Shen Bing asked the censor and found out that the Qin State strictly enforced the "forbidden people and two industries", especially prohibiting the army from doing business.
Because they think that if the military does business, they only want to make money.
After making money, you will enjoy it, and then you will be greedy for life and afraid of death, and you will fight without peace of mind.
There is some truth to this.
If the army cannot do business or do other things, then there is only one option: to be promoted to a noble rank through meritorious service.
So the whole army could only think about how to perform meritorious service and how to kill the enemy.
And if you can do business, of course you will be half-hearted:
The business failed and I had no intention of fighting.
If the business is successful...then why fight? Go home and enjoy your life!
The Song Dynasty was the first time that the army could do business, so its combat effectiveness was so low.
In addition, a series of unclear power-for-money transactions and other corruption issues will arise.
Therefore, in principle, Shen Bing cannot do business.
It's okay to play around with it, such as letting relatives and friends do business and supporting him behind the scenes... But Shen Bing is alone at this time, where can he find such a reliable person?
Of course this can't be difficult for Shen Bing.
What Shen Bing wants is not wealth.
As I said before, in these troubled times, if you don't have your own power, you won't be able to save much wealth.
So Shen Bing's goal has always been clear: power, or power.
But sometimes you need money if you want power, like now: Shen Bing lacks money to make armor.
Since you can't do business, then...
Shen Bing asked the censor:
"What if I exchange something for my salary?"
"Isn't this illegal?"
The censor was stunned for a moment, then replied:
"This is indeed not illegal."
"But this thing cannot be something belonging to the military, such as military rations and armor..."
Shen Bing smiled and replied:
"Don't worry, Supervisor, you are naturally not a member of the military."
After asking about this, Shen Bing felt much relieved, and he immediately invited the two old men who made the armor.
According to Ren, these two old men are famous basket weavers in Daliang. They are brothers, one is called Jing and the other is called Weft.
The name is easy to remember, and you can tell it comes from a basket weaving or weaving family... In ancient times, the warp and weft referred to the horizontal and vertical threads in weaving cloth or basket weaving.
This time the two old men were not as scared as before, but they were still a little timid.
Shen Bing asked:
"I would like to ask you two husbands, can Shen Bing use other things in exchange for his wages?"
The two brothers Jing and Wei looked at each other, and then whispered:
"But I don't know what the captain plans to give in exchange for his wages?"
"If we can get rice in exchange, my two brothers will definitely not refuse."
This is reasonable and reasonable.
As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people. At this time, the most common thing people think about is whether they can survive.
So in their eyes, no matter what it is, as long as it can be replaced with rice grain, then there is no problem, and then the value is calculated based on the amount of rice grain.
In other words, the standard for measuring prices in this era is not gold, silver, etc., but food.
Shen Bing said:
"Don't worry, old man, this thing can be exchanged for rice."
As he spoke, Shen Bing counted ten pieces of paper each and distributed them, saying:
"These can be considered as deposits!"
"You two husbands should go to rich people or educated people to exchange."
"I feel free to give it a try."
"If you can't exchange it, I can just take it and return it to me!"
Although ten sheets of paper are not many, they are the first papers in the world to be circulated on the market.
As long as you have some discernment, you can know their value.
Brothers Jing and Wei stared blankly at the few thin things in their hands, their eyes full of doubt.
But anyway, Shen Bing said this, if you can't exchange it for rice and grain, just use it to return it, so what else can't you do?
So the two of them agreed and left in doubt.
Not long after leaving the tent, the more naughty younger brother Wei whispered to his older brother:
"Brother, you said this captain..."
As he spoke, Wei lit up the paper rolled up in his hand:
"Is he using this thing to fool us?"
"If I don't agree, he will..."
Then he made a gesture of raising and lowering the knife with his hands.
Jing frowned and thought about it, then said worriedly:
"What you said may make sense."
"But so what, what if it's not?"
"If this thing cannot be exchanged for food, we will be asked to lead people to weave three thousand sets of armor."
"Even if I agree, I will starve to death!"
"It's better to let him chop it down!"
After hearing what the scripture said, Wei nodded and said:
"That makes sense, so won't we all die anyway?"
Jing sighed, looked at the paper in his hand and replied:
"But not necessarily."
"If this thing can really be exchanged for food, it will lead to a big business."
"The only solution for now is to give it a try!"
Wei Mian nodded in agreement, but in his heart he was thinking that this matter was probably just as he guessed, and that the Qin Military Colonel was unwilling to pay for his salary and just used something to deal with it.
What's more, this thing is as thin as a cicada's wing and as light as a feather. How much can it be exchanged for for food?
If death is inevitable anyway, then why not make plans earlier...
Thinking of this, Wei rolled his eyes, hugged his belly and shouted:
"Oh, uncle, my stomach hurts."
"If you don't exchange my share for food first, I will come to find you later."
After thinking about it: exchanging one copy is also a change, and exchanging two copies is also a change, so I made the decision without any hesitation.
Who would have thought that as soon as Jing passed the corner, Wei hurried home to pack his luggage, then hired a carriage and left the city.
How could Shen Bing on the other side know this? He called Fatty Tun again.
This time, Fatty Tun even walked with his feet open and almost moved over...
Shen Bing asked with a smile:
"Did you practice riding horses again?"
Fatty Tun replied:
"Exactly riding a horse!"
"Although I can get on the horse now, the horse's jolting has worn away my disciple's skin..."
As he said that, he rolled up his trousers a little, and it turned out that he was a bloody mess.
In fact, let alone this era, even if you have a horse and a saddle, you will inevitably have to wear your skin if you are just learning to ride a horse.
In particular, Fatty Tun's legs were very fleshy, and they had to be clamped tightly on the horse's back to maintain balance when riding, so they were severely worn.
Shen Bing hesitated and said:
"so you……"
Fatty Tun was also smart. He had guessed that Shen Bing must be there for something when he found him. He clasped his fists and said:
"Master, if you have anything to do, just ask me, this little injury is nothing."
"It is said that this is a necessary hardship for riding a horse. It can be endured by others, including my disciples."
Shen Bing nodded, then counted ten pieces of paper and handed them over, saying:
"Last time I got a credit from Yun Tian, why don't you take these and pay them back!"
“If it’s not enough, we’ll make up for it later.”
Fatty Tun had some confusion on his face:
"Master, what is this?"
"Can I use it to pay off debts?"
Shen Bing replied:
"Just take it!"
Fatty Tun responded, rolled up the paper, and then stepped on Waiba to move out while taking in the air-conditioning.