Three Kingdoms

There does seem to be a compatibility between people. Some people seem to be able to talk to everyone, but they can't talk to someone else. Some people can only talk to a certain person, but can't talk to anyone else. .

Inexplicably, there seems to be some divine will.

Xu You is such a person.

Xu You is generally an unpopular person, perhaps because he speaks too directly, perhaps because he is greedy and too utilitarian, or for some other reason. Many people are unwilling to get too close to Xu You in order to show their innocence. , causing myself to be tainted with the smell of copper.

But Xu You basically didn't care about this matter. In Xu You's opinion, how much does five baht count in other people's evaluations of him? Well, by the way, they are all Zhengxi copper coins now...

The premise for bad money to drive out good money is that bad money and good money must circulate in the market at the same time, and then be used as general equivalents of commodities, with the same settlement function, and then bad money will gradually drive out good money, resulting in the market Flooded with a lot of bad coins...

But there is a saying that everything must be reversed when it reaches its extreme.

When the large-scale proliferation of bad currency caused serious damage to the market economy, both the government and the people were in urgent need of reforms and changes to revitalize the commodity economy. Therefore, when Dong Zhuo minted low-quality five-baht coins on a large scale, and then under the leadership of Fei Qian, the princes from all over the country couldn't help but invest in the cause of printing money, the economic market was completely destroyed by the low-quality five-baht coins.

The casting process of the five-baht coin is actually not complicated, and the anti-counterfeiting function is almost non-existent. Think about it, the Han Dynasty was established for three or four hundred years, and then used the currency for three or four hundred years without any major revisions. How do you expect the princes from all over the country to be honest and honest and not take advantage of any loopholes?

No one is a fool, and we are all at a time when huge expenditures are needed. Minting low-quality five-baht coins to plunder people's wealth has become a secret that is well known to the princes everywhere, kept secret, but widely known. .

Under such circumstances, the value of five baht coins quickly dropped to freezing point. There were a lot of people who wanted to use it, but no one was willing to accept it. It was like bringing a bag of banknotes with you to buy a pack of straw paper in later generations. It was worthless. It can be said that the market is gradually becoming like a pool of stagnant water. Many goods cannot be circulated, some may still be stored, and some can only watch as they rot day by day...

Under such circumstances, General Fei Qian brought a new alternative currency due to the huge caravan circulation. Jiaozi made of bamboo paper temporarily became a new credit currency unit. Anyway, many bulk goods They are all trading with caravans, so it is not completely unacceptable to accept Jiaozi as a general equivalent.

However, with the expansion of Zhengxi's territory, Jiaozi was too advanced in terms of system. There were some limitations in terms of preservation and usability. Therefore, Fei Qian, the general of Zhengxi, launched a new currency system. Taking advantage of Jiaozi's early experience, As a result, merchants from all over the world naturally accepted the more reassuring gold, silver, and copper three-level metal currencies.

Just like when a country develops for a long time, inflation is inevitable, and the face value of currency circulating in the market is always getting larger and larger. In the three to four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, the people have long needed a currency that exceeds the value system of copper coins. , but in the past, officials of the Han Dynasty only knew how to make copper coins worth tens, hundreds, or even thousands, which had no effect except increasing severe inflation and making princes everywhere make a fortune.

Well, or think about it from another angle, these ancient economists may not have understood the need to use gold and silver, but in order to maintain a means of harvesting a wave of leeks at any time, so...

In any case, the current gold, silver and copper coins from Zhengxi have just adapted to the market demand and are in line with the traditional value habits of the people of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, they are more popular than Jiaozi, because they are not enough money in terms of weight. Coupled with the sophisticated pressing process, the cost of imitation is very high. Even if you deliberately imitate it, it is not easy to imitate it.

Coupled with the lessons learned from the five-baht coin, many merchants have learned the lesson and refuse to accept any low-quality currency. This has also indirectly helped the circulation of Zhengxi coins, and even the nobles in Jizhou and other nobles have not yet fully reacted. By that time, it has become a climate and a habit. It is not easy to change it.

The economy of the Han Dynasty was divided into two major regions, one was Shandong and the other was Shanxi. Shanxi is naturally dominated by the land of Hongnong in Guanzhong, while Shandong is dominated by Jizhou, Yanzhou and Yuzhou. Not to mention the Shanxi area, the Shandong area is because Yanzhou and Yuzhou have been fighting for a while, and Jizhou is at war with Gongsun Zan. , and did not have time to deal with the matter of currency. Jingzhou on the side of Yuzhou was considered half of Zhengxi's hometown, and it readily accepted Zhengxi's currency. As a result, it took two days for the Jizhou gentry to think about handling it. , it has been found that basically all merchants on the market accept Zhengxi currency.

Then some smart people, such as Xu You, discovered the profit difference between Zhengxi's gold, silver and copper coins, and couldn't wait to start investing in primitive financial currencies, exchanging copper coins for gold and silver coins, and then Although you can only make one or two trips a year to exchange gold and silver coins for copper coins in Jizhou and other places, the high profit of nearly 50% makes many people crazy.

Many people think that the exchange ratio of gold, silver and copper coins specified by General Fei Qian of the Western Conquest is simply stupid. However, many people including Xu You did not expect that this is actually a big hole left by General Fei Qian of the Western Conquest. . With the newly discovered gold mine in the north of Yinshan Mountain, Fei Qian, the general of Zhengxi, can use slave mining to obtain almost cheap gold and silver, and then add hydraulic suppression to produce a large amount of gold and silver coins, completely ignoring the exchange ratio. These price difference losses, and then through the hands of these investors, invisibly expand the circulation speed and use scale of currency...

Therefore, Xu You, who was happily lighting gold and silver coins every day, became Zheng Xifei's latent assistant in the economic war without knowing it at all.

Of course, even if Xu You knew this fact, Xu You would not care, because in Xu You's view, everything in the world is illusory, and only gold and silver are the most real.

"Mr. Cai Yu..." Xu You's housekeeper walked down the hall with a smile and reported, "Mr. Cai Yu, please see me..." After saying this, he handed over a famous letter.

"Cai Chengxi?" Xu You reached out and took it, without even looking at the signature on the front. He skillfully flipped the name tattoo to the attached page at the back, then glanced up and down, showing a satisfied look, "Please! Please come quickly!"

Xu You suddenly glanced at the housekeeper and said, "You old guy, have you taken advantage of Cai Langjun again?"

The butler's eyebrows twitched and he wanted to shake his head, but when he saw Xu You staring at him, he had no choice but to take out a money bag from his sleeve and put it in Xu You's outstretched hand.

Xu You shook the purse, then roughly estimated the amount, then opened the purse, took a few coins from it, and then threw the purse to the steward and said: "Tithes are not much, why do you dodge them every time?" ...be more conscious next time, really, why not hurry up and invite Cai Shuzuo..."

How can tithes be considered too much?

Don’t you know that it’s because of you that people like you have these benefits? Is there anything wrong with dedicating one-tenth of these incomes to yourself?

Why don’t these people pay automatically and voluntarily?

"I've met Brother Ziyuan!" Cai Yu saw Xu You, looking familiar, and bowed his hands in greetings, and said with a smile, "Seeing that Brother Ziyuan looks so good, could it be that he has done some big business again? "

Xu You laughed heartily, without the taboo of most Qingliu people in the Han Dynasty who were shy about speaking out, and said: "It's just thanks to the lord's blessing, it doesn't count..."

Cai Yu said: "I have long heard that Brother Ziyuan is highly regarded by the general. Now that I see him, it is true!"

Xu You laughed loudly and extended his hand to invite Cai Yu for tea.

The two chatted for a while, and then Cai Yu said: "Brother Ziyuan, I wonder what the general wants to purchase? If I can help, I will naturally not forget the benefits of brother Ziyuan..."

Xu You glanced at the famous tattoo placed beside the table, took a piece of cloth sample from under the table and handed it to Cai Yu, and said with a smile: "We are all ministers of the general, so naturally we all share the general's worries... ...Well, in fact, the general needs...a large amount of black and blue cloth, um...an extremely large amount...at least a thousand pieces are needed! If Brother Chengxi has a way to get some, what is the price? It's easy to say, easy to say..."

Xu You has a characteristic. He will definitely do things for others when he takes money from them. This characteristic at least makes people feel more at ease, unlike some people in later generations. Of course, General Yuan Shao needed a lot of supplies, and black and blue cloth was just one of them. However, because the demand was huge, Xu You didn't mind revealing it to Cai Yu and letting him get a share of it.

"Dark blue cloth?" Cai Yu frowned and said, "Why do you need dark blue cloth? Are other colors not allowed?"

Water virtue, color is still black. But absolutely black did not exist in ancient times, and most of them were dark cyan. Due to problems with the dyeing process in the Han Dynasty, it was impossible to have a clearer and pure color like in later generations. Therefore, cyan was mostly blue-purple, or Blue and black are relatively deep colors.

Just like what Xunzi said, green comes from blue. The cyan here is blue-purple, and there is also a saying about Qing Qing Zijin’s student robes. This cyan is blue-black. Therefore, cyan cloth is not a specific color, but represents a darker mixed color that is biased towards the blue spectrum, and black cyan basically refers to the dark blue-black color.

Due to the limitations of the dyeing process in the Han Dynasty, dark blue fabric was difficult to dye and faded easily, so it gradually turned into a light color after being worn for a long time. Therefore, when Yuan Shao wanted to engage in formalism, he needed a large amount of dark blue fabric. The best ones should be given to officials, and the inferior ones should be given to soldiers. Although dark blue is commonly available among the people, the demand is too high at the moment, and it is also difficult to handle...

"No other colors will work!" Xu You rejected Cai Yu's suggestion. Xu You likes money, but he also has to meet Yuan Shao's requirements. Therefore, there may be rebates on the price, but at least the material cannot be too different.

"Why is this?" Cai Yu couldn't understand.

Xu You's eyes moved and he said: "This...how could this person know..."

"..." Cai Yu skillfully took out a jade jade from his arms and said, "I have recently obtained a jade jade, but I dare not use it because of my low status. I hereby offer it to the general. I also ask Brother Ziyuan to do it for me. Present..."

Jade Zhang and Jade Gui are both sacrificial items. Different titles have different specifications, and they are not used by ordinary people. Therefore, there is no problem with what Cai Yu said. As for whether Xu You will really dedicate this jade Zhang to Yuan Shao , that is not something Cai Yu cares about.

Xu You's eyebrows widened, he took the jade bag and looked it up and down, and praised it: "My dear brother Chengxi is so loyal, I should report it to the general... In fact, the general purchased such a large amount of green cloth as a courtesy. Shui Deye... This is a confidential matter, and Chengxi, my dear brother, must not spread it to others..."

Cai Yu naturally agreed quickly, and then couldn't help but feel something in his heart...

…………………………

"Pfft... cough, water, water virtue?" Wang Ming was drinking tea. After hearing Cai Yu's words, he spit out a mouthful of tea soup.

Cai Yu frowned. Although he was a little disgusted with Wang Ming's behavior, he still nodded, indicating that what Wang Ming heard was true.

"The big man is a fireman!" Wang Ming lowered his voice and shouted.

Cai Yu nodded.

"Huode!" Wang Ming emphasized again.

"I know, what is your name..." Cai Yu covered his mouth and whispered, "It is said that when fire is strong, earth is born, so there is the chaos of the Yellow Turban, and then when the earth is gone, gold is born, so there is the prosperity of conquering the west... But fire Virtue has not declined, but earth has exhausted its power, so gold cannot last long..."

"So the general wants to get gold to generate water, and then water can defeat..." Wang Ming frowned and said, "This, this... is really... really..." Wang Ming couldn't find the words to describe himself for a moment. Feel.

"Is there any difference in the current situation?" Cai Yu said cheerfully, "I just want to say, do you want to inform me about this matter... huh?"

"This..." Wang Ming pondered. Wang Ming understood what Cai Yu meant. After all, this matter is both big and small.

If you look at the young man, changing his virtue to water is not a big deal. After all, the big man has changed his virtue several times from the beginning to now, so changing it again is not a big deal.

If you look at it from a big perspective, it's a big problem.

Because most people in the Han Dynasty believed in some mythical things, many people believed in the theory of reincarnation of the Five Virtues. Now Yuan Shao said that he would change it to Shui De, which is a signal to many people.

"Report it!" Wang Ming said, "I will contact someone immediately and report this matter!"