Chapter 1312: Year-End Assembly (Part 9)

"Originally, I had planned for this Gold Bank to appear only after a few years, but since the timing is right now, let it emerge now."

"However, currency will not be minted or issued for the time being. We will only start discussing the matter of currency issuance once everything has been smoothed out and we have established that foundation."

"You two must also hold on during these next few years to get everything related to currency completely figured out. I want your guarantee that as soon as you take over, you will be able to handle it smoothly immediately."

"A few years is enough time for you to think it through properly. Furthermore, I intend to give you a city—or perhaps a town—for you to try and make mistakes in, to let you experiment and research how it should be done."

"Yulong, you have no time, so this task will be handed to you, Changle."

Changle pointed at himself: "Father, me? This... how have you suddenly assigned a task to me again? Then, then how many years will this take, in which city, and what level of achievement is required to be considered suitable?"

"It is not just you alone; you will be primarily responsible, but you two brothers will work together. You can also select some subordinates you deem suitable to go and explore it together. Those who are suitable may become members of the Gold Bank's team in the future."

"As for the location, you can choose it yourself. Anything except Huaxia City and Lema City is fine."

Changle was very helpless: "Father, aren't you just making me choose those towns? With only these two cities, if you don't agree to them, we have no choice at all."

"Why is there no choice? I said that our Huaxia still needs to build two more cities. What if you put in the effort and prepare the planning from the moment one of those cities begins construction?"

"Would that be easier to start with than a finished town, or is the difficulty even greater?"

"That is for you to choose; I will not interfere. As for what level to achieve? At the very least, for two years, the currency must not experience severe depreciation or appreciation. To be more precise and formal, this is called inflation and deflation. I will not explain the meaning of these terms; you will naturally understand them when the time comes."

"The inflation and deflation rates must be within a reasonable and safe range. The liquidity of the currency must at least exceed that of cloth and silk, and its acceptance must be basically on par with grain coupons; only then will the experiment be considered a success."

"If you can manage to get that grain circulating and running again, that would be even better. If you want to be safe and secure, just keep the grain stored and do not touch it."

Changle hurriedly took notes on paper. How did he end up with such a big task as soon as he returned? However, he also understood that as one of Baifeng's only two sons, he could not remain so idle and free forever.

Searching for and identifying plant specimens was indeed his strength and his goal, but once he had made a start on this undertaking and established the rules, it was no longer a task that only he could do.

How to categorize, how to identify, and how to name and classify—he had already taught these to his students, and more and more students were gradually doing the same work as him.

Even if Changle were to let go completely now, there would be no problem. This undertaking, comparable to that of Shennong, was developed by him; he was the first, and the greatest merit belonged to him. That was enough; he could gradually shift his focus away from this matter.

He had never thought before that he would have a day like this, but it seemed that after he got married, his father, mother, and the people around him completely regarded him as an adult to whom important responsibilities could be entrusted. The old him was just a half-grown boy, but the current him was a true adult.

Facing such a rapid transformation, Changle could only force himself to accept it. He had to shoulder his own responsibilities; otherwise, having such a good brain and enjoying the resources provided by the family, yet being unable to do things for the family, was truly not right.

But after Changle wrote down a few notes, he found that the problem had circled back: "Father, what the Gold Bank needs to do now is how to handle the problem of grain storage; currency issuance is not yet important."

"In a situation where we cannot use currency to circulate grain, aren't we just looking for trouble for ourselves by storing grain for them? And this trouble will only become more and more serious."

"If we cannot circulate grain now, we cannot profit from this matter. So, in these few years, are we really just purely paying out and subsidizing it?"

"Of course not. The biggest function of the Gold Bank right now is to store grain. As for circulation, you can directly let the National Treasury borrow it, but it cannot circulate through many hands; it can only be transferred this one time."

"As for profit, that is very simple: when they deposit grain, just charge a storage fee."

Changle was greatly shocked: "A storage fee? If that is the case, wouldn't that scare away many people who want to store grain, which would be disadvantageous to the future development of the Gold Bank?"

"Whether it is advantageous or not, I do not know right now; you need to explore that yourself. But charging a fee now can certainly solve the current problem."

"Building grain storehouses, occupying land, and maintenance—all these aspects require consuming a large amount of grain. We cannot let the National Treasury waste grain in this area."

"The National Treasury can first lend grain to the Gold Bank. Once the Gold Bank's grain storehouses are built, you can collect grain on a large scale. You will play a role in storage and safekeeping, and you must bear risks such as moisture, rats, and mold."

"What they hand over is good, clean, new grain. When they take it out, even after a year or two, they will still be able to get clean, new grain."

"They do not need to bear risks like water damage, fire, or theft by rats. They can get back the same quality of grain as they handed over. They save on the intermediate costs, do not need to expand their own grain storehouses, and it is even safer."

"Since they enjoy so many conveniences, it is very reasonable for our Gold Bank to charge a certain fee. However, this fee cannot be set too high; it must be set at a point where it is more cost-effective than them storing it themselves, but where we can still make a profit."

"After deducting costs and risk factors, we can still earn a little. As long as more people come to store grain, that will be a lot of earnings. This grain can be the capital foundation of the Gold Bank to be used in the future."

"Furthermore, the grain sent in can be quickly used and circulated, avoiding it being spoiled or rotted. For them, and for Huaxia, this is a good thing."

"Right now, we must collect their grain as a benefit and compensation for our safekeeping. If you two can thoroughly make the Gold Bank run smoothly, in the future, don't talk about charging people storage fees; you will even have to pay them—let them deposit one hundred catties of grain, and in the end, you will have to return one hundred and one catties to them."

"This is something you will understand how to do once you have thoroughly mastered the Gold Bank. For now, just use it to solve the problem of grain storage in the storehouses."