A golden, huge Buddha statue is placed in front of him. Good men and women think of bowing and praying for blessings, but in Chai Rong's eyes, this is a golden mountain.

That's right, real money!

Since Guo Wei ascended the throne, Juntian has encouraged commerce, used troops abroad, and recovered his vitality...... In just five years, the economy of the Central Plains has developed rapidly, Kaifeng merchants have gathered, and trade has prospered.

But at the same time, a fatal problem also emerged, the more prosperous the business, the more goods exchanged, the more money was needed, but the Central Plains was not rich in gold and silver production, and even copper mines were not much.

On the one hand, there is strong demand for business, and on the other hand, there is a serious shortage of money supply.

The results are often catastrophic.

For example, the well-known phenomenon of grain cheapness hurting peasants is very, very serious in Dazhou...... After the common people were allocated the fields, they worked hard to cultivate them and fill the warehouses. But then, they have to build a house, they have to marry a daughter-in-law, and they have to send their children to school...... Everything needs money, and you have to exchange it for food.

A few years ago, a stone of grain, when harvested in autumn, could be sold for more than 700 wen, and when the green and yellow were not received, it could exceed the usual money.

It's only been five years of hard work, and one stone of grain, the cheapest has fallen below 300 Wen.

This is still because the Great Zhou fought abroad, and it was necessary to purchase military rations to support the price of grain, otherwise it would be possible to fall below 200 Wen, or even 100 Wen.

After the unification of the world in successive dynasties, there will be a rapid decline in food prices, and many literati describe the picture of prosperity, and low prices are often brought up to talk about things.

For example, in the eighth year of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and the rice in Hebei was about a few hundred dollars, and in the first year of Tang Gaozu Wude, the war was peaceful, the people's livelihood withered, and the rice in Luoyang soared to eight or nine thousand yuan.

In other words, one stone of grain can be worth 80 to 90 copper coins.

It is almost equivalent to four catties of copper coins, in exchange for one catty of grain, this number is very, very appalling!

In times of war, anything can happen.

And through the efforts of the Tang Dynasty monarchs and ministers, it is recorded in the "New Tang Dynasty Book: Wei Zheng Biography": So the emperor ascended the throne for four years, and the rice bucket was three coins.

That's right, it's three bucks.

This number is repeated in the "Food Journal": at the beginning of Zhenguan, the silk is a horse and a bucket. To four years, rice bucket four or five dollars.

"Zizhi Tongjian: Tang Ji" also emphasized: In the first year of Zhenguan, Guanzhong was hungry, and rice buckets were worth a horse of silk. In two years, the world was full of locusts. Three years, big water. It's a big year in the world, and the rice bucket is only three or four dollars.

The fourth year of Zhenguan is a dividing line, this year, after Li Er's policy of recuperation and recuperation, the world is under great control, and the wind and rain are smooth, and the price of rice has fallen to the lowest point. Not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also probably in the history of China, when the price of rice was the lowest. From the price of rice in the first year of Zhenguan to the three or five dollars in the fourth year of Zhenguan, it is only three or four years.

Compared with the war period that has just ended, the price of rice has fallen by 3,000 times!

Exactly three thousand times!

Of course, the low price of rice is because the people work hard to cultivate the fields, the yield per mu is high, the harvest is abundant, and the world does not have to worry about eating, which is certainly worth rejoicing.

But from another point of view, the price of rice is too low, and it can even destroy a country!

Everyone knows that the feudal small peasant economy has a poor ability to resist risks, and if it is not managed well, or encounters natural and man-made disasters, it will often go bankrupt.

For example, if the price of grain is 500 wen per stone, and a family sells 10 stone of grain, they can get back 50 yuan, but the price of grain drops to 500 wen, and 10 stone of grain can only be exchanged for 500 wen.

If there is a big thing that costs money, which one is good for the farmer? The results are clear!

When the price of grain is low and the income of the common people is small, they will not be able to resist risks, and when they encounter problems, they will have to sell their land, or even sell themselves into slavery, and change from homesteaders to tenant farmers.

When the land annexation reaches a certain level, the world will be in turmoil.

From the history of the Tang Dynasty, we can get the best conclusion, why the military system collapsed in a few decades, why after Li Er, the results of the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars were often not ideal, and why the struggle between the gate lords and the imperial power became more and more intense...... Behind other historical phenomena, there is one reason, that is, the uneven distribution of interests, to put it bluntly, land annexation.

In order to prevent land annexation, in addition to setting rules, there is also a very important issue, that is, we should ensure basic grain prices, ensure the basic income of peasants, and enhance their ability to resist risks......

Ye Hua and Chai Rong once went north together and hunted with the Khitan Emperor.

Along the way, they talked about a lot of things, and Ye Hua mentioned the establishment of a minimum purchase price for grain...... Chai Rong heard about this and planned to do the same.

But, sorry, it can't be done at all!

The annual income of the imperial court is so much, and the currency that can be used only accounts for less than 30%, and the rest is all in kind.

This money was used to raise soldiers, officials, cities, and rivers...... After a few expenses are divided, there is not much left. What the imperial court can do is to let the local standing positions be closed to appropriately collect grain and adjust prices.

To be honest, it still doesn't work much.

Chai Rong is an emperor who wants money and wants to go crazy.

Therefore, Lu Duoxun proposed to give acres of land in the name of Qingzhang Temple, and he immediately agreed, which could increase the tax source, which is very good.

But when he was in the temple, Chai Rong found that he was wrong, very wrong!

What is the land, compared to these huge Buddha statues are the real valuable things!

Take the statue in front of you as an example, if you melt and cast money, you can at least cast 10,000 yuan!

How many bronzes are still in the temple?

Basins, mirrors, bells, pans, cymbals, phase wheels, bells, pagodas, incense burners, prayer buildings, Buddha statues, and many cabinets and shrines are all decorated with a large amount of gold, silver and copper, and they are magnificent......

So many precious metals, concentrated in the temple, did not play any practical role other than to make people worship.

However, if it is minted into currency and put it on the market, it can promote the exchange of goods tenfold or hundredfold, bring rich taxes, enrich the country and the people, and organize the army and the military...... How many tangible things can be done?

Don't think about anything else, this alone is enough to prove that the temple must be rectified!

The destruction of the Buddha of the Three Martial Arts and One Sect, that is the most correct!

"Take it all to mint money!"

Chai Rong decisively made an edict, and Ye Hua also had to admire His Majesty the Emperor's resoluteness, even if it was replaced by him, he might not have as much courage as Chai Rong.

After all, in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, there were tens of thousands of temples and more than 200,000 monks, and people who depended on the temple for survival, such as sending food, sending firewood, repairing temples, and carving Buddha statues...... Counting these people, plus their families, the total number will be more than a million.

Such a large scale. What the consequences will be, no one dares to say.

"Your Majesty, do you think you can ......slow down?"

"No, you can't!"

Chai Rong smiled slightly, "Ye Qing, I tell you that things in this world cannot be delayed, if I delay for a moment, the people below can delay for a day." Even the emperor hesitated, and the people below would even more condone and shield him. I just want to cut through the mess quickly, clean up all the temples in the world first, and talk about the rest later! ”

Ye Hua also had to admit that Chai Rong's idea was right.

After all, it is rare for the political hall to be united with the emperor now, and work hard honestly, if it is delayed, who knows what will happen...... Just rushing to achieve results will inevitably cause omissions.

Let me ask, among these hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns, are there no good people? Tens of thousands of temples, should they all be demolished?

Apparently not!

But the question is that there is time to screen them one by one, slow work and meticulous work?

Sorry, no!

Time waits for no one, and there's never one thing in this world that has the best of both worlds!

"The minister understands, the embroidered messenger will immediately go out to supervise all the prefectures, military states and counties, and implement His Majesty's will, who dares to cover up laziness and will not tolerate it!"

On the same day, the imperial court issued a decree that all temple bronzes should be destroyed within 50 days and sent to the local government to mint money. If there is a concealment and failure to pay within the time limit, the sentence shall be according to the number of catties and taels, and those who exceed five catties shall be sentenced to death.

And Chai Rong also warned the officials below that whoever dares to hide the bronze ware privately, Dafa Li City, there are those who hide more than five catties, peel the skin of daylily, and never tolerate it!

A total of 30,336 monasteries were built, and a large number of Buddha statues and bells, chimes and other ritual utensils were cast into money...... Chai Rong increased the number of money supervisors by eight in one go, minted money day and night, and it took three years to consume these bronze vessels, and the wealth obtained was enriched into the treasury, and the financial situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty was immediately improved.

However, things are not so smooth, just outside the capital of Chenqiaoyi, there is a Guanyin Hall, where there is a bronze statue of Guanyin, very effective.

The official who was ordered to recast the Buddha statue fell from his horse and died violently on the way, and sent a second person, facing the Buddha statue, suddenly went berserk, rushed out directly, and threw himself into the river to die.

Two officials died in a row, and no one dared to touch this Buddha statue again.

The news reached Chai Rong's ears, and His Majesty the Emperor immediately took the embroidered messenger out of the capital and went straight to Chenqiaoyi.

After arriving at the Guanyin Hall, Chai Rong walked in with an axe.

"What a big Bodhisattva!"

He raised his axe to chop, and the old nun in the temple suddenly screamed.

"No, no! Those who destroy the statue of the Bodhisattva will be punished by heaven! ”

Along with the old nun, there were many people who fell to their knees together.

"Your Majesty, be gracious, leave this Bodhisattva!"

"Your Majesty, don't do things perfectly!"

……

In the face of the plea, Chai Rong sneered, "The will of the imperial court, there is no reason to be lucky!" I want to see how much power this Bodhisattva has! ”

After speaking, Chai Rong swung an axe, which happened to slash at the front chest of the Buddha statue, and the bronze statue made a loud bang, and it was heard far away!

Chai Rong laughed, "But so, what's the big deal, transport it away, mint money!" ”

The soldiers responded.

Suddenly, the old nun jumped up suddenly, roared violently, and cursed: "Faint King, one day, you will be punished, you can't sit on this country for long!" Sooner or later, someone will snatch it up! ”

After she yelled, she suddenly fell straight to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and died.

In the face of the mutation, Chai Rong couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, and the guards were also frightened...... At this time, Ye Hua resolutely picked up the axe and slashed it down on the head of the Buddha statue!

"Dare to curse the Great Zhou Jiangshan, first ask the embroiderer if he agrees!"

Ye Hua struck three times and split the idol into a pile of pieces......