Chapter 957 1046 Making Money

After talking about Ge Shouli, the focus of the three people's conversation naturally turned back to the new money law.

"Because the matter is of great importance, after returning to the ministry, I told the left minister Chen Zan about the matter, and he was very supportive."

So next, Wang Guoguang explained the discussion between him and Chen Zan, including Chen Zan's suggestions.

Wei Guangde listened quietly. After all, it was best to brainstorm ideas, otherwise he would directly draft the charter and then discuss it with Zhang Juzheng.

The reason why he directly threw it out and found three ministers to talk about it together was not just to listen to other people's thoughts and enrich his plan.

As for Chen Zan, Wei Guangde also knew him.

After all, he is the left minister of household affairs, a third-rank official of the imperial court, which is already a very high official position.

In addition to the governors and governors who were sent abroad, there were several imperial officials in the entire Ming Dynasty who could reach the third rank.

Chen Zan, whose courtesy name was Jingfu and also named Yuquan, was a native of Quaitou Village, Xian County, Hejian Prefecture.

In the Ming Dynasty, he was a member of the Guimao imperial examination in Jiajing and a Jinshi in Ding Weike. He first served as the magistrate of Yangqu County, Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi. He successively served as the censor of Shandong Province, the deputy envoy of the Shandong Inspection Department, and the envoy of Henan Inspection. He is currently the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.

Not long after, Zhu Heng also came in from outside, holding six boxes in his hands.

As soon as he appeared on the stage, he attracted the attention of the three people in the room.

Wei Guangde asked in surprise: "Brother Shinan, has the sample coin come out?"

"Uh, no."

Zhu Heng was just stunned for a moment, but soon realized that Wei Guangde was wrong, and hurriedly explained: "No, no, I summoned the craftsmen yesterday, and they dug out the coins that were minted before. I think I can choose from them."

Zhu Heng placed the six boxes on the coffee table and opened them one by one to show them.

Wei Guangde looked over and unconsciously reached out and took out the coins in the first box.

"Dazhong Tongbao?"

The characters minted on it are clearly visible, and they are obviously not coins that were circulated to the public, and the coins they bought also gave Wei Guangde a different feeling.

"This is the carved mother. All coins minted by the imperial court, the carved mother and mother money will be taken back and preserved by the Ministry of Industry."

Zhu Heng explained.

"Carved mother? Carved by hand?"

Wei Guangde asked in surprise.

Although he had read many miscellaneous books, of course they also mentioned the craftsmanship of coinage, and the word "carved mother" still left an impression on him.

However, he thought that the carved mother should be made of wood because it was easier to carve. After all, it was just a mold. The mold was made and then cast to make mother money.

However, the large and medium-sized Tongbao in my hand is made of copper, and the copper content of this carved mother is quite high.

How many years has passed since Dazhong Tongbao? This carved mother-in-law is still yellow and has no oxidation on the surface. It is obvious that the Ministry of Industry has preserved it very well.

Wei Guangde carefully looked at the words engraved on the coin in his hand. They were very clear and charming. Looking at the openings, they were also very precise.

Putting down the Dazhong Tongbao, Wei Guangde picked up a copper coin in the second box, which was the Hongwu Tongbao and the carved mother.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Guoguang and others were already looking through the carved mother in the box.

"I just said it feels different from the sample coins I saw last time."

Wei Guangde said to Zhang Juzheng, who was also looking at the coins beside him.

Zhang Juzheng nodded, "What came up at that time should be sample coins, not mother coins."

During the Longqing Year, Emperor Longqing also minted a batch of Longqing Tongbao. The sample coins naturally passed the cabinet, so Wei Guangde had seen the sample coins sent by the Ministry of Industry at that time.

The difference between ancient Chinese coins and other cultural relics is the technological process of ancient coins.

The same kind of coins can be divided into the order of engraving pattern, engraving mother, seed mother, cast mother, mother coin and sub coin.

In ancient times, when large quantities of coins were minted, the standard model coins produced by the central and local finances could not be used for circulation.

Only after all aspects are approved by the court can the mother coin be recast.

The carvings of the mother coins are very sophisticated. The carvings we see now are all made of golden copper, which is a high-quality copper material.

The bronze inscriptions on the mother-of-pearl are very exquisite and the words are deep and clear. The strokes of each character are very clear and there is absolutely no adhesion or blur.

It is thinner than the circulating coins of the same format, and it still retains traces of hand-engraving from the details.

There are no signs of knife marks on the carved mother coins, and they are slightly larger and thicker than the coins in circulation of the same version.

The carved mother coins are made into money molds and then taken away. Craftsmen cast molten copper on the money molds. After the coins have cooled, the molds are opened. The coins are taken out, processed and polished to be smooth. Therefore, every carved mother coin has its authority. .

Mother money can be divided into three types, namely money sample, carved mother money and cast mother money.

Wei Guangde's guess was actually not wrong, because the money samples were usually made of fine wood or ivory carvings, after all, they were easy to shape.

After it comes out, the carved mother will be carved and cast. After all, making the carved mother is time-consuming and laborious.

"Why did you bring these here?"

Wei Guangde looked at all the coins in the six boxes. He didn't look at every coin, but just looked at the carved mother in several boxes. There were big coins and small coins.

After all, everyone was watching, so Wei Guangde was very casual and took whatever he liked.

"That's right. Since the time of Emperor Taizu, the weight of coins has been slightly adjusted. For example, in Dazhong Tongbao, a flat coin weighs one cent, while in Hongwu Tongbao, it weighs one cent and two cents."

Zhu Heng began to talk eloquently: "In the Jiajing Dynasty, the weight of Jiajing Tongbao was one cent and two and a half cents. A few years ago, a batch of Longqing Tongbao was minted, and its weight was one cent and three cents."

Zhu Heng only needs to say the weight of the flat coin, because the big coins increase in weight according to the weight of the small flat coins.

Zhu Heng said this, and Wei Guangde roughly guessed what he meant.

In order to show their nobility, future emperors often minted coins with more and more materials.

Sample money is actually easy to make, but the ratio of materials is directly related to the cost of minting, and the final weight of the coin is also critical. These need to be calculated by the Ministry of Industry in advance.

Don't spend time minting coins. The result will be higher costs. The more coins you mint, the greater your losses will be. How can you mint them on a large scale?

The new money law that Wei Guangde wants to promote actually requires a large number of coins. Otherwise, it cannot guarantee the circulation among the people, so it is better not to do it.

It's just that Wei Guangde was more pragmatic, or better at calculation. He would not use copper materials to make exquisite coins to pass down to future generations just for the so-called face.

"If possible, I recommend following the shape of Dazhong Tongbao. The weight of a flat coin is one qian. Although the coin may not fit in the hand, the copper content is increased and the coin is more beautiful."

Wei Guangde's first thought was that there was no need to make bigger coins, it seemed better to be small and refined.

"People carry more than a dozen copper coins on their bodies, but the weight is less than one coin."

Wei Guangde said again.

"When minted this way, it's a little smaller than the previous generation of coins."

Zhu Heng frowned slightly. He didn't expect Wei Guangde's choice to be so extreme, choosing the smallest one directly.

"hehe."

Wei Guangde smiled and continued: "Just because the material costs a penny does not mean that the coin will be small. As long as the hole in the middle is made larger, the size of the coin should not be affected."

"Well"

Zhu Heng was speechless for a moment.

Indeed, if you really want to do this, you can make a coin with just one coin the same size as other coins with more materials, but it can't be compared.

Putting it together, it is easy to see the difference in the size of the holes in the middle.

"Mr. Wei Ge, the amount of copper consumed is calculated based on the price of copper and the price of private goods. If there is not enough copper, the new money may be boycotted by the public."

Wang Guoguang frowned and said.

"Coins are minted by the imperial court and enforced by the imperial court."

While speaking, Wei Guangde pointed to the coins in the box and said, "This thing is better than treasure banknotes."

In later generations, which country's currency will still consider price factors, and those who calculate production costs will be endorsed and forced by the state.

No wonder the Ming Dynasty did not make money from minting coins in these years.

Because everyone wants to make the coins extremely exquisite, the main thing is to have a higher copper content, the higher the better, so that it is easier for them to exchange it home and smelt it to make private money.

Wei Guangde could guess this, but it was difficult to say it.

Wei Guangde really didn't know whether his family had done this before. He hadn't heard his father say anything about it.

But he knew about the private money making, and his family was involved in melting down the guard's gun.

Many people may think that minting private money is a secret that cannot be told. In later generations, it means printing counterfeit banknotes. However, in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the middle and late Jiajing period, it was no longer a problem, because they were minting private money "under orders". The imperial court also set an exchange price of one to ten

"If you want to prevent private money from being minted by the private sector, you should not put too much cost on materials, otherwise it will be difficult for the private sector to prevent the proliferation of private money."

Wei Guangde looked around the three people in the room and said in a low voice: "I have long heard that people exchange official money and melt it down to make private money. Therefore, we must pay attention to the materials used for official money. I think the cost of official money, in addition to deducting the materials and wages, In addition, the court must earn at least 20%.

In this way, there will be no room for profit from making private money for the private sector. At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue must strictly control mines in various places, especially copper mining in Yunnan. "

At this time, although there were many large and small mines in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, copper mines were mainly produced in Yunnan.

As long as copper materials are controlled from the source and the copper content of official money is reduced, private money can be made unprofitable, and naturally no one will continue to do this.

To prevent the proliferation of private money, this method is more effective than decapitation.

"I think it will work."

Zhang Juzheng had actually guessed Wei Guangde's intention a long time ago. He also heard that some people used official money to smelt and cast private money.

"In this case, the coins will not be used for long, and the surface will rust."

Zhu Heng analyzed the consequences of this from the perspective of the Ministry of Industry. Although it seemed that the Ministry of Industry could make more money from minting coins, the profits would go to the Ministry of Household Affairs. This was what Wei Guangde had said early in the morning to supplement the imperial finances.

"The coins will continue to be minted. When taxes can be collected from various places, the coins that are too rusty will be returned to the Ministry of Industry for re-minting."

Wei Guangde said nonchalantly.

"But where did the imperial court get so much copper?"

Yes, China has a vast territory and rich resources. In other words, some ore resources are actually very tight, such as copper mines, gold and silver mines, etc.

Of course, saying that China is short of minerals is actually just greedy and greedy. Everyone wants to have world-class super mines.

Let’s talk about copper mines. The largest copper mine discovered in China is actually not even inferior to those in South America.

It's a pity that South America is too far away from the Ming Dynasty. Now it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty navy to cross the Pacific Ocean. At least before mastering the Spanish navigation charts, exploring new routes is the end of a narrow escape.

However, there are places rich in copper resources around the Ming Dynasty, and that is the Japanese country.

"Da Ming doesn't have it, you can buy it from outside."

Wei Guangde said.

"Buy it? Who can I buy it from?"

Wang Guoguang looked at Wei Guangde with wide eyes, full of questions.

Wei Guangde looked at Wang Guoguang, then at Zhang Juzheng and others. Seeing that they all wanted to ask, he did not keep them in suspense and said directly: "Coins in the Song Dynasty had flowed out in large quantities. Why?

It is nothing more than that the coins minted in the Song Dynasty were exquisite in style and had a fixed copper content, which made them better as general coins.

The coins that my Ming Dynasty wants to mint are not only circulated within the Ming Dynasty, but I also hope that they can flow overseas like in the Song Dynasty, so that overseas countries can all use my Ming Dynasty coins.

Correspondingly, if they want to obtain Ming Dynasty coins, they naturally have to transport goods and even gold, silver and copper materials to Ming Dynasty."

"Wei Ge Lao, I understand what you mean, but where is the copper material overseas?"

Wang Guoguang is undoubtedly the one who supports large-scale coin minting the most, because coin minting must have a 20% profit, which is used to supplement the financial difficulties of the court in the Ministry of Industry. The more coins minted, the better.

It's just that support is support, copper materials can't be conjured out of thin air.

Coin minting requires copper materials.

In fact, relatively speaking, silver coins are simpler.

The Ming Dynasty has always been short of copper materials and the number of coins minted is small, so the circulation among the people is not smooth, which has given rise to the existence of private money.

Using copper coins made in the Ming Dynasty to buy overseas copper materials is of course a good thing as long as the accounts can be settled.

"Japan."

Wei Guangde said.

"Hiss."

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, several people in the room took a breath of cold air.

More than ten years ago, the court was still worried about the Japanese pirates, but now Wei Ge Lao is thinking about doing business with Japan.

The Ming Dynasty was very vigilant against Japan. Every ship permit issued by Yuegang had to state that trade with Japan was strictly prohibited, and there was no ship permit issued to Japan.

Of course, the profit of doing business with Japan was too great, so no one could tell how many ships that left Yuegang secretly sailed to Japan.

Moreover, most sea merchants were connected with "pirates" and "Japanese pirates". How could it be wrong to transfer goods to other ships in the open sea after going out to sea?

Therefore, the imperial court has always strictly prohibited it, but the trade between Ming Dynasty and Japan has never been interrupted.

The difference in the gold-silver exchange rate alone attracted sea merchants.

Profit is always the most pursued thing for merchants, and they really dare to take risks at the risk of being beheaded.

"Brother, do you still remember the document?"

Wei Guangde looked at Zhang Juzheng at this time and asked with a smile.

"You mean"

Zhang Juzheng already knew Wei Guangde's plan, so he nodded.

Wei Guangde continued, "Don't forget, gentlemen, we exchanged about 60% of copper for 100% of Japan's copper. It was our Ming Dynasty that made a profit, and we only paid for the exquisite coin-making skills of the craftsmen.

This is also one of the ways to weaken Japan's strength. How much wealth the Japanese pirates looted in our Ming Dynasty, why not use this method to earn back the wealth?"

"If this is true, it's not impossible. We can ask the Jinyiwei to investigate and see what the price of copper is in Japan."

Zhang Juzheng took the lead in expressing his support this time. The Ming Dynasty would not trade directly with Japan. Wei Guangde's meaning was clear.

But it seems that it is not impossible to re-export through Korean merchants.

It's not bad to make money.