eurekapd Chapter 1074 The Problems of Salt Administration
Chapter 1074 The Problems of Salt Administration
Li Che did not linger. Amidst shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", he rose from his seat and left the training ground first.
The convicted official was dragged away by the Imperial Guards for execution, but the crowd on the drill ground lingered for a long time, determined to see the officials beheaded before they would give up.
Unlike the common people present, the wealthy and powerful families who had been forcibly invited by the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all dejected and distraught.
They all knew that from this moment on, Chengdu and even the entire Sichuan region were about to undergo a dramatic change.
The emperor's control over the Shu region far exceeded expectations. He not only commanded a powerful army but also possessed an all-encompassing surveillance force.
If he really wanted to dredge up old grievances, he could dig them up completely, making sure that no noble family in the entire Shu region would have peace.
The new policy is truly ruthless and effective.
Any attempt to obstruct the new policies would inevitably incur the emperor's wrath.
As a result, all the powerful families in the Shu region became obedient.
A few days later, the Shu army began to accept reorganization.
The entire adaptation process was handled by Luo Yueniang and Yue Yun, while Li Che took over the administration of Rongcheng and moved into the government office.
At this moment, he was sitting upright behind his desk in the government office, with a mountain of official documents in front of him.
Li Che patiently read through each book one by one.
A man in his thirties stood respectfully beside her, with a dignified face and a calm demeanor.
This man was named Wei Xiang, and he held the official position of Salt Commissioner of Chengdu. Although his rank was not the highest, his position was of great importance.
Of course, he also had another identity: he was the cousin of the late Wei Xun, the former prefect of Rongcheng.
Li Che dealt with half of Chengdu's officialdom with swift and decisive measures, leaving a huge power vacuum that could not be filled entirely by the officials accompanying him.
He needs someone familiar with the local situation to help him deal with the mess.
The most prudent choice is undoubtedly to leave behind Wei Xun's old troops.
Wei Xun himself was highly capable and had governed Chengdu for many years. His former subordinates, out of respect for Luo Yueniang, did not resist Li Che.
Wei Xiang was a close relative whom Wei Xun relied on, and he was also entrusted with an important position in the salt transport, so he naturally became one of the key people Li Che was observing at this moment.
Wei Xiang stood solemnly to one side, his eyes downcast, but his peripheral vision couldn't help but drift toward the young emperor before him.
The emperor looked so young, even much younger than himself, yet the methods he had displayed in the past few days made him feel that the emperor was unfathomable.
In his past understanding, his cousin Wei Xun was already an outstanding person who managed the complex political affairs of Shu region in an orderly manner on his own.
Even Wei Xun was no match for the man before him.
Snapped--
A soft sound interrupted Wei Xiang's thoughts.
Li Che closed the official document in his hand and casually placed it aside.
Then he raised his hand and rubbed his brow vigorously, his eyebrows and eyes relaxing.
After reviewing official documents for several days, the general situation in Sichuan gradually became clear in his mind.
Wei Xun was indeed a capable minister. Apart from the persistent problems of salt and iron, the Qiang and Man tribes, and aristocratic families, he maintained a considerable level of order in daily civil administration, taxation, and legal proceedings.
The financial statements aren't great, but they're far from collapsing, and there are even some bright spots.
The land of Shu is fraught with hardship, with the Qiang and Man tribes causing trouble every year. The previous king of Shu was also an unreliable man, so it's quite remarkable that he has managed to reach this point.
However, what's even more critical is that those three problems are precisely the lifeblood of the Shu region.
Now that the powerful families have been forcibly suppressed, the lifeline of salt and iron and the Qiang and barbarian tribes on the border are like two poisonous thorns that have penetrated deep into the flesh and blood.
If it is not removed, the new policy will be a castle in the air, and if it is forcibly promoted, it will become distorted and deformed.
Li Che's gaze shifted from the pile of documents to Wei Xiang.
"Wei Xiang, right?"
"Your subject is here." Wei Xiang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed.
Li Che smiled gently, signaling him not to be nervous: "You have been in charge of the salt affairs in Rongcheng for many years. How much do you know about salt and iron?"
After a moment's consideration, Wei Xiang cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, I am in charge of salt affairs, but iron administration is handled by a separate department, so I dare not speak presumptuously."
“Then let’s talk about salt first.” Li Che leaned forward slightly. “I originally thought that once we caught these corrupt officials like Zhou Huan and cut off the private sales channels, the salt route would be open again.”
"But after observing the situation over the past few days, I've realized that the problems with the salt administration in Sichuan are not due to a few corrupt officials, but rather to something much deeper."
He picked up the official document in his hand and handed it to Wei Xiang to read: "The price of salt fluctuates, the supply is intermittent, and the quality is mixed, which has caused difficulties for the people's livelihood and the circulation of goods and services."
"After reviewing the old archives, I discovered that the crux of the problem lies primarily in the salt source."
"The salt used in Sichuan is mostly produced in the salt fields in the southern mountains, yet the mining and refining are largely done by the Liao people, an ethnic minority? Why can't the lifeblood of a nation be in its own hands?"
Wei Xiang took the document with both hands and understood its general meaning with just a glance.
He secretly admired the emperor's keen sense of smell, which allowed him to grasp the core of the problem immediately.
He organized his thoughts and began, “Your Majesty, seven or eight out of ten salts in Sichuan are produced in the mountains of southern Sichuan, especially from several large salt wells.”
"The artisans who mine, draw brine, and boil salt are mostly Liao people who have lived in the area for generations. They have been making salt for hundreds of years... In previous dynasties and even earlier, the court did try to control the salt fields directly and sent troops to seize them several times."
"However, the mountains and forests of southern Sichuan are high and dense, and malaria is rampant, making transportation extremely inconvenient. Sending troops to garrison the area for a long time would cost a great deal of money and food, and the soldiers would suffer from acclimatization problems, resulting in heavy casualties."
"The Liao people are familiar with the geography and have a fierce temperament. If things don't go their way, they will retreat into the deep mountains or collude with other tribes to cause trouble. After several rounds of back-and-forth, the court found that direct occupation was too costly and it was better to maintain a state of indirect control."
"And so the Salt Well Supervisor came into being?" Li Che interjected, clearly having read the relevant records.
“Exactly.” Wei Xiang nodded. “The imperial court recognizes the Liao people’s right to mine salt fields and exchanges their salt production with grain, cloth, ironware and other materials at a relatively low price.”
"In this way, the imperial court obtained a stable source of salt at a relatively low cost, and the Liao people also obtained the necessary supplies for survival, thus maintaining peace for several decades."
Li Che nodded slowly; this was the issue of the cost of governance.
The previous dynasty's army was not weak either; if they really wanted to deal with some of the Qiang and Man tribes, they certainly could.
But if you conquer a place but cannot govern it, you gain nothing but wasting resources and manpower; it is not something a wise person would do.
Wei Xiang's face showed a complicated expression: "By the time of the late emperor, the Liao people had enjoyed peace for a long time. With the court's intentional guidance, some Liao leaders who were close to Shu and had more contact with Qingmin began to accept titles from the court, changed their customs, and their people gradually moved down the mountain to settle down, learn farming, and intermarry with Qingmin."
“We call these Liao people 'skilled Liao'. The court allows them to continue working in the original salt fields, but will send tax officials and a small number of soldiers to supervise them. The purchase price of salt has also been slightly increased, and we have begun to try to recruit a small number of Qing people's craftsmen to join us and learn the skills.”
“Why not simply replace them all with our craftsmen?” Li Che frowned even more. “Since they are gradually being assimilated, wouldn’t it be safer to directly control the salt wells?”
Wei Xiang gave a wry smile: "Your Majesty, there is a problem here."
“Working in those salt fields is very difficult, especially the work underground, which is extremely arduous and dangerous, and people die almost every day.”
“According to the old practice, the court did not pay wages directly to the Liao people salt workers, but instead used labor service to pay taxes and salt to exchange for grain, with the settlement made by their respective tribes as a whole.”
"The tribal chief takes the majority of the grain and cloth and then distributes it to the salt workers' families so that they can barely make ends meet. This is a tradition for the Liao people who have made their living this way for generations."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly: "But if it were ordinary people from Qing, who would be willing to leave their homes and go to such a wild and pestilential land to do such dangerous work, only to not get paid?"
“Even if the imperial court forcibly conscripts laborers, there will inevitably be widespread resentment, low efficiency, and constant flight.”
"Moreover, the salt-making techniques are mostly passed down from generation to generation by the Liao people and are not easily revealed to outsiders. Forcibly replacing them would immediately lead to a sharp drop in salt production and even cause conflict."
Li Che listened in silence, his heart growing heavier.
This is why, in ancient times, workers' human rights were extremely low, or even nonexistent, yet a balance was maintained.
It sounds absurd, but it is the optimal solution under specific productivity and social conditions.
He couldn't use modern values to criticize them because he was no longer the Li Che who had just transmigrated and would shout "Long live human rights" and stab human traffickers.
There are too many people suffering in the world. In order to maintain the stability of the entire Daqing, he can only sacrifice a small number of people.
Moreover, strictly speaking, these Liao people cannot be considered Qing people.
But since they were ultimately at the mercy of others, Li Che would never stand idly by.
“Therefore,” Li Che concluded, “the root cause of the unstable salt production, besides smuggling, lies in the fact that the salt source itself is controlled by a group of Liao people who are not entirely loyal. They appear to have been naturalized, but in reality, they are still a relatively independent group.”
Wei Xiang was taken aback by Li Che's blunt words, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.
He bowed deeply: "Your Majesty is insightful and the situation is indeed roughly as described. Those Liao tribes have long had connections with the Qiang tribes in the deep mountains further south, engaging in intermarriage and trade."
“They transported salt to the imperial court, exchanged it for mountain and forest products from the south, and even acted as intermediaries at times.”
"The so-called fluctuations in salt prices are sometimes due to production and climate, and sometimes they are inevitably affected by their relationship with the south."
A brief silence fell over the courtroom as the sunlight shifted, casting a clear contrast of light and shadow on half of Li Che's face.
After a long while, Li Che suddenly stood up and walked to the hanging map of the Shu territory.
With his back to Wei Xiang, he slowly began to speak:
"Scabies can be treated slowly. But a serious problem cannot be ignored!"
"Salt and iron are vital national assets; how can we rely on others and depend on their whims?"
He turned around, his gaze sharp: "Minister Wei, would you be willing to accompany me on a journey through the mountains of southern Sichuan?"
Wei Xiang looked up abruptly, his face drained of color instantly: "His Majesty means... to personally travel to the salt fields of southern Sichuan?!"
Li Che said calmly, "Indeed, I wish to personally go to southern Sichuan to see the true situation of the salt fields and meet with the leaders of those Liao people."
“This chronic problem of salt administration can never be solved by relying solely on paperwork.”
"I will personally go and completely untie this iron lock that is blocking the throat of Shu!"