I was pulling trees in Daming, and Lao Zhu begged me to come out of retirement

Chapter 135 Currency War!

"65 taels per dan? Are you sure you're not kidding me?"

A Mongolian noble stared at his merchant with his eyes wide open in disbelief and asked.

You have to know that although China is vast and rich in resources, its silver mines are not actually that outstanding. In addition, the mining level in ancient times is hard to describe, so the so-called silver standard and gold standard could not be formed in ancient times.

However, silk became popular in many countries along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty.

However, the price of 65 taels per dan was already close to the purchase price of the large amount of silver that flowed into China in the late Ming Dynasty.

This is simply incredible in this era of currency scarcity.

The merchant's eyes also flashed with enthusiasm.
He said to the Mongolian nobles with excitement:

"It's true. I have inquired about it. After Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Chen Youliang, he improved his warships. Now their ships can sail on the ocean."

"I took the opportunity to get one of their tax collectors drunk, and then I learned that they spent 65 taels of silver on a load of raw silk and sold it to Japan, and then they would immediately get 550 taels of silver. Then they would buy gold in Guangzhou, and then transport the gold to Britain, and directly exchange it for 1200 taels of silver!"

"65 taels of raw silk can be turned into 1200 taels of silver after a round of trading. Who wouldn't be tempted? Zhu Yuanzhang is buying raw silk like crazy now. As long as it is available on the market, people will immediately chase after it. I heard that they have even started to trade with gold."

The nobles were shocked when they heard this.
"Trading with gold? Using gold to buy raw silk? Are they crazy?"

Although raw silk was considered a hard currency in ancient times, it was still far inferior to gold.

"It is absolutely true. Now the Ming Empire does not allow the people to plant mulberry trees privately. They say they are afraid that the untouchables will suffer natural disasters and be in danger of losing their lives. This is a great opportunity to make money. Now there are constant disputes in the court. Your Excellency should make plans for the future."

"To be honest, His Majesty said that the gods disappeared, but those magic arts are still there. Take the water-dividing art in the river. I get scared every time I pass by it."

The Mongolian noble nodded and said, "There is indeed great potential. That peasant actually considered those untouchables. It's a pity that he could be favored by the gods. I can only say that peasants are peasants."

"But you also said before that they can exchange 65 taels of raw silk for 1200 taels. Can't we do the same? Can't we just follow the example of the Ming Dynasty?"

The businessman smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"We really can't do this. Have you forgotten the previous times we went out to sea?"

Kublai Khan launched two expeditions to Japan, but both ended in failure due to natural disasters.

Without ships that can withstand storms, it is impossible to engage in ocean trade for long.

The Mongolian noble slammed his subordinate's table with anger and cursed:
"Damn peasant, he only gave us 1200 taels out of 65 taels of profit? Bah! Go tell him to give us at least 300 taels! If you don't give it to him, I won't give it to you..."

The Mongolian noble repeated it twice, then put his hands down dejectedly.
Damn it, in the current situation, even if others don’t give him anything, there is nothing he can do. It’s not like before when he would send troops to attack anyone who doesn’t obey.

Today, Zhu Yuanzhang has become a nightmare in the hearts of all Mongolian high-ranking officials. They are worried all the time that the other side will attack them at any time.

The merchant under him coughed twice and asked the noble in a low voice:

"Sir, what else should we do?"

Money or face? That is the question.

The Mongolian noble glared at him and cursed:
"Nonsense, we must do it. Go and bargain with me. Speak more. I will arrange for the tenants to plant the trees first."

The businessman smiled happily when he heard this:

"Come on, please!" He was afraid that his master would feel unbalanced when he heard that Zhu Yuanzhang made a lot of money.

As an excellent businessman, he is very clear that this is a buyer's market. If you don't raise silkworms to produce silk, there are plenty of people who will produce raw silk. If you lose this opportunity to make money, you may lose a lot of wealth.

The encouragement of trade and tiered taxation in recent years have allowed the Ming Dynasty to accumulate wealth to an extremely exaggerated level.

With the help of MC technology, the cost of building a palace or waging foreign wars has been reduced to an outrageous level.

As a result, a large amount of gold, silver and banknotes were piled up in the treasury with nowhere to go.

Influenced by Tianyu, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew that money needed to be circulated. If the money was not circulated and kept in the warehouse, it would just be waste paper.

So he began to use the knowledge he learned from the heavenly book and think with Shen Wansan about how to use the money.

Now a large amount of gold has been added to the underground palace, and monsters from the underground come every now and then to attack the city and deliver treasures.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was worried every day about how to spend the shining gold.
It just so happened that the Yuan Dynasty and Liu Futong came to cause trouble.

As a result, a large amount of funds flowed into the market to purchase raw silk.

Those profit-driven businessmen smelled an opportunity to make a fortune.

Countless raw silk flowed into Yingtian from all directions, turned into gold and silver, and then flowed into the whole of China, and even affected several small countries around it.

Like that Mongolian nobleman,
Many landlords, unable to bear the lobbying of businessmen from all sides, began to try to get their tenants to give up farming and switch to farming.

Soon the first batch of raw silk arrived in Yingtian.
Shen Wansan and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce along the Maritime Silk Road highly praised the raw silk brought by the merchants.

Then they signed a five-year purchasing plan with the merchants, promising to purchase all raw silk delivered within five years at a minimum price of no less than 65 taels per dan.

The silkworm farmers, landlords and nobles from all over the country who had tasted the sweetness were overjoyed.

A large amount of farmland was converted into oak forests by landlords and nobles.

At this time, the Ministry of Commerce timely adjusted the purchase price of silk per dan. The original purchase price of 65 taels per dan quietly increased by 5 taels to 70 taels.

At first, the merchants did not care. After all, the price of raw silk was high at that time, and no other silk merchants except the Ming Dynasty could afford raw silk.

The entire silk industry was gradually taken over by the Silk Industry Alliance founded by Shen Wansan, and more than 90 percent of raw silk materials flowed into the hands of the imperial court.

Time passed little by little, and the imperial court, which had not received raw silk for a long time, quietly raised the purchase price by 10 taels again.

Some businesses with a keen sense of smell suddenly discovered the bright spot.
Some people in the market began to purchase raw silk at 5 taels per dan, which was 85 taels higher than the imperial court's guidance purchase price.

The imperial court did not make any statement towards these guys who were stealing business. Instead, when the purchase of raw silk on the market was almost complete, it raised the purchase price to 90 taels.

When someone sold the raw silk he bought for 85 taels to the court for taels,

All the big businesses started to react.
The rumor that the Ming Empire sold 65 taels of raw silk for 1200 taels may be true!

Even if it is not 1200 taels, it is definitely a very lucrative profit!
As a result, the raw silk market exploded...

(End of this chapter)