"The Privy Counsellor is right."

"Although Goryeo is far from being rich, it is a big country in Haidong after all, and once it has it and gets a large number of people and goods, Yelu Yixin can re-consolidate his power."

"Hmm."

"Even if the Liao army can't attack Kaijing and other important places, it can plunder in the Goryeo Kingdom, which is not without benefit to Yelu Yixin, and it can still save some people's hearts."

"I see." There was joy in the queen's voice to get the answer, "As long as you can benefit the Liao people, you can mediate and let them stop fighting with Goryeo?" ”

"Your Highness Mingrui, that's exactly the case."

Song Yongchen, who was standing on the side, felt that the scene of answering a sentence in front of him, and then asking and answering was very familiar, and his eyes turned from inside the curtain to outside the curtain, and then from outside the curtain back to the curtain.

It's an outlier. Song said with a minister's heart. When the other Zaifu went to the palace, the queen would not speak like that, and it was impossible to trust them completely like a student. It seems that I really miss the kindness at the beginning.

It was a matter of geopolitics, and Han Gang didn't know how much Empress Lu Dao could understand at first, but he felt that nodding was better than opposing. At the same time, he also felt that the queen performed very well in the Song Liao War a few days ago, and she should have some level.

That was to preside over military affairs under the condition of deceiving the Son of Heaven, and he could not get help from Zhao Ji. Although a large part of them are led by Wang Anshi, the two governments play a key role, but she cooperates very well and will not be ignorant of national politics.

Now it seems to be fine, I really understand. In the past six months, the ducks have been put on the shelves, and it seems that it is still very effective.

However, there were still some words that Han Gang hid in his stomach and didn't say.

Yelu Yixin is not simple, since he chose to attack Goryeo, he will never be satisfied with grabbing a handful and leaving, the real profitable business in Goryeo is the transit trade between the Song and the Japanese, and the sea ships in the hands of the Goryeo.

The Goryeo maritime merchants controlled the Song-Japanese trade, and there were thousands of ships in the country. Two years ago, Zhao Ji sent an envoy to Goryeo, and the reason why he deliberately asked the Zhaobaoshan Shipyard in Mingzhou to build two giant boats for the imperial court - one is the Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji Shenzhou, and the other is the Lingfei Shunji Shenzhou, with a carrying capacity of up to 10,000 Hu-The purpose is also to promote the national prestige, so as not to be underestimated by the Goryeo people.

Once the Liao people took control of Goryeo, in addition to land and population, most of the income from sea trade could be taken. In addition, with a large number of sea ships in hand, Hebei, Jingdong, Huaidong, and even Liangzhejiang, thousands of miles of sea frontiers will be under its troops - can it really come in handy and put it aside, at least it can be used as capital for blackmail.

However, when the Liao State took control of the Goryeo sea trade, it would in turn promote the domestic emphasis on the navy and accelerate the development of ocean trade.

Han Gang has always not paid attention to sea trade. In this era, overseas trade lacked the inflow of gold and silver, and was a net outflow of hard currency, and most of the goods that were shipped were spices, ivory, tortoiseshell and other luxury goods, which were not beneficial to the health of the country's economy.

But maritime transport is a new frontier that deserves to be encouraged and developed. Coastal transport routes can strengthen the connection between the non-lingling areas and the hinterland. If the trade routes to Japan could be opened, the industry and commerce of the Great Song Dynasty would gain a huge market, and by the way, the profits after the Liao State occupied Goryeo. At the same time, the inflow of precious metals such as gold, silver, and copper can also solve part of the domestic money shortage. Anyway, Japan doesn't mint money, and if copper and iron money can be exchanged for gold and silver, it should be a profitable deal.

Nowadays, maritime transportation is mainly in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, and it is basically positioned by landmarks on the coastline, and there are very few captains who dare to go to the Black Water Ocean [Note 1] and can use the star-pulling board. However, with telescopes, glass mirrors, and the concept of the earth, it is equivalent to having nautical chart instruments such as quadrants and sextants that can determine dimensions, and with a compass, sailing east and west along the latitude line during the non-typhoon season, and going back and forth between Japan and the mainland, there is no technical difficulty at this stage.

It's a good thing to let dogs eat rabbits.

It's just that Han Gang is inconvenient to say now. Many people thought that Liao's invasion of Goryeo was his ploy to bring disaster to the east, but Han Gang flatly denied it. In the past, he had declared that he wanted to build an iron ship, and until now, the imperial court is still paying for this project. If he has a foresight now and confirms it, it seems that his previous denial is full of lies, and it is even more of a problem to give people the feeling that he is too calculating, so it is better to pretend to be stupid first.

Empress Xiang was ignorant of Han Gang's thoughts, and she didn't know what Song Yongchen next to her was thinking: "Then in the eyes of the privy council, can Goryeo resist the Liao?" ”

If Goryeo could not resist the Liao army, there would be no room for mediation by the Great Song Dynasty. This truth is obvious, and there is no need for Han Gang to explain it. Just like the Western Xia, when the party members were defeated in Yinxia, the Liao State, which was originally going to mediate the dispute between the two countries, immediately seized Xingling.

"The soldiers are surprisingly expensive, and the minister didn't expect that the Liao people would attack Goryeo. The monarchs and ministers of Goryeo were probably watching the great drama of the battle between Song and Liao, and they never dreamed that Yelu Yixin would turn his head to the east so suddenly. The defeat of Goryeo is actually doomed, and the only question is what to do with them. Whether to destroy the country, or to collect it as a close vassal, such as a female direct example, every year to pay tribute. And it depends on how long Goryeo can hold on. ”

"How long?"

"Two months. In the past six months or so, the horses of the Liao State have suffered great losses and have not been fully cultivated. If the horses are not fattened after the autumn of this year, the loss of the Liao's military horses will be 100,000, and this price will not be worth even if all of Goryeo is taken. Therefore, in the opinion of the ministers, the offensive of the Liao people can only last for two months at most. If it can be held out until August, Goryeo will be at peace. There is also room for the imperial court to intervene for it. ”

"Two months? It wasn't long before August. ”

It's the end of June. When the envoys from Goryeo for help arrived in the capital, a month passed. In another month, the results will be confirmed.

"There is a privy council, and I understand it. Then prepare first, and wait until August, if the monarch of Goryeo is still in power, and then see how to help. ”

But Song Yongchen on the side felt that Han Gang said that his opinion was still based on the style first, and there was no difference from the views of the previous Zaifu - even if he Song Yongchen came, he also had the same opinion. Goryeo was separated by a vast ocean, and even if it fell into the hands of the Liao, there was no urgency for the Great Song Dynasty. If the sea route is close, southern Liaoning is ten times closer, and the gains and losses of Goryeo are not important. There's no need to rush - it's just that the same words, coming out of different people's mouths, have different portions. He, a eunuch, is of course not as good as Zaifu, and Zaifu is not as good as Han Gang in the palace.

It took a lot of time to ask the right question, and after some words, the queen lowered her head to drink tea, and also asked the chamberlain in the palace to serve tea to Han Gang. There was silence in the Chongzheng Palace. There is no custom of ordering soup to send guests in the imperial city, but Han Gang calculated the time, and it was inconvenient to delay any longer, thinking about whether it was time to retire, he couldn't do anything in the Chongzheng Palace, and he himself wanted to go home early.

"Sage." Song Yongchen bent down and gently reminded the queen that there were still a lot of things to do in the future. If there is nothing to do, you can let Han Gang retreat.

Hearing this, Empress Xiang moved and put down the teacup.

"Privy." Before Han Gang got up to leave, he spoke to the empress again, "The imperial court has been useless recently, and I have to mint a lot of money to fill the account. The privy councillor knows about this matter, but I don't know what to think? ”

Sure enough, I still have to ask. ’

Song Yongchen turned his head outside the curtain, only to see Han Gang sitting up straight again: "Governance is a matter of the Eastern Mansion, and the minister does not dare to speak falsely." ”

"Didn't the Privy Counsellor write an article in the newspaper recently? I also read it, and the reason is very clear, even I, a woman, can understand it! ”

"The article in the newspaper is just a matter of opinion. It comes from the character of things, and it is only the source of coins. It's not about court affairs. "Han Gang is very hard in the scope of his authority not to let people catch the handle, after all, there is a difference between intentions and actions, at least it is recommended to go around in circles before speaking," and in the eyes of the minister, what the imperial court has to do is only to maintain the credit of five coins and iron money. Lu Guogong can do it, and the prime ministers and political participants in the government hall can also do it. Han and Cai are both ministers, Zeng and Zhang are virtuous when they participate in politics, and they should have made a plan at this time. ”

"Hmm. Han Jiang and Cai Cheng both said that the tax collected by the imperial court in Gyeonggi this year should be half of it in five yuan, and the tax of ten yuan must be one five yuan and five small pings. As for Shaanxi's iron money, in the past, it was half copper and iron money, and this year it is still the same. ”

Throughout the ages, many people of insight have known how to maintain the value of money, and also know that credit is the key to it, but the currency is analyzed in simple terms, and the most inductive is summarized into credit, which gives a reasonable answer to the distinction between righteousness and benefit that has plagued Confucianism for thousands of years, and Han Gang is the first person.

Empress Xiang didn't know the meaning of Lu Dao's article, but since she accepted the truth in Han Gang's article, of course, she wanted to get more guidance from Han Gang.

"So I would like to ask the Privy Counsellor again, is this possible?"

"Taxes protect the credit of a lot of money, and so does the minister's will. As for the money law, the minister does have a slightly shallow view. One is that even if the price of money in the market has been cheap, the imperial court tax should still be regarded as the original value. Fold five is fold five, and fold ten is fold ten. In the future, anyone who dares to write a book will be discounted by five dollars to fold two or three, and should be treated with the law. ”

In the past, when encountering the depreciation of large amounts of money in the market, the imperial court would often use the large amount of money that had been discounted from the market price because of some people's letters, rather than trying to maintain the stability of the currency value. During the time of Renzong, Shaanxi frequently used troops, and it was issued in five folds and ten folds. In particular, after the issuance of the ten cents, it was depreciated again and again, from ten to five, and then to three. Among them, the Shaanxi officials, whose interests were damaged because of the issuance of large sums of money, played a very bad role in it. Wen Yanbo tried his best to protect the value of iron coins back then, but in fact, he was also fighting in the ring with the local forces in the yamen.

"Is it because they have broken the trust of the imperial court?"

"Exactly. Enough soldiers and enough food, the people's trust', this is the way to govern the country as the sage said. And it was said: 'Good faith, then. . . The people dare not be merciful'. Corrupting the credit of the court and making the country lose its trust to the people, in the long run, how can the country be established, although its sin cannot be atoned. ”

Han Gang's words do not conform to the cognition of this era. He was ready for the queen to hesitate, but nodded to the queen on the spot: "The privy is reasonable, I will let the Yutang draft the edict today...... The second article of the Privy Council, I don't know what it is? ”

"Second, it's anti-theft."

“…… Piracy has always been guarded against. Every year, there are people who are condemned, but they have always been impossible to prevent. ”

"No, that's not a defense, it's a ban! High walls and deep fortifications are defenses. It is forbidden to use the law. The ban has been around for a long time, and the theft continues, which is the result of insufficient prevention in advance. ”

"What should be done in the opinion of the privy council?"

"Iron coins should be cast with fine workmanship, and the corrugated outline is the same as the French style. The official workshop of the imperial court, famous for its fine workmanship, is far from being comparable to the thieves. If it is imitated, its profit is difficult to cover the cost of labor and materials. If it is shoddy, it is very easy to identify, so as not to confuse the market. Shaanxi to the beginning of the iron money, the beginning of the production of well-made, so the copper money, iron money market price is the same. After the peace, the iron money was no longer exquisite, and the private casting was more and more, and its price was only three points of the copper coin. Therefore, if you want to ban the theft of iron money, you only need to do it with fine work. As for the big money, it's not difficult either. Change the style and material of big money to make it different from small money. ”

The queen concentrated, "How to change?" ”

"The original reason why the treacherous people melt money and forge them is that the price of money is too cheap to make a profit. Therefore, it is imperative to drum and cast big money, and it should be minted for five dollars, and it is okay to be ten dollars. In Han Gang's view, the face value of a copper coin should be at least equal to the market value of the materials contained in it, not the price at which the government buys copper directly from the mine. In this way, we can prevent the repeated prohibition of destroying money and taking copper, "but once a lot of money is minted, there will be thieves to steal it." One folds five dollars, and its materials are only two or three small flat coins. Melting small money, casting big money, its profits are multiplied, and those who take risks are invincible. ”

"Privy Counsellor, please continue."

"Copper is divided into red copper, bronze, brass, and white copper. The difference is only in the material. Nowadays, all the coins on the market are bronze coins, so it is possible to melt small coins into large coins. ”

"Just swap the big money for copper?"

"Brass is better. It is a matter of course to use real money to cast money, and to fold it by ten. ”

Brass coins have not been seen by Han Gang at least in this era, but in the memory of his previous life, he has indeed seen ancient brass coins, which may be the product of hundreds of years later. And brassware, which was also available on the market at this time, was mostly called a stone. The color is like gold, called the real gong, and the price is far higher than that of ordinary bronze, and there are many official products. It can be seen that there is no technical problem with brass coinage.

Red copper is pure copper, and the copper alloys of this era also include bronze, brass, and white copper. In Han Gang's view, instead of arguing about the face value, it is better to start with the material first, so that people can be recognized at a glance. Later generations of coins, at a glance, the material is not the same. Maybe it's the same on the inside, but the plating on the outside is always different. The small flat money is made of bronze, if the five or ten coins are brass, it is unrealistic to want to melt the small flat money and steal it into big money, and it is not profitable to succeed.

Coins of larger denominations can also be crafted, not necessarily minted. But that's going to be put on later, take your time.

Han Gang's entry into the palace had already exceeded the scheduled time, and it was rare for Zai Fu to ask for such a long time. Song Yongchen was a little anxious, and there were still a lot of things waiting for the queen next.

"Sage." Seeing that the discussion of money was almost over, Song Yongchen reminded Queen Xiang again.

Empress Xiang finally nodded this time, and said to Han Gang, "Since the privy is back, the sixth brother's studies will also be entrusted to the privy." Don't forget the Privy Councillor. ”

Han Gang got up and saluted: "Your Majesty's order, entrusted by His Royal Highness, how dare the minister forget?" ”

Note 1: Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, Chinese navigators have called the present-day Yellow Sea the Yellow Sea, the Qingshui Ocean, and the Black Water Ocean. Roughly the north of the Yangtze River estuary to the Huaihe estuary, the sea surface contains more sand, and the water is yellow, which is called the Yellow Water Ocean; The sea water near 34° north latitude and 122 ° east longitude is shallow, and the water is green, which is called Qingshui Ocean; The sea water east of 32°-36° north latitude and 123° east longitude is deep, and the water is blue, which is called the black water ocean.