My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 357 Scattered Jiangnan
In a post station outside the capital city.

The consultation group, elected by officials and gentry in Jiangnan, is gathering to discuss the matter.

We're heading to Beijing tomorrow, and next we'll have to hold a meeting with the Ministry of Works.

This negotiation team carries the hopes of Jiangnan. If it succeeds, it will naturally become famous throughout Jiangnan. But if it fails, it will have to think about how to face the people of Jiangdong when it returns.

However, the Jiangnan negotiation team was not very united along the way. First of all, they could not reach a consensus on the question of what Jiangnan was.

In the earliest times, the area south of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River could be called Jiangnan.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Jiangnan Circuit was established, which encompassed the present-day six provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Fujian. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Jiangnan was even considered an undeveloped and wild land.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Grand Canal of Sui and Tang was completed, and the economic center shifted south after the An Lushan Rebellion, leading to the saying that Yangzhou was second only to Chengdu in the Tang dynasty.

The Jiangnan region has been narrowed down to include the southern bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, plus the Taihu Lake basin. Simply put, the Suzhou and Hangzhou area is considered Jiangnan.

At that time, Nanjing and Yangzhou were naturally considered to be in the Jiangnan region.

By the Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan only referred to Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou. At this time, Nanjing and Yangzhou were already called Jiangbei.

Some even go to extremes, believing that only Suzhou, Songjiang, and Changzhou can be considered part of Jiangnan, with Zhenjiang Prefecture being the most suspicious, as it has connections with Jiangbei and is difficult to classify as part of Jiangnan.

The concept of Jiangnan is constantly shrinking.

For example, the four prefectures of Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou were not enthusiastic about the Wusong Railway project.

This railway is located within Songjiang Prefecture.

Of course, this is only the first phase of the railway. According to the plan of Suzhou, Songjiang and Changzhou, the Wusong Railway will eventually connect the counties under Suzhou Prefecture and Changzhou Prefecture, so that goods from the three prefectures can be shipped out to sea from the Wusongkou Wharf.

No matter how much the railway is repaired, it will not reach the four prefectures of Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou for the time being.

Therefore, this negotiation team was basically composed of gentry from the three prefectures.

However, the gentry of these three prefectures did not have an pleasant journey.

For example, Gu Xiancheng, the representative from Wuxi in this negotiation group, said that Wuxi County belonged to Changzhou Prefecture, but Gu Xiancheng always said that he was from Wuxi in Southern Zhili, and never said that he was from Wuxi in Changzhou Prefecture.

When Zhu Yuanzhang first established Nanjing as the capital, Wuxi was still Wuxi Prefecture in terms of administrative division, and it was a territory directly under the Central Secretariat of the imperial court.

After the country was stabilized, Wuxi Prefecture was downgraded to Wuxi County and placed under the administration of Changzhou Prefecture.

For this reason, the people of Wuxi have been indignant for hundreds of years.

Of course, only scholars from Wujin County, the capital of Changzhou Prefecture, would call themselves people from Jiangnan. People from Wuxi County, Jiangyin County, Yixing County, and Jingjiang County, the four counties under Changzhou Prefecture, would not call themselves people from Changzhou Prefecture.

The same principle can be applied to Suzhou Prefecture.

During the Ming Dynasty, Suzhou Prefecture administered Wu County, Changzhou County, Changshu County, Wujiang County, Kunshan County, Jiading County, Chongming County, and Taicang Prefecture.

Suzhou Prefecture was even more fragmented than Changzhou Prefecture. Basically, no one outside the prefecture referred to themselves as being from Suzhou Prefecture; they would only say they were from their county.

People from Jiangnan can only be considered a unified group when someone else is expelled from Jiangnan.

Although Gu Xiancheng was only a scholar, he was exceptionally intelligent from a young age and was known as a child prodigy.

Gu Xiancheng's grandfather started by engaging in the cotton trade, which led to his wealth. He acquired extensive landholdings, laying the foundation for the family's economy and transforming them into landlords and merchants.

Gu Xiancheng's father started taking the imperial examinations. Although he only passed and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) and did not become an official, he laid the foundation for the Gu family to become a family that passed the imperial examinations.

The Gu family were major merchants in the cotton industry and attached great importance to the construction of the Wusong Railway. Therefore, as the leader, the family also sent Gu Xiancheng to participate in the negotiation group in order to increase his reputation.

Among the negotiating group was Gao Panlong, who, like Gu Xiancheng, was from Wuxi.

Gao Panlong also came from a scholarly family. His grandfather had served as a county magistrate, and he passed the imperial examination at the county level in his teens, earning him the reputation of a child prodigy.

Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong had known each other for a long time. The two were known as the two friends of Wuxi and often organized young scholars in Wuxi to discuss academic matters.

The representative of this negotiation team was Xu Kun, the second son of former Grand Secretary Xu Jie.

Gao Panlong and Gu Xiancheng looked down on Xu Kun.

Hai Rui surveyed the land in Yingtian Prefecture and uncovered many illegal activities by the Xu family. Xu Jie's eldest son, Xu Fan, took all the blame and was ultimately sentenced by Hai Rui to exile.

Later, the Longqing Emperor exempted Xu Fan from exile, but also removed him from his hereditary post.

Although Xu Kun escaped unscathed, his reputation in Songjiang Prefecture was still not good.

Perhaps because of Xu Jie's prestige as the former Grand Secretary, the gentry of Songjiang Prefecture ultimately elected him as the head of the negotiation team.

We're heading to the capital tomorrow, but Xu Kun, the head of the negotiation team, hasn't even come up with a consensus that represents the interests of the entire Jiangnan region. How are we supposed to negotiate with the court under these circumstances?
Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong were both very dissatisfied with this, believing that Xu Kun, the head of the negotiation delegation, was incompetent but refused to relinquish his position, which made the officials and gentry in Jiangnan so passive.

Gu Xiancheng and Gao Panlong simply pulled together a few familiar gentry members for a small meeting, intending to bypass Xu Kun and directly present their opinions during the negotiations.

Everyone gathered in Gu Xiancheng's room, and Gao Panlong spoke first:
"Brother Shushi (Gu Xiancheng's courtesy name), do you remember the uproar when Lord Hai measured the land of the ten prefectures of Yingtian? Someone overstepped the land limit and embezzled the people's hard-earned money, but in the end, the eldest son of his family was made to take the blame and be exiled, while he himself was left with a 'clean' reputation... Such 'responsibility' is quite a strange story."

Gu Xiancheng and the gentry present burst into laughter.

Gu Xiancheng's lips curled into a sarcastic smile as he leisurely said:
“Brother Yuncong (Gao Panlong’s courtesy name), what’s so strange about that? The Book of Documents says, ‘Families with hereditary official positions rarely follow the rules of propriety,’ isn’t that exactly what’s being said about these kinds of people?”

"Relying on the legacy of his father, he bullies the villagers. The elders of Songjiang all despise him. This time, he has been chosen as the 'representative of Jiangnan,' but I'm afraid it's not based on 'virtuous reputation,' but on the crumbling, dilapidated facade of his family?"

The remaining gentry laughed again.

After mocking Xu Kun, the two men got down to business.

Gu Xiancheng said:
"Today I inquired about the price of steel in the suburbs of Beijing, and it is several times higher than the price of rails calculated by the Ministry of Works."

"And the construction cost of the Fangshan Railway is lower than the market price of steel."

“When we negotiate, we’ll keep this price in mind.”

Gao Panlong frowned and said:
"Isn't this just like being a merchant? We came here for the sake of the people of Jiangnan. Surely the court wouldn't be so harsh? Do you think the officials in the court would talk to us with abacuses like the shop assistants in the merchant guild?"

The crowd burst into laughter again, but Gu Xiancheng did not laugh.

He said:
"Have you all forgotten that when the various departments were vying for the budget of the Beijing Garrison, weren't all the high-ranking officials also holding abacuses and calculating every penny?"

"If you ask me, this trend started as soon as Su Zilin entered the court. Now all the officials in the court are as cunning as shrewd merchants, and they have no dignity whatsoever as scholars!"

Gu Xiancheng turned his attention to Su Ze, but few people present dared to respond.

Gao Panlong also said:

“Brother Shushi, this railway is also thanks to Hanlin Su. Su Zilin has made some contributions to the current prosperity of our Great Ming Dynasty. Besides, he is also a scholar from Jiangnan.”

Gu Xiancheng, however, said with dissatisfaction:
"Since Su Zilin entered officialdom, has he ever made any contribution to the people of his hometown?"

"This time, Su Zilin isn't helping his hometown folks with the Wusong Railway issue. He wants to have some kind of negotiation. It's obvious he doesn't want to help!" Although Gao Panlong was arrogant, he didn't dare to respond to Gu Xiancheng's words.

Gu Xiancheng realized that no one was responding to his insults towards Su Ze, so he had no choice but to drop the subject and return to the topic of the Wusong Railway:

"Since the imperial court wants to settle accounts, then we should also settle accounts."

"Our Wusong Railway can buy steel from the north, but we must buy it at market price!"

The scholars present echoed and agreed with Gu Xiancheng's proposal.

After everyone left, Gao Panlong said to Gu Xiancheng:

"Brother Shushi, what about the discussion on steel prices?"

Gu Xiancheng was comparing steel prices near the capital, but in reality, the cost of transporting steel was very high.

If steel from the capital were transported to the south of the Yangtze River, the transportation cost might be higher than the steel itself.

Gu Xiancheng's insistence on comparing steel prices in the capital is undoubtedly a form of sophistry.

Gu Xiancheng, however, said dismissively:
“Brother Yuncong, we are here in the capital representing the gentry of Jiangnan, so we should naturally stand on the side of our hometown elders.”

"When we from Jiangnan pay our taxes to the capital, don't we take into account the losses incurred along the way?"

Gao Panlong fell silent.

If you compare them like this, it's definitely true.

The amount of in-kind tax revenue collected by the Ming Dynasty was the actual amount delivered to the national treasury after deducting losses during transportation.

For example, the tribute rice from Jiangnan required the farmers to hire special people to escort it to the capital.

For every 100 shi of rice, at least 200 shi must be prepared before shipment. In addition to transportation losses and extortion at checkpoints along the way, the rice will still be squeezed by the eunuch in charge when it enters the inner transport warehouse.

Therefore, for the grain farmers who paid tribute, the most painful thing was not paying the tax, but sending the tax to the capital.

Gu Xiancheng's analogy seems to be acceptable.

Since it was all for the benefit of Jiangnan, Gao Panlong finally admitted that Gu Xiancheng's approach was indeed a good strategy.
-
September 27th.

As per the emperor's decree, a delegation of officials and gentry from Jiangnan held discussions in the council hall of the Ministry of Works.

Following the precedent set in the previous negotiation, the Ministry of Works only sent Wan Jing, the chief of the Construction and Maintenance Department responsible for railway construction, and a junior official from the Ministry of Works responsible for cost estimation.

The Ministry of Revenue dispatched Ge Ye, the newly appointed head of the Shandong Railway Department, who was also an old friend of Su Ze.

In addition, the Imperial Construction Bureau, which was responsible for the accounting of engineering affairs, also sent a eunuch who had graduated from the Academy of Architecture.

This Mr. Sun was in charge of the Fangshan Railway project and knew the railway construction costs inside and out.

In addition, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs also dispatched a eunuch to record the events and report back to the emperor afterwards.

The cabinet then dispatched a secretary to record the events and report back to the cabinet afterwards.

The Six Ministries and the Censorate each dispatched a Supervising Secretary from the Ministry of Works, along with one Censor from each of the Northern and Southern Censorates.

Faced with such a lineup, the Jiangnan negotiation team was somewhat nervous.

Although the officials in this group were all of the fifth rank or above, they were all recognized as capable and competent officials in recent years.

In addition, Su Ze was also entrusted by the Crown Prince to attend the meeting.

Gu Xiancheng is 28 years old this year, and Gao Panlong is just 20 years old. When they were in their hometown, they often discussed the state of the court with great enthusiasm. However, after entering the hall of the Ministry of Works and looking at the most capable officials of the Ming Dynasty, their high spirits immediately disappeared without a trace.

Su Ze, however, scanned the negotiation group with great interest, searching for Gu Xiancheng.

Upon seeing the list, Su Ze specifically requested the Crown Prince to allow him to attend the consultation meeting.

Su Ze originally didn't want to come.

Having traveled to the present day, Su Ze had long since demystified historical figures. He had met Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, and the original Wanli Grand Secretaries were his underlings. What else had he not seen?

However, upon seeing Gu Xiancheng's name, Su Ze still considered meeting him.

Mr. Gu Xiancheng of Donglin was the founder of the Donglin Party, who was later renowned.

Of course, the abstract behavior of the Donglin Party at the end of the Ming Dynasty in the original timeline had no direct relationship with Gu Xiancheng, but this core figure of the Donglin Party still aroused Su Ze's interest.

Despite not even having the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), he was chosen by the gentry of Jiangnan as a representative to participate in this negotiation.

As expected, fame comes early; these famous ministers of the Ming Dynasty all became famous at a very young age.

Gu Xiancheng was the quintessential scholar from Jiangnan, with a fair complexion and the ability to stand out in a crowd.

In contrast, the head of these negotiation groups, Xu Jie's second son Xu Kun, was rather uninteresting.

Xu Kun retained his inherited official position and was still wearing the court's official robes, but he was listless and seemed to lack his own opinions.

It seems that with Hai Rui in Yingtian Prefecture, the Xu family is still having a hard time.

Of course, the Xu family was a well-known and prominent family in Songjiang Prefecture, and Xu Jie was an important minister of the Ming Dynasty. It was impossible for Hai Rui to completely eradicate the Xu family when he was clearing out the fields in Yingtian Prefecture.

As long as Xu Jie is alive, the Xu family will not fall.

Once everyone had arrived, the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, sent by the emperor, read out the emperor's edict and announced the start of the negotiations.

This time, the Ministry of Works specially prepared a large hall, and even specially made two long tables.

Officials were on the east side, and representatives of the negotiation team were on the west side. There were nameplates on the table, listing the names and positions of the attendees.

This was naturally Su Ze's suggestion, as it would speed up communication and eliminate the need for a separate introduction each time; one could simply look at the other person's sign when speaking.

First, Xu Kun, holding a completed manuscript, stood up and said:
"I, Xu Kun, a lowly official of the Imperial Academy, have been entrusted by the elders of Jiangnan to represent the gentry of seven prefectures to negotiate the Wusong Railway. The railway is a project of lasting significance, and we only hope that the court will be considerate of the people of Jiangnan and reduce the burden of construction costs."

Xu Kun's humble tone indeed boosted the morale of the officials.

First, Wan Jing, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, said: "The cost of the railway was calculated by the Ministry of Works and the Construction Department, which already includes all costs such as transportation, mining, and labor."

"The imperial court is not forbidding the construction of railways in Jiangnan, but merely reminding you that the budget is insufficient. If the gentry of Jiangnan really want to build the Wusong Railway, they can increase the budget or invest in building a steel plant. Why would they need to negotiate?"

Xu Kun's momentum was immediately suppressed. Seeing how useless this head of the negotiation team was, even the members of the negotiation team showed disdain.

At this moment, Gu Xiancheng stood up, glanced at Wan Jing's nameplate, and said loudly:
"Wan Langzhong is mistaken!"

(End of this chapter)