The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 325 Grain Coupons and Cloth Coupons
Upon receiving Jiang Han's order, Chai Yu immediately summoned his most capable craftsmen and announced that work would begin immediately.

Since the king explicitly suggested that he try the stamping method, the traditional sand casting method could no longer be the first choice.

In Chai Yu's understanding, the core principle of the so-called stamping method should be to use a mold to make a strong imprint.

The key to the success or failure of this method lies in the mold.

The mold must be hard and not easily worn, the engraved lines must be clear and distinct, and the material itself must be tough enough to withstand thousands of violent impacts.

To meet this requirement, Chai Yu abandoned traditional wrought iron and instead used refined steel to make the core mold.

Hundred-refined steel is actually high-quality steel that has been repeatedly forged to remove impurities and achieve a uniform composition.

This was not a difficult task for the experienced craftsmen of the Ironworks; they could easily forge it.

The real challenge lies in the quenching and tempering stages after forging.

This is a crucial step in determining the final properties of a material, a balance between hardness and toughness.

Chai Yu, along with several experienced blacksmiths, took turns guarding the blast furnace and personally participated in its debugging.

They heated the steel billets to an apricot red color, then quickly took them out and immersed them in different prepared liquids such as horse urine, cold water, and tung oil for quenching.

Hardening with horse urine can increase hardness, while oil quenching can reduce the risk of deformation and cracking.

The craftsmen tried every available traditional and modern method, conducting repeated comparative experiments in an effort to create the steel billet with the most ideal performance.

After quenching, the steel billet becomes hard and brittle, and requires tempering.

The craftsmen reheated the steel billet and held it for a period of time before letting it cool slowly.

This process can effectively eliminate the stress generated by quenching, appropriately reduce hardness, and greatly increase toughness.

After this entire process, the steel billet is officially produced, capable of withstanding heavy pressure without being too brittle and cracking.

With the mold materials sorted out, the next step was the most crucial one – mold making.

Based on Jiang Han's requirements, Chai Yu determined the mold structure to be an upper and lower mold.

The upper die is the male die, a thick and sturdy steel column that provides the pressure required for stamping.

The upper part of the steel column is fixed to a connecting rod made of hardwood, while the bottom working surface needs to be engraved with intaglio by craftsmen.

The intaglio characters are the recessed parts on the mold, tentatively named Han Wang Tong Bao. There is also a ring of fine serrations around the characters for anti-counterfeiting purposes.

Every single stroke and line on these teeth and intaglio patterns must be controlled to the millimeter in depth and width, without the slightest error.

In the center of the coin, a raised square pillar was specially left, which was used to punch a square hole in the center of the coin during the stamping process.

The lower mold is a negative mold, which is a thick steel block. Its top needs to be engraved with grooves that correspond exactly to those of the upper mold, and there is a through hole in the center, which can accommodate the square column of the upper mold.

The lower die is firmly fixed to the iron base to prevent displacement during stamping, which could cause the inscription to become disordered.

Chai Yu's plan seemed perfect, but in practice, he encountered unexpected troubles.

The blanks made from refined steel are just too hard!

Normally, when craftsmen forge swords from refined steel, they do so when the steel billet is heated to a bright red and relatively soft.

But that's no longer possible; they can only perform micro-engraving of coin inscriptions and patterns on the cooled, hardened steel blank.

This is an extremely delicate task, requiring the craftsman to get close and carve it bit by bit with a small hammer and chisel.

If the steel billet is not allowed to cool completely, the scorching heat and high temperature will make it impossible for anyone to get close enough to operate it.

Left with no other choice, Chai Yu had to organize a team to remake several sets of specialized engraving tools, also using high-quality steel as the material.

With these tools, the craftsmen were finally able to carve on steel blanks.

However, this process remains extremely difficult and progresses slowly, requiring painstaking effort.

The craftsmen can only meticulously refine and repair the work bit by bit, which is a tremendous test of their patience and skill.

Finally, after breaking dozens of tools, the intaglio and serrations on the mold were successfully carved out.

To protect this hard-won mold, Chai Yu even devised a special maintenance method:

Before and after each stamping operation, the mold surface should be carefully coated with grease such as butter and lard to reduce wear;
After stamping a certain number of coins, the mold needs to be tempered at a low temperature to repair the deformation and restore it to its optimal state.

With the mold made, the remaining challenge is the metal blank to be pressed.

The first thing to be made was copper coins.

Chai Yu carefully adjusted the proportions of the copper material, reducing the copper content to seven parts, tin to two parts, and lead to one part.

Copper has good ductility and will not crack during stamping, while the amount of lead is strictly controlled to prevent the billet from becoming brittle and chipping.

In the billet preparation stage, Chai Yu even specially built a simple rolling mill.

The principle of the rolling mill is not complicated. It borrows from the rolling mill used in traditional gold leaf making and enlarges it, driving it with water power.

The craftsmen cast the molten copper into blocks, and then hammered them into flat, strip-shaped copper blanks.

The copper billet is fed into a hydraulic rolling mill, and after multiple rolling processes, a copper plate with a uniform thickness of about four millimeters can be obtained.

Once the raw materials are ready, the stamping stage officially begins.

Concerned about damaging the mold, Chai Yu did not use hydraulic stamping, but instead first built a simple manual stamping machine for testing.

He crafted the press base from heavy hardwood and firmly embedded the lower die into it.

Then, a ten-foot-long piece of hardwood was taken as a lever, with an iron axle in the middle as a support to form a reliable fulcrum.

One end of the lever is suspended by cast iron for counterweight; the other end is connected to the already made upper mold.

To ensure accuracy during the downward press, Chai Yu also ordered the construction of a steel frame specifically designed to constrain the movement track of the upper mold.

Once everything is ready, the stamping process can officially begin.

A craftsman places the softened copper blank in the center of the lower mold, aligning it correctly;
On one side of the lever, three helpers simultaneously exert force, pressing down one end of the lever and lifting it to its highest point.

At Chai Yu's command, the three of them released their grip simultaneously, and the upper mold, carrying immense force, crashed down!

"boom"

With a loud bang, a circular blank was cleanly and neatly cut off from the copper plate in the middle.

The upper and lower molds closed, and the immense pressure clearly imprinted the coin inscription and serrations onto the approximately one-inch blank.

After maintaining pressure for several breaths to ensure the pattern was fully formed, the artisans lifted the lever and removed the coin.

This process repeats itself continuously, yielding approximately 130 new coins each hour.

Although less efficient than sand casting, the quality of the finished product is worlds apart.

The stamped coins have clear and deep patterns, strong and powerful characters, and a smooth surface with only a few burrs on the edges.

These burrs can be easily removed by light sanding with fine sand, eliminating the tedious cleaning process of sandblasting.

Due to the standardized molds and stable pressure, according to Chai Yu's preliminary statistics, the pass rate of the new Qian finished products is extremely high, exceeding 90%!

Only a small number of new coins become defective due to insufficient pressure; they can simply be melted down without any waste.

With excitement and trepidation at the successful trial production of the new coins, Chai Yu immediately went to the Prince of Han's residence to request an audience.

When Jiang Han learned of this, he knew that there must have been progress in the minting of coins, so he immediately summoned him to the Cunxin Hall.

After dismissing the eunuchs, Chai Yu respectfully presented a brocade box.

Jiang Han opened the box and saw several brand-new, bright yellow copper coins lying quietly on a red velvet background.

He picked up one of them and examined it carefully.

The coin felt heavy in my hand, had a pure color, and its edges were polished very smoothly.

The coin is a perfect circle with a regular square hole in the center.

The four large characters “Han Wang Tong Bao” are crystal clear and exude an extraordinary air, accompanied by intricate patterns.

The outer edge of the coin has a ring of fine, even straight teeth, indicating excellent quality.

With a gentle flick, it produces a clear and resonant sound, a world apart from those counterfeit coins.

Jiang Han was delighted with the new banknote, stroking it repeatedly; its condition far exceeded his expectations.

As he played with the newly minted Hanwang Tongbao coin, he listened to Chai Yu explain the entire process of coin minting.

Jiang Han felt very gratified after hearing this, realizing that the craftsmen under his command were becoming more and more capable.

He patted Chai Yu on the shoulder forcefully, praising him without reservation:
"Great job! Well done!"

"By my decree, all artisans involved in minting coins shall be rewarded with thirty taels of silver each!"

"As the person in charge, you have made the greatest contribution, so your reward will be doubled to sixty taels!"

Upon hearing this, Chai Yu was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, his voice choked with emotion:

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate..."

He felt his eyes welling up with tears; it was truly a great blessing in his life to be able to serve the King of Han.

Looking back on my time working for the imperial court, it was common for wages to be deducted and delayed at every level, and sometimes I even had to pay for the materials myself.

Now that I'm with the king, not only have I been abolished from my lowly status, but my wages and benefits are also generous and timely.

Thanks to his skills, he is now a well-off man in Chengdu, able to easily spend hundreds of taels of silver.

Jiang Han smiled and waved his hand:

"Okay, get up."

"Do your jobs well, and I will not treat you unfairly."

Chai Yu nodded quickly, and after standing up, added:
"Your Majesty, I have now thoroughly investigated the entire process of minting coins."

"Since the copper coins were successful, the silver coins should not be too difficult to make."

"I plan to build a mint in the northwest corner of the city, next to the Jinjiang River."

"Not only is the location secluded and easy to manage, but it also has abundant water resources."

"What do you think...?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han immediately made a decision:
"Alright! We'll do as you say."

"This mint must be large in scale; I need a large quantity of high-quality copper and silver coins."

"Therefore, the speed of minting coins must be increased, and hydraulic presses must be developed as soon as possible to replace manpower."

"Furthermore, maintaining confidentiality is of paramount importance!"

“I will designate the mint as a restricted area and send heavy guards to protect it. The core equipment inside, especially the molds and blanks, must be numbered and registered.”

"We must conduct a strict count before and after work each day, and only allow people to enter or leave after confirming that everything is correct."

Upon hearing this, Chai Yu's expression turned serious, and he patted his chest to assure him:
"Your Majesty, rest assured!"

"I will manage this strictly to ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

After saying this, he bowed and prepared to go down to arrange the construction of the mint.

"and many more."

Jiang Han watched Chai Yu's retreating figure and suddenly called out to him again.

Chai Yu froze on the spot, somewhat confused.

Jiang Han looked at him and asked:
"Who is the current foreman of the papermaking workshop under your Ministry of Works?" Chai Yu thought for a moment and immediately replied:

"Your Majesty, the foreman of the paper mill is surnamed Luo and named Luo Qiyuan."

"Your Majesty, is there something you need from him?"

Jiang Han nodded.

"Yeah, that's right."

"Now that we have a metal currency, I plan to try printing a batch of paper money."

"After you go back, find this Luo Qiyuan for me immediately."

Upon hearing the word "paper money," Chai Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he almost tried to dissuade him.

Paper money?

Could it be... a precious paper?
Paper money is no good thing. Why would Your Majesty suddenly think of printing paper money?
Chai Yu was filled with doubt and worry, but he dared not say anything. After all, the king was far-sighted and it was not up to a craftsman like him to interfere.

In fact, Jiang Han had already considered the matter of paper money.

As a more convenient form of currency, paper money will inevitably be issued in the future, as it concerns economic sovereignty and financial efficiency.

However, Jiang Han was well aware of the risks involved and would never act as rashly as the Ming court.

He plans to cautiously test it on a small scale and in specific areas first.

Jiang Han's initial idea was to use grain coupons and cloth coupons, which are forms of vouchers with physical anchors, to first print a batch of paper money.

These grain coupons and cloth coupons were first issued internally by the government and could be distributed as part of the salary to the main civil and military officials under its command.

The main purpose is to make it circulate within a controllable system, gradually build trust, and accumulate management experience.

Jiang Han's motivation to promote monetary reform and ultimately issue credit money stems from deep-seated reasons.

The current monetary system of the Ming Dynasty is mainly based on silver, and it is extremely dependent on external inputs.

This was also one of the key factors that led to the economic collapse and social unrest at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

The essence of this dependence on silver was that the Ming Dynasty had lost its monetary sovereignty.

The Ming Dynasty had very low silver production, and more than half of its silver had to be imported from overseas.

This fragile monetary base can trigger a series of fatal chain reactions if there are problems with external supply.

Since the Single Whip Law reform, the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue has been highly dependent on silver.

During the late Ming Dynasty, global silver production declined, transportation was disrupted, and Japan's isolationist policy cut off silver exports.

These factors combined to cause a "silver shortage" within the Ming Dynasty.

The scarcity of silver led to a situation where silver was expensive and money was cheap, causing the purchasing power of silver to skyrocket.

The common people needed to use more copper coins or goods to exchange for the full amount of silver to pay taxes, thus the actual tax burden increased exponentially.

The cost of living for ordinary people increased dramatically, while silver became highly concentrated in the hands of bureaucrats, landlords, and privileged merchants.

The result was a sharp decline in the imperial treasury, leaving it unable to even pay the basic salaries needed to maintain the army.

The emperor could only continue to increase the number of troops, which further provoked the people to rebel, creating a vicious cycle.

That is why Jiang Han decided to plan ahead and establish an independent and controllable monetary system.

Issuing paper money is a crucial step in breaking free from dependence on external precious metals and gaining control over the financial system.

Although the timing isn't quite right yet, it's never a bad thing to start trying and preparing.

Jiang Han was well aware of the potential problem of over-issuance.

This is an inherent risk of almost all paper currency systems, which is difficult to avoid for both feudal dynasties and later states.

However, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater just because there are risks.

Overall, the benefits of a well-managed and reputable paper currency system far outweigh the risks.

If the system is designed properly and a group of people who understand economics are gradually cultivated, the risks should be able to be controlled within a certain range.

While Jiang Han was pondering, Luo Qiyuan, the head of the paper mill, also arrived outside the Cunxin Hall.

To be honest, this was his first time entering the core area of ​​the Prince's Palace.

The paper mill under Luo Qiyuan's jurisdiction was always a marginal department within the Ministry of Works system, far less large and important than the Iron and Steel Bureau and the Weaving Workshop.

He was both excited and apprehensive upon hearing that the King of Han had personally summoned him.

Led by the eunuch, he cautiously entered the side hall and saw Jiang Han, who was deep in thought with his eyes closed.

Luo Qiyuan felt his legs go weak and he suddenly knelt down on the ground:

"Kings!"

"Your humble servant... Luo Qiyuan, currently the foreman of the paper mill in the Ministry of Works, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Jiang Han heard the voice, opened his eyes, and spoke in a very amiable tone:
"No need for formalities, sit down and let's talk."

Seeing that Luo Qiyuan was still somewhat nervous, he cut straight to the point.

"I won't waste any more words. I've called you here today because I have an important task to entrust to you."

"Do you... know about the Ming Dynasty Treasury Notes?"

As he spoke, Jiang Han picked up a string of Ming Dynasty banknotes from the table and handed it to Luo Qiyuan.

Luo Qiyuan accepted it with both hands, nodding repeatedly:

"I know, I know!"

"This precious paper money is a great scourge, causing widespread resentment among the people, which I am certainly aware of."

"Your Majesty, you intend to...?"

Jiang Han looked at him and replied with absolute certainty:

"Yes."

"What I mean is that I want your paper mill to produce a batch of banknotes."

Seeing the surprise and doubt on Luo Qiyuan's face, Jiang Han further explained:

"However, this batch of banknotes will not be called 'precious banknotes,' and I do not intend to issue them on a large scale for circulation among the public."

"I want you to produce two special types of tickets, grain tickets and cloth tickets, based on the design of the Ming Dynasty's paper money."

"As the name suggests, grain coupons can be exchanged for grain in the official granary, while cloth coupons can be exchanged for cloth."

"This isn't considered currency; it's just a type of internally circulated note."

He straightened up and emphasized,
"Although it is not intended for external circulation, anti-counterfeiting remains the top priority."

"Tell me first, to your knowledge, what anti-counterfeiting measures were used in the Ming Dynasty's paper money?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and carefully recalled:

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, the anti-counterfeiting measures of the Ming Dynasty's paper money mainly rely on three points."

"First of all, the printing of the precious paper money is done in two steps, requiring two sets of engraving plates to be precisely matched, and neither can be missing."

"Secondly, the banknote is covered with dragon and cloud patterns around the edges and in the center. These patterns are the core details of its anti-counterfeiting features."

Finally, hidden marks were concealed in the text and patterns on the banknotes, known only to the inspectors and craftsmen of the Treasury.

"As for the more detailed aspects, those are beyond the knowledge of ordinary craftsmen like us."

Jiang Han listened attentively, nodding occasionally. These anti-counterfeiting measures were quite thoughtful for the time.

But he still felt it wasn't enough.

Jiang Han looked intently at Luo Qiyuan and proposed a new concept:
"Luo Zuotou, do you know about... watermarks?"

Luo Qiyuan was taken aback upon hearing this, his face filled with confusion:
"Watermark?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but what is this? Could it be a mark left by water?"

Jiang Han shook his head and patiently explained:

"The watermark I'm referring to is a pattern that is formed in the paper beforehand during the papermaking process."

"This pattern is not visible under normal circumstances, but its beauty becomes clear when you look at it under strong light."

He tried his best to describe it in language that the other person could understand:

“I remember when you were making paper, there were often some bumps or depressions in the pulp.”

"This is due to the uneven distribution of the pulp; this difference in thickness is the key to forming the pattern."

"What you have to do is to arrange these bumps or depressions into a special pattern, as if they are growing out of the paper."

"This technology is called watermarking."

After hearing Jiang Han's explanation, Luo Qiyuan's eyes were still filled with confusion and disbelief.

This thing... it sounds too far-fetched, can it even work?

Having made paper for half my life, I've never seen or heard of anything like a watermark.

In his understanding, these bumps or dents were caused by unstable manufacturing processes and had no discernible pattern.

This kind of thing is completely uncontrollable, let alone forming special patterns and characters.

Jiang Han looked at Luo Qiyuan's seemingly confused expression and didn't know how to explain it in detail for a moment.

He pondered for a long time, then suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in his mind:
"Luo Zuotou, do you know what Xuan paper is?!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qiyuan nodded repeatedly:
"I know! I know!"

"I come from a papermaking background and am extremely familiar with Xuan paper!"

"The Qingtan bark Xuan paper from Jing County is as thin as a cicada's wing, as tough as silk, and has rich layers, making it a top-grade material for mounting and painting!"

Jiang Han continued to press for answers:

"I remember that some highly skilled picture mounters had a unique craft."

"They can carefully peel back the layers of a traditional Chinese ink painting, and each layer can preserve the original ink marks and spirit of the painting."

"Generally speaking, depending on the thickness and processing of Xuan paper, two to three layers can be peeled off, right?"

"Yes! Yes! Your Majesty, you even know this?!"

Luo Qiyuan was even more surprised, as this was a relatively professional skill in their papermaking and mounting industry.

Jiang Han clasped his hands together, and suddenly everything became clear:
"We might be able to learn from this idea!"

"If we divide the paper into three layers, and then create a pattern or write a secret mark on the middle layer."

"Then, by sandwiching it between two other thin sheets of paper, you can create a watermark effect, right?"

The more he spoke, the clearer his thoughts became:
"Yes, yes, that's right! We can even go further!"

"Before the three layers of paper are pressed together, we can also embed an extremely fine, colored thread at a predetermined location."

"For example, a red silk thread, or a cotton thread with a miniature pattern printed on it, can be sandwiched between the pages!"

"Isn't this an anti-counterfeiting line?!"

(End of this chapter)