Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

The customs management system in the Song Dynasty was very chaotic. The city shipping department was initially managed by the prefect or prefect, and then it was changed to the transshipment envoy.

Later, the central government directly sent officials to promote them, then dismissed them and then re-established them.

Generally speaking, the tax amount and tax rate of various customs are determined based on the actual financial situation of the imperial court.

The less money the court has, the more tariffs it collects.

The more customs and taxes were collected, the more the court paid attention to the shipping department.

The Ming Dynasty became very formal, and six major shipping companies were established in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and Dengzhou. The Municipal Shipping Secretary was promoted to the fifth rank, only one level lower than the prefect.

In addition to the six major shipping departments, there are also shipping markets and shipping offices in various ports.

Now a vertical management system has been formed, with a Zuo Shilang from the Ministry of Revenue in charge of the national customs. The six major municipal shipping departments are under the jurisdiction of this Zuo Shilang, and the remaining shipping markets and shipping offices are under the jurisdiction of the six major municipal shipping departments.

Zuo Shilang of the Household Department, who was in charge of customs, was nicknamed "Shibo Shangshu" and "Shibo Xianggong".

At the same time, there was also Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Revenue, who was in charge of the treasury, and was nicknamed "Cangchang Shangshu" and "Cangchang Xianggong".

The two Zuo Shilangs of the Ministry of Revenue are one level lower than Shangshu in official rank and one level higher than other Zuo Shilangs (can be understood as full-time deputy ministers). They are not only under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Household Affairs, but also directly connected with the cabinet.

…

Fuzhou Ship Division.

The scale of sea trade here is actually slightly smaller than that of Quanzhou because of its awkward location.

Merchant ships for Sino-Japanese trade can go to Ningbo or Hangzhou.

Merchant ships coming from Southeast Asia can dock in the closer Guangzhou and Quanzhou.

Fuzhou Port is positioned more like a transit point, or to absorb overflow cargo from other ports, as well as to accept the fleets on the southern route of Sino-Japanese trade.

However, the provincial capital of Fujian is here after all!

Dai Chengsi has lived a very comfortable life in the past two years. His family used to be the largest grain merchant in Jinzhou. Before the Zhu family and his son captured Hanzhong, the Dai family chose to join the whole family and made a lot of money before the Ming Dynasty was officially founded.

At that time, the Zhu regime was besieged and was severely short of food after the army expansion. The food along the South Beijing Road was smuggled in by Song Dynasty officials, and about one-third of it needed to be transported by the Dai family.

Then Ju Ming resettled the refugees in Xiangyang and Nanyang, and the Dai family also helped transport a large number of supplies, and thus obtained franchise rights for some commodities.

Dai Chengsi was both a scholar and a good businessman, and he assisted Qian Chen in managing finances very early on.

If it hadn't been for the three years since his parents passed away, Dai Chengsi would have been a Minister of Household Affairs at least now.

People are so unlucky. My father passed away when I was on the rise in my career.

Dai Chengsi took care of the funeral arrangements and symbolically observed mourning for three months. The emperor issued an edict to seize his love and asked him to return to Beijing as an official as soon as possible. Just halfway through, my mother died again, and she ran home again in a hurry.

This time it was really hard for him to accept his love, so he could only keep his parents' filial piety.

When Ding You's term expired, Dai Chengsi was sent to Fuzhou just in time to reorganize the shipping department.

He will be able to return to Beijing at the end of this year to report on his work, and he will probably be promoted several levels because his qualifications and political achievements are already sufficient.

When Dai Chengsi left the capital, Prince Zhu specifically asked him to reserve the position of "Mr. Shibo" (the top leader of the General Administration of Customs) for him so that he could familiarize himself with customs business in the next three years.

"Where's Liu Yongqian? Why aren't you here yet?"

Dai Chengsi walked around the Shibosi Yamen, as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.

A month ago, he received a letter from Beijing, saying that it was possible to investigate Fuzhou.

So he frantically settled his accounts and even borrowed money to settle his accounts.

Those maritime merchants were not very clean. If they didn't lend him money to settle the accounts, Dai Chengsi would drag everyone to death.

Nowadays, there are still a few sums of money that have not been accounted for, and those are the accounts that deputy director Liu Yongqian is responsible for settling.

Today is the agreed deadline!

Dai Chengsi walked quickly to Liu Yongqian's office and found that this guy hadn't come to work yet, so he took a boat and went straight to the Liu family's private residence.

"Is Liu Yongqian at home?" Dai Chengsi asked his disciple, so anxious that he called him by his first name.

Menzi replied: "My husband, my wife, my husband and my wife went to Nanshan to worship Buddha as a family."

Dai Chengsi was startled and asked, "When did you go?"

Menzi said: "It was noon yesterday."

Yesterday morning, Liu Yongqian claimed that he was going to collect payment, and even went to discuss with Dai Chengsi.

Dai Chengsi didn't doubt his presence, but it wasn't until noon today that he finally felt something was wrong.

He hurried all the way to the temple and searched all the courtyards but found no one there. Dai Chengsi went to other temples to look for him.

It was getting dark, and Dai Chengsi returned to Shibo Division. He was convinced that Liu Yongqian had run away.

"Were there any fleets going to sea yesterday and today?" Dai Chengsi called the officials in charge of the port.

The official said: "The trade winds and waters have come in these days, and merchant ships go to sea every day. Which fleet is my husband asking about?"

"It's nothing, just a casual question." Dai Chengsi waved the person away.

After sitting alone in the hall for a long time, Dai Chengsi couldn't help but sigh: "The man surnamed Liu is so cruel. All his parents have given up on him, and he only took his wife and children away overseas."

In the next few days, Dai Chengsi forced the maritime merchants to take money and forcibly closed the accounts of the Shipping Department.

Then, wait to be caught!

He hates that this poor place in Fuzhou is so humid and hot in summer. Moreover, the businessmen here are also bastards. They actually lured themselves into corruption, and even managed to get involved in a major case.

He is a meritorious official from Conglong, and his family has also worked hard and made great achievements. Maybe the prince can be more generous.

maybe……

An official ship docked, and more than twenty officials landed with the garrison borrowed from Hangzhou.

These people acted separately, some went straight to the shipping department, and some went to several large merchants.

This winter, the Fuzhou anti-smuggling fleet, which will follow the navy to the Penghu Islands, is directly controlled by several warships from the north.

Fuzhou anti-smuggling fleet is suspected of colluding with maritime smuggling!

"Brother Chaozong, long time no see." Dai Chengsi took the initiative to greet the censor.

Jiang Han looked contemptuous: "You have gained a lot of weight. Your Dai family is already the richest man in the state. Are you short of money?"

"Alas!" Dai Chengsi sighed dejectedly.

"How much was stolen?" Jiang Han asked again.

Dai Chengsi said: "I have received tens of thousands of dollars, and they also want to share the profit. The account has been paid up a few days ago."

"Totally confused!"

Jiang Han was furious and said, "If I don't come, the Ministry of Revenue won't send someone to check the accounts?"

"There are several kinds of account books, which are difficult to find out. The purpose of settling the account this time is to make up for the money, hoping to get a lighter punishment." Dai Chengsi had a strong desire to survive, "I can make the Shibo Company fake the accounts." Methods for patrolling fleets for smuggling, as well as methods for preventing and eradicating these, write them down in detail and present them to the court, and then give confessions to all those involved in the case. Can it be considered a surrender and meritorious service?"

Jiang Han thought: "Maybe, but you must ask the prince for instructions. Where is Liu Yongqian promoted to deputy?"

Dai Chengsi said: "This bastard ran away with his wife and children. In the two days when his family disappeared, more than 20 Champa, Dashi, Indian and Srivijaya merchant ships went to sea. This person may have gone to Champa, or Probably went to Srivijaya.”

"If you flee a foreign country, even the Buyi clan and the Liu clan will be gone!" Jiang Han said through gritted teeth.

The Fuzhou Shipping Department is also a hotbed of cases. It was only cleaned up and rectified more than two years ago. Now there is widespread corruption among officials in the City Shipping Department. Since the customs tax system is more stringent, this time we simply used the anti-smuggling fleet to engage in smuggling and did not keep the customs' normal accounts.

Dai Chengsi's account was so bad that he couldn't tell how much he smuggled.

In Fuzhou City's Ship Division alone, six high-grade officials, four ungraded officials, and 29 regular officials were arrested. There is also a deputy who lifts the whole family to escape!

After following the clues and interrogating, the shipping market and shipping office under the jurisdiction of the Fuzhou Shipping Department uncovered a large number of corrupt and smuggling officials.

…

Tokyo, Imperial Palace.

Ju Ming took the information compiled from various places and said with great emotion: "One case has led to several cases, one person has led to several people, and the number of people involved in the case has increased exponentially. It has only been less than three months since the investigation, and only two officials have been sentenced to death." More than a hundred people and more than a hundred officials were also sentenced to death. Not to mention those who were imprisoned, there were more than four hundred officials who were sentenced to confiscate their homes and be exiled! Including the family members who were imprisoned, the number has exceeded two thousand. "

The above data only refers to the officials and their families involved in the case, and does not include the gentry and merchants involved in the crime.

If all officials and citizens were counted, it would be estimated that there were more than 5,000 people.

"Let's investigate. Since we have already taken action, let's get to the bottom of it." Zhu Guoxiang also put aside his womanly kindness.

From the central government to the local governments, the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty has been filled with panic.

As a large number of gentry and merchants were arrested, which even affected local material flows, the price of rice and cloth in many cities increased.

Ju Ming suddenly said: "I have suppressed the cases involving military attachés for the time being. In order to prevent someone from jumping over the wall in a hurry, I plan to have them leave the army and arrest them again during the process of changing official positions."

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Is it serious?"

Ju Ming said: "Mainly the capital commanders, garrison generals, logistics attachés and the military industry system. They usually have too many opportunities to make money. Especially those capital commanders and garrison generals, most of them are Conglong heroes who rebelled with us in the early days. They Either because of lack of ability, because of mistakes, or because of physical disabilities, they were removed from the frontline combat units."

"They feel that they have little hope of promotion, and relying on their seniority, it is not only a matter of corruption, but also often commits crimes in the local area. Some people even occupy abandoned land and prevent local officials from giving it to the people, and then force the people to give it to them Be a tenant!”

Zhu Guoxiang ordered: "Move quickly and the army cannot be in chaos."

"It's already being arranged," Ju Ming sighed. "These warriors are very arrogant. Even if they arrest many civil servants, they don't think anything will happen to them. They are as confident as a fascination. Some of them even came from Daming Village. Yes! He kept saying that the emperor used to be his village chief, and his son was also the emperor's student in the village."

This kind of thing is so normal. How domineering the founding generals were is clearly written in the history books.

Among the founding generals of the past dynasties, the most outrageous one is undoubtedly Wang Quanbin. Not to mention killing and robbing prisoners along the way, the Emperor of Hou Shu has already offered his surrender, and this guy's massacre and robbing has just begun.

He forced the surrendered Shu army to rebel, and the rebels gathered more than 100,000 people.

He was even afraid that the rebels would surrender prematurely, so he directly massacred the Quan Shixiong clan who was forced to be the leader of the rebels, seized the property and female relatives of the Quan clan, and then looted and massacred everywhere under the guise of countering the rebellion.

Hou Shu, which had just surrendered, was actually forced by the Song army to rebel in seventeen states.

Fearing that the Sichuan army in Chengdu would also rebel, Wang Quanbin directly trapped and killed 20,000 soldiers surrendered by Shu - these were nominally his own soldiers!

After finally quelling the rebellion, Wang Quanbin stayed in Sichuan and continued to support the bandits.

Zhao Kuangyin was so angry that he could only forgive his sins and take the opportunity to relieve him of military power. More than ten years later, he was even granted the title of Jiedushi (without military power) and was rewarded with thousands of taels of silver, tens of thousands of pieces of silk, and tens of millions of money.

In the end, he died a good death and was granted the title of Zhongshu Ling.

As for Sapphire, let alone its glorious deeds.

Occupying people's fields and killing wantonly were just trivial matters. When he led his troops back to Xifengkou, because the soldiers guarding the pass did not greet him in time, he directly sent troops to attack his own pass city.

This kind of behavior can be considered a crime of rebellion!

In comparison, the generals under Ju Ming only occupied wasteland and oppressed the people, and they could only be called good babies.