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Chapter 1092: Tang Dynasty Treasure Notes (Part )

"No, the Royal Guards remain independent and accountable to me."

Li Yan flatly rejected Chu Suiliang's proposal and said with a serious face: "Gentlemen, there is one thing you must understand. The East Factory is not under the jurisdiction of the court, but under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance is also under my direct jurisdiction, and the officials of the three provinces are just supervisors."

"The Finance Temple has its own set of supervisory bodies, and is not under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple and the Censorate. Even if the Censorate conducts inspections in the future, it will only be a temporary supervision under the Emperor's order when you are not able to manage well."

"The Finance Temple is a very independent institution, which involves a lot of financial resources and secrets. It cannot be allowed to be infiltrated by the civil service system at will. You have to understand this clearly."

Chu Suiliang was shocked and said, "I understand."

"In addition, the Jinyiwei are my eyes and ears, and they are specially authorized by the emperor to monitor the four directions."

Li Yan looked at Chu Suiliang expressionlessly and said decisively: "It still maintains its original independence, is not subject to the three provinces and six ministries, nor is it subject to the constraints of your Finance Temple. It directly obeys my orders. It is appointed by me to be responsible for the security of the Finance Temple."

“A special executive body shall also be set up in your Finance Temple.”

"The East Factory was originally developed by the Jinyiwei in order to perform its functions. Many of the spies sent to other forces were extended through the East Factory's caravans. You don't have to worry about this. Just plan the normal business and make money."

Chu Suiliang said with embarrassment: "Your Majesty, doesn't this mean that the East Factory has two management agencies? What if a conflict arises?"

"Humph, the East Factory has always had only one management agency, the Imperial Guard."

Li Yan said bluntly: "The main task of the Finance Temple is to manage the printing and issuance of Tang Dynasty's treasure notes. I just think that the East Factory can be developed into an important asset of the court, and I don't want to set up another agency, so I merged it into the Finance Temple."

"As for the treasure banknotes, the main management authority lies with the Finance Temple, and you are the one in charge. The Jinyiwei is just helping you to guard your safety."

"As for the asset management of the Tang Dynasty, the East Factory and the Imperial Guard are the main ones. You just need to manage the financial accounts. The Imperial Guard's orders are still under the East Factory's charge and are not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Shangshu."

Chu Suiliang suddenly realized that this was the case. The status of asset management in the Finance Temple was just like the status of the Finance Temple in the imperial court.

It seems that the emperor values ​​Jinyiwei and Dongchang more. Through these two departments, he controls the Finance Temple, and in the future, he can control the financial resources of the court through the Finance Temple. With financial resources in hand, personnel power and military power are inseparable.

As if he understood the emperor's train of thought, Chu Suiliang secretly admired him, and at the same time, he felt more important about his position as the Minister of Finance. No wonder the emperor asked the chief officials of the three provinces to serve as his deputy, which showed that he was in the emperor's heart.

The status of this Finance Temple is no less than that of the three provinces!

Thinking that the emperor had handed over such an important department to his hands, his previous complaints about being ignored disappeared, and Chu Suiliang excitedly took out a neatly arranged and beautifully crafted piece of paper from his arms.

"Your Majesty, this is the sample of the treasure note that I have gathered the top craftsmen from more than a dozen banks in Chang'an to make. What do you think of it?"

"Oh, so fast, Qing is really efficient!" Li Yan was excited and hurriedly took it, unfolded it in his hand and looked at it carefully.

I saw that this banknote was of the denomination of one Guan, one foot long and six inches wide, which is equivalent to 36χ 22 centimeters in later generations, and is one circle larger than an A paper.

The whole texture is made of mulberry paper, and the four sides of the treasure note are decorated with dragon patterns and sea water patterns. The six Chinese characters "大唐通行宝札" are on the top of the note, the "壹贯" note amount is on the top of the middle, and below it are ten strings of copper coins.

On both sides are the words "Datang Baochao" and "Tianxia Tongxing" in seal script respectively.

The note at the bottom reads, "The Ministry of Finance has approved the printing of Tang Dynasty treasure notes, which are to be used in circulation along with copper coins. Anyone who forges them will be executed, and anyone who informs them will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver."

October 1, the 19th year of Zhenguan Period in the Tang Dynasty!
Li Yan nodded in satisfaction. Although it looked very crude and lacked the various technologies of later generations, it was already the best that could be achieved in this era. Basically, all the popular anti-counterfeiting methods were used.

However, Li Yan knew that in any era, technology alone was not enough. The most important anti-counterfeiting method was the court's laws and steel knives.

Without the deterrent effect of strong national power, any technology can be easily cracked.

If a small power dares to do this to a big country's treasure banknotes, it will confiscate the family and exterminate the clan. If a big power does this, it is undoubtedly a declaration of war. If there is really the strength to challenge the majesty of a big country, it is better to rob it directly, which is more satisfying than counterfeiting treasure banknotes.

Li Yan did not use the system to add any blessing to Baochao. Firstly, no matter what he did, he had to base himself on the present, so that he would not deviate too far and would not rely too much on the system; secondly, he deliberately left a loophole.

If any clan or force dares to take the risk, he can justifiably send troops to destroy it.

Li Yan looked at the A4-sized banknote, and thought of the palm-sized currency in later times. He frowned and said, "Gentlemen, this banknote is still too big. If you carry it with you, you have to fold it several times, which is very inconvenient, and the printing cost will be very high."

"Can you make it smaller? About a quarter of its size will be enough." The treasure note in Li Yan's hand was similar in size to the Ming Dynasty treasure notes of later generations. Li Yan knew that the Song Dynasty, another unified dynasty after the Five Dynasties, also issued paper money, called Jiaozi. Its size was about 16x9 cm, which was closer to the situation in later generations.

Chu Suiliang nodded quickly and said, "There is no problem with the technology, but it is so small, is it suitable?"

"Haha, Baochao is a universal currency and should be used frequently."

Li Yan knew that the people below made such a large version based on the banknotes, so he reminded them: "Baochao is not a banknote, it doesn't need to be so big. It's best to just fold it and put it on your body."

"If you fold it too tightly, it will only shorten the life of the banknote."

"The issuing department will collect damaged old coins every once in a while, replace them with new ones, and circulate them. If they depreciate too quickly, the cost will be very high."

When Chu Suiliang heard this, he thought about the scene and nodded immediately, saying, "Your Majesty is wise, it is indeed so. I was not thoughtful enough, please forgive me."

"It's okay. This is your first time doing this too, and you're still learning as you go along."

Li Yan tried his best to give suggestions: "You can make the paper a little thicker. The silver notes are still too thin and easily damaged. In the bill law, strengthen the protection of the treasure notes. Those who deliberately damage the treasure notes will be punished as illegal."

"In addition, we can charge a cost of one or two coins for exchanging old banknotes for new ones. If the banknotes are seriously damaged, we can charge a corresponding fee. If the banknotes are damaged by more than half, they will not be exchanged."

'Well'

Chu Suiliang was stunned: "Your Majesty, I understand that the cost of damaged banknotes should be increased, but why not exchange them if it's more than half? Isn't this letting the people suffer losses in vain?"

"This is to make people cherish their banknotes."

Li Yan said with a serious face: "If it is damaged less than half, it can be said to be unintentional damage, or it is too old or improperly stored. If it is more than half, someone will deliberately exploit the loophole, tear the treasure banknote in half, and come to exchange it for new banknotes."

"Can the court afford this loss?"

Chu Suiliang thought about it and immediately broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty is very thoughtful, and I am not as good as you. If it weren't for your reminder, I would have almost made a big mistake."

"It doesn't matter. I said, we are all still groping in the dark."

Li Yan waved his hand and said calmly: "All the rules and regulations are being established now. You should try your best to think of all the loopholes. In the future, if you find new problems in the implementation process, you can correct them in time."

"In addition, the denominations of the treasure notes must also be regulated and cannot be printed in disorder."

Chu Suiliang was now convinced by the emperor and asked honestly, "Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

"For amounts below one guan, we should continue to use copper coins. These small amounts are used by the people in large quantities and frequently. Using treasure notes is difficult to manage and the cost is too high, so the Ministry of Finance has not printed small-denomination banknotes."

Li Yan tried his best to combine the present situation with the future, taking the best from the best and making up for the shortcomings: "No more than 100 guan will be printed, and will be left to the money houses so that they can continue to operate. The court will only print denominations between 1 guan and 100 guan, with denominations of 1 guan, 2 guan, 5 guan, 10 guan, 20 guan, 50 guan, and 100 guan."

"These seven are enough. With the addition of copper coins and silver notes, the whole system is basically complete."

"Also, among the seven denominations I just mentioned, we can divide them into different sizes based on their area, so that people can tell the denominations at a glance."

"We try to differentiate the printed patterns and colors as much as possible. For example, different denominations can be printed with patterns of the Great Wall, snow-capped mountains, high mountains, and the sea to show that the Tang Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, and reflects the scenery in all directions."

"On the largest denomination of 100 guan, a thumbnail of Chang'an City or Taiji Palace should be printed to reflect the intention of the court to govern with virtue, just like the North Star, which is the center and all the stars share it. You should have thought of all this."

Chu Suiliang's eyes lit up and he quickly took note of it. Li Yan's casual words opened his mind and made him realize that there was actually so much that could be done on a simple treasure note.

Through different patterns, the court's idea of ​​great unification can be deeply rooted in people's hearts.

People of all ethnic groups from all over the world use these precious banknotes every day to constantly remind them that we belong to the same country, have the same blood, the same culture, speak the same language, and use the same currency.

Naturally, it can strengthen their sense of identity and cohesion with the court. It's really wonderful. Suddenly, Chu Suiliang had a lot of ideas in his mind.

The two discussed some details. At this time, Wang De came in and said, "Your Majesty, King Wu Li Ke requests to see you."

(End of this chapter)