When Zhu Hao returned to the capital, it was the eighth day of the first lunar month.

Tang Yin saw Zhu Hao and found that Su Xigui was also beside him, judging from Su Xigui's excited expression, it should be that there should be progress in exploring coal mines and site selection.

Sure enough, Su Xigui said excitedly after seeing Tang Yin: "I found three places where I could dig pits, although the feet are a little biased, but many of them are surface coal mines, so you don't need to dig deep...... The little master is really the hand of the Fang family, and he uses the compass to measure ......"

Tang Yin didn't have much doubt about Zhu Hao's ability, and now that Zhu Hao had done everything, there was no need to be surprised.

Tang Yin asked, "Su Dongzhu went with him?" ”

"Hey, hey."

Su Xigui said with a smile, "I didn't go with me at first, but on the second day of junior high school, I heard the news that I had eyebrows, and I couldn't help but be curious, so I went to take a look, and accompanied the little master to witness the discovery of the last two coal pits...... That's called a magic! ”

Although Tang Yin didn't question anything, he still sighed: "It's really not easy, in this way, the coal mine can be opened...... By the way, Zhu Hao, don't think about anything else, hurry up and handle the backlog of official business recently! ”

Zhu Hao said with a bitter face: "Sir, I just came back, and I haven't even gone home to take a look, so let me work?" ”

Tang Yin glared at Zhu Hao: "Who will do if you don't do it?" ”

Su Xigui next to him was very puzzled when he heard it, didn't he say that this little master was just doing some inconspicuous book repair work in the Hanlin Academy?

Even if he is a staff member of the new emperor, he can only be a consultant at any time to give advice, why does Zhu Hao just come back, and he has "official business" to handle?

What kind of official business is that?

"Lord Su, you have worked hard these days, follow me up the mountain and down the river, and rest well when you go back." Zhu Hao smiled.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Su Xigui was still very excited, "With a good mine, don't worry about the little master in silver, not to mention 20,000 taels of silver, even if it is 50,000 taels, you can take it out!" The contemptible man took his leave first! ”

Su Xigui left excitedly.

Tang Yin looked at the direction in which Su Xigui's carriage was leaving, and asked puzzledly, "Why did you ask him to go?" ”

Zhu Hao rolled his eyes and said, "You think he's stupid?" I said that I was looking for a mine, but he didn't go to witness it with his own eyes, can he rest assured? Besides, it is rare to have the support of His Majesty, to open a new mine, and not to worry about being forcibly occupied by Xungui, such a good deal, can be said to be a good profit, and it is a good thing to find someone to go up the mountain to dig silver, who is not active? ”

"Like, it makes sense."

Tang Yin nodded, and then thought of another question, "Such a good mine, if it is known by Xungui, especially the Zhang family brothers......"

Zhu Hao smiled: "So we have to start construction quickly!" I was busy a few days ago, and then Mr. Tang, you are busy! ”

Tang Yin was dumbfounded when he heard this.

Just after the New Year, it has not yet reached the fifteenth Shangyuan Festival of the first month, Tang Yin wanted to be quiet, but at this time he remembered that he was actually the most tired person in this matter, and he felt that he was cheated by Zhu Hao again.

……

……

The trip found three rich coal pits, and Zhu Hao let people inform Zhu Si in the palace on the same day.

Originally, Zhu Si didn't plan to leave the palace, so he hurriedly came out when he heard the news.

After listening to Zhu Hao's detailed report, Zhu Si only cared about one thing and asked, "How much coal can be produced that year?" How much silver can it be sold? ”

This question confused everyone around him.

I don't know when Zhu Si also learned to be diligent and thrifty, maybe Zhu Si felt that he could do whatever he wanted when he became the emperor and had endless silver, but after he ascended the throne, he found that not only could he not take the silver home, but also had to paste it out...... There is no one who has forced the young emperor into a budget-conscious housekeeper.

This also fully shows that after Zhu Si became the emperor, the power in his hands was greatly restricted by civil officials.

Zhu Hao said: "If you only take these three pits as a theory, the coal produced in a year should be sold for less than 10,000 taels of silver. ”

"Huh?"

Zhu Si looked disappointed.

For ordinary businessmen, 10,000 taels can be said to be money that cannot be earned in a lifetime, but for Zhu Si, the figure of 10,000 taels is too little, compared to the huge expenses of the imperial court, it is a drop in the bucket.

Zhu Hao said with a smile: "We can't just look at the annual output of these three mines, nor can we use the output of the coal mine to determine the silver we will earn in the future. Let's put it this way, the pits will open more and more, and if 10,000 taels of silver of coal is used to smelt iron, its value is equivalent to 20,000 taels or even 30,000 taels, and when the iron is smelted, it will be made into ordnance, firearms, and ships, and the value of this 10,000 taels of coal will exceed 50,000 taels. ”

For others, this kind of economic theory, which seems to be very simple to the future generations, is enough to wrap people around.

But Zhu Si is not an ordinary person after all.

This is a student cultivated by Zhu Hao, although Zhu Hao does not take any quality education, but the knowledge taught in the lecture is far from being comparable to those old pedants who are full of mouths in this era.

Zhu Si's face was full of joy: "Then Zhu Hao, tell me, if our whole set of industries is run, how much money can we make in a year?" ”

Sure enough, I still care about the silver.

How poor is this little emperor?

Is it so rare silver?

Zhu Hao said: "In terms of mining, my goal is to earn 100,000 taels of silver in the first year, and I can increase 100,000 ......taels of silver every year in the future."

"One hundred thousand taels...... It's okay, it's okay! ”

When Zhu Si heard this number, he finally felt more comfortable.

Zhang Zuo listened for a long time, thought of something and asked: "That little gentleman, didn't you make a lot of money by opening a silver account before?" ”

Zhu Hao nodded: "Yes, the silver number is profitable a year, and there are two or three hundred thousand taels." ”

Zhu Sidao: "Can you make a little more, make a million taels a year, I think it's pretty much the same." ”

Zhang Zuo listened to the emperor's goal, and couldn't help but speak: "Your Majesty, the expenditure of the Ming Imperial Court last year was less than three million taels." Do you want Mr. Zhu to create another Ming Dynasty? ”

"So little?" Zhu Si was obviously educated by Zhu Hao to be insensitive to small numbers, but he didn't expect that the cost of the entire Ming Dynasty was only a few million taels.

Zhu Hao said with a smile: "We have just started, we will make a profit of hundreds of thousands of taels a year, and if there is any need in the northwest or southeast, it can be solved, and the rest can be left to the inner government, and Your Majesty can use it at your own disposal."

In addition to mining and smelting iron, Chen's idea was to let Mr. Tang supervise shipbuilding, build sea ships, and train the navy...... The minister saw in an ancient book that there was a place overseas that was rich in silver, and the amount of silver produced in a year at that time would be no less than three million taels. ”

"Really? Is it an island made entirely of silver? ”

When Zhu Si heard this, he immediately became interested.

Zhang Zuo hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, if there is too much silver on the market, then the things of food, clothing, housing and transportation will be much more expensive, and the silver will not be worth much at that time." ”

Zhu Sidao: "Can the silver be the same in someone else's hands as it is in my hands?" Even if something is twice as expensive, and I have the silver in my hand, it will be earned. ”

Obviously, Zhu Si also understands the reason for the inflation caused by the additional issuance of currency, although the specific theory is not thoroughly understood, but the general principle is understood, that is, the value of the property of the Ming Dynasty is constant, and the increase in silver is the additional issuance of currency, which will inevitably lead to the depreciation of the price of silver, and the selling price of goods will naturally increase.

In the past, the imperial court wanted to issue additional currency, so it had the move to issue Daming treasure banknotes, but also because the value retention rate of Daming treasure banknotes was too low, so that the imperial court issued additional currency only on paper.

And now Zhu Hao's strategy is to directly mine and smelt silver, so the situation is different.

Why, my silver still stinks better than the silver of the people?

It's all silver, and the purchasing power is naturally the same.

Zhu Hao looked at Zhang Zuo, who was dejected, and comforted with a smile: "Actually, Father-in-law Zhang is right, we can't let the price of goods from the people remain high, so the people's livelihood cannot be guaranteed, and the people can't live and work in peace and contentment, which is the dereliction of duty of the imperial court." Therefore, we have to create more goods, and the wealth created by the people at present is at least 30 million taels a year, and 3 million taels is only the income of the government treasury. ”

When Zhang Zuo heard this, he felt a little more comfortable.

If the Ming Dynasty only produces three million taels of goods a year, then it is true that an increase of three million taels of silver will double the value of the goods.

But how can Daming only create such a little value in a year?

Zhu Hao said that 30 million taels is underestimated, because the tax of the Ming Dynasty is indeed not high, even if it is a commercial tax, it is only 15 taxes and one, and during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, the annual commercial tax income does not exceed 100,000 taels, and the same is true in the last years of Zhengde.

It can be seen that the proportion of commercial tax in the revenue of the Ming treasury is too small, and the Ming Dynasty is still supported by agricultural tax and salt tax.

"Where's that island overseas? When can I dig up silver? ”

Zhu Si is more concerned about the speed at which Zhu Hao makes money.

Zhu Hao said: "First of all, we must build ships, these ships can not only be used for pirates in the southeast of the country, but also go to sea to conquer foreign countries...... That place is vast, maybe much bigger than my Ming land, but because it is a wild land...... It takes a large number of people to go over and reclaim it.

"Okay, okay, it's all up to Zhu Hao, I suddenly feel that this Ming matter has to be led by you, not only to open mines and go overseas to find silver, but also in the last few days you are not there, those songs are about to die, you hurry up and solve it, otherwise I won't even be able to sleep!"

That's what Zhu Hao wants.

Zhu Si's work was all done for him, so that the little emperor felt that it was more comfortable to lie down, and he would be willing to hand over the power at hand.

What Zhu Hao wants to do is to be a minister, if he is positioned as an ordinary minister, he wants to change the times...... There is almost no possibility, and there is no expectation that the imperial court will give him much support.

If you want to change the times, you have to do it yourself! Like now, get a permission, outside the imperial court system, to open mines, smelt, and build ships by yourself.

The imperial court thought about asking?

Then you will pay your own money to solve the problem of coastal defense in the southeast! After driving Yang Tinghe away...... Zhu Hao felt that he had no major obstacles in the court, and he was able to let go of his arms.

"Your Majesty, before you go to work, you want to go home and have a look, speaking of which...... I haven't been back lately, and I'll come back in the evening to do things, I don't know if Your Majesty ......"

Zhu Hao made an instruct.

Zhu Si said happily: "It's okay, you go early and come back early!" ”