Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 679 Explaining the True Colors of Silver

Five days later, Zhao Xin signed a loan agreement with Guangnan on behalf of Beihai Town, and paid the first installment of 60 silver dollars through the Bacheng Military Control Committee.

This time the loan period is ten years, the annual interest is 3%, and the payment method is divided into three installments. Among them, the currency part of 120 million silver dollars will be delivered within half a year, and the other 80 silver dollars will be paid within one year in the form of arms and materials.The quotations for weapons and ammunition provided by Beihai Town were all made into booklets, and Ruan Fujing had to take them back to review them carefully, and finally Ruan Fuying made the final decision.As before, 30 silver dollars will be paid in copper coins, and the mint in Hoi An will be busy again.

Chen Dang got the first-level agent of Qingliangyou as he wished.In addition, Zhao Xin also asked the Bacheng Trade Department and Chen Dang to sign a wood purchase agreement with a total amount of 500 million silver dollars.The two parties agreed that the Chen family's firm would provide Beihai Town with a large amount of shipbuilding timber, including ironwood and teak, within five years, and the delivery location would be at the Ganling'ao Base.

This big order from heaven made Chen Danglei very upset.After the agreement was signed, she immediately told Ruan Fujing that she would give half of the share. She would not dare to monopolize such a large business.In her heart, she thought that Zhao Xin was expressing apology in some way, but she didn't know that the latter didn't mean it at all.

Zhao Xin bought so much wood not only for Beihai Town's own use, but also because he was inspired by Kong Shaoan's "fishery cooperative".Nowadays, most of the ships in the northern coast are made of fir and pine in the south, not to mention the high price. Most of the boats used by fishermen are single-masted boats with insufficient power.And because of the sea ban policy of the Qing Dynasty, the largest fishing boat was only [-] shi, equivalent to [-] tons, so it was impossible to even think about fishing overseas.

After finishing all this work, Zhao Xin closed the door and talked with He Xiwen who had rushed back from Xilang for an afternoon. In the early morning of the next day, he took A Miao and the guard company back to the north.

Seeing the huge Thunder God going away, Chen Dang felt a little more lost for some reason.If it weren't for being the head of the family, she really wanted to visit Beihai Town.

A day later, the Thunder God stopped near the mouth of Kajiang in West Borneo. It had been notified in advance and had already been waiting for Luo Fangbai, Xie Jie and other Chinese dignitaries in Xinbuto to come on board to meet them.

This matter was decided long ago, but it was postponed for a few days because of the arrival of the Guangnan Mission.Zhao Xin felt that instead of letting these big Chinese brothers go to Bacheng infrequently, it would be better to come here by himself and get all at once.

After the harmonious meeting scene ended, Zhao Xin held a meeting with more than 20 Chinese elder brothers in the meeting room on the ship.This move of his made the big brothers feel very proud. You must know that this is the future "emperor". We don't even have any official titles, yet we can sit in the same room with the emperor to "discuss national affairs" "Who will believe it if you tell it!

Everyone present, including Luo Fangbai, Wu Yuansheng, and Xie Jie, was going to set up a monument when they went back and make a big statement about this matter.

However, what "Emperor Zhao" said next gave these big brothers a blow to the head.

He told these big Chinese brothers in a serious tone that considering the contracts signed by various companies, this year will be like this.However, starting from New Year's Day in 1794, all Chinese mines in West Borneo were prohibited from selling gold and silver to maritime merchants, or directly using gold and silver to buy materials. In the future, all gold and silver produced in West Borneo will be exclusively purchased by the Bacheng Military Control Committee; In addition, half of the output of the tin mine must also be purchased by Bacheng.Diamonds are not included in this list, just sell them casually.

"This matter will be issued by various administrative offices in West Borneo in the form of government orders. Before the New Year comes, it must be conveyed to every mine!"

While talking, Zhao Xin looked around at the stunned Chinese elder brothers present.He continued: "I'll put my ugly words up front. Next year, no matter which company dares to sell gold and silver to foreign merchants, as long as it is found out, the mine will not be paid. Go to jail!"

The half-hour meeting will be over soon.When Zhao Xin left with Chai Rugui and others, everyone in the house fell silent.Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie winked at each other, then got up and followed out, leaving behind a group of Chinese elder brothers who looked at each other in blank dismay.

Zhao Xin knew that Luo and Xie would come to him soon, so he was too lazy to explain to the group of big brothers just now.His Beijing-accented Mandarin made many people feel like they were listening to heaven; almost every sentence Luo Fangbai said had to be translated in Hakka, which was really long-winded.

When Luo and Xie came in, they found that the furnishings in the cabin were not as magnificent as imagined, but simple, which gave them another layer of understanding of Zhao Xin.

"Your Highness, forgive me for being stupid, this prohibits the use of gold and silver."

"Don't understand, right?"

Zhao Xin smiled slightly, waved his hands to let the two sit down, and said, "Let me ask you one thing first, how many types of Western gold and silver coins are circulating in the market in Nanyang?"

Luo Fangbai thought for a while and said, "There are always dozens of kinds."

"How much is the total circulation?"

The two of them were stunned when they heard the words, and thought to themselves that this is not clear.

"So do you two know why foreign money is so popular in Nanyang?"

Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie thought about it, and the answers they gave included easy to carry, easy to count, difficult to forge, and stable color with silver, etc.However, after listening to Zhao Xin, he told them that what you said is correct, but there is another point, the reason why foreign money flows into the whole East Asia continuously is because some foreign businessmen are making money through money.

"Your Highness, do you mean Qian Xi?" Luo Fangbai was a scholar after all, and Luo Fangbai's reaction was quick.

"Yes!" Zhao Xin nodded, and then explained to the two of them.

It is said that under the tribute system of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, except for the Edo shogunate that minted gold and silver coins, other countries in East Asia implemented the monetary policy of "making money with silver and using it together".In addition, the currency standard system of the entire Qing Dynasty cannot be generalized. It is neither a copper standard nor a silver standard, nor is it a parallel standard.

The biggest problem here is that under the system of the small-scale peasant economy, silver is the center of accounting for both money making and bills.However, neither broken silver nor silver ingots are currency, they are actually silver nuggets.

For this kind of monetary system where silver and money are used for each other - "silver is used for large numbers and money is used for small numbers", the correct term should be "a double standard system in which silver and copper metals are paralleled." It is completely different from the western currency system.

When these silver ingots cast into ingots enter the market, because of their excessive value, the complete ingots are divided into broken silver, which are hidden in cellars or turned into various silverware through the exchange of money shops. , thus withdrawing from the field of circulation and returning to the state of precious metals.

This is why some people in later generations said that China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the ultimate funnel for world silver.Think about the example of Shanxi merchants who like to cast silver winter melons, 1600 taels, the robbers can't take it away, but can this stuff be put out for circulation?

Well, in the case of silverization of this kind of currency, since each piece of silver can not be unified in terms of specifications, fineness or weight, each payment needs to go through complex procedures of fineness identification and weighing, which makes the market urgently need a silver bullion. Silver coins with a certain color, weight and specification, so as to make capital turnover fast.

The emergence of foreign money just met this demand.Nowadays, it is not only in Nanyang and Guangdong, but it is used almost everywhere except in the northwest and northeast.Among them, Dutch horse money, American silver dollars, and Maria Teresa silver coins flowed into the mainland, because of their unstable quality, they were usually melted into silver bullions by merchants; the ones with the largest circulation were those issued by the Spaniards. Mexican Eagle Ocean.

Today's eagles used in the market are divided into large, medium and small. The large one weighs about seven cents and two cents, the medium one is half a yuan, and the small one is a quarter.Among the third grades, the big ones are the main ones, with a silver content of 90.1824%.

In the Guangzhou market, 100 yuan of New Mexico Eagle Dayang can be exchanged for 72 taels of silver ingots.How did this exchange relationship come about?Quite simply, the weight, both are 2700 grams (clear two is 37.5 grams).

但是问题来了，一百枚墨西哥鹰洋的纯银含量为2430克；72两银锭的纯银含量却多达2538克；因为银锭的含银率是94%。由此可以看出，两者的纯银量相差103.1克，也就是存在4.04%的浮额。

It doesn't seem like much, but after the Opium War in another time and space, the Qing government paid the British 2100 million silver dollars, and the floating amount of this part alone was 57.7 taels, not to mention that there were still a large number of Ying Yang among the people. in circulation.

There was more foreign money in circulation and less high-quality silver ingots; they were either smuggled out of the country or hoarded in bars by the wealthy.This also led to less and less silver on the market, which led to "silver is expensive and money is cheap".Since the 30th year of Qianlong, the price ratio of silver coins all over the country has begun to rise, from an average level of around [-] Wen to more than [-] Wen.

The rise in the exchange rate between money and money has also led to rising prices and people's livelihood has become increasingly difficult.Don't forget that the people at the bottom use money every day, and prices are anchored by silver.

Zhao Xin has been paying attention to the currency issue of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties over the years, especially after seeing a large number of silver coins from various countries circulating in the market in Bacheng, and after talking carefully with some maritime merchants from Fujian and Guangdong in the incarnation of a "straw hat boy", he discovered it. serious problem.

When he understood the key point, he quickly notified the Beihai Town Mint to lower the silver content of the Beihai silver dollar from 925 to 900, and at the same time increase the production of copper coins.

Although the silver content has been lowered, most of the commodities in Beihai Town are subject to unified purchase and sales, especially the prices of grain and industrial products are set by Beihai Trading Company, so the purchasing power has not been affected in any way.For merchants and money shops under the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Beihai silver dollars were still easy to use even if the water head was a little less because of their craftsmanship far surpassing that of Mexico's Eagle Ocean.

Zhao Xin finally said: "The right to mint coins is the embodiment of the supreme power of the country, just like the throne of the emperor. Whoever controls the right to mint coins has the power to control the resources of the entire country. Dare to compete with the country for the right to mint coins is tantamount to rebellion!"

Luo Fangbai and Xie Jie were still ignorant after listening to Zhao Xin's long speech, but the weight of Zhao Xin's last two sentences was heavy, and the foreheads of the two listened to sweat.You must know that in the Chinese mines in West Borneo, tin coins privately minted by various companies have always been popular.

"You guys go back and think about it carefully, and by the way, enlighten the heads of other companies. I have said everything that needs to be said, and I have given you time to prepare. Zi said, killing without teaching is called abuse. You call it violence, and slow order is called a thief. Commissioner Luo, what do you think?"

"I understand it."

The Thor made a one-night stop in West Borneo.Zhao Xin also didn't want the gifts sent by the Chinese big brothers and the Sultan of Pontianak, and Chai Rugui kindly blocked them all.For him, as long as he controls the gold in West Borneo, it is more useful than any gift.

On the way north, he originally wanted to visit South Kyushu and Jiaodong, but Wang Zhong reminded him with a telegram every day, so he had to give up.

On September 1793, 9, that is, at noon on the first day of the eighth lunar month, the Thor slowly sailed into the wharf of Whale Bay.When Zhao Xin disembarked, Wang Zhong and others who came to greet him came up to greet him.

When Wang Zhong saw Zhao Xin, he teased, "Your Highness, you are finally back. If you don't come back, Wang will have to go to Nanyang by boat to find you."

Zhao Xin smiled and cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Rong Fu, I'm really sorry, there are too many things to deal with. You also know that I can't be idle."

Because Yuan Mei, Zhao Yi and several of their disciples were present, Wang Zhong couldn't say anything more, so he introduced Zhao Xin one by one.

"Qiantang Yuan Zicai, pay homage to His Royal Highness Zhao Wang."

"You are Cangshan Layman? I have heard of your name for a long time!"

"Yanghu Zhao Yunsong, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness King Zhao."

"Mr. Oubei, I have been admiring you for a long time!"

Zhao Xin cupped his hands with a smile while looking at Yuan and Zhao.

Needless to say, Yuan Mei's name is already recognizable as Cocoon.Contrary to his imagination, the 77-year-old Yuan Mei is a thin old man, wearing a felt hat, with wrinkles on his cheeks and forehead, a gray beard almost a foot long, and wearing a dark gray lake silk jacket And a black waistcoat, brand new black cloth shoes on his feet, and a cane in his hand.

As for Zhao Yi, apart from knowing that the other party wrote "Generation of talented people come out from generation to generation, each leading the coquettish for hundreds of years", he is completely unfamiliar with the rest. Although this is 11 years younger than Yuan Mei, he looks old enough , especially the wrinkles on his forehead, more than twice as many as Yuan Mei's, and the clothes he wore were simpler, the gown was made of earthen cloth, the vest was made of cotton cloth, and the shoes on his feet looked so gray that they were about to be worn out.

It is said that you are looking at others, and others are looking at you.When Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi first arrived in Beihai Town, they heard that King Zhao didn't talk much about etiquette and was very easy-going. When they met on the first day of junior high school, it was true. Most of the tension and uneasiness in their hearts disappeared.

It has been two full months since the two of them came to Beihai Town. Except for Zhao Xin, they have seen everything else they can see.They not only took the train to Heilongjiang City, but also took a steamboat to Tlin Shiji and paid homage to the Yongning Monument.The vastness of Beihai Town, the prosperity of the town, and the vast expanse of wheat fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, amazed the two of them, and they said it was a worthwhile trip.

They have all read the notes of their predecessors before, and they know that there is a lot outside the customs, but after all, they have no specific concept.Furthermore, whether it is Fang Gongqian's "Jiyu Jilue" or Yang Bin's "Liubian Jilue", although a lot of customs are described in it, it also mentions the hardship of the natural environment.

However, to their surprise, whether it is Boli, which is located at the confluence of three rivers, or Heilongjiang City, let alone Fuerdan City and Beihai Town, there are all streets and alleys, densely populated, and any house is red. Bricks and black tiles are no worse than Guannei, and more prosperous.

There are too many things in Beihai Town that they can't understand. Apart from the boats, the most shocking thing is all kinds of agricultural machinery and trains galloping across the fields.Zhao Yi, who attaches great importance to agriculture, was so surprised that his jaw dislocated when he learned that the green tractor, which was almost three people tall, could reclaim and sow hundreds of acres of land a day.

Compared with Zhao Yi, Yuan Mei's trip not only opened his eyes, but also gave him a real treat.In order to take care of their daily life and food, Zhao Xin's wife Shen Xuan specially transferred a cook from Yangzhou in the family.Daily fried, stewed, all kinds of delicacies from mountains, rivers and seafood, Yuan Mei is addicted to eating.You must know that many dishes in Beihai Town come from another time and space. He feels that his eyes have been opened this time, and "Suiyuan Food List" can enrich a lot of content.

By the way, both of them got their wish and were hired as consultants for this new imperial examination, and they were also honorary examiners.In order to show it was official, Yu Deli specially made two gold-stamped red letter certificates, asked Wang Zhong to write the content, and finally stamped the big seal of the Civil Affairs Committee.

Seeing that the imperial examination was about to start in a few days, Zhao Xin rested for two days after returning home, and was dragged by Wang Zhong to the examination institute on the third day.

(End of this chapter)