My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"Then?"

Chen Mo pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Then, once the silver standard was established and the people had a certain level of trust in the issued currency,..."

"As long as we control the amount issued and maintain credit, we can even issue paper money beyond our gold and silver reserves within certain limits for investment and construction."

"As long as these investments ultimately generate enough wealth, then this extra money is newly created wealth!"

At this point, Chen Mo paused for a moment.

"Of course, this requires extremely high skill and strict discipline. If you don't play it well, it can cause inflation and skyrocketing prices, but if you play it well..."

Chen Mo smiled at the group.

The emperors were all exceptionally intelligent, and they instantly understood the immense temptation and risks involved.

Looking at their solemn yet excited expressions, Chen Mo knew that the time was almost right.

"Therefore, banks were established, credit-based paper money was issued, lending was controlled, and investment was guided..."

"With this combination of measures, the rule will not only extend to the land and the people, but also to the heart and brain of the entire country's economic lifeline."

"At that time, the wealth accumulated by those powerful families, whether in the form of land, gold and silver or other forms, will ultimately be difficult to break free from this financial system."

"Their influence will be fundamentally weakened."

Chen Mo paused for a moment.

"That's for internal use. Externally, we can control currency and establish a set of rules that all nations have to follow, which means..."

Chen Mo paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Currency hegemony!"

"Currency hegemony?"

The emperors were puzzled once again.

Another new word!

"That's right!"

Chen Mo nodded emphatically.

"Simply put, it means making our money—for example, the high-credit paper money or silver coins issued after we strictly adopted the gold or silver standard—the world's primary currency for trade settlement, reserve currency, and unit of account!"

He began to paint that incredibly enticing blueprint.

"Imagine that when merchants from the Western Regions wanted to buy our silk and porcelain, they had to exchange their goods for our 'Great Ming Treasure Notes' or 'Han Five-Zhu Gold Certificates' before the transaction could take place, or even the Great Tang Treasure Notes..."

"When the foreign lands of the South China Sea want to purchase grain and ironware, their national treasuries must hold large quantities of our currency..."

"When neighboring small countries traded with each other, they were too lazy to transport heavy gold and silver, so they simply agreed to settle accounts using our paper money..."

"What will happen then?"

What will happen?

All the emperors were curious at the same time.

Chen Mo smiled slightly and extended one finger.

"First, we possess the inexhaustible source of wealth: seigniorage!"

"We only need to pay a small amount for printing costs to print money that is recognized and accepted worldwide."

"With these 'paper' or low-cost silver coins, we can exchange them for real goods and resources that other countries need to expend enormous human and material resources to produce! Food, timber, minerals, spices, slaves... the whole world is working for our printing press!"

"Hiss~!"

The emperors gasped in shock.

Chen Mo's smile widened, and he extended a second finger.

"Secondly, we control the lifeline of global trade and pricing power!"

"We set all the trade rules!"

"We decide what currency is used to price our goods! We say silk is worth a certain amount of Tang Yuan, and that's its value!"

"We say a warhorse is worth a certain amount of Han gold, and it must be worth that much!"

"We can even influence global commodity prices by controlling the money supply, buying low and selling high, manipulating the market invisibly!"

"Third, we have gained unprecedented financial influence and strategic initiative!"

"If any country doesn't obey, we can impose financial sanctions on it—restrict its access to our currency or freeze its assets within our banking system, and its foreign trade will be instantly paralyzed!"

"When any country faces a crisis and needs to borrow money, they can only come to our Royal Bank for loans, and we can then attach all sorts of political, economic, and even military conditions!"

"Our currency has become hard currency, which means our banking system has become the global financial center, and capital from all over the world will converge here and be used by us!"

Chen Mo watched as the emperor's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"In addition, if the empire encounters a crisis, we can alleviate it by continuously printing money."

"But didn't you just say we can't keep printing money?"

Fusu was puzzled.

Chen Mo smiled slightly.

"The money was printed just now because it only circulates within our own country, and we have to bear the risks ourselves."

"But once it goes global, it means all the countries in the world that use our currency will share the burden!"

"Then they'll shift their own crisis onto everyone else's crisis!"

Thinking about the current US administration's actions, and glancing at the group of emperors who were already excited by the talk, Chen Mo did not continue speaking, but simply concluded with a resounding statement.

"This is true subjugation without fighting! This is the most brilliant art of governance!"

"Swords can only conquer land temporarily."

"Only by conquering the economy with money can one achieve lasting power, even for eternity!"

"With monetary hegemony, our empire will no longer be merely a territorial empire, but will be elevated to a financial empire and a rules-based empire!"

"Our influence will transcend borders, penetrating every corner of the world, making nations unknowingly dependent on the financial order we establish!"

He finally pointed to his feet, then to the distance.

"On that day, sitting in the imperial palaces of Chang'an, Luoyang, Nanjing, and Beijing, we can make distant countries prosper or decline by adjusting interest rates, controlling credit, and issuing bonds, and we can have ocean-going caravans transport endless wealth to us. This is the power of monetary hegemony!"

A long, almost suffocating silence fell over the room.

Only the heavy breathing revealed the turmoil in the hearts of these emperors.

Zhu Yuanzhang's throat bobbed, and he murmured.

"You can do this with money? That's even more ruthless than fighting a war..."

"That's ruthless! But I like it!"

Liu Che's eyes flashed with a sharp light, filled with admiration for Chen Mo.

Li Shimin was equally excited if this great road could truly be opened up.

Then he'd probably really become a Khan every day!

Although Ying Zheng was a bit slow to grasp financial concepts, he became excited listening to Chen Mo's words.

As for Zhu Di, he is now thinking about what he should do when he returns.

This is so damn exciting!

Chen Mo looked at the group of emperors and smiled slightly.

So, what do you say, are you in or not?

"Let's do it! Damn it! It sounds risky, but it's worth the gamble! We'll figure this out as soon as we get back!"

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the table.

Liu Che nodded as well.

"I also believe this is a shortcut to strengthening the military and enriching the nation!"

Li Shimin pondered for a long time before speaking slowly.

"It is indeed feasible, but the risks are also great, requiring a step-by-step approach and cautious implementation. However, its benefits..."

Li Shimin, thinking about what Chen Mo had just said, continued.

"It really looks tempting!"

"We can test it on a small scale first. If it succeeds, it will greatly benefit the country."

Chen Mo looked at the group of eager emperors. He had given them the sweet treats, so it was time to pour cold water on them.

"It's certainly possible to succeed, but before that, you need to master a skill!"