novelAbuy Chapter 91 The Song Dynasty's Coin Standard System
Chapter 91 The Song Dynasty's Coin Standard System
Chapter 91 The Song Dynasty's Coin Standard System
In the past two days, Zhao Mingcheng kept a close eye on the subtle movements in Baoci Palace and the inner palace through Yang Jian, with whom he had established contact, and also frequently met with Zhao Ji.
In addition to subtly reinforcing Zhao Ji's understanding and preparation in certain aspects, Zhao Mingcheng also received an invitation from Zeng Bu's residence.
Zeng Bu's study was still filled with the faint scent of ink and sandalwood, but the atmosphere today was more somber than usual.
After dismissing those around him, Zeng Bu looked at his disciple, who was increasingly showing remarkable skill and foresight, and got straight to the point.
"Mingcheng, you should have heard about the situation in the palace. The Emperor's illness—is probably no ordinary matter."
Zeng Bu's voice was low and serious, "Although the prince has been born, he is still an infant. A young ruler and a suspicious country are always turbulent times. You know Zhang Zihou. If that day truly comes, there will surely be a fierce struggle in the court."
Zhao Mingcheng knew perfectly well what was going on and said seriously.
"Your concerns are very valid. May I ask what your plans are?"
Zeng Bu stared at him sharply.
"If the prince is to succeed to the throne, we should do our utmost to assist him and stabilize the court. However, things are unpredictable, and we must make thorough preparations. If—if the prince is too young to be established, or if something unexpected happens, then we must choose a virtuous prince from among the late emperor's sons to succeed him."
He paused, then lightly tapped his finger on the table. "Prince Jian is the Emperor's younger brother from the same mother, and Zhang Dun will surely advocate for him. However, establishing an heir based on the eldest son is the proper and proper way according to propriety and law. Prince Duan is the eldest son, with a gentle and easy-going nature, a reputation for talent, and is also benevolent and filial. I believe that Prince Duan is the best choice."
Zhao Mingcheng remained calm; this was precisely the direction he had anticipated and secretly pushed forward.
His face showed appropriate contemplation and agreement, and he nodded.
"Your Excellency is farsighted. His Highness Prince Duan is indeed a benevolent and wise ruler, and he also holds Your Excellency in high esteem."
"Hmm." Zeng Bu was satisfied with his reaction, and his tone softened.
"Mingcheng, you have a close relationship with Prince Duan, so you'll have to put in a lot of effort on his end regarding this matter. Keep a low profile and don't reveal your intentions, but make sure Prince Duan understands the situation and knows who his true ally is."
Furthermore, you must nurture your friendship with Prince Duan. In the future—no matter how the situation changes—you will be a crucial link connecting the internal and external worlds and maintaining overall stability.
These words were spoken subtly, but the meaning was crystal clear: he supported Zhao Mingcheng as a bridge between himself and Prince Duan, and he might even be an important advisor to the future new dynasty.
"The student understands." Zhao Mingcheng bowed solemnly.
"I will certainly live up to your trust and do my utmost to maintain our friendship."
Although brief, this conversation between the teacher and student accomplished the most important political communication and established tacit understanding.
Zeng Bu needed Zhao Mingcheng, one of his own, to firmly bind Prince Duan and ensure that he could take the initiative in the possible change of the throne.
Zhao Mingcheng needed Zeng Bu's authority and support in the court to pave the way for his own and Prince Duan's future.
The two shared the same goal, had intertwined interests, and their minds aligned without prior consultation.
After leaving Zeng Bu's residence, Zhao Mingcheng became even more composed.
The most powerful civil official in the court has already made his stance clear, which will greatly reduce the obstacles to the implementation of many of his subsequent plans.
Not long after returning to his residence, news came from the Imperial Academy that the private examinations for this month would be held soon.
Although Zhao Mingcheng is now free to move around and has the title of Chengfeng Lang, he still retains his status as a student of the Imperial Academy and must still participate in these regular assessments.
He packed up some simple writing materials and went to the Imperial Academy the next day.
The examination was held in Minglun Hall. The morning light of late autumn shone through the high windows, casting cool, dappled patterns on the blue brick floor.
Zhao Mingcheng found his seat and sat down. Looking around, he saw many familiar faces. Li Jiong was also not far away, nodding slightly to him.
Soon, the exam questions were announced by the examiner in court, written on a huge wooden sign and hung in front.
This month's topic is: "On the methods of defending against the Xia dynasty, the key is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
Zhao Mingcheng's eyes fell on the question, and his mind raced.
He was naturally well aware of the situation of the Xia Kingdom, a border threat that occupied the northwest, sometimes rebelled and sometimes submitted, and consumed countless national resources and military funds of the Song Dynasty.
Not long ago, the Hehuang War, which he led, had just ended, completely annihilating the remnant Tibetan leader Xisheluosa and severing the tentacles of Western Xia extending into Hehuang, intending to attack the Song army from both the east and west and to use Tibet to weaken the Song Dynasty.
This battle not only consolidated the newly recovered territory, but also dealt a heavy blow to the Western Xia's strategic layout.
Currently, within the Xia Kingdom, Empress Dowager Liang holds absolute power, the ruler Li Qianshun is young, nobles are vying for power, and years of warfare have significantly depleted the country's strength, making it a time of internal and external difficulties.
Although the Song army maintained pressure on the border, the court was in endless debate about whether to launch a large-scale military campaign to achieve a decisive victory in one battle.
This strategy question is clearly intended to test the students' judgment of the current situation, and whether there are any longer-term and more fundamental strategies to subdue the Xia Dynasty besides simple military strikes.
"To subdue the enemy without fighting —"
Zhao Mingcheng silently pondered those words.
The knowledge of later generations intertwined and collided with the reality of the Song Dynasty before his eyes.
In Zhao Mingcheng's view, if we only consider the size of the economy, the accumulation of wealth, the level of industrial and commercial development, and the scale of currency circulation, the Song Dynasty today would probably be unmatched, not to mention the Xia Kingdom, but even in the whole world at the same time.
Its wealth and prosperity even reminded him, to some extent, of the United States in later generations that used its financial hegemony to influence the world.
If we only look at the GDP share of each time period, the Song Dynasty was far more terrifying than the United States.
However, the difference between the United States and the Song Dynasty is that the Song Dynasty, despite its astonishing economic strength, did not fully transform that economic strength into effective strategic weapons.
A multitude of strategies instantly flashed through Zhao Mingcheng's mind: economic blockade, currency war, supporting proxies, ideological infiltration, and exploiting internal contradictions to divide and weaken the enemy.
Each of these points may not seem remarkable to later generations, but in this era, if used properly, they could produce extraordinary effects.
Especially financial instruments.
But Zhao Mingcheng quickly calmed down. This was a private examination for the Imperial Academy, and the essays would be archived and might even be seen by many people.
Some of his ideas are too advanced and too "ruthless" to be revealed now, let alone to leave behind written evidence.
If this gets out and alerts the Xia Kingdom, or if it is attacked by the conservative faction in the court as "competing with barbarians for profit, which is a loss of national dignity," it would be undesirable.
He needs to write something that appears "politically correct," conforms to the Confucian ideal of "benevolent rule," but also contains subtle veiled meaning, laying the groundwork for his possible future actions and even securing some theoretical support in advance.
So, where should we focus our attention?
Zhao Mingcheng picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, pondered for a moment, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.
Let's write about this—Song Dynasty coins, or rather, the financial influence of the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Mingcheng put down his pen and wrote.
"I have heard that the best way to defend against an enemy is to attack their strategy, followed by disrupting their alliances, and lastly, attacking their army. This summer, the people are troubled by internal strife and exhausted by border conflicts. The Hehuang region has just been pacified, but their right arm has been broken. This is an opportunity to attack their strategy. However, if we want to subdue them without fighting, we must not only rely on the advantage of armor and weapons, but also grasp the key to the economy."
He first briefly analyzed the current predicament of Western Xia, highlighting the strategic significance of the victory at Hehuang, and then shifted his focus to the main topic: "—The land of Xia is barren and its economy is poor. Its national expenses largely depend on salt, horses, and border markets. And eight or nine out of ten transactions at the border markets are made with our Song coins. Our copper coins are of excellent quality and have an outstanding reputation. The Xia people, and even the various Hu peoples of the Western Regions, are happy to use them, and they are almost the same as their national currency."
This is an invisible but deadly weapon that can control their economic lifeline without expending resources.
Next, he presented his core argument.
"Therefore, the key to defending against the Xia dynasty is to try implementing the Song dynasty's monetary standard."
This does not refer to coercion, but rather to guiding the situation. First, strictly investigate the smuggling of copper coins along the border, control the flow of money, and make Song coins in Xia territory gradually scarce, which will inevitably cause price chaos. Second, expand the border markets, but for large transactions, encourage the use of "Jiaozi" (paper money) for settlement.
Our Song Dynasty's Jiaozi (paper money) is backed by the court's credit and substantial reserves, and is easy to transport. If it can be gradually promoted in trade with Xia, and its merchants and nobles become accustomed to using it, then our court can indirectly regulate the circulation and prices of important goods in Xia through the issuance and exchange of Jiaozi. The benefits would be many times greater than those of a hundred thousand troops.
Zhao Mingcheng certainly knew that the real financial war was far more complex than that, involving currency manipulation, credit expansion and contraction,
A series of complex operations, such as debt traps, but these obviously cannot be written down.
What he is writing now is more like a constructive concept of "monetary influence" based on the existing trade landscape.
Furthermore, it aligns with the Confucian concept of "using our surplus to control their deficiency," and also subtly reflects the desire of some court officials to control the "money shortage" and border trade, making it highly consistent with the court's political correctness.
"—In this way, the Xia people will rely more and more on my money and goods, and their economic lifeline will gradually be in my hands."
I will further strengthen our alliances and divide their nobles, thus gradually winning their hearts without a fight and weakening their power without attack. When internal strife arises, I may seize the opportunity to decisively defeat them, forever eliminating any threat to the west. This is what is meant by "using our invincibility to await the enemy's vulnerability"—the ultimate principle of benevolent rule.
After writing the last character, Zhao Mingcheng put down his pen and gently blew the ink dry.
The article is not long, but its viewpoints are clear. Combining the advantages of the Hehuang region and the circulation of Song coins, it proposes a seemingly novel yet not radical strategic framework.
It's enough to impress the examiner without causing too much of a stir or revealing his full intentions too early.
More importantly, this laid a "theoretical foundation" for him to intervene in finance and border trade in the future and implement some more specific financial measures.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.
The students handed in their papers and filed out one after another.
Zhao Mingcheng found Li Jiong in the crowd, and the two walked out together.
Li Jiong asked.
"Brother Defu, how did the exam go? The questions were quite challenging this time, weren't they?"
"It's alright, just some haphazardly written thoughts." Zhao Mingcheng smiled, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Wenruo, your sister asked about my new article last time, but I've been too busy with other things to put pen to paper."
Although this essay was written for an exam, it's at least a satisfactory conclusion. I'll make a clean copy when I get back, and please give it to your younger sister so she can correct it when she has some free time, so she won't keep saying I'm lazy.
Upon hearing this, Li Jiong smiled憨厚ly.
"Brother Defu, you're too kind. My sister was just speaking casually; how could she presume to offer any corrections? However, she would surely be pleased to see your article, and I will certainly pass it on to her."
"Thank you for your trouble." Zhao Mingcheng nodded.
>