In the autumn of the second year of Huang You, Wang Anshi was transferred from the magistrate of Yinxian County to Shuzhou Tongju, and after entering Beijing to report on his work, he took a train from Kaifeng Mansion to Xiangzhou, and then turned to Shuzhou by water. When I arrived at Fancheng Station, I deliberately transferred to Zaoyang to visit Du Zhongxiao.

In that Jinshi, Wang Anshi was originally the champion, but because of the sentence "son and friend" hated the emperor and became the fourth. The ranking cannot be changed, and the talent of the champion is remembered. When the term of office of the judge of Huainan Jiedu expired, a minister recommended Wang Anshi to enter the pavilion, but he refused and was appointed as the magistrate of Yin County. Later, there were constantly ministers' recommendations, but Wang Anshi refused, insisting on being a local official to increase the opportunity for training.

Du Zhongxiao is limited in his own talent and learning, so he doesn't dare to go to the pavilion. Wang Anshi thinks that it is a place of clean talk, believes that local experience is important, and has always insisted on being a magistrate. In the second year of Qingli, several well-known Jinshi at this time, only the two of them did not go to the pavilion to actually serve and become important officials.

is different from Wang Anshi, Du Zhongxiao takes the museum position, so the benefits of making money and getting promoted quickly should not be in vain. Wang Anshi has a political habit of cleanliness, and he refuses even such an opportunity, even the opportunity to be promoted to a higher rank, and he must go up step by step.

The two are almost two extremes, Du Zhongxiao has been promoted all the way, and he has been a supervisor all the way. Wang Anshi worked step by step, and was not promoted if he arrived according to the grinding method, and was sentenced by the state.

After getting the news, Du Zhongxiao greeted him outside the town early. Seeing Wang Anshi riding a green donkey, bringing an old servant, coming slowly, and hurriedly catching up.

After the two saw each other, Du Zhongxiao said: "Jiefu is far away, why don't you come early to write a letter?" I'll see you in Fancheng, and you don't have to rush. ”

Wang Anshi arched his hand: "I came to see him this time, and I just wanted to take a look at the camp and field affairs." Since Jingxi Yingtian, he has been prosperous and prosperous, and he has regrets when he doesn't see it with his own eyes. It's better to see than to hear, and only after reading it yourself can you know how to get to where you are today. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Okay, then I'll stay here for a few days, and I'll look around with you!" ”

After speaking, he walked side by side with Wang Anshi and slowly walked towards the town. Entering the town, Wang Anshi saw that the streets were bustling and said: "There are many people here, the market is prosperous, and there is no more than a big county." It's hard to believe, it's only been two or three years. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "There is such a population in the field, and when the population is large, business will inevitably prosper, and it will naturally become lively." ”

Wang Anshi nodded, didn't say much, just looked at both sides of the street, watched the customs, and entered the camp and field affairs yamen.

Zhang Yuzhi and Su Shunqin were handling official business, and Du Zhongxiao led Wang Anshi to his residence and sat down in the study.

After saying goodbye, Du Zhongxiao said: "Since the farewell in the capital, we haven't seen each other for nine years. The young jinshi is now gradually entering middle age, and it is no longer the time when he was high-spirited. When you come here, you must stay a few more days and complain about your farewell. ”

Wang Anshi arched his hand: "Dare not obey your fate." ”

At this time, Du Zhongxiao was already a military minister of Duzhi Langzhong and Yiyi, one of the youngest officials of this rank, and his future was immeasurable. If it is someone else, if you meet in the same year, you will definitely compliment it first, and when you have the opportunity, you will introduce yourself. Wang Anshi never mentioned it, but according to the friendship of the same year, he told the farewell feelings in the past few years. Speaking of which, there are many ministers who recommend Wang Anshi, and Du Zhongxiao is not ranked at all.

After serving the tea and using the tea, Wang Anshi said: "When I passed the Baiting Prison on the road, I got off there and circled it for a few days. Zirong served as the governor there, and he had a very pleasant conversation with me and solved many of my doubts. ”

Su Song was also in the same year, and he was only in the second department, and he became a superintendent at this time, and his official position was still above Wang Anshi. Wang Anshi had no qualms about this, and was very grateful to Su Song for his hospitality, especially when he explained the operation of the iron prison in detail without reservation, which opened Wang Anshi's eyes.

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "Jingxi Yingtian can go so smoothly thanks to the iron supervisor. With the iron superintendent, there are all kinds of farm tools, and the field work does not cost much money. When there is no money and food in the camp for a while, you can also borrow money from the iron supervisor. That's not there, how can it be so easy? ”

Wang Anshi nodded: "That's true." I saw it at the Iron Prison, and it was really an eye-opener, I never thought that there would be such a place in the world where all kinds of goods are made in this way. In my estimation, one person can be used as ten people in the Iron Prison, and there is more than that. All kinds of machines, with infinite practical benefits. If a few more iron prisons are built in the world, why should the imperial court be short of money and food? What is there is exchanged for money, and it definitely exceeds the tea tax and liquor tax. ”

Seeing that Wang Anshi was serious, Du Zhongxiao shook his head with a smile: "There is only one difficulty. The goods of the Iron Supervisor are useful everywhere, everyone wants them, but where can they make so much money? If all the goods of the iron prison are bought, the world will inevitably be short of money, and it will not be able to be sold. So now, most of the goods produced there are not sold, but directly taken away by the imperial court. In this way, there is not so much money to be made. ”

Wang Anshi said: "That's a good point. There is no iron prison for goods, and there is a shortage of money in the world, and there is a shortage of money everywhere. So what should I do with this matter? It can't be like this forever, and the court will allocate it to another place, and only return some money and grain. It has always been like this, for the iron supervisor, there is no big difference between doing well and doing badly, and the person in charge of doing things must not care. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "What else can be done?" Is it to have a lot of money in the world, and with enough money on the market, everything is easy to do? ”

Wang Anshi nodded again and again: "I think the same way, but there is no good way." If Jiaozi is used like Xichuan, it is inevitable that the court will make a false fortune and harm the people. If you want to mint more money, there will be a lot of copper produced in the world, and iron money is inconvenient. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Jiefu, since you mentioned it, then we will discuss this matter, and there is nothing to do." What is a money shortage? It cannot be said that the money shortage is not enough money in the world, but that there is not enough money in the market. The amount of money in the market is not only related to the amount of new money minted each year, but also related to two things. One is that when the people get money and save it, the money disappears from the market. Again, even if you don't save it, you will only spend it when you need it. This time may be three or two days, or it may be months, or even years. That is, the money goes from one person to another, and the sooner the better. One is that too much money has been saved, and another has been circulating for too long, which is a shortage of money. ”

Wang Anshi nodded again and again, this was something he hadn't thought about before. The first point he can understand is that Wang Anshi's understanding of the money shortage, in addition to the lack of newly minted money, the other is that the rich families in the world accumulate wealth, and the money is hidden in the rich families. The solution is relatively rude, that is, to distribute the wealth of the people to help the poor. In history, Wang Anshi's reforms, many measures are related to this. The effect of the velocity of the coins was something he hadn't noticed before.

Du Zhongxiao said: "It has been more than 1,000 years since the Han Dynasty minted five baht coins. In all dynasties, how much money was cast in the people? After the founding of this dynasty, there was a lot of money, and I was afraid that it was still not as good as the old money that had been accumulated. If all this money is not hidden in the treasury and buried in the ground, all of it can be taken out and used, why is there a shortage of money? Most of the goods of the Iron Supervisor are in large quantities, and a large amount of money is required to buy and sell. People who don't have a lot of money in their families can't actually do business with the iron supervisor. This kind of business already restricts the circulation of copper coins, which is another difficulty. ”

Wang Anshi thought for a while and asked, "When Xiaoyi Chang Pingsi opened shopping malls in Fancheng and other places, is it to make it easier for goods to be sold and let money flow as quickly as possible?" This is also a way, such a business, it can indeed reduce a lot of money. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "This is the same. If you really want to solve the money shortage, you have to use other methods. It's just that I'm entangled in everything, and now I just have ideas, but I haven't implemented them yet. Wait another year or two before you can start this matter. There is a shortage of money, not only is it difficult to do iron prisons, but there are also many difficulties in shopping malls. ”

Money shortageIn fact, the scarcity of money in business is not necessarily due to the small stock of money, but also related to the speed of money circulation. If this cannot be solved, it will be difficult to form a unified domestic market, and the benefits brought by industry and transportation will be limited. With the current business system, the development of the iron supervisor is restricted, and since Su Song was appointed as the governor, it has slowly peaked. Most of the production capacity developed later supported the infrastructure of the imperial court.