My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 288 Dismantling the Millennial Rural Power Structure

Winter of the eighth year of the Xianfeng reign (1858), in the mountainous area of ​​northern Fujian.

A mule cart loaded with grain and fodder creaked and groaned along the winding mountain road toward Jianning Prefecture.

Shen Baozhen, wrapped in a worn cotton robe, sat on the carriage shaft, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but his sharp gaze constantly swept over the villages, fields, and pedestrians along the way.

He could have revealed his identity in Shaowu Prefecture and been escorted all the way to Jianning by the Restoration Army, based on the arrangements made by his son Shen Weiqing in the letter.

But his groundbreaking work, "The Age of Sea Power," completely changed his thinking.

He decided to conceal his whereabouts and, as an ordinary scholar, use his own feet and eyes to truly measure and examine this land that was occupied by "Cantonese bandits" but was rumored to be orderly and vibrant.

He wanted to know what changes the Restoration Army's "new policies" had brought to this land and its people.

Along the way, what he saw and heard truly impressed him with many "new things," leaving him deeply moved.

The most obvious difference is the scale of the reclamation efforts.

He witnessed firsthand how vast tracts of wasteland were being reclaimed in the mountain basins and river valleys of northern Fujian, with countless people busy in the fields.

Only after chatting with the coachman did I learn that a considerable number of these people were family members of the old subordinates that Yi Wang Shi Dakai had brought from Anhui and Zhejiang!
The Restoration Army implemented a policy of "streamlining the army and simplifying administration," separating the elderly, weak, women, children, and those unsuitable for combat from the ranks and forming "reclamation camps" with some wounded soldiers. They were then settled locally, given land, and ordered to cultivate it.

The coachman clicked his tongue in amazement: "I heard there are tens of thousands of them! They all came from their hometown with Prince Yi. After being allocated land, their hearts were at ease, and the soldiers felt more secure fighting outside!"

"This is called... what kind of 'preferential treatment for military families' is this!"

"Preferential treatment for military families?" This was the first time Shen Baozhen had heard this term.

"Yes, that's the name. The propaganda team said that not only the old brothers who followed the Wing King can enjoy this preferential treatment, but all the Fujianese who join the Restoration Army will have this preferential treatment for their whole family."

The driver boasted, "My son is training in the recruit camp right now. I can transport grain because of my status as a military dependent."

Shen Baozhen was secretly alarmed upon hearing this.

This preferential treatment for military dependents is wonderful.

In the past, when bandits fought, they brought their families along, which was both a burden and a source of trouble.

Shi Dakai's move not only relieved him of a burden, but also firmly rooted tens of thousands of people who were connected to the army by blood in the newly occupied areas, turning them into the most solid rear foundation.

With stable assets, one can have a stable mind, and the morale of the troops will naturally be stable.

More importantly, at the grassroots level, these military dependents will become important supporters of the Restoration Army in the areas under its rule.

This conjecture was confirmed when he witnessed the new tax policies implemented by the Restoration Army in local areas.

The "new tax system" implemented by the Restoration Army, which required paying taxes in grain tax, and the subtle reshaping of the power structure at the grassroots level in rural areas by this system.

It deeply moved him.

As an official well-versed in the governance methods of traditional dynasties, Shen Baozhen was all too aware that the saying "imperial power does not extend to the county level" had long been a mere formality in the Qing Dynasty.

After the land tax system was implemented, the population surged, grassroots administrative affairs became complicated, and the ranks of clerks expanded malignantly.

County and prefectural officials often relied on local gentry, clerks, and even clan power to manage villages and collect taxes, which led to endless exploitation and corruption.

Officials took the opportunity to extort money, with wealthy households becoming prime targets. The actual tax burden was several times the legal limit, and bankruptcies of small and medium-sized landowners and the flight of self-cultivating farmers were commonplace. This was the deep-seated reason why the Taiping Rebellion was able to rally so many supporters.

He couldn't help but think of the practices of Zeng Guofan, Luo Bingzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and others in Hunan.

To support the Xiang Army's pay, they innovatively utilized the power of the "gentry" to establish "public bureaus," collect "likin" (a tax), and reform the tax system.

By bypassing the corrupt bureaucratic system and even sidelining some local officials, a so-called "public bureau politics" was formed, and the power of the gentry expanded unprecedentedly.

This led to a surge in Hunan's financial resources, enabling it to support the operations of tens of thousands of Hunan soldiers.

This was already a helpless form of governance innovation within the Qing government system, relying on local elites.

However, the practices in Jianning Prefecture under the rule of the Restoration Army were even more thorough and more... "strange". Shen Baozhen observed that each village and town had a "township office", but the people in charge were not traditional gentry, but mostly military dependents or respected local citizens, directly managed by the logistics department of the Restoration Army.

There were also "propaganda teams" dressed in uniform and wearing armbands, explaining the new tax policies to the farmers gathered around them in the fields, using the most authentic Fujian dialect.

"Those with more land pay more, those with less land pay less, and those with no land pay nothing." "Grain is delivered directly to the township office, weighed according to the official measures, and a receipt is issued on the spot, with absolutely no deductions."

These military dependents, whose families are on the front lines, are deeply tied to the interests of the Restoration Army and have received tangible benefits under the new policies, thus exhibiting extremely high levels of execution and loyalty.

They organized people, measured the fields, and created a fish-scale map, striving for openness and transparency in everything they did.

What surprised him even more was that there was no arbitrary corvée labor, but during the off-season, the township office would organize the people to build water conservancy projects, dig ponds and build dams, clearly stating that it was for the benefit of the local area, so the people were very enthusiastic.

Throughout the entire process, there was no exploitation by petty officials, no layer-by-layer transfer of burdens by local gentry, and no forced corvée labor.

Yes, there are clear and simple rules, a relatively fair burden, and visible public services.

Shen Baozhen stood on a river embankment that was being reinforced, looking at the bustling scene of labor below, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He realized that the Restoration Army was dismantling the millennia-old rural power structure in a way that was almost like "cutting off the fuel supply."

They do not rely on elites from a certain class, but are trying to establish a disintermediation governance system that directly connects with the grassroots.

With fair taxation, the exploitation by intermediaries disappears, the burden on farmers is reduced, and they naturally support it.

It was precisely because of this that, along his journey, he saw an unusually high number of local Fujian youths eager to sign up for the Restoration Army at various recruitment points.

This was not only inspired by the propaganda of the "Restoration News," but also because the new system brought tangible and visible benefits and hope to ordinary people, making them willing to fight for it.

"Shi Dakai, Shi Dakai, are you perhaps a figure like Emperor Gaozu of Han or Emperor Taizu of Ming?"

Shen Baozhen felt a mix of emotions.

These measures are not simply about "winning over the hearts and minds of the people," but about cultivating a new foundation for rule!

In contrast to Zuo Zongtang's reforms in Hunan, which relied on the "gentry," the Guangfu Army was more like a bloodless grassroots revolution carried out by the common people.

The former is a patching up within the old framework, while the latter is a complete subversion.

Shen Baozhen couldn't immediately determine which was superior or inferior, but the powerful grassroots mobilization capabilities and deep-rooted control demonstrated by the Restoration Army startled him and gave him a glimpse of a completely new possibility.

A few days later, the mule cart arrived at Jianning Prefecture.

The scene before him was once again beyond Shen Baozhen's expectations.

The city gates were heavily guarded yet orderly, and there was no disturbance to the people.

The city streets were clean and tidy, lined with shops, bustling with people, and filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares. It was even more prosperous and lively than many of the prefectural cities he had seen in Guangxin! Under the rule of the Restoration Army, commerce had not declined but had instead flourished.
He recalled that Hunan relied on "likin" to amass wealth. Could it be that the Guangfu Army also had similar measures, and managed them more effectively?
He did not immediately go to the commander's mansion to present his visiting card and request an audience with Shi Dakai.

Instead, they found a clean inn in the city and asked the innkeeper for paper and pen.

He needs to systematically sort out and compare his observations and reflections along the way with his familiar knowledge of the Ming and Qing tax system and changes in local governance.

Sitting at his desk by the window, Shen Baozhen pondered deeply before slowly grinding ink.

He knew full well that if he went empty-handed, he would be at the mercy of others.

To gain recognition, you must demonstrate your value.

Shi Dakai was born in Guangxi. Although he was a man of great talent and vision, he may not have had the same comprehensive perspective and firsthand experience as someone who had been immersed in officialdom for many years when it came to the chronic problems of local governance in the empire that had lasted for hundreds of years, especially the intricate and complex tax system.

This book, "A Preliminary Discussion on the Evolution of Local Taxation System and the Governance of the Restoration Area," which integrates his observations, thoughts, and countermeasures, was Shen Baozhen's stepping stone to advancement and also the first gift he prepared to present to Shi Dakai.

The brush tip, saturated with rich ink, falls onto the pristine white paper, and a line of steady, powerful regular script slowly emerges…

(End of this chapter)