Before dawn, thousands of heavily armed soldiers suddenly appeared on the streets of Pingkangfang, they blocked the door, inspected the streets, and checked passers-by, scaring many prostitutes who wanted to sneak home before dawn back to the Qinglou, and the whole Pingkangfang was filled with a tense atmosphere. uctxt

Cui Lianxing, dressed in military uniform, led hundreds of elite soldiers to march forward, and a ground security guard from Pingkangfang led them to a deep alley.

"General, the Turkic merchant you mentioned buying silk lives here." Jibao pointed timidly to the deep alley.

Cui Lianxing waved his hand, and a group of soldiers with steel crossbows immediately climbed onto the wall, sneaked quickly along the wall, and stopped when they were still ten steps away from the small courtyard.

Another more than 200 soldiers held huge shields and horizontal knives, walked slowly, walked to the gate and stopped, waiting for the next order, Cui Lianxing looked at the lifeless gate, he had a faint sense of foreboding in his heart.

He checked three cabinets in the East Market last night, and finally found the kind of gold ingots that were exactly the same, and found that this was a Shu brocade silk shop, and then he found the shopkeeper of the silk shop, and learned that this was the payment for the goods paid by a Turkic caravan, and the proprietor was a young Turkic woman, he returned to the East City again, found the Municipal Bureau, and finally found the caravan living in Pingkangfang from the tax registration book of the Municipal Bureau, at this time it was the fourth watch, with the gold medal given to him by Zhang Huan, he finally got the support of the army.

"Up!" Cui Lianxing gave the final order.

Bang! There was a loud bang on the ground, the sergeant kicked the door open, and hundreds of soldiers rushed into Turan's courtyard together, the yard was full of large and small boxes, most of them were open, and they were all bought Shu brocade Wu Aya, the scene was chaotic, and the house was empty.

Cui Lianxing strode into the small courtyard, and finally couldn't help but flash a trace of regret in his quiet eyes, but it was a pity that he was still a step slow. He searched carefully in the courtyard of the house for clues, but in the end he found nothing, the other party was an extremely cunning enemy, and there was no clue to what he had discarded, and nothing that might have left a clue.

Cui Lianxing pondered for a moment, and he suddenly ordered his subordinates: "Go find the painter immediately." The whole city will be arrested, and those who provide clues will be rewarded with 5,000 yuan, and those who hide will be punished for treason! ”

Chang'an City immediately boiled, groups of soldiers patrolled the streets, ready to receive clues at any time to search, but the Turks in the city were all in danger, their landlords, neighbors reported them one after another, and soldiers kept rushing into the major inns and restaurants to search, and the entire Chang'an City fell into chaos.

The Zichen Hall of Daming Palace was also serious and nervous. The first court meeting after Zhang Huan's accession to the throne was held here. Deliberations are a way to deal with power stalemates. When Zhang Huan had objections to Xiangguo's major decision. He will not approve the edict. There is no emperor Zhu Pi. Xiangguo also cannot decide on major events on his own. In this case, we need to sit down and talk face-to-face. Make things clear. Today's discussion in the local court is the issue of the issuance of banknotes. It should be said that this is something that Zhang Huan has been thinking about for a long time. The local currencies of the Tang Dynasty were copper coins and silk. The former is too heavy and inconvenient to carry. The latter is even more difficult to preserve and has low circulation. As early as the Longyou period, there were merchants who constantly suggested to Zhang Huan to supplement copper coins with gold and silver coins. The scheme is good. However, in the end, it was not adopted because the production of gold and silver land was too small.

Shortly after his accession to the throne. Yang Yan, the salt and iron superintendent, proposed a major land tax reform plan to him. The tax payment of Ding households is changed to pay taxes according to the number of acres of land and the amount of property. and the introduction of monetary taxation. Changing to pay taxes per acre of land can effectively check and balance land annexation. But because the impact is too great. Before Zhang Huan sat on the throne, he thought that the time was not yet ripe for implementation.

There is much less resistance to the introduction of monetary taxation. The most direct benefit is that it does not increase the burden on the people. Raise taxes substantially. To put it simply. That is, it can greatly reduce grain rot and loss during transportation. Moreover, it can avoid favoritism and fraud in the process of taxation in kind. For example, a certain place collected a hundred stone grain tax. But in the end, only thirty or forty stones remained in the capital. Of course. There are many names for food loss. Wear and tear on the road, mold and rot in storage, etc. Very glossy. But in fact, it has fattened a large number of local officials at all levels.

However, there is a problem with the introduction of monetary taxation. It's just that there is not enough copper money. Due to copper material limitations. The annual coinage of Datang is about 2.5 million yuan. Ten years ago, it was barely enough to circulate. But with the rise in prices. In particular, the price of rice has risen. Consistently, the money is not enough to buy three buckets of rice. When it is serious, it costs thousands of dollars. Copper coins are clearly deviating from their value. In this way, many merchants and large families stored large quantities of copper coins. As a result, there are fewer and fewer copper coins on the market. Many places have reverted to the primitive state of bartering. UCTXT debuted in this case. If you then implement the use of monetary taxation. The serious situation of money and cheap land will inevitably arise. It will greatly harm the interests of peasants. So the monetary issue has become a bottleneck for all reforms. And the search for a new currency has become a priority.

This is the deep reason why Zhang Huan is eager to implement paper money. He doesn't think it's complicated. In fact, it is to make the ticket small and fixed. Changed its name to Bao Yuan. For this. He deposited a great deal of gold and silver. As a credit collateral for the issuance of treasure notes. But he didn't expect that as soon as Zhang Yansheng proposed to issue treasure banknotes, he was categorically rejected by the prime ministers. How can Zhang Huandi balance in his heart?

The officials who participated in the court meeting have not yet returned, except for the military department Shangshu Yuanzai, who dealt with the Khitans in Hebei. The other six ministers all attended the meeting. Besides. There is also a person in charge of the temple related to the fiscal tax. Liu Yan, the new household servant, Zhang Yansheng, the secretary of the Taifu Temple, Guo Quan, the supervisor of the Shaofu, Yang Yan, the supervisor of salt and iron, Pei Mingyuan, the supervisor of the newly established land and acres, and so on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the reason why I convened this court meeting is because of a twist and turn of Zhang Yansheng, the secretary of Taifu Temple, two days ago, about the issuance of banknotes, this fold has been rejected by Han Xiangguo, the reason is that it is inconsistent with the system, but I think the reason for this denial is rash? I disagree, this matter is very important, so I convened this court meeting to revisit this matter. In fact, Zhang Huan had already sent a note to the ministers who participated in the meeting yesterday, and everyone knew that the court meeting was held in the side hall, the place was not big, everyone sat in two rows facing each other, and the first person sitting on the right was Han. He was the first consul after the reform of the relative system, and in his original sense, he was strongly in favor of the development of industry and commerce, and he was also the main supporter of Yang Yan's tax reform, but he was firmly opposed to the issuance of paper money, which he considered to be a devil who harmed his descendants. As soon as the floodgates are opened in his hands, the root of the Tang Dynasty's demise may be buried, so he resolutely rejected Zhang Yanxian's suggestion, but he also knew that this was actually the emperor's intention, so he only criticized the system for inconsistencies, but he didn't expect this to become the emperor's grip on it, he was very clear about the purpose of today's court meeting, and I am afraid that this will become the first conflict between the monarch and the prime minister.

Han took a deep breath and stepped forward. He Zhang Huan gave a deep salute and said: "Your Majesty, denying that Zhang Envoy Jun is a minister, but the minister is by no means rash. In fact, Zhang Zhijun had already asked the minister why His Majesty wanted to accumulate gold and silver before writing this book, and the minister told him that this was the emperor's idea of issuing paper money, and the minister also told him about the disadvantages of issuing paper money, and he expressed his willingness to oppose His Majesty's idea of paper money with the minister on the spot, but the minister did not expect that only two days later, he would write to ask for the issuance of paper money, so the two of them were judged before and after. It really made the minister puzzled. ”

Han Zhiyan suddenly caused an uproar, his meaning was obvious, Zhang Yanxian's performance was to curry favor with the Holy Will, and the real author of the issuance of banknotes was the emperor himself, although this could seize the opportunity to prevent the passage of today's court meeting, but Han would also anger the emperor, and everyone couldn't help but sweat for him.

Sure enough, Zhang Huan's face suddenly became gloomy, and he didn't want to come forward in this matter. Yesterday, he sent a eunuch to hint at Zhang Yanxian, and today Zhang Yansheng will pick up the main Liang to urge this matter, but Han saw through his attempt, and as soon as he came up, he took a salary from the bottom of the kettle, disrupting his deployment.

"Then Han Xiangguo will talk about it, what are the drawbacks here?" Zhang Huan said coldly.

"Your Majesty, the minister first asks the simplest truth, if the imperial court issues paper money, then how can Your Majesty prevent the appearance of fake paper money?"

"There are those who dare to counterfeit banknotes. Will be full of slaughter. Those involved in the printing of counterfeit banknotes are also guilty of capital crimes, and we will deter counterfeiters with the most severe laws. ”

Han shook his head and said, "The harsh punishment may be effective. But that can only deter the small people of Shengdou, if it is Dashi, Hui and other countries that print the banknotes of the Tang Dynasty to buy porcelain, silk and other things? Even if they don't buy anything at all, Your Majesty will issue 10 million yuan, and they will also issue 20 million yuan to invest in my Datang, how will Your Majesty deal with this situation at that time? ”

"Then I will order the general supervisor to develop new printing methods, so that other countries cannot imitate them."

"Your Majesty, don't you hear that the Tao is one foot high, and the demon is one foot high? Han saw that Zhang Huan insisted on going his own way, he couldn't help but sigh and said: "The minister's opposition to printing banknotes is not only worried about being counterfeited, nor is it worried that the people will not accept it, after all, the emergence and promotion of new things have an adaptation process, and the imperial court can also use coercive means to promote paper money, and as His Majesty said, invent new technology to prevent counterfeit banknotes, what the minister is worried about is not this, but worried about the future, once His Majesty sets this precedent, how to control it in the future?" ”

Originally, Zhang Yansheng came forward to fight in the ring, but was forced to go into battle shirtless by Han, Zhang Huan, who lost face, was extremely annoyed in his heart, and under Han's step-by-step pressing, he was forced to get angry several times, he waved his hand, and said impatiently: "Don't I know the risks of issuing banknotes?" What do I do with a large amount of gold and silver reserves, and I am not going to use gold and silver reserves as collateral? If the issuance of banknotes is not possible, then why can the ticket be used again? ”

Zhang Huan's voice raised step by step, and he finally forced his eyes to look at Han Dao: "Han Xiangguo, it has been a month since I ascended the throne, and I fully respect the opinions of Xiangguo, but since you know that the issuance of paper money is my idea, then why can't you respect me once?" ”

Han's neck stiffened, and he did not back down: "The minister's opposition to printing paper money is for the sake of the people of the world, which has nothing to do with respecting Your Majesty, Your Majesty may be able to consider using gold and silver as a guarantee, but thousands of years later, if Your Majesty's descendants do not have gold and silver and issue paper money indiscriminately, resulting in the flood of paper money and endless harm, can Your Majesty be responsible for setting this precedent today?" "Are you saying that the idea of issuing banknotes is irresponsible?" Zhang Huan stared at Han calmly, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Yes! That's what it means. Han held his head high without fear, and his iron bones were strong.

There was silence in the Zichen Palace, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme, everyone looked at Zhang Huan, lest he shoot the imperial case and kill Han Zhang Huan s eyes also changed sharply, and it was difficult to get off the stage for a while, at this time. Lu Qi, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, sneered gloomily and said: "Han Shangshu, it's okay for you to oppose Your Majesty with something unknown in thousands of years, but you don't abide by the courtesies of the monarch and the ministers, and you blatantly commit the following crimes, do you still have Your Majesty in your eyes?" ”

Brush! All eyes were on Lu Qidi, surprised, puzzled, contemptuous, and angry. Lu Qi fell into the well at this time and removed the steps of the emperor, clearly wanting to put Han to death.

Han slowly took off the black gauze hat on his head and the purple gold fish bag on his waist, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, the matter of issuing paper money cannot be agreed to, if Your Majesty insists on going its own way, the minister will resign from the country and let His Majesty dispose of it." ”

Cui Yu, who was sitting at the bottom, also stood up, and he also took off the black gauze hat and purple gold fish bag. Raised his voice: "Even if the Zhongshu Province and His Majesty approve the issuance of paper money, the minister's subordinate province will also reject it, and the minister will also resign from the subordinate minister." Returning to his hometown to farm. ”

At this time, Zhang Huan had slowly calmed down, and Han Di's toughness finally made him realize that he was in a bit of a hurry in this matter, he glanced at Lu Qi, and then sighed slightly and said to Han Dao: "This matter may be a mistake on my part, I apologize to you, and Cui Shilang, I don't agree to your resignation, please take it back!" ”

"Your Majesty!" Han knelt down excitedly. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to express it, and after a while, he choked up and said: "Your Majesty's grace, the minister is engraved in his heart." ”

"Han Aiqing doesn't have to be polite, you are insisting on state affairs, how can I really blame you."

Zhang Huan waved his hand happily, ready to end the court meeting, suddenly. There was a humane behind the main hall: "Your Majesty, the minister has a plan for both!" ”

Everyone in the hall looked back, only to see that there was a person standing on the last seat, but it was the new land supervisor Pei Mingyuan, who had the least seniority among the courtiers attending this court meeting, so he could only sit at the end, he slowly walked to the front and saluted Zhang Huanshen, "Your Majesty." The minister suggested that silver coins be used instead of His Majesty's paper money scheme. ”

He just finished speaking. Several people next to him laughed, and Han secretly sighed. But he still smiled at him gratefully and said, "Mingyuan may not know that the reserves and output of my Datang silver are really limited, and the quantity is insufficient, and it is difficult to circulate into coins. ”

But Zhang Huan's eyes lit up, and he suddenly remembered something Pei Mingyuan had said to him, and hurriedly said: "Zhong Aiqing, don't rush to conclusions first, listen to what Mingyuan says." ”

Pei Mingyuan smiled slightly, and then said to everyone: "When I returned from the Great Eclipse, I heard Cao Hanchen, the governor of Broken Leaves, say one thing, a few years ago, the Qarlu people once discovered a huge silver ore belt in the Wuhu River valley south of the broken leaves, close to the Green Ridge, but the Qarlu people do not know how to mine and refine, and not only in the Wuhu River Basin, there are also many silver and gold mines near the Broken Leaf River, Cao Dudu has begun to order tens of thousands of prisoners of war to mine silver on a small scale near the broken leaves, and when the minister passed by the broken leaves, Cao Dudu had already refined 300,000 taels of silver, but the road was far awayIt is inconvenient to transport to Chang'an. ”

Pei Mingyuan's words aroused great repercussions in the hall, the gold and silver in the mainland of the Tang Dynasty are insufficient, but it does not mean that there are no other places, especially in the west of the Green Ridge, which has been rich in gold since ancient times, there are only a dozen people in the hall, but the discussion is chaotic, especially the salt and iron supervisor Yang Yan is particularly excited, if the coin problem can be solved, then the first step of his tax reform can be carried out, without waiting for him to come out to express his support, the more anxious Han has already taken the first step to Zhang Huan and said: "Your Majesty, The minister asked the young superintendent to immediately send someone to the broken leaves to investigate the mineral deposits. ”

"The minister is against!" Lu Qi's shrill voice was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the eagerness in the entire hall at once, and the hall suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were focused on him.

"Why does Lu Aiqing oppose this?" Zhang Huan asked expressionlessly, the scene of Lu Qi going down to Han Luo just now made Zhang Huan a little vigilant, and there were deep contradictions between several of his important ministers.

"The minister is not against gold and silver with the same list of coins, the minister is against taking the silver of the Western Regions, not only is the road far away, and it takes great manpower and material resources to transport the silver of the Western Regions to the Central Plains, and my Datang only has a piece of enclave west of the Green Ridge, and the rest of the land is actually controlled in the hands of the big cannibals, and how to deal with the possible interception of the big cannibal? Once the conflict starts, it will inevitably give Da Shi a reason to go to war, and now that my Da Tang has just moved from chaos to governance, it is time to keep Tao Guang in obscurity, how can we afford a war with Da Shi? ”

"Why is Lu Shangshu so spineless."

Pei You, who had been silent, walked out, he glanced at Lu Qi contemptuously and said: "In the past, Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, the world was initially decided, and a hundred wastes were waiting to be revived, Emperor Taizong was still able to fight the Turks in the north and take Anxi in the west, so that my Tang Dynasty no longer has to worry about boundless troubles. We can't keep the gold and silver mountains without the money to buy rice. ”

After saying that, Pei You turned to Zhang Huan and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers and others believe that this matter is very important, and it should be elevated to the strategic height of the entire Tang Dynasty, and the status of the Broken Leaf Land should also be improved, and at the same time, heavy troops should be sent to garrison it. ”

Zhang Huan nodded, "What Pei Aiqing said is deeply in line with my intentions, Da Shi will not let us go just because we are obscure, and we have to go head-on in the battle that should be fought." ”

Seeing that Lu Qi still had objections, he waved his hand to stop him, this time, Zhang Huan said categorically in a non-negotiable tone: "This matter is very important, not only to encounter the issue of the territorial ownership of the west of the Green Ridge, but also a series of major events such as garrison, labor, mining, smelting, transportation, etc., must be considered holistically, and a person with high moral standing and outstanding ability is needed to coordinate this matter with full authority." ”

His gaze swept over everyone one by one, and finally fell on Zhang Potian's body, and he said in a deep voice: "Zhang Shangshu of the Criminal Department." ”

Zhang Potian never expected that the emperor would take a fancy to him, he panicked in his heart, and hurriedly stood up and said, "The minister is here!" ”

"I will order you to be solely responsible for coordinating this matter, and if this matter can be successful, I will promise you Aiqing to completely abandon the paper money plan."

Zhang Potian felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he resolutely bowed down and replied: "The minister will never live up to His Majesty's trust!" ”

The court meeting is over, everyone dispersed, Zhang Huan also returned to the imperial study, he sat in front of the imperial case, staring at a yellow and clear open round treasure gold coin on the case, this gold coin is the first year of Tianbao minting, this gold coin can be worth the copper coin, only because of the scarcity of gold has not been minted on a large scale, if the silver mine in the Western Regions can really be mined in large quantities, then the same silver coin can be worth a hundred dollars, in this way, the bottleneck that restricts the various reforms of the Tang Dynasty will also be through, the original twenty years to achieve the goal, maybe five years, It can be done in ten years.

Zhang Huan couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart, his head rested on his hands and slowly lay down, looking at the roof intently, today's court meeting was to discuss the issuance of paper money, but he didn't expect to get an unexpected result, giving up paper money and using gold and silver as coins, and not just switching to gold and silver, taking broken leaves and silver from the Wuhu River also means that the suspended Anxi strategy will be restarted.

Zhang Huan slowly closed his eyes, as if he had returned to the battle-torn Battle of Anxi

Note: Central Asia has always been known for its abundance of gold and silver, and the Wuhu River silver mine mentioned in this chapter is now the world's largest silver mine - the Grand Kahnemansur Silver Mine in Tajikistan)