Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"No matter where it is transported, it is always in short supply. Nobles and merchants from all over the world will frantically scramble to buy it, and it is no different from gold and silver."

"And more importantly, we have a complete monopoly on these things, which means that the Central Plains is the source of trade for all the countries in the world. General Xiang, do you know what this means?"

Xiang Yu pondered for a moment, then shook his head in confusion.

She couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it just about selling things to get lots of copper coins, gold, and silver?"

Bai Su smiled mysteriously: "That's just the beginning. My real goal is to build a trade system based on these hard currencies, supplemented by gold, silver and copper coins, with the Great Xia Treasure Note as the core."

"From now on, anyone who wants to buy goods from the Central Plains will first need to exchange their copper coins, silver, and gold for the precious notes issued by our bank, and then use those precious notes to purchase goods such as porcelain and tea."

"In this way, paper, which was originally worthless, has gained the same status as gold, silver, and copper coins. We can continuously print white paper and exchange it for cattle, sheep, spices, and fine wines from other countries..."

"When the Great Xia's precious paper money gradually becomes the universally recognized currency and circulates among various countries, we only need a small thought to easily manipulate the rise and fall of a country and plunder all the capital it has accumulated over decades of frugality."

"With a nation of countless nations supporting the people of the Central Plains, General Xiang, what do you think of this trade treaty?"

Xiang Yu was somewhat dazed, his almond-shaped eyes wide open in a daze.

She gasped, looking at Bai Su with a monstrous gaze: "You...you are so ruthless! Even the Xiongnu and the Hu people, a bunch of barbarians, only plunder the wealth of a few counties when they raid southwards. But you want to seize the wealth of thousands of countries and decades of accumulation in one fell swoop."

"So the Central Plains is supposed to be a land of benevolence and righteousness, where people are subdued by virtue? Compared to you, those bandits and thieves are as pure as a blank sheet of paper."

Bai Su scratched her cheek with her finger and sighed self-deprecatingly, "Officials have two mouths; they say one thing to your face and another behind your back. You can't take what they say seriously."

Xiang Yu looked at Bai Su, who looked somewhat tired, and a complex expression appeared in her beautiful eyes.

She couldn't help but think to herself, "In terms of defeating enemies and breaking through enemy lines, you are far inferior to me. But in terms of long-term vision, you use the world as a chessboard and nations as chess pieces. I am far inferior to you. It is not unjust for me to lose to you."

The sky was getting dark.

The main hall was brightly lit.

Palace maids dressed in gorgeous gowns danced gracefully in the main hall, while musicians plucked the strings of their instruments, producing melodious sounds.

The seats in the main hall were filled with envoys from various foreign countries. Some of the envoys who were visiting for the first time seemed to have never seen the world before, and kept exclaiming in surprise.

"My God, is this plate made by a god? It's so smooth and delicate, and it has lifelike bird and animal patterns on it. It's unbelievable!"

"You've clearly never seen the world. What kind of divine creation is this? This is porcelain from the Great Xia Dynasty, called blue and white porcelain, the finest of all ware."

"Don't just stare at the plate. Look at that white stuff in the little dish. At first, I thought it was salt, but after tasting it, I found it was so sweet. It's simply irresistible."

"Yes, it's so sweet."

"Such a wondrous thing exists in the world! No wonder the Great Xia is so prosperous and powerful; it's simply a paradise on earth."

"..."

Fu Su and Bai Su stood together at the entrance of the main hall and whispered, "You scoundrel, you have quite the tricks. First, you took advantage of the foreign provocation to make an example of them and establish your authority. Then, you showed these foreign envoys the dazzling array of rare treasures from the Central Plains."

"This caused their values ​​and courage to completely collapse, they were utterly conquered, felt awe of the powerful Central Plains, and dared not have any disloyal thoughts anymore."

Bai Su couldn't help but smile: "Your Highness also deserves some credit. If Your Highness hadn't assisted Hu Yi in stabilizing the court, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to make a difference today."

Fu Su's fair face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but spit out a light spit: "You smooth-talking bastard, don't think you can change my opinion of you by saying some nice things."

Bai Su scratched her cheek and couldn't help but mutter, "Isn't Your Highness the one who's all talk and no action?"

Fu Su was taken aback. She had always been dignified; when had she become so glib?

But she noticed that Bai Su was looking at her strangely, or rather, at her skirt.

Fu Su was slightly taken aback. After a moment of contemplation, she couldn't help but recall the memory of hiding in the closet yesterday and accidentally getting her skirt wet. She then thought of what Bai Su had just said about the character "官" (official) with two mouths above and below.

Her fair face suddenly flushed red as if on fire, and she glared at Bai Su with shame and anger: "You...you shameless scoundrel, you really did peep! I...I'll kill you!"

Bai Su thought to herself, "Oh no, I've accidentally let it slip again."

Seeing Fu Su clench her teeth, lift her skirt, and look as if she wanted to kick him to death.

Bai Su quickly ran into the main hall to escape her sister-in-law's furious pursuit.

During the banquet, the envoys were drinking and discussing when they saw Bai Su suddenly walk in. They all put down their wine cups and went to greet her.

"Master Bai."

Looking at Bai Su, who was surrounded by a group of envoys and treated like royalty, Fu Su gritted her teeth, feeling both resentful and helpless.

There were too many outsiders around, so she couldn't get angry. She could only make a mental note of this and deal with this scoundrel properly after everything was over.

I want to silence this guy who knows too much.

Chapter 389 Using a myriad of nations to support one nation

Bai Su glanced at Fu Su, who was staring at her expressionlessly in the distance.

His eyelids twitched twice, and then he coughed lightly and said, "I apologize for keeping you envoys waiting."

As he spoke, he kindly took the Loulan envoy Xiao Li's fair hand and made her sit next to him, which conveniently blocked the dagger-like gaze that Fu Su was casting at him.

Xiao Li looked at the man she had always admired, now holding her hand affectionately.

As she felt the large, burning hand, a shy blush rose on her fair face, and she whispered, "M-Master, you're too kind."

"Yes, we just sat down not long ago."

"Please have a seat, sir..."

Upon learning Bai Su's identity, the envoy beside him, seeing how polite the Grand Chancellor was, hurriedly replied.

However, they had no idea that Bai Su was being so attentive only because she had offended Fu Su, and that was why she was hurriedly trying to build relationships with all the envoys so that her sister-in-law would not have a chance to make a move.

Bai Su didn't waste any words. He glanced at everyone in the hall, coughed lightly, and said, "Since everyone is due, let's begin the banquet."

Seeing that all the foreign guests had taken their seats, Fu Su realized that she couldn't do anything about Bai Su, this scoundrel, so she could only glare at him fiercely before lifting her skirt and turning to leave.

As the banquet began, the palace maids started serving dishes and pouring wine.

For example, Xiao Li and Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu were old acquaintances of Bai Su, and they often sent envoys and caravans to and from the Central Plains, so there was not much surprise.

The foreign envoys who were visiting Xianyang for the first time were almost constantly amazed throughout their visit.

Whether it was the spices used in the dishes, the cumin sprinkled on the roasted meat, or the cane sugar added to the dishes, the spicy taste, like swallowing a ball of fiery liquor, broadened their horizons.

After several rounds of drinks...

Bai Su slowly put down his wine cup. He glanced at everyone present and said with a smile, "Esteemed envoys, you have come from afar and have been staying in Xianyang for some time now. I presume you have already made plans for our Great Xia's trade. Fortunately, I have some trade-related matters to discuss with you all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

After a long pause, someone tentatively spoke up: "I wonder what Your Excellency means..."

The other envoys also pricked up their ears.

Yena, the envoy from Parthia, looked at Bai Su with a serious expression, waiting for his answer.

After all, the products from the Central Plains are unparalleled, whether it's smooth silk, exquisite porcelain, fragrant tea, or sweet sugarcane.

Everything excited her.

These are all priceless treasures. If they can be brought back to China, they can easily be earned back from nobles and wealthy merchants at ten or even a hundred times the price.

It can be said that as long as trade relations can be established with the Great Xia, and caravans are dispatched regularly every year, the two countries can earn a lot of money for the national treasury.

They could even resell goods from the Central Plains to Rome, acting as middlemen in Parthia and making a steady profit.

This would both weaken Rome's power and strengthen Parthia's power.

Is there a better deal in the world?

After a moment of contemplation, Bai Su said, "Trade is the current national policy of our Great Xia. If you want to buy goods from the Central Plains, that's no problem. However, there will be many issues in the transaction."

What problems might arise during the transaction?

The envoys were taken aback, wondering what Bai Su was really up to.

Bai Su continued to explain: "The currencies used by these countries are different. Some use gold coins, some use silver coins, and some use copper coins, in addition to the different amounts of gold used in the coins."

“Different countries have different standards for weight and quality, which makes trade between them very troublesome.”

Ye Na was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed the same as what Bai Su had said.

For example, the currency in the Central Plains was mainly copper coins, and the concept of a round heaven and a square earth was emphasized.

Therefore, the copper coins were mainly in the original shape, with a square hole in the middle to make it easy to string the coins together with a rope. Each copper coin was about three centimeters long.

The various kingdoms of the Western Regions used different currencies, some with gold and some with silver.

The nomadic peoples of the grasslands and Liaodong region had no currency whatsoever, relying entirely on cattle, sheep, and horses as goods, primarily through barter.

As for their Parthian Kingdom, they used a rolling process to produce silver coins, which were mainly engraved with animal patterns.

The currencies, weights, sizes, and materials used by different countries vary, making it easy for various problems to arise during trade. If it were simply a matter of bartering, the efficiency would be too low.

If we want to maintain long-term trade relations, this is an issue we can't ignore.

After pondering for a long time, Yena looked at Bai Su with her azure eyes and asked, "Does Your Excellency have a solution?"

"Have."

Bai Su smiled and raised a finger, saying, "Our Great Xia has already invented the system of money shops. Wherever the Xuan Bird flag flies on the city wall, there will be a money shop of Great Xia."

"I intend to sign a free trade treaty with you all and establish a trade alliance. My Great Xia will open money shops in your countries and frequently conduct trade with caravans. You can deposit copper coins, gold and silver into the money shops and exchange them for a lightweight Great Xia Treasure Note, which is easy to carry."

"No matter where you deposited your money—whether in the Western Regions, the grasslands, Liaodong, or the Central Plains—you can withdraw it at any time wherever there is a Great Xia bank. Great Xia will guarantee the safety of your money."

"When you need to trade in the future, you can each use copper coins, gold and silver to exchange for the unified Great Xia Treasure Notes at the money shop, and use the Treasure Notes to buy and sell things to each other."

"With a unified standard of measurement, trade will naturally become much more convenient."

"Furthermore, anyone who deposits money in our Great Xia Bank will receive one percent interest annually. In other words, not only will you not be charged for depositing money in our bank, but your money will also grow more and more."

"Even people with good credit can apply to money shops for loans when they are in urgent need of money to help with disaster relief and purchase goods."

After saying that, he placed a 500,000-guan (a unit of currency) Great Xia Treasure Note on the table.

Everyone glanced at the flimsy white paper and their brows furrowed.

One of them couldn't help but ask, "Sir, what if someone forges and claims this small piece of paper?"

The others nodded in agreement.

After all, exchanging a cartload of solid copper coins for a mere piece of paper made people somewhat uneasy.

Bai Su smiled and said, "Please rest assured, everyone. The paper, patterns, codes, and printing techniques used are all unique to our Great Xia. No one else has the ability to counterfeit them. Moreover, with each step of the verification process, it is impossible for anyone to fraudulently claim them."