The Prosperous Era of Longwan

After talking about Ge Shouli, the three people naturally turned their focus back to the new money law.

"Because it is a major matter, after returning to the ministry, I talked about this matter with the left assistant minister Chen Zan, and he also supported it."

So next, Wang Guoguang told the situation of his discussion with Chen Zan, which also included Chen Zan's suggestions.

Wei Guangde just listened quietly on the side. After all, brainstorming is the best, otherwise he would directly draft the regulations and then discuss it with Zhang Juzheng.

The reason why he directly threw it out and found three ministers to talk about this matter together was not to listen to other people's ideas, so as to enrich his plan.

As for this Chen Zan, Wei Guangde also knew him.

After all, he was the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official of the court, which was already a very high official position.

In addition to the governors and governors who were sent out, how many officials in the capital could reach the third rank in the whole Ming Dynasty.

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Chen Zan, courtesy name Jingfu, alias Yuquan, was from Quantou Village, Xian County, Hejian Prefecture, Zhili.

He was a successful candidate in the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing Guimao Imperial Examination and a Jinshi in the Dingwei Imperial Examination. He was initially appointed as the magistrate of Yangqu County, Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province. He successively served as the Supervisory Censor of Shandong Province, the Deputy Envoy of Shandong Provincial Censorate, and the Envoy of Henan Provincial Censorate. He is currently the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Not long after, Zhu Heng also came in from outside, holding six boxes in his hands.

As soon as he appeared on the stage, he attracted the attention of the three people in the room.

Wei Guangde asked in surprise: "Brother Shinan, are the sample coins out?"

"Uh, no."

Zhu Heng was just stunned for a moment, then realized that Wei Guangde was wrong, and hurriedly explained: "No, no, I called the craftsmen together yesterday, and they turned out the coins that had been minted before, and I thought we could choose from them."

Zhu Heng placed the six boxes on the coffee table and opened them one by one for them to see.

Wei Guangde leaned over and took out the coins in the first box unconsciously.

"Dazhong Tongbao?"

The words cast on it were clearly visible, and it was obviously not a coin that flowed to the people, and the coins he got also gave Wei Guangde a different feeling.

"This is a mother coin. All the coins minted by the court, the mother coin and the mother coin will be collected and preserved by the Ministry of Industry."

Zhu Heng explained.

"Mother coin? Hand-carved?"

Wei Guangde asked in surprise.

Although he had read many miscellaneous books, of course, they also mentioned the craft of coin casting, and he still remembered the word mother coin.

However, he thought that the mother coin should be made of wood, because it was convenient for carving. After all, it was just a mold. After the mold was made, it was cast to make the mother coin.

However, the Dazhong Tongbao in his hand is made of copper, and the copper content of this mother coin is quite high.

How many years has it been since the Dazhong Tongbao? This mother coin is still yellow, and the surface is not oxidized. Obviously, the Ministry of Industry has preserved it very well.

Wei Guangde carefully looked at the words carved on the coin in his hand. It was very clear and charming. Looking at the hole, it was also very accurate.

Putting down the Dazhong Tongbao, Wei Guangde picked up another copper coin in the second box. It was Hongwu Tongbao, which was also a mother coin.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Guoguang and others have been constantly looking through the mother coin in the box.

"I said, it feels different from the sample coin I saw last time."

Wei Guangde said to Zhang Juzheng, who was also looking through the coins beside him.

Zhang Juzheng nodded, "The ones that came up at that time should be sample coins, not mother coins."

In the early Longqing years, Emperor Longqing also minted a batch of Longqing Tongbao. The sample coins were naturally approved by the cabinet, so Wei Guangde had seen the sample coins sent by the Ministry of Industry at that time.

The difference between ancient Chinese coins and other cultural relics is the process of making ancient coins.

For the same kind of coin, there are different orders of carved samples, carved mothers, seed mothers, cast mothers, mother coins, and child coins.

In ancient times, when a large number of coins were recast, the standard sample coins made by the central and local finances could not be used for circulation.

Only after all aspects were approved by the court could the mother coins be recast.

The carving of the mother coin was very fine. Now the carved mothers we see are made of golden copper, which is a copper material of excellent quality.

The coin text of the copper carved mother is very exquisite, and the characters are deep. The strokes of each character are very clear, without any adhesion or blur.

It is thinner than the circulating coins of the same version, and the details still retain the traces of hand-carved.

There are no knife marks on the carved mother coin, which is slightly larger and heavier than the circulating coins of the same version.

After the mother coin is made into a coin mold, it is taken away. The craftsman casts the coin mold with molten copper liquid. After the coin cools down, the mold is opened, and the coin is taken out for processing and polishing. Therefore, each mother coin is authoritative.

Mother coins can be divided into three types, namely coin samples, mother coin and cast mother coin.

Wei Guangde's guess is not wrong, because coin samples are generally made of high-quality wood or ivory carvings, which are easy to form.

After it comes out, the mother coin is carved and cast, after all, making the mother coin is time-consuming and laborious.

"What is your intention in bringing these?"

Wei Guangde looked through the coins in the six boxes, not every coin, but just looked at the mother coin in several boxes. There are big coins and small coins.

After all, everyone is looking at it, Wei Guangde is very casual, and he takes whichever one is convenient.

"It's like this. Since the time of Emperor Taizu, the weight of coins has been slightly adjusted. For example, the Dazhong Tongbao, the flat coin weighs one qian, and the Hongwu Tongbao weighs one qian and two fen."

Zhu Heng began to talk eloquently: "In the Jiajing Dynasty, the weight of Jiajing Tongbao was one cent and two and a half cents. A few years ago, a batch of Longqing Tongbao was minted, and its weight was one cent and three cents."

Zhu Heng only needs to say the weight of the flat coin, because the big coins increase in weight according to the weight of the small flat coins.

Zhu Heng said this, and Wei Guangde roughly guessed what he meant.

In order to show their nobility, future emperors often minted coins with more and more materials.

Sample money is actually easy to make, but the ratio of materials is directly related to the cost of minting, and the final weight of the coin is also critical. These need to be calculated by the Ministry of Industry in advance.

Don't spend time minting coins. The result will be higher costs. The more coins you mint, the greater your losses will be. How can you mint them on a large scale?

The new money law that Wei Guangde wants to promote actually requires a large number of coins. Otherwise, it cannot guarantee the circulation among the people, so it is better not to do it.

It's just that Wei Guangde was more pragmatic, or better at calculation. He would not use copper materials to make exquisite coins to pass down to future generations just for the so-called face.

"If possible, I recommend following the shape of Dazhong Tongbao. The weight of a flat coin is one qian. Although the coin may not fit in the hand, the copper content is increased and the coin is more beautiful."

Wei Guangde's first thought was that there was no need to make bigger coins, it seemed better to be small and refined.

"People carry more than a dozen copper coins on their bodies, but the weight is less than one coin."

Wei Guangde said again.

"When minted this way, it's a little smaller than the previous generation of coins."

Zhu Heng frowned slightly. He didn't expect Wei Guangde's choice to be so extreme, choosing the smallest one directly.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde smiled and continued: "Just because the material costs a penny does not mean that the coin will be small. As long as the hole in the middle is made larger, the size of the coin should not be affected."

"Well"

Zhu Heng was speechless for a moment.

Indeed, if you really want to do this, you can make a coin with just one coin, the same size as other coins with more materials, but it can't be compared.

Putting it together, it is easy to see the difference in the size of the holes in the middle.

"Mr. Wei Ge, the amount of copper consumed is calculated based on the price of copper and the price of private goods. If there is not enough copper, the new money may be boycotted by the public."

Wang Guoguang frowned and said.

"Coins are minted by the imperial court and enforced by the imperial court."

While speaking, Wei Guangde pointed to the coins in the box and said, "This thing is better than the treasure banknotes."

In later generations, which country's currency will still consider price factors, and those who calculate production costs will be endorsed and forced by the state.

No wonder the Ming Dynasty did not make money from minting coins in these years.

Because everyone wants to make the coins extremely exquisite, the main thing is to have a higher copper content, the higher the better, so that it is easier for them to exchange it home and smelt it to make private money.

Wei Guangde could guess this, but it was difficult to say it.

Wei Guangde really didn't know whether his family had done this before. He hadn't heard his father say anything about it.

But he knew about the private money making, and his family was involved in melting down the guard's gun.

Many people may think that minting private money is a secret that cannot be told. In later generations, it means printing counterfeit banknotes. However, in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the middle and late Jiajing period, it was no longer a problem, because they were minting private money "under orders". The imperial court also set an exchange price of one to ten

"If you want to prevent private money from being minted by the private sector, you should not put too much cost on materials, otherwise it will be difficult for the private sector to prevent the proliferation of private money."

Wei Guangde looked around the three people in the room and said in a low voice: "I have long heard that people exchange official money and melt it down to make private money. Therefore, we must pay attention to the materials used in official money. I think the cost of official money, in addition to deducting materials and labor costs, In addition, the court must earn at least 20%.

In this way, there will be no room for profit from making private money for the private sector. At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue must strictly control mines in various places, especially copper mining in Yunnan. "

At this time, although there were many large and small mines in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, copper mines were mainly produced in Yunnan.

As long as copper materials are controlled from the source and the copper content of official money is reduced, private money can be made unprofitable, and naturally no one will continue to do this.

To prevent the proliferation of private money, this method is more effective than decapitation.

"I think it will work."

Zhang Juzheng had actually guessed Wei Guangde's intention a long time ago. He also heard that some people used official money to smelt and cast private money.

"In this case, the coins will not be used for long, and the surface will rust."

Zhu Heng analyzed the consequences of this from the perspective of the Ministry of Industry. Although it seemed that the Ministry of Industry could make more money from minting coins, the profits would go to the Ministry of Household Affairs. This was what Wei Guangde had said early in the morning to supplement the imperial finances.

"The coins will continue to be minted. When taxes can be collected from various places, the coins that are too rusty will be returned to the Ministry of Industry for re-minting."

Wei Guangde said nonchalantly.

"But where did the imperial court get so much copper?"

Yes, China has a vast territory and rich resources. In other words, some ore resources are actually very tight, such as copper mines, gold and silver mines, etc.

Of course, saying that China is short of minerals is actually just greedy and greedy. Everyone wants to have world-class super mines.

Let’s talk about copper mines. The largest copper mine discovered in China is actually not even inferior to those in South America.

It's a pity that South America is too far away from the Ming Dynasty. Now it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty navy to cross the Pacific. At least before mastering the Spanish navigation charts, exploring new routes is the end of a narrow escape.

However, there were places rich in copper resources around the Ming Dynasty, and that was the Japanese state.

"Da Ming doesn't have it, you can buy it from outside."

Wei Guangde said.

"Buy? Who do you want to buy from?"

Wang Guoguang stared at Wei Guangde with wide eyes, his eyes full of questions.

Wei Guangde looked at Wang Guoguang, then at Zhang Juzheng and others. Seeing that they all wanted to ask, he did not keep them in suspense and said directly: "Coins in the Song Dynasty had flowed out in large quantities. Why?

It is nothing more than that the coins minted in the Song Dynasty were exquisite in style and had a fixed copper content, which made them better as general coins.

The coins that my Ming Dynasty wants to mint are not only circulated within the Ming Dynasty, but I also hope that they can flow overseas like the Song Dynasty, so that all overseas countries can use my Ming Dynasty coins.

Correspondingly, if they want to obtain Ming Dynasty coins, they naturally have to transport goods and even gold, silver and copper materials to Ming Dynasty."

"Wei Ge Lao, I understand what you mean, but where is the copper material overseas?"

Wang Guoguang is undoubtedly the one who supports large-scale coin minting the most, because coin minting must have a 20% profit, which is used to supplement the financial difficulties of the court in the Ministry of Industry. The more it mints, the better.

But support is support, and copper materials cannot be conjured out of thin air.

To mint coins, copper is not the only thing you need.

In fact, silver coins are relatively simpler.

The Ming Dynasty has always been short of copper, and the number of coins minted is small, so the circulation among the people is not smooth, which has given rise to the existence of private money.

Using copper coins made in the Ming Dynasty to buy overseas copper is of course a good thing as long as the accounts can be settled.

"Japan."

Wei Guangde said.

"Hiss."

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, several people in the room took a breath of cold air.

More than ten years ago, the court was still worried about the Japanese pirates, but now Wei Ge Lao is thinking about doing business with Japan.

The Ming Dynasty was very vigilant against Japan. Every ship permit issued by Yuegang had to state that trade with Japan was strictly prohibited, and there was no ship permit issued to Japan.

Of course, the profit of doing business with Japan was too great, so no one could tell how many ships that left Yuegang secretly sailed to Japan.

Moreover, most sea merchants were connected with "pirates" and "Japanese pirates". How could they transfer goods to other ships in the open sea after going out to sea?

Therefore, the imperial court has always strictly prohibited it, but the trade between Ming Dynasty and Japan has never been interrupted.

The difference in the gold-silver exchange rate alone attracted sea merchants.

Profit is always the most pursued thing for merchants, and they really dare to take risks at the risk of being beheaded.

"Brother, do you still remember the document?"

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Juzheng at this time and asked with a smile.

"You mean"

Zhang Juzheng already knew Wei Guangde's plan, so he nodded.

Wei Guangde continued, "Don't forget, gentlemen, we exchanged about 60% of copper for 100% of Japan's copper. It was our Ming Dynasty that made a profit, and we only paid for the exquisite coin-making skills of the craftsmen.

This is also one of the ways to weaken Japan's strength. How much wealth the Japanese pirates looted in our Ming Dynasty, why not use this method to earn back the wealth?"

"If this is true, it's not impossible. We can ask the Jinyiwei to investigate and see what the price of copper is in Japan."

Zhang Juzheng took the lead in expressing his support this time. The Ming Dynasty would not trade directly with Japan. Wei Guangde's meaning was clear.

But it seems that it is not impossible to re-export through Korean merchants.

It's not bad to make money.