And just when Kong Rong tried his best to open his eyes for Liu Bei, Liu Bei, who was far away in Changsha, was worried about the lack of money. It must be known that among the four princes who are officially entitled, Cao Cao's Wei State and Cai Ji's Qi State respectively occupy the most economically developed, largest, and most populous northern regions of this era, and Cao and Cai are both good at management. Therefore, except for Kong Rong and others who have other plans, the world generally recognizes that Cao Wei and Cai Qi are the two countries with the strongest national strength. On the other hand, Sun Ce's Wu State and Liu Bei's Jing State are located in the south, with a small population and a poor foundation, so the treasury will naturally not be abundant. In contrast, Sun Wu is good at relying on the sea, and the benefits of fishing and salt can subsidize the finances, while Liu Bei, who is deep in the inland and only half a state, is really stretched.

In addition to the lack of national strength, Liu Bei also had an extreme lack of literal "money", that is, a lack of copper coins for circulation. It is said that Liu Bei once held a banquet to celebrate his acceptance of the title of Duke of Jing, and rewarded the civil and military who had followed him for many years. It wasn't until he woke up the next day that Liu Bei realized that it was only because of his momentary coolness last night that he had emptied all the copper coins in the treasury of Changsha Mansion. However, the flesh hurts to the flesh, and Liu Bei finally gritted his teeth and cashed in his rewards one by one, and even took the copper hook at his bedside to mint money. This shows the seriousness of the money shortage in Jingguo.

The reason for the "money shortage" in Jing is very simple, that is, in the late Han Dynasty, there were no large-scale copper mines in Jingnan, so the government did not have enough copper to mint money. It can be seen that Liu Bei is no wonder about this, after all, not just anyone is as "lucky" as Cai Ji to be able to dig out a gold mine directly near the capital.

In fact, Liu Bei was not the first monarch to encounter a shortage of money. Because the prosperity of ancient China far exceeded the supply rate of metal, there was a shortage of money in all dynasties. In turn, a variety of monetary policies have been derived. Far from it, let's take Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, as an example. In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, in order to replenish the treasury that was empty due to the war, Liu Bang ordered to make three baht coins. In parallel with the Qin Banliang, private minting of currency was allowed. In the ancient system, one catty was equal to sixteen taels, one tael was equal to twenty-four baht, and Qin half a tael was twelve baht coins, so the coins of the early Han Dynasty were much lighter all of a sudden. The government saved a bunch of half-taels and old coins when collecting taxes, and then remelted them and minted them into a much smaller three-baht. If the monetary value is calculated by weight, three baht should be one-quarter of half a tael. However, when the government paid wages and procured, it forcibly used the coercive force of the government to let this batch of money enter circulation at a value equal to half a tael. The resulting inflation is mostly nominal, because prices have risen in three baht dollars. Wait for the replacement to be half a two, and the two sessions found that prices have not risen much. And Liu Bang relied on this depreciation time difference, through the hooligan method of mandating 3 baht = 12 baht, so that the copper in his hand made three times the profit.

Chen Shou of later generations once commented that Liu Bei "has the style of a high ancestor". And if Liu Bang came to life at this moment and saw Liu Bei's methods of dealing with the money shortage, he would definitely give a thumbs up to this King Jing of Zhongshan. "Your shameless appearance has the charm of my time." Faced with the empty treasury, Liu Bei didn't say a word, and sacrificed the tried and tested money pit Dafa of his ancestors. However, Liu Bei did not mint small money this time. Instead, he emulated Wang Mang, another strange man of the Han Dynasty, who was "worth a lot of money".

The so-called inflated large value refers to the inflated high value of coins that do not meet the weight standards and are minted with more than 10 yuan. Liu Bei's new currency is called "straight fifteen baht", which is one circle larger than the ordinary five-baht coin, about two to three five-baht coins, but according to the exchange rate of Jingguo, one straight fifteen baht is equivalent to ten ordinary five-baht coins. So the straight fifteen baht looks very big and sincere, in essence, Liu Bei is still playing the old trick of exchanging one for three. If there is no Cai Ji's inconvenience, when the wave of price rises is basically over and the currency value tends to stabilize, Liu Bei will start to mint "straight one hundred and five baht" again. "Straight 55 baht", "straight 1000 big money" anyway, the operation can theoretically continue indefinitely. Historically, Shu Han's policy of casting big money lasted until a few years after Zhuge Liang's death. To appease the wrath. Liu Bei's successor, Liu Chan, had to re-mint the "five-baht coin", but by that time Deng Ai's strange soldiers were not far from Chengdu.

However, now with the emergence of Cai Ji, Liu Bei has just encountered a tricky problem when he has just cast the "straight fifteen baht". After all, although "straight fifteen baht" is not as shameless as "three baht money", the common people are not all fools. Even if Liu Bei forced the people to accept a straight fifteen baht for ten five baht by force, the people could also avoid the government's exploitation by bartering. After going back and forth, Liu Bei made a little difference in the price in the first few months, and in the following months, both the copper coins in the warehouse and the copper coins circulating in the market became less and less, and even became extinct.

Seeing that after the coinage, the problem of money shortage was not solved, but it was becoming more and more intense, and Liu Bei was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot. In desperation, he had to urgently recruit Zhu Mi Zhu, Jian Yong, Yin Guan and even Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Xi Zhen and other civil servants and strategists who were sent on business to enter the palace to discuss countermeasures. Fortunately, the territory of Jing Country is not large, and within a few days, all the kung fu people will arrive.

On this day, I saw Liu Bei sitting in the palace rebuilt by the Taishou Mansion in Changsha, looked around at the important ministers in front of him, and then said worriedly, "I think you have heard that there is no penny of money in the city of Changsha between the ten months and the moon. In the long run, things are expensive and money is small, and the treasury is empty, what should be good? ”

Liu Bei's words hit the hearts of everyone present like drumsticks. Among them, Xi Zhen, as a representative of the local family in Jingzhou, was very opposed to Liu Bei's casting of money to exploit the local wealthy families in Jingzhou. At this moment, seeing that Liu Bei was so anxious about the money shortage, he immediately seized the opportunity to bow his hand and said, "Your Excellency Mingjian." Nowadays, all over Jingnan, money is scarce and expensive, and the market is depressed, all because of the straight fifteen baht. Therefore, the minister thought that it was imperative to stop casting 15 baht straight and reissue 5 baht to complain to the people. ”

Of course, Liu Bei knew that the reason why the people did not dare to use copper coins in the market was because they were afraid that the government would forcibly exchange them for five baht in their hands. But the straight fifteen baht was planned and issued by Liu Bei after all, and now stopping the minting of money is undoubtedly a slap in the face for him. What's more, even if the issuance of straight 15 baht is stopped at this moment, the problem of money shortage will not be solved for a while. Therefore, Liu Bei did not pay attention to Xi Zhen's advances, but turned his attention to Mi Zhu. Because Mi Zhu, who used to be a huge rich man in Xuzhou, is not only Liu Bei's brother-in-law. At the same time, he is also one of Liu Bei's staff members who is best at economics.

However, in the face of Liu Bei's eager gaze, Mi Zhu was very uneasy. It must be known that Mi Zhu also participated in the minting and issuance of 15 baht this time, and provided Liu Bei with a lot of suggestions. Now I see that Jingnan is boiling with public resentment because of the straight fifteen baht. The market is depressed, and Mi Zhu inevitably blames himself. So he also followed and said, "The minister thinks that Xi's words are reasonable, and the issuance of straight fifteen baht should be suspended." ”

Liu Bei didn't expect Mi Zhu to echo Xi Zhen's advances, and he couldn't help but start to feel a little weak. And just when he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard Zhuge Liang, who was sitting on the side, arch his hand and say, "Jun Mingjian." There are pros and cons to out-of-the-money coinage. Those who benefit, such as Gaozu, cast three baht coins to fill the treasury. The disadvantages, far from Wang Mang's vain money. Recently, Dong Zhuo cast a small amount of money. It can be seen that the pros and cons vary from person to person. ”

Zhuge Liang's remarks can be regarded as speaking to Liu Bei's heart. In his opinion, there are pros and cons to virtual coinage, and the key depends on how people implement it. Thinking of this, Liu Bei hurriedly blurted out and asked, "According to Kong Ming's words." This money shortage chaos. The sin is not in the straight fifteen baht, but in the policy of issuance? ”

"Exactly." Zhuge Liang confirmed. It is said that in the past six months, although Zhuge Liang was sent to Linhui by Liu Bei, he ordered the two counties of Lingling and Guiyang to be responsible for adjusting taxes and enriching military resources. But during this period, he has been closely watching the issuance of the straight 15 baht and the reaction of the market. So Zhuge Liang then asked Liu Bei, "It is rumored that after the fifteen baht entered the market, the people in the market bartered, but can the king know how the rich and wealthy families trade?" ”

Zhuge Liang's question really asked Liu Bei. It must be known that Liu Bei has been thinking about the problem of money shortage in recent days. I didn't even think about how those rich people could trade with each other without money. Seeing that he lowered his head and thought for a moment, he asked in a deep voice. "Gold, silver, and jewelry?"

"There are a lot of gold, silver and jewelry." Zhuge Liang bowed slightly, "However, as far as the minister knows, the wealthy families of Jingzhou privately barter for five baht in Donglai. ”

"Donglai five baht?! But what did Tsai do? Liu Bei asked with a little surprise.

"Exactly." Zhuge Liang said another step forward and explained, "Donglai five baht is well-made, and it is not tiring, so the giant rich family Duotun has Donglai five baht in case of emergency." ”

"Tired? Qi is not afraid of bad money and good money? This time it was Yin Guan who was the servant at the time.

Jian Yong, who was on the side, also lost no time in asking, "If someone is shoddy and fakes Donglai five baht, how can the Lord of Qi have to pay for the loss?" ”

The so-called bad currency for good money means that when the gold and silver market price deviation from the legal price, the metal coinage with too low legal value will be withdrawn from circulation, and the currency with too high legal value will flood the market. However, the premise for this phenomenon to occur is that the "bad currency" has the status of "legal tender". In the era of metal coins, if there was no unified government, the strongest currency would have been a symbol of maximum purchasing power.

Just as the Han Empire was divided into multiple vassal states, each with its own currency and monetary system. No one outside of Jing would be stupid enough to exchange ten five baht coins for Liu Bei's straight fifteen baht. If Liu Bei made counterfeit money, he couldn't be too short of two catties, otherwise he would be exposed. But in this way, for Liu Bei, who lacked copper materials, the gains outweighed the losses.

So Zhuge Liang followed and said, "If the world is unified, bad money can chase good money." However, today has become the situation of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the currency systems of the vassal states are different. The Lord of Qi is even more strict, and only five baht of Donglai can be passed in the territory of Qi State. Therefore, the five baht of Donglai will not be chased by bad currency, but because of its strong value and is deeply loved by people everywhere. ”

"If that's the case, Lone will order the ban on Donglai's five baht!" Liu Bei said murderously.

But Zhuge Liang shook his head again and again, "Jun Mingjian, Qi is rich in salt, silk, cotton paper, spirits and other things, if the five baht of Donglai is banned, how can you buy Qi goods?" Please also go to the third or fourth. ”

As soon as Zhuge Liang's words came out, Liu Bei's arrogance that had just been ignited was instantly wiped out. In fact, Zhuge Liang didn't need to list so many "Qi goods" at all, and salt alone was enough to make Liu Bei soft on the spot. It is important to know that table salt is a necessity for human life. At present, the vast majority of the salt circulating in the market is produced in Qi country. Although Dongwu and Xishu also produce salt, they are completely unable to compete with Qi salt because of their low yield and inferior quality. Therefore, with the market share of Qi salt, Cai Ji only needs to use a little means to make the salt prices of other vassal states go up and down. As for areas like Jingnan that do not produce salt, they are completely meat on the chopping board, and Liu Bei is not allowed to say the word "no".

It is precisely by relying on the trump card of salt that Cai Jifang dared to cast Donglai five baht in sufficient quantities to stabilize the market at the end of the Han Dynasty, where small money was wanton. The Donglai five baht, which is linked to table salt, also has the posture of petrodollars in later generations, which can not only be used as hard currency in other regions, but even in "bad currency areas" such as Jingguo, you can also buy local materials at a great value.

In fact, Cai Ji's methods are not new to the Han Dynasty. Because as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, as one of the five hegemons and seven heroes, the Qi State maintained its national strength through commerce, and the sufficient amount of creditworthy Qi Dao coins were the sharp weapons of the Qi State to control the world for hundreds of years. Therefore, at this moment, with just a little bit of Zhuge Liang's touch, the Wenchen strategists present immediately understood what trick Cai Ji was playing.

No, as soon as Zhuge Liang's words fell, Xu Shu couldn't help but say again and again, "Lord Qi is worthy of being the female middle pipe, and he has won the essence of the Qi family." ”

Mi Zhu also gasped, "In this way, Jingnan's native products are all sold cheaply to Qi Shangye!" ”

"Don't just sell local products cheaply. In the long run, Jingnan copper coins are afraid that they will all belong to Qi! Xi Zhen sighed worriedly.

Although Liu Bei didn't know what the "Qi Fa family" was, he could see that all the ministers were so blue that they seemed to be able to wring out water, and he could naturally imagine how bad the reality was. So, even if Liu Bei put the problem of face behind him, he hurriedly asked Zhuge Liang for advice, "Does Kong Ming have a good way to deal with it?" ”

Cai Ji can learn from the experience of later generations, and Zhuge Liang can naturally use history as a mirror. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the struggle for hegemony among the princes was an all-round competition covering military, political, cultural and economic aspects. Therefore, for the solution to the money shortage, Zhuge Liang actually has a draft in his heart. In fact, the reason why he pointed the contradiction to Donglai five baht was to make Liu Bei realize the seriousness of the problem, and secondly, to give Liu Bei a step. If Liu Bei honestly followed the Han five-baht coin like Cao Cao, he would not let Jingnan become a bad currency area, and then be ransacked by the Donglai five-baht monopoly.

Therefore, in the face of Liu Bei's question at this moment, Zhuge Liang Chengzhu arched his hand in his chest and said, "Don't worry, your lord. The minister thought that it was a top priority, because he first recast the five baht money to reassure the people, and after the money shortage subsided, he announced that the foreign trade of the whole territory was under the monopoly of the government, and the people of Jingnan strictly forbade the use of Donglai five baht! ”

Sure enough, this time Liu Bei no longer had any objections, but solemnly entrusted Zhuge Liang, "Good! The money shortage was handed over to Kong Ming to be fully responsible. (To be continued......)