Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

With the situation in Yunnan initially stabilized, Xiao Chen's primary concern remained those two words: Yunnan copper.

Without copper, it would be impossible to mint coins, support the newly issued "Da Xia Bao Chao" (Great Xia Treasure Notes), or maintain the massive production capacity demand of the Cizhou steel base (copper is an important alloying element).

It can be said that Yunnan copper was the lifeblood of the new economic system of the Great Xia Empire.

Western Beijing, Ministry of Works Mint.

Xiao Chen came here personally and watched as the workers threw batches of old copper coins, dull in color and full of impurities, into the furnace.

These copper coins were old coins from the previous dynasty collected from various places. Their quality varied, making them unsuitable as raw materials for new coins.

"Zhao Tie," Xiao Chen asked, "how much of the newly mined Yunnan copper has been transported?"

Covered in grease, Zhao Tie pointed to rows of brand-new copper ingots in the distance, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Majesty! The first batch! A full 500,000 jin! It's already arrived in the capital! Look at the quality!"

He picked up a piece of copper ingot that had just cooled down. It was purplish-red in color, with a uniform texture, and was much purer than the old copper.

"good!"

A glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. "With these 500,000 jin of high-purity Yunnan copper, my new coins can begin to be minted!"

"Imperial decree: Effective immediately, abolish all the various old coins that have been circulating in a chaotic manner! Mint and issue the new coin of the Great Xia Dynasty—the 'Great Xia Tongbao'!"

"The new currency is divided into three denominations: one cash (small coin), made of copper; ten cash (two-cash coin), containing 90% copper and 10% lead; and one hundred cash (ten-cash coin), containing 70% copper and 30% lead, with anti-counterfeiting serrations cast along the edge!"

"All new coins shall be minted by the Ministry of Works; private minting by local authorities is strictly prohibited! Violators will be executed immediately!"

"The new currency is pegged to silver, with the exchange rate set at one tael of silver for one thousand 'Da Xia Tong Bao' coins!"

Upon receiving the order, the Ministry of Works Mint immediately began operations.

The massive water-powered forging hammer roared as it poured molten copper into a specially made mold.

One after another, "Da Xia Tong Bao" coins with neat edges, clear characters, and unique anti-counterfeiting marks were produced in an unstoppable flow.

Meanwhile, another measure taken by Xiao Chen was also being carried out intensively.

He summoned the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, who was also his financial confidant—Zhang Juzheng (this is a parallel universe setting, he is slightly younger, but his abilities are similar).

"Uncle Da (Zhang Juzheng's courtesy name), the copper in Yunnan is the foundation. But I need more silver to replenish the national treasury and support military expenses and the new policies," Xiao Chen said.

Zhang Juzheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Although Yunnan has abundant copper, the costs of mining and transportation are high. Moreover, relying solely on copper coins makes large-scale trade inconvenient. Silver is indeed necessary. I believe we can start from three aspects."

"Firstly, we need to reorganize the silver mines in Yunnan. Yunnan already has silver mines, but they were poorly managed and occupied by powerful local magnates in the previous dynasty. Now that the system of replacing native chieftains with appointed officials has been implemented, it is a good time to survey the mines, recruit displaced people, and have the mines managed by officials and merchants. Of the silver produced, 30% will go to the government and 70% will be given to the miners and merchants to stimulate their enthusiasm for mining."

"Secondly, maritime trade was restarted. Although the sea ban was not lifted, merchants holding official certificates could be allowed to exchange 'Daxia Tongbao' coins or silk and porcelain for silver from Southeast Asia and the West through ports such as Guangzhou and Zhangzhou. In particular, there were many Spanish silver coins in the Luzon (Philippines) area."

Thirdly, they made trade with the Toungoo Dynasty.

A sly glint flashed in Zhang Juzheng's eyes. "Don't they want Yunnan copper? We can sell them some refined copper in exchange for their silver, ivory, and gemstones. We can use their money to buy our goods, and then use the profits to fund our military operations."

Xiao Chen clapped his hands and laughed: "Brilliant! Uncle Da really understands economics! Let's do it this way! Tell Ma Qiancheng that apart from the copper shipped to the capital, a small portion of the rest can be sold to the Toungoo Dynasty under the name of the East India Company (a foreign trade organization that Xiao Chen had set up in advance), at a price... tripled! In exchange, we can get silver to use as military funds!"

"As for the governance of Yunnan,"

Xiao Chen continued, "As for Shen Dong, we must expedite the follow-up work after the 'abolition of the native chieftain system.' The land identified during the investigation, aside from the official land, should be distributed to the surrendered chieftains and Han immigrants. Implement the 'Single Whip Law,' converting taxes and corvée labor into silver, and simplify the tax system. This will ensure that the people have both copper coins and silver!"

The orders were once again sent out in all directions.

In Yunnan, the newly surrendered chieftains were surprised to find that the imperial court not only did not seize their land, but also sent people to help them open silver mines, build water conservancy projects, and even encouraged them to pay taxes with silver. They could even use silver to purchase some "licensed goods" (such as salt and iron products) from the government.

Some clever sons of chieftains began to learn Chinese, attend the newly opened prefectural schools, and some even considered donating money to obtain official positions.

Meanwhile, in the distant capital, with the large-scale issuance of "Da Xia Tong Bao" coins and their exchange with overseas silver, the chaotic situation of currency in the market was quickly brought under control.

Merchants discovered that the new currency had sufficient weight, good credit, and was convenient for transactions.

In particular, the massive influx of silver from overseas trade brought unprecedented vitality to the financial system of Great Xia.

Xiao Chen stood on the second floor of the Ministry of Works Mint, looking down at the production line that was constantly producing new coins, and then looked south.

He knew that only by controlling Yunnan copper, mastering the right to mint coins, and opening up channels for the inflow of silver could the economic lifeline of the Great Xia truly be in his own hands.

"Copper and silver," Xiao Chen murmured to himself, "these are the lifeblood of the empire. With them, my reforms have the impetus; my guns and cannons have the ammunition; and my empire can be firmly established."

"Tell Mo Qi to keep a close eye on the movements of the Dongyu Dynasty. We need to earn silver, but the core copper-producing areas of Yunnan must be firmly controlled by ourselves. Anyone who dares to reach out, whether a chieftain or a foreigner, will be dealt with decisively by my flintlock pistols!"

The sounds of minting coins in the capital city mingled with the sounds of mining in the deep mountains of Yunnan, laying a solid material foundation for the rise of the Great Xia Empire.

Meanwhile, an even bigger storm surrounding silver, copper mines, and hegemony is quietly brewing in the South China Sea and the southwestern border regions.