Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

"The second thing is money."

Ren Yuan continued.

"Money? Brother, are you going to introduce a new currency?"

Zhu Wu and the others were quite perceptive about this matter, and they guessed what it was in an instant.

"Yes, the main issue is that the copper coins need to be remade. We also need to expedite receiving the silver brought back from the Japanese pirates. I heard from Zou Yuan and Zou Run that this time they discovered a silver mountain? Where is it? In Iwami?"

In Ren Yuan's memory, the Iwami Silver Mine should be the largest among the Japanese pirates. If it were to be opened up, it would be extremely useful.

"Yes, brother really does know everything."

Zhu Wu said he was used to it; it would be a problem if his brother didn't know.

"Let them increase their mining efforts. We'll need money for many things in the future, and having more silver will be beneficial."

"Yes."

Zhu Wu and the others nodded. Indeed, having surplus grain at home brings peace of mind, and having more silver is never a bad thing.

"In addition, new copper coins should be minted. Now they should be in full strings, 1000 coins, and we cannot allow the situation of 770 coins per string to occur in the future."

"Also, the Song Dynasty previously introduced the Jiaozi silver note, which I personally think is quite useful. I also plan to launch something similar in Dayi in the future. What do you think?"

"Does brother think silver notes are more useful?"

Xiao Jiahui raised an eyebrow. To be honest, compared to silver, silver notes were indeed more convenient, but even in the Song Dynasty, silver notes were not widely circulated.

"If used properly, silver notes can make people's lives better and better. I need to discuss this with you in detail, but we can solve the problem of having enough copper coins first."

Ren Yuan stated that banknotes are one of the things that best reflect the authority of the royal family. If the royal family has high credibility, then banknotes are useful; but if the royal family lacks credibility, then banknotes are no different from waste paper.

Therefore, we still need to focus on the copper coins and make sure there are enough copper coins in the coffers.

"Brother, what should we do with the old money that the people have now?"

"Collect them, and then inform the people that they can exchange the old and new coins for goods of equal value, or for banknotes. Then remelt the old coins, and hopefully in a few years, there will be no old coins left in the world, and everyone will use the new coins."

"Zhu Wu, you and Jiang Jing will be in charge of this matter. Money is a very important issue, and we cannot be careless in the slightest."

"As ordered."

Zhu Wu accepted the order, but he was already thinking to himself that he would have to have a good talk with Jiang Jing about this matter later.

"The third thing is food."

Ren Yuan pointed south.

"Although we have gained a lot of grain reserves due to the previous large-scale raids, they are still insufficient compared to the national average."

“Brother, regarding the issue of grain, the official granaries in each prefecture must still have some. Even if the official grain is insufficient, the private grain held by wealthy households in various regions must be quite substantial.”

"To solve the grain problem, we need to work on the root causes. Currently, most grains in the country are harvested once a year, with only a few areas in the south able to harvest twice a year, which is far from enough."

Ren Yuan stated that this problem must be solved at its root.

“When I was traveling, I heard that the southern overseas regions had rice varieties that could be harvested two or even three times a year, as well as a high-yield grain crop called sweet potato that could also be harvested twice a year. I thought about having my naval brothers form an ocean-going fleet to bring these things in. As long as they can be promoted here, then we won’t have to worry about food problems in the future.”

Ren Yuan recalled that there were good rice and sweet potatoes in the Philippines and Vietnam later on. If they could have been introduced earlier, the problem of food for the people of Dayi could have been solved.

"If these things are really that magical, then they could indeed change the entire world situation!"

"By the way, brother, how much does this thing called sweet potato yield per acre?"

"If I remember correctly, I heard that the yield of spring potatoes was 400 jin per mu and summer potatoes was 200 jin per mu."

Ren Yuan vaguely remembers that the yield of sweet potatoes per mu in the Ming and Qing dynasties was this number.

Upon hearing this news, the strategists exchanged glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes. Good heavens, if this thing could also be planted in Dayi, it would indeed be a great help!

"Daoqing, I'm leaving this to you. Go talk to the 'water army' brothers later."

"As ordered."

Qiao Daoqing accepted the order, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that this matter was not simple, after all, going to sea was a major event.

"Money and provisions are of utmost importance, and we must not take them lightly."

Ren Yuan gave him a few more instructions, then looked at Gongsun Sheng.

"One clear."

"What are your instructions, brother?"

Gongsun Sheng stepped forward.

"Please talk to your master for me and ask him if he is willing to promote Taoism as the state religion."

"Brother plans to make Taoism the state religion? What about Buddhism?"

Gongsun Sheng was a little surprised. Did the state religion need to be decided so early?

"No one has ever said that there can only be one state religion. I will ask Master Lu to ask his master about Buddhism. But Taoism is definitely fine. It's just that once it becomes the state religion, it will need to serve the country when necessary and cannot remain detached from worldly affairs forever. Is that alright?"

"As a Taoist disciple, it is my duty to do so."

Gongsun Sheng stated that there was no problem with their Taoist practice, and that Taoist disciples have always been truly dedicated to helping others in times of trouble.

"This has always been the case with Taoism."

Li Zhu and Qiao Daoqing nodded in agreement. Since ancient times, when Taoist priests descended the mountain, it was truly to work.

"Good. If the Taoist disciples who pass your assessment go down the mountain, whether they open a martial arts school, a medical clinic, or teach people to read and write, as long as they contribute to the court and help bring peace to the people, the court can provide them with subsidies."

"Brother, wouldn't this be... too preferential? If the number of Taoists surges, it might not necessarily be a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Sheng immediately spoke up, "Brother, if you say it that way, it's actually not good. Everyone understands the principle that water overflows when it's full."

"That's why you're needed to review and supervise all the Taoists in the world. You're responsible for setting the entry requirements for all Taoist sects, so that not just anyone can easily become a Taoist."

Ren Yuan said, "Gongsun Sheng, as the successor of the leader of the Taoist sect, it's time for you to show your skills in this role!"

"Understood, brother. Don't worry, Yiqing will discuss this matter with Master."

Gongsun Sheng nodded, understanding that this matter was of great importance; if it were done well, Taoism would surely flourish.

"Alright, next, we need to discuss some specific policies, such as how to pacify the people, how to formulate land policies, and how to curb land annexation, etc. Advisors, since ancient times, what the people need most is a piece of land of their own. We did a good job when we were at Liangshan, but now that our territory is larger, can we continue to do so well?"

"What do you think, brother?"

The strategists looked at Ren Yuan. Generally speaking, Ren Yuan must have his own ideas about such an important matter.

“Since ancient times, the taxes in the Central Plains have consisted of land tax and poll tax. Land was concentrated in the hands of a few people, while the poll tax was borne by the poor. After the wealthy annexed land, they could evade the poll tax by concealing the number of people; the poor had no land but still had to pay the poll tax. If they could not afford it, they would be forced to flee. Those who had land had no people, and those who had people had no land.”

Ren started by criticizing this unreasonable system, and then continued speaking.

"As I just said, money and grain are of great importance. In addition to overseas silver and seeds, taxes also need to be reformed. I have an idea called 'integrating the land tax into the poll tax'..."