Father can be an enemy country

Chapter 861 You can’t trick anyone but the common people

When returning, due to ocean currents and wind direction, it took a little longer. It took half a month to return to the Yangtze Estuary.

The people in the south and north of the Yangtze River had already received the news and came to the riverside with their families, setting up incense tables and beaming with joy to welcome Master Wang's triumphant return.

Once the many years of Japanese invasion were eliminated, the people in the south of the Yangtze River finally enjoyed peace. They happily threw flowers into the river. The river surface was filled with colorful petals, turning into a flower carpet to welcome the soldiers in triumph.

The common people followed the fleet upstream in small boats, carrying the food and wine of the laborers on bamboo poles and giving them to the soldiers on the ship to enjoy. The firecrackers along the way went off like a pot of porridge, non-stop from morning to night...

It was a pity that Lao Liu had no chance to see this grand occasion, so he got off the treasure ship in Liujiagang.

Li Heng, the prefect of Suzhou and deputy maritime envoy, led Xue Ding'e, who had been promoted to the prefect of Taicang, Wang Defa, the weaving and dyeing eunuch and general manager of the Chu Palace, as well as officials from the maritime administration yamen and the weaving and dyeing bureau, as well as a large group of people on the ground in Suzhou. I have been waiting for you in Liujiagang for a long time.

It should be mentioned before the welcoming ceremony and there is no need to repeat it. His Royal Highness the King of Chu did not stop in Taicang, so he took a sand boat and headed from Loujiang to Suzhou.

On the boat, he met with a number of prominent figures in Suzhou. They were all his confidants, so there was no need to be polite. Zhu Zhen got straight to the point:

"Other things will be discussed later. Let's talk about the food stamps first!"

"Yes." Everyone hurriedly responded. They all know that Suzhou's rapid recovery and prosperity today are actually based on food stamps.

Everyone's wealth, honor and disgrace are also tied to this small food stamp. If this matter is not handled properly, everyone will lose everything, or even be completely devastated.

"Your Highness, the issue of food stamps is really difficult now." Li Heng was also very anxious. Every food stamp had his signature on it. He didn't want to be infamous forever.

"It is said that it doesn't matter how high the price of your food is. We issue food stamps and you only need to exchange the face value for the food. But the common people don't care about this." He said depressedly: "They said they trusted His Highness at that time, and they also collected them in the shops. Food stamps, I think food stamps are money, otherwise they would have been exchanged for food. How high was the price of food at that time..."

"Humph, they are just cheating!" Fei Mi, a fellow magistrate in Suzhou, said angrily. His signature was also on the food stamps, so he was worried.

"It doesn't matter whether you are cheating or not, have the people suffered losses?" King Chu waved his hand and asked in a deep voice.

"That's for sure." Everyone had to nod.

"Does the common people trust us when they recognize our food stamps?" King Chu asked again.

"Yes." Everyone nodded again.

"Is there any reason of our own for the drop in food prices?" King Chu asked again.

"Yes." No one could deny that it was the subsequent chain reaction caused by the large-scale farming of the Dyeing and Weaving Bureau in Huguang, Jiangxi.

"We had good intentions at the time, but no one expected that this would be the final result." Gu Yuanchen sighed.

"Then it's over. Since the people think it's our responsibility, we can't shirk it, otherwise it's like losing a big deal for a small amount of money!" King Chu said in a loud voice: "Remember, never tell the people the rules. Stand with the people. Think about it from your standpoint, the world is big and the common people’s principles are the greatest!”

"Yes, that's what His Highness taught you." Everyone quickly stood up and bowed to receive the lesson. "Sit down and talk." Zhu Zhen waved his hand and motioned for everyone to sit down. Slowing down his tone, he said: "Moreover, the root cause of this matter is my fault. It was inappropriate to use food as a credit guarantee. No, after just a few years, you gave me a blow on the head."

"Your Highness is serious," everyone hurriedly comforted His Highness: "In that situation, Suzhou was in danger and the court was powerless. Your Highness, a clever woman, could not make a living without rice. She used food stamps to revive this dead game and let everyone profit. It was enough to shock. For the gods."

"At that time, it was OK to use food for emergency purposes, but it didn't have the ability to serve as a long-term credit guarantee." Zhu Zhen said with a slight expression on his face: "So it must be withdrawn from circulation."

"Your Highness, you must not do it. Food stamps are a good thing!" Gu Yuanchen hurriedly advised: "It solved the money shortage in Suzhou and even the entire Jiangnan in one fell swoop. Now Jiangnan can have such a vibrant scene where all things are competing. Your Highness’s stroke of genius must be remembered as the first achievement.”

"Yes, if the food stamps are canceled now, Jiangnan will fall into the same depression as before." Everyone nodded. As those who had witnessed the whole incident, this was their consensus.

"Your Highness, think twice." They advised together.

"Hahaha, you have misunderstood. I only said that grain should be withdrawn from circulation, but not that food stamps should be withdrawn from circulation." Zhu Zhen couldn't help but laugh:
"To put it bluntly, it is to exchange the food stamps for a credit guarantee and no longer use food."

"What's the use?" Everyone asked eagerly looking at him.

"Gold and silver are naturally currencies, so of course we use gold and silver." Zhu Zhen said solemnly: "You can get it right in one step, and you will never have any worries!"

"Hiss..." Everyone gasped, not expecting His Highness to be so arrogant.

The rumor that His Highness found gold and silver in Japan seems to be true.

"It is natural for the common people to be able to use gold and silver to replace food." Gu Yuanchen is now in charge of food stamps and had to remind His Highness:
"But Your Highness, the total denomination of the food stamps we issued has exceeded [-] million taels. Even based on the current food price, it will take [-] million taels of silver to redeem it."

"No," Zhu Zhen shook his head decisively and said, "According to the original food price, my food stamps must not deceive the common people!"

"Then it will cost [-] million taels of silver, Your Highness!" Everyone was shocked and said, "The entire Ming Dynasty doesn't have that much silver!"

"But Japan does." Zhu Zhen counted calmly: "Shen Rong knows that we have four mining areas in Japan, which will be put into production in the next few years. In a few years, the annual output of 2000 million taels of silver will be no problem." Zhu Zhen calculated: "If we trade with Japan, we can earn 1000 million taels of silver a year. Coupled with the Shanghai Zheng Yamen's annual income of 2000 million taels, we should be able to cover this bottom."

After a pause, he said again:
"Besides, we don't need to prepare so much silver. I estimate that a reserve of about [-]% is enough to meet the payment."

"That's 6000 million taels..." Everyone suddenly felt that the pressure was not so great. They have earned almost this amount of money from overseas trade over the years.

A familiar feeling suddenly arose, and everyone had a premonition that His Highness was going to cut their leeks again.

Sure enough, I heard Lao Liu slowly say: "But whether it is gold or silver mines or trade with Japan, it will take time. It will take two years to reach this level. If we want to guarantee payment now, there is still a gap of 3000 million taels a year. …”

"Here, give it." Upon hearing that half of the money was left, the big merchants immediately said without hesitation. The familiar look made people feel distressed.

(End of this chapter)