The Ming Dynasty capital was still hot in early autumn.People stood by the river, blowing the wind from the river, and finally felt a little chill.
Dali Temple Minister Gao Xianning and a group of people were waiting at the Longjiang Port Wharf, waiting for the boxes from a large ship to be transported down one after another.
People carefully lifted out six improved six-wheeled hourglass from the cotton-covered boxes.
And there were already two hourglasses on the dock.
This big ship had also set off from Longjiang Port and sailed along the river to the Sichuan Provincial Administration and then headed north along the Tuojiang River to conduct Japanese film observations in Zizhou; then sailed on the same route and returned to the capital.
When Gao Xianning stepped forward to observe, he found that the scales of the six hourglasses were all different; they were not the same as the two hourglasses placed in Longjiang Port.
A look of disappointment suddenly appeared on his face.In this situation, there is no need to ask about the results of the sun movie observations; since the observation time cannot be synchronized, the results are meaningless.
The experiment chaired by Gao Xianning was once a rumor in the capital, but now I am afraid that only jokes will be left.
This kind of thing seems to have also entered the scope of the Jinyiwei's spy.Because the next day, when Gao Xianning went to Dongnuan Pavilion to face the saint, Emperor Zhu Gaoxu took the initiative to comfort him.
Zhu Gaoxu said without raising his head: Many things are not related to methods, they are purely technical issues, and it is really difficult to find accurate timing technology at the moment.Gaosiqing doesn’t have to be too persistent, just keep it as a one-man statement.Next time the fleet goes to the West, I will call the eunuchs on the mission to find the rumored "Euclidean geometric original" in the Arab region; and cooperate with the astronomical observations of the Imperial Heavenly Prison to see if it can be verified by other methods.
While talking, he was still tying his subordinates' abacus and then writing and drawing on paper.
The scene is a bit funny.The burly emperor who was originally leading troops to fight was at this time, and he was fiddling with the abacus there seriously, as if he had become a shopkeeper.
Gao Xianning bowed seriously and said: The emperor’s words are reasonable.
After a while, Xia Yuanji, Qi Tai, Ru Yi, Jian Yi, Song Li and other civil officials also arrived one after another, and everyone gave great gifts to the emperor behind the imperial case.
Flat body.Zhu Gaoxu put down his abacus and brush and raised his hand and said.
Then he looked at the paper in front of him and walked straight to the mint in the south of the outer city, with sufficient raw materials such as copper materials, charcoal smelting (coking coal), and other materials, and sufficient preparations for various matters, he started construction day and night, producing about 100 million coins per year.In addition, there are two mints on the Qinhuai River and two other mints under construction in Taiping Prefecture (Ma'anshan).In the future, the coins will be minted up to 500 million each year.
Since the start of construction of the First Mint, the three types of copper coins minted in ten months are only worth 80,000 guan; according to the price of the new coins twice as much as the old coins, they are only worth 160,000 guan.This currency is just a drop in the bucket for our overall wealth in the Ming Dynasty.It is imperative to cast silver coins.
Xia Yuanji clasped his fists and said: I would like to report that since the Baochao Library (Central Bank Warehouse) already has 80,000 new copper coins, it is better to hand them over to the Ministry of Revenue for use as soon as possible.
Zhu Gaoxu said: I have received the memorial from Xiabutang and have not approved it. It is the matter to be discussed today.When I first established the central bank, I had made it clear that the central bank was in charge of currency, not coins.Xiabutang and Song Tiju also have no direct relationship between superiors and subordinates.
Xia Yuanji said: There is indeed a difference between one word.However, the military expenditure was allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, and the treasury this year was very tight; 80,000 new money could be used for 160,000 old money, and it could also slightly reduce the urgent needs of the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Xia Yuanji and looked at the things on the paper. A silver coin is currently worth about sixty times that of a new copper coin.In the future, the five major mints will be started at the same time, and they can mint tens of millions of coins each year, which can fully meet the needs of currency issuance.
However, if this money is always delivered to the Ministry of Revenue for use in this way and indefinitely, there will be too much currency circulating on the market, and the result will be a vicious depreciation of the currency.This is not the purpose of my establishment of the central bank.
The depreciation rate of currency, that is, inflation, should be related to the total amount of goods and wealth on the market across the country and maintain a certain relationship.Neither the currency is not circulated enough, nor should it be inflation too quickly.
Zhu Gaoxu pondered for a moment and said: Under normal circumstances, the central bank and the Ministry of Revenue are independent yamen.The income of the Ministry of Revenue should mainly come from taxes, rather than directly requesting it from the mint.If Xiabutang is really short of money, he can submit a report to the court and then borrow money from the central bank.
In recent years, loans have been written in blue and do not need to be returned because the new money has just been circulated on the market and a certain amount is needed to meet the needs of the market.
However, in the future, the Ministry of Revenue must record the deficit and return it with tax revenue.
The situation where the imperial court directly subsidized the Ministry of Revenue with government orders should be in special times.
For example, if a natural disaster occurs somewhere, the court should subsidize it by increasing currency inflation.
It is not a simple relief, but a treasury money is used to hire local disaster victims to build water conservancy and road facilities.
In order to unify the tax power, I will issue an edict that the Ministry of Revenue has the right to control all taxes across the country; the Maritime Preparation Department will also be directly under the Ministry of Revenue.You have to find a way to increase revenue and reduce expenditures from maritime tariffs and local tax expenses.
After hearing this, Xia Yuanji had no choice but to say: Since the emperor has set rules, I will submit a memorial to request an order after returning to the yamen, sign the blue letter, and borrow coins from Baochaokuo (Central Bank Warehouse).
Zhu Gaoxu slapped his forehead and found Hu Guang, a bachelor of Hanlin Academy, from the crowd, and said: In a while, Mr. Hu wrote an imperial edict to transfer the Maritime Supplementary Office to the Ministry of Revenue.From now on, the Ministry of Revenue will take charge of taxes and taxes in all parts of the country.
Hu Guang said: I will receive the order.
Zhu Gaoxu said to Xia Yuanji: I hope the Ministry of Revenue will assume the power of central government finance.Xiamen Hall encouraged him.
Xia Yuanji bowed his hands seriously and responded.
Zhu Gaoxu said again: In the past year, I have issued an order to stop issuing the Daming treasure banknotes and minting coins.This national policy does not simply replace treasure money with silver, copper coins.My wish is to solve some of the accumulated problems of the court over the years through monetary and fiscal strategies.
First, deflation means that there is a long-term shortage of money on the market and insufficient currency.
As the country is peaceful and the actual prices of various goods such as grain continue to fall, some officials celebrate, thinking that it is a manifestation of material abundance.
This statement is not wrong, but I don't think it is a good thing.
Because the currency cannot keep up with the economic level, the price of goods has fallen year by year, and the things produced are difficult to sell; this will curb the continued increase in grain and goods, which is extremely unfavorable to wealth growth.
Rich and wealthy households must store coins, gold and silver instead of using them for business.
The reason is very simple. I can buy two stones of rice this year, but three stones next year. It is best to store coins instead of spending them.
A large number of gold, silver and coins stagnate in the cellar, which will cause more severe deflation.
Therefore, the central bank must strictly prohibit private collection of gold and silver, limit the weight of private collection of gold and silver jewelry, and maintain a certain slow depreciation rate of currency so that production can develop.
He paused for a moment and said: Secondly, land annexation, and arable land is concentrated in a few wealthy households year by year.More and more people were extremely poor, which affected the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty and the collection of agricultural taxes, causing financial difficulties in the court.
I have sent people to investigate secretly from many parties, and the reasons for land annexation are very complicated.But there is one major issue that can be alleviated through monetary policy, which is to curb usury.
In addition to hiding coins, rich local households make a living by lending money.Generally, the victims use land licensing, and the profits cannot be repaid, so they can easily lose their land.Therefore, the central bank needs to support state-owned money houses and Dashangbang money houses to lend money under reasonable interest and provide funds for those who are short of money.In short, if you can use capital means to regulate national policies, try not to use rough government orders to restore the credit reputation of the court.
Zhu Gaoxu continued: Third, the problem of the decentralized supply system of military and government offices in various places.Under the scattered supply system, a county sometimes needs to supply more than a dozen local supplies.It cannot be sufficient or quality guaranteed; it also causes great burdens on local people and often requires debt to survive.
The court needed sufficient fiscal revenue and currency circulation to centrally coordinate production, orders and transportation matters.Reduce the burden on the people, improve military and political efficiency, and at the same time boost industry and commerce.
After hearing this, everyone talked for a while.
At this time, Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, worshiped: The emperor works hard to govern, and intends to make drastic changes.However, everything goes against the constitution of ancestors, and if the upper and lower levels cannot follow the rules, the etiquette and law will be shaken.The law remains the same as usual, and it is difficult to change forcefully for a while. If coins are repeatedly handled in various yamen, or if there are treacherous people seeking profits, and even if greed becomes popular, the government will collapse and must be observed.
No one of the ministers immediately refuted Jian Yi's remarks.
However, Qi Tai stood up and said impartially: The emperor intends to eliminate bad policies, and the country is very lucky.What Jianbutang said is also reasonable.The sage should be careful.
Zhu Gaoxu did not argue directly, but instead smiled at Gao Xianning and said: I was right before?Many times, the difficulty lies only in technical issues.
Gao Xianning bent down and said: The wise man is wise.
Zhu Gaoxu did not scold Jian Yi because Jian Yi was right. For example, the constitution of ancestors was indeed very complicated.
Some of the issues mentioned by Zhu Gaoxu were really the system designed by his grandfather. The civil and military dynasty have been in power for decades. Sudden changes may indeed cause political confusion.
Today is over. I feel no comfort in my loyalty to the court. Major matters should be cautious and focused on the long-term. Zhu Gaoxu said.
After hearing this, the ministers bowed and thanked each other.
However, Zhu Gaoxu's determination was not shaken at all due to one or two admonitions from the ministers.
He always firmly believed that with the current level of productivity development, the ruling system that has not changed for thousands of years has actually been no longer suitable for the development of productivity; with the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty and the low state mobilization ability, it is completely inconsistent with the national strength.
Reform is imperative.In the early preparations, Sheng Yong was short of good news to send the Da Silver Mine.
Dali Temple Minister Gao Xianning and a group of people were waiting at the Longjiang Port Wharf, waiting for the boxes from a large ship to be transported down one after another.
People carefully lifted out six improved six-wheeled hourglass from the cotton-covered boxes.
And there were already two hourglasses on the dock.
This big ship had also set off from Longjiang Port and sailed along the river to the Sichuan Provincial Administration and then headed north along the Tuojiang River to conduct Japanese film observations in Zizhou; then sailed on the same route and returned to the capital.
When Gao Xianning stepped forward to observe, he found that the scales of the six hourglasses were all different; they were not the same as the two hourglasses placed in Longjiang Port.
A look of disappointment suddenly appeared on his face.In this situation, there is no need to ask about the results of the sun movie observations; since the observation time cannot be synchronized, the results are meaningless.
The experiment chaired by Gao Xianning was once a rumor in the capital, but now I am afraid that only jokes will be left.
This kind of thing seems to have also entered the scope of the Jinyiwei's spy.Because the next day, when Gao Xianning went to Dongnuan Pavilion to face the saint, Emperor Zhu Gaoxu took the initiative to comfort him.
Zhu Gaoxu said without raising his head: Many things are not related to methods, they are purely technical issues, and it is really difficult to find accurate timing technology at the moment.Gaosiqing doesn’t have to be too persistent, just keep it as a one-man statement.Next time the fleet goes to the West, I will call the eunuchs on the mission to find the rumored "Euclidean geometric original" in the Arab region; and cooperate with the astronomical observations of the Imperial Heavenly Prison to see if it can be verified by other methods.
While talking, he was still tying his subordinates' abacus and then writing and drawing on paper.
The scene is a bit funny.The burly emperor who was originally leading troops to fight was at this time, and he was fiddling with the abacus there seriously, as if he had become a shopkeeper.
Gao Xianning bowed seriously and said: The emperor’s words are reasonable.
After a while, Xia Yuanji, Qi Tai, Ru Yi, Jian Yi, Song Li and other civil officials also arrived one after another, and everyone gave great gifts to the emperor behind the imperial case.
Flat body.Zhu Gaoxu put down his abacus and brush and raised his hand and said.
Then he looked at the paper in front of him and walked straight to the mint in the south of the outer city, with sufficient raw materials such as copper materials, charcoal smelting (coking coal), and other materials, and sufficient preparations for various matters, he started construction day and night, producing about 100 million coins per year.In addition, there are two mints on the Qinhuai River and two other mints under construction in Taiping Prefecture (Ma'anshan).In the future, the coins will be minted up to 500 million each year.
Since the start of construction of the First Mint, the three types of copper coins minted in ten months are only worth 80,000 guan; according to the price of the new coins twice as much as the old coins, they are only worth 160,000 guan.This currency is just a drop in the bucket for our overall wealth in the Ming Dynasty.It is imperative to cast silver coins.
Xia Yuanji clasped his fists and said: I would like to report that since the Baochao Library (Central Bank Warehouse) already has 80,000 new copper coins, it is better to hand them over to the Ministry of Revenue for use as soon as possible.
Zhu Gaoxu said: I have received the memorial from Xiabutang and have not approved it. It is the matter to be discussed today.When I first established the central bank, I had made it clear that the central bank was in charge of currency, not coins.Xiabutang and Song Tiju also have no direct relationship between superiors and subordinates.
Xia Yuanji said: There is indeed a difference between one word.However, the military expenditure was allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, and the treasury this year was very tight; 80,000 new money could be used for 160,000 old money, and it could also slightly reduce the urgent needs of the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhu Gaoxu glanced at Xia Yuanji and looked at the things on the paper. A silver coin is currently worth about sixty times that of a new copper coin.In the future, the five major mints will be started at the same time, and they can mint tens of millions of coins each year, which can fully meet the needs of currency issuance.
However, if this money is always delivered to the Ministry of Revenue for use in this way and indefinitely, there will be too much currency circulating on the market, and the result will be a vicious depreciation of the currency.This is not the purpose of my establishment of the central bank.
The depreciation rate of currency, that is, inflation, should be related to the total amount of goods and wealth on the market across the country and maintain a certain relationship.Neither the currency is not circulated enough, nor should it be inflation too quickly.
Zhu Gaoxu pondered for a moment and said: Under normal circumstances, the central bank and the Ministry of Revenue are independent yamen.The income of the Ministry of Revenue should mainly come from taxes, rather than directly requesting it from the mint.If Xiabutang is really short of money, he can submit a report to the court and then borrow money from the central bank.
In recent years, loans have been written in blue and do not need to be returned because the new money has just been circulated on the market and a certain amount is needed to meet the needs of the market.
However, in the future, the Ministry of Revenue must record the deficit and return it with tax revenue.
The situation where the imperial court directly subsidized the Ministry of Revenue with government orders should be in special times.
For example, if a natural disaster occurs somewhere, the court should subsidize it by increasing currency inflation.
It is not a simple relief, but a treasury money is used to hire local disaster victims to build water conservancy and road facilities.
In order to unify the tax power, I will issue an edict that the Ministry of Revenue has the right to control all taxes across the country; the Maritime Preparation Department will also be directly under the Ministry of Revenue.You have to find a way to increase revenue and reduce expenditures from maritime tariffs and local tax expenses.
After hearing this, Xia Yuanji had no choice but to say: Since the emperor has set rules, I will submit a memorial to request an order after returning to the yamen, sign the blue letter, and borrow coins from Baochaokuo (Central Bank Warehouse).
Zhu Gaoxu slapped his forehead and found Hu Guang, a bachelor of Hanlin Academy, from the crowd, and said: In a while, Mr. Hu wrote an imperial edict to transfer the Maritime Supplementary Office to the Ministry of Revenue.From now on, the Ministry of Revenue will take charge of taxes and taxes in all parts of the country.
Hu Guang said: I will receive the order.
Zhu Gaoxu said to Xia Yuanji: I hope the Ministry of Revenue will assume the power of central government finance.Xiamen Hall encouraged him.
Xia Yuanji bowed his hands seriously and responded.
Zhu Gaoxu said again: In the past year, I have issued an order to stop issuing the Daming treasure banknotes and minting coins.This national policy does not simply replace treasure money with silver, copper coins.My wish is to solve some of the accumulated problems of the court over the years through monetary and fiscal strategies.
First, deflation means that there is a long-term shortage of money on the market and insufficient currency.
As the country is peaceful and the actual prices of various goods such as grain continue to fall, some officials celebrate, thinking that it is a manifestation of material abundance.
This statement is not wrong, but I don't think it is a good thing.
Because the currency cannot keep up with the economic level, the price of goods has fallen year by year, and the things produced are difficult to sell; this will curb the continued increase in grain and goods, which is extremely unfavorable to wealth growth.
Rich and wealthy households must store coins, gold and silver instead of using them for business.
The reason is very simple. I can buy two stones of rice this year, but three stones next year. It is best to store coins instead of spending them.
A large number of gold, silver and coins stagnate in the cellar, which will cause more severe deflation.
Therefore, the central bank must strictly prohibit private collection of gold and silver, limit the weight of private collection of gold and silver jewelry, and maintain a certain slow depreciation rate of currency so that production can develop.
He paused for a moment and said: Secondly, land annexation, and arable land is concentrated in a few wealthy households year by year.More and more people were extremely poor, which affected the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty and the collection of agricultural taxes, causing financial difficulties in the court.
I have sent people to investigate secretly from many parties, and the reasons for land annexation are very complicated.But there is one major issue that can be alleviated through monetary policy, which is to curb usury.
In addition to hiding coins, rich local households make a living by lending money.Generally, the victims use land licensing, and the profits cannot be repaid, so they can easily lose their land.Therefore, the central bank needs to support state-owned money houses and Dashangbang money houses to lend money under reasonable interest and provide funds for those who are short of money.In short, if you can use capital means to regulate national policies, try not to use rough government orders to restore the credit reputation of the court.
Zhu Gaoxu continued: Third, the problem of the decentralized supply system of military and government offices in various places.Under the scattered supply system, a county sometimes needs to supply more than a dozen local supplies.It cannot be sufficient or quality guaranteed; it also causes great burdens on local people and often requires debt to survive.
The court needed sufficient fiscal revenue and currency circulation to centrally coordinate production, orders and transportation matters.Reduce the burden on the people, improve military and political efficiency, and at the same time boost industry and commerce.
After hearing this, everyone talked for a while.
At this time, Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, worshiped: The emperor works hard to govern, and intends to make drastic changes.However, everything goes against the constitution of ancestors, and if the upper and lower levels cannot follow the rules, the etiquette and law will be shaken.The law remains the same as usual, and it is difficult to change forcefully for a while. If coins are repeatedly handled in various yamen, or if there are treacherous people seeking profits, and even if greed becomes popular, the government will collapse and must be observed.
No one of the ministers immediately refuted Jian Yi's remarks.
However, Qi Tai stood up and said impartially: The emperor intends to eliminate bad policies, and the country is very lucky.What Jianbutang said is also reasonable.The sage should be careful.
Zhu Gaoxu did not argue directly, but instead smiled at Gao Xianning and said: I was right before?Many times, the difficulty lies only in technical issues.
Gao Xianning bent down and said: The wise man is wise.
Zhu Gaoxu did not scold Jian Yi because Jian Yi was right. For example, the constitution of ancestors was indeed very complicated.
Some of the issues mentioned by Zhu Gaoxu were really the system designed by his grandfather. The civil and military dynasty have been in power for decades. Sudden changes may indeed cause political confusion.
Today is over. I feel no comfort in my loyalty to the court. Major matters should be cautious and focused on the long-term. Zhu Gaoxu said.
After hearing this, the ministers bowed and thanked each other.
However, Zhu Gaoxu's determination was not shaken at all due to one or two admonitions from the ministers.
He always firmly believed that with the current level of productivity development, the ruling system that has not changed for thousands of years has actually been no longer suitable for the development of productivity; with the vast territory of the Ming Dynasty and the low state mobilization ability, it is completely inconsistent with the national strength.
Reform is imperative.In the early preparations, Sheng Yong was short of good news to send the Da Silver Mine.
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