Chapter 73 Renzong Chapter 15 The Backbone of the Rule
Chapter 2198 Renzong Chapter 15 The Backbone of the Rule
Jianghai Customs General Taxation Department, in the square in front of the grand administrative building, is carrying out a unique event, an abacus competition. There are many spectators in the venue, thousands of people at a glance, but the scene is very quiet.
Not much noise.
It’s not that the quality of the onlookers is high, it’s just that there are thousands of Shanghai government officials and patrol officers around to maintain order, and those watching from the high platform are a large number of dignitaries from the Jiangnan area, including the Minister of Industry and the Governor of Jianghuai.
Envoy Fan Zhongwen, Jianghai Customs Chief Tax Envoy Lin Hui, and Wang Anshi, who has been the mayor of Shanghai for three years, are all well-known figures in the official circles of the southeast.
Fan Zhongwen, born in the Fan family of Daming Prefecture, is the great-great-grandson of Qianyou Prime Minister Fan Zhi, the great-grandson of the famous Kaibao minister Fan Min, and the grandson of the late Xingguo Gong Fan Yisun. As the Xingguo Gong lineage of the Qianyou Twenty-Four Ministers family, how has it been passed down to this day?
It has lasted five generations, a full hundred years, and when his father Fan Jinyuan was far away, he was renamed Yongxing Gong by Emperor Shizong (inherited by Fan Zhongwen's brother Fan Zhongkang).
The Fan family has actually declined since Fan Min, because there are no successors, and there are no successful people among its descendants. However, the aura of the Qianyou Twenty-four Chen family is too dazzling.
, and the blessings left by their ancestors are enough for them to last for several generations.
Of course, the fact that the Fan family can inherit the family smoothly and avoid political whirlpools from Taizong to Sejong is also related to the strict family tradition established by the Fan family since the time of Fan Zhi.
Thirty years in Hexi, thirty years in Hedong, until Sejong's later years, the Fan family once again rose to prominence in the court. The key lies in the two brothers Fan Zhongkang and Fan Zhongwen.
Fan Zhongkang is one of the advocates of "Neo-Confucianism" that is currently in the ascendant in the Han ideological circles. He is as famous as Zhang Zai. He does not enter the capital or attend the court. He only studies, studies and teaches in Fanyuan outside Yuancheng, Daming Prefecture. However,
His reputation spread throughout northern academic circles.
As for Fan Zhongwen, his reputation is not much better than that of his brothers, and he is even more valued among the powerful class. This is because he is not only erudite, but also proficient in astronomy, geography, water conservancy, architecture, and arithmetic. He is also very good in specific practice and governance affairs.
If you are capable, you can talk the talk, and you can do the actual work without hesitation.
With enough reputation, ability and background, it is natural for Fan Zhongwen to rise up in the imperial court. In his early years, Fan Zhongwen was also promoted by Fan Zhongyan. Because of his outstanding ability and outstanding reputation, he was once known as "Little Fan".
Nowadays, "Da Fan" has long since passed away, and Xiao Fan is moving step by step towards the center of the imperial political stage. Fan Zhongwen was only forty-three years old at the time, but he was already the minister of the Ministry of Industry and the governor of the Jianghuai River. This kind of promotion speed was achieved in
Among the rich and powerful, they are also extremely fast.
While still serving as the minister of the Ministry of Industry, he presided over the completion of two major projects, one was the renovation of Zhaolie Temple in Tokyo, and the other was the construction of Taiqing Temple in Xijing. Proficient in architectural theory, he personally led scholars from various fields to work together.
Planning and Design.
The construction of Taiqing Temple was especially popular with the emperor. After all, the orthodox emperor believed in it. After he had been emperor for almost twenty years, this was a landscape he built from his heart and against all opinions.
Soon after its completion, Fan Zhongwen was successfully promoted to the position of Minister of the Ministry of Industry. Now, with the title of Minister of the Ministry of Industry, he represented the imperial court and patrolled the Jianghuai region. Shanghai was also his last stop in the south of the Yangtze River.
There are rumors inside and outside Beijing that Fan Zhongwen may be promoted to the Political Affairs Hall after returning to Beijing. Even though he is still young, it is not impossible given his current level of favor with the emperor.
Therefore, Fan Zhongwen's southeastern party was naturally warmly received by the Jianghuai officialdom. Even Wang Anshi, who was always known for his uprightness, did not dare to treat Fan Zhongwen in the slightest.
Lin Hui, the Chief Taxation Department of Jiangguan Customs, was also in his early forties and had an equally extraordinary background. His grandfather was Lin Te, a famous official of Yongxi. Lin Te managed the Shaofu and also served as a military envoy. After Shizong succeeded to the throne, He was also sent to the southeast as a transit envoy.
This experience is somewhat similar to that of the former Prime Minister Wang Xuanzan, and Wang Xuazhen’s grandson was Wang Shilin, who had been in the Zhengtong Dynasty and had been worshiped as Shangshu Ling. Lin Hui, on the other hand, inherited his grandfather’s talent in financial management and became an official. From the beginning, he was known for his ability and sharpness. He has been working in the Financial Department system and is very familiar with taxation and laws.
Of course, in addition to family background and ability, Lin Hui's prosperous official career also has another more important factor. His sister is a concubine in the harem of the orthodox emperor. Although she is not as favored as Concubine Han, she is There was also a period of harmonious harmony between you and me.
With this relationship and his own qualities, he became the brains of Jiangguan Customs in his early forties. It should be noted that after decades of development, the revenue of the Imperial Customs has been increasing day by day, and among the five major customs, Jianghai Customs alone accounts for half of it.
The fixed tariffs paid to the court every year amounted to three million guan, but the actual goods handled were far beyond what could be summed up by just a few million guan. The economic foundation determines political status, and the increase in customs tariffs also made the customs His status in the imperial bureaucracy is rising day by day, and he is deeply valued by the central elite.
Even in terms of rank alone, the Chief Tax Envoy of Jianghai Customs has been adjusted from the third rank to the third rank at the beginning of its establishment. Within the Finance Department system, it is only half a rank lower than the Salt and Iron Department and Duzhi Department, but its attractiveness , for many powerful people, it is much higher than many central positions at the same level.
For Lin Hui to be able to take such a lucrative and key position, all conditions were indispensable.
Compared with Fan and Lin, Wang Anshi naturally did not have such a prominent background and backing. Although he was also an official, his rise in the imperial political arena relied more on his own ability, integrity and reputation.
Of course, luck is also a very special and critical factor. During the Guanzheng period, Fan Zhongyan returned to the court and took power. He advocated meritocracy and strengthened assessment and appointment. Fortunately, he became one of the batch of "Fan Party Talents" who were vigorously promoted. ”.
Compared with others, Wang Anshi went one step further and was transferred to the Political Affairs Hall to serve beside Fan Zhongyan. He was fortunate enough to observe Fan Zhongyan's governance and affairs at a close distance. With a humble body, he was in the core of the empire's power and stood in a place that is difficult for ordinary people. He reached such a height that he observed, understood, and thought about all aspects of the affairs of the Han Empire.
That period was not long, only more than three years, but it gave Wang Anshi a profound understanding of the expansion of his vision, the accumulation of political experience, and the complicated management system and operation mode of the Han Empire.
Understand and recognize.
This kind of encounter would never have happened unless his luck had reached the extreme. And Wang Anshi's luck has obvious continuity. On the eve of the central government's "anti-model movement", he was sent to the southeast to serve as Jiangguan Customs.
The deputy envoy successfully avoided a large wave of attacks.
The political aftermath was also helped by the intervention of Bao Zheng, the then southeast transfer envoy, and Wang Anshi was able to effectively transfer what he saw and learned during his time as the deputy envoy of Jianghaiguan to the central government.
Think and conduct practical verification.
Fan Zhongyan had many disciples and former officials, many of whom were outstanding. Many of them had been active in the imperial political arena for a long time, playing the role of the backbone of the bureaucratic class.
However, if we say that the person who has inherited Fan Zhongyan’s political principles the most, it must be Wang Anshi. After all, he is a "closed disciple" and the kind who practices it step by step.
The most distinctive thing about Wang Anshi is that while inheriting and studying "Fan Xue", he often injects his own thinking and opinions. He is very original in his views and opinions on many things, especially in imperial finance and economics.
When it comes to matters related to people's livelihood, he puts more emphasis on "techniques" in terms of governance.
The position of deputy envoy to Jianghaiguan was an important attempt by Wang Anshi to combine his political skills with practice. Regardless of the process or results, it had a very positive and important significance for his political career and career promotion.
Ten years ago, before he was released to the outside world, Fan Zhongyan was worried that Wang Anshi's upright and even fierce temperament would not last long in the southeastern officialdom where gluttons and silverfish gathered, fearing that his strength would be easily broken.
However, Wang Anshi used facts to prove that Fan Zhongyan's concerns were somewhat unnecessary. Perhaps Wang Anshi disliked many affairs and the current situation and was eager to change them, but he did not know how to advance or retreat.
How could a bureaucrat like him who is knowledgeable, intelligent, experienced and experienced in many political conspiracies and whirlpools only act recklessly? He knows how to bend and stretch, and how to grasp the main contradictions and how to achieve his political goals through compromise and detours.
Especially when your power and status are far from enough.
After taking office at Jianghai Customs, Wang Anshi made considerable improvements and improvements to the customs system, such as introducing the already mature and popular double-entry bookkeeping method among the private sector, proposing the concept of "general ledger method", improving statistical methods, and standardizing taxation procedures.
In order to cover the tax link and reduce tax losses, the above table recommends re-formulating customs tariffs on goods and introducing more officials who are proficient in arithmetic and statistics for management.
To sum up, what Wang Anshi did was an act of expanding the cake. On the basis of the existing system model, he introduced, summarized and improved methods to release the potential and capabilities of the system itself.
As a result, it was a great success. Although the scale of import and export merchant ships and trade did not increase significantly, the annual revenue of Jianghai Customs increased significantly (nearly 10%).
On this point, no matter how resentful the gray interest chain surrounding Jianghaiguan was, Wang Anshi at least allowed the court to see his abilities and achievements, and established huge prestige within Jianghaiguan.
Of course, as a deputy, he was able to promote so many customs affairs reforms because he was related to Zhang Qi, the general tax envoy of Jiangguang Customs at that time. Zhang Qi came from another family of the Imperial Navy, the Zhang family (Hailing Marquis Zhang Yanqing), and he was very interested in Wang Anshi's proposal. I am very supportive of improvements and let them do whatever they want.
Zhang Qi's investment was obviously successful, and he was able to take advantage of it to successfully move to Beijing and serve as deputy privy envoy. Wang Anshi successfully corrected the situation and officially took over Jianghaiguan. With the previous foundation, he made drastic changes to Jiangguan's existence. Some of the chaos and shortcomings must be rectified.
Some cooperation and exchanges with Zhang Qi established a weak connection between Wang Anshi and the naval faction. At least, Wang Anshi's philosophy of encouraging maritime trade and attaching importance to naval development and training was well recognized.
During the period when Wang Anshi was in power, smuggling, tax evasion, tax evasion, corruption, and a series of phenomena involving collusion between government and businessmen, and secret rent-seeking were suppressed with unprecedented intensity, which also made the "Huanjiang Customs Frontline" full of troubles.
Finally, after two and a half years, with Wang Anshi being transferred, the "tense and depressive" atmosphere was relieved. Of course, when Wang Anshi left office, Jianghaiguan's annual income was sufficient compared to when he went to the southeast. Increased by 30%.
With this remarkable achievement, Wang Anshi was promoted and transferred not too far away to the capital of Jiangnan Province, the prefect of Jiangning, where he began to practice in government affairs and people's livelihood. However, Wang Anshi's reputation for good management (acquisition) of money also spread. Reached the highest level.
Wang Anshi only worked in Jiangning Mansion for three years, but the training and improvement of his comprehensive abilities were significant. Later, Shanghai's political affairs were in chaos and public dissatisfaction arose. Wang Anshi was transferred to another post on the recommendation of Bao Zheng, who was then the governor of the capital. Shanghai, the first port city in the empire with a population of nearly one million, was managed.
The abacus abacus conference being held at this time was exactly proposed by Wang Anshi, led by the Shanghai Yamen and co-organized by the General Taxation Department. Since its invention, the abacus has developed rapidly and has become the most important official and private calculation tool. During the Bao and Yongxi years, the imperial court also carried out vigorous promotion.
After so many years, abacus has been completely spread throughout the empire, and abacus has become the most obvious symbol of those accountants. From the government to the private sector, there have been countless "abacus masters".
However, this is the first time that such an "abacus calculation competition" has been organized by the government. It has caused quite a sensation in Shanghai and even among the people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Not only is the competition novel, but also because the Shanghai Yamen and the General Taxation Department of Jiangsu Customs , all issued a notice to select a group of talents from the winners of the abacus competition to serve as officials in the government.
This attraction has naturally increased exponentially. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, due to their wealthy economy and prosperous business, are already popular places for abacus. After decades of development, it can be said that the people are crouching tigers, hidden dragons. Therefore, this conference has attracted many "dragons and tigers" in the abacus world. "They all showed up, trying their best to show off their agile computing power using both hands and brain in the math competition.
Wang Anshi organized such a competition not only to continue to encourage arithmetic, promote abacus, and select talents, but more importantly, it was out of consideration for his political practice.
After so many years of accumulation of administrative experience, he is increasingly inclined to carry out a clearer and more professional division of powers within the imperial government. This obviously requires more "professional" talents, which can only be achieved through the training of various administrative schools.
Training is not enough. At the same time, Wang Anshi also has many objections to the teaching practice content of those schools.
Fan Zhongwen, Lin Hui, and Wang Anshi may have different origins and experiences, but they are undoubtedly the backbone of the current ruling class of the Han Empire. At the same time, some signs of "technocrats" can be seen in them.