After the New Year.

Chongzhen four years, January.

Xu Jiazhuang, Xu Yuan has been back for a few days, dealt with some backlog of affairs, participated in the ribbon-cutting opening ceremony of the "Tianxia Tong Bank", deposited a large number of silver dollars, copper dollars and aluminum coins as the benchmark gold, and announced that all collective estates can only use these legal currencies in the future, and other gold and silver ingots, square hole copper coins and the like can only be used after they are exchanged for legal currency according to their value.

The silver dollar, copper dollar, aluminum coin and other currencies issued by the "Tianxia Tong Bank" are not only in sufficient fineness, exquisite in shape, clear in text patterns, not to mention the difficulty of counterfeiting, and because of the sufficient materials, there is almost no profit margin for imitation.

Therefore, as soon as these currencies were introduced, they were quickly accepted and welcomed by the people.

In addition, the interest rate of fixed deposits with an interest rate of 2% for one year, 3.5% for two years, and 5% interest for five years has made many villagers with a little surplus wealth apply to open an account and save money, because it is not only safer to deposit money in the bank, but also has interest to obtain, which is far better than burying money in a place that is not easy to find.

Even in the villages and towns around the manor, there are a small number of people, out of trust in Xujiazhuang, and the idea of wanting to earn some interest, put their money into the 'Tianxia Tong Bank', and there are thousands of people who have applied for account opening, which shows that in the hearts of many people in the surrounding villages and towns, Xujiazhuang is worthy of entrusting all the remaining wealth.

In addition, Xu Yuan approached Zhao Jinde, the head president of the bank, and asked the villagers in the manor and the people outside the village how they accepted the smallest aluminum coin (the purchasing power was equal to the original 1 penny).

"It can't be described as higher."

Zhao Jinde said: "The density of aluminum coins is light, never decay, and there is no aluminum anywhere in the world except Xujiazhuang, it is impossible to forge it, so the people immediately accepted the aluminum coins, and took out all kinds of copper coins at home, asking to exchange them for aluminum coins, and have obtained more than 70,000 catties of refined copper materials, and issued more than 1,100 pieces of 1 gram of aluminum coins, according to this exchange speed, aluminum coins will soon be insufficient." ”

Xu Yuan immediately calculated in his heart.

More than 70,000 catties of refined copper material is equivalent to more than 35 tons, and in modern society, a ton of refined copper is worth 60,000 or 70,000 yuan, which is very valuable.

And the simple aluminum weighing more than 11 tons is worth about 200,000 yuan in modern society.

35 tons of copper can be sold for more than 2.1 million.

That's a tenfold difference in profit.

Profiteering projects.

Xu Yuan actually found another profiteering project, and the use of copper coins in ancient society is very huge, even if there is a serious shortage of copper in the land of China, but the status of the main currency for more than 2,000 years, so that the people have tens of billions, hundreds of billions of copper coins, there is absolutely no problem, not including those cast into Buddha statues, copper pillars, copper basins and copper utensils, adding up to a very huge amount.

The status of copper in ancient times can be completely replaced by aluminum, whether as currency or as a utensil, it can be replaced by aluminum.

Aluminum is not as perishable as copper, the silver color is not ugly, and the density is low and easy to carry, you bring 10,000 3-gram copper coins, others can bring 30,000 1-gram aluminum coins, the same weight in the case of purchasing power difference of three times, will not encounter poor quality counterfeit coins, no matter where buried will not rot, so normal people will be wise to choose aluminum coins.

As far as Xu Yuan is concerned, if about half of the copper coins circulating in the market at the end of the Ming Dynasty are replaced with aluminum coins he brought, then the profit he earns will not be lower than that of pouring gold.

"Aluminum coins replace copper coins, there is a lot to be done, there is absolutely a lot to do."

Xu Yuan nodded again and again.

……

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the weather is sunny and the temperature rises significantly.

However, that night, a cold snap struck the north, the temperature plummeted to about minus 20 degrees, and it snowed like goose feathers, but in an hour, more than half a foot of snow accumulated on the ground.

And this heavy snow did not subside for a short time, but fell all day at once, at least three feet thick.

The temperature is so low that it freezes people into dogs, causing most of the production and life to stop.

If only people's jobs were affected, only a little income was lost, but the snow became thicker and heavier, and the thatched huts where some poor people lived could not bear it, and some brick houses with decaying wood began to collapse and collapse.

Wait until the seventh day of the first lunar month, after the heavy snow has basically stopped.

In Xinghua County alone, more than 100 residential houses collapsed, directly killing and injuring hundreds of people, and thousands of people were affected by the disaster, while the total population in Xinghua City was only 10,000.

That is, the proportion of the affected population has reached the level of 10%.

Hearing the howls and pleadings of many people such as "help us", "my child is buried, help me rescue the child", "the house is down, give me a place to live", "the great good people give us some food and clothing to save our lives", Qian Chengzhi and Sun Lin, who had left Xujiazhuang and had been guests in the Li family's mansion in the county seat, faced with this snow disaster, they couldn't sit still, and the mood of chanting poems, discussing literature and analyzing national events was gone, and they immediately found Li Changshiki, the head of the Li family, and Li Qing, a famous scholar. Discuss relief strategies for the victims.

"Master Li, Mr. Xinshui (Li Qing's character), the disaster is serious, disaster relief is like fighting a fire, you should act immediately, prepare shelter, food and sufficient clothing, save the lives of the victims, and survive this cold spring, these hundreds of lives can survive." At this moment, in order to save people, Qian Cheng said enthusiastically in his heart.

"That's what I mean, I have dozens of silver dollars on me, and I also have a lot of strength, how many can I save the victims in the city!" Sun Lin also said.

"Uncle, the situation of the victims is extremely miserable, and there is an urgent need for help, my Li family will come to the rescue, the Buddha said that saving a life is better than creating a seventh-level floating slaughter."

Li Qing bowed to his uncle Li Changshi, and said anxiously.

"There are so many victims, how can my Li family be saved?"

Li Changfu shook his head and said: "This heavy snowfall, not to mention the houses of the victims, my Li family's houses have collapsed several rooms, and I need disaster relief, how can I have the spare strength to help the victims?" ”

"Uncle, the extent of the disaster to the Li family is only one hundred and one victims, I see that there are hundreds of houses in the Li Mansion, dozens of empty houses, and a granary with tens of thousands of stone grain hoarded, it is easy to rescue hundreds of people, why is it so difficult?" Qian Chengzhi was very puzzled, he had lived in the Li family for more than half a month, so he naturally knew the strength of the Li family very well, as the first family in Xinghua, not to mention hundreds of victims, even all the victims in the city could be rescued.

"Natural disasters are not just once, this year the Li family helped the victims, and next year after the next year, the snow disaster, will my Li family help me? And if you help this year, if you don't help next year, how will the victims of the disaster view the Li family? Didn't you incur their hatred? ”

Li Changfu said a very cruel 'good man's dilemma', it is very difficult to be a good person, if you don't have enough strength, you can't afford to be a good person, and there are so many hungry refugees in the Ming Dynasty, with the strength of the Li family, even if there are tens of thousands of stones of grain in stock, but in the face of so many rescue needs, can the Li family help?

"How's that to be?" Qian Chengzhi immediately asked helplessly in frustration, did he watch those victims freeze to death and starve to death?

"This matter can only go to the county government and discuss with the county magistrate, if you can say that the whole city is willing to donate funds, the victims can be helped, if most of the big families are not willing to donate, the victims can only ask for more blessings." Li Changshiki said.

"How long will it take to negotiate before all the big families can contribute money and goods?" Qian Chengzhi asked.

"It can be as short as two or three days, or as long as five days, eight days, and ten days, and there will always be people who don't want to donate." Li Changshiki said.

"The victims will freeze to death in just one night, how can they get three or five days?"

Qian Chengzhi immediately threw up his sleeves, showing grief and indignation.

Sun Lin also asked if there was a better way, whether he could first relieve the disaster and then raise funds, and received a negative answer, and he also felt powerless and frustrated.

So what can be done to help the victims in the city immediately and in a timely manner?

"Xujiazhuang, let's go back to Xujiazhuang, Xujiazhuang will have the ability to save it!"

Qian Chengzhi's inspiration flashed, and he suddenly remembered Xujiazhuang, and immediately pulled Sun Lin away from Li's house, and hurriedly walked towards Xujiazhuang.