Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 779 Silver Coins
With the foundation laid by Feng Gang in the past two years, plus the letter of credence sent by Ye Chen, of course the most important thing is that Liu Jinyuan promised to purchase 100 million shi of grain and [-] sets of clothes in Korea every year and send them to the Wanyan Department.In addition, some weapons and equipment support will be given to the Wanyan Department.In short, Xiangfu Kingdom easily formed an alliance with Jurchen, a terrifying monster that had not yet grown up.

Ye Chen naturally knew that in the original history, Jurchen grew up from the black mountains and bad waters, and even the Jin Kingdom behind it was a terrifying existence. It destroyed the Liao Kingdom and destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty in a few years. The shame of Jingkang.

But that will be nearly a hundred years later. Ye Chen is fully sure that with his existence and the existence of Xiangfu Kingdom, after a hundred years, even if Jurchen, a terrifying monster, still grows up, it will definitely be in Xiangfu. If you are in the cage of the country or chained, you will only become a hunting dog in the country of Xiangfu.

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In short, in this case, for more than a month, things like inventing and researching the method of making glass are important, but after Ye Chen confessed and asked occasionally, it was over, how could he have time to go to the fireside? Inspection and guidance, so the specific matters of glass research technology are all handed over to those glass workers.

Movable type printing is also not so easy to invent and create. After Ye Chen got the report of another failure, he couldn't help sighing secretly: "If you don't go back to ancient times, you don't know how difficult it is to invent and create."

Originally, Ye Chen thought that with Bi Sheng's technology, didn't he just turn movable type into lead type?But it is difficult to make type, and the invention of new type casting machines and printing machines is not that simple. Even if Ye Chen came from more than 1000 years later, studied science and engineering, and his grades are quite good, he still can't invent anything.

But the significance of movable type printing is too great, even more important than glass. After Jia Xian figured out the principle of movable type printing, he didn't need Ye Chen to emphasize it at all. Let them think over and over again on the method ideas provided by Ye Chen.

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Since the Xiangfu Guozhongbao screw was manufactured by the Weapons Research Department more than four months ago, the Civil Research Department and the Weapons Research Department gathered the most outstanding research technicians, which took nearly five months and cost nearly 10 taels of silver , and finally teamed up today to create a set of forging dies for forging coins.The Department of Mint of the Household Department and the Weapons Research Department of the Equipment Department were in charge of this matter at the same time, so Jia Xian and Yu Wen immediately went to the palace to announce the good news to Ye Chen.Overjoyed, Ye Chen asked the two of them to take him out of the palace to inspect in person.

The water wheel drives the screw, and the hard cast iron mold of the forging bed is pressed against the raw material, making a creaking sound of metal deformation.After the mold was raised, Jia Xian took the tray out of the forging bed with his own hands, and carefully held it for Ye Chen to have a look.

The black cast iron tray is full of silver coins.The fragments that have been forged around will be re-melted and cast into silver plates, and then forged into coins in this forging machine.

Ye Chen picked up a silver coin and observed it carefully in the sunlight. The mold was carved with great care. The handwriting on the silver coin is clearly visible. On the top of the front are three sharp Chinese characters of "Xiang Fu Coin". Below these three words are written "Five coins", there is an Arabic numeral "5" at the bottom.Ye Chen turned the silver coin over, and on the back along the outer circle were written the words 'Xiangfu Kingdom Coin Department', with his portrait in the middle.

Putting Ye Chen's head on the silver coin was the result of strong requests from Han Xizai, Ma Wentao, Jia Xian and others. They also used sufficient reasons to persuade Ye Chen to appear on the new currency. At the beginning, they will inevitably experience a situation that makes the people suspicious. And the process of boycott, the establishment of credit, the recognition and gradual popularization of market circulation, this process can take as little as one or two years, and many years as seven or eight years.However, if there is a portrait of His Majesty the Emperor of Xiangfu Kingdom, which is believed by the people as a god, and it is issued by the court of Xiangfu Kingdom, these processes can be directly omitted.

Ye Chen picked up another silver coin, he held up the two silver coins side by side, and compared them over and over again very carefully. The forging mold used a pattern similar to that of movable type. Ye Chen didn't know how to make the mold. have higher efficiency.However, the molds of this batch are very well made, and the difference between the two silver coins is almost indistinguishable.

Jia Xian and Yu Wen watched Ye Chen's expression nervously, Ye Chen kept his mouth tightly shut and did not express any opinion.This made them a little uneasy.

"Okay, I will use this kind of coin in Xiangfu Kingdom from now on." Ye Chen flicked his left and right thumbs repeatedly, and the two silver coins drew a shining arc in the air one after another. Both Yu Wen and Jia Xian caught them in a hurry. Tossed silver coins.

"Jia Xian, after the Ministry of Household Investigation and Demonstration on the market, it has recently come up with the most reasonable plan with different denominations, and gold coins can also be considered for production and distribution. Hmm! The establishment of the Xiangfu Bank will be managed by the Ministry of Households. The specific rules are as follows Do as I told you before."

Jia Xian respectfully said yes.

Ye Chen thought for a while, and then said solemnly: "All the artisans and officials involved in the minting, except those from the Weapons and Equipment Research Department, are all assigned to the Mint Department. In addition, you will go to the Military Shuttle Department to find Yang Jiye with my order. , Let him mobilize a battalion of troops to station in the Mint Department for a long time, protect the forging machine dies for forging coins, and the manufacturing drawings must not be leaked."

"Also, all craftsmen who have contributed to this coinage will be rewarded, and master craftsmen who have made outstanding contributions can be directly awarded official positions."

Ye Chen talked too much, and Jia Xiang was worried that his memory was wrong, so he respectfully said yes, and quickly took out a pencil and a pamphlet to write it down.

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Song Dynasty, Kaifeng, Chongzheng Palace, the atmosphere is strange and depressing.

The Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Kingdom sent a secret envoy to form an alliance with the Song Kingdom to deal with the Xiangfu Kingdom, and asked the Northwest Frontier Army of the Song Kingdom to come out in full force to suppress the army of the Xiangfu Kingdom.

A few months ago, the Liao Kingdom and the Song Kingdom agreed to join forces to deal with the Xiangfu Kingdom. In the end, the Liao Kingdom did not send troops. Instead, [-] cavalry went south to attack the Song Dynasty. But it is a very important factor.Moreover, at that time, in order to explain the reasons for the defeat to the people and scholars of the Song Dynasty, the monarchs and officials of the Song Dynasty attributed the main reason to the treachery of the Liao Kingdom.

Now, the Liao Kingdom once again sent envoys to form an alliance, even if the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty wanted to agree, it was difficult to agree.What's more, in the eyes of many people, it is absolutely impossible to form an alliance with Liao.

Apart from Zhao Pu, Cao Bin, Luo Gongming, Lu Yuqing, Xue Juzheng and other important officials from the two governments, Yushi Zhongcheng, the academicians of the Sanshishi Hanlin Academy, and the family members of the Zhongshu School were all in the Chongzheng Hall.To be precise, all important ministers of the two systems and above officials in the Song Dynasty were urgently called into the Chongzheng Hall to discuss the affairs of the Liao Kingdom.

But after announcing the request from the secret envoy of the Liao Kingdom to bring the Liao Kingdom, no one in the hall uttered a word.Looking at the princes of the two governments and the high-ranking young emperor who just said that "the defeat in Xiangfu country was due to Liao's treachery and stabbing in the back, no one dared to talk too much, lest they accidentally offend someone they couldn't offend."

"I didn't expect that the Liao Kingdom would still beg our Song Dynasty." Lu Yuqing laughed dryly and broke the silence.It's just that this is very unnutritious.

"It's really rare for the Liao Kingdom to come to our Song Dynasty, but the reason behind this matter must be clarified first." Xue Juzheng said solemnly when he left the class.

Since the current emperor Zhao Dezhao came to the throne, he has experienced two big defeats with Ye Chen. Although Zhao Kuangyin, the great ancestor Zhao Kuangyin, has laid a solid foundation for the Song Kingdom after more than ten years, it will take at least a few years in the current situation. Time to recuperate and integrate people's hearts, especially the morale of the army.Where is the time or courage to take the initiative to attack Xiangfu Kingdom?Even though he had formed a life-and-death feud with Ye Chen of the Xiangfu Kingdom, the monarchs and ministers of the Song Dynasty really did not think about launching a third war in a short time.To put it bluntly, the complete defeat of these two games scared them of being beaten.

However, even if the reason for this is very simple, and the fact that the two defeats are in sight, there are still some people who, out of consideration of various interests, clamor to send troops to provoke Xiangfu Kingdom.

"Report to Your Majesty, the Song Wei Mansion has sent spies to the Liao Kingdom to investigate this matter, and there will be a reply soon." The chief envoy of the Song Wei Mansion is named Zhu Yushu, who is the confidant of the current Song Emperor Zhao Dezhao, who used to be Zhao Dezhao Wei A retainer in the palace.

Zhu Yushu's answer caused many people in the hall to show sarcasm, and Zhao Dezhao's face was also very ugly.The Song Wei Mansion is exactly the same as the original Huaxia Wei Mansion, but Zhu Yushu, the chief envoy, actually controls less than [-]% of the bureaus in the Song Wei Mansion.Especially the most important Intelligence Department and Assassination Department he said nothing, because these two important envoys are directly under the orders of Prime Minister Zhao Pu.This incident was not a secret among the court of Song Dynasty.

Zhu Yushu couldn't tell why, so everyone looked at Zhao Pu. Zhao Pu looked indifferent, and was about to tell him about the latest situation in Liao Kingdom reported to him by the Intelligence Department of the Song Wei Mansion seven days ago. Unexpectedly, Zhao Dezhao snorted coldly and shouted: : "If you can't even find out such news, what's the use of your Song Wei Mansion. What a waste. As early as seven days ago, I already knew that the Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Kingdom suddenly massacred the royal family of the Liao Kingdom in Shangjing City on the day of hunting. It was empty, but Yelu Hanye in the west and Yelulu in the north rebelled after getting the news. Now that dog thief Ye Chen sent people to secretly support Yelu Hanye and Yelulu, and the Zhelan Army and Xuanwu Army of Xiangfu Kingdom came In the Liao territory, the troops on the west side of the Liao Kingdom are restrained from moving rashly. Now the Liao Kingdom has sent envoys to form an alliance with our Great Song Dynasty, just to let us also let the troops on the northwestern frontier of the Great Song Dynasty like Xiangfu Kingdom Linxiangfu Kingdom, to contain the energy of the Xiangfu Kingdom army and Ye Chen, that dog thief, so that they can quell the internal strife."

(End of this chapter)