Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 270 Don’t panic, it’s just a technical adjustment

"Everyone, line up! There are plenty of silks in the treasury! Don't break the rules!

Fang Jieshuai sympathizes with the soldiers and compares his feelings with others. Can't you just be more at ease? Do you get carried away when others are nice to you? "

He Changqi, who was beside Fang Chongyong, shouted loudly at the Chishui soldiers who were queuing up in front of the government office to exchange "precious items from the Western Regions".

So the slightly restless team immediately became quiet. People's hearts are made of flesh, and these Qiu Ba know who is good to them and who is not good to them.

Many people in the Chishui Army knew who Fang Chongyong was, and they were naturally grateful to the newly appointed Marshal Fang for his willingness to "purchase" their unsalable Western Region goods with silk.

Every Qiu Ba who walked out of the Yamen of Hexi Jiedu Mansion, holding silk in his hands, looked frightened. When he saw Fang Chongyong, he nodded and bowed.

In Fang Chongyong's view, these people are just like the experienced people who were stuck in A-shares for many years in their previous life. Because of an accidental "technical adjustment", they successfully sold their stocks and could only get back their original capital. It was better to choose to deposit the money in the bank. Same as stock investors.

I am filled with complex emotions such as reluctance, joy, fear, and gratitude, which are difficult to describe in just a few words.

Although Fang Chongyong wrote to Ji Ge, requesting the Hexi Jiedu envoy to replace the Long March athletes with those from Hedong, Shuofang and other places, no one would suffer. However, due to the extremely large workload of relocation, only 20,000 people can be replaced in the short term.

It will take the next few years to completely rotate out the remaining 50,000 people in Hexi. It is also possible that in order to maintain combat effectiveness, a small part of them will not be replaced at all!

It is very necessary to give priority to solving the worries of these soldiers who are about to be rotated now, and it also sets a good example for other armies in Hexi that have not been rotated.

The Qiu Ba people will always be able to see how much money Jiedushi paid, but they will not know how much money Jiedushi still has in his pocket. So even if the silk in the Hexi Treasury was not piled up like a mountain, Fang Chongyong still chose to bite the bullet and solve the most urgent problems first.

At all times, credit comes first! Especially credit to the grassroots!

At this moment, a middle-aged civil servant wearing a green official robe and a short beard who looked a little frail came to Fang Chongyong, crossed his hands and saluted and said: "I have met Fang Jieshuai, a certain doctor from the Taifu Weaving and Dyeing Department." The horse is waiting to be sealed. Assigned by the imperial court, I came to Hexi to listen to the commander's instructions and do things."

The middle-aged civil servant said humbly, very low-key.

"Ah! So it's you, the world-famous No. 1 craftsman in Chang'an!"

Fang Chongyong was overjoyed and quickly held the man's hands!

He just wrote to Brother Ji asking for help, but Brother Ji actually sent his favorite professional craftsman! It seems that as long as it involves making money, Ji Ge's efficiency is absolutely reliable.

"Don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously. Those are all false names. Don't mention Chang'an's No. 1 Artisan Commander. I deserve it."

Ma Daifeng quickly covered his face and saluted, not daring to take credit or be arrogant.

As an official from the Ministry of Industry who was often called to the palace by the emperor, he naturally knew why the emperor sent him to Hexi. In other words, how many people can afford the emperor's great dignity?

Apart from Yaoling from the royal family, is there anyone else in the Tang Dynasty who is such a young Hexi Jiedu envoy?

No more.

Being able to work beside the emperor, Ma Daifeng's emotional intelligence is not low. Being a genius inventor is just his hobby, his main occupation is being an official!

Ma Daifeng knew how big Fang Chongyong's background was.

"Okay, okay, so-and-so happens to have something important to discuss with Ma Langzhong. Come on, come on, go to the government office to have a detailed discussion with so-and-so, and by the way, Ma Langzhong can take care of him!"

Fang Chongyong took Ma Daifeng and walked to the Jiedushi Mansion Office.

After a while, the two of them sat down in the study room of the Jiedushi government office. Fang Chongyong took out the local specialty Wuwei white wine and asked someone to bring a few plates of cold dishes. He and Ma Daifeng ate and chatted in the study room.

"How long has Ma Langzhong been an official in Chang'an? Is this the first time he has been out of Chang'an on official business?"

Fang Chongyong poured Ma Daifeng a glass of wine and asked casually.

"Hui Fangjieshuai, I have been an official for more than 20 years, and I have been in Chang'an ten years after Kaiyuan. I am a gadget maker next to the saint. It is difficult to get into the elegant hall, and I can't compare with those serious people." A clear-minded doctor."

Ma Daifeng said with a sigh.

In fact, his position as a doctor is just a false position in the Ministry of Industry. His real job is to help Brother Ji create some royal objects for the palace.

From the concubine’s dressing table to Brother Ji’s chariot;

From the new guide car to the automatic hair-combing robot (the hair-combing version of the wooden cow and the flowing horse).

They are all his inventions.

Fang Chongyong knew all this, but there were even more things he didn't know. The position of doctor is only to facilitate Ma Daifeng to work in the Ministry of Industry and allocate various resources.

A seventh-grade official in front of the prime minister, a craftsman who works for the emperor, cannot be allowed to be a white body and be teased and ridiculed by outsiders at will, right?

To put it simply, Ma Daifeng is just a senior craftsman wearing an official identity and has nothing to do with politics. Follow the orders of Brother Ji, and make small inventions when you have nothing to do.

"Hey, there is no need to belittle oneself among horsemen. If you can come to Hexi, it means that you are valued by the saint.

It's just that there is a question in my mind that I still have no solution to. I wonder if Ma Langzhong can say a few words. "

Fang Chongyong took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Ma Daifeng. This is a piece of "flying money" issued by a bank owned by the Wang brothers in Chang'an City.

Fang Chongyong himself can take the token given by the bank, the token that can prove his identity, and this flying money receipt, and exchange it for one hundred pieces of Shu brocade at any bank owned by the Wang brothers in Chang'an.

After exchange, the flying money will be destroyed in person.

"Have you ever seen anything similar to this before?"

Fang Chongyong asked calmly.

"Well, this is flying money. It's not hard to see in Chang'an. Especially when big merchants from Jianghuai and other places travel to and from Chang'an, there are many people who use this thing."

Ma Daifeng nodded slightly and said.

"I tried it. The paper used to make flying money is not unusual. It wears out after being used a few times.

But it doesn't matter, after all, the merchants issued flying money at a bank in one place, took away the goods in another place, and destroyed the flying money on the spot. There is no need to toss and turn it around, just keep it on your body, so there is no problem of wear and tear. "

Fang Chongyong laughed.

Feiqian has a strict time limit. After the time limit, you can no longer withdraw it. You can only go back to the bank where it was originally stored to get it. This is the prototype of Fang Chongyong's "bill of exchange" in his previous life.

Demand determines technology. Since Feiqian does not need to be widely circulated, merchants who issue Feiqian do not need to take the anti-counterfeiting of Feiqian and the paper and ink used seriously!

This thing requires a token to withdraw money, and even the shopkeeper of the bank will ask about certain characteristics of the goods. Feiqian is mostly used for "business-to-business" and is destroyed after being used once. It is meaningless for outsiders to imitate it. Naturally, high-level anti-counterfeiting technology is not needed.

Therefore, it is more of a conceptual innovation than a technical innovation, and it also has great limitations in use.

"However, in Ma Langzhong's opinion, is there a kind of paper that is very tough, very wear-resistant, and not easily stained by oil.

Even if it is passed back and forth to many hands, it will not be damaged within a year or two? "

Fang Chongyong asked softly.

"This kind of paper should be very wear-resistant, strong and not easily soaked, and it should not be easily torn, right?"

Ma Daifeng is a technical expert, and he immediately understood the key points of Fang Chongyong's request.

"Yes!"

Fang Zhongyong put his hands on his hands and laughed and said, "The horseman is so bright-eyed!"

"Uh... Can I ask you one more question?"

Ma Daifeng asked hesitantly.

"Please feel free to do whatever you want, groom."

Fang Chongyong said with a smile, obviously in a good mood.

"Why does Fang Jieshuai need such paper?"

Ma Daifeng asked with a puzzled look on his face. In fact, the papermaking industry in Datang has become very developed. As long as there is demand, you can buy the corresponding paper in Chang'an.

Not to mention the paper used for writing and printing books, the paper used for wiping buttocks is divided into many categories, which can be said to be of all kinds.

Toilet paper can be subdivided into many types according to its softness and hardness.

The softer the more expensive!

It is worth mentioning that before nobles in the Tang Dynasty wiped their buttocks after going to the toilet, many people would ask their servants to try the "hardness" of the paper, which fully demonstrated what a "privileged society" is.

The law of the Tang Dynasty clearly stipulates the matter of going to the toilet: "Always have a toilet bag, and you must not miss it." It also specifically emphasizes: "You must not use old paper with written characters."

To put it simply, the nobles and rich had the right to use paper (it was just hinted but not written directly), but the poor had to use toilet chips. No matter who you are, you can't wipe your butt with written paper.

It is worth mentioning that some literati are arty and believe that the four treasures of the study - pen, ink, paper and inkstone - are sacred and noble. After the paper is made, wiping one's buttocks is a polite way of sweeping the floor, so they insist on not using paper to wipe their buttocks.

What Ma Daifeng didn't understand was what Fang Chongyong needed this kind of paper for.

If there were real social needs, this kind of paper would have been a roadside product for a long time, and one would only need to go around Chang'an West City to meet the demand. It was precisely because this kind of "wear-resistant paper" had no use that Fang Chongyong came to ask him "but he couldn't get it".

Ma Daifeng asked purely from the perspective of a "technical geek" and thought Fang Chongyong would just talk casually. Unexpectedly, this Hexi Jiedu envoy who had just taken office walked to the door of the study and locked the door.

Then he sat down at the desk, took out a wooden board from his sleeve, and handed it to Ma Daifeng for observation.

While the other party was observing the wooden board, Fang Zhongyong said in a deep voice:

"A certain person wanted to create something called Jiaozi to replace the bulky copper coins and bulky silk fabrics.

For example, if there is a bank near the government office in Liangzhou, and there is a piece of silk in the treasury, it will issue a piece of Jiaozi to the outside world.

If someone holds Jiaozi, they can exchange Jiaozi for silk at the relevant banks in Liangzhou without any hindrance.

Furthermore, if this thing is popularized in Hexi, banks will be opened in all five states in Hexi, from Liangzhou in the east to Shazhou in the west. Each state has silk stored in the treasury, and Jiaozi can be exchanged for silk at the local bank.

In this way, wouldn't those who use Jiaozi save a lot of money in transporting silk?

What the horseman holds in his hand is the engraving of Jiaozi. Now that everything is ready, all we need is east wind. Benjishuai just wants to know what kind of paper can withstand the torment here in Hexi. "

"Can this paper also be used as money?"

After hearing Fang Chongyong's idea, Ma Daifeng's feelings can be summed up as "I don't know how serious it is"!

However, he vaguely felt that in Hexi, where merchants were prospering, there seemed to be no problem in doing so. As long as you can strictly control the "deposit a piece of silk, you will receive a piece of money", nothing will happen if you play this way.

You can save a lot of money on shipping costs by carrying a light jiaozi with you. From Shazhou to Liangzhou, it is so comfortable for business people to use this thing!

"Fang Jieshuai, this is just the opinion of a certain family. I can't guarantee that there will be no problem."

After saying that, he saw Fang Chongyong nodding expectantly, and Ma Daifeng coughed lightly and continued:

“The paper used by various government offices in Chengdu is different from that used in other places. In Sichuan and Chongqing, people like to use Pu trees to make paper without adding other wood.

Take Pu bark to make paper, take Pu wood to burn charcoal, and make the best use of everything.

There are generally four types of paper made from the Pu tree.

Those that are wide and do not use white powder are called rockery south;

Those who use white powder to slurry the paper surface in a narrow width and then calender (use a stone to grind the paper surface) to make the paper white are called fake rong;

Made in Ran Village, the paper pulp is washed with clean water from the stream next to the village. Those with white paper are called Ran Village;

Made in Longxi Township, it is thin and flexible and is called bamboo silk.

Among them, bamboo silk is the most popular. The paper is thin but tough and is mostly used by the government to write archival documents. A certain person once used Pu paper in the palace, so he knew it very well.

This thing is very handsome and may be useful. "

Ma Daifeng said to Fang Zhongyong, crossing his hands and saluting.

"Okay, okay! Then use bamboo silk paper!"

Fang Zhongyong stood up suddenly, extremely excited.

Sure enough, it's not enough for one person to work behind closed doors. Professional people are still needed to do professional work.

Later, Fang Chongyong personally arranged a well-located house for Ma Daifeng in Liangzhou City, and then went to the government office to find Yang Yan, who had followed him to Liangzhou this time, and the two discussed the major matter of issuing Jiaozi.

……

In the small courtyard where Yang Yan lives, he is reporting to Fang Chongyong on the preparations for the issuance of Jiaozi in his study.

"Fang Jieshuai, in the Liangzhou treasury, because we exchanged many valuables from the Western Regions with Chishui soldiers, there is only one hundred thousand silk left.

It seems that the number is indeed large, but more than 40,000 of them are just for transshipment, and will eventually be sent to the Anxi Protectorate for winter clothing. In fact, the silk that can be used is not even 60,000 silk.

There are also some scattered Western Region silver coins, gold coins, Kaiyuan Tongbao, etc. "

Yang Yan said to Fang Zhongyong worriedly.

"However, everyone in Hexi now knows that there is no shortage of money in Liangzhou's treasury, right? The valuables from the Western Regions can also be exchanged for money."

Fang Chongyong said with a mysterious smile.

Yang Yan was slightly startled when he heard this, then nodded without refuting.

Even though he is good at arithmetic and has a deep understanding of things like "money", I have to admire Fang Chongyong's courage and vicious vision!

Paper is money and can be used in place of money. If you have a piece of silk cloth, you can issue a note of the denomination. This is indeed a wonderful trick. People who don’t understand money can’t even see the epoch-making significance of this!

Fang Chongyong has recently generously opened his treasury and allowed the Chishui Army and other Hexi frontier army's main grassroots soldiers to "freely exchange" silk, which is a process of building confidence.

Now everyone in Hexi believes that Jieduzhi Yamen has no shortage of silk, so the resistance encountered by issuing "Jiaozi" is definitely smaller than others expected.

First stabilize the morale of the troops, and then stabilize the overall situation. Fang Chongyong's move may seem mindless, and he may seem to be mindless and infinitely considerate of the soldiers, but in fact it is a wonderful way to kill two birds with one stone!

Comparable to the trees standing at the gate of Shang Jun!

"With one hundred thousand silk as the foundation, it will be easy to release two hundred thousand silk in the future. Of course, this is just the first step, there will be more operations to come, step by step."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand indifferently and said.

There are one hundred thousand silk in the treasury. If only one hundred thousand jiaozi are issued, it will still be a metal currency, which is meaningless to Fang Chongyong.

The principal amount of 100,000 yuan is issued to 200,000 yuan, and the extra 100,000 yuan is credit currency. To put it simply, the credit of the Tang Dynasty government, which can also be called "future expectations", is used to ensure that the exchange of Jiaozi is absolutely guaranteed.

Otherwise, at any time, any central bank in the world is afraid of a run! Because there are always more banknotes issued than the hard currency in the bank!

All central banks issue banknotes using credit and the country's future expectations as guarantee.

As long as the Tang Dynasty was still prosperous, this trick would work repeatedly. As for the chaos in the Tang Dynasty in the future, we can only wait until the future. At that time, there is no doubt whether Fang Chongyong will be the envoy of Hexi Jiedu!

"Then... I'll give you one hundred thousand silk to Jiaozi first to test the waters."

Yang Yan nodded slightly and said.

"Well, run quickly. Don't make big moves every time. Banks will be opened one by one. In the five states in Hexi, there must be at least one in the capital of each state."

Fang Chongyong specifically gave Yang Yan some instructions on the details of the issuance of Jiaozi. The matter of ordering Pu paper from Chengdu Prefecture will also be put on the agenda. This kind of Pu paper must also be "added with some ingredients" to distinguish it from other Pu paper.

Fang Chongyong's idea is very grand, one link after another. However, when opening a bank in Hexi, the management rights are your own, and the equity holdings still belong to Brother Ji. The boss of the lending business still has to pay homage to Brother Ji as pocket money.

Although he has become the governor of Hexi Province, Fang Chongyong has no sense of power at all and still thinks that he is just a poor "wage earner".

Apart from Brother Ji, who is not a dog these days?

　It's great to go home and rest, but I can only transcode voice.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)