I studied in modern times

Chapter 922 Iron Money and Giant Ships

Lianzhou (approximately in Hepu County, Beihai City, Guangxi Province today) was the most important external window of the Song Dynasty in Guangnan West Road. Since ancient times, it has been an important starting point and transit station of the Maritime Silk Road.

Today, it has become a maritime transportation hub connecting Jiaozhou, Leizhou, Yazhou, and Jiaozhi, and transporting grain and commercial goods.

It is also the most important shipbuilding base in the entire Guangnan West Road.

The biggest local tyrant in Lianzhou was Cen Ziting, who was honored as General Huaiyuan, Envoy of the Dongxi Border Area, and Governor of Lianzhou.

It was late October, but the temperature in Lianzhou was still a warm and comfortable 20 degrees.

Under the sea breeze of the North Sea, Cen Ziting personally led Cai Jing and walked in the workshop of Lianzhou Money Supervisor.

After that, he inspected the whole prison inside and out.

Cen Ziting ordered the director of the Lianzhou Money Bureau to fetch a dozen iron coins and show them to Cai Jing.

Cen Ziting introduced: "Please look, Minister Jinglüe, this is the iron coin that Minister Zhang ordered me to supervise before he left office..."

Cai Jing nodded slightly, took the iron coin presented by Cen Ziting, and played with it in his hand.

He knew that the Song Dynasty was short of financial resources.

Therefore, if local officials want to make money, they have to come up with some crooked ideas.

Among them, the best way is to use cast iron coins to reap the benefits.

Especially as Shaanxi, Xihe, Chengdu, Zizhou and other routes began to use iron coins.

All officials in the country who were ambitious began to envy the benefits of iron money.

For example, Wu Juhou used the Xuzhou Liguojian to cast large iron coins in Jingdong Road.

At its peak, the amount of large iron coins minted by Li Guojian reached one million strings in one year.

Unfortunately, this iron money cannot be used anywhere.

Wu Juhou messed up!
The iron used in Liguojian is not only brittle, but can also easily break and crack during use.

At the same time, Jingdong Road is located in the east of the city, with developed transportation. It has been a commercial hub since ancient times, with highly developed economy and finance, and does not have an environment for the circulation of iron coins.

Therefore, the iron coins cast by Wu Juhou had to be transported to Shaanxi before they could be used.

From Jingdong Road, millions of strings of iron coins were transported to Shaanxi for use...

The shipping cost alone is an astronomical figure.

Under such circumstances, the iron money of Li Guojian is actually a loss.

It’s just that Wu Juhou is good at managing upwards and exploiting downwards.

The costs were all spread over the people of Jingdong Road and the craftsmen of Liguojian, and the situation was barely maintained.

However, in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the previous emperor passed away, and the craftsmen of Liguojian immediately rioted and drove him out of office.

Cai Jing personally witnessed the Wu Juhou case and participated in the related trial work.

So he was very clear about the pros and cons of iron money.

Holding the iron coin in his hand, Cai Jing asked the key question: "Governor Cen, what is the quality of this iron coin?"

JD’s iron coins are extremely costly because they are brittle, but have extremely poor liquidity!
I can’t even spend it in Shaanxi!

You have to offer a 20% or even 50% discount before anyone will buy it!
As luck would have it, when Wu Juhou minted these iron coins, the Ministry of Revenue, in order to circulate them, gave them as rewards to the soldiers in various parts of Shaanxi.

When the soldiers got these inferior Jingdong iron coins, they depreciated two to three times or even four to five times.

This is very demoralizing.

After the current emperor ascended the throne, he did this to clean up the mess made by Wu Juhou, a jerk who made inferior iron coins.

The government had no choice but to take money from the sealed warehouse and give it to Fan Chuncui, the then Shaanxi Transport Commissioner, and Deng Wan of Yongxing Military Road, and ordered the two to collect the iron coins from various soldiers in Shaanxi.

As far as Cai Jing knew, this expenditure alone was at least 300,000 strings of cash.

This boosted the morale of the troops along the border.

This is how we won the war last year.

Otherwise... the consequences will be disastrous!
"Money?" How could Cen Ziting know this? He blinked his eyes, looked at Cai Jing and said, "My lord, I don't know much about this..."

"But the iron coins cast by my Lianzhou Mint are made of fine iron from Xuzhou!"

"This was brought from Xuzhou when Mr. Zhang was still alive..."

"When Mr. Zhang discussed this with me, he said that after these iron coins are cast, they should be circulated in the market first..."

“If the gentry and common people accept it, we will go to Xuzhou to invite craftsmen to come south and build an iron smelting workshop in Lianzhou to produce fine iron. Then, we can use Lianzhou iron coins to circulate in Jiaozhou, Jiaozhi, and even in Nanyang, Dashi and other countries!”

"Unfortunately, before the iron coins were cast, Mr. Zhang heard the bad news and had to return home to attend the funeral..." Cen Ziting said with great regret: "The issuance of Lianzhou iron coins has to be put on hold... The invitation of craftsmen from Xuzhou to go south has also had to be suspended..."

"Fine iron!?" Cai Jing looked carefully at the iron coin in his hand and stroked the patterns on it.

Only then did he realize that this iron coin was indeed completely different from the Jingdong iron coins he had seen in Bian Jing.

The iron coins cast by Wu Juhou are very rough, with a light yellowish-brown surface. They can break into pieces with a slight tap with a hammer, and the broken pieces are often uneven.

The iron coins in his hands had a smooth surface, and the small characters engraved on both sides were clearly visible.

Cai Jing tentatively picked up an iron coin and smashed it hard against a stove beside him.

Clang!
The crisp sound of metal colliding was heard.

Zhou Bangyan, who was beside Cai Jing, immediately bent down to pick up the iron coin and showed it to Cai Jing.

Cai Jing took it and examined it carefully in his hand.

He found that the previous blow only left a faint mark on the surface of one side of the iron coin.

The coin as a whole is still intact, smooth and has no deformation.

This is indeed fine iron!
And it is top quality fine iron!

Cai Jing's mind suddenly became hot.

He looked at Cen Ziting and asked, "When Prime Minister Zhang was alive, did he ever tell us what the price of Lianzhou iron coins should be exchanged for copper coins?"

Cen Ziting bowed and replied: "I will report this to you, Prime Minister. Prime Minister Zhang originally decided that according to the Xining currency system, copper coins would be used as half the price of iron coins..."

Cai Jing's memory is very strong.

During the Yuanfeng period, he worked as a Zhongshu Sheren, and was able to enter Chongwenyuan and Xueshiyuan, where he read documents from past dynasties and forced himself to memorize the contents of many important documents.

Among them, some important documents of the Xining Reform are naturally the top priority.

Therefore, Cai Jing knew what the so-called "Xining Currency System" mentioned by Cen Ziting was.
If he remembered correctly, this so-called Xining Coin Law, which allowed copper coins to be used as iron coins

It should be the eighth year of Xining, when the late emperor issued an order through the Dali Temple to Shaanxi, Chengdu and other places - to calculate the stolen goods in Sichuan and Shaanxi, and to use two iron coins as one copper coin.

This is just an order used in the judicial field, purely for calculating the amount involved in the case and the sentencing standards.

The purpose was to crack down on the increasingly serious public security problems in the Sichuan-Shaanxi region, especially in Shaanxi.

In reality, the exchange rate between iron coins and copper coins in Sichuan and Shaanxi has been maintained at ten to one for decades (in the tenth year of Dazhong Xiangfu, Ling Ce was the governor of Yizhou and reformed the iron coins, using twelve pounds of iron to cast one coin and one copper coin to exchange for ten. After that, the value of iron coins in the Northern Song Dynasty remained stable until the wise Zhao Ji came to power...).

"Two for one..." Cai Jing took a deep breath and looked at Cen Ziting: "Did Mr. Zhang really say that?"

"How dare I deceive you, sir!" Looking at Cen Ziting's confident look.

Cai Jing began to pace, his heart filled with the thought of two iron coins for one.

He knew that as long as this thing could be accomplished and the people could accept it.

It’s a great achievement!
Not to mention the big plan that Zhang Dun had originally planned as mentioned by Cen Ziting - to travel to Jiaozhou, Jiaozhi, the Nanyang countries, and even the Arab world!
If this cake is done.

Then why would Cai Jing and Cai Yuanchang have to worry about not being able to become prime ministers?

Just thinking about the glory of becoming prime minister, Cai Jing could no longer suppress his inner excitement.

This is becoming a prime minister!
The prime minister is always very polite to his ministers, and all the officials give way to him!

After the present emperor ascended the throne, he vowed, in accordance with the teachings of the previous emperor, not to punish the prime ministers or kill officials above the rank of deputy prime minister.

Specifically for ministers at the prime minister level, as long as they do not plot treason or commit heinous crimes.

Then the crime ends with dismissal.

This is the gold medal to avoid death!
As a result, the value of the prime minister of the Song Dynasty reached a higher level.

Cai Jing naturally dreamed of becoming prime minister.

In order to become prime minister, he dared to do anything and use any method.

And the current emperor, Cai Jing, is very clear about this.

He attached great importance to political achievements, and ministers with good political achievements could win his favor.

At the same time, His Majesty actually doesn’t care at all about how the ministers achieved their political achievements!
Thinking of this, Cai Jing suddenly turned around and looked at Cen Ziting: "Governor Cen!"

"The subordinate is here!"

"This governor authorizes the provincial governor to try out iron coins in Lianzhou, Qinzhou, and Jiaozhou!"

After thinking for a while, Cai Jing resolutely said: "As for the exchange rate between iron coins and copper coins..."

"For the time being, let's implement it at the ratio of four iron coins to one copper coin!"

He was still timid and afraid of screwing up.

What if the people don't recognize this iron money and can't spend it? How embarrassing would that be? !
An exchange rate of four to one is enough to achieve political achievements.

Besides, we will see the situation in the future. If the people really accept iron money, there will still be time to slowly adjust the exchange rate.

Cen Ziting listened and bowed happily, "Yes!"

"Your subordinate respectfully obeys the order of the Minister of War!"

If the Lianzhou Mint could successfully issue iron coins, it would not only be a political achievement for him, and he could be rewarded by the court, but it would also be a long-term meal ticket for his family.

As long as it can be issued successfully, the profit may not be less than that of the local rich people who grow sugarcane in Jiaozhou.

……

After leaving the Lianzhou Money House, Cen Ziting took Cai Jing to inspect several shipyards in the coastal ports of Lianzhou.

And introduced Lianzhou's shipbuilding industry.

The materials and technologies used in Lianzhou's shipbuilding industry are different from those in Guangnan East Road, Fujian and other places.

The boats here are mainly made of local fir pine as keel, tung oil, lime, hemp and other materials are used to fill the gaps in the hull to prevent water leakage, and the local bird-shaped wood is used as the rudder, and the local bamboo is used as the sail frame. The masts are made of red bud wood or black bud wood, which are unique to Qinzhou and Lianzhou, because this hardwood has dense texture, is strong and durable, and is large enough to withstand all kinds of severe storms at sea without breaking.

Because since ancient times, they have had contacts with merchants from Southeast Asia, Arabia and other places.

Therefore, Lianzhou’s ships have always been professional sea vessels.

This can be seen from the number of sails used by Lianzhou ships - generally three to twelve sails.

When the sails are spread out, they are like mats, with a large windward area, making them very suitable for ocean sailing.

At the same time, the cabins are generally large.

The cabin not only has cargo holds, but also special cabins for food and drinking water.

During his inspection, Cai Jing saw a huge ship whose keel was being laid in a dry dock.

This giant ship is incredibly huge just from the keel level. It is dozens of feet long from front to back and more than ten feet wide!
If it is completed, it will be as big as a mountain!
Cai Jing read it carefully outside the Imperial Palace and sighed, "I have heard that during the Yuanfeng period, An Houqing (An Tao) and Chen Heshu (Chen Mu) were ordered to board the Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji and Lingfei Shunji divine ships to go on a diplomatic mission to Goryeo..."

"If this ship is built, it will probably be no smaller than the Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji and Lingfei Shunji back then!"

The Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji and Lingfei Shunji were giant cross-sea ships built by the Song Dynasty in Mingzhou during the Yuanfeng period, using the skilled craftsmen of Mingzhou. Their purpose was to promote national prestige.

Cai Jing never imagined that in Lianzhou in Lingnan.

In this remote place since ancient times, lies a giant ship that is no less big than Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji and Lingfei Shunji.

Seeing Cai Jing's shock, Cen Ziting smiled and introduced with a hint of pride: "So that the Minister Jinglüe can know..."

"This ship was built in February this year by Prime Minister Zhang, who, in compliance with the imperial decree, summoned skilled craftsmen from Lianzhou and Qinzhou, used the money of the envoys of this route, and improved and enlarged the old giant ship 'Guangchuan' from Lianzhou..."

"In order to make it sail far into the South Seas without fear of wind and waves, Mr. Zhang used icing sugar as a profit and bought local ironwood from merchants in Srivijaya, Japa and other countries in the South Seas to replace our Lianzhou fir and pine as the keel..."

"Make it indestructible and resistant to sea waves!"

Cen Ziting said a lot, but Cai Jing only heard one sentence: "In February of this year, Prime Minister Zhang built it in accordance with the imperial decree."

Ah!
This is a royal warship!

The government must be watching!

What’s even more interesting is that it seems that Zhang Dun has already laid a good foundation for this matter.

As for Cai Jing, all he had to do was build this giant ship based on Zhang Dun's work, and it would be a great achievement, and he could write a memorial to the emperor to ask for credit.

If we can go a step further, make it even stronger.

Cai Jing knew that given the emperor's character, he would definitely be very pleased!
So Cai Jing made the decision immediately.

This giant ship is Cai Yuanchang’s top priority after taking office in Guangxi!

The issuance of Lianzhou iron coins will also be ranked after this ship.

The reason is very simple - even if the issuance of iron coins was successful, it would only be a political achievement. It would be a great achievement if it could reduce Cai Jing's trial time by one year.

However, this huge ship in front of us was a mission assigned by the government.

This is the royal ship!

As long as it is completed on time, the emperor will be very pleased!
Perhaps, with an imperial edict, his official rank could be promoted to a higher level.

This is much better than struggling to achieve political achievements.

Besides this, there is one more thing——

This ship was built by Zhang Dun in accordance with imperial orders.

If it was built under his leadership, it would be better and more advanced than Zhang Dun's plan.

When the government knows this, they will surely realize that Cai Yuanchang is more capable and better at doing things than Zhang Zihou.

(End of this chapter)