unclear

Chapter 565 Private Coining
Of course, it's too early to talk to the Silvas about this. The last pie was too strong, wasn't it? It doesn't matter, we have another filling here.

Compared with battleships and cannons, bank currency sounds particularly refreshing. But it just sounds light, but in fact it tastes stronger. Although there is no blood, the killing speed is not slow at all.

"Your Majesty is going to issue new currency?" Sure enough, Silva caught the key point very keenly, and his little eyes suddenly became angular and shimmering.

"Well, bang bang bang bang bang... What do you think of calling it a Victory Silver Coin?" Hong Tao nodded and waved his hand like a magic trick, and a shining silver round object landed on the table with a crisp metal collision sound. It spun at high speed and stopped reluctantly after a long time.

"...Is this a portrait of His Majesty? It's so beautiful! But I thought the palace painter didn't show His Majesty's wisdom. It would be better if he wore a military uniform!" Oyani was quick, grabbed it and looked at it carefully, and soon she An evaluation was given.

"I'll just take it as a compliment!" Hong Tao automatically filtered out such nonsense.

"It shouldn't be pure silver. How much does it weigh and how pure it is?" Silva didn't intend to tease the emperor through the portrait on the silver coin, and was more focused on the connotation.

"The silver content is more than 9%, and it weighs 1 tael and 3 qian. I also invented a set of weights and measures. According to the new standard, it weighs 50 grams, the new one tael. This one is the new half tael silver coin, and this one is five cents. One new two. There are two matching gold coins that are still being pressed in the factory, and I don’t have them in my hands.”

Hong Tao took out two smaller silver coins from his pocket and threw them on the table. In fact, there was no need to explain the value of the currency in detail. The patterns on the front of silver coins of different denominations were different, but the weight was written on the back.

"How many coins does Your Majesty plan to mint in the first batch? When will the relevant decree be issued?" Silva carefully looked at the front and back of each silver coin, and even pinched it hard with his nails a few times before asking the question.

"No, no, no, neither the imperial court nor I will have a decree. This is a silver coin privately minted by the Sun and Moon Bank and a newly launched standard of weights and measures, designed to facilitate lending and inbound and outbound transactions. The customs will allow the use of the new silver coins and new standards, but It has nothing to do with the court.

The first batch is about two million taels, which are temporarily issued in Guangdong, Fujian and Luzon. Let’s try it for a while to see the effect. If there is no problem, we can expand it to Shandong and Zhili. "

decree? Hong Tao shook his head again and again, firmly denying this speculation. Currency reform is a major matter and cannot be implemented across the board under the current conditions, let alone enforced by administrative orders. That would cause a lot of trouble and even affect the promotion of the New Deal.

However, banks all over the Ming Dynasty had the phenomenon of privately minting copper coins. Although it was illegal, it had become a common practice. This is easy to handle. You can mint copper coins privately. Why can't the Sun and Moon Bank mint silver coins privately?

Ming law? Sorry, there are no relevant legal provisions in the Ming Dynasty Law, or even provisions on whether silver can be used as currency. Therefore, no one can put this matter on the table to distinguish right from wrong, and can only compete with each other secretly.

At this time, the Sun and Moon Bank had an absolute advantage. It had the support of the emperor and the entire royalist faction, and there were three special zones in front of it: Guangdong, Fujian, and Luzon. In addition, thousands of maritime merchants responded, as well as casting There is a huge gap in technology, and bad currency must not be able to drive out good currency. Merchants are the most calculating. New coins that are very consistent in quality and weight and are extremely difficult to imitate are of great benefit to them and there is no reason not to accept them. As long as it can gain recognition in these three places, it will not take long for all walks of life related to sea trade to follow up and gradually penetrate into all parts of the Ming Dynasty.

At that time, it was the emperor's turn to stand up for justice and promote currency reform throughout the country. Why is it for economic development, for the convenience of the people, no matter how high-minded you say it.

No matter how bad it is, it can still be said that he is imitating Qin Shihuang. Who dares to say that Emperor Jingyang, who drove away the Buddhists and defeated the Jurchens and Mongols, is not worthy of being compared with Qin Shihuang? You have to endure the loss of your interests. This is called the general trend!
"Your Majesty, are you so sure that you can successfully get the city of Manila?" After running the Sun and Moon Bank for a year, no matter how stupid Silva was, he should have known how many interests were involved behind the Ming Dynasty's coins, and he had no regard for the emperor's cautious approach. objection.

But including the Philippine Islands on the map of currency reform at this moment seems a bit hasty, and it is also a serious contempt for the Kingdom of Spain. As a former Spaniard, I have to have some emotions.

"You don't believe it, right? Why don't you make a bet with me? If the navy can't capture Manila Port before the Spring Festival, I will send a ship to deliver you to the Governor of the Philippines. If it captures it, you will divorce Oyani and let her Be my concubine."

This has stirred up a hornet's nest. What Hong Tao is best at is not palace fighting, nor fighting for power in the court, nor economic reform, but crushing operations with the blessing of advanced technology. Now there are people who doubt their abilities. I can't bear it, so they tell the truth.

"I appreciate His Majesty the Emperor's vision, but I firmly oppose this proposal!" Oyani stood up before Silva could speak and expressed her attitude righteously.

"Yes, I don't know much about military affairs. Since Your Majesty is so sure, I can only go to the church to pray for them. If Manila is really captured, what does Your Majesty plan to do with the Spaniards there? Also capture them all and let them work for Your Majesty. ?"

Silva was not tempted, he was just slow-talking. Seeing his wife giving him such a good look, he was so smug that it was hard to express. However, it was not a good thing to reject the emperor in person. In order to prevent his wife from disappearing, he decided to skip this boring topic and think about his compatriots first.

"Don't worry, I have always been known for my kindness and will not retaliate with murder. However, according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, guilty people must be punished. They will be sent to various places to participate in labor and wash away their sins with hard sweat, unless the King of Spain is willing to pay ransom.

Compared to the thousands of Chinese businessmen they killed, this is very merciful, right? Okay, I still need to read a lot of official documents. This is the instruction manual for the new currency. This is the standard for the new weights and measures. Take it back and study it more. If you find any problems, raise them immediately. Try not to wait until after the issuance. "

Hong Tao had not thought about how to deal with the prisoners of war, or he had not thought about it at all. But since someone has brought it up, let’s think about it first. In fact, it's nothing complicated, just two words, hard labor. Three words, indulgence. There is nothing in this world that cannot be solved with interests, provided there are enough.

(End of this chapter)