One of the most important technical issues in the issuance of currency in ancient times was how to prevent counterfeiting, and of course, in modern times, anti-counterfeiting technology is still very important. Sima Shu attached great importance to this issue, and he also convened a special meeting for this purpose.

At the meeting, Sima Shu solemnly reminded the cabinet ministers, "There is another point that must be paid attention to in the issuance of banknotes, that is, to prevent others from counterfeiting banknotes. On this point, we have to start from two aspects, one is the relevant legislative work, which has been specifically responsible for the Ministry of Chinese Books. Any act of counterfeiting banknotes is a felony, and the heinous crime can even be equated with complicity in the crime. ”

"Of course, in order to fundamentally eliminate the problem of counterfeit banknotes, it is necessary to use the most advanced printing technology, and to control this link, the relevant workers will be directly hired by the Dajin Royal Bank. And it is closely regulated. Have you taken these aspects into account? ”

Zhao Shi, the head of the Great Jin Royal Money Village, nodded hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, these are all ready, as early as a few years ago, the former director, Lord Deng Chong, began to do this accurately. At that time we found a printing shop and worked with several technical institutes of the empire to develop a new printing technology, and I believe that no one will be able to counterfeit paper money. ”

"Well, that's good, but these skilled workers and researchers need to be fully controlled. The printing technology can only be mastered by the Dajin Royal Money Bank, which is responsible for issuing banknotes, and in addition, the cabinet ministers and the various ministries have no right to intervene, otherwise they will be punished for treason! On this point, Sima Shu's attitude is very resolute.

"Also. You also have to constantly develop new printing technologies, and you must ensure that you are ahead of the curve. Before the banknote is officially issued, a batch of samples must be made. Then send it to all parts of the empire, so that the people can first familiarize themselves with these banknotes, and also teach the people everywhere how to distinguish the authenticity of the banknotes, which are some very meticulous work, and the cabinet should arrange special personnel to be responsible. ”

After solving the defense technology, Sima Shu vetoed the cabinet proposal for a monetary system in which gold and silver coexisted. In Sima Shu's view, money can be measured only by gold. Thus a single system is adopted, that is, one dollar is equivalent to one tael of gold. Silver, on the other hand, is gradually withdrawn from circulation. And the value of silver can be determined according to the exchange rate of gold and silver set by the central bank.

In this way, banknotes are not only simpler, but also more authoritative. It is also more acceptable to the people. After all, the value of silver fluctuates frequently. The value of gold itself is relatively fixed, and the range of fluctuations is very small.

Zhao Shi hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty." If we take a single system, then we will have to adjust the ratio between silver and gold according to market conditions at any time! ”

"Hehe, of course, this was originally the work of the Dajin Royal Money Village" Sima Shu glanced at Zhang Bin next to him again, "Moreover, we can make a schedule." In the first three years, we will gradually exchange the gold and silver circulating in the market, reserve it in the central bank, and gradually use paper money to enter the circulation market. In addition, a period can be determined, which can be ten, or even twenty years, or longer. During this period, we want to establish the authority of paper money, so that the common people can freely exchange the paper money for gold, of course, even if the common people get the gold, it cannot be circulated in the market. ”

"Your Majesty, in addition to the anti-counterfeiting technology of banknotes, there is also a very important issue of how to make the people quickly recognize banknotes. It is not enough to attract ordinary people by propaganda alone, but it is necessary to get the approval of the big business groups and the big factory owners and big farmers in order to establish the authority of paper money in the shortest possible time. Zhao Shi raised another important question.

Sima Shu smiled and said, "Well, the question raised by Aiqing is very important. Well, I'll leave this matter to me. I can unite the great merchants and capitalists of the Empire to get them to support the Imperial banknotes, use them in their transactions, and deposit their gold and silver in the Imperial Bank. ”

"I believe that many businessmen and capitalists will give me this face. In addition, the salaries of the officials of the imperial court and the salaries of the officers and soldiers of the army will all use paper money, and they, as the basic strength of the empire, will also support the empire. The difficulty is also in the first few years, as long as we stabilize the value of paper money in these few years, and gradually establish the authority and credibility of paper money, then the people will gradually accept paper money. ”

Zhang Bin, Zhao Shi and the others pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "If the major businessmen and big factory owners are willing to accept paper money and support paper money, the problem will not be very serious. ”

"Don't worry, after a while, I will gather merchants and big factory owners, and I will find a way to convince them."

If paper money is to be promoted, then the most important thing is to get the market to accept this new currency, and enter the circulation channel, so that paper money gradually replaces the previous metal currency. Obviously, the role of merchants and industrial capitalists is crucial.

If a merchant is willing to use paper money as the currency of his transactions, and accepts others to buy goods with paper money; At the same time, if the capitalists used paper money to pay their salaries, and used paper money to buy raw materials, and also accepted paper money when selling finished products, paper money gradually became the official currency of the empire, and thus was recognized by the common people.

This principle is very simple, so the first thing Sima Shu considered was to persuade the merchant group, and the merchants should take the lead and accept paper money first. Of course, the best way to convince the merchant group was to take some practical action to show the emperor's intentions and objectives.

Two days later, Sima Shu took advantage of the opportunity of the empress to give birth to a daughter, and gathered a large number of factory owners, big merchants, and big families in the empire together. It was a very grand banquet, and of course, the whole Jin Dynasty also attached great importance to this banquet, and basically everyone who knew the inside story attached great importance to how the emperor had reached an agreement with those merchants regarding the circulation and use of paper money.

Of course, as the emperor, there are several more princes, which is definitely a thing that can inspire the people. Especially when Sima Shu's prestige in the country and his status in the eyes of the common people reached the point of reaching the peak after defeating the countries of the Western Regions and expanding the territory of the empire to the Western Regions again.

In the hearts of the vast majority of the people of the empire, the emperor is the real hero, a heroic figure that is difficult to produce in the ages, without this wise emperor, there would be no powerful empire today, and there is no great era that the people of the empire are proud of.

After completing the relevant etiquette, Sima Shu quietly left the banquet scene and came to the back study. At this time, more than a dozen big businessmen representing various industries have already come to the study.

"Everyone is here, so we won't have much time to lose." Sima Shu glanced at these merchants and said, "Today, in addition to celebrating the birth of a princess to the queen, I have another extremely important matter that needs to be discussed with you. ”

When these merchants were brought to the study by the chamberlain, they knew that the emperor had invited them not only to attend a banquet. Of course, some well-informed, or rather quick-witted ones, had already guessed what the emperor had come to them for.

"But before I do that, I have to thank you first." Sima Shu's attitude is very sincere, and it can be said that his fate, and even the fate of the empire, are tied to these merchants and big factory owners. "Since I started my army, you have given me great help and support to the Empire. It can be said that without you, there would be no current me, no current empire. ”

"For more than a decade, we have been working together for a common goal, which is to make the empire stronger, to make the empire more prosperous. Your interests are tied to the interests of the Empire, without the Empire, without everyone, and without you, there would be no prosperity of the Empire. You are well aware of this. ”

Everyone nodded again and again, in fact, in the past ten years, these newly rising strata of the empire have felt the benefits of the New Deal, and have reaped huge benefits from the great changes and rapid development of the empire. Not to mention the changes within the empire, the magnitude of the changes can be seen in their dealings with foreign countries alone.

Sima Shu let go of the hands and feet that had once bound the merchants, and introduced various policies to encourage the imperial merchants to develop abroad and make money abroad. In the past ten years, these businessmen have not only opened up their own markets overseas, but even when they go abroad, they dare to walk on the street with their heads held high.

Seeing that everyone was following his train of thought, Sima Shu continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have gathered everyone together today because there is an extremely important matter that needs your support. I think some people have already heard some rumors, and here I can tell you for sure that it will not be long before the imperial court will issue paper money, and in the future, gold and silver will be withdrawn from the monetary system! ”

Speaking of this, Sima Shu obviously felt that the mood of everyone present fluctuated a lot, and it was obvious that they were full of worries and fears about such a new thing as paper money. It is also according to the habits of the Chinese people, no matter how much paper money there is, there is no gold and silver in the hand to rest assured. Sima Shu paused slightly, and glanced at the people present with sharp eyes.

"I don't care what you think about the issuance of banknotes, I just hope that you will realize that there is no harm to the issuance of banknotes, and there are great benefits to you. This is a major event related to the fate of the empire for decades, even hundreds of years, and thousands of years, and I hope you can understand and support this policy of the empire! (To be continued......)