Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

The monetary system of the Daqian Dynasty was always in a rather chaotic state.

Although it has always operated on a 'silver standard', using copper coins and silver dollars.

but,

Perhaps it was because of the large amount of silver dollars that needed to be paid in reparations to the Western coalition that the right to mint coins was relinquished.

Once the right to mint coins is liberalized, it becomes impossible to guarantee a uniform standard for silver coins.

then,

In the markets of the Great Qian Dynasty, the quality of the various silver coins circulating was uneven.

This is why when Chen Jie brought over a large number of silver dollars from the 'Urban World', he used them directly without anyone questioning it.

Silver coins are only recognized for their purity; as long as the purity is sufficient, they can be circulated and used.

Furthermore, when silver coins were scarce, many aristocratic families would simply recast various silver jewelry pieces, mixing in some impurities to pass them off as genuine.

In this way, the value of silver coins is different.

Only silver coins with high purity truly reflect their purchasing power; silver coins with low purity have only 80% or even less purchasing power.

therefore,

When local banks were implementing the new currency, they had to grade the silver coins they were buying back and exchange them for the new currency based on their silver content.

Another very important thing is to prevent the staff of money exchange shops from engaging in favoritism, corruption, and other illegal activities.

The practice of passing off inferior silver as superior silver for paper money, or exaggerating amounts for personal gain, must be eradicated at its source.

Trying to rely on professional ethics to restrain oneself in the face of money is simply a joke.

We must crack down on this severely, strictly supervise it, and impose institutional constraints to prevent future problems.

During the transition period between the old and new currencies, the most likely thing to happen is embezzlement and collusion between insiders and outsiders.

Once discovered, one should be executed to serve as a warning to others.

The inspection teams were randomly assigned to different locations, so no one could find a way to cheat or take advantage of the system.

At Chen Jie's request, Li Lingyue established an inspection team and went to money shops in various places to keep records of every exchange of old and new currency.

Even for each transaction, the responsible person was identified, ensuring that everything was traceable.

Furthermore, the supervisory departments established by the imperial court would also send officials to various regions to conduct reviews and audits.

In any case, it's extremely difficult to do anything, speculate, or gain benefits during the transition period between the old and new currencies.

Furthermore, Chen Jie ordered that the right to mint silver coins be completely returned to the imperial court.

From then on, apart from the imperial court, no aristocratic family or local institution was allowed to mint coins privately.

Anyone found to be illegally minting coins will be executed without mercy, and their entire family will be exterminated!

After the ban was issued, no one dared to say a word.

Because Chen Jie held such a high position in the Great Qian Dynasty, who would dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him at this time? Wouldn't that be courting death?

in addition,

Throughout history, the private minting of coins has been strictly prohibited, and it is perfectly justifiable for the imperial court to reclaim the right to mint coins.

Since Ximentang has taken control of the government of the Great Qian Dynasty, he has acted very powerfully.

Now that paper money has been introduced, how could Chen Jie tolerate other institutions minting silver coins?
To stabilize the situation of the Great Qian Dynasty, a powerful force must be at the core to maintain efficiency, unity, and the ability to execute orders.

Two weeks after the new currency was issued, it unexpectedly became more and more popular.

but,

In commodity trading, silver dollars were still used in large quantities, and paper money was not used for settlement.

Chen Jie was very surprised to see this result.

He originally thought that since the various industries under Ximentang controlled the trading of bulk commodities, it would be easier for them to promote paper money than for ordinary people.

However, the actual situation is quite the opposite.

This situation was beyond Chen Jie's expectations.

Judging from the issuance of new currency, it is much more difficult to get grassroots merchants to accept and recognize it than for commercial banks and other businesses.

For merchants engaged in large-scale transactions, since many of their transactions involved dealings with the canal transport guilds, using paper money was not only easier to calculate and carry, but also much more convenient for paying taxes.

However, that's where the problem lies.

Because large transactions involve huge sums of money, they are conducted directly through money shops and do not require the circulation of paper money. Instead, they are settled directly using the old silver dollars.

Therefore, paper money does not actually need to circulate; it is merely a conversion of amount.

As a result,
This resulted in a very high demand for small denomination banknotes, while the demand for banknotes of one silver dollar or more was relatively low.

This shows that the common people at the bottom of the Daqian Dynasty were not so conservative.

As long as the imperial court has sufficient credibility and can make life convenient for the people, they can accept changes in currency.

therefore,

The next step is to begin increasing the circulation of large-denomination paper money in bulk transactions, especially in the flow of funds between large merchants, gradually replacing silver dollars with paper money.

in fact,

There is a very large trading group that is keen on using paper money: overseas trade.

Multinational trading companies in Europe and other countries, because Europe has begun to issue its own paper currencies.

In particular, the Western powers all anchored their currencies to the silver standard, and they always felt very uncomfortable with the silver coin transactions adopted by the Great Qian Dynasty in their trade.

Each large transaction required transporting silver dollars by ship, which significantly increased transportation costs.

Using paper money directly now saves a lot of trouble.

therefore,

For trading companies engaged in overseas trade, they are more accustomed to using paper money.

When the Great Qian Dynasty introduced paper money, overseas merchants initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude, wanting to know whether the newly introduced paper money of the Great Qian Dynasty was trustworthy.

As time went on, the heads of overseas trading companies felt that the value of the paper money was stable, and since it was backed by the court of the Great Qian Dynasty, it had sufficient credibility.

then,

They exchanged all their silver dollars and silver for paper money at the money exchange.

In any case, all these paper currencies will be converted into goods when leaving the Great Qian Dynasty.

Therefore, within half a month, the Great Qian Dynasty's move to change its paper currency received the support of major European and American trading companies.

They continuously sent silver to the money exchange, where it was exchanged for paper money.

To facilitate free exchange by overseas merchants, the Ministry of Trade of the Great Qian Dynasty directly established customs exchange points.

The paper money of the Great Qian Dynasty could be freely exchanged with the currencies of European countries, and an exchange rate was quickly established.

As a result,
Overseas trade has become much less complicated, leading to a surge in trade volume.

Large quantities of goods began to be exported to all parts of the world, harvesting their silver, gold and other resources.

For Chen Jie, setting up customs currency exchange points was an easy task.

There are many hurdles involved in exchanging currencies.

The monetary systems of Europe and America are far more advanced than those of the Great Qian Dynasty, but they still lag behind the paper money issued by Ximentang.

Because Europe is not a monolithic entity, each country has its own independent currency, and it is not an empty promise to have it circulate among all countries and be universally recognized.

A currency that circulates through all channels needs to be built upon a strong military force.

Without a strong military, who will recognize the dominance of your currency?

Although most of them use the 'silver standard', their values ​​and purchasing power are different.

Chen Jie only opened up a portion of the overseas trade exchange points to see how it went.

If the Great Qian Dynasty's paper money is to dominate trade with Europe and America, then it needs to surpass its opponents militarily in order to ensure the dominance of its currency.

hegemony!

This is the standard for monetary unification, and the only standard. Any power that tries to challenge this hegemony will pay a heavy price, and could easily face utter ruin.

To gain 'hegemony', the primary condition is to defeat all rivals who can threaten you.

Military power is the core and foundation of 'hegemony'.

-

The implementation of the new currency is in full swing.

this day,
After finishing all his business, Chen Jie planned to go to the deep sea.

To improve his combat power, he must go to the deep sea to obtain more life essence.

According to the plan,

He first went to the newly built arsenal in Jinling Prefecture and discussed the latest weapons technologies and the development of new equipment with Huang Tianyou and other arsenal leaders.

No, it shouldn't be called research and development.

Because most of the weapon and equipment data was transferred by Chen Jie from the 'Urban World'.

Even complete sets of production equipment are readily available; once the equipment is properly debugged, Simentang can immediately begin production.

Just as he finished breakfast and summoned his personal guard to the arsenal.

Then, Shen Zhenhe and Huang Xingang, the two commanders of the Second Fleet of the Great Qian Dynasty, arrived at the Qian Prince's Mansion and reported some news to Chen Jie.

The Ximentang Naval Base, established in the Penghu Islands, was attacked by the Japanese.

Although the losses were minor, they put the newly built Third Fleet of the Ximeng Navy on edge.

Sakishima!

This is the base of the Ximentang Navy's Third Fleet, less than 100 nautical miles from the Penghu Islands.

Geographically speaking, this area belongs to the Ryukyu Islands and can be considered a border area.

The Ryukyu Kingdom had been colonized and became a colony of the Eastern Empire, belonging to the Satsuma Domain.

The Satsuma Domain was the largest domain in Kyushu, the capital of the Eastern Empire, and was also known as the Kagoshima Domain.

Because it was far from Edo, it engaged in overseas trade for a long time and accumulated a huge amount of wealth.

At this time, the Satsuma Domain was a powerful and well-equipped force, one of the strongest military forces in the Eastern Empire.

News of Ximentang's campaign in the Penghu Islands and the establishment of the Ximentang Third Fleet, turning it into a naval base, quickly spread throughout the Satsuma Domain.

How the hell can we tolerate this?
The Japanese absolutely could not tolerate the army of the Great Qian Dynasty building a military base on their doorstep.

The ruler of the Satsuma Domain is the lord, Yasutaka Shimazu, who is 55 years old and has only been in power for three years.

All along,
Trade revenue from the Ryukyu Kingdom was the core of the Satsuma Domain's income.

Therefore,
Since colonizing the Ryukyu Islands, the Satsuma Domain has treated them as its private territory and has never allowed outside interference.

Even the various small islands of Ryukyu were strictly controlled by the Satsuma Domain.

therefore,

When Shimazu Yasutaka learned that Nishimendo had established a naval fleet in the Penghu Islands, he was extremely shocked.

He was even startled. How could the Penghu Islands have suddenly fallen under the control of the Daqian Dynasty?
His first thought was that it was directly related to Li Gang, the King of Min during the Daqian Dynasty.

According to Shimazu Yasutaka's understanding of the Daqian Dynasty, only the Min King Li Gang possessed such a powerful military force and a long-range fleet.

Taking over the Penghu Islands so quickly in such a short time is definitely not something an ordinary army could accomplish.

It should be noted that Princess Umemiya Kaoruko of the Eastern Ocean and General Sakurai Chojiro of the Eastern Empire, with an army of 100,000, were stationed on the Penghu Islands.

Even so, the Penghu Islands changed hands quietly.

This shows that

This powerful naval force must be the fleet under the command of Li Gang, the King of Min.

Shimazu Yasutaka of the Satsuma Domain had some business dealings with Li Gang, the Prince of Shu.

therefore,

To clarify the situation, Shimazu Yasutaka sent his younger brother, Shimazu Yasume, as a negotiator to the Penghu Islands to negotiate with the fleet stationed there and to protest against the fleet of Ximen-dang, hoping to withdraw from the Penghu Islands.

Because they considered the Penghu Islands to be the Satsuma Domain's backyard, within its colonial territory.

but,

When Shimazu Yasume led his delegation to the Penghu Islands, they discovered that the main fleet stationed there was actually the fleet of the French Allied Forces.

For a while,
Shimazu was taken aback.

I wonder if the commander of the French Allied fleet was deliberately turning a deaf ear.

They completely ignored the mission sent by the Shimazu to save their lives.

Shimazu Yasumei led his delegation and stayed in the Penghu Islands for several days before finally figuring out what was going on.

The forces that originally occupied the Penghu Islands had no direct connection with Li Gang, the King of Shu.

This French allied fleet was a mercenary force under the command of Ximen Tang of the Daqian Dynasty.

Perhaps due to a lack of information, Shimazu Yasumi had no idea what kind of power the Ximen Hall of the Daqian Dynasty was.

Major General Povich, the deputy commander of the French Allied Forces stationed on the Penghu Islands, couldn't help but burst into laughter after learning of Shimazu's intention to save his life.

He hadn't expected that the French Allied Fleet and Simond's Third Fleet wouldn't attack the Satsuma Domain, and that the other side actually wanted to hand over the Penghu Islands, which he had occupied.

Is this some kind of joke?
So, Povich simply told Shimazu to get out of there and save his life.

The two sides were locked in a fierce confrontation, and Povic almost couldn't resist chopping Shimazu to death with a single blow.

At last,
Shimazu, terrified, slunk away from the Penghu Islands. This conversation between the two sides did not go smoothly.

Next,
After Shimazu returned to Ryukyu, he made careful inquiries and learned about the situation of the Daqian Dynasty, which is how he learned about Ximentang's background.

But what can Ximen Tang do, no matter how strong they are? On the continent of the Great Qian Dynasty, they are formidable and not to be trifled with.

But this is Ryukyu, the Satsuma Domain.

Ximentang has no chance of occupying the Penghu Islands.

Therefore, when he reported to Yasutaka Shimazu, he belittled the fleet stationed in the Penghu Islands as worthless.

Upon hearing this, Shimazu Yasutaka was completely baffled.

The Great Qian Dynasty has already declined, and the Kwantung Army of the Eastern Empire has already occupied Northeast China. How come the Great Qian Dynasty's army still has the spare strength to come to the Penghu Islands to stir up trouble?

He originally intended to send someone to the Great Qian Dynasty to learn more about the situation.

but,

The journey was long, and he couldn't find a suitable source of intelligence.

Shimazu Yasutaka was, after all, just a feudal lord of the Satsuma Domain and had no connection with the Black Dragon Society's intelligence agency in the Eastern Empire.

have to say,

Having lived on the island for a long time, Shimazu Yasutaka knew too little about the situation in the Daqian Dynasty.

He knew very well that since Ximen Tang dared to openly occupy the Penghu Islands, he must have something to rely on.

Furthermore, its ability to make the French Allied Fleet willingly submit demonstrates its formidable strength.

Since the talks between the two sides have been unpleasant, there is only one way to take back the Penghu Islands—a military solution!
therefore,

The Satsuma Domain's lord, Shimazu Yasutaka, quickly made up his mind and began to send troops to attack the Ximen-dang garrison on the Penghu Islands.

When the Satsuma Domain of the Eastern Empire colonized the Ryukyu Kingdom, it resolved the dispute by force.

For so many years, the Shimazu family has profited from exploiting the Ryukyu Kingdom, allowing them to prosper for generations.

Therefore,
The only way to force the Ximengtang fleet stationed on the Penghu Islands to withdraw is through military force.

If you win, everything will be yours.

As for losing, Yasutaka Shimazu never even considered it. (End of Chapter)