You were supposed to hoard supplies, why the heck did you hoard zombies!

Chapter 90 The First Company Meeting

"Grain coupons?"

"Why are you asking about that?"

Ai Bing was momentarily taken aback.

In her memory, that thing seemed to be an economic product of the difficult times in the past.

But now, more than a hundred years had passed since the founding of Shen Zhou, not to mention whether anyone remembered it, even if they did, what use would it be?

Could they still dig out a few from under a box to exchange with the government for food?

Zhang Ye, of course, wasn't that idle.

The thing that had been worrying him the most these days was that currency mission.

To create a brand new currency system out of nothing, the key lay in the choice of currency to serve as a general equivalent.

Past currencies like paper money and precious items such as gold definitely wouldn't work.

They were now just waste paper and trash.

And other materials that people were willing to accept, like food or medicine, due to their specifications and volume, were destined not to become a universal currency.

What was needed was something that could replace food or medicine.

This thing had to be under his control.

Just now, he had finally thought of it.

Grain coupons.

This item was born during the era of the planned economy.

And now, it was a time of scarcity, when the market economy had completely collapsed.

In such a situation, what would happen if he assured everyone that as long as they had these grain coupons issued by the company, they could exchange them for the corresponding amount of goods at any store?

The grain coupons would inevitably become accepted as currency by everyone in short order.

The condition was that the company had enough supplies.

But was Zhang Ye short on supplies?

He wasn't.

For him, the whole Sanjiang City, even Longjiang Province, was the company's warehouse.

Whatever he wanted to take, he could take.

The only problem was how to make the other survivors believe that this piece of paper in their hands could be exchanged for the supplies they needed.

This involved many issues, among which the most important was trust.

And trust needed to be cultivated over a long period of time.

Still, it couldn't be rushed.

Zhang Ye sighed at this thought.

Find adventures at empire

"What's the matter?"

"If there's any problem, just say it, maybe I can help you."

Seeing him sigh without speaking, Ai Bing's eyes immediately filled with concern.

Zhang Ye shook his head to indicate nothing was wrong, once more glancing at the old man on the ground.

This fellow, after being repeatedly chastised, finally settled down with shifty eyes and honestly began to confess his crimes.

"I, I didn't print too many..."

"Just a few hundred thousand..."

"They're all stored at home..."

"I haven't had a chance to spend them yet, and you guys barged in..."

Zhang Ye cut him off directly.

"Cut the crap."

"I'm just asking you two questions."

"First question, did you make these counterfeit bills all by yourself?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

At this point, there didn't seem to be any room for denial.

"Second question."

"The patterns on the counterfeit bills, can they be changed?"

The old man was startled, asking subconsciously, "Change to what?"

As soon as he spoke, he saw Zhang Ye's expression turn cold, and he hurriedly corrected himself, "They can be changed, they can be changed, even to Big Head Son if necessary."

"Good."

Zhang Ye nodded his head.

A satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.

"Starting today, you are an employee of Zhang's Group."

————

After returning to the villa area, Zhang Ye immediately gathered all his subordinates.

In the meeting, he emphasized that within a year, the entire city center must be brought under the company's sphere of influence, and he planned to issue a new type of currency.

"Grain coupons?"

"What's the use of those?"

"Can we get supplies from Qing Qing with them?"

Luo Xin listened to Zhang Ye's idea and asked curiously.

In her view, it was completely unnecessary, like buttoning up one's coat after a meal just to break wind.

With only a few people in the company, was such trouble really necessary?

She wasn't the only one with this thought.

Tian Gou, Wang Hu, and others were also somewhat puzzled, after all, even if they created it, it seemed it could only circulate internally.

If it was just for internal circulation, it would be better just to receive supplies directly from Liu Qingqing.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye could only patiently explain to everyone.

"Although it can only be used internally for now."

"But have you thought about what happens when the company's power expands?"

"How many survivors will be dependent on the company by then?"

"At least tens of thousands, right?"

"With so many people, how will their wages be distributed?"

"Or what will they do when they need to trade with each other?"

"So—"

"So we need something that can be accepted by everyone to replace the former Shen Zhou currency."

Ai Bing immediately joined the conversation.

At this moment, she finally understood Zhang Ye's idea.

Beyond her surprise, she felt a mixture of admiration and concern for the ambition that Zhang Ye's words revealed.

More than a month had passed since the zombie outbreak, and there was still no news from the government.

But even so, nobody dared to say it was definitely finished.

Maybe it was just quietly lurking in some corner, waiting for a chance to reclaim control.

What Zhang Ye was doing at this moment was completely an act of overstepping one's role.

Food coupons to replace currency.

If successful, Zhang's Group would inevitably stand in opposition to the government.

What would happen if the government returned or appeared?

A conflict between the two was bound to erupt.

The more Ai Bing thought about it, the more worried she became, and she immediately wanted to advise him to be more cautious.

But then she thought again, would Zhang Ye have not considered this already?

He probably had.

He just didn't care.

If that was the case, what reason did she have to persuade him?

It would be better to let go a little.

When the water rises, use earth to keep it back; when the soldiers come, use generals to hold them off; after all, they were all in the same boat.

Instead of worrying needlessly, it would be better to help him plan more, perhaps even saving more lives in the process.

Having thought it through, she no longer hesitated.

"I think there are a few issues that need attention."

Zhang Ye, who was explaining to the others, immediately stopped.

He looked at Ai Bing, his face showing approval.

In the end, it was this woman who was the smartest, knowing how to work with him.

Unlike the other few dunces.

Not even knowing what a general equivalent is, and they call themselves college students?

Seeing him looking at her, Ai Bing immediately cleared her throat and said:

"Firstly, about the supplies."

"If we want others to use the company's currency, then we must satisfy a prerequisite."

"That is, the company must control the majority, if not all, of the supplies within the city area."

"Only in this way can we have the right to set prices for the currency and various supplies."

Everyone listening was astounded.

Is this what a university professor is like?

Truly learned!

Wang Hu, Tian Gou, and others directly expressed that they couldn't understand a word.

On the other hand, Liu Qingqing, who looked the most uneducated, nodded as if she got the point.

"Ai Bing is right."

"I propose!"

"Starting tomorrow!"

"We take control of all the supermarkets and convenience stores in the city center!"

She tossed her ponytail proudly.

"What if someone can't afford to buy and decides to steal instead?"