Mohist Tang

When Mo Dun brought a car full of Western Regions Qizhen to send Princess Changle back to the palace, before he could leave, he was arrested by Pang De, who was already waiting somewhere. Living.

“Marquis of Mo! Your Majesty please!” Pang De faint smiled at Mo Dun.

Mo Dun hearing this suddenly feel helpless, Li Shimin doesn’t have a good face every time he sees Mo Dun, he still feels a little embarrassed to see Li Shimin now.

When Mo Dun came to the Tai Chi Hall, I saw Dai Zhou and Li Shimin already waiting here. When Mo Dun came in, he suddenly face turned cold and said: “I heard that Chancellor Mo is in Xi The Market is like gold, so cool!” You know that Mo Dun, a wasterel, did not spend his money, but the silk from the Imperial Court. No wonder Li Shimin’s face is black.

Mo Dun haha said with a smile: “Your Majesty is wrong with this small official, this small official is not a hundred flowers, but a lot of information for me, Great Tang.”

Since Mo Dun dared to spend this batch of silk, he naturally thought of a countermeasure long ago, and he didn’t panic in his heart.

Li Shimin coldly snorted and said: “Then I will also listen to how your clever teeth turn black and white.”

“reporting to Your Majesty, compared to those in Honglu Temple Emissary, the information unintentionally revealed by these Foreign Merchants is the most true. After careful investigation on this trip to Xi Market, this small official got one good and one bad news.” Mo Dun sold it.

It’s a pity that Li Shimin and Dai Zhou didn’t catch up at all. They watched Mo Dun acting and directing.

Mo Dun hurriedly said embarrassingly: “The good news is that as soon as this small official sold the silk from the Weaving Bureau on the Xi Market, it was immediately sought after by the majority of Foreign Merchants, indicating that the silk from the Weaving Bureau was still very popular. There is a market.”

Dai Zhou immediately sighed in relief, and finally couldn’t help but ask: “What about the bad news?”

Mo Dun regretted: “It’s a pity that these Foreign Merchant’s Financial and transportation capabilities are limited, and this batch of silk cannot be digested at all. Therefore, the method of selling this batch of silk to Western Regions countries and Western Regions Foreign Merchants simply does not work.”

Silks are used in Great Tang. Luxurious things, even more how in Western Regions or even Persian Arab Empire and other countries, are not to be owned by wealthy princes. Although the price is high, few people can afford it.

Li Shimin and Dai Zhou’s faces suddenly darkened, which was far from what they expected.

“How much cotton will you plant this year?” Li Shimin frowned.

“It has reached 3,000 mu! 400,000 jin of seeded cotton has been harvested” Mo Dun lowered his head. Now Mohist Village is mainly responsible for planting cotton. Of course, Mo Dun knows most about cotton. Under the meticulous care of Mohist Village regardless of cost, the cotton yield per mu directly breaks through the 100-jin mark, which can be described as a bumper harvest.

“In other words, there will be more cotton planting next year!” Li Shimin asked condensedly.

Mo Dun nodded said: “It can be expanded by at least twenty times.”

Li Shimin sucked in a breath of cold air, if at this rate, within a few years, cotton will definitely It will bloom everywhere in Great Tang, and there is really not much time left for silk.

“Why don’t we lower the price to attract Foreign Merchant to buy more silk.” Dai Zhou is also worried.

Mo Dun shook his head and said: “No, Foreign Merchant originally has limited transportation capacity, even if it is cheap, it can’t be shipped much. On the contrary, it damages Great Tang’s due interests.”

Li Shimin nodded, the benefits of silk are too great, how can Great Tang easily let go.

“Since Foreign Merchant can come to Great Tang not far from ten thousand li, can Great Tang also form a caravan to go to the Western Regions.” Li Shimin said, if Great Tang sends a large number of caravans Selling silk, so much silk is definitely not worrying.

“Replying to his Majesty, this move is certainly feasible, but it is only an utterly inadequate measure, and there are many sand pirates on the Silk Road. Most of my Great Tang merchants are law-abiding people, I am afraid it will be difficult. If ……”

Mo Dun did not go on. The meaning is obvious. If the Great Tang caravan wants to take the Silk Road, it must be supported by the Imperial Court and even armed these caravans. The status of Great Tang merchants is low. If these merchants are suddenly armed, even Li Shimin cannot make a decision temporarily.

Li Shimin immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation, staring at Mo Dun with unkind eyes, and said: “putting it that way, you have defeated a cart of silk, now there is no way!”

Mo Dun sighed in his heart, and suddenly knew that if he didn’t take out some dry goods, he would not be able to pass today.

“I wonder if Your Majesty knows about Jianzhiguan City!” Mo Dun bowed.

Li Shimin was at a loss, and Dai Zhou suddenly said: “What Chancellor Mo said was the former Ministry of People High Official Pei Ju Pei, Master Pei used to set up in Zhangye in the previous dynasty. Jianzhiguan City, the Western Regions Foreign Merchants have come here, making Zhangye an important town in the Northwest.”

Li Shimin then suddenly said, “You mean reopening Zhangye Jianzhiguan City! “

Mo Dun nodded and said: “It’s not just Zhangye, this small official believes that any border with other countries can be set up to know the city, and exchange with other countries.”

“Everyone is set up to supervise the city! Do you think you can sell silk in this way?” Li Shimin looked at Mo Dun with a scrutiny gaze.

Mo Dun shook his head and said: “These supervisors can’t digest the silk of Imperial Court, but this is only the 1st Step.”

“1st Step?” Li Shimin and Dai Zhou looked at Mo Dun expectantly.

Mo Dun nodded said: “2nd Step, in these supervising customs, only one kind of money can be used for settlement, and that is silk!”

Li Shimin and Dai Zhou looked at each other in blank dismay and didn’t understand the meaning of Mo Dun’s move, because silk can be used as money in Great Tang!

Mo Dun explained: “This small official discovered in Xi Market that on the Silk Road, there are three currencies, one is Persia Silver Coin, and the other is my Great Tangs Kaiyuan Tongbao. The third is silk. Now, Great Tang only needs to eliminate the other two currencies, and the sales of silk will definitely increase sharply. Of course, for the credibility of Great Tang, this batch of silk is best from the best weaving bureau.”

The biggest advantage of using silk as a currency is that it will not depreciate, and it is a hard currency recognized by the Silk Road. This is where Mo Dun’s confidence lies.

“Wonderful!” Dai Zhou immediately enlightenment. He only wanted Mo Dun to sell this batch of silk, but Mo Dun went out of his way and even regarded silk as both goods and currency. .

“Does this make any difference?” Li Shimin suddenly became confused, puzzled.

Mo Dun showed a hint of confidence: “Replying to his Majesty, as ordinary people want to buy things, do we have to prepare a lot of money in our hands? So as long as Foreign Merchant wants to trade with Great Tang, we must Start with silk. In this way, a large amount of silk will be hoarded in the hands of Foreign Merchant to prepare for the purchase of Great Tang goods. In this way, Does Your Majesty still worry about the origin of the silk weaving bureau?”

Li Shimin’s eyes suddenly light flashed, and he understood the truth in an instant. This is like the treasure house of the rich in the countryside. It must be full of copper coins, and Mo Dun is just replacing the copper coins with silk at this moment. That’s it.

Mo Dun continued: “Not only that, in the future, Great Tang merchants will purchase goods from other countries in the future, and they will also use silk for payment. Moreover, the currencies of Western Regions are not interoperable at all. The fineness of the silk is also the same, but the silk of the Weaving Bureau can maintain its value and is easy to transport. If the transactions of various countries on the Silk Road are settled by silk, then the silk in Your Majesty’s hands may not be enough. !”

This is how Mo Dun thinks about it. Great Tang wants to maximize the benefits of the Silk Road by establishing a Great Tang silk system.