Mining gold and silver raw ore from Fusang and Goryeo, casting it for the country, and then importing gold and silver coins into Fusang and Goryeo... This kind of business can be thought of by the current cabinet.
Nowadays, Zhao Xi really doesn't know how far the smelting in Workshop City has developed. The production of gold and silver coins... Alas, he has never used currency, so he really doesn't know the specific situation.
"Zirong, when gold and silver coins are minted, what is the content of gold and silver?"
Zhao Xi could still understand the reason at a glance.
"Back at the official house, the gold and silver content is at most 70%, 60-70%. Adding manganese, aluminum and other substances can make the gold and silver coins more beautiful."
There must be a profit between the mining of raw materials and the processing of finished products, and the amount of profit is the core issue.
Of course, there is another key point, which is the role of the currency of China and North Korea in the entire world trade...
"Shi Zheng, please tell me. I need to have a comprehensive understanding, starting with the currency of the country..."
Xue Xiang, in Zhao Xi's opinion, is the most economically talented minister in this era, or in other words, in the so-called trade, he is the minister who can best understand Zhao Xi's intentions.
Although it cannot be said that he is comparable to the business elites of later generations, in this era, he is definitely one who is highly regarded.
Zhao Xi asked this, so Xue Xiang could correctly understand what he wanted to know.
"The official family started with the earliest theory of the official family, the concept that currency is also a commodity. On the basis of the sufficient supply of various raw materials for casting currency in the country, Gongfangcheng, the Royal Bank, and even the Yi, Shibosi and other yamen
Working together, we really operate coins as commodities.”
"Based on prudent considerations, when trading currency with foreign countries, we focus on the exchange of currency raw materials, gold, silver and copper. As of now, according to Gongfangcheng statistics, the total amount of raw materials imported by the country and the DPRK can basically reach the total amount of currency exported by the country and the DPRK.
Half as strong. And the actual profit even reaches three to five times.”
"Furthermore, it is precisely because of the policy of currency export that I dare not say that all the dynasties that have survived today, but all the merchants who have traded with the dynasty have used the currency of the dynasty."
"The great feedback from mainland merchants is that not only the Tubo and Uighurs, but also the Western Fans, the Taurus Dynasty, the Polo Dynasty, the Tumor Dynasty, etc. all regard the currency of the country as the most important, and even use it in transactions.
The price of the country's currency and goods can be reduced by 10% of the transaction."
Zhao Xi is really unfamiliar with these dynasties that Xue Xiang mentioned. They must all be small countries. Zhao Xi doesn't care about these reputations, and even the so-called coming of thousands of countries to the dynasty does not matter to Zhao Xi.
The world is so big that I can’t occupy it or manage it, so I don’t have the leisure to do so.
"Similarly, maritime merchants reported that the same was true whether it was Dai Viet, which the country used to call Annan, or the Champa, Bagan, Srivijaya, Balni, Khmer and other dynasties."
"In other words, the current currency of the country has basically become the universal currency that officials once said."
Zhao Xi didn't even remember that he had said anything about a universal currency. He thought it was what he said when he was chatting with them. At that time, he would always occasionally burst out some theories of later generations in pieces.
Xue Xiang is a thoughtful person.
Zhao Xi was really listening. A universal currency was formed, but Zhao Xi also had a partial understanding of the role of a universal currency. He very much hoped that Xue Xiang could find out the widespread role of a universal currency from specific examples.
In other words, Zhao Xi really wants to know if it is possible to use non-paper currency to play the role of a universal currency like that of later generations... to legally plunder wealth.
"The official family, I once remembered that the official family said that the earliest transactions were barter transactions. Even when the money was tight in the early years of the dynasty, barter existed in many places in the dynasty."
"When money serves as an intermediate, that is, the evaluation standard for the value of all items, money becomes more important than goods to a certain extent."
"In these years, I have discovered that when the country's currency becomes a common currency, it is equivalent to the country having pricing power over all items..."
"For example, rice, whether it is Annam or Champa, assumes that the Shiyi Temple has determined that the price in the country is thirty cents, then the merchants' local purchase price will not be higher than ten cents. But once the price in the country is twenty
In order to ensure their profits, merchants need to lower their local purchase prices."
"For example, stone paint, there are Hu merchants in Xifan selling stone paint, and the price changes are based on the price approved by Shiyi Temple as the standard and basis. In this way, it is equivalent to the country having the pricing power of all traded goods.
"
"Officials have talked about the difference between price and value. I believe that after the currency is universal, the country and the dynasty can control the value and price gap of traded items based on pricing."
Pricing power and standards... This is what later generations of trade valued most. Unexpectedly, Xue Xiang today could extend it to this extent just by using a common currency.
Zhao Xi really didn't know how to express his emotions.
"Officially, this time the cabinet has decided to mine gold and silver in Fuso, Goryeo and other places, and I agree with it. I want to use this as a pilot to see if the price and value can be controlled by monetary means."
"The hired workers in the mining, the participants in Fuso Goryeo, and the participants in the Kingdom did not have the technology and rights to mint currency, but now the currency of the Kingdom is universal. Therefore, in the end, the gold mined will need to be measured in the currency of the Kingdom
The value of silver, all parties also need the currency of the country to measure wealth."
I don’t know if other cabinet members understood it, but Zhao Xi probably understood it.
The currency of the Song Dynasty was a universal currency, which meant that even the forces of Fusang and Goryeo needed to exchange the mined gold and silver into the currency of the country... After all, the raw gold and silver mines were even less valuable.
Similarly, those hired workers and participants also needed to use the currency of the Song Dynasty to pay wages and dividends. Therefore, the imperial court controlled the minting of currency, which was equivalent to controlling the entire mining of gold and silver.
This is very different from the original mining town in Dongchuan...
However, Zhao Xi thinks that Xue Xiang should talk to him alone about this matter. After all, since the cabinet has requested this matter, they must have the intention to participate. After all, they are going to plunder other countries' resources, and no one has any burden.
This was also my negligence. I didn't expect that Xue Xiang could extend currency to this extent...
"I'm sure about this. The prince will be the one to coordinate..."
The royal family must not miss this kind of thing. If the royal family does not participate, I am afraid that the ministers will not be relieved.
The fourth prince is the leader no matter what, and as a general of the army, he comes from the old guard camp. Not to mention that Gongfang City is an official's territory that cannot be peeked or tampered with by others.
According to what Xue Xiang said, without the involvement of the royal family, it is not a matter of making more or less, it is possible to lose everything.