Chapter 568: I Am Liang Yao's Brother

After arriving at Funing Town, several sentries settled everyone in the best hotel in Funing Town and then went to the mine to inform Huang Kangrui of the matter.

The factors that limit the output of silver mines, in addition to the richness of the veins, the amount of manpower, the strength of funds and technology, are the supply of mercury.

It is a top priority for any mine to obtain a large and stable supply of mercury.

Although Liang Yao was a little tired, he did not plan to rest in the hotel for too long.

He wanted to take a walk in Funing Town before Huang Kangrui came back to understand the real situation of Funing Town.

Funing Town is a deformed large town.

Although the town is relatively prosperous, the business is not very developed. There are few merchants from outside, and even peddlers from other places are rare.

After talking to several wary locals, Zeiss said with emotion: "Rather than saying this is a town, it's better to say this is a company. The Funing Company takes care of everything for the residents. These people are like gears on the huge machine of the Funing Company, running step by step."

The American industrialization period created many mining towns controlled by companies, such as Bodie Town, Virginia City, and Coolid Town. Many of these small mining towns that were strongly controlled by companies were still quite active until the first half of the 20th century.

In these mining towns, the town council is equivalent to the company's board of directors, the town's administrative leaders are like the company's management executives, and the town residents are like ordinary employees of the company. For the residents of these towns, the company is all about life.

Liang Yao finally found a few vendors and bought some local snacks for his entourage to eat, while he himself touched the change given to him by the vendors and thought about it.

In the evening, Liang Yao finally met Huang Kangrui.

Huang Kangrui is estimated to be in his forties, with a bunch of triangular eyes. He doesn't look like a good person, and exudes the cunning and unruly spirit of a clerk.

The deepest impression Huang Kangrui left on Liang Yao was his braid. He wore a straight-collared and right-fronted suit, but kept a thick braid, which looked very inconsistent.

Perhaps to facilitate entering and leaving the Qing Dynasty in the future, Huang Kangrui did not cut off his braid.

"There are many trivial matters in the mine. Please forgive me, Mr. Liang. May I ask which Mr. Liang is this?" Huang Kangrui asked Liang Yao's detailed identity.

Liang Yao knew that the trivial matters of the mine that Huang Kangrui was talking about should be Deng Wenyu and others coming to Funing Mine to check taxes.

From Huang Kangrui's smug and happy look, it can be seen that Deng Wenyu and others did not succeed in the tax inspection this time.

"Liang Sheng." Liang Yao said without blushing or beating his heart.

"I am Liang Yao's second brother Liang Sheng."

When Huang Kangrui and others heard the name Liang Yao, a trace of awe flashed across their eyes. It can be seen that they are still afraid of Liang Yao.

Huang Kangrui thought to himself: This young man not only dared to call Chairman Liang's name in front of so many people, but also did not blush or beat his heart. He must be a child of the Liang family.

Furthermore, this guy is very arrogant. He dared to promise as much mercury as he wanted. Apart from Liang Yao himself, only the children of the Liang family who worked at Xiangshan Mining Company had the confidence to say this.

"Mr. Liang, please come to my humble home for a chat."

Huang Kangrui invited Liang Yao. This is a child of the Liang family. If he can make friends with the children of the Liang family and pull them to his side, what can Deng Wenyu, who is in charge of California's taxation and finance, do?

No matter how powerful the Deng family is, they are only the cousins ​​of Chairman Liang. How close are cousins?

"No need. Although your Funing Town is a big town, it is not worthy of its name. There is not even a fun place to go. It is very boring." Liang Yao said very dissatisfiedly.

"In a week, I will personally escort 5 tons of mercury here and sell it to you at a 10% discount on the mercury price in Reno. I only accept gold transactions. One hand pays the money and the other hand delivers the goods. Can you take out so much cash?"

The unit price of mercury in the California market is about 3 US dollars per kilogram. In the mining area, the unit price of mercury will be higher, generally between 5 and 2 US dollars.

Reno is a typical mining town. In the Reno market, the unit price of mercury is 4 US dollars per kilogram, and 10% discount is 3 per kilogram.

At the unit price of 6 US dollars, 5 tons of mercury is 18,000 US dollars, which is a considerable amount.

Huang Kangrui is a well-known large mine owner in the Reno area. Liang Yao believes that Huang Kangrui can still take out 18,000 US dollars in cash.

"Yes!" Huang Kangrui said impatiently, fearing that he would miss the deal.

6 US dollars per kilogram of mercury is a bargain in the mining city of Reno. More importantly, he can get a stable mercury supply channel through the Xiangshan Mining Company, which is more valuable than the deal itself.

"Then see you in a week. In addition, I hope that next time I come to Funing Town, I can take the train instead of riding a horse!" After that, Liang Yao took his entourage back to Reno overnight.

Back in Reno, Liang Yao chose a hotel with a good view by the Truckee River that runs through the city of Reno, and asked Zeiss to send two telegrams to the post office in Reno.

One was sent to Xiangshan Mining Company, asking them to prepare 5 tons of mercury to be transported to Reno.

One was sent to the headquarters of the California Infantry Regiment, ordering the California Regiment to send a battalion, disguised as the guards of Xiangshan Mining Company, to escort the batch of mercury.

"Huang Kangrui is a piece of meat on the cutting board. He would rather spend 12,000 US dollars to bribe us than let us enter the mine to check taxes."

Deng Wenyu, who came back from the Funing Mine, reported to Liang Yao about his tax inspection. Huang Kangrui slowly increased the bribe amount from 5,000 US dollars to 12,000 US dollars without blinking an eye, and just refused to let them enter the mine to check taxes.

"That means the 12,000 US dollars bribe is just a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of taxes he evaded." Liang Yao took out 14 silver cents from his pocket that he got as change in Funing Town and put them on the table and asked.

"Can you see the problem?"

These 14 silver cents cover all the widely circulated silver cents, from the smallest denomination of 10 cents to 25 cents and 50 cents.

According to the Coinage Act of 1792 proposed by Hamilton, the first Treasury Secretary of the United States and passed by Congress. The United States initially established a gold-silver bimetallic monetary system.

To be precise, it should be called a gold-silver-copper bimetallic monetary system, because in the American monetary system, gold, silver and copper are used together.

Metal coins worth 1 cent are cast with copper as the main raw material, and coins above 1 cent and less than or equal to 1 dollar are mainly cast with silver as the main raw material.

Metal coins greater than or equal to 1 dollar are cast with gold as the main raw material.

Therefore, there are both gold and silver coins for 1 dollar coins, but 1 dollar gold coins are more popular than silver coins, and their actual value is slightly higher than 1 dollar silver coins.

Hamilton's original intention was good, but his successor did not implement it well. In addition, before 1850, the United States was not a major producer of precious metals. The first generation of the American monetary system barely lasted until 1820 when it collapsed completely.

Due to the lack of effective supervision and restrictions by the minting department, the silver content of Spanish silver coins, which were very popular in the American market during this period, was 1% to 5% heavier than the silver coins minted in the United States. People gradually had the impression that American silver coins were cheap silver coins.

Bad money drove out good money, and Spanish silver coins were re-exported abroad and gradually withdrew from the US currency circulation market, causing a shortage of currency in the American market.

After 1820, the main currency circulating in the American currency market was Spanish silver coins, and only fools would take gold coins to the market for trading.

This phenomenon was not alleviated until the California Gold Rush in the 1950s.

After acquiring the Western Nevada region, California became a large state with considerable production of gold, silver and copper.

In order to meet the market demand for currency, the California government established the state's monetary system in accordance with the Coinage Act of 1792 at the beginning of its establishment.

The 1-cent copper coin with the California elk pattern printed on it was cast using high-quality copper materials, which was called the Deer Coin by the people.

Metal coins with a face value of more than 1 cent and less than 1 dollar are made of 90% silver and 10% copper alloy, with a bear as the coin pattern, which is called bear coins by the people.

Coins with a face value of more than 1 dollar (inclusive) are made of 90% gold and 10% copper alloy, with a dragon as the coin pattern, which is called dragon coins by the people.

The quality of California coins is very high and very popular in the market. Even merchants from European countries such as Britain and France require American merchants to pay with California dragon coins in their trade with the United States.

Only when American merchants really cannot come up with enough dragon coins, European merchants are willing to accept two other gold coins: Liberty Head Gold Coins and Indian Head Gold Coins.

"From the color and weight, these silver coins are not silver coins minted by the five major banks, but must be inferior coins minted by the people." Deng Wenyu took a few silver coins of the same value, which were officially minted by the five major banks in California, and compared them, and soon found the trick.

"I can guarantee that the silver content of these silver coins is only about 80% at most. Where did they get them?"

The official coins of the five major banks have strict regulations on the gold content and silver content. The gold content of gold coins must not be less than 90%, and the silver content of silver coins must not be less than 90%.

"The silver coins found by the vendors in Funing Town, I suspect that Huang Kangrui minted them privately." Liang Yao said.

It is no coincidence that all 14 silver coins found were privately minted inferior coins.

Before the Civil War, the federal government's monetary system was not perfect, and private currency minting was popular in various parts of the United States. Many local communities and businesses minted coins privately to meet local currency needs. These private coins filled the gap in the money supply to a certain extent, but also made the monetary system of the entire United States more chaotic.

California was the first state to explicitly prohibit any private minting of currency in the state. Currently, only five banks in California have obtained the right to mint uniform currency granted by the state legislature.

The five banks are: Bank of America, Bank of Boston, Southern Bank (a bank jointly established by Fremont and other wealthy immigrants from the south), Jardine Matheson Bank, and Tongfu Bank.

"No wonder this guy refused to let me enter the mine. It turns out that this guy is doing something bigger than tax evasion." Deng Wenyu suddenly realized that privately minting coins is a more serious crime than tax evasion in California.

The Funingshan Mine not only produces silver and gold, but also copper and other metals, which provides great convenience for Huang Kangrui to privately mint coins.