People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 115 Money and Knife
"What is this?"

In a military settlement outside Yuyang City, a farmer was looking at a bill in his hand, a little dazed.

This thing is slightly longer than the palm and less than a finger's width. It feels like a relatively flexible and strong piece of paper when held. It is a rare thing in his eyes.

After all, paper was an extremely rare thing before, and it only became more common after the arrival of the Yellow Turban Army.

There were some words, symbols and graphics printed on the paper. It didn't look very nice, but it was actually complicated in their eyes.

"This is a ten-cent coin. The symbol on it is the symbol for the number ten. Remember this, as you will need it many times in the future."

Huang Jin pointed out the symbols on it and explained them to him, which immediately made a group of villagers who were watching the fun nearby stare.

Before the crowd could ask, the yellow turban spoke again: "From now on, when you rent or buy things in our agricultural marketing cooperative, you must use this kind of paper money. This is the legal money issued by our Natural Religion, and it can be used as real money!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers in the agricultural marketing cooperative exclaimed, and their eyes were all fixed on the piece of paper money placed in front of the yellow turban cabinet.

The words and symbols on these paper money are different, and there are more than ten pieces arranged in order.

Although most people do not understand these symbols and characters now, they can guess what they mean by different denominations by comparing them with a number table hanging on the wall.

The man quickly threw down the money in his hand. He was a little confused: "This is clearly just paper. How can it be used as money?"

The Yellow Turban laughed and said, "The legal money issued by me is real money under the rule of the Yellow Turbans. With this legal money, you can buy salt, rice, cloth, meat, pottery, ironware, coal from my agricultural marketing cooperative. You can also use the legal money to rent iron plows, oxen and farm tools. In short, you bring it to us and we will recognize it."

Everyone was surprised, and the man asked, "Really?"

Huang Jin nodded calmly: "Of course it is real. This money is issued by me, Huang Jin. I, Huang Jin, stick to my word. Don't the villagers believe it?"

After hearing Huang Jin's words, the villagers, who had originally been unable to accept it, were stunned.

They may not believe in paper, but they cannot help but believe in the Yellow Turbans.

Even the man hesitated for a moment and picked up the ten-fa coin again, but then a new question popped up in his mind.

He said, "We believe in the Yellow Turbans, but even if we want to use the money, where can we get it?"

Huang Jin smiled and said, "If you want to rent or buy things, you can sell grain to the agricultural marketing cooperative first. The agricultural marketing cooperative will pay you the legal money. After you get the legal money, you can rent or buy things in the agricultural marketing cooperative."

Now, everyone was even more confused, and the man frowned, "Why do we need to go through this extra step? Can't we just exchange food for things?"

The Yellow Turban seemed to have anticipated this question, and added: "This is the same reason why we use copper coins. With currency, the prices of things we buy and sell are clearer, and transactions are more convenient. French money and copper coins are essentially money, there is no difference."

After saying this, everyone understood. After all, buying and selling things in the past did not require money.

Some people were anxious: "We still have some copper coins at home. If the Yellow Turbans don't recognize them, won't our money be useless?"

At this time, everyone else came to their senses and followed suit.

The Yellow Turban replied, "We accept copper coins or gold and silver. One copper coin is one legal coin, and one hundred copper coins are one hundred legal coins. The two are completely equal. You can go to the Divine Sect Bank in the village to exchange the legal coins for copper coins. So you can use the legal coins with confidence. They are real money."

Hearing that this legal currency could be freely exchanged for copper coins, everyone felt much more relieved.

In their concept, metal currency is the real currency. If this legal currency cannot be linked to metal currency, they will always feel uneasy.

By this point in the conversation, most of the villagers had realized that they might have to use this magic money in the future.

This newly opened agricultural cooperative has many things that are indispensable to their daily production and life, such as cloth, coal, and ironware, not to mention them. At least the salt alone consumes a lot of their energy.

Currently, apart from this agricultural marketing cooperative, they have no other place to get salt and can only buy it here.

Moreover, other things like oxen, iron plows, farm tools and iron parts can be provided by the agricultural marketing cooperative, and it is difficult for them to find another supplier except the agricultural marketing cooperative. This also means that the agricultural marketing cooperative will be deeply involved in their daily production and life in the future.

If such an agricultural marketing cooperative only collects legal fees, then I really have no choice but to use it.

Seeing that the villagers gradually understood the existence of the legal money, the Yellow Turban continued: "From now on, whether I, the Yellow Turban, pay salaries and wages, or you pay taxes, we will not use physical objects. We will pay legal money, and you will also pay legal money."

The villagers started talking to each other again, but most of them looked doubtful. But the Yellow Turbans were not in a hurry. After all, the leader had said during the training that it takes time and process to accept new things. As more people use them, everyone will be able to accept them completely.

In fact, such scenes began to appear in various counties and towns under the rule of the Yellow Turbans after the last war.

After the establishment of the agricultural marketing cooperatives, the Yellow Turbans controlled almost all commercial activities under their rule through unified marketing and purchasing, which also brought new financial income to the Yellow Turbans.

Every time the people under their rule made a transaction with the agricultural marketing cooperative, the Yellow Turbans could gain a share of the profits. As the profits were accumulated over and over again, a steady stream of wealth was added to the Yellow Turban treasury.

The tax rate of the Yellow Turbans was relatively low, but the people's surplus grain would eventually fall into the hands of the Yellow Turbans through commercial activities.

As for a more obscure source of income, it was the seigniorage from issuing legal currency. As long as the people generally accepted the existence of legal currency, the Yellow Turbans would naturally earn the seigniorage in the process of using it.

What supports this system is not only the reputation of the Yellow Turbans, but also their complete control over the handicraft industry under their rule.

All the craftsmen in Yuyang County have been plundered by Xu Chen. They were concentrated from their original family workshops to a larger and more efficient place, which is a workshop between a workshop and a factory.

Although manual workshops do not have the highly mechanized production of factories, they can achieve much greater progress in production scale and technical division of labor than manual workshops by concentrating manpower, which also brings about a significant improvement in production efficiency.

As a result, the Yellow Turbans were able to obtain more salt, iron products, coal and other products, which they exchanged for excess food from the people, and in turn expanded their scale.

Similarly, these factory industrial products can also further promote the improvement of agricultural productivity.

People can increasingly throw away their wooden hoes and use iron farm tools. When there are more plows in the future, their production process will be more efficient, and the fields that are carefully cultivated will also produce more.

Even for an important resource like oxen, Xu Chen still set up special breeding farms for centralized breeding, thereby increasing the output of oxen and better meeting the rental needs of the people.

Today's grassroots economic model and industrial layout have begun to take shape. Although it is just the beginning, the future is promising.

Outside Yuyang County, Xu Chen was unaware of the movements of the imperial court. He just kept his head down and developed his business during this period. As these things unfolded, the Yellow Turbans' treasury began to fill up visibly. With money in hand, they naturally wanted to spend it.

So the money was spent on the most important military affairs against the Yellow Turbans at the time.

Unconsciously, time has entered the second year, which also means that the Yellow Turbans have spent a year peacefully in the land of Yuyang. This is also a sign that they have truly gained a foothold.

This year, the Great Master of the Yellow Turbans still had short hair. It was not because his hair could not grow longer, but because he chose to keep his hair short. Even if he had the conditions now, it was still extremely troublesome to take care of long hair.

In terms of appearance, although Xu Chen did not have any clear requirements for his subordinates, almost all of the Huangjins had the same short hair. The desire to imitate their idol was enough to make the Huangjins give up the obsession that their bodies and hair were given by their parents.

All the Yellow Turbans felt that the Great Heavenly Master's demeanor must have a profound meaning, so they just had to learn from him.

Even some of the people under his rule boldly followed suit and learned it. After seeing this, other people gradually got used to it.

As the new year approaches, the people are busy with spring plowing, but the scene here in the Yellow Turbans is quite different.

The original training ground in Yuyang was no longer large enough to accommodate the current troops, so the Yellow Turbans rebuilt a military camp outside the city of Yuyang. Inside the camp at this time was a noisy scene of three thousand Yellow Turbans training in formation. Their shouts made Wang Dang, who was supervising the training, get excited.

Wang Dang's eyes were really shining. Just looking at the huge army in front of him made his breathing quicken.

"This fighting power is really fed by money and food. It's because the leader is capable. If I, the king, were to do it, I wouldn't be able to afford these elite troops even if I chopped off all my flesh and sold it!"

Wang Dang did not even turn his head, but just looked at the army formation and sighed.

Xu Chen next to him also smiled knowingly. Not to mention that Wang Dang was overwhelmed with emotion, he himself was also excited. However, when he thought about the cost of maintaining such a large army, he couldn't help but be frightened.

"This time we have expanded the army to 3,000 standing troops. Although the number is not large, it is actually the limit. Not to mention the military pay, the three meals a day and one meat every few days will bankrupt the treasury. The leather and iron armor on the soldiers are even more expensive. It is still too much for Yuyang County alone."

"Is it hard? That's good. Let the rats around here try out the strength of our army."

Hearing Xu Chen's hint, Wang Dang laughed. He couldn't wait to start a new expedition. Just looking at the tight military formation in front of him that seemed to be moving as one, and the powerful momentum of the dense swords and armor, he was confident that he could defeat any enemy.

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(End of this chapter)