Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 106: Zhu Yuanzhang's Reward! A Huge Success! Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao's Puzzlement!

royal palace.

Old Zhu held the newly published "Da Ming Daily" and could not calm down for a long time.

"Is this new version of Ming Dynasty Treasure Banknote really accepted by the common people?"

he asked in disbelief.

Beside him, Yoshigaki bowed and said with a smile, "I accept it! Now the common people are scrambling for the new banknotes. Even if we give them silver and copper coins, they won't take them."

"They said that if I go to the bank to exchange it for new notes, I will be charged a 5% handling fee, which is not cost-effective."

"But didn't they only like to use silver and copper coins and not treasure notes?" Old Zhu was still a little puzzled.

We made such strict laws and beheaded so many people, but they refused to accept them. Now they are inexplicably willing to use them?
Old Zhu felt unwilling!
"Your Majesty, that was all in the past."

Yoshigaki smiled happily and said, "Nowadays in Jinling City, even if you go to a store to buy a steamed bun or an egg, you have to use new banknotes. No one uses silver and copper coins anymore!"

Old Zhu stayed there, motionless for a long time.

He put so much effort into promoting the Ming Baochao.

The most severe criminal laws were enacted for this purpose, and countless people were beheaded.

Even an entire county had most of its population killed.

The rest were all sent into exile.

But even so, the previous Ming Dynasty treasure notes were not widely recognized.

It is even more unimaginable to use Ming Dynasty treasure notes to buy steamed buns and eggs.

"Wait a minute." Old Zhu suddenly remembered something and said, "What about the counterfeit money? Won't those who made counterfeit money continue to make counterfeit money?"

The proliferation of counterfeit banknotes has always been a chronic problem faced by the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes.

Old Zhu was also very troubled by this.

Those who made counterfeit money would be executed by slow slicing if caught.

Even the people nearby were all killed.

But even so, those who make counterfeit money are still like the grass in spring.

Kill one batch and a new batch will appear.

Killing is endless!

Yoshigaki put on a smile, bent over and said, "How about saying that His Royal Highness is a genius?"

"The new banknotes are absolutely unique in terms of anti-counterfeiting."

"I dare to conclude that the counterfeiters cannot produce new banknotes that can be mistaken for the real thing."

"Even if they wanted to make counterfeit money, they couldn't do it."

Hearing this, Old Zhu was slightly surprised again and asked, "Do you have new banknotes? Show them to us."

"Yes!" Yoshigaki quickly took out a few new banknotes from his pocket.

This is the power of these close officials.

He had long anticipated that Zhu Yuanzhang might ask about this matter, so he specially prepared a new banknote of each denomination, put it in his arms, and waited for the emperor to ask at any time.

Now it is really used.

If it weren't for this cleverness, Yoshigaki wouldn't have been able to climb to his current position.

It is even more impossible for him to become Zhu Yuanzhang's personal eunuch.

Old Zhu took it, looked at it carefully, and said with a little surprise: "The portrait on this new banknote is well drawn, very lifelike, it is really hard to say whether a counterfeiter can draw it like this."

"Not only that." Yoshigaki stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, pick up the new banknote and hold it up to the light. There is a hidden anti-counterfeiting mark inside."

When Old Zhu picked it up and took a look, he exclaimed, "This is too exquisite!"

"There are more!" Ji Yuan pointed to some places on the treasure note and said, "Your Majesty, touch it with your hand a little harder, do you feel any bumps and depressions?"

Lao Zhu touched it, his expression changed slightly, and said, "Indeed!"

"And..." Ji Yuan explained to Lao Zhu the anti-counterfeiting measures on the banknotes one by one.

Old Zhu listened and praised everything.

When all was said, Lao Zhu could not help but sigh: "No wonder Hu'er is not afraid of counterfeit money, it turns out that he has used so many ingenious methods to prevent counterfeit money."

"I don't know how Hu'er came up with this idea in his little head."

Yoshigaki laughed and said, "Your Highness the King of Wu is extremely intelligent, unparalleled in the world."

"Only His Royal Highness the King of Wu can come up with these methods. No one else can do it."

Old Zhu stroked his beard and said, "Not bad! Not bad! Only my grandson could come up with these things. Hahahaha!"

He laughed loudly towards the sky, extremely proud.

Ji Yuan knelt down quickly and said, "I congratulate your majesty. Your majesty, congratulations, your majesty, your majesty has a grandson. From now on, the Ming Dynasty will have a successor. Your majesty can rest assured."

"Well said!" Old Zhu was very happy and said, "I will reward you handsomely!"

After saying that, he smiled and said, "What should I reward you with?"

"I will reward you with a thousand taels of silver."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Yoshigaki was beaming with joy.

His Majesty the Emperor has always been very stingy, but he rarely rewards eunuchs so generously.

It seems that His Majesty is in a very good mood today.

He spent one thousand taels, which was very generous.

but.

Ji Yuan smiled brightly and said, "Now that everyone doesn't need silver anymore, Your Majesty, why don't you reward me with new banknotes?"

"Okay, then I'll give you new banknotes." Old Zhu was even happier and said, "The largest denomination of new banknotes is 100 Wen. How about I give you 100,000 new banknotes?"

One hundred thousand new banknotes equal ten million coins, or ten thousand taels of silver.

With just one sentence, the reward was increased tenfold. How could Yoshigaki not be happy?
Ten thousand taels of silver!
I have served His Majesty the Emperor for such a long time, but I have never seen so much money.

Yoshigaki knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

"Get up." Lao Zhu waved his hand and stood up.

He looked up at the white clouds floating across the sky and was in a particularly good mood.

I haven't been this happy in a long time.

Previously, Zhu Yunhuan opened the Ming Bank and carried out new currency reforms. Although Zhu Yunhuan did not stop him, he was still worried about him in his heart.

Afraid something might go wrong.

Fortunately, some time passed.

Now, facts have proved that Zhu Yunhuan succeeded.

The new version of Ming Dynasty treasure notes was widely accepted by the common people.

This made Lao Zhu feel relieved.

Our grandson is really amazing.

Be courageous, ambitious, and capable.

He accomplished things easily which even he himself could not do.

It’s great to have a grandson like this!

Suddenly, Lao Zhu thought of something and asked, "With so many anti-counterfeiting measures, the production cost of the new banknotes must be quite high, right?"

Yoshigaki bent down and smiled, "Then I don't know."

"However, I heard that His Royal Highness the King of Wu has made a number of technological improvements, each of which is very impressive."

"They can all reduce the cost of making banknotes."

"So, it shouldn't cost much to print these new banknotes."

"Otherwise, His Royal Highness the King of Wu would not have set the value of the new banknotes so low."

Old Zhu nodded slightly.

What Yoshigaki said does make sense.

The smallest denomination of the new banknote is only one cent.

Since Huer printed such money, it means that its production cost is much lower than this number.

After all, a new bill is small.

Old Zhu looked up at the sky again, and the haze that had accumulated in his heart for a long time was swept away. He murmured, "Biao'er, did you see it all? Your son, our grandson, is really amazing!"

The sound was so soft that even Yoshigaki, who was standing nearby, could not hear it at all.

Seeing the Emperor in a daze, Ji Yuan whispered, "The King of Wu has accomplished such a great thing. Would Your Majesty like to reward him generously?"

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu shook his head and said loudly: "What reward? No need for reward."

"Our dragon throne belongs to him."

"The vast country belongs to him."

"The entire Ming Dynasty belongs to him."

"Why should we reward him?"

"We rewarded him with the entire Ming Dynasty. Isn't that enough?"

……

The backyard where the Ming Bank’s headquarters is located.

Zhu Yunhuan was talking with Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao.

Below, dozens of accountants were clacking away on their abacuses.

During this period, the Ming Bank and the new banknotes achieved a success that even Zhu Yunhuan had not expected.

Originally, he was worried that the people of the Ming Dynasty had been badly cheated by the original Ming Baochao and would not easily trust the new banknotes.

Unexpectedly, with the forced implementation of a series of measures, the new banknotes regained the trust of the people at an extremely fast speed.

Sometimes I have to sigh that the collective memory of ordinary people doesn't seem to be that good.

The impact of its convenience and speed on people is far greater than Zhu Yunhuan originally imagined.

Of course, this is also inseparable from the vigorous publicity of the Ming Daily.

The power of public opinion is extremely terrifying.

Day after day of propaganda will subtly change people's psychological cognition.

The new banknotes were quickly accepted.

As for the old banknotes...

In Zhu Yunhuan's opinion, the best way to deal with it is to forget it.

Don't hear, don't ask, don't care, just pretend it doesn't exist...

There are three reasons. First, it is inappropriate to redeem old banknotes at any value.

If the price is too low, the old banknotes will be severely discounted, which will undermine the credibility of banknotes in people's minds.

Overpriced and not worth it.

Second, if old banknotes are to be recycled on a large scale, the supply of new banknotes required will increase out of thin air.

When currency is first issued, it is very important to control the supply.

If there is too much supply, there is a risk of rapid depreciation.

Even if we forcibly stabilize the depreciation of silver and grain prices, what about other commodities?

It is hard to say that it will not cause a series of chain reactions, resulting in a general rise in commodity prices.

The third problem is also the most serious and terrifying one.

Because the old banknotes were not anti-counterfeiting, even the Ming Dynasty court itself could not tell which old banknotes were printed by the court and which were counterfeit!

This is extremely speechless!
If old banknotes are really recycled on a large scale, only God knows how many counterfeit banknotes will be recovered.

Rely on severe criminal laws to deter counterfeiters?
Faced with such huge interests, Zhu Yunhuan really didn't believe that this would have much effect!
Therefore, the best measure is to ignore it.

Anyway, the Ming Dynasty court would either recycle the previously printed banknotes at a super low discount or simply ignore them after they became old.

It doesn't matter if he does this time!
As long as everyone's energy and attention is focused on the new banknotes, no one will care about the old banknotes.

It is worth mentioning here that old banknotes are not widely used in practice because of their low credibility.

Most ordinary people don’t have old banknotes.

Even if we ignore it, the impact will be limited and still within the controllable range.

In addition to the smooth issuance of the new banknotes, another unexpected surprise for Zhu Yunhuan was the Ming Bank.

The development of Ming Bank was much smoother than he had imagined.

In just over a month, the Ming Bank had opened more than a dozen branches in Jinling City.

The total deposit amount of the entire bank reached an astonishing 37 million taels of silver.

This number is being refreshed every day, constantly setting higher records.

The stories and rumors publicized in the Da Ming Daily played a crucial role.

The simple people really believed those stories.

Once someone takes the lead, others will follow.

Sometimes, it's just that simple.

When no one saves money, no one trusts anyone.

As long as there is the first person to try it, those who come after him will think, if you dare to save it, why shouldn’t I?
When others see this, they think, "You have all saved, you are not afraid, then why should I be afraid?"

After all, there is interest to be earned.

Why can you save money and earn interest, but I can’t?
Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and soon, there was a trend of the people of Jinling City flocking to the Ming Bank to open accounts.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunheng still had a slight smile on his face.

Then, I felt it was natural.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, it didn't seem to take much effort for the bill exchange offices and money houses to gain the trust of the common people.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many wealthy people in the late Qing Dynasty.

In every aspect, the Ming Bank was more powerful than the bill exchange houses and money houses in the late Qing Dynasty, and deposits were more secure.

Relying on the "Da Ming Daily", the propaganda strength is more than a hundred times stronger than theirs.

Surprisingly, those officials and political opponents who disliked Zhu Yunhuan did not create any major obstacles in the establishment of the Ming Bank and the printing of new banknotes.

But think about it, it’s normal.

Those people had already formed a preconceived notion that the new banknote would not be successful, and were just waiting to see His Royal Highness the King of Wu make a fool of himself.

As for Ming Bank.

They had never encountered this new thing before, had no idea what it was, and had no idea how to cause damage.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan's entire plan went very smoothly.

With this deposit, he felt much more confident.

The money deposited must be paid interest.

Of course, the money cannot just be left in the bank, it must be loaned out.

But Zhu Yunhuan did not intend to lend money to ordinary people and merchants, at least not for the time being.

The reason was simple: he himself was in urgent need of money.

In fact, even in later generations, the banks that lent the most were government departments, state units, and state-owned enterprises!
Zhu Yunhuan was also preparing to establish a large enterprise.

It mainly focuses on technological research and development, as well as investment in corresponding industries.

For example, studying steam engines, bicycles, guns and gunpowder, and cement.

He had wanted to do this for a long time.

Only Zhu Yunhuan had limited professional knowledge in his mind and only knew a general direction of development.

The research and development of specific details can only rely on the efforts of technical workers and spending money!

Keep spending money on experiments!

That's not a small amount of money.

Even if he invested all his salary as the King of Wu into this, it would be a drop in the bucket.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan has never been in a hurry to do it.

Now, we can finally take action.

Invent, research, and industrialize production to usher in a new era.

As for the source of funds, of course it was a loan from Ming Bank.

"A loan of 30 million taels? Do you really want to borrow 30 million taels from the Ming Bank?"

Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao were both shocked by Zhu Yunhuan's words.

Yang Shiqi originally planned that since the Ming Bank had so much money, he could take it out for use in the national treasury.

As for the issue of deposit interest, he believes that it can be solved by printing money.

Although printing a large amount of money will inevitably lead to currency depreciation and cause huge problems.

Yang Shiqi also understood this principle.

But in his opinion, there is no problem in printing a small amount.

After all, paper money is subject to natural wear and tear.

Even silver is mined from mines every year.

Unexpectedly, in a blink of an eye, Zhu Yunhuan was about to loan out all the money.

The total deposit was 37 million taels of silver, 30 million of which were loaned out. The remaining 7 million taels must be used as a deposit to maintain the normal operation of the Ming Bank and cannot be touched.

"Is this money important?" Yang Shiqi asked.

Zhu Yunxun nodded and said, "Very important!"

He asked with a smile: "How much do you think the invention of the drum mimeograph machine is worth?"

Yao Guangxiao pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, this is a priceless treasure that cannot be measured by money at all."

"What about gravure printing, color-changing ink, and cotton paper?" Zhu Yunhuan asked again.

"It is impossible to measure it either." Yao Guangxiao said, "Without these technologies, the new version of Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes would not have achieved the success it has today."

"Even if they are barely issued, it won't be long before it collapses due to the flood of counterfeit notes."

"That's right!" Zhu Yunxun said with a smile: "The progress of society depends on the progress of technology."

“If there were no machines for spinning and weaving, people would not have clothes to wear.”

"You can only wrap yourself in the fur of wild animals."

“Without the plow, most of the land under heaven would be wasted.”

"The population would not be as large as it is today because we simply could not feed it."

"I plan to take out 30 million taels of silver to set up a company for technology research and production investment, specializing in the development of machines like the drum mimeograph machine."

"With this company, there will be a large number of machines similar to the drum mimeograph machine, and even more and better machines, which will be invented continuously."

"There are better machines for spinning, faster machines for plowing, and all kinds of production tools... The future of Ming Dynasty will be completely different."

Zhu Yunhuan happily told about the beautiful blueprint in his heart.

However, he did not notice that the expressions of Yang Shiqi and Yao Guangxiao beside him were becoming more and more strange.

After they finished talking, they found that the two of them were looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhu Yunxun asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

There was a long silence.

Yang Shiqi then said, "May I ask Your Highness, what is a company?"

"Besides, wasn't the invention of the drum mimeograph machine something that was thought up out of thin air by your genius mind?"

"What's the point of investing money in it?"

Yao Guangxiao chanted a Buddhist name and said, "As Your Highness just said, looms and plows are certainly important."

“But the emergence of these two depends on the ingenious ideas of genius.”

"In the past, there was a man called Chao who built a nest out of wood and used leaves as clothing."

"Suiren drilled wood to make fire, Fuxi distinguished between men and women, established the rites of marriage, fished and raised silkworms, and spun silk to make clothes."

"Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs and planted five kinds of grains."

"It was under the leadership of our ancestors that the human race began to flourish and has continued to this day."

"This is all God's will and cannot be changed by human power."

"Your Highness has invested a large amount of money in the "company". May I ask if this "company" is offering gold, silver and treasures to the heavens?"

"Will this lead to a better loom? A better plow?"

"I am a stupid monk and don't understand your Highness's intention!"

"Your Highness, please give me some advice!"

……

　In the future, the update time will be set at 10 am and pm. It will be fixed and convenient for everyone to read.

　　Each of my chapters has a lot of words. For example, today's chapter has more than 5,200 words. So even if I write two chapters a day, the number of words is still not small.

　　In addition, updates will be added from time to time, and the update time will be random.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)