Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 952 Bianzhou on the Westward Journey

"Is Wansheng Town so prosperous in winter?" Wang Shifan wondered as he looked at the bustling crowd.

Even in Qingzhou, he had heard various legends about Wansheng and Putian, two important commercial towns.The largest metropolis in Kanto even plans to change the name of "Zhengmen" to "Wanshengmen", which shows that they attach great importance to this important source of commercial income.

Zhu Shuzong went to Bianzhou several times for business, but he came and went in a hurry and never stayed in one place for too long. It was also the first time for him to appreciate the magnificent scenery of the commercial center carefully.

Wansheng Town, obviously after being devastated by the war, how come it only took a year to recover, and it is more lively than Fangshi in Lingzhou, Guanbei?
This realization made him a little uncomfortable.King Xia has been working hard in Guanbei for more than ten years, but he is actually not as good as the commercial center of the Central Plains that he has allowed to develop naturally, and the Central Plains is not only such a commercial center.If King Xia continues to nest in Kansai, it is estimated that sooner or later he will be destroyed by Zhu Quanzhong.

Good luck!

"After fighting for a year, Yang Xingmi and Zhe Linggong all retreated. I came from Guangzhou, and the masters of the counties also returned to their hometowns." A merchant standing not far away said: "Without masters, there will be a shortage of people at the wharf. It would take a lot of effort to transport some tea to the north.”

"Housekeeper, I see that you are holding a stack of flying money in your hand. Are you planning to go back to Huaixi to exchange money?" Wang Shifan asked, pointing to the silver bill in the merchant's hand.

Feiqian occupies a certain position in the commercial transactions of the country and the dynasty, and it is actually an early acceptance bill.

The merchants brought the goods to Chang'an to sell, and the proceeds were sent to the Jinzaoyuan in the town, and then obtained the certificate of flying money, which was used to withdraw the money after returning home.

Later, some reputable big businessmen or shops with stores in major cities also began to handle this business, and the three imperial courts also followed up, but they had to charge a handling fee.

After decades of development, the scale is not very large, but it has been well known by the upper class businessmen, and they have gradually accepted this kind of thing.Otherwise, do you think merchants would accept Shao Shude's silver bills so quickly?
"You can say it's flying money, but it's not exactly." The merchant shook the stack of silver dollar bills in his hand and said, "This bill can be exchanged for silver dollars, but the government doesn't have much silver, so I can only give it to you." Do you want some corn, wheat, livestock, leather, wool, etc.?"

"Selling these things can make money, right?" Wang Shifan said.

"It is indeed possible, but not every merchant has this ability and way." The merchant continued: "My stack of silver bills is issued by the Mengzhou Clearing Bank, and I can exchange things in Mengzhoufang City, but I If you don’t trade wool and leather, it’s useless to change it.”

"Can't I go to other markets to buy things?" Wang Shifan asked.

"It can be used in Huaizhou, Bianzhou, Wansheng Town, Putian Town, etc., but it won't work any farther away. I also asked that there are not enough people to clear the bank accounts in various places, and there are too few people who know how to calculate." Merchant replied.

"Then the flying money is useless?" Wang Shifan asked.

"Can you transfer it to someone else?" The merchant said with a smile: "Write on the back of the silver dollar bill who it is transferred to, sign it, and put your fingerprint on it, and the liquidation bank will also recognize it."

"This is a helpless solution." Wang Shifan sighed.

"There are also people who accept silver bills." The merchant said again: "It's just a discount, it's okay, and it's acceptable to bargain."

There are two types of silver bills issued by the clearing bank: registered and unregistered, but the mainstream is registered, and there are fewer and fewer unregistered bills. They can only be circulated in Fangshi. Everyone outside Fangshi will suspect that they are fake. The value plummeted.

One advantage of registered silver dollar bills is that the holder's name, hometown, date of invoicing, and reason for invoicing are written on it, which can be traced back.There are still half-couplings left at the clearing bank, which can be exchanged for silver dollars or physical objects—usually the latter.

The transfer endorsement of silver bills is also permitted by the clearing bank.

It is also recognized that some folks discount cashier dollar bills.

These two behaviors help to let silver bills go out of the market and enter a wider space, that is, the scope of circulation has become larger.

After more than ten years, the bill brokerage business has finally appeared in the private sector. Although it is only a small embryo, it is gratifying.

Currency reform, in the absence of precious metals, and it is difficult for a smart woman to cook without rice, Shao Shude worked hard, step by step, let the market get familiar with and recognize it step by step, and then expand the scope of circulation step by step.

Rather than relying on force to force others to accept something, it is obviously more vital than the former to promote commercial progress within its capacity in a form that is mutually beneficial and convenient for everyone.

After merchants gradually adapt, privately issued commercial bills of exchange will gradually appear, relying on private credit rather than government force.Even if the dynasty collapses, it will not disappear, because it has already widely existed in commercial activities, and it has nothing to do with which dynasty, generation, family or surname. This is the so-called "will not disappear" that Shao Shude most wants to promote.

A society that lacks high-quality and qualified currencies moves forward with shackles, and commercial exchanges are very slow and inefficient.With underdeveloped commerce, it is difficult to make progress on the production side, because it is useless if it is produced and cannot be sold.

The merchant looked at the carriage behind Wang Shifan and smiled.

There were so many cars that they couldn't even park in the post house, so they had to be parked outside.The cavalry pawns of the Iron Forest Army were guarding the side, probably in a very complicated mood.

"Officer, you can sell these goods locally, exchange them for silver bills, and then take them to Luoyang. Is there anything in Luoyang? You can buy them all. Wouldn't it be more convenient?" The merchant laughed.

With warrior guards, of course they are officials, and merchants can still tell the difference.

"This..." Wang Shifan was speechless for a moment.

Qingzhou doesn't seem to have this thing yet, where do you want me to change it?But it was indeed very convenient. If there were no soldiers from Tielin Army to escort him along the way, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to swagger through the market with hundreds of carts of goods.

It is conceivable that ordinary merchants do not have this kind of treatment.Larger guilds hire armed guards, but are they cheap?The cost of raising warriors is very high, and the money will be spread into the commodity price.

"When did silver bills first appear?" Wang Shifan asked curiously.

This can be difficult for merchants.He thought about it carefully, and could only say vaguely: "It may have been more than ten years at the time of the first emperor."

Master Wang nodded silently.

Spending more than ten years slowly paving the way for a new thing, Shao Shude, you are really free!
In another ten years, do you still have new tricks to play on silver dollar bills?
"Actually, rewards in the army are usually issued by military ticket. After the sergeant returns home, he will receive the money and silk with the ticket, so as to save the trouble of moving the property around." Zhu Shuzong, who listened to the side for a long time, said: "If the battle On top of that, being rewarded with money and goods, the sergeants are making a fuss, and they don’t want to fight, which is also a hidden danger, and it’s pretty good now.”

"How can the sergeant agree?" Wang Shifan asked.

"One word, believe! No one can stand without faith. King Xia Zhuoer has faith, and everyone is convinced, so we can implement this policy." Zhu Shuzong said: "Let's go, we have been delayed for two days in Wansheng Town, it's time to go gone."

"That's exactly what I mean." Wang Shifan said repeatedly.

It is not wrong to lose to Shao Shude. His plans are long-term, more than ten years or even decades away. They are extremely patient and do not rush for success.Silver dollar bills and military tickets are trivial matters, but it can be seen from a glimpse of the leopard that there is nothing to say about defeat.

In the past, he thought it was a pity and unlucky for Zhu Quanzhong to defeat Shao Shude, but now it seems that he is not so wronged.

Well, is King Liang still alive?
******
Zhu Quanzhong is dying.

On the dilapidated city wall, countless soldiers followed one after another, and the sound of shouting and killing almost pierced the sky.

The Iron Forest Army, the Yi Cong Army, the Feilong Army... No one wanted to cede this great achievement to others. Battalion after battalion of sergeants rushed to the top of the city like a tide, fighting endlessly.

Today is the first day of December, and Zhu Quanzhong grinned. Fortunately, he lived past November, but it is a pity that he will not be able to see the next year.

His nephew Zhu Youhui had already died in battle at the top of the city, and most of the older brothers he brought over died in the process of rushing out of the city.Xia Bing was desperate this time, no matter how much he paid, he would pester him to death, and went out of the city several times, but all failed.

Tired!Zhu Quanzhong fell down and sat under the tower, looking at the soldiers who were still fighting in a trance.

When wandering in the countryside, I felt unwilling and always wanted to soar into the sky.After seeing Zhang Hui's charming face, this emotion almost reached the extreme.Such a beauty, if you can't hold it in your arms, how can you be content?

After following Chao Jun's incident, he fought bravely and won a team of more than 80 brothers.At that time, I was extremely brave, made many achievements, and didn't take my life seriously-climbing up from the bottom, can I do it without fighting for my life?

In the Battle of Guangzhou, his second brother Zhu Cun died in battle, which dealt him a blow to the head.

In this world, there are too many people who dare to fight and fight. They are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of not having a chance.The second brother died in battle while chasing this opportunity, and the old acquaintances in the army also left one by one. In the end, there were not many old people left, and they all died.

At this time, I realized that it is not enough to rely solely on a group of bravery, the success rate is too low, the biggest possibility is to expose the corpse to the wilderness and become the belly of the beast.

From then on, he worked hard to learn military strategy, deliberately made friends with superior officials, doubled the morale of the army, and gradually became famous and began to prosper.

"I really want to go back more than ten years ago, I will definitely be able to do better..." Zhu Quanzhong laughed miserably, and stood up staggeringly.

"The Zhu thief is here!" The Yi Congjun warrior who climbed up to the top of the wall shouted with his eyes brightened.

Zhu Quanzhong raised his sword and went forward without hesitation.

After fleeing for more than a year, there was no way to escape.Then it's better to die calmly, and you can't teach people to despise it.

"Don't kill him, catch him alive!" Someone shouted.

Zhu Quanzhong laughed out loud.

After fleeing for more than a year, he kept reviewing the past of his fight with Shao Shude, and he wanted to understand many things.If it weren't for some accident, they must be close friends, and it's hard to find a bosom friend!

"Shao Shude, this road won't work, it won't work!" Zhu Quanzhong laughed and rushed towards Xia Bing, slashing down with his sword.

The Yi Congjun soldiers who surrounded him subconsciously fought back, and Zhu Quanzhong's neck, chest, and abdomen were injured, and blood spattered out.

"You can kill me today, and you can kill Shao Shude's descendants in the future, haha! It won't work!" Zhu Quanzhong laughed wildly with the last potential of his life.

"Pfft!" The big sword slashed heavily, and the head flew obliquely to the ground. After rolling a few times, it stopped in the snowdrift.

Inside the wide-open eyes, there seemed to be a hint of excitement and madness.

"Woo..." The north wind suddenly picked up, and it hurt people's faces.

This way will not work!

Zhu Quanzhong's crazy laughter seemed to echo in the wind and snow.

(End of this chapter)