Sima Shu's words did not make the businessmen present enthusiastically support the banknotes, and many businessmen were silent. This made Sima Shu's heart cold all of a sudden, although he had expected this situation for a long time, but when it really happened, it still made him feel a little chilled.

Paper money is a new thing that has not been used in history. And this time the emperor proposed to issue paper money, and the first thing that these merchants thought of was that the emperor was ready to use this hand to concentrate social wealth, suppress merchants, and concentrate the wealth of merchants into the hands of the emperor.

If that were the case, they would never have agreed. And now, without fully understanding the emperor's intentions, they did not want to rush to open their mouths and make their attitudes clear. After all, if the emperor is offended, it will be a catastrophe. Thinking about the miserable situation of the merchants in the former Han Wu Emperor period, we have to make the merchants here cautious.

Sima Shu was also silent, carefully observing the attitude of these merchants. The recognition of merchants is the key to the recognition of banknotes. In contrast to the emerging industrial capitalists, these merchants had their own power long before Sima Shu came to power, and many of them even extended their influence into the government.

Over the years, the merchants have been on the same front as Sima Shu because of the drive of interests, but if the interests of both sides go against each other, then these businessmen will not hesitate to stand on the opposite side of the emperor. At this moment, Sima Shu had a deeper understanding of the profit-seeking nature of businessmen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the issue of paper money is the most important thing in the empire at the moment, and no one or force can stop this trend! If someone dares to obstruct or sabotage the issuance of banknotes. Then don't blame me for not remembering the old love! Speaking of this, a cold light flashed in Sima Shu's eyes, he was really a little angry, it seems that the imperial court has been accommodating businessmen all these years, which has made them a little carried away.

However, Sima Shu also knew that businessmen were profit-seeking, and intimidation and centralization alone could not fundamentally solve the problem. It is better to let the merchants see the advantages so that they will willingly support the imperial court to issue paper money. Thinking of this, Sima Shu continued:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest value of money gold and silver in commerce is actually in trade. In trade with foreign countries, gold and silver were the basic equivalent of exchange. Any transaction is measured by the value of gold and silver. I think everyone knows this. But if we can spread the empire's paper money to the world, then we can do more from it. ”

Hearing this, the businessmen and representatives present were a little moved. At this time, a representative of a businessman, who was about fifty years old, spoke, "Your Majesty. How can the imperial court ensure the value of paper money? If the value of the banknote cannot be guaranteed. Then there is a possibility that the banknote will depreciate. Anyway. Gold and silver do not depreciate, and at all times, gold and silver are precious metals. It has its own value. If the value of the banknote is not guaranteed in any way, then the result of the depreciation of the banknote is to make it bigger

Sima Shu glanced at the merchant with some surprise and said, "You can rest assured of this. I can vouch for it, if you don't believe me. It can be guaranteed by the Imperial Cabinet and laws and regulations to ensure the value of paper money. ”

"Your Majesty, in fact, we didn't mean that" A middle-aged businessman saw the emperor a little angry, and hurriedly came out of the round. "Over the years, Your Majesty has been so kind to us, and we can have today, it is Your Majesty's reward, how can we doubt Your Majesty? Moreover, we are concerned about the future of the empire, if after a large number of paper money is circulated, and then it is greatly depreciated, then the life of the people of the empire will be miserable, and when the time comes, it is the people who suffer, and it is the empire that suffers. ”

Sima Shu was silent, the other party said very reasonably, he can guarantee that he will not interfere with the issuance of banknotes, but what about his descendants? In the event of a faint monarch, no one dares to guarantee that there will be problems with the banknotes issued by the Empire.

"Well, with my physical condition, there is no problem in living for another twenty or thirty years. Since you believe in me, then, here, I can assure you that as long as I am the emperor of the empire and the emperor of the empire, then the paper money will never depreciate at will. Moreover, if you are not sure about the value of the banknotes, you can always go to the bank and exchange the banknotes for real money, and I will not embarrass you. ”

By this time, most of the merchants had already heard the gravity of the words. The attitude of the emperor was very resolute, and they had no choice at all. Even if there is no need to guess, they all know very well that if they dare to exchange the paper money in their hands for gold and silver in the future, then they will not want to get the emperor's protection in the future, and they will even suffer from the emperor's cruel suppression. In the era of feudal centralization, any businessman who did not know the current affairs would not end well.

Sima Shu stood up again as he spoke, glanced at the businessmen present and said, "In two months, the Dajin Royal Money Bank will officially issue banknotes. I have announced that I will deposit all the gold and silver of the royal family in the bank and exchange it for the equivalent of paper money. I hope that when the time comes, you can also come to support me, of course, those who have money will have a money field, and those who have no money will have a personal field, as long as everyone has something to say, then I will be satisfied. ”

The businessmen here are all smart, and the emperor has already given them face when he talks about this, and it would be stupid if they didn't know how to accept it when they saw it at this time.

Sima Shu didn't talk to these people too much, and finally called Zhang Bin, and left the study and went to the garden outside. Of course.

"Your Majesty......" Zhang Bin was also very surprised by Sima Shu's tough attitude, he originally thought that the emperor would treat these merchants politely, but he didn't expect that the emperor would take such a tough measure, which was simply spurring these businessmen.

"Sit down, it's just the two of us now, no need to be so polite." Sima Shu sat down first, and when Zhang Bin also sat on the stone bench next to him, he continued, "These businessmen value their own interests, and they don't care about the interests of the empire and the future of the empire at all. I confess that without them, there would be no empire. ”

"However, over the years, I have worked hard to protect the interests of the Empire's merchants and seek more benefits for them. Is it true that the empire's armies have been fighting abroad for years to gain the submission of some countries, and the princesses sent by those kings, and other gifts? I am for the whole empire, and I have brought great benefits to them. This time, the issue of paper money is related to the future of the empire, and these merchants do not know how to put their own interests with the interests of the empire, but they are still reluctant, do they really think that I will not dare to clean them up? ”

"Actually, the most important thing is to have both grace and power. Before, the court gave them kindness, so that they did not realize the power of the emperor. Now it's time to give these merchants a little color, at least to know that they can't go against the will of the Empire. ”

Hearing this, Zhang Bin nodded in agreement, and then laughed and said, "Your Majesty, it is normal for businessmen to worry that after a hundred years, there will be problems with paper money. However, as long as His Majesty continued to increase the authority of the law, and made all subjects of the empire aware of the importance of the law, and believed that if the authority of paper money was upheld by legislation, those merchants would not be so resistant as they are now. ”

"Your Majesty, the biggest problem with paper money is how many people agree with paper money, and whether there is a great force to support paper money. In fact, the reaction of ordinary people is not very important, but the most important thing is whether the merchants who control the market are willing to accept paper money. ”

"From the perspective of the long-term development of the empire, the issuance of paper money is an inevitable choice, and it is fundamental to the future of the empire. Metal money has been in circulation for thousands of years, and although it has its merits, its disadvantages are already irreparable at this time. If nothing else, when we trade with other countries, we always have to transport a shipload of gold and silver first, which is very cumbersome and extremely unsafe. ”

"From a purely economic, or financial point of view, if paper money can be used on a large scale, as long as we control trade, then we can completely replace gold and silver in foreign trade in the future, and we can control trade more effectively by controlling the comparison of paper money."

"In the long run, the issuance of banknotes clearly has more advantages than disadvantages. The most important question now is whether the value of the banknotes can be guaranteed to dispel the concerns of the outside world. ”

"If Your Majesty can get the imperial court to issue relevant laws and regulations to guarantee the value of paper money in terms of law, then this will be enough. It is believed that it will not be long before all strata of the empire will feel the benefits of paper money and gradually identify with the status of paper money. ”

"Well, the most important thing now is to dispel the concerns of others, but judging from the results of my meeting with those big merchants today, it is clear that those merchants do not trust the imperial court. Merchants control most of the empire's trade, and most of the empire's wealth, and they are not satisfied, but they are still seeking more benefits for themselves, and they do not think about the empire at all. Speaking of this, Sima Shu sneered, "Before, I also wanted to give them a chance so that they could change their minds. But now, I've figured it out. Since the merchant is only pursuing profit, sooner or later, he will part ways with the empire. This trend cannot be changed, it is only a matter of time before it comes. Perhaps, I will have to think about something deeper. (To be continued......)