Chapter 66 Governing the political, economic, and monetary system of Jiangdong

Author: Yang's Liangjiazi

Chapter 66 Governing the political, economic, and monetary system of Jiangdong

After taking Wuxian, Sun Ce immediately began to implement governance without any delay.

Sun Ce first appointed Gu Yong as the magistrate of Wu County, and then personally asked Zhang Zhao to sit in Wu County and take charge of government affairs.

It can be said that two of the three most talented ministers under Sun Ce were involved in this matter. Only Zhang Hong stayed in the camp to help Sun Ce manage military affairs.

However, any time you want to manage and develop a territory, a large amount of manpower and material resources are indispensable.

It happened that Sun Ce had just defeated Yangzhou Mu Liu Yao, so after Zhang Zhao took charge of government affairs, he took the lead in conducting an inventory of the treasury.

After the inventory was completed, he personally brought a large number of treasury rosters to Sun Ce's house to prepare for a detailed report.

Sun Ce's residence is not in the city of Wu County, but in the garden southwest of the city.

Wu County is not a small earth city like Shicheng County. The gap between the two is almost comparable to the gap between Chang'an and Xinye. One is grand, prosperous and clean, while the other is cramped and simple, rustic.

Wu County began to rise in the Spring and Autumn Period. King Wu built a large number of palaces and gardens in Taihu Lake, including Changzhou Garden, Wutong Garden, Wu Palace Back Garden, Gusu Terrace, Tiger Hill, Deer Garden and a series of gardens.

In the Han Dynasty, private manors emerged, and local officials in Wu County began to build gardens in the government offices. The Wu County government office is not only majestic and majestic, but also has unique gardens and beautiful landscapes inside.

Hao Qiang has always been a loyal fan of this aspect. The garden they built next to Taihu Lake has no area restrictions and is simply the ultimate manor of this era. It not only has palaces and pavilions full of magnificent Qin and Han Dynasty styles, but also has vast annexes.

In the gardens, even because of the vast land and sparsely populated areas, there are large hunting grounds of the size of the Deer Park.

The garden where Sun Ce lives now is called Wutong Garden, and it has a charm of the sky, the phoenix will come, and the flowers and butterflies will come. It used to be the property of a wealthy family under Liu Yao, but Liu Yao was defeated and Xu Gong fled. This family

The wealthy families were afraid of Sun Ce's liquidation, so they abandoned the city and led their troops to the south. I don't know whether they defected to Yan Baihu like Xu Gong, or whether they fled to Kuaiji County like other wealthy families.

There are by no means a few abandoned fields and houses caused by wars. Sun Ce has recently counted many such abandoned fields and houses. There are also many corresponding field records.

When Sun Ce saw Zhang Zhao, he took the initiative to smile and said: "When I saw Zibu's face, I knew there was something happy to tell me."

Zhang Zhao was surprised for a moment and asked: "Why is my face different from the past?"

Sun Ce raised his eyebrows: "Of course, Zibu always has a serious face. Today, his steps are brisk and his face is full of joy. If it is not a happy event, is it a debauchery?"

"Hahaha!" Zhang Zhao couldn't help stroking his chin and laughing. He sincerely liked getting along with Sun Ce. His relationship with Sun Ce was not only that of a monarch and a minister, but also as relaxed as if they were close friends.

Of course, many talents in Jiangdong are like this. They are very close to Sun Ce and have a good relationship with Sun Ce, but their relationship with Sun Quan is relatively distant. Apart from Zhang Zhao, the most typical one is Yu Fan.

Because Sun Ce had a broad-minded personality and liked to talk with a smile and humor, Yu Fan had a close relationship with Sun Ce.

Sun Ce wanted to send him to Xudu to pay tribute, but he shamelessly insisted on staying. He compared himself to Sun Ce's treasure in the palace. If he showed it to others and was kept by others, wouldn't it mean that the Ming Dynasty would lose such a virtuous man?

As an assistant, he must stay with Sun Ce no matter what.

Sun Ce was amused after hearing this, and said with a smile: "Okay. If you don't want to go, then you can go."

Of course, there is also Zhang Hong. He was sent as an envoy to Xudu, and Cao Cao wanted to show his kindness by serving as a censor and moving him to be the governor of Jiujiang. However, Zhang Hong always missed Sun Ce's old kindness, so he refused to do so and returned to Jiangdong no matter what.

After laughing, Zhang Zhao frankly admitted: "It's not just a happy event, but it can also be said that the glory of the past is gone, and now there is no limit to the joy. Does the general know how many supplies have been counted in the treasury now?"

"Appreciate further details."

Zhang Zhao immediately opened the book: "The general defeated Liu Mu in Qu'a, and the Lord of Zhufu defeated Xu Gong in Youquan. The state and county administration were all under the general's command. In Qu'a, he received more than 40,000 shi of grain, and in Wu Commandery, he received 20,000 grains.

More than 10,000 shi, totaling 72,000 shi of grain."

Sun Ce raised his eyebrows slightly, then spoke slowly and thoughtfully: "With only 70,000 shi of grain, it seems that Liu Zhengli's rule in Yangzhou was not deep before."

You must know that in history, Yuan Shu only provided 100,000 shi to Prime Minister Pei. Judging from Liu Yao's 70,000 shi of food, his rule was not much more stable than Yuan Shu.

Zhang Zhao nodded in approval: "Jiangdong is a vast area with few people and many powerful people. Zong Shuai and Liu Shijun have only occupied Jiangdong for two years. They have to guard the Yangtze River and stabilize the counties, so they will not be able to cultivate the area deeply."

"Therefore, I think that if a general wants to control Jiangdong, his first priority is to win people. If he can command the place, make the heroes feel at ease, and the territory is safe, then within ten days, all businesses in Wu Commandery will be prosperous."

Sun Ce's eyes lit up and he looked at Zhang Zhao in surprise.

Zhang Zhao's suggestion can be said to have changed Sun Ce's impression of feudal literati who could only educate the people morally and cultivate agriculture.

His first suggestion to Sun Ce to stabilize Wu Commandery was actually not the traditional thinking of promoting virtue and subduing distant lands, restoring cultivation and eliminating famine.

Instead, he suggested that Sun Ce should build up a military force, build up powerful heroes, restore public order in Wu County, and make the territory peaceful and peaceful, so as to gain help from others.

The so-called winning people naturally means getting the help of powerful people.

After the territory is peaceful, the powerful people will naturally no longer gather a large number of troops and defend the Wubao with armed forces.

As long as they come out and participate in trade, Wu County does not need to start production. With the wealth they have stored, it will quickly recover from the war-torn desolation to a vibrant appearance, and even the county's famine embarrassment can be solved.

This involves the distribution of wealth and trade.

Just looking at the magnificence and vastness of Wutong Garden, Sun Ce has always believed that it is not that there is no wealth in the world today, but most of the wealth is in the hands of powerful people.

You must know that Lu Su was very philanthropic. A small powerful man with only a few hundred people in his tribe could have eight thousand shi of food at home.

The powerful people in Wu County, or even the powerful people in Wu County as a whole, must have a large amount of food hoards in Wubao. Liu Yao's rule was not deep, so he could not squeeze a lot of wealth from them.

As long as commerce revives, a large amount of wealth will inevitably flow out of the powerful Wubao, realizing the prosperity of the Jiangnan economy.

Sun Ce solemnly asserted to Zhang Zhao: "I deeply believe what Zibu said. Let's not mention other counties for now. Wu County is a prosperous place in the east of the Yangtze River. There are tens of thousands of households and more than ten powerful families in the county. Even if this is

When a county is stabilized, powerful people leave Wubao, and tribes come to the city to trade. It can also create a prosperous scene. It is easy to purchase tens of thousands of stones of grain and grass. "

Sun Ce absolutely believed in the economic potential of Wuxian County. This was the most prosperous area in subsequent dynasties and the economic center of the entire Central Plains.

If these powerful people in Wuxian County can organize themselves into caravans and trade every day, and dozens of caravans come and go every day, Wuxian County's economy will take the shape of a prosperous economy.

Zhang Zhao said seriously: "This is the second thing I want to say to the general. Mr. Zhu is very generous. He donated all the treasury of Wu County and left the financial expenditure to the general's control. The current total is:

In the treasuries of Wujun and Niuzhu camps, there are more than 2,000 catties of gold, more than 4,000 catties of silver, about 90 million yuan, and more than 7,000 pieces of cloth."

"I heard Guan Zhong said that if a country has a lot of wealth, people from far away will come, and if the land is raised, the people will stay. These money are used to cloth and silk, and the accumulation in the treasury is just to keep money. If the general wants to prosper Wu County, he should first disperse this money and buy

Only by selling it can we attract powerful people from Wuxian County to trade."

Sun Ce stood up solemnly, stood in front of Zhang Zhao, and praised: "Zi Bu is really my father-in-law! Guan Zhong assists Duke Huan of Qi and makes Qi hegemony. Zi Bu governs Jiangdong, and if he can prosper Jiangdong's wealth, he will surely make it a great place."

The foundation of King Ba!"

Zhuge Liang often compares himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi. Sun Ce has never seen their talents. But Sun Ce often compares Zhang Zhao to Guan Zhong, and today he really saw his talents!

"If a country has lots of wealth, people from far away will come; if the land is developed, people will stay; if the warehouses are solid, people will know etiquette; if they have enough food and clothing, they will know honor and disgrace!" This is the most important theory in "Guanzi".

This theory and what Zhang Zhao said are in line with Sun Ce's values. If you want to develop business, you must first invest a huge amount of money in the market.

But Zhang Zhao had one point that Sun Ce didn't agree with.

Sun Ce opened his mouth and discussed with Zhang Zhao: "It is true that if a country has more wealth, those from far away will come. But Zibu thought that only two thousand kilograms of gold, more than four thousand kilograms of silver and more than seven thousand pieces of cloth could be considered big.

A sum of wealth? Is it enough to attract many powerful men? What if all the gold, silver, cloth, and silk are used up?"

Zhang Zhao has the talent to manage the world and benefit the people. Hearing this, he immediately guessed the meaning behind Sun Ce's words: "General, are you talking about money and goods being blocked?"

Sun Ce nodded very solemnly: "Although I don't know much about the economy, I also know that without currency, the scale of the commodity economy must be limited. It relies entirely on barter business transactions, which is not only low-level, but also limits the development of prosperity."

Zhang Zhao smoothed his beard with his hands and nodded slightly: "What the general said is the normal state of the country. Since Dong Zhuo's cholera disrupted the government, money and goods have been blocked for a long time. Under the current chaos, it may not be easy to restore the currency."

Sun Ce was sunny and cheerful, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. I never thought that this predicament would be solved overnight. We can put money and goods at the same time and implement it on a small scale first."

“Money and goods go hand in hand?”

Sun Ce explained: "There are only two kinds of goods in circulation today, one is cloth, and the other is grain."

Zhang Zhao nodded: "Food is the first of the eight political affairs of Hong Fan. The first is food, and the second is goods. There are four items of clothing, food, housing and transportation. The first two are important matters of people's livelihood, related to the life and death of the people, and the peace and tranquility of the state and county."

Sun Ce smiled and said, "Then we will mint new coins. With the coins, we can go to the government to exchange for cloth or grain. Do you think this money can be exchanged?"

Zhang Zhao thought about it carefully and nodded solemnly: "The people are starving. If you can bring coins to the government to exchange for grain, the people will give it a try no matter what."

Sun Ce instead waved his hand and said, "Ignore what happens among the people for now. I have no plans to issue the new coins directly in the prefectures and counties."

"What is the general's plan?"

Sun Ce did not say it directly, but asked another question: "How is the placement of the officers and craftsmen in our camp?"

Zhang Zhao was not in a hurry and replied calmly: "The general led more than 10,000 soldiers and craftsmen from Liyang to Wu County. The march of these young men went very smoothly. Now Cheng Xiaowei and Ling Sima are traveling from Liyang by water.

And the Niuzhu Camp moved more than 10,000 men and women to Wu County."

The three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu all moved tens of thousands of people under their command.

This organizational ability can still be accomplished now, so Sun Ce is not worried.

He was more interested in another thing: "How many ships does the navy have in total now?"

Zhang Zhao flipped through a few pages and found the data he had just compiled: "The general occupied the Yangtze River in the east and gathered and dispersed. There are more than 400 ships in the camp. Each round trip can transport more than 3,000 people."

Each time more than 3,000 people were transported, it took less than a month to transport Sun Ce's men and women, 10,000 men, from Liyang and Niuzhuying to Wuxian.

Especially the Liyang refugees here. Lu Fan opened a warehouse in Liyang to store grain. There were thousands of strong men and strong women. There was no room for them in Liyang, so it was suitable to transport them to Wuxian to be resettled with the soldiers.

So Sun Ce smiled and asked Zhang Zhao: "Soldiers, craftsmen, and refugees all want to settle down and make a living. What does Zibu think they can do to settle down?"

Zhang Zhao thought deeply about how he could manage the country, and quickly connected all the connections: "The general is planning to distribute new coins to the soldiers and craftsmen, so that they can take the coins to the government to exchange for the food and cloth they need?"

That’s right!

This is the method of reforming currency that Sun Ce has been planning.
To be continued...