My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 413 The Dispersed Jiangnan, Part Three

Southern Zhili was larger than the later scattered provinces, and it governed fourteen prefectures and four directly governed states.

The five prefectures south of the Yangtze River were Yingtian Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture, and Changzhou Prefecture. However, the three prefectures of Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, and Songjiang did not recognize Yingtian Prefecture as part of the Jiangnan region, since part of Nanjing's territory was north of the Yangtze River.

Jiangbei: Yangzhou Prefecture, Huai'an Prefecture, Fengyang Prefecture, and Luzhou Prefecture.

Fengyang Prefecture holds a special position as it is the site of the ancestral tombs of the Ming Dynasty. The Fengyang Imperial City was specifically used to imprison criminals of the imperial family.

Fengyang and Huai'an were usually listed side by side. During the Ming Dynasty, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief was usually appointed to oversee the grain transport and to govern the various prefectures of Fengyang and Huai'an. Therefore, they were referred to as Huaifu or Fengfu.

The current Huaifu is Wang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Yangzhou Prefecture was a hub for the salt industry, while Luzhou Prefecture had the important town of Hefei, which was the core of the defense of the Jianghuai region.

There are also four prefectures along the river, which are mainly important military towns.

Anqing Prefecture controlled the mouth of Poyang Lake, making it a crucial point for preventing migrants from Jiangxi and Fujian from entering Southern Zhili.

Chizhou Prefecture is responsible for preventing river floods, as it is the main outlet for flood discharge from the Yangtze River. Every time the Yangtze River floods, Chizhou suffers.

Taiping Prefecture was a strategic barrier guarding Jinling (Nanjing), and it was part of the capital region during the period when Nanjing was the capital.

Xuancheng, the seat of Ningguo Prefecture, was a key defensive hub in the mountainous region of southern Anhui.

These four prefectures were the most declining in Southern Zhili, mainly because Nanjing was no longer the political center, and the importance of these military barriers decreased. Their main function became to block refugees, and they needed to resettle a large number of refugees who poured into Southern Zhili.

These four prefectures had a heavy economic burden and had to take the imperial examinations along with those in Southern Zhili, making them the most dissatisfied of the fourteen prefectures in Southern Zhili.

There are also four directly governed prefectures.

A Zhili Prefecture is a special administrative unit, located between a prefecture and a county, similar to a municipality.

Xuzhou needs no introduction; the stories of Xuzhou are widely known.

Chuzhou was also very famous. It was surrounded by mountains and was the center of horse administration north of the Yangtze River. The Imperial Stud had an office there.

Hezhou was a key town for river defense, responsible for blocking the Yangtze River and Chaohu waterway.

Guangde Prefecture is located at the junction of Southern Zhili and Zhejiang, and is also an important military town.

Su Ze himself was from Suzhou Prefecture, and he summarized the reasons for the fragmentation of Southern Zhili into three main points:
Chaotic governance, economic disparities, and cultural hierarchies of contempt.

Nanjing was once the capital, so Southern Zhili was the capital region.

The governance of Nanjing was extremely chaotic.

The administrative power of the fourteen prefectures and four states theoretically belonged to the Six Ministries in Nanjing.

However, in reality, the Ming court particularly liked to appoint governors to these prefectures.

For example, Hai Rui was the governor of ten prefectures in Yingtian before him.

For example, the Huaifu of Fengyang and Huai'an were permanent institutions, and he was known as the number one governor in the country, completely ignoring the Six Ministries in Nanjing.

This was already a disaster, but what was even more disastrous was that the four prefectures along the river—Anqing, Chizhou, Taiping, and Ningguo—along with the four other prefectures, belonged to a special military zone.

Sometimes a military circuit was established here, and sometimes not, but it was always a military stronghold under the supervision and management of the Nanjing Garrison Eunuch.

The prefectures along the canal were required to levy salt taxes, mainly Huai'an and Yangzhou, which were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

Under such chaotic governance, local officials in Southern Zhili were often in a state of great confusion.

Shen Shixing's adoptive father served as the prefect of Suzhou, a position controlled by the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing and the governor of Yingtian, and also supervised by the eunuch in charge of textile manufacturing.

The economic disparities are even greater.

The Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures accounted for more than half of the grain tax in Southern Zhili, but the Fenglu prefectures also had something to say, as they still had to pay horse tax, which was much more painful for them than for the Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures.

The Huaiyang region would also argue that their annual salt tax revenue exceeded the total land tax of the entire Southern Zhili region, making Huaiyang's tax burden even heavier.

Finally, there's the cultural hierarchy of contempt.

While Southern Zhili is said to be a unified entity, its culture is actually not a single circle, and the dialects in different regions vary greatly.

Specifically, the North is dominated by Central Plains culture, and Xuzhou belongs to the Lu culture circle, with customs and language similar to those of Shandong.

Jianghuai Mandarin is the main dialect in central Jiangsu, and Huaiyang dialect also has a long history and rich cultural heritage.

Jiangnan is the Wu cultural sphere, and the Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous period of Jiangnan culture. As a result, the concept of Jiangnan has been shrinking, and Jiangnan culture has been looking down on the northern regions.

The western part of Southern Zhili, which later became Anhui, was also home to Huizhou culture, forming its own distinct style and boasting numerous famous figures and historical sites.

The four circles are completely different, yet they were forcibly merged into Southern Zhili.

It would be strange if it weren't sold in bulk.

The region of Jiangnan was the most opposed to levying commercial taxes.

The area is a thriving commercial center, and the local gentry govern the countryside and do not want the government to interfere in rural affairs.

The area was home to numerous academies and private schools, so there was no need for public primary schools to provide a safety net.

However, to Su Ze's surprise, the first place in Southern Zhili to jump out and demand the imposition of commercial taxes was Yangzhou Prefecture.

Yangzhou Prefecture, which governed Jiangdu, Yizhen, Taixing, Baoying, Xinghua, Rugao, and Gaoyou Prefectures, was an important hub for the north-south canal transport and the core of the salt tax in the entire south.

On July 29th, Shen Sike, the prefect of Yangzhou, submitted a memorial to the emperor. The entire Yangzhou prefectural and county government, along with local gentry and students, jointly petitioned the imperial court to levy commercial taxes in Yangzhou!
When the petition was sent to the cabinet, both Grand Secretary Gao Gong and Second Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng were excited!
This method was indeed correct!
Starting with the prefectures, we can break through one by one. As long as a few prefectures in each province can levy commercial taxes, the other prefectures will soon see the benefits and will follow suit.

Once most areas of a province have started collecting commercial taxes, those areas that don't will actually be the ones who suffer.

Because under the tax-sharing reform, local governments that collected commercial taxes profited.

Yangzhou is an important town along the Grand Canal. Once Yangzhou starts levying commercial taxes, all goods transported from the south of the Yangtze River via the canal will be taxed here.

These taxes would be divided, with one portion going to the imperial court in the capital and the other to the government in Yangzhou.

However, if the goods are produced in Yangzhou itself, after the industrial tax is levied at the production stage, the commercial tax along the way can be waived by presenting the tax receipt.

In other words, the Yangzhou government could collect taxes on goods produced in Yangzhou itself, and it could also collect taxes on goods that passed through Yangzhou.

This was tantamount to the Yangzhou government levying taxes on goods from Jiangnan on behalf of the imperial court.

The tax-sharing reform has such ingenious uses!

Even Zhang Juzheng was now convinced. How could there be a financial genius like Su Ze in this world?

The more this happened, the more Zhang Juzheng regretted it.

Zhang Juzheng was determined to reform and rarely regretted his actions throughout his life. His only regret now is why Su Ze was not his disciple.

If I have such a disciple to wholeheartedly assist me, I will surely be able to achieve my reform goals, and after I have completed the reforms, I can confidently entrust the administration of the court to Su Ze.

A perfect assistant and a perfect political successor just slipped through my fingers.

Zhang Juzheng then looked at his remaining disciples. Shen Shixing was mature and thoughtful, and Wang Xijue was upright and capable, but compared to Su Ze, they were far inferior.
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"Breaking news! Breaking news! His Majesty has granted permission for the gentry of Yangzhou Prefecture to levy commercial taxes!"

Gu Xiancheng, who had rushed from Zhigu to the capital, immediately bought a copy of the latest "Yuefu Xinbao" after arriving at the city gate. After reading it briefly, he quickly went to the Wuxi Guild Hall.

When Gu Xiancheng arrived at the guild hall, he immediately sought out his fellow townsman and friend, Gao Panlong. "Brother Shushi (Gu Xiancheng's courtesy name), why have you returned to the capital?"

After the last preparatory meeting for the Wusong Railway, Gu Xiancheng was greatly discouraged. He chose to give up the imperial examination and went to Zhigu to enroll in the railway school run by the Fan family.

It can only be said that Gu Xiancheng's judgment was indeed very accurate.

After the first class of the Zhigu Railway School started, Gu Xiancheng, being a scholar with a foundation in mathematics, quickly stood out among the students.

After the establishment of the Zhiwu Railway Company, the railway from Zhigu to the capital began construction. The imperial court was in dire need of railway personnel, so the students of the railway school were recruited by the Zhiwu Railway Company before they even graduated.

Gu Xiancheng learned and worked at the same time, and in just over six months, he went from being an intern technician to a full-fledged technician and became a key technical member of railway construction.

His monthly salary had also increased to ten silver dollars.

This monthly salary even made Gao Panlong envious.

The official salary of a county magistrate was forty silver dollars a year.

Gu Xiancheng's annual salary was already 120 silver dollars, which was three times the salary of a county magistrate!

This is a huge sum of money for an ordinary person.

Gu Xiancheng also said that if he continued to be promoted and became a senior technician, his monthly salary could rise to fifteen silver dollars.

Moving up to the middle management level in the railway company, annual salary is then calculated.

Because of Gu Xiancheng's example, several fellow townsmen from Wuxi enrolled in railway colleges, preparing to give up the imperial examinations and find a job on the railway.

Gu Xiancheng didn't drink a drop of water and said directly:
“Brother Yuncong (Gao Panlong's courtesy name), I read in the newspaper in Zhigu that Yangzhou is going to levy a commercial tax!”

Gao Panlong nodded and said:
"This matter has been hotly discussed among our fellow villagers for several days. The gentry of Yangzhou are short-sighted. Let them levy taxes if they want to, as long as we don't."

Gu Xiancheng said urgently:

"How foolish! Imposing taxes in Yangzhou is tantamount to imposing taxes on Changzhou Prefecture. It's like making the people of Changzhou pay taxes to Yangzhou Prefecture!"

Gu Xiancheng said:
“Yangzhou is the main hub of the Grand Canal. Our goods traveling north on the Grand Canal all pass through Yangzhou Prefecture, which means that the water is pumped out of the canal every time. Are we going to abandon the Grand Canal transport because of taxes? How high would that cost?”

Gao Panlong's expression was somewhat grim. He certainly understood the importance of the canal transport and was also aware of the losses and costs associated with land transport.

"What kind of logic is it that the products we, Changzhou Prefecture, have worked so hard to produce, are then distributed to the people of Yangzhou after taxes are collected?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Panlong's expression turned even uglier.

Being taxed by the imperial court was already humiliating, but compared to being ripped off by Yangzhou Prefecture, that was not just humiliation, it was downright humiliation!

Changzhou Prefecture and Yangzhou Prefecture faced each other across the river, and Changzhou Prefecture also had a "territorial dispute" with Yangzhou Prefecture.

Jingjiang County, under the jurisdiction of Changzhou Prefecture, was also located north of the Yangtze River and bordered Taixing County of Yangzhou Prefecture.

Jingjiang County belongs to Changzhou Prefecture, which is in the Jiangnan region, but it is actually closer to Taixing County, and there are constant frictions between the two.

Yangzhou Prefecture had always wanted to bring Jingjiang County under its jurisdiction, so that Yangzhou Prefecture would control the entire northern bank of the Yangtze River in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

However, other counties in Changzhou Prefecture also looked down on Jingjiang, yet they refused to relinquish their hold on to it.

The two sides have been in constant conflict over this county.

Yes, from now on, goods from Jingjiang entering Taixing will have to pay taxes to Yangzhou Prefecture. What kind of logic is that?
The gentry of Changzhou Prefecture were furious!

Gao Panlong's fists hardened!
He quickly asked:
"Brother Shushi, what should we do?"

Gu Xiancheng said very decisively:

"Our Changzhou Prefecture will also levy a business tax!"

"What!?"

Gao Panlong was now confused.

Gu Xiancheng said:
"The imperial court levies industrial and commercial taxes only once to avoid double taxation."

"If Changzhou Prefecture levies commercial taxes, then goods produced in Changzhou Prefecture will not need to pay taxes again if they pass through Yangzhou Prefecture after paying the taxes and obtaining a receipt."

Gao Panlong thought about it and realized that it really made sense.

Gu Xiancheng then said:

"The imperial court and local authorities agreed that for the first three years of levying commercial taxes, 60% would be given to local government officials, and after the three years were up, the taxes would be split in half."

"If Changzhou Prefecture collects taxes, then it must be taken from the people and used locally. It can be used to build water conservancy projects, repair roads, and establish schools. Naturally, it's a very beneficial thing!"

"But if the Yangzhou government takes it, wouldn't we be doing all the work for someone else?"

"This is Su Hanlin's open scheme!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Panlong also began to nod.

In fact, Gu Xiancheng's words also have logical flaws.

Not all goods from Changzhou Prefecture were transported to other places via Yangzhou. Many goods were exported. In fact, strictly speaking, the majority of goods exported from Changzhou Prefecture were not transported via the Grand Canal.

Even so, Gu Xiancheng's statement that Changzhou Prefecture should produce goods and Yangzhou Prefecture should collect taxes from them was still unacceptable to the people of Changzhou Prefecture!

Why should the taxes of Jiangnan be collected by your Yangzhou Prefecture?
However, Gao Panlong added:

"What should we do? How can we persuade our fellow villagers to levy a commercial tax?"

Gu Xiancheng said:
"Write an article!"

Gu Xiancheng has already learned his lesson.

When the Wusong Railway was negotiated to go bankrupt last time, he, a native of Wuxi, was almost expelled from Changzhou by the government.

It's impossible to get Jiangnan to work together through unity, so now the only path left is "hatred".

Gu Xiancheng said:
“Brother Yuncong, have you heard of the Jiangzuo Yabao? It’s a new newspaper organized by the gentry of Jiangnan. It has already published several issues and is quite influential in Jiangnan.”

"I wrote an article, which I plan to publish in the Jiangzuo Yabao."

Li Panlong took over Gu Xiancheng's article, which was a highly inflammatory piece.

The title itself is incredibly offensive:
"Let not the lifeblood of Changzhou flow into the pockets of Yangzhou!"

Gu Xiancheng wrote in the article:

“The officials of Yangzhou Prefecture carry tax receipts, and what they collect is not only silver from the imperial court, but also a share of the profits between the Yangzhou government and the local gentry!”

"Gentlemen, I ask you: how can we allow Yangzhou, north of the Yangtze River, to sit back and share in the profits earned by the hard-working people of Changzhou?"

"How can we sit idly by and watch the blood and sweat of our own people be used to feed our long-time enemies?"

"If we hand over Changzhou to Yangzhou, it would be like cutting off the flesh of Changzhou to mend the wounds of Yangzhou! How can the products of Jiangnan benefit the north of the Yangtze River?! If this continues, Changzhou's resources will dry up, while Yangzhou will reap the benefits. Wouldn't our mighty Jiangnan prefecture become a vassal of others?"

"We urge the government of Changzhou Prefecture and its counties, along with our gentry and students, to quickly submit a joint petition to the imperial court, earnestly requesting that the tax on industry and commerce be levied at the same time as that of Yangzhou Prefecture!"

(End of this chapter)