from... It was actually chipped out bit by bit after being hammered by craftsmen!
Impressed!
Zhao Xi didn't say anything and went directly to the workshop where the armor was made.
Zhao Xi soaked three coins with vegetable oil, threw them into the mother mold for pouring armor, and then asked the craftsmen to pour them, and the front and back sides were like this.
The corner of Su Song's mouth twitched even more. After many days of waste, His Highness the Crown Prince just dealt with it so casually.
After the armor with the missing coins is formed...
"If this is not armor, but manganese steel ingots weighing a thousand kilograms, and one is underground, the other is placed high, and then falls instantly..."
There should be no need to say it again, it’s very clear.
Needless to say, melting and rolling should not be difficult for Su Song. He can figure out a way.
Zhao Xi gave a demonstration of making cakes, basically omitting all the procedures behind minting coins. At present, being able to do this is considered the limit.