Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 264 Invitation to Serve at the Salt and Iron Bureau

"Let me tell you some good news first: the mess that Yujing Bureau is messing up is finally starting to take shape!"

Fan Xiang pointed to the file titled "New Regulations for Salt Supervision in Yujing," indicating that Lu Beigu should look at it first.

"Based on the abuses you witnessed that day, and taking into account the precedent of the Northwest Salt Certificate system, the Yujing Salt Bureau has now established a 'Zhebo Office' to handle salt taxes. Salt certificates are used to directly pay the wages of the salt workers, and they are allowed to exchange them for money, grain, cloth, and even ironware and oxen. Furthermore, any deductions or additional charges are strictly prohibited."

"As for Wang Kui and other corrupt officials, they have been locked up and imprisoned. Their crimes are proven, and they will be severely punished according to the law in a short time to serve as a warning to others!"

Lu Beigu quickly browsed through the information and found it to be exactly as Fan Xiang had predicted.

He couldn't help but exclaim from the bottom of his heart, "This is a blessing for the salt workers of Yujing! I admire Lord Fan's swift and decisive methods! If this method proves effective, it can serve as a model for salt supervisors throughout the land!"

Yujing Salt Bureau was the largest salt bureau in southern Sichuan. Fan Xiang's reform of the salt laws in southern Sichuan not only solved the problems of Yujing Salt Bureau, but also established a new and relatively fair operating model for other salt bureaus in southern Sichuan.

Ultimately, the reason why the situation in the southwest is so volatile is that many local officials do not treat their subordinates as human beings and only care about maximizing their own interests during their term of office.

"Good fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and it will take time to verify its effectiveness."

Fan Xiang waved his hand, his expression turning serious, and said, "Yujing Bureau is just the tip of the iceberg. Minister Zhang and I are entering the Three Departments this time, and the burden on our shoulders is heavier than a thousand pounds."

He looked at Zhang Fangping.

Aside from this one piece of good news, everything else is bad news.

The smile on Zhang Fangping's face also disappeared: "There are some things you can't see from the files. Lu Beigu, you understand economics, can you guess what the Three Departments' treasury is like now?"

Before Lu Beigu could answer, Zhang Fangping said in a deep voice, "The annual expenses in the Northwest, as well as the national expenses for grain, fodder, money and silk to support the army, just from this alone, the treasury is already seventy or eighty percent empty. And Hebei and Hedong, since the Qingli era, have been preparing for the border year after year, and the local people's strength and financial resources are exhausted. As for the breach of the Liuta River last year, it cost millions of dollars in money and grain to be used for disaster relief, which can be described as adding insult to injury to the treasury. In addition, there are redundant officials and redundant expenses. The court's annual revenue has been insufficient to cover its expenditures for a long time! Last year's surplus was already negative. We are living beyond our means and are struggling to make ends meet."

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy because of Zhang Fangping's words.

Behind these enormous figures lies the perilous state of an empire's finances, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Although Lu Beigu knew that the Song Dynasty was facing financial difficulties, he was still deeply shaken to hear such specific difficulties from the newly appointed Minister of the Three Departments.

"That is why Minister Zhang and I are determined to reform the salt administration and place it as a top priority!"

Fan Xiang put it bluntly: "You made suggestions about the salt law in Sichuan, and you know that salt profits are a major source of wealth for the country! If Sichuan salt can be reformed and standardized like the salt paper system in the Northwest, so that its circulation can be smooth, it will not only relieve the suffering of salt workers, but also generate huge profits for the court and alleviate this urgent crisis. That's why Zhang Xianggong and I attach great importance to your suggestion."

"The core of your idea of ​​the 'Sichuan Salt and Paper Money System' was to break down regional barriers and use salt and paper money as a hub to connect the money and silk of the southeast, the iron coins of Sichuan, and the grain and fodder of the northwest. The essence of this is exactly the same as my idea of ​​'connecting the salt profits of the whole world'."

“That’s exactly what I meant,” Zhang Fangping replied. “The reform of Yujing Salt Administration is a testing ground for the reform of the national salt administration! The next step for the Salt and Iron Bureau is to sort out the national salt permit and salt tax system, clarify the rights and interests of each salt region, and strive to return salt profits to the public and reduce the exploitation and losses in the middle.”

Fan Xiang paused for a moment, then suddenly said to Lu Beigu.

"I believe that it is in the halls of power that such practical matters are the true place for you to realize your ambitions."

He looked at Lu Beigu with expectation in his eyes: "If you pass the imperial examination with flying colors next year, come to my Salt and Iron Bureau and help me to reform the salt laws, how about it?"

Doing practical work and achieving results is certainly a faster way to get promoted than working in the imperial library compiling history.

This is the second time Fan Xiang has brought up this matter, which clearly indicates that he currently lacks capable and confidants among his subordinates.

Lu Beigu didn't object, simply saying, "If I could pass the imperial examination, I would naturally be willing." "That's good; the Three Departments are currently lacking capable officials."

Fan Xiang's lament made Zhang Fangping's expression turn somewhat ugly. He snorted coldly and said, "The Three Departments are indeed lacking capable ministers! They are all just a bunch of incompetent officials! Duke Jin, do you know how much grain is stored in the capital? How much fodder is left for the horses?"

"How would I know about the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue?" Fan Xiang retorted.

Zhang Fangping was indeed furious, and he slammed his hand on the table: "When I was in charge of the Three Departments last time, Tokyo still had three years' worth of grain reserves, and double that for horse feed, enough for six years! And now? The horse feed is only enough for one year's expenses, and the grain reserves have been halved! I really don't know what these people are good for! Good-for-nothings! Stupid parasites!"

The insults were a bit vulgar, and Lu Beigu happened to see the letter entitled "On the Bianhe Canal Transport".

"The capital, formerly known as Chenliu, was a place of constant warfare, lacking natural defenses and relying solely on a large army to establish the nation! Soldiers depend on provisions, and provisions depend on grain transport! The Bian River is the lifeblood of our dynasty, connecting the Yangtze and Huai Rivers and benefiting the South China Sea! Before the Tiansheng era, laborers were mobilized annually to dredge it, so that 'the river flows through the land,' unimpeded!"

"But since I left, those shallow and arrogant officials in the Three Offices have been vying to claim credit for reducing expenses and labor, daring to cut costs in this area! As a result, the Bian River has become increasingly silted up! What is the situation now?"

Zhang Fangping stood up, walked to the window, and suddenly pushed it open a crack, letting in a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes.

"Now we must 'look up at the river'! The riverbed has silted up and become a suspended river, no longer resembling its ancestral appearance! This is a major threat! Once the flood season gets out of control, or the canal transport is cut off, how will the million soldiers and civilians in the capital survive? How will the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the northwest continue to receive food and provisions?!"

Zhang Fangping was furious, almost undisguisedly so.

His anger was also justified.

When Zhang Fangping left office last time, he left behind an extremely solid foundation, but now he has returned to take over a complete mess.

The wealth they painstakingly accumulated was squandered by others who "sold off their ancestors' wealth without a care in the world."

Anyone would be furious about something like this, right?

Lu Beigu looked at the relevant documents while listening to Zhang Fangping continue speaking.

"And then there's the military rations along the Hebei border! The eleven prefectures require 1.8 million shi of millet, 650,000 shi of beans, and 3.7 million wei of fodder annually! The grain tax collected from the border area is only about 500,000 shi, and the rest all depends on merchants bringing it in. How can we solve this problem?"

"In addition to difficult matters such as salt administration, canal transport, grain reserves, and military rations in Hebei, there was also the matter of compiling salary regulations, which required cutting expenses and offending people."

Zhang Fangping sat back in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples: "Privy Councilor Han has reported that the salaries and subsidies of civil and military officials, both inside and outside the capital, are subject to rank, but every time there is a transfer, the application to the Three Departments for verification is delayed for years, which is inefficient and has already caused widespread discontent. Now the two Grand Secretaries are asking the Three Departments to cut the salaries of civil and military officials. Who would be willing to have their salaries cut? Nobody is willing. It's hard to say whether we can even get through this year's year-end."

"This is the current situation of the Three Departments! The salt administration reform has just begun, but the lifeline of the Grand Canal transport hangs by a thread, and the grain reserves in the capital are in grave danger; the legacy of the Hebei floods has resulted in enormous annual expenses; the supply of provisions for the border troops is hampered by the old system's drawbacks, and the effectiveness of the new system is uncertain; there are redundant officials and expenses, and salaries are in disarray, which urgently need to be clarified! With the national treasury so scarce, the government has had no choice but to allocate 100,000 taels of silver, 200,000 bolts of silk, and 100,000 strings of cash from the Imperial Treasury to purchase grain in Hebei. This is like cutting flesh to patch a wound, and it does nothing to improve the overall situation."

To be honest, Lu Beigu felt that Zhang Fangping showed him these things not because he really expected him to come up with any ideas, but because he just happened to find someone who understood him and he could vent his stress.
The position of the Three Commissioners was indeed one of great power and influence, and they truly held the economic lifeline of the nation in their hands.

But it's not something just anyone can do.

The pressure we are facing is immense, especially given the current state of this utterly chaotic mess.

After reading the document, Lu Beigu thought about it carefully and said, "I don't understand the compilation of the grain rations and the canal transport, and the grain reserves cannot be restored in a short time. However, I do have some ideas about the grain shortage in Hebei."

Zhang Fangping was taken aback.

He was just venting because he was under a lot of pressure, and asked casually. He didn't expect Lu Beigu to actually have something in mind.
It should be noted that Hebei is currently short of 1.3 million shi of millet, hundreds of thousands of shi of beans, and millions of wei of fodder every year!
(End of this chapter)