Chapter 306: Han Finance
Changle Palace.
The turmoil on the grassland and the shocking changes thousands of miles away seem to never reach here. This is the political center of the Xia Dynasty, attracting everyone's attention at all times.
Liu Ying sat upright at the head of the table, listening attentively beside Luo Xin. Luo Xin almost guided Liu Ying in handling government affairs, "Your Majesty, you don't have to be proficient in everything, as long as you can judge whether something is wrong.
I will definitely go before you.
I am afraid that my third and fifth brothers will not be able to assist you for long, so you need to grow up soon."
Liu Ying heard this and said seriously: "Father, I will learn from you and maintain the peaceful world created by my mother and you."
Luo Xin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you are a benevolent monarch. Emperor Gao and Empress Gao have paved the way for you to rule the world. Now we need a monarch like you who is willing to rest and recuperate. The most feared thing is a monarch who is ambitious and vain. You will be a great saint king."
Liu Ying was very happy to receive Luo Xin's praise. He picked up a piece of letter, unfolded it, and frowned slightly. He asked curiously, "Father, Ying has always had a question. Since the Zhou Dynasty, private coinage has not been allowed in various countries, but why does our Han Dynasty allow private coinage?
Many ministers said that allowing private minting would only benefit the rich and powerful and would be detrimental to the country and the court. However, Ying knows that you were the one who decided this matter, and you couldn't have done anything wrong. However, Ying is puzzled, so please help me solve this puzzle."
Luo Xin was best at playing with money, and allowing private coinage was one of his major moves. When he heard Liu Ying asking about it, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this is a very complicated question. I will explain it to you in detail.
First, if the imperial court wants to take back the coinage rights, but the princes disagree, what should we do? "
Liu Ying groaned and said, "I'm afraid we can only fight.
You said that when it comes to matters of great unification, the court must never give in or compromise, and must fight to the end, a life-and-death struggle."
Luo Xin said in a deep voice: "Yes, but do you think the world can still withstand a war that lasts all over the world?
cannot!
This is why Empress Gao and I have turned a blind eye to many illegal acts of the princes for so many years.
General Han Zimu supports the court. We can win the war, but what happens after we win?
What was lost was the entire world, what was lost was the entire Chinese nation.
The general led the army to inflict severe damage on the Huns, and the eldest brother went to the grassland again, which led to the stability of the Han court and the people's good days without war.
If we start a war at this time, the little wealth that the world has just accumulated and the little economic recovery that has just begun will be lost.
The Xiongnu Chanyu would probably laugh out loud.
This kind of stupid thing that makes the enemies happy and the loved ones sad is absolutely not to be done. "
Liu Ying was a truly benevolent ruler who did not want to fight. Hearing this, he asked, "You are right, but I know that you will not stop doing this just because of this."
Luo Xin was stunned for a moment and then replied: "Your Majesty, you understand me. Indeed, although I don't want the world to fall into war, I am not afraid of a necessary war.
In fact, it is beneficial to allow the princes to mint coins now.
Let’s first talk about the benefits to the court. Although coinage is very profitable, it will also consume a lot of manpower and material resources. Most of the world is in the hands of princes, and our population is not large. If these people are used to mint money instead of growing crops, our strength will decline.
Please remember, no matter how much money you have, it is all fake and empty. In this world, agriculture is the foundation. Only food, bows, crossbows and armor are the real strength of the court.
As long as we have food and armor, no matter how much money the princes and powerful people make, it all belongs to the court. The powerful people in Shandong were moved to guard the tombs of Emperor Gao and Empress Gao. No matter how much money they have, they can only bring it to Guanzhong, and then it will be exploited by the meritorious officials, and the money of the meritorious officials will eventually flow into the national treasury. "
Liu Ying was completely shocked. He never expected that there would be such a method. Especially what Luo Xin said, that if they had food and armor, they could rob money, which made him dumbfounded.
So you are such a father!
Then he was deeply moved, because he knew that doing this would not benefit Luo Xin himself at all, and it was purely for the sake of the court and himself.
Liu Ying said softly: "Father, I understand what you said. This is good for the court, but you care about the world. I believe this method will also benefit the world, right?"
Luo Xin laughed loudly and said, “That’s right.
Look, this is a scroll of bamboo slips. It is sold for one penny in the market, and ordinary people also think it is worth one penny, so the deal can be concluded.
But if the amount of money in the market does not increase, but the amount of bamboo slips increases, then one penny can buy more bamboo slips, so what will happen among the people?"
Liu Ying suddenly realized: "Ordinary people will not spend money, because a penny is becoming more and more valuable.
The same goes for what people say: low grain prices hurt farmers.
Ying understands what you said. Money is money only when it flows. If we save the money but don't use it, it will cause great harm to the Han people.
So you allow the people to mint coins and make the money among the people increase?
But if there is too much money, won’t the money become worthless?
If this scroll of bamboo slips costs two coins to buy, then the common people will have less money, while the powerful and the princes can mint coins at will, and the money will increase, which is also harmful to the world. "
Luo Xin reached out and took out two copper coins, then took out two bamboo slips, and then said: "Your Majesty, the situation you described will definitely occur in the future.
But not now.
Because the world is now in a state of disrepair, the food supply in the entire world is increasing year by year, and there are more and more various cloths and other commodities, just like the bamboo slips in your hands are constantly increasing.
Judging from the current recovery rate, within 30 years, the world will only be short of money and will not be bothered by having too much money, and will need them to mint more coins.
If one day there is really too much money and no more money is needed, it means that the world has recovered and can withstand a long war. "
Luo Xin's last sentence was very plain, but it contained a deep meaning that could withstand a long war, that is, when the court took back the right to mint coins.
Liu Ying nodded and asked, "Father, I heard that some people are minting coins of poor quality. What should we do about this?"
The entry of poor quality copper coins into the market would of course cause great damage, which would be another form of wealth plunder. Especially when private minting of currency is allowed, poor quality coins would certainly be minted.
Luo Xin said: "Your Majesty, have you ever thought about why the poor money can circulate throughout the world and why the people have to use it?"
Liu Ying thought for a while, shook his head, and looked at Luo Xin in confusion. Luo Xin said firmly: "The reason for this is that the court forced the people to collect the tax and forced the people to not distinguish between good and bad money, otherwise the government would arrest them.
The reason for this is that in the past, coins were minted by the royal families of each country themselves, and those shortfalls were also made by the courts of each country themselves. The court did this on purpose.
The common people are very discerning when it comes to finding faults, but the power of the court forces them to blind themselves and grit their teeth to accept it, because if they get the money, at least they can spend it, but if they don’t take it, they will go straight to jail.”
Liu Ying was sweating profusely when he heard this, and asked hurriedly: "Father, is my Han Dynasty also like this?
The people of the world are so innocent. You said that it is already difficult for them to just live. If the court wants to add another heavy burden on them, isn't this the behavior of a tyrannical Qin?
In the past, the tyrannical Qin Dynasty dominated the six kingdoms and had elite soldiers and the most powerful armor, but it lost the support of the people. The country collapsed at the call of a hero. If the Han Dynasty followed in its footsteps, would its ending be different from that of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty?
I don’t think so, Father, please teach me.”
Luo Xin comforted Liu Ying and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. If the heaven and earth collapse, the mountains and rivers stop flowing, and the earth dragons turn over, there is really nothing I can do about such a natural disaster.
But man-made disasters can always be solved.
In fact, solving the problem of money shortage is very simple. Since the imperial court no longer has the power to mint coins alone, there is no need to waste the imperial court's reputation and power to protect the coins of princes and powerful people.
As long as you issue an imperial decree to the world, allowing the people to freely choose the currency to receive, and allowing the people to refuse the bad money in transactions, those inferior bad money will be rejected by the people. They will soon find that the bad money in their hands is completely stuck in their hands, with no one to collect it and no one to spend it.
Moreover, they did not dare to make it public, because minting the difference coins was not allowed by the imperial court. Their only choice was to melt the difference coins and increase the copper content in the coins.
As long as this is the case, good money will naturally drive out bad money.
The money that can be earned from minting good coins is far less than that from minting bad coins, so the burden of the people of the world will be lighter. During the years of recuperation, private coinage and the permission to reject bad coins can be implemented at the same time, so that these years can be passed smoothly.
When the country has recovered its vitality, we will abolish the power of private coinage and return it to the court. As for the policy of refusing to use the coins, it depends on whether you are willing to do so at that time."
Are you willing?
When one can collect the hard-earned wealth of the common people and enrich the national treasury simply by minting coins, how many emperors can resist such temptation?
Liu Ying did not think too much and said directly: "Prime Minister, please draft the edict immediately. If you delay, something bad will happen. Now the money is just beginning to circulate, so it is probably best to issue the edict now."
Luo Xin nodded with satisfaction. Liu Ying was a truly benevolent monarch. His concern for the people of the world came from the heart. At least during his tenure, there was no need to worry about this matter.
————
When any dynasty is prosperous, its financial system must be harmonious. When any dynasty declines, financial problems must be the biggest reason.
The rapid prosperity of the early Han Empire benefited from its flexible financial system, among which the most critical role was played by Luo Xin, Marquis of Dong'a. He was nominally the prime minister, but in fact, excluding the fact that he had no right of inheritance, the title of co-emperor further highlighted his status.
He adjusted the Han Dynasty's fiscal policy three times, formulating policies based on actual conditions with ease, and was one of the greatest contributors to the prosperity of the Han Empire in its early years. ——"A Global History of the Classical Empire"
(End of this chapter)
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