Kaifeng, Li Yan's mansion.

Li Yan met with Master Zhang and others, who were in charge of minting silver coins, in the main hall, and also saw the pattern that was finally made. Master Zhang and others are the masters of the Baoyuan Bureau in the capital, although Chongzhen's money making is mostly made of iron, and the quality is not good, but these masters have worked in the Baoyuan Bureau for more than 20 years, and they are very clear about the various processes of coinage, and the technology is also very exquisite. Coupled with the assistance of old craftsmen such as Master Niu, the silver coin was finally made.

Li Yan was holding a silver coin in his hand, and there was a dragon on it, the dragon's body was winding, the dragon's head was in the middle position, and he was glaring angrily at the front with his mouth open, looking fierce and majestic. The dragon's body was winding and circling, almost occupying the entire surface of the coin, and each of the scales on the dragon's body was clearly visible, and you could feel the unevenness of the scales when you touched it with your hand.

He flipped the silver coin over and the other side was smooth as a mirror, with only a few words. In the middle of the position, in block letters are written vertically and horizontally with the four characters of "silver coin one yuan", and along the edge of the silver coin, the words "net weight one tael" are written in Song style. The words are prominent, flush with the small half-cent-wide edge of the silver coin. There are also ">" grooves on the edge of the silver coin, one next to the other, and there is only a circle below the two "one" characters of the size, and there is a Western number "1" inside.

Li Yan looked at it over and over again, feeling very satisfied. Such exquisite workmanship can be regarded as a work of art, even if there is a desire to imitate private manufacturing, there is no such craftsmanship.

Master Zhang saw Li Yan smiling, knowing that Generalissimo Li was satisfied, so he began to introduce: "Generalissimo, according to your requirements, this silver coin is one or two, although there is no guarantee that each one is just right, but it is not much different, sixteen silver coins are put together, and the error is within one penny." One inch and two minutes in diameter, eight minutes thick. The dragon pattern is made by the craftsman who sewed the dragon robe for the emperor. There are also concave lines on the edges, which can be seen at a glance as long as someone does their hands and feet. There is also the help of Master Niu and others who make molds, using iron molds, and the surface of the silver coins cast is smooth as a mirror, which is much better than the quality made by sand molds, and no one can imitate it at all. ”

Li Yan listened and nodded continuously. Originally, he planned to use water-driven machinery to suppress it, but the mechanical strength was not enough to directly suppress the silver coin, so he had to use the method of minting.

Although sterling silver is softer, it can't be so real, with sterling silver, where to make up for the cost of fire, labor, and mold? Isn't it a joke to see people if they can't make money but lose money when they don't make money? So this silver coin is not pure silver, but a silver-copper alloy, silver nine bronze one. Not only does it increase the hardness of the coin, but it also makes it look a lot brighter.

At this time, Li Yan was holding the silver coin, and the ghost made a miracle to pinch the center of the silver coin with his thumb and index finger.

Master Zhang thought that Li Yan had discovered the "1" on the side of the silver coin, so he immediately explained: "A Western number is engraved there to cover the gap left by the circulation holes between the molds." A row of molds can mint twenty silver coins, and it will be even larger in the future, so that a large number of them can be minted. ”

But Li Yan didn't say anything, but suddenly blew violently on the edge of the silver coin, and then put the silver coin to his ear and listened. He closed his eyes and said with a smile: "Well, yes, the voice is clear and long, and it can also be used as a means to prevent bad money." ”

Master Zhang and the others sounded a little strange, they had never blown silver coins, and they were all a little curious at this time.

Li Yan gestured and said, "You guys also try it." Fingers pinched in the middle will work best. ”

Master Zhang and the others stepped forward, picked up a silver coin, and also blew on the edge to listen to the sound, and there was indeed a clear and long sound. At this time, someone took out a copper coin and blew it, but there was no sound at all. Some people picked up the silver cake that was placed next to it and experimented with it, and although it could make a sound, it seemed to be a little different from the silver coins they minted.

"If you cast a lot of it, is it difficult?" Li Yan and the others were all addicted before they asked slowly.

Master Zhang replied: "There are also difficulties, that is, the manufacture of iron molds. It is not easy to make the iron mold to this level, and the iron mold used in this trial production took two months and was redone more than 30 times before it could be used. As long as one of the molds has a flaw on one side, the entire layout has to be redone. This is only twenty pieces per page, and if it were bigger, it would be even more difficult. ”

Li Yan barely had time to think, and said lightly: "You can do it one by one." When doing it, keep a buckle, just like a movable type printing plate, and the first unit is spliced into a whole. Of course, there are a lot of specific details to be designed, and that's your business. ”

Master Zhang and the others were stunned for a moment, and then everyone whispered. At this time, Li Yan was not angry, these craftsmen also had to get rid of their nationality, they were no longer inferior craftsmen, but free people who earned money by their craft. Their children and grandchildren do not have to be engaged in this industry for generations, and they can do whatever they want in the future. At this time, it is a time when the enthusiasm is very high, Li Yan is only happy for the dedication and seriousness of these craftsmen, where can he be a little dissatisfied?

After that, Master Zhang arched his hand and said: "What Master Niu said is really good, the generalissimo is really smart, such a simple method, I didn't expect it." ”

"There's another question," Li Yan nodded, accepting their compliment. He continued to ask: "If it is produced in large quantities, can all kinds of costs, including labor, fire consumption, and molds, be included in this less than one percent of the profits?" That is, can we make money? ”

This is also a question that Li Yan is more concerned about. Although it will be circulated in the future, other private silver taels will be charged when they are sent for exchange, but after all, there will be an expense when exchanging. He still hopes that the less than 10% profit will cover all the costs, and that there will be enough surplus. If you can't make a profit by minting money, it will be very disappointing.

Master Zhang thought for a while before cautiously replied: "If you use the generalissimo's method just now to splice together the entire template one by one, it will greatly save costs." However, there is another trouble with the minting of silver coins, that is, the mortar applied to the iron mold should be very delicate, and the application should be very careful, the thickness should be even, and it should be ensured that the coating is as thin as possible. These require a lot of manpower, and it is a familiar person to do it in order to improve the qualified quantity. ”

Li Yan listened and nodded repeatedly. He then instructed: "Don't worry too much about this aspect, it's not a difficult job, just find some careful people to do it." If that doesn't work, some female workers can be recruited from the military family. ”

Master Zhang thought for a while and said, "In this case, there should be some surplus." As long as the iron mold is done, it can be reused many times, which is also a saving aspect. ”

Li Yan picked up a silver coin and said with a smile: "You go back and make iron molds, you must strictly control it, and you must compare it with this quality." The silver coins we make must be the best, and we can't smash the signboard ourselves. ”

"Subordinates obey."

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