Chapter 336: Paper Money, No! Metal Coins, Yes!

As for why Zhang Jie didn't take one step to use paper money,

and then learn from the Eagle Sauce of later generations that uses satellite networks to peek at the world,

and start a nuclear-powered money printing machine to crazily shear wool?

Well, it can only be said that using paper money directly in this era is still too advanced.

The Great Song had issued small notes with the nature of national paper money in 1106,

but unfortunately, it was abolished in less than a year due to court party strife and low public trust.

Other types of paper money like Jiaozi and silver notes were limited to one place and certain classes,

having representativeness, being the sprout of paper money, but lacking universality,

and not possessing the value and possibility of completely promoting or even replacing metal currency.

The problem Zhang Jie is facing now is also this:

Even as the founding monarch of Great Gan, and having defeated the Great Liao, which had oppressed the Central Plains for a hundred years,

and made Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin and Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi meet their doom,

making his prestige far higher than the emperors of the Great Song, he still couldn't endorse the currency for the whole country by himself.

After all, for the common people, even if you are the Emperor, don't even think about using a piece of waste paper that actually has no value

to exchange for the real gold and silver in their hands.

Even if he forcefully pushed paper money with his personal prestige and Great Gan government's administrative ability,

it would likely turn into the kind of waste paper that is too hard to even wipe your butt with, like the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes.

The future of paper money is indeed very broad; after all, there is the precedent of coming directly from the 21st century to start a nuclear-powered money printing machine,

crazily printing trillions of dollars to shear the leeks of hundreds of countries around the world,

but just like talking about toxicity while setting aside dosage is hooliganism,

not combining with reality and copying the so-called advanced experience and

system is also hooliganism. Zhang Jie, after discussing with Wang Lun, Chen Wenyun, and others,

decided to take it slowly, step by step, and proceed in an orderly manner.

The Daoist sage Laozi said, governing a big country is like cooking small fish; you can't be in a hurry.

Finally, it was decided to first issue Great Gan's own copper coins, silver coins, and even gold coins, and then gradually promote paper money.

The final goal is to replace all copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, and other precious metal currencies with paper money as in modern times.

As for electronic currency, which has already replaced most paper money in a mysterious country in the 21st century.

Umm... Zhang Jie feels that they are considering such things too early now.

He can make cannons, explosives, and mechanical watches, but he is still stumbling with even a qualified car,

let alone the crown of industry now—chips.

It's better to wait for Pirate Zhang Jie to find that world's number one scientist, Vegapunk, who claims to be ahead of the world

in technology by five hundred years,

or for Devouring Zhang Jie to get the artificial intelligence left by the cosmic civilization on Earth

and the technology library before talking about digital currency, or the Internet.

"Emperor, please look."

Wang Lun carefully offered the wooden box in his hand, as if it contained a rare treasure.

Zhang Jie took it, reached out and opened it, and saw on a strand of yellow silk,

a copper coin, a silver coin, and a gold coin lying quietly.

Zhang Jie first picked up the copper coin and weighed it carefully, finding that the size,

weight, and the more than ten types of Great Song Tongbao circulating in the market were exactly the same.

The style was still the traditional outer circle and inner square, only the original "xx Tongbao" had been changed to "Great Gan Tongbao."

Well, Zhang Jie, for the sake of laziness and convenience, directly printed the two characters "Great Gan" on it,

to avoid the chaos of having multiple currencies circulating when it was clearly one dynasty, such as Songyuan, Chongning, Huangsong, Daguan, etc.,

where almost every emperor would issue his own currency after ascending the throne.

Although this could deepen the emperor's prestige to a certain extent and stabilize the rule,

the disadvantages brought by the chaotic currency system were obviously greater than this benefit.

Now that famous quote that has entered textbooks, "the economic base determines the superstructure,"

has not yet appeared, but this sentence is still applicable in this era.

For commerce and circulation, it is most convenient for the style and value of coins to be unified.

"Not bad, not bad, Zhengdao, you did a very good job."

Zhang Jie played with the Great Gan Tongbao, which had clear and exquisite characters and a tough texture,

and didn't spare his praise for Wang Lun, who was responsible for this, saying "not bad" three times in a row.

"It's all because the machines you invented are easy to use, Emperor."

Wang Lun didn't dare to take credit and replied with a humble face.

Now, when he thought about visiting the Minting Department before, where each copper coin was not hot-melt cast,

but stamped at once by a stamping machine weighing several tons,

with characters, patterns, and various anti-counterfeiting marks stamped in one piece, he still felt very shocked.

This is the power of science and industry that the Emperor talked about!

With the support of science and industry, his Great Gan is invincible in the world!

"It's still because you managed it well."

Zhang Jie still didn't spare his praise for Wang Lun.

The machines are the same, but the people who manage and operate the machines are all kinds,

Wang Lun could coordinate all parties and let the minting matter proceed smoothly, so he should be the first merit.

However, merit or something, just keep it in your heart, no need to hang it on your lips all the time.

Like the Overlord, who was warm and caring on weekdays, but when it came to rewarding,

he wouldn't even seal the official seal because he was reluctant to part with it, that won't do.

"By the way, what is the copper content of these copper coins?

Don't make it too high, let those treacherous merchants find an opportunity to earn the price difference."

Zhang Jie first casually encouraged Wang Lun, and then started the next key question.

A cold fact that is not too cold: copper coins are not entirely copper,

but are mixed with other metals such as lead and nickel.

The value of copper coins is calculated by pure copper, and the value of metals like lead is not as good as copper,

and there will be a price difference here. The so-called collecting minting tax, 18th and 19th centuries such as the Small Britain,

the Windmill Country that is no longer the carriage driver of the sea, Spain,

and Portugal, two teeth, are keen on minting their own currency, which is the case.

After all, the more coins minted, the more people use them, the more they earn.

And even though copper is widely used as a minting material,

besides the fact that it is a relatively inexpensive precious metal (the output is less than iron,

but far exceeds gold), it also has to do with its own characteristics:

the higher the copper content in copper coins, it usually means its value,

wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and the protective property of the oxide film are also higher.

Copper coins with lower copper content are more inferior, and even patterns, characters, etc., are very easy to blur.

The copper coin in his hand is already far superior to other Tongbao in the market in terms of exquisiteness and appearance.

Don't let other treacherous merchants find an opportunity to earn the price difference because the copper content is too high.

For example, in terms of value, the Great Gan Tongbao they minted this time is for the convenience of circulation,

and the value is one-to-one with other Great Song Tongbao.

If their copper coin content is 80%, and the Great Song Tongbao copper content is 70%,

then those treacherous merchants will melt the Great Gan Tongbao,

cast it into Great Song Tongbao or other copperware, and earn this 10% price difference.

Zhang Jie doesn't want his side to work hard to mint coins, only to have the wool sheared by others. ===== CHAPTER 337 =====