A golden and huge Buddha statue was placed in front of him. What a good man and believer thought of worshiping and praying for blessings, but in Chai Rong's eyes, this was a mountain of gold.

That's right, it's real money!

Since Guo Wei ascended the throne, he has encouraged business, used troops to the outside world, and restored his vitality... In just five years, the economy of the Central Plains has developed rapidly, with merchants gathering in Kaifeng and prosperous trade.

But at the same time, a fatal problem emerged. The more prosperous the business is, the more goods it exchanges, the more massive currency it needs. But it would be fine if the output of gold and silver in the Central Plains was not rich, and even there were not many copper ores.

On the one hand, there is strong demand for business, and on the other hand, there is a serious shortage of money supply.

The results are often disastrous.

For example, the well-known phenomenon of low grains injuring farmers was very serious in the Great Zhou Dynasty... After the people were assigned to the fields, they worked hard to farm and piled up warehouses. But next, they wanted to build houses, marry wives, and send their children to school... Everything required money, so they had to exchange them with food.

A few years ago, one stone of grain could be sold for more than 700 cents during the autumn harvest, but when the green and yellow food was not enough, it could be sold for more than the usual amount.

In just five years, one stone of food has fallen below 300 people.

This is because the Great Zhou warned against the outside world and had to purchase military rations to support the price of grain, otherwise it would be possible to fall below 200 ci, or even 100 ci.

After the unification of the world in all dynasties, grain prices will fall rapidly. In the pictures of the prosperous times described by many literati, low prices are often presented to the topic.

For example, in the eighth year of Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and the dou of rice in Hebei was about a few hundred coins. By the first year of Wude of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty, the war was over and the people's livelihood was in decline, and the dou of rice in Luoyang soared to eight or nine thousand coins.

In other words, a stone of grain can be worth eighty to ninety stakes of copper coins.

It is almost equivalent to four kilograms of copper coins, and exchanges one kilogram of grain. This number is very, very horrifying!

In the years of war, anything can happen.

After the efforts of the monarchs and ministers of the Tang Dynasty, it was recorded in the "New Book of Tang Dynasty: Biography of Wei Zheng" that the emperor ascended the throne for four years and had a rice dou of three cents.

That's right, it's three cents.

This number is repeated in "Food and Message Records": At the beginning of Zhenguan, a piece of silk was Yiji rice and a dou. By the fourth year, a dou of rice was four or five cents.

"Zizhi Tongjian·Tang Ji" also emphasizes: In the first year of Zhenguan, when the rice was hungry in Guanzhong, the rice bowl was worth a piece of silk. In the second year, the world was covered with locusts. In the third year, the world was flooded. In the first year, the world was full of fruit, and the rice bowl was only three or four cents.

The fourth year of Zhenguan is a dividing line. In this year, after Li Er's policy of recuperation and recuperation, the whole world was under great governance, and the weather was good, the rice price dropped to the lowest point. Not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also in Chinese history, it may have been the lowest rice price in history. From the rice price in the first year of Zhenguan to the three or five cents in the fourth year of Zhenguan, it took only three or four years.

Compared with the war period just ended, the rice price has dropped by three thousand times!

A full three thousand times!

Of course, the low rice price is because the people work hard to cultivate the fields, with high yield per mu, and a bumper harvest. The world has no worries about food, which is certainly worthy of happiness.

But from another perspective, the low rice price will even destroy a country!

Everyone knows that feudal small peasant economy has poor ability to resist risks. If it is not well managed or encounters natural disasters, it will often go bankrupt.

For example, if the price of grain is 500 cents per stone, and the family sells ten stones of grain, it can get five stagnant of money, and the price of grain drops to fifty cents, and ten stones of grain can only be exchanged for five hundred cents.

If you encounter a big thing that requires spending money, which one is beneficial to the farmers? The result is obvious!

If the food price is low and the people have little income, they cannot resist risks. If they encounter problems, they have to sell their land, or even sell themselves as slaves, and turn from self-cultivated farmers to tenant farmers. This is how land annexation comes from.

When land annexation reaches a certain level, the world will inevitably be in chaos.

This can be concluded from the history of the Tang Dynasty. Why did the military system collapse after decades? Why did the Tang Dynasty’s foreign wars often not ideal after Li Er? Why did the battle between the clans and imperial power become more and more intense... Behind historical phenomena are all one reason, which is the uneven distribution of interests. To put it bluntly, it is land annexation.

In order to prevent land annexation, in addition to setting rules, there is another very important issue, which is to ensure basic grain prices, ensure farmers' basic income, and enhance their ability to resist risks...

Ye Hua and Chai Rong once went north together to hunt with the Khitan emperor.

Along the way, they talked about a lot of things, and Ye Hua mentioned that he had established a minimum purchase price for grain... Chai Rong listened to this and planned to do this.

But, sorry, I can't do it at all!

The imperial court had only so much annual income, and only less than 30% of the money it could use, and the rest were all physical objects.

The money needs to be raised to soldiers, officials, build cities, and maintain rivers... After several expenses are divided, there is not much left. What the court can do is to let locals settle their warehouses and appropriately collect grain and adjust prices.

To be honest, the effect is still not very good.

Chai Rong is an emperor who is crazy about money.

Therefore, Lu Duoxun proposed that Tianmu was under the name of Qingzhang Temple, and he immediately agreed that it would be better to increase the tax source.

But when he was in the temple, Chai Rong found that he was wrong, and it was absurdly wrong!

What is the land? In comparison, these huge Buddha statues are truly valuable!

Take the one in front of you as an example. If you melt the coin, you can at least 10,000 stagnant!

How many bronze ware are there in the temple?

Basins, mirrors, bells, cymbals, plane wheels, bells, bells, pagodas, incense burners, sutra towers, Buddha statues, and many cabinets and shrines. They all use a large amount of gold, silver and copper as decorations, and are extremely magnificent...

So many precious metals are concentrated in the temple, and they have no practical effect except for those who worship them.

However, if it is minted into a currency and put it on the market, it can promote ten or a hundred times of commodity exchange, bring rich taxes, enrich the country and the people, consolidate the army and the military... how many real things can be done?

No need to think about anything else. This alone is enough to prove that the temple must be rectified!

The destruction of Buddha through the Three Martial Arts and One Sect is the most correct!

"Take all of them to mint money!"

Chai Rong decisively issued an order, and Ye Hua had to admire His Majesty the Emperor's decisive behavior. Even if it were him, he might not have as great courage as Chai Rong.

After all, in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, there were tens of thousands of temples and more than 200,000 monks. People who depended on the temples, such as sending food, firewood, building temples, and carving Buddha statues... These people, together with their families, will have a total of more than one million.

No one dares to say what consequences will be caused by such a large scale.

"Your Majesty, I think you can slow down..."

"Can't!"

Chai Rong smiled slightly, "Ye Qing, I tell you that the things in this world cannot be delayed the most. If I delay for a moment, the people below can be delayed for a day. Even the emperor is hesitant, and the people below will be even more indulged in the confinement. I just want to cut the mess quickly and clean up all the temples in the world first. Let's talk about the rest later!"

Ye Hua also had to admit that Chai Rong's idea was right.

After all, it is rare to be united with the emperor and work hard. If it is delayed, who knows what will happen... Just being eager to achieve success will inevitably lead to omissions.

Let me ask, are there no good people among these hundreds of thousands of monks and nuns? Should all tens of thousands of temples be demolished?

Obviously not!

But the problem is that if you have time to identify one by one, will slow work be done?

Sorry, no!

Time waits for no one, there is never a perfect thing in this world!

"I understand that the embroidered envoy will be dispatched immediately to supervise all prefectures, military, prefectures and counties, and implement His Majesty's will. Whoever dares to shelter laziness will never tolerate it!"

On that day, the court issued an order, which would destroy and destroy all bronze ware in temples within 50 days and send them to local governments for minting. If any person hides the amount of money over the deadline, he will be sentenced according to the amount of pounds, and those with more than 5 pounds will be sentenced to death.

Chai Rong also warned the officials below to hide bronze ware without permission. If anyone hides more than five kilograms in Dafali, he will never tolerate skinned daylily!

If this decree continues, a total of 3336 temples, a large number of Buddha statues, bells, chimes and other magical instruments were cast into coins... Chai Rong added eight coins in one breath, and kept minting coins day and night. It took him three years to consume all these bronze ware. The wealth he obtained was enriched into the national treasury, and the financial situation of the Great Zhou was immediately improved.

But things were not so smooth. There was a Guanyin Hall in Chenqiaoyi outside the capital, where there was a bronze statue of Guanyin Master, which was very effective.

The official who was ordered to recast the Buddha statue died suddenly on the way, and another person was sent to face the Buddha statue, and suddenly went crazy, rushed out and jumped into the river to die.

Two officials died in a row, and no one dared to touch this Buddha statue again.

The news reached Chai Rong's ears, and His Majesty the Emperor immediately took the embroidered envoy out of the capital and headed straight for Chenqiao Post.

After arriving at Guanyin Hall, Chai Rong walked in with an axe.

"What a big bodhisattva!"

He raised his axe to chop, and the old nun in the temple suddenly screamed.

"No, no! You will be punished by God if you destroy the statue of the Bodhisattva!"

With Old Ni, many people fell to their knees together.

"Your Majesty, please leave this Bodhisattva!"

"Your Majesty, don't do anything at all!"

...

Faced with the begging, Chai Rong sneered, "The imperial court's order is absolutely free! I want to see how powerful this Bodhisattva has!"

After saying that, Chai Rong swung his axe and hit the chest of the Buddha statue. The bronze statue made a loud bang, and it was so far away!

Chai Rong laughed, "But that's the case, what's so great about it? Take it away and mint money!"

The soldiers responded.

Suddenly, the old nie suddenly jumped up, roared loudly, and cursed: "The tyrant, one day, you will be retribution. You will not be able to sit in this country for a long time! I will be snatched away sooner or later!"

After she yelled, she suddenly fell straight to the ground, foaming at her mouth, and died.

Faced with the sudden change, Chai Rong couldn't help but take a breath of air conditioning, and the guards were also scared... At this time, Ye Hua resolutely picked up the axe and slashed it hard on the head of the Buddha statue!

"Dare to curse the Great Zhou Dynasty, first ask the embroidered man if he agrees!"
Chapter completed!