My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 143 The Kingdom's Fortune Increases by Five Years
From the moment Magistrate Shen took office, an uneasy atmosphere permeated the entire Gaomi County government office.

Gaomi is not a good place. The previous magistrate was a weak-willed scholar who had worked in the local education office for more than ten years before being promoted to this position.

The previous magistrate was a poor official and didn't cause much trouble during his tenure.

However, Shen Sixiao was surrounded by a large entourage when he took office, with his advisors and clerks bringing more than a dozen people. As soon as they arrived at the county government, they quickly took control of the six departments and spent the entire New Year period checking accounts in the household department.

The officials and yamen runners were trembling with fear. Sure enough, after the New Year, Shen Sixiao summoned everyone. The first thing the new official did was to urge the students to finish their studies.

In the Ming Dynasty, the most important performance indicator for officials was tax collection.

The Ministry of Revenue set an annual tax quota based on the amount of land in each region. If the quota was met, the tax was considered fully paid.

Of course, under normal circumstances, it is absolutely impossible to complete all the lessons.

Famine, tax resistance by the people, or even simply insufficient tax collection capacity of the government can all lead to failure to meet tax revenue targets.

The higher authorities are not unaware of these difficulties. As long as 80% of the target is achieved, it is considered basically satisfactory. If 90% of the tax revenue can be achieved every year, then it is considered a good performance.

The first thing every new local official usually does upon taking office is to collect taxes.

The process of collecting outstanding payments from previous years is called "urging payment," and it is also a way for new officials to establish their authority.

Those in government positions naturally understood this, and right after Shen Sixiao finished his long speech, Wu, the clerk of the Revenue Department, stepped forward and said:
"Sir, the wealthy households in the county are willing to make up part of the arrears."

Shen Sixiao did not show any joy, but instead asked:

"How much should be made up? Will there be any outstanding balances after the make-up?"

Wu Dianshi immediately said:
"Your Excellency, the arrears in Gaomi have been accumulated for more than just a year or two. How could these large households possibly make up for them all? But based on the amount they pledged, this year's autumn grain harvest can be 90% complete!"

The Ming Dynasty levied two grain taxes, one for summer and one for autumn, corresponding to the collection of staple grains in the two seasons.

Summer grain was usually transported to the capital after autumn, while autumn grain would be left until after the New Year, when the ice on the canal would melt, around the time of Qingming Festival, before being transported to the capital by grain transport.

The completion of 90% of the autumn grain harvest was the result of discussions between the officials and wealthy households in Gaomi County. Generally speaking, given the situation in Gaomi, completing 90% would be quite good.

But Shen Sixiao clearly felt it wasn't enough.

He frowned and said:
"Just replenishing the autumn grain to 90%? Not even a little bit of the shortfall can be made up?"

Wu Dianshi could only say helplessly:

“Sir, Gaomi was a poor county to begin with, and it suffered a disaster last year. It’s already good that it’s 90% full.”

Shen Sixiao slammed his gavel and said:

"Shut up! The county's debts are all due to the previous magistrate's leniency, which allowed these cunning and unruly people to take advantage of the situation."

"This year's autumn grain harvest must be fully collected! Half of the backlog from previous years must also be recovered!"

Upon hearing this number, the officials present turned pale.

The tax arrears in Gaomi are not a small amount. If half of them are recovered, it would be almost equivalent to collecting the autumn grain tax again.

"Wu Dianshi, what countermeasures does the Revenue Department have?"

Wu Dianshi could only grit his teeth and say:
“If an additional tax is to be levied, according to old practice there is a method called ‘tax based on grain’, which would levy an additional tax on wealthy households whose grain tax is equivalent to more than five taels of silver, and that might make up for the shortfall.”

When faced with a powerful county magistrate, it's normal for wealthy local families to pool their resources and help him achieve his political goals.

Of course, whether wealthy households cooperate or not depends on the magistrate's ability.

But no sooner had Clerk Wu finished speaking than a scholar dressed in Confucian robes stepped forward and said:

"Master, I think this is unacceptable!"

The speaker was also surnamed Shen. He was a scholar from the same clan as Shen Sixiao. After Shen Sixiao passed the imperial examination, he was assigned to Shen Sixiao's side and became his advisor.

Master Shen opened his folding fan and, shaking his head in the dead of winter, said:
“When we collect grain from wealthy households, they have ways to evade it by scattering grain or sending it by deception. The autumn grain will be transported to the capital soon, so even if we can collect it, it will be too late.”

"I believe that we should distribute the grain equally, based on the amount of land, with each mu (unit of land area) paying an extra six dou (unit of dry measure) of grain. This way, the people will not be harmed, and most of the debt can be made up."

Wu Dianshi's face turned green.

Ten dou equals one shi. This number may not seem like much, but for ordinary people, an extra three to five dou is an extremely heavy tax increase.

Moreover, with each level of clerks and runners adding their own charges, three to five dou could become three to five shi.

Wu Dianshi was certainly not thinking of the people's best interests, but the people of Gaomi were known for their fierce and unruly nature. If this were to incite a popular uprising, he, as the clerk of the Household Department, would definitely be made the scapegoat.

Wu Dianshi could only pray that Shen Sixiao, unable to control the yamen runners, would be unable to go to the countryside to collect the debts.

However, Shen Sixiao's next sentence completely chilled Wu Dianshi's heart.

"This time, when we go to the countryside to collect the taxes, we will use the equal transport method, paying taxes according to the land area, and not a single inch of land can be in arrears."

"I have already recruited a group of people in the capital, and they will arrive in Gaomi in a few days."

"In order to complete the imperial court's grain requisition plan, we can only make the people suffer."

Upon hearing this, Wu Dianshi knew that this newly appointed county magistrate was truly a ruthless character who would stop at nothing to achieve political success, even having prepared his own people to urge the students to complete their studies.

When local officials and common people encounter such superiors, they are bound to have a miserable time.

At this point, all they could do was pray that Shen Sixiao would get promoted as soon as possible.

Shen Sixiao finished his official business and returned to the back office with satisfaction.

Gaomi is a poor county. Shen Sixiao had already made preparations before taking office. To achieve political achievements in such a poor county, he could only make some progress in "urging students to complete their studies".

The scene that just happened in court was actually planned by Shen Sixiao and his advisor.

Shen Sixiao knew, of course, that the common people were all poor.

However, it was extremely difficult for an official from out of town to squeeze any money out of the local powerful families.

Therefore, Shen Sixiao thought of this method of taxation based on the amount of land, which is to directly levy taxes on the land, regardless of whether the people are rich or poor.

As long as he can achieve his goal of urging students to attend classes, Shen Sixiao doesn't mind making the people suffer a little.

Anyway, he has connections above him, and with some political achievements and a little smoothing out, he can naturally leave Gaomi.

This is also why Shen Sixiao recruited hangers-on in the capital and sent them to Gaomi after the New Year.

To collect grain from the local people, Shen Sixiao knew that the local officials and yamen runners were unreliable, so he had to use all his own people.

As for how these scoundrels and hangers-on from the capital would exploit the people, that was not something Magistrate Shen of Gaomi County had to worry about. He was simply following the official records to collect the owed grain. Who told the people of Gaomi to be dishonest and not pay their share of the grain?
Shen Sixiao returned to the back office with satisfaction, wondering if the hangers-on he had recruited in the capital should have arrived by now.
-
The next day, Shen Sixiao, worried that Wu Dianshi would cause trouble, specially granted him sick leave and forced him to go home for a vacation.

Wu, the clerk, was even more worried. Although the clerk was not an official, he was still nominally a clerk in the Ministry of Personnel. Even if there was no wrongdoing, the county magistrate could not dismiss him at will.

But if Shen Sixiao really achieves something, he can use his prestige to infiltrate the government and marginalize Wu Dianshi.

Wu, the clerk, was staying home and refusing visitors when a travel-worn soldier suddenly burst in. "What!"

Wu Dianshi slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and asked the soldier who had come to deliver the message:
"you sure!?"

The messenger was a courier from the Dengzhou government office. During the Ming Dynasty, express delivery stations were set up in prefectures and counties, and couriers were assigned to deliver official documents and messages.

However, it was clear that the soldier did not come with official documents, but was sent privately by Wu Dianshi's brother-in-law, who worked as a clerk in the government office.

"Absolutely true! The news will reach Gaomi tomorrow!"

Wu Dianshi paced back and forth excitedly. The sycophants recruited by Magistrate Shen had caused trouble at Longquan Post Station, beating up the censor who had come to the station to inspect the documents!
As a member of the officialdom, Wu Dianshi knew this was a matter of utmost importance!
Are those censors so easy to mess with?

You, Magistrate Shen, are a local magistrate in Gaomi County, a powerful figure in the county government, but in the eyes of the Censorate, you are nothing!

If your personal attendants and servants assaulted the censor, then isn't Shen Sixiao failing to manage his subordinates properly?
If the investigation continues and the censors take notice, it's uncertain how long Shen Sixiao, this mere county magistrate, can remain in office.

Thinking of this, Wu Dianshi, who had been driven to the brink of despair by the pressure to finish the course, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope!
This soldier, a close confidant of Wu Dianshi's brother-in-law, added:
"Zhang Lingjun has learned that our Dengzhou-Laizhou Governor Tu seems to be dissatisfied with your Magistrate Shen."

Wu Dianshi's eyes lit up.

Above the county is the prefecture, and the chief official is the prefect.

However, the imperial court sometimes appointed a governor to govern several prefectures. Originally, the governor was the local supervisory official, but as the supervisory institutions became more administrative, the governor became the chief official of the prefecture.

Originally, the area above the prefecture level should have been the Provincial Administration Commission, also known in official circles as the "circuit" or "province." The Censorate was divided into thirteen circuits to supervise local areas.

At the provincial level, separate Provincial Administration Commissions could be established, headed by Provincial Administration Commissioners, who would be in charge of civil affairs.

The Commandery of the Capital Military Command, headed by the Commander-in-Chief, was in charge of military affairs.

The Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office was in charge of the Provincial Judicial Commissioner and was in charge of judicial affairs.

The separation of powers among the three departments, while seemingly granting them great authority, actually led to a gradual loss of control over prefectures and counties.

At this point, the governor, who was in charge of civil affairs and supervision, became the true superior of each prefecture.

When Tu Zemin, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, arrived in office, Wu Dianshi had inquired about him. He was a shrewd and capable old official with a rich resume. It was said that he had the support of the Grand Secretary in the court and was here to preside over the opening of the port in Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Governor Tu Zemin was the superior of Shen Sixiao's superior. Since he had expressed his dissatisfaction with Shen Sixiao, Wu Dianshi thought it over carefully and decided to take a gamble.

He carried all the dirt on Shen Sixiao that he had gathered over the past few days, especially the evidence that Shen Sixiao wanted to use the equal distribution method to recover the arrears, on his body.

Then Wu Dianshi borrowed a fine horse and, together with the soldiers, rode swiftly towards Laizhou, where Tu Zemin was stationed!
-
The next day, at the Gaomi County Government Office.

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

Shen Sixiao's relative, the clerk Shen who had proposed the equal distribution method, rushed into the back office in a panic.

"Xie Da and the others have been arrested!"

Xie Da, the henchman Shen Sixiao recruited in the capital, immediately stood up and said upon hearing of their arrest:
"Didn't I give Xie the official seal of the Censorate? Who dares to arrest him!"

Master Shen said with a bitter expression:

"It is said that two censors from the Censorate went to Longquanyi to inspect the documents and got into a dispute with Xie Da, who then beat the two censors."

"Xie Da knew he had caused trouble and tried to escape, but he was caught and brought back by the Shuntian Prefecture."

Upon hearing this news, Shen Sixiao felt his hands and feet turn cold. The sycophants he had recruited had beaten up the censor. Wouldn't his career be ruined?
Shen Sixiao observed politics in the Censorate, so he knew the temperaments of these censors all too well.

Just as Shen Sixiao was thinking about how to salvage the situation, another aide rushed in and said to Shen Sixiao:

"Master Dong! The governor's office has sent a note inquiring about the matter of urging taxes in Longquanyi and our county!"

Shen Sixiao felt dizzy. He knew that Tu Zemin was recommended by Su Ze. Although he felt that what he did in the Censorate back then was flawless, he was still guilty in front of Su Ze. Therefore, he was very careful with Governor Tu Zemin, afraid that the other party would find a handle against him.

But Shen Sixiao never expected that despite all his careful planning, he would stumble when it came to urging students to attend classes.

Shen Sixiao's face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground.
-
At Su Ze's home, the system popped up a settlement report.

With the help of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, your recommendations for Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao were approved by the Emperor.

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao were promoted to Supervising Censors of Shandong Circuit.

[Shen Sixiao was sentenced to retirement and forced to return to his hometown due to lax household management and overly harsh governance.]

The chaos at the post stations has been cleared up thanks to your memorial, increasing the Ming Dynasty's lifespan by 5.

[Host's prestige +200.]

National fortune +5!

Could it be that Li Zicheng didn't emerge because he reformed the postal system?

Su Ze then shook his head. Historically, Zhang Juzheng had also reformed the post stations, but by the mid-Wanli period, the post stations had deteriorated again.

By the Chongzhen era, the annual subsidy for the post stations had reached 1.5 million taels of silver, but the imperial court still could not afford it.

Xu Xiake, a traveler in the late Ming Dynasty, relied on a tally card to travel all over China during a time of war and chaos.

The fact that one can increase the nation's fortune by 5 by making advance preparations for the post stations further illustrates the importance of the postal routes as a national information channel.

Upon seeing the settlement report, Su Ze felt a pang of regret.

There was nothing that could be done; after all, it was only Shen Sixiao's family's hangers-on who beat people up at Longquanyi, not Shen Sixiao himself who assaulted the censor.

Shen Sixiao was dismissed from his post because the nature of his assault on the censor was so egregious that he was attacked by the masses.

However, being able to expel Shen Sixiao, that venomous snake, from officialdom was an unexpected bonus of this reorganization of the post stations.

Just then, there was a knock at Su Ze's door. Xu Wei opened the door and saw Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao standing there. He quickly led them inside.

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao only suffered superficial injuries, and after resting for a few days, their injuries have almost healed.

The two entered the house and bowed respectfully to Su Ze.

Su Ze accepted their full courtesy before helping them up and saying:
"Brother Yiqing (Shen Zao's courtesy name), Brother Qingpu (Wang Renzhong's courtesy name), we owe a great debt to your advice regarding the post road issue this time. Countless postmen across the land should thank you!"

Shen Zao and Wang Renzhong lowered their heads and said in shame:
“Brother Su, it was you who suggested reforming the post roads. After we were beaten, it was you who wrote a letter to speak up for us. We are truly unworthy of this credit.”

Shen Zao and Wang Renzhong have been recuperating at home these days, and their colleagues from the Censorate and their fellow graduates who stayed in Beijing have been visiting them one after another, praising them as the number one heroes in the reorganization of the post stations.

Shen Zao and Wang Renzhong felt unworthy of such treatment, which is why they came to visit today.

Su Ze addressed the two by their courtesy names, indicating that their relationship had entered a new phase.

Since they already had this kind of relationship, and both of them were now official censors, Su Ze took out a letter from his study.

(End of this chapter)