In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 490 The eldest son of the emperor has a mission
Therefore, Jinan Prefecture will get a large amount of money all at once. Of these 10 million guan, Jinan Prefecture will hand over 5 million guan to Zhongyang Finance and keep 5 million guan for itself.

The public bank of Jinan Prefecture has 5 million yuan in cash and can directly lend money to the people.

This means that the Jinan Prefecture State-owned Bank can open directly using the silver from the Guo and Qin families.

In other prefectural cities without private banks, after the imperial bank was established, the local prefecture's yamen had to raise cash on its own, and the poor government might also borrow money from Zhongyang.

When Guo Xiong returned to Jinan Fucheng again, he found that the style of painting on the streets had changed, and there were promotional banners and official documents everywhere.

The imperial court was promoting the new currency. Since Jinan Prefecture was relatively close to Lin'an, Shandong, Zhejiang, and Jiangnan Provinces were given priority in promoting it.

Guo Xiong looked for an official document and read it. The surrounding area was crowded. Many people were gathered there, and he couldn't squeeze in. Fortunately, there were officials reading aloud beside him, so he could listen.

"Don't make any noise, don't make any noise, be quiet, and then talk after you listen." From time to time, there were servants in the crowd asking the people to be quiet.

The official document stated that the imperial court promoted gold and silver coins without compulsory exchange for five years. After five years, gold and silver would no longer be allowed to be used for shopping in the market (of course, you could use it privately, as long as the other party could accept it), but gold and silver coins were prevalent at that time. , generally I am not willing to use gold and silver to go shopping, as it will obviously lose money.

During these five years, the gold and silver items in people's homes can be exchanged at local banks.

There are also private banks that can also exchange money.

Guo Xiong's family also has a bank in Lin'an, which is still operating, so of course they know how to exchange it.

The imperial court would exchange it with a larger private bank, and then, for example, give the bank 10,000 taels of silver coins in denomination first, and the people would exchange them. After completion, the bank would hand over 10,000 taels of silver to the court.

Because there were not many banks in the imperial court at this time, and the banks were only built in the provincial capital in the first year, so private banks needed help from private banks in the early stage of exchange.

After the officials finished reading, there were still newly minted gold and silver coins on the table in front. People could watch them, but they were queuing up to take turns to see them. Many people lined up to go. When they got their hands on them, they all said they looked good, much better than copper coins. .

There is no way, the gold and silver coins made by the Song Dynasty are indeed exquisite, and almost everyone loves them.

Ordinary people can't imagine why such a small and heavy gold and silver coin is worth one tael, or even ten taels of gold and silver. Wouldn't it be a loss for us to exchange it?

While the people were watching, the officials on the side would explain that they should be careful about counterfeit coins, which mainly depends on the workmanship. Look at the three lines at the back. The fake ones cannot be so thin, and the fake words on them cannot be so small.

Guo Xiong knew that this publicity process would last for at least one or two years or even longer. Whether it was Jinan Prefecture or other prefectures and counties, as long as it was not windy or rainy, there would be government officials showing new coins to the people on the street every day, and Promote anti-counterfeiting.

Zhao Yurui will spend several years making it known to everyone in the Song Dynasty, and even strive to let everyone see and touch real coins with their own eyes.

Just when Guo Xiong was about to leave after listening, the people in front had already taken turns to touch the coins, and the scene was still a bit chaotic. Fortunately, there were government officials to maintain the scene and ask to line up.

At this time, a follower beside him said cautiously: "Lang Jun, I think the silver coin is only a little bigger than your finger. I'm afraid it only weighs a few cents. If we exchange one or two silver coins like this, wouldn't we lose money?"

Guo Xiong remained calm and said calmly: "Don't look at the weight, but the purchasing power."

"The imperial court has designated this silver coin to have a purchasing power of one tael, so it has a value of one tael of silver in the market."

"Suppose sugar is fifty cents per catty. In the past, you would go out with one tael of silver to buy twenty catties."

"Now if you take a small silver coin out, you can buy twenty pounds. So what's the difference?"

"Oh." The attendant seemed to understand, but looked confused.

Another follower said: "This is a lot more convenient. In the past, I had to carry a hundred copper coins, which was very heavy to carry. One hundred taels of silver was also difficult to carry. Now I only need to carry ten silver coins. It is very convenient."

"Yes, if you bring gold coins, you will have to bring less and it will be more convenient." Guo Xiong said with a smile: "In the future, there will be deposit slips. If you save money in Shandong and do business in Fujian, when you arrive in Fujian, you will receive money from the Bank of Fujian." Withdrawal is safer.”

"??" The followers couldn't understand now.

Guo Xiong did not explain to them that this was the next step for the imperial court to implement.

In about a month, he quickly organized a bank in Jinan Prefecture, hired more than forty people, and renovated the store. The four big characters of "Wei Min Bank" were very conspicuous. At this time, the state-owned bank in Jinan Prefecture had not yet been completed, so he The facade is almost the same.

During this month, someone from the imperial court was out promoting the new coins every day. There were 20 coin viewing spots throughout Jinanfu Street, where people could view the new coins and hear anti-counterfeiting knowledge at the same time.

The imperial court promoted official documents and posted them to the village security level with pictures and texts.

The security chiefs of each village first went to the county to learn how to read gold and silver coins, and then went back to publicize the coins to the villagers, explaining how to prevent counterfeiting and how to fight counterfeiting. If they receive counterfeit coins, they can pay ten in compensation.

The reason is that the counterfeit currency has not yet come out, and there are already people who are eager to receive counterfeit currency, so that they can suddenly become rich and pay ten for one.

Guo Xiong has been very busy these days. The bank's facade has been completed, but the counter inside and the warehouse are the top priority.

The design of the counter was done by Zhao Yurui in later generations. It had to be equipped with a steel protective fence to prevent being robbed. People from outside could not get in, and people inside could not come out. The employees were divided into inside and outside, and the tellers were there. Inside the iron bars, security and the lobby are outside.

The warehouse required a deposit, so Guo Xiong dug directly into the ground at the back and then made the warehouse door out of steel.

As a Fucheng bank, the court allowed them to have guards, but they needed to report the guards and their names.

Based on his own scale, Guo Xiong used more than 20 for other employees and 20 for security, most of which were used to guard the warehouse.

The imperial court issued ten standard bows and crossbows and twenty simple mail armors. They provided other weapons by themselves. They came for inspection and rotation or maintenance every year and could not lose them.

Many of Guo Xiong's guards were transferred from Lin'an's own Guo family and used their own people.

Of course, Song Dynasty is actually quite safe this time, and there are no gangsters outside. There is definitely no one who really dares to rob a bank.

The imperial court also expressed its emphasis on bank security, making this group of private bankers feel more secure.

In December, while Guo Xiong's warehouse was still under construction and expansion, Cao, the head of the Jinan government, came to visit and asked him how the bank was preparing.
Guo Xiong said that it will be open for business in January next year.

The head of Hu Cao asked again, how much gold and silver can you save (that is, how many gold and silver coins can be exchanged)?

Guo Xiong said that based on the final size of their warehouse, not to mention copper coins, they could hold at least 500,000 taels of gold and silver.

The head of Hucao signed an agreement with him. At the beginning of January next year, the court would deliver gold and silver coins worth half a million.

Guo Xiong helped the court exchange the gold and silver, and then handed over the gold and silver to the court.

Guo Xiong agreed one by one. He thought to himself that Emperor Zhao Yurui was really good at making money. After this wave of exchange, the court could mint at least five million gold and silver coins for the five hundred thousand gold and silver coins. It would be no problem to increase it ten times.

He told his entourage that day that gold and silver coins should not be judged by their weight, but also by their purchasing power. But Guo Xiong knew that more importantly, the court could not issue them indiscriminately. Once they were issued indiscriminately, their purchasing power would be greatly reduced.

Fortunately, Zhao and Rui both stipulated that the number of gold and silver coins issued each year would be limited based on the fiscal revenue and expenditure of the Song Dynasty.

At the same time, prices in various places will be calculated every year and reported to the court. The court will decide to expand or reduce the issuance based on price changes.

Guo Xiong believes that Zhao Yurui was able to do these things very well when he was alive, but after Zhao Yurui was replaced by the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, it is hard to say what will happen in the future.

His father Guo Chengzhang also asked Zhao Yurui similar questions.

Zhao Yurui also gave an answer: In theory, as long as the economy of the Song Dynasty did not collapse and the government did not collapse, the monetary system would definitely not go wrong.

Unless there is a peasant uprising, or foreign enemies invade, the economy collapses, and the government collapses, then there may be a phenomenon of indiscriminate issuance.

In Europe and West and Central Asia, gold and silver coins were used hundreds of years earlier than the Song Dynasty. Most of the economy was good. As long as there was no war, the weight of gold and silver coins really did not affect purchasing power.

Of course, people are not required to exchange gold and silver for gold and silver coins. Zhao Yurui asked, but it is not mandatory. You don't have to exchange it, but it will definitely not be easy to circulate on the market in the future.

In the first month of the eleventh year of Yuanzhen, Guo Xiong's bank had not yet opened, and there was another breaking news from the court.

Zhao Qi, the eldest son of the emperor, was granted the title of King of Han and was granted a fiefdom in Hanzhou (Feilubin). The courtiers were alarmed.

As a good friend of Zhao Qi, Guo Xiong was also shocked.

Zhao Yurui now has six princes, but he has never been crowned a king. The first time he was crowned a king, he was only seventeen years old. Zhao Qi, who had just graduated from school and had not yet entered university, was enfeoffed thousands of miles away.

But what was even more shocking was yet to come.

Zhao Qi's fief includes Hanzhou (Fei Lubin), Borneo Province (Brunei and India), Singapore and other Southeast Asian island countries.

It lasts for five years and will be rotated when it expires.

According to Zhao Yurui, in the future, the enfeoffed kings and the governors of various regions will rotate every five years, and they cannot stay in one place for more than five years.

Zhao Qi still has tasks in the past five years. In addition to managing Hanzhou and Borneo Province, he also has to conquer the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra (i.e. Malaysia and India) in later generations. At the end of the five years, the Song Army will completely occupy the Strait of Malacca.

This was the emperor's assessment of the eldest son, and it was also the first task he received when he was about to reach adulthood.

This specific information was unknown to outsiders. Guo Xiong and Zhao Qi were good friends, but they found out later.

The emperor gave Zhao Qi 20,000 naval troops (excluding Liu Zheng's troops in Persia), five years, and five million yuan of start-up capital. The king of Han controlled the power of the two provinces, allowing him to occupy Malacca and conquer the indigenous peoples of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. .

Five years later, Zhao Yurui hoped to see Zhao Qi return to the emperor Zhao Yurui 10 million guans, 20 million guans, or even 50 million guans instead of, Father, I have run out of money. Nothing left.

At this time, Zhao Yurui was also in his prime, only thirty-six years old. The eldest son of the emperor was sent thousands of miles away. Many ministers thought that the eldest son of the emperor, Zhao Qi, was out of the game. The second prince, Zhao Yu, suddenly became popular.

Guo Xiong didn't care about this. In his understanding and opinion, at most 10,000 Song troops were enough to conquer the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Zhao Yurui gave 20,000, which shows his love for his son.

Guo Xiong continued to work in his bank, and his bank was officially opened in the middle of January of the 11th year of Yuanzhen.

At the same time, Zhong Ying and Guo Xiong, the eldest daughter of Zhong You, the prefect of Jinan, were officially engaged.

Both parties are very satisfied with each other. Their fathers were good friends in the past, and they were both nobles of Emperor Zhao Yurui. Zhong You was the prefect, and Guo Chengzhang was a senior executive of a state-owned enterprise, so they were well matched.

Although the court had been publicizing it for several months, not many people came to exchange gold and silver coins when it first opened. Many people saw the gold and silver coins as beautiful and exquisite, so they exchanged a few for fun. After all, the court gave them five years. The currency can still be used, but now Huizi is completely out of circulation.

Huizi was gradually withdrawn from the market five years ago. Now it is rare to see Huizi.

It is normal for people not to exchange much at first, because some people are also talking about weight issues. Will I suffer a loss if I exchange one tael of silver for how many silver coins weighing?
However, there are still a few people who own a whole tael of silver, and most people use copper coins.

The imperial court also took the lead in using large amounts of gold and silver coins in official transactions, which forced merchants to accept it.

Soon, some people also felt the benefits of gold and silver coins.

Just as Guo Xiong's entourage said, you can bring less coins when you go out, so more and more people use coins among the people, and heavy silver and gold are slowly withdrawing from history.

In March, Guo Xiong got married in Jinan. Emperor Zhao Yurui actually ordered a large number of gifts, which flattered Guo Xiong.

In April, Guo Xiong’s Weimin Bank completed its first loan.

It was nearly three months after he opened his business that he negotiated the first loan. The other party used to be a fisherman on the seaside. In recent years, he has followed the trend of maritime business, mainly to Korea and Japan.

Not long ago, a ship sank in the Sea of ​​Japan, causing heavy losses. He had no choice but to take out a loan and mortgage his other ship in order to turn around.

This loan is still a bit risky. If the ship sinks again, he will have nothing, and Guo Xiong will not be able to get the money back. However, it is not that easy to sink the ship. Guo Xiong still chooses to support him, mainly because he needs to open the loan business.

Now he is losing money every day. Although it doesn't matter, there must be some improvement.

Guo Xiong was right in his bet. This time, the businessman did not sink his ship again and relied on loans to turn himself around. The Jinan government also cooperated with Guo Xiong to publicize the matter, and the court directly published it in the latest newspapers.

As word of this spread, more and more people in the private sector were willing to take out loans, and the bank's business gradually increased.

At that time, there were still banks doing this among the people, but bank loans had lower interest rates and deposits were deposited with the court, so they were considered safer by the people.

But at this time, there were still very few people depositing money in the bank. This made Guo Xiong think that his deposit of 10 million was a loss. People in the Song Dynasty were not in the habit of saving money in the bank yet.

Fortunately, the court soon issued new policies.

In May, Guo Xiong received a notice to hold a meeting in Lin'an. In late May, bank officials from all provinces across the country will come to Lin'an for a meeting, including people from Hanzhou and Borneo, thousands of miles away.

At this time, except for Persia, which had not yet been established as a province and had no bank due to its small population in the former Mobei region, the rest of the provinces had banks.

(End of this chapter)