Late Han Zhao Tang

"Write a letter to Zhang Feng, urging him to prioritize the relief of powerful clans, punish rebellious barbarians, and appease and govern those who submit, without being too hasty!"

Inside the Zichen Palace, Zhang Yu, dressed casually, sat relaxed. On the table sat an ice chest filled with various fruits and Zhang Yu's favorite milk tea. Sipping the iced milk tea through a silver straw, Zhang Yu felt instantly refreshed in the sweltering summer heat.

Straws have existed since ancient times; during the Han and Wei dynasties, they were called "jade cups." A lotus leaf was rolled into a cup shape, and the drink was then sipped through the leaf stem. Now, Zhang Yu commissioned a craftsman to create a silver straw for him, engraved with dragon patterns. Upon closer inspection, it appears as if the dragon is soaring through clouds and mist, its silvery surface gleaming and attracting attention.

Although the silver straws were beautiful, Zhang Yu was almost criticized by his subordinates for being extravagant. Fortunately, Zhang Yu had the cost calculated and found it to be low, thus avoiding accusations of wastefulness. Even so, the officials in charge of accounting specifically reminded Zhang Yu that the tableware expense quota was almost reached, and that he should not procure tableware without justification in the future.

"Your Majesty, although Sun Ce led troops to pacify the southern regions, the counties are not yet well governed, and some counties are not under our rule. For example, since the end of the Han Dynasty, the Souyi people have rebelled several times, and the governor dares not take office. He lives far away in Anshang County, more than 800 li away from the county. He is just a figurehead!"

Du Ji reported: "The current Governor of Nanzhong wants to reclaim Yuexi County and requests the Ministry of Personnel to send a prefect to govern it. As for the other county officials, apart from the replacement of the prefect, all other county officials with a good reputation should be appointed."

Zhang Yu looked at Tian Feng and asked, "When you went on your southern expedition to Ba and Shu, did you know about the events in Yuexi County?"

"Your Majesty, I have heard of Feng Cu!"

Tian Feng said, "There are tens of thousands of barbarian tribes in Yuexi County. Among them, the Zhuoma tribe in the northern border is the most fierce and does not obey orders. Next, the Suqi tribe in the western border is fickle. The Suqi tribe is the most powerful and has been related to the Maoniu Yi by marriage for generations."

"Among them, the Maoniu Qiang were powerful and had occupied the Hanjia Commandery since ancient times. During the old Han Dynasty, a vassal state was established there, governed by the Maoniu Commandant, and soldiers were stationed there to maintain the main road from Shu Commandery to Yuexi. The road was called Lingguan, which was flat and close. However, after the chaos of the Later Han Dynasty, the soldiers were reduced, and the Maoniu Qiang cut off the road for several decades. The road was changed to Anshang, which was dangerous and far away."

After a moment's consideration, Tian Feng said, "If we wish to retake Yuexi County, we must first pacify the Maoniu Qiang. The barbarians of the two counties are in contact with each other and cannot be cut off. If the campaign is not carried out properly, it may cause a rebellion among the barbarians. Therefore, the selection of a prefect should be done with great care."

"I recall that Wang Ling was appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief. Now I appoint Wang Ling to lead troops to suppress the rebels. If necessary, we can request the Governor of Yizhou, Gao Shun, to mobilize troops." Zhang Yu asked, "Does the Prefect have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

"Your Majesty," Du Ji reported, "the Imperial Secretariat inquired of Inspector Sun, who recommended Dong He, the former Prefect of Yunnan. Dong He was an honest and upright official who treated the barbarians with sincerity and openness, and was loved by the people of the south. When he left office, the barbarians gathered to see him off, so Inspector Sun believed that Dong He was a capable official."

In the early days, due to the initial conquest of Sichuan and Chongqing, Zhang Yu appointed Man Chong as the governor of Yizhou and Sun Zi as the governor of Sichuan and Chongqing. These appointments were to recruit talented individuals from Sichuan for the Tang Dynasty and to inspect the governance of counties and prefectures along the way, much like the inspection teams of later generations, who had the right to verify the officials of the prefectures and prefectures.

Sun Zi spent more than a year in Bashu, inspecting the north and the south. He received high praise from all the counties and prefectures he visited, and recommended many civil and military officials to the central government.

Zhang Yu hesitated for a moment before saying, "According to what the Minister of State said, Dong He is good at governing and bringing peace to the people. Now, the Yuexi County is overrun with barbarians, and the county officials cannot take office. We should send someone who is both civil and military."

"There may be one person Your Majesty can use!"

Yang Jun said, "Huang Quan, also known as Huang Gongheng, is from Langzhong, Bazhou. When Sun Jun went to Bazhou to pacify the region, he met Huang Quan, a local official. After talking with him, he recognized Huang Quan's great talent and ordered him to visit Chang'an. I debated with him and believed that Huang Gongheng was adaptable and resourceful, and that his talents would surely be revealed when the time was right. Therefore, I kept him in Chang'an and delayed his appointment."

"Now Yuexi County is in great turmoil, and the county officials are unable to take up their posts. This is the time for Huang Quan to use his military power."

"Huang Quan, Huang Gongheng?"

After careful consideration and recalling Huang Quan's historical achievements, Zhang Yu said, "Since Huang Quan possesses the wisdom to plan, then let him serve as the Prefect of Yuexi. Let him first go to Nanzhong to meet Wang Ling and discuss the matter of restoring the prefecture with Wang Ling!"

"As ordered!"

Suppressing the warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty was only the first step. To restore the empire to its peak during the Han Dynasty, Zhang Yu needed to wage war in all directions to reclaim lost prefectures. Compared to fighting battles, restoring abolished prefectures was the most time-consuming task. Once things were somewhat settled in the south, Zhang Ze, the Minister of the Imperial Household, presented Zhang Yu with the "Divine Martial Coin".

The Shenwu Tongbao was a new coin minted by Zhang Yu, intended to gradually replace the Han Dynasty's Wuzhu coins. After all, how could a new dynasty and a new society continue to use old coins?

Of course, there were far too many Wuzhu coins in circulation. For example, during the Western Han Dynasty, from the reign of Emperor Wu of Han to the reign of Emperor Ping of Han, a period of 120 years, more than 28 billion Wuzhu coins were minted. If we include the Eastern Han Dynasty, the total number of Wuzhu coins would probably be as high as 60 or 70 billion.

Therefore, the Tang Dynasty could neither ban the Wuzhu coin nor prevent its circulation. However, it could continuously buy back copper coins from the market and recast them into new coins through market operations.

The Shenwu Tongbao coin was round on the outside and square on the inside, with exquisite material. It was larger than the Wuzhu coin and almost flawless. Zhang Yu examined it for a while and asked, "How much does one coin weigh?"

“The Shenwu Tongbao weighs about seven zhu (about five grams), while the Wuzhu coin weighs five zhu (about 3.5 grams). Compared to the other two, my coin weighs two zhu, ten coins weigh about three liang, and one string weighs about nineteen jin,” Zhang Ze said.

汉代时期，1两=24铢，1斤=16两。至于1钱=10两的概念，需要等到唐代才有。

"What is the price of copper? Is it profitable to cast copper now?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhang Ze submitted a memorial, stating: "The price of copper is 81 wen and wuzhu coins per jin. Now, the recasting of Shenwu Tongbao coins will yield approximately 52 wen per jin. However, if it is stipulated that one Shenwu coin is equivalent to two wen and wuzhu coins, then I can use 40 wen to buy one jin of copper and recast 52 wen coins, thus making a profit of 12 wen."

"However, if large coins are recast with the reign title inscribed, the costs of labor, food, tin, charcoal, and lead in the coinage, even if private minting resumes, cannot cover the costs of twelve coins. Therefore, private minting should be completely stopped!"

The Tang Dynasty's exchange of Wuzhu coins for recasting could not have been out of charity; naturally, they wanted to profit from it. However, to prevent merchants from privately minting coins, besides ensuring the coins were exquisitely made, the key was to make it unprofitable for them.

Therefore, Zhang Ze did the math for Zhang Yu: Zhang Yu could mint 52 coins from one jin of copper, but he bought it for 40 coins. Twelve coins had to be deducted for costs such as labor, food, lead and paper money, tin and charcoal, and mold making.

Therefore, the profits involved are too small, unless it reaches a certain scale like the imperial court. However, the cost of committing the crime of privately minting copper coins on a certain scale is too high, so almost no one dares to do it, and therefore it is unlikely that anyone would privately mint copper coins.

However, if Wuzhu coins are purchased to mint Shenwu coins, with one Shenwu coin being equivalent to two Wuzhu coins, and the difference being 1.5 grams, then approximately eight Wuzhu coins can be used to privately mint one Shenwu coin. The profit is considerable, and many private minting merchants will inevitably take advantage of this opportunity.

After assessing the cost of recasting, Zhang Yu shook his head and said, "The coins should be made heavier. Based on this estimate, an eight-wen five-zhu coin is worth four fu (four large coins). However, due to the difference between the two, about one fu (five large coins) can be privately minted for eight-wen five-zhu coins. The profit is substantial, which will inevitably lead people to privately mint larger coins."

Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said, "It would be better to charge by weight in copper, which might eliminate the profit margin."

"If copper is collected in large quantities, wouldn't that cause our dynasty to suffer losses?"

Seeing that Zhang Zeshi lacked economic talent, Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "You are in charge of minting coins as the Minister of the Treasury, but economic calculations are not your forte. Therefore, you can have the officials of the Accounting Department assist you."

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)