Characteristics of the Sui Dynasty

A brief essay on the origins of the Sui and Tang systems

7. Finance

Recently, many historians at home and abroad have discussed the economic and financial systems of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in the southern and northern dynasties of our country, and their remarks are valuable. Loss is beyond the scope of this chapter. The main purpose of this chapter is to explain the gradual localization of the central financial system in the south of the Yangtze River in the Tang Dynasty following the orthodoxy of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In other words, it is the Southern Dynasties, and the previous local system in the northwest corner was transformed into a central government system. In other words, That is to say, the two events of Hexi localization are within the scope of their systematic origin. It can be seen that the key points for the transformation of these two events were Wu Zetian and the second generation of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, which is the same as the election of the military system and other political and social changes also occurred at this time. However, in order to explain the origin and end of this, we must first have a brief understanding of the most important differences between the economy and finance of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

The economic and financial historical materials of the Southern and Northern Dynasties preserved today are more detailed in the Northern Dynasties and less detailed in the Southern Dynasties. However, at a glance, the biggest difference is that the Northern Dynasty government retained vast state-owned land. After taking over Yongjia, it suffered many border disturbances and the people died and dispersed. Therefore, the Northern Dynasty could have a system of allocating land to the people, but the Southern Dynasty did not have this system. The people in the Southern Dynasties experienced less brutal chaos than those in the Northern Dynasties, so the socio-economic situation was more advanced than that of the Northern Dynasties, and their national financial system was also different from that of the Northern Dynasties, which meant it was more advanced. The issue of land equalization in the Northern Wei Dynasty cannot be detailed in this chapter, so I will only briefly mention the article. After the Northern Wei Dynasty, the latter must also be attached to it to see where it originated from, and to compare it with the north and south, and then the origin system of the Sui and Tang Dynasty financial systems and their The sequence of evolution can only be made clear.

Wei Shu Yiyi Shi Shihuo Zhiluo says:

In the ninth year of Taihe, an edict was issued to allocate land to the people of the world. Men over fifteen years old received forty acres of land, and women A person has twenty acres of land, a slave and a maidservant, and a young oxen has thirty acres of land, limited to four cattle. The land granted will be doubled, and the land granted by the Three Changes will be doubled again to provide for farming and to compensate for the gains and losses. The people will receive the fields when they are old and exempted from the old age; when they die, they will return the fields. There are no slaves, maids, or cattle that can be repaid, and the mulberry fields are not subject to repayment, but they can be divided into double fields. Even if there is a surplus, the fields will be returned if there is no more. The number of bare fields cannot be filled, and if there is not enough, the bare fields will be doubled. . For those who first receive a field, the husband will be given twenty acres of land to plant crops, and the remainder will be planted with fifty mulberry trees, five jujube trees, and three elm roots. The husband will be given one acre of non-mulberry soil, and will be planted with elms and jujubes according to the law. Everyone depends on their good. All mulberry fields are the inheritance of the world, and they will never be paid back until the end of their lives. They will always follow the sight of the mouth. Those who have a surplus will receive nothing and will not repay. Those who have a surplus will receive seeds according to the law. Those who have a surplus must sell their surplus, and those who have a surplus must buy what is insufficient. They must not sell their share. , and you must not buy more than you have. The men and women who were born in linen fields were given ten acres of hemp fields and five acres to their wives. The slaves and maids were all given according to the law of repayment. The officials in charge of the people allocate public land to each other wherever they are, and pay each other from generation to generation. The sellers sit in accordance with the law.

The Chronicle of Food and Goods in the Second Book of the Sui Dynasty:

The Jin Dynasty crossed the river, and slaves, horses, cattle, and farmhouses were sold. When a hundred people enter an official position, the seller will have three hundred and the buyer will have one hundred. Those who have no paper coupons will accept four hundred percent as they wish, which is called Sancai. This is common in Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen Dynasties. This person competes with merchants, not for the land, so the desire to lose is used as punishment. Although this is used as a pretext, the actual benefit is to exploit. In addition, there is Shitou Jin in the west and Fangshan Jin in the east. Each of them has a Jin master, a bandit Cao, and five Zhishui people to inspect the forbidden goods and rebels. Those who pass through the Jin, such as rice, charcoal, fish, and salary will be given ten cents. One tax is required to enter the official position. There are no prohibited goods on its east road, so Fangshanjin's inspection is very simple. In the north of Huai River, there are more than 100 big markets and more than 10 small markets. The big cities are preparing for lawsuits. The taxes are heavy and the times are very painful. .

(Northern Zhou Dynasty) Emperor Min abolished the market gate tax at the beginning of the first year, and Emperor Xuan ascended the throne and restored the market entry tax.

After Wuping (Northern Qi Dynasty), power and luck went hand in hand, and unlimited grants were given. In addition, drought locusts, and the state's use was reduced, so the sixth-class rich people in the territory were ordered to pay. Yan Zhi, the minister of Huangmen, recommended that the tax on the city's residences and shops be closed. Deng Changyong, the founder of the mansion, agreed, and the queen was very pleased. So he used what he put in to pay for the imperial palace's appearance and appearance, and he did not hesitate to use it for the military and state, and he died soon after.

Tongdian Ertian Zhixia said:

The Northern Qi Dynasty still followed the Wei Dynasty in granting land grant orders. In October of every year, the general order transfers the teaching to a young man, and he is taught when he is old. He retires when he is old and does not listen to the transaction.

The Sui Dynasty's Book of Ershi Shihuo Zhiluo says:

In the third year of Heqing (Northern Qi Dynasty), an order was made to order a man of eighteen to sixty-five to be Ding, and to be ten. The number six above seventeen is middle, the number sixty-six is ??above old, and the number fifteen below is small. The rate is 18 to receive land, transfer with rent, 20 to serve as soldiers, 60 to be exempted from military service, 66 to withdraw from land, and be transferred without rent (the military regulations before this festival have been quoted).

The land within thirty miles outside the squares around the capital is public land. Those who receive public land, the first-rank deacons of the three counties have been demoted. Yulin and Wuben have their own differences, and the first-rank Chinese officials of Waiki County have been demoted. Lin and Wu Ben have their own differences. The ministers and the people who asked to cultivate the land were called Shou Tian, ??and the number of slaves and maids who received the land was only three hundred. (omitted). The eighth rank has been reduced to the limit of sixty people for common people, and those who do not give land to the slaves will not lose. A hundred miles away and the people of the state are entitled to eighty acres of bare land for each husband and forty acres for each woman. The number of slaves is limited to the number of husbands, which is the same as the hundred officials in Beijing. The number of oxen is limited to sixty acres of land for four years. He also gave Yongye twenty acres of mulberry fields every day, and planted fifty mulberry roots, three elm roots, and five jujube roots. He was not subject to the restriction of returning to the land, and those who did not belong to this field were allowed to enter the land. If the soil is not suitable for mulberry, give it to hemp fields, as in the mulberry field method.

In the same volume of the same book, it is briefly stated:

(Sui Emperor Gaozu) issued a new order, making men and women who are three years old to be yellow, those who are ten to be young, and those who are seventeen to be young. The lower one is the middle one, the eighteenth one is the Ding one and the upper one is the Ding one. The Ding one is from the class service, and the sixty one is the old one, so he is exempted. From the kings down to the governors, the land given to Yongye varies from king to governor, with the larger amount being as much as one hundred hectares and the smallest amount being as much as forty acres. Dingnan, Zhongnan, Yongye, and Lutian all follow the system of Hou Qi, and the trees are planted with mulberry, elm, and jujube. One acre is given to three people in his garden and house, and one acre is given to five people in his household. The officials in the capital were assigned fields according to their positions, and the foreign officials were also assigned fields according to their positions, and they were also given fields to the public servants for public use.

Tang Hui asked for eight-three taxes (refer to the Tongdian Ertian system and the Old Tang Book Siba Food and Goods Chronicles, New Tang Book Wuyi Food and Goods Chronicles, etc.):

( On March 29, the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Wude, the land equalization tax was determined. Every male in the world was given one hectare of land, the sick and disabled were given 40 acres, and the widows and concubines were given 30 acres. If they were husbands, an additional 20 acres would be added. Two-tenths of the land granted will be divided into world inheritance, and the rest will be divided into oral land. If the person dies, it will be awarded to the inheritor, and the oral land will be collected by officials and given to others.

The same book Jiu Er's internal and external official positions (refer to the relevant books in the previous article) briefly states:

In the December system of the first year of Taketori, internal and external officials were assigned their own positions.

Based on this brief citation, it can be seen that the Northern Dynasties all had a system of equalizing land, and the land systems of Wei, Qi, Sui, and Tang were in the same system, while the Southern Dynasties did not have a system of equalizing land, and their state focused on Although the customs tax was also levied in the late Northern Dynasties, the importance of this tax was quite different from that in the southern dynasties. However, it is understandable that the national economy and finance of the southern dynasties were more advanced than those of the northern dynasties. The Biography of Zhen Chen in the Book of Wei, written by Lu Ba in the Book of Wei (the same as the Biography of Zhen Chen in the Northern History Chapter 4), says:

(During the reign of Emperor Shizong), the above table says: "Nowadays, the evils of falsehood are inherited, and the tax of Guan and Shan is still respected. The Great Wei Dynasty The main points of the differences between the socio-economic and national finances of the north and the south can be explained in these few words by Zhen Chen.

However, although the Sui Dynasty unified the north and the south, it was only for a short period of time. After the disruption at the end of the Sui Dynasty, social and economic progress also came to a halt. The social economy gradually developed, and after about another half century, by the time of Xuanzong, the degree of progress was almost at its highest level. However, the social and economic law enforcement in the area that was once promoted to the area after the Yongjia Rebellion in the Western Jin Dynasty was not as prosperous as it was at this time. . The national financial system of the Tang Dynasty was originally the system of the Northern Dynasties, but the social and economic development of the Northern Dynasty was lagging behind that of the Southern Dynasties. By the time the socio-economic development of the Tang Dynasty gradually surpassed the limits of the old Northern Dynasties, and when it reached the level of the Southern Dynasties, its national financial system could not Don’t evolve with it. The new financial system of the Tang Dynasty, at first glance, seemed to be specially formulated by one or two people in the government at that time, but in fact it was the old system of the Southern Dynasties. Although the Southern Dynasty was annexed by the Northern Dynasty, its legacy must still be preserved in a corner of the place. After a long period of time, the economic development of the old Northern Dynasty area ruled by the Tang Dynasty was equal to that of the Southern Dynasty, and it became the center of the system. The government then adopted the term "preservation of the old Southern Dynasty system and implemented it in the Jiangnan area". The so-called "localization of the Jiangnan system in the Tang Dynasty" refers to this term. The Youhelong area was originally a highly cultural area in the Northern Dynasties, and its influence on the entire system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties has been discussed in detail in the previous chapter. However, except for the cultural end, its territory is in the northwest corner of our country, adjacent to foreign ethnic groups in the northwest. It has always been not only a channel for cultural transportation, but also an important area for national defense and military affairs. The Tang Dynasty inherited Yuwen Tai's Guanzhong-centered policy, and the northwest frontier was more important than the northeast. In the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the policy of extreme maintenance was abolished for the northeast, while the policy of active development was adopted for the northwest. It is not necessary to discuss the political history in this chapter. The point discussed here is that the northwest corner has been an important border defense area in the past. Its local traditional financial and economic system has evolved over a long period of time and is quite suitable for the environment of an important national defense area. Since Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty adopted an active military policy towards the northwest frontier, there was a need to expand and popularize the traditional and effective local system in Hehuang and change it into a central government system. This was the so-called localization of Hexi in the Tang Dynasty system.

Please give an example of each to prove it. Regarding the localization of Jiangnan, it is called Huizao Nabu, and the localization of Hexi is called Hebian. The military aspects of these two ends cannot be described in detail. I will only discuss their origins. Below:

In the Sui and Tang dynasties, Chang'an and Luoyang were both the political and cultural centers, and Chang'an was the base of Guanzhong since the Western Wei Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty. When the country actively carried out the northwest expansion policy, it was especially able to It has the advantage of being close and convenient, but its economic and transportation is far less superior than that of Luoyang. Before the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the military and administrative scope was limited to Guanlong, Bashu, and its scale was small, but its economy was still self-sufficient. Shortly after the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty, Luoyang was built as Tokyo, which was inherited by the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Therefore, the emperors of Chang'an and Luoyang traveled to and from each other, just like what Li Linfu said about the east and west palaces (see New Tang Book 223, Biography of Traitors, Li Linfu and Tongjian 214 Tang Ji 30 Kaiyuan 24th Article, etc.). In addition to political and entertainment reasons for the emperor's move from Chang'an to Luoyang, such as Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Wu Zetian, etc., which we will not discuss here, there is one main reason that will be discussed in this chapter, that is, the reason of economic supply, covering Guanzhong. Although the local agricultural products are said to be rich, they cannot fully meet the needs of the emperor's palace guards and hundreds of officials. Moreover, other waterway transportation is not very convenient, and it is also difficult to transport rice. Therefore, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, if there is a natural disaster in Guanzhong, the agricultural products will not be enough. When it was necessary to provide the emperor's palace guards and officials in Chang'an with salary and food, the emperor often moved to Luoyang, waiting for the Guanzhong agricultural products to harvest, and then returned to Chang'an. Here is an example from each of the Sui and Tang dynasties:

Sui Shu Er Gao Zu Ji Xia (The Northern History 11 Sui Ben Ji is slightly the same) says:

In August of the 14th year of Kaihuang's reign There was a severe drought in Xinwei and people were hungry. I lived in Luoyang with my registered permanent residence. March of the fifteenth year has not arrived yet, so I went on a hunting tour from the east.

At the end of the third year of Tongjian Erbaijiu Tang Dynasty, Wu Jinglong said:

It was the middle of the year when there was a famine, and rice was worth a hundred coins, and grains from Shandong and Jianghuai were transported to the capital. Eighty-eight cows died. Nine. The ministers invited many chariots to return to the east capital. Empress Wei's family was in Duling, and they were not happy to move eastward. They sent Wu Jin, Peng Junqing and others to say to Zhongzong: "This year is not good for traveling eastward." The superior said angrily: "How can there be an emperor who pursues food?" He stopped.

Looking at these two cases, we can know the economic supply situation in Chang'an, Guanzhong during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

In the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, which was the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty and when the policy of opening up the northwest was actively implemented, the economic supply problem in Guanzhong was particularly serious than in previous generations. The Dian's collection of food and goods, the Dian's water transport gate, and other relevant materials are not listed) say:

Next year (the 21st year of Kaiyuan), the autumn rain will damage the crops, and grain in the capital is expensive. Zhao Yaoqing asked about the art of saving people. Yaoqing said to him: "Now that we are patrolling the east, hundreds of retinues, Taicang and the three auxiliaries have accumulated and are now sending important ministers to distribute relief. It is estimated that it will last for one or two years. From the east capital, we can transport water more widely. After a while, I will be able to drive back to the west, and everything will be solved. I believe that the country's imperial legacy is in the capital, and it has been the ancestral home of all countries. It has been a difficult place for hundreds of generations. However, the land in the middle of Qin is narrow, and there is not much millet harvest. It is prone to floods and droughts. , then there was a shortage. In the past, there were only a few people in Zhenguan and Yonghui, and they could only transport one or two hundred thousand stones every year, so they could live in peace for a long time. Even if you don't give it, your majesty will be lucky enough to use it to store up the country's plans. He will not worry about hard work, but only worries about others. How can he want to travel more widely to Shaanxi and send millet to the capital? There will always be three people in the warehouse. With two years of grain, there is no need to worry about floods or droughts. Today, there are about four million people in Shiding, and each of them spends one hundred and fifty Wen to cover the expenses of the camp and other expenses. If you rent rice, you will be able to send it to the eastern capital. From the capital to Shaanxi, the river road is difficult and dangerous, and there is no way to reach it. If the river can be opened and the land is turned into water, it will be supported. There are more than enough, and there are many plans to rent a boat in Henan to wait for the water to enter. It is inconvenient for the Wu people to stop at this place, and the sun and the moon are flooded, so there are hidden robbers. I hope to build warehouses along the river. But what he said. I went to pay homage to Huangmen Shilang and Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, and served as a transfer envoy. His words were in the food and goods journal. If you transport 7 million guan in three years, you will save 300,000 guan.

And what the Old Tang Dynasty Book Si Jiu Shi Huo Zhi (refer to Tongdian Collecting Food and Huo Dian Caoyunmen, etc.) says:

(Kaiyuan) 18th year, Xuanzhou Governor Pei Yaoqing The cheap note said: "The entrance to the south of the Yangtze River is slightly wider, and the warehouses are only rented out, and there is no defense. The water and land are far away, and the transportation is difficult. Although the skill is hard, the warehousing is not beneficial. Now if we build Wulao, Luokou and other warehouses When the boat from the south of the Yangtze River reaches the mouth of the river, it is returned to the state, and the boat is replenished. With the remaining money, it is transported to the Jianghuai River and converted into a warehouse. The remaining one or two million stones are left every year. It is hoped that the warehouse will be added in a few years. The warehouses in the Jianghuai River are too wet to be stored for a long time. If there are no ships to transport them, the color will change in three or two years, and the loan fees will be lost, which will be of no use to public or private interests.

"The memorial is sparse and not omitted (his words were not used until the 21st year).

It can be seen that Guanzhong's economy was not self-sufficient during Xuanzong's time and its relief policy. Pei Yaoqing's strategy first focused on improving transportation methods, that is, The first is to build warehouses along the river; the second is to increase the amount of transportation, that is, to transport Jianghuai and transform it into free warehouses. Both of these are effective, but this is still a preliminary policy. The further policy is to purchase agricultural products from the Guanzhong area. That is the so-called Hebian; and the change of transporting millet from the Jianghuai River to transporting cloth is the so-called returning to Nabu.

New Tang Book Wu Sanshi Huo Zhi (see Tongjian 214 Tang Ji Kaiyuan 25th Article). ) Yun:

After the Kaiyuan period of Zhenguan, he moved to Gaochang, Qiuci, Yanqi and Xiaobolu in the west, and arrived in the hometown of Xue Yantuo in the north. Dozens of neighboring states had heavy troops, but the camp land and land rent were not enough to support the army, so At the beginning, Niu Xianke was the prime minister, and Peng Guo offered advice to Guanguan to assist Bian. The capital's food supply became more and more enviable, so Xuanzong was no longer lucky to be in the Eastern Capital. For He Bian, the price of the rice increased by three coins, and each year the short delivery was worth more than a hundred thousand dendrobium. If the rice was cheap, the Shaofu would increase the price and buy it, and if it was expensive, it would be sold at a low price.

About He Bian on that day. The importance of politics has been discussed in detail by my cousin Yu Daguijun, so I will not repeat it here (see the chapter 1 of the fifth volume of the collection of the Institute of History and Linguistics, Academia Sinica). Those who want to discuss it are the origin of He Bian and its relationship with Niu Xianke. As for Peng Guo’s connection with the content of this policy, it is difficult to know, so we leave it out. The Biography of Niu Xianke in the Book of Tang Dynasty (133 Niu Xianke) has the following summary:

Niu Xianke was originally from Quaigu, Jingzhou. The envoy of Yingtian invited Xianke to participate in the matter, and he was transferred to Sima of Taozhou for his military achievements. In the early Kaiyuan Dynasty, Wang Jun became the governor of Hexi Province. As an envoy, he was appointed military and political commissar to Xianke, and Song was appointed as the governor of Hexi Province. In the autumn of the 24th year of Kaiyuan, King Xin'an was the general manager of Shuofang's march. Cui Xiyi, a regular servant of Yousanqi, knew the affairs of Hexi Festival on behalf of Xianke. Xiyi reported his story. He ordered Zhang Lizhenchi, a member of the Ministry of Punishment, to come and take a look at it. Xianke's warehouse was full, and his equipment was as good as Xiyi's. He made Xianke his minister. Zhongshu ordered Zhang Jiuling to perform the memorial and thought it was impossible, so he sealed 200 households. In November of that year, Jiuling and others were dismissed from political affairs, so Xianke was appointed as the minister of the Ministry of Industry and the third rank of Zhongshu, and he still knew the affairs of the immortals. Since the guest is in the position, he can only take care of himself. Baisi has made a decision, and Xianke said: "But it can be done according to the order."

Yinke's case: Xianke made a decision. Hehuang was an official who rose to the rank of prime minister. His relationship with Zhang Jiuling was one of the major political cases of the Xuanzong Dynasty, but it was not directly related to the Hebian matter, so it can be ignored. It should be noted that he was born in Xianke and was a senior official. The region and their official positions and achievements are numerous. In short, the indigenous people in the northwest corner have devoted themselves to the political strategy of providing enough food and soldiers in their local areas, and have achieved great results. Therefore, they have been specially rewarded and promoted to control the central government. also. It is rumored in history that he was mediocre in power and did not dare to make a decision. This is true, but the implementation of Hebian was in Guanzhong. Although history says that his proposal came from Peng Guo, it was actually possible to implement it because of the power of the immortal guest. The use of the Hebian method in Guanzhong is a special creation. With the mediocrity of the immortals, those who dare to take charge of it must be those who have been accustomed to it all their lives and know that it can be effective. Otherwise, they may not dare to take charge. Its discussion. It can be deduced from this that the policy of harmonious purchasing is a method that can provide enough food and troops, and its origin is undoubtedly in the northwest corner of Sheshe. Sui Shu Er Si Food and Huo Zhi (See Tong Dian Yi Er Shi Shi Huo Dian Qing Chong Men Yi Cang Tiao) briefly states:

(Kaihuang) In May of the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Kaihuang, Sun Ping, the minister of the Ministry of Industry and Gonggong of Xiangyang County, reported to Zhu. The people and soldiers of the prefecture urged the society to build warehouses and store them in warehouses on the day of harvest, and the grain and wheat were harvested on the day of harvest. Defeat, if the time is not ripe, and there is famine in the community, this grain will be used to provide relief. In the 14th year of the Han Dynasty, there was a severe drought and people were hungry. Fortunately, Luoyang was able to provide food to the people and provide relief from the officials, regardless of their official positions. At that time, the righteous warehouses were stored in the human world, and there was a lot of expense and loss. In February of the 15th year, the edict said: "We set up a warehouse to prevent floods and droughts. The people did not think long-term, and they wasted money and lost money. In addition, the northern states are different from the rest. Yun, Xia, Chang All free warehouse hybrids in , Ling, Yan, Lan, Feng, Shan, Liang, Gan, Gua and other prefectures will be collected in this state. If people are short of food due to drought, hybrids and millet will be given first.

"In the first month of the sixteenth year, he also ordered Qin, Die, Cheng, Kang, Wu, Wen, Fang, Dang, Xu, Tao, Min, Wei, Ji, He, Kuo, Bin, Long, Jing, Ning, Yuan, Fu, Dan , Yan, Sui, Yin, Fu and other prefectures were resettled in the county. In February, it was decreed that the upper, middle and lower levels of taxation should be paid; the upper household should not pay more than one stone, the middle household should not pay more than seven dou, and the lower household should not pay more than four dou. .

The Tang Dynasty Huiyao Baocang and Changpingcang (see Tongdian 12 Food and Huo Dian and Liang Tang Shu Food and Huo Zhi, etc.) say:

On the fourth day of the second year of Zhenguan. Dai Zhou, the Prime Minister of the Yue Dynasty, asked for the establishment of a righteous warehouse. It said: "Since we have prepared storage for the people in advance, and the officials have raised their palms to prepare for the bad years, it is highly commendable. It is advisable to have a department under the leadership to discuss the establishment of regulations. " Han Zhongliang, the Minister of Household Affairs, reported: "Princes and princes will receive two liters per mu of cultivated land and store it in prefectures and counties to prepare for bad years. "It can be done. On the sixth day of the ninth month of the second year of Yonghui, the edict was issued: "It is really troublesome to collect taxes from the Yicang area. It is better to order the households to produce millet, and the upper and lower households will have five stones, and the rest will vary. ”

According to the records of the Sui Dynasty, we know that in the early Sui Dynasty, the warehouses were originally taken care of by the people themselves. Later, because they were in vain and were in vain, they were taken over by the government, but only in the key border defense areas of the northwest states. Because the military food in this place was related to national defense, it could not be freely handled by the people like in other places. Moreover, the amount of millet collected according to households had actually changed into a compulsory expropriation in the nature of persuasion when the Yicang was established in the early days of the emperor's reign. The Yicang system in the early Tang Dynasty seems to have been imitated by the Sui Dynasty. However, the emperor ordered households to produce millet and turned it into a tax. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, it became one of the two important taxes. The details cannot be discussed in this chapter, but the signs of its evolution are similar to those of the Sui Dynasty. There is no doubt that the states in the northwest of the Sui Dynasty are similar. Is there a relationship between imitation and inheritance? I dare not say for sure. Also look at the records of Tang Huiyao Jiushi and Bianmen:

( In August of the fourth year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty (1648-1911), the Jingzhao Prefecture was ordered to add Hebian prices to the current price. First, most of the Hebian products in Jingji were suppressed, which made the people suffer. The statement says:

When it comes to peace and buying, the officials pay and the people pay for the grain, and the two parties discuss it and then make a deal. , Promote the establishment of schedules, strictly enforce the regulations, and if you are late, you will be chased. This is more than taxes. It is called He Bian, but it actually harms others. If a company pays for it, it will be compared with the current price. If there is a slight advantage and the benefits are tempting, people will be willing to do so. I have been in the village for a long time, and I was once a warlord of Hebian. It is unbearable to criticize.

At least in the eras of Dezong and Xianzong, Hebian was actually a method of forcing people to collect agricultural products by "distributing households to each other and strictly exhorting them". How could it be changed from "Hebian"? "The purchase turned into a forced conquest, it is worth pondering. What the situation was like during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong is certainly not known, but we can say that He Bian's system was originally designed for military food, such as the eight warehouses and eight warehouses in the Tang Dynasty. Changping Cangyun:

The edict of October of the eighth year of Zhenyuan: "The armies of Zhenhe bought a reserve of 530,000 stones. "

Also wrote the same book Jiushi and Bianyun:

In February of the first year of Changqing, the edict: "The envoys to the north of Beijing, west of Beijing and Bian should stop. If you are unprepared, please set up a peace envoy. After many years of ineffectiveness, it only disturbed the border people, so let it go. ”

It is clear that in the Sui Dynasty, due to the poor handling of the people in Shecang across the country, they specifically changed the government-run system in the military defense areas of the northwest border states, which allowed the people to directly accept millet in the military towns. The change to the system of receiving millet according to households is also the system of "allocation of households to households". The system of yiciang in Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty was a universal system in the country. It was still implemented in Jiangnan, and it should be followed in the northwest. From Zhenguan to Kaiyuan, there was a military system in the northwest. Relationship, it is a place where heavy troops are stationed. Guan Tong Dian Yi Er Shi Huo Dian light and heavy door Yi Cang Tiao (see Old Tang Book Jiu San and New Tang Book Yi Yi Yi Xue Na Zhuan) says:

The Empress Dowager Wu of Gaozong For ten years, the free warehouses were not allowed to be used for miscellaneous purposes. Later, when the public and private affairs were in distress, the free warehouses were borrowed to finance the expenses. After Zhongzong Shenlong, the funds for the free warehouses were almost exhausted.

Knowing that the military needs of the northwest border states were huge, the free warehouses must also be borrowed. There are some shortcomings, but if you want to have enough food for the army, you have no choice but to give up and buy. Therefore, Tongjian 214 Tang Ji 30, September 25, Kaiyuan (refer to the New Tang Book Food and Huo Zhi cited above) says:

First, there were many soldiers in dozens of states in the northwest, and the rent and land could not support them, so they began to use the method of purchasing. Because of the advice of Niu Xianke, Wuzi issued an edict in Guanzhong. "The peasants were hurt by the low price of the old grain, and the current price was increased by twenty or three, and the east and west millet were purchased by millions of dendrobium each." "Since the gains have been accumulated in Guanzhong, chariots and chariots are no longer lucky to be in the eastern capital. Guisi ordered Henan and Hebei to rent warehouses in Hanjia and Taiyuan, and all those who rented warehouses in Hanjia and Taiyuan should be retained in this state.

This is the custom of the northwest border state. Niu Xianke and Peng Guoyin promoted it in Guanzhong. Niu Xianke was originally an official in the history of Hehuangdian in the northwest for a long time. He became famous for being able to feed enough soldiers and became the prime minister, so the northwest was harmonious. It must have already been implemented and effective.

In order for it to be effective, in addition to having enough goods to purchase goods, two conditions must be met: first, the population of farmers in the area has multiplied enough to increase the amount of agricultural products, and second, the area has been accustomed to using this type of method. A method of forced bribery. Please briefly describe:

Hebuyers purchase agricultural products on the spot, so the farmers in the area must multiply and have sufficient production before they can actually purchase agricultural products. Although the northwest states suffered from the disaster of war during the Sui Dynasty, they recovered and prospered in the later years of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The government implemented the policy of enriching the northwest border states, so the area became the most fertile area in the country at that time. Tongjian Eryi Lu Tang Ji San Er Tian Bao Twelve Years, Ge Shuhan and Hexi Jiedu Envoy describe the grand situation of Hexi that day (Yin Ke Case: This is taken from the Miscellaneous Records of the Ming Dynasty, and also Bai Shi Changqing Collection Er Si and Li Xiaoshu Xin You can also refer to the poem "Xiliang Opera in Yuefu" (you can also refer to it):

At that time, China was prosperous and powerful. From Ankuimen to the west of the Tang Dynasty, it was twelve thousand miles away. There are no rich people like Longyou.

If the northwest frontier states were as prosperous as they were at that time, and the first condition for the Hebian policy was already in place, it would not be difficult or doubtless to implement the policy there.

Furthermore, if the government’s bid for Hebian’s purchase exceeds the local estimate, it may be very high. Although it can be used to lure the people, the government will spend a lot of money. If the purchase quantity is large, it will not be easy to sustain for a long time; If the official bid price is almost the same as the local current estimate, then the temptation of a meager profit will not make the farmers automatically trade with subordinate officials. Most of the peasants are afraid of officials like tigers and wolves, and they avoid them for fear of being overtaken. This is no different from ancient times to modern times, and it can be explained without bothering to talk about it. Therefore, it must be habitual and compulsive, so that the harmonious method can be implemented effectively without causing illness to the people. It can be seen from the northwest border prefectures that the system of paying grain per household to the official warehouse or military warehouse has been implemented since the Sui Dynasty. Its nature is no different from Baixiangshan's so-called "distribution of households to households and strict supervision". Although the Zhenguan Yicang system in the northwest border states has been turned into a kind of tax, and history says that there are heavy troops in the northwest, and the land has been engaged in peace and buying for a long time, the law of peace and buying in the northwest border states is just like the Sui Dynasty. Regarding the system of military warehouses, the basic procedures and methods seem to be the same, but the price is slightly given and the incentives are used. They have learned from each other for a long time, and they can achieve outstanding results. In the Yuan Dynasty, the law of Hebian in Guanzhong became a government that was strict with the people. The law of Hebian was inherently coercive and could not be achieved if it was not harmonious. However, when the national treasury was abundant and the people were prosperous, the government could provide The price was high and the people could easily afford it, so it was not considered a government policy for the sick people at that time. This is the second condition that the law of peace and purchase should meet.

In short, history has made it clear that the northwest frontier states had early peace and buying methods. Niu Xianke promoted and introduced it to Guanfu. This method of Hebian was transformed from the northwest local system into the central government system. This is the so-called Hexi localization of the Tang Dynasty system. Although the details of the method of Zhihe Bian cannot be verified before the 25th year of Kaiyuan in the northwest, there are still fragments of Tianbao's four-year Doulu Army and Bian accounting account in the manuscripts published in Dunhuang (published in Dunhuang Duosuo Zhonglu No. , Yinke once studied the two characters "Shengdou" in it, and published it in the article "Qin Fu Yin" in the Tsinghua University Journal in October 1936), and we can still make some inferences about it.

Since Xuanzong used the method of Niu Xianke and Bian, Guanzhong's economy could be self-sufficient, and Pei Yaoqing's policy of transferring agricultural products such as those from the Jianghuai River became unnecessary. However, although the agricultural products from the Jianghuai River are not needed, and their substitute agricultural products can be used as goods to buy and buy (linen) cloth, they still need to be imported into the capital, so as to enrich the wealth and power of Guanzhong. Therefore, the second chapter of the Jiuxuanzong Benji of the old Tang Dynasty book (refer to the imperial edict of March 3, the 25th year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty contained in the 25th Article of the Kaiyuan Tongjian and the 83rd Tax of the Tang Hui Yao) says:

Kaiyuan 2 In February of the fifteenth year, the Jianghuai transportation was stopped and the Hebei transportation was stopped.

Tongdian Lu Food and Hudian Taxation Summary says:

(Order made in the 25th year of Kaiyuan), the states in the south of the Yangtze River rented and built Nabu.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the rent paid by the people should have been in millet, but now it was suddenly changed to cloth. This was a major change in the country's financial system, which is known to most foreign historians. . From what I have read, although there are quite a few articles on this reform, it seems that no one has yet deeply explored the origin of this change. Without making any assumptions, let me try to briefly prove it:

I think this is the system. It was an old system in the Southern Dynasty. Although the Southern Dynasty merged with the Northern Dynasty, the system of renting from Nabu still existed in the states south of the Yangtze River. It was almost a local practice. By the time of Wu Zetian, this system was gradually promoted and implemented. By the 25th year of Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the central government It was compiled into the canon and became a system for a generation.

According to Sir M. A. Stein's Innermost Asia, Vol. III, Plates CXXVII, the two ends of the cloth found in Astana Cemetery are recorded. The text on one end is:

Zhu Boliang, Meishan, Xiande Township, Xin'an County, Wuzhou Rent one end of the cloth.

November of the first year of Guangzhai.

Yinke case: This is cloth rented on behalf of others, so it is called rented cloth. It can be seen that Wuzhou was under the jurisdiction of Jiangnan Province in the Tang Dynasty. This is what the new order in the 25th year of Kaiyuan Dynasty said.

The states in the south of the Yangtze River rented and returned to Naboo.

The clear evidence. However, the matter had already occurred during the time of Empress Wu. There were frequent wars in the northeastern frontier during Wu Zetian's lifetime. The collection of Yan Lugong's collected works contains a summary of Yin Liang's travels (see the complete Tang Dynasty article 514): Still passed down as calyx), the people of the county came to beg for advice. Yu Gong said: "The country's old system of Jianghuai County rented cloth and stored it in Qinghe to prepare for the Northern Army. It has been for a long time. According to legend (called) Tianxia Beiku, there are some stored in it today. More than 3 million yuan of cloth was made in Jiangdong, more than 700,000 yuan of silk was rented and transferred in Hebei Province, more than 100,000 yuan of colored silk was made in the county, more than 300,000 yuan of accumulated annual taxes, and 300,000 yuan of grain were stored in the treasury. More than 100,000. "

The Yinke case: Li E said that the old system of the country has been around for a long time, and it is impossible to determine its era. However, he said that the joint article about renting cloth in Jianghuai and discussing the battle of Mochu was suspected to be Empress Wu. current events. In the first year of the Guangzhai period in Central Asia, the Zubu in Wuzhou was found, and its geographical period is consistent with the words of Calyx. Therefore, Zhu Boliang's Zubu and Yin Liang's words can be verified, and Tongjian 217 Tang Chronicle 33 In the third month of the Yuan Dynasty, Sima Jun actually recorded this incident, and he recounted Li E's words

The country usually gathers money and silk from the Jianghuai, Henan, and other places to support the Northern Army. It is called the Northern Treasury of the world. More than three million horses and so on.

It is extremely vague and loses its original meaning. It is not as good as Song Zijing who is very happy to change the old text. In the New Tang Dynasty Book 153 Yan Zhenqing Biography, he wrote "Jianghuai Renbu" according to Yin Liang's original text in order to get the truth. .

You may ask: Today’s discovery of the actual cloth rental is a clear proof that the Nabu system was practiced in the states south of the Yangtze River during the time of Wu Zetian. This is true, but how do we know that it is a legacy of the Southern Dynasty? It should be said: Although the historical records of the financial system of the Southern Dynasties are very brief and difficult to examine in detail, there are some things that can be inferred. For example, the Records of Emperor Sanwu of the Southern Qi Dynasty say:

In May of the fourth year of the Yongming Dynasty, Gui Si issued an imperial edict to the south. Xu Erzhou will pay two-thirds of the rent this year for the cloth and one cent for the money. After next year, he will go to the money-losing places of the states and reduce the length of the cloth to four hundred, which is still half, and is considered to be a permanent system.

The good biography of Prince Jingling collected in the same book is as follows:

The imperial edict was issued to get money by renting two cents of cloth.

The records in these two volumes are the same and there is no doubt about it. There seems to be a contradiction in the proportion of money and cloth mentioned in it, and the issue of collecting money is problematic. I will not explain it in this chapter to avoid overshooting. However, Emperor Wu's records clearly stated household rent, while Xiao Ziliang's biography said it was discounted as renting cloth. From this, it can be inferred that rent can be converted into money or cloth. If you rent to Nabu, you are renting cloth, which is to make Nabu. This is the so-called Jiangnan localization of the Tang Dynasty system. In other words, it is the Southern Dynasties.

Note: This chapter was written in the spring of 1940 and sent to the Commercial Press for printing in the summer of that year. It was not published for a long time until the author was found in the library of Guangxi University in Guilin in the spring of 1943. In Volume 1, Volume 1, Journal of Oriental Studies, published in 1940, the article "Yong Tiaobu and Zubu in the Tang Dynasty" by Niida Noboru in Turpan is roughly the same as the discussion in this chapter. Please note that the years are listed here successively to avoid misunderstanding.