I am the king of the dead

"Your Majesty, the Salt and Iron Conference is about to begin." Xing'an carefully reminded His Majesty the Supreme Emperor that the ministers of the monthly Salt and Iron Conference have arrived at Juxian Pavilion and are waiting for His Majesty the Emperor.

Zhu Qiyu reviewed the last memorial. This is a memorial from Jiaozhi. There are many poisonous snakes in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Jiaozhi. Regarding how to eliminate poisonous snakes and how to treat snake venom, the governors of Jiaozhi in Guangdong and Guangxi have come up with specific plans. The Xie Jie Yuan also started a whole round of discussions on the issue of snake venom.

The research plan given by Jie Jieyuan is very inhumane, but the Ling Chi criminals in Xi Jie Yuan have been deprived of their qualifications as human beings, so Zhu Qiyu still criticizes this kind of Ling Chi criminal plan.

Ran Siniang hadn't come to the backyard for six months. Zhu Qiyu wondered what Ran Siniang was studying, but every time they met, Ran Siniang, who was a little tired, kept silent about her work.

Zhu Qiyu picked up the memo, looked it over, and came to the Salt and Iron Conference Hall of Daming. The Salt and Iron Conference lasted for 15 years. The 160th Salt and Iron Conference was held as scheduled. I have but have not written 160 seven volumes, and only about [-] volumes. Not every session of the Salt and Iron Conference has something to say, and most of the consecutive sessions are discussions on one issue.

Hu Wei was still alive, and the compilation of "Jingtai Salt and Iron New Theory" was completely presided over by Hu Wei. After Hu Wei passed away, the compilation work was handed over to Yao Kui, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Li Binyan, envoy of the third department of planning and provinces.

The [-]-volume "Jingtai Salt and Iron New Theory" is also a must-read for Confucian scholars in the Ming Dynasty. If there is no way to express one's position, then it is not so deliberate to test some views on the theory of salt and iron, and to put on a layer of learning.

"See Your Majesty, Your Majesty's Blessings."

"Your Majesty is mighty!"

When civil and military officials greeted each other, Zhu Qiyu stretched out his hand and signaled everyone to sit down and talk. The Salt and Iron Conference was not a serious political meeting. It can determine the direction of financial affairs.

There are many topics in this salt and iron conference.

"Your Majesty, there is some money shortage again." Shen Yi, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, raised an issue at the beginning of the article, and then began a summary.

The Ministry of Households discussed the money law and banknote law again. With the gradual improvement of Ming's productivity and the continuous enrichment of commodities, Daming may fall into the money shortage again. Li Binyan, the third secretary, also expressed his concern about the money shortage.

The Ministry of War put forward a very interesting point of view. He believed that war has a compensatory effect on the economy, that is, the blessing of war disaster.

In the view of the Ministry of War, technological discovery and progress during the war can partially increase the productivity of individuals or regions, and then drive the improvement of the productivity of the entire society.

After Zhu Qiyu heard everyone's remarks, he said: "We should first be clear about one thing: productivity is equal to purchasing power, not a special commodity such as money. To measure purchasing power sounds really absurd, even against common sense. .”

"Let me think slowly, how to explain this kind of economic phenomenon that goes against common sense more subtly. If you can understand that productivity is the essence of purchasing power, the Ministry of Households will understand why I still insist on money law, and the Ministry of War will also understand. Even if it is not a war in one's own country, war is never a blessing."

In the 15th year, the Emperor of Ming Dynasty launched many wars abroad. From the 14th year of Zhengtong, the Ming Dynasty has experienced the Battle of the Capital, the Battle of Xuanfu, the Battle of Jining, the Battle of Hetao, the personal conquest to suppress the rebellion, the reunification of Jiaozhi, the expedition and the forest , Restoring the Old Port, the Battle of Liaodong, and the ongoing expedition to Kang.

Really, when it comes to Shiquan martial arts, the emperor Zhu Qiyu really has Shiquan martial arts.

The ones that can really be regarded as the scale of the battle include: the Battle of the Capital, the Pro-Conquest to Counter the Rebellion, the Refuge of Jiaozhi and the Expedition to Helin, and the rest are just the continuation of these four key battles.

His Majesty the Great Emperor, who has been emperor for 15 years and launched four large-scale wars, has the nerve to say that wars are not blessings?
"Yes." Zhu Qiyu said with a smile: "Everyone, listen to me tell a story."

Yu Qian's heart shivered, and he sat up straight with a serious face. It's fine if His Majesty doesn't tell a story. Whenever he tells a story, Yu Qian trembles a little. Haoyou, if you are not careful when eating pork, you will be hit hard by the dying pig, but when the sheep is facing the knife, it will only tremble non-stop.

Yu Qian thought that there were no people like sheep in this world. As a result, most of the Tianzhu people under the Timur Kingdom were sheep.

Going to India to grow cotton has become a new way for the rich and powerful of the Ming Dynasty to make a fortune. The scale of the cotton industry in India is almost surpassing the scale of the cotton industry in Songjiang Prefecture.

The Tianzhu people don't even need to be castrated, they will work obediently. The religion there can only be said to be more conducive to the rule of the invaders after many invasions and improvements.

Zhu Qiyu looked around and said: "Today, I drove out in a car and smashed the door of a rice noodle shop, but I am the emperor, and the owner of the rice noodle shop disturbed the holy driver, so it will be good if I don't cut him down. I won’t pay him for his appearance.”

Yu Qian immediately bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, this story is unreasonable. Jin Yiwei will not let such a thing happen, and His Majesty will not not lose money."

His Majesty asked the eunuchs to pay for some snacks, let alone such things.

This kind of assumption can be assumed by others, but it cannot be assumed on His Majesty. The emperor, whose holy name is innocent and meritorious, has no loss.

Even His Majesty the Emperor himself cannot tarnish the honorable name of His Majesty the Emperor.

Zhu Qiyu thought for a while, and then said: "A family member in a certain yamen was eager to buy rice, so he kicked open the door of the rice noodle shop, bought rice and walked away, a group of people gathered around, chattering Talking about the door of the rice noodle shop and the rice bags lying on the ground, after a while, some people began to think rationally."

"This rice buyer who is good at rational thinking said: There is a good side behind this bad thing. Look, this door is broken. Does the craftsman who repaired the door have a job? If the door is never closed Bad, this door business, how can you make money? The craftsman who repairs the door takes the money, and then goes to buy things from other merchants. Doesn’t this promote the economy and consumption? Does it promote employment? And then come to this Here comes a fallacy."

"The yamen family who kicked the door are not only not a scourge of society, but also great benevolent people who benefit everyone."

Zhu Qiyu unscrewed the teacup and asked the officials to consume the absurdity of this story.

Wang Hu, the right servant of the household department, asked puzzledly: "I am stupid, although I feel that it is not right, what this person said is indeed reasonable, it seems that this door is broken, but it is a good thing, what is the problem? Woolen cloth?"

Hubu Langzhong, Guozijian Jijiu, and Jixing Wu Jing pondered for a moment and said: "The owner of the rice noodle shop is the one who suffered the loss. He should have gone to the tailor's shop to buy a piece of clothing with the money from repairing the door, but he couldn't go to the tailor. Buy ready-made clothes, because the money goes to the artisan who repairs the door, not to the tailor."

"The positive role played by the doormaker should have been the role played by the tailor in the clothing store."

"We ignore the tailor because the tailor never appears in the story and won't appear, which is a typical fallacy."

"Of course." Zhu Qiyu clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Sure enough, he is a teacher of arithmetic, with rigorous logic."

"Let's first look at the statement of the blessings of war given by the Ministry of War. Huge acts of destruction can benefit people endlessly. This is obviously wrong. According to the Ministry of War, war seems to be beneficial to the economy, even beyond the reach of peace. It seems that what you can see is the "miracle of production" that can only be realized through war, and the "accumulation" or "stagnation" of huge demand during the war will bring prosperity after the war."

"Is it really?"

Zhu Qiyu posed a question, and after getting everyone to think about it, he gave a definite answer: "That's not the case. The fallacy of the blessing of war is nothing but the fallacy of breaking the door with an extremely bloated vest."

Jiang Yuan immediately said: "Your Majesty understands what your Majesty means, but if the war does not take place in the four directions of the Ming Dynasty, it will not cause serious damage to the production of the Ming Dynasty, and it will not have a fundamental impact on the production system of the Ming Dynasty. Destroying anything of value will cause net loss, misfortune, or disaster, which is military disaster, but Ming has obtained a series of production materials such as land, population, and minerals.”

"For Ming, being able to win a war that doesn't happen in its own country can be regarded as a blessing in war."

Zhu Qiyu was taken aback when he heard that, could it be that Jiang Yuan followed Nikolaoz to practice low moral advantage?If you say these words in such a grand manner, aren't you afraid that the Taoists will point to Jiang Yuan's nose and call him immoral?

Zhu Qiyu nodded and said: "What Jiang Shangshu said is reasonable, so it is necessary to distinguish between internal and external. When destruction occurs in the country, war is not a blessing. This is the fundamental reason why foreign wars cannot be rushed and civil wars cannot be delayed."

"Military disasters in the country are pure destruction, withering the lives of the people and ruining the lives of the people."

Jiang Yuan's words even touched on Wang Hua's core theories. This is a special conference on financial affairs, so we won't discuss Wang Hua's issues too deeply.

Zhu Qiyu said that war is not a blessing, but an internal economy, while Jiang Yuan said that the blessing of war is an external economy.

Even in foreign wars, will the productivity compromised for military operations affect domestic economic development?Affecting domestic production, is it a concrete manifestation of the fact that war is not a blessing?The emergency state of military control in wartime can indeed do great things with fists, but the degree of impact on the economy depends on the intensity and duration of the war and cannot be generalized.

Who is wrong, Zhu Qiyu or Jiang Yuan?Or do you have to fight for a right or wrong?

No.

This is the Salt and Iron Conference. It is not necessary to argue about right or wrong, but to study financial affairs and the long-term impact of Ming's economic activities on Ming.

The focus of Zhu Qiyu and Jiang Yuan is not on who is right and who is wrong, but on discussing the economy itself.

Zhu Qiyu continued: "Obviously, through the phenomenon of breaking the door, we will find that as much as the productivity is destroyed, the actual purchasing power will be destroyed as much. In fact, the destruction of productivity is the biggest for the lives of the people."

"People supply what they produce to others in exchange for what they want, and supply creates demand, because supply is demand at the end of the day."

"Just like the imperial silver coin in my hand, demand and supply, productivity and purchasing power are just two sides of the same coin."

After Zhu Qiyu explained clearly what he said at the beginning, productivity is purchasing power, he looked at Shen Yi and continued: "Why have I been unwilling to implement the banknote law? The continuous motivation of the maritime merchants of the Ming Dynasty to bring back Wuhua Tianbao from abroad to the country, the lack of credibility of the banknotes of the Ming Dynasty and so on.”

"If you look at it from the fallacy of breaking the door, one of my worries about not mobilizing the law is false prosperity."

"People use the amount of money to measure their wealth and income. The habit of measuring their wealth and income has long been ingrained, so as long as they have a few more banknotes on hand, they think that they are better off. There are fewer things than before."

"The illusion of false prosperity caused by inflation makes it easy for people to indulge in the false prosperity brought about by this inflation, and behind this false prosperity is the continuous over-issue of currency."

"It's like smoking the three treasures of fortune. Knowing that the number of over-issued banknotes is far greater than the development of productivity, but the false prosperity brought about by over-issued currency will make everyone, including the emperor and the court, want to If you take another sip, you will be inhumane and ghostless while you are inhaling.”

"And if the over-issued currency can evenly flow into the hands of everyone in Ming Dynasty, then this kind of inflation will be borne by the whole people, and it is not unacceptable. But the reality is that the over-issued currency always flows to places that should not flow, It can be a prince or general, it can be powerful, it can be a carnivore, but it cannot flow into the hands of the people of Ming Dynasty."

"Through inflation and the channel of controlling currency over-issuance, the princes and princes will be able to control the rich and right. The capital income obtained in the process of over-issuing currency is far more than inflation, and the wealth income of the common people is far lower than inflation. It is the invisible sickle that is harvesting the lives of the people of Ming Dynasty."

"All the costs of the false prosperity brought about by the excessive issuance of currency will be borne by the people at the bottom of Ming Dynasty."

"It is true that the money law has various disadvantages, and it is even easy to cause Ming Dynasty to fall into the winter sequence, but compared with the winter sequence, the harm brought by false prosperity is not something that Daming can bear at the moment. When we design the system, we must first What should be considered is that the people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is solid and the country is safe."

From the corruption of the money seal in the late Northern Song Dynasty to the corruption of the Daming banknotes in the Hongwu period, history has proved countless times that the adverse effects of over-issuing currency, but no one in the Ming Dynasty has studied it. What kind of logic is behind this, Zhu Qiyu said clearly in vain.

This is to use the invisible sickle to continuously use inflation, and through inflation means, the wealth of the common people will continuously flow into the pockets of the powerful and powerful, and harvest the lives of the common people.

Yu Qian really understood why His Majesty refused to implement the banknote law. In fact, it is very simple. Gold, silver and copper are naturally currency. These minerals taken from nature, even if Daming wants to make more money, he has a very high use value And exchange value, gold in troubled times, is the truth.

Li Binyan said quite accurately: "Your Majesty's fallacy of breaking the door reminded me of one thing. When I was in Songjiang Mansion, there was a plague, and even Xingang was closed for three months. This is almost equivalent to So there was a war in Songjiang Mansion, and after the war, I found out that what His Majesty said was indeed true, after the war, or after the productivity was destroyed, the people's needs would definitely not be exactly the same as before the war."

"The so-called false prosperity appeared. Outings in gardens, lingering temples, and tourists were full of tourists. They were praised by writers as retaliatory consumption. The prosperity of Ming Dynasty was just a carnival for meat eaters. The people were struggling to make ends meet. It even needs to open a warehouse for relief."

Natural disasters and man-made disasters are natural disasters and man-made disasters. In some special cases, there may be compensatory benefits of one kind or another, but on the whole, destruction is destruction, and compensatory benefits are just carnivals for carnivores. ——Li Binyan, chief minister of Ming Dynasty, economist and astronomer.