Daming Crazy Emperor

Chapter 208 Silver Note
Did this bank exist in the Ming Dynasty?
In fact, it existed in the Song Dynasty. The earliest banknotes in circulation in the world, Jiaozi, were printed by banks in the Song Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, there was already a prototype of a bank, but at that time the bank was not called a bank, but a cabinet room. Therefore, Qianzhuang is also called a cash cabinet.

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, during the Hongwu Dynasty, the Ming court actually acted as an official cash box, because the Emperor Hongwu ordered the Ministry of Households to print a large number of "Daming Tongxingbao Banknotes" to replace precious metals such as gold, silver and copper. to circulate.

It should be said that Emperor Hongwu had a good idea, but unfortunately, he had no concept of currency and did not set up a standard exchange system for banknotes.

In other words, he relied on the powerful force of the Ming Dynasty to make random seals.

Daming banknotes are just paper and cannot be exchanged for copper coins at all.

At that time, Emperor Hongwu pushed the banknotes hard, stipulating that the people must use the banknotes, and they would be punished if they didn't use them!
The official purchases of the Ming court are precious banknotes, whoever dares not to accept them will die!
This kind of practice was still useful when the Ming Dynasty was strong. After all, there must always be currency circulation in the market. If copper coins are not minted, printing treasure banknotes is also a nature, but if paper treasure banknotes cannot be exchanged for real copper coins easy to depreciate.

During the Hongwu Dynasty and the Yongle Dynasty, the depreciation of the treasure banknotes was not very severe. After all, the Ming Dynasty was strong enough at that time. However, in the Yingzong Zhengtong Dynasty, the prestige of the Ming Dynasty plummeted after the Civil Fortress Change, and the value of the Daming Banknotes also followed. It plummeted.

In the Zhengde Dynasty of Wuzong, the treasure banknotes basically became waste paper.

In the Jiajing Dynasty, Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty had no choice but to re-use gold, silver and copper as legal tender, and opened the casting furnace to cast various precious metal currencies frantically to ensure that there was enough currency circulation among the people.

After doing this, the problem came again. The result of the frantic casting was that there were too many types of copper coins minted, and there were also many privately minted copper coins among them.

The difference between made money, private money, and white money is too great, and many currencies simply cannot be circulated in many places.

In other words, many places only recognize a single type of copper coin, or in other words, only gold and silver are recognized in large transactions, and copper coins are not recognized.

This has led to the springing up of non-governmental money houses specializing in currency exchange, especially in the affluent Nanzhili and Zhejiang provinces, where there are so many money houses and money shops.

From the very beginning, these banks took on one kind of business, that is, the exchange of various currencies.

Naturally, such a single function cannot meet the growing needs of transactions. Therefore, many banks in Nanzhili have started to save money and borrow money, and some banks have even started to do small-scale exchange business.

However, these folk banks are too weak to store too much money, and they can't do too much exchange business. No one dares to deposit tens of thousands of taels or even tens of thousands of taels in the banks. For exchange, few banks can afford the business of tens of thousands of taels, not to mention the exchange of tens of thousands of taels or even millions of taels in different places. No bank dares to accept it.

That's why Wu Yangchun suggested that Taichang should set up a government-run bank to accept deposits and transfer money to the world.

Taichang's idea is not the same as Wu Yangchun's. Saving silver is only [-]% of the profit, and Huitong Tianxia is only [-]% of the profit. He believes that it is not enough, and printing bank notes is the most profitable business.

Once this bank note can be circulated as silver, it will be a disaster. Even if he prints it according to the amount of silver deposited, it will still be a [-]% profit!
Of course, it is not so easy to make bank notes circulate among the people like silver. The most basic thing is to ensure that they can be cashed at any time, and more importantly, it is also necessary to ensure that no one can copy the bank notes.

If only the payment is guaranteed, but there are fake banknotes everywhere in the market, then you will lose money.

So how can banknotes be prevented from being counterfeited?

There are many ways to do this, you can make a fuss from paper, you can make a fuss from engraved lines, you can also make fuss from printed pigments, and so on.

There are many methods that Taichang knows.

However, he didn't know which methods could be realized these days.

Therefore, the next morning, he summoned the crown prince, King Xin, the head of state Wu Yangchun, and a group of trusted ministers to the meeting hall of the Wenhua Palace.

When everyone was seated, he introduced directly: "Everyone, I am going to set up the Daming Bank to connect the world. At the same time, I will print bank notes as the basis for small deposits and withdrawals. To tell you the truth, the bank notes are the key." , because how much we print is equivalent to replacing how much silver is circulated among the people. I believe there is no need to say more about the principles in this. The key now is that we have to print this bank note well, so that others cannot imitate it. In this way, Only then can we release the banknotes with confidence."

Print banknotes!
Isn't that similar to printing banknotes?

If it is printed to the end, it will be printed as a joke!

Bi Ziyan, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, couldn't help reminding: "Your Majesty, I dare to say that the precious banknotes have already made the people very disgusted with the money printed by the court. I'm afraid no one will use the banknotes when they are printed!"

Taichang shook his head slightly and said: "This banknote is different from the treasure banknote, because the imperial court did not promise universal deposit and exchange when the treasure banknote was issued, that is to say, the treasure banknote cannot be exchanged for copper coins of the corresponding denomination. This banknote is different , what is the denomination, and you can exchange it directly at the Daming Bank, and you can exchange it for silver taels of the corresponding denomination. There was a bounty for standing trees in ancient times. Walking for tens of taels or even hundreds of taels of silver is exhausting, isn’t it.”

Uh, well, this is indeed the same as the standing tree bounty.

If it can be guaranteed that the banknotes can be exchanged for silver of the corresponding denomination, then the banknotes are almost the same as silver, and the people will indeed gradually get used to using banknotes.

Bi Ziyan hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "The emperor is wise."

Alright, let's discuss how to prevent private counterfeiting of bank notes.

Taichang then solemnly said: "To prevent people from imitating bank notes, the paper used to make bank notes should be rare among the people, or it can't be bought at all, and this kind of paper should be waterproof, anti-corrosion, and wear-resistant. , does any of you know that there is such a paper?"

Uh, this question is really difficult for people.

It is waterproof, anti-corrosion, and wear-resistant. Fortunately, the mulberry paper used to print Daming banknotes was waterproof, anti-corrosion, and wear-resistant.

Question, this mulberry paper is not uncommon among folks, because mulberry paper is used to make high-end fans and umbrellas in the folk, and even many high-end calligraphy, paintings and high-end classics are made of mulberry paper. This mulberry paper is so common!

When all the trusted ministers heard the words, they all frowned and became thoughtful.

The patriarch Wu Yangchun cupped his hands cautiously and said: "Your Majesty, if you want to talk about this kind of paper, there are really some. However, even in Huizhou, there are not many craftsmen who can make this kind of paper. Moreover, if it is not customized by someone, there is no such thing at all. No one makes such precious paper."

This papermaking technique has been invented for more than a thousand years, and various kinds of paper emerge in endlessly.

It should be said that before the Song Dynasty, Bashu was the most famous for papermaking. Famous papers such as Xie Gongjian and Xue Taojian all came from Bashu.

After the Song Dynasty, Huizhou was the most developed papermaking technology.

Huizhou at the moment is not only good at making paper, but also good at the Four Treasures of the Study, and the most famous Huizhou today besides Huizhou merchants is the Four Treasures of the Study produced in Huizhou.

Ningguo Mansion next to Huizhou Mansion is the birthplace of the world-famous rice paper, and the best Chengxintang rice paper in the world is produced in Huizhou.

Of course, what Wu Yangchun was talking about was not Chengxintang rice paper, because Chengxintang rice paper is also very common, as long as you have money, you can buy it.

So, what paper is he talking about?
Taichang couldn't help being curious and said: "Guo Zhang, what kind of paper are you talking about, don't be fooled!"

Wu Yangchun quickly explained: "What I'm talking about is the golden millet paper. This kind of paper is unique to our She County. It is specially used to print Buddhist scriptures. It is waterproof, anti-corrosion, and wear-resistant. It is said that it can be preserved for thousands of years. However, this It is very troublesome to make paper, and it needs a special potion to make it. It is very expensive. Since the Song Dynasty, few people have used this kind of paper to print Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, there is no such kind of paper on the market at the moment. .”

Well, what I want is something that cannot be bought in the market.

Hearing this, Taichang couldn't help asking with interest: "Are there still many people who know how to make this kind of paper?"

Wu Yangchun shook his head regretfully and said, "This kind of paper is too difficult to make. Even in our She County, there are not many companies that can make it."

That would be great!

Taichang said without hesitation: "Jinghui, immediately send a reliable chief to Huizhou, immediately set up an official paper-making workshop, and enclose a piece of land near the thirteenth floor, and gather all the artisans who can make gold millet paper paper together , The salary should be higher, let them make gold millet paper for the court. By the way, go talk to Luo Sigong, let him send a team of brocade guards to guard it closely, and the technology of making gold millet paper must not be passed on."

(End of this chapter)