[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty":3,"chapter-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-38":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Literary Genius in the Song Dynasty",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2336421,4568,"Chapter 38: Opening Revenue? Cutting Costs?","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>At this moment, Li Pan spoke up to assist: “My student is still young; if he has overlooked anything, I humbly ask Mr. Zhang for your guidance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No harm done,” Zhang Fangping waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu sat upright and said: “Though our dynasty is wealthy, it bears the burden of the ‘Three Superfluities’ and cannot advance boldly. Though I dwell far from court, I have given this some thought, and thus have an idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re being too polite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is it merely ‘hard to advance boldly’? Tax revenue is limited while expenditures are nearly infinite—it’s long been a precarious situation, and now we’re barely holding on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangping spoke bluntly; having once served as Director of the Three Departments, he knew exactly what the Song treasury was like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without two brushes of a top-tier patchwork artisan, no one could handle this job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because he understood, Zhang Fangping harbored an instinctive wariness toward any economic policy suggestion from anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even now, Zhang Fangping did not believe Lu Beigu, a county school student, could propose anything worthwhile—but by nature he enjoyed nurturing the young and engaging in conversation, so he was merely listening with an attitude of “hearing all sides brings clarity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, to Zhang Fangping, if it worked, fine; if not, no harm done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu nodded and continued: “I believe the foundation of our dynasty’s finances lies in the salt monopoly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you mean to open new revenue streams through the salt system?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question sounded casual, but concealed a test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in this world didn’t know that opening new revenue streams brought money faster than cutting expenses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But take a household as an analogy: if everyone in the family works hard to earn money, why do most families choose frugality over starting a business?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, because reckless business ventures rarely succeed, risk losing capital, and may break the household’s positive financial cycle, plunging it into deeper distress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The state is no different: Song’s finances now barely hold together through years of deficits. If we recklessly open new revenue streams, we might collapse the entire system outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This era had no shortage of clever men, nor were these clever men unaware that opening revenue streams brought money faster than cutting expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But first, there was no room for trial and error; second, given the Song’s weak grassroots governance, no matter how sound your revenue idea, implementing it nationwide would twist it into ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, if one truly intended to open revenue through the salt system, it might yield short-term gains, but ultimately would be worse than leaving it unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Pan, beside him, clenched his fists in sweat, hoping Lu Beigu wouldn’t answer foolishly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Opening revenue through the salt system is out of the question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu shook his head: “The people already bear an unbearable burden from salt taxes. Adding more arbitrarily won’t raise much revenue—it will only make things worse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangping nodded slightly; as long as it wasn’t a suggestion to open revenue, he could listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My idea is to partially reform the salt certificate system, using commercial principles to enable mutual exchange between regions, improving efficiency and reducing waste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Zhang Fangping, whose attitude had just softened, frowned tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know how the salt certificate system came about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu paused to recall, organizing his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the third year of Yongxi under Emperor Taizong, to solve the difficulty of supplying grain to the northwest, the ‘Zhong Method’ was enacted: merchants transported grain to the northwest frontier in exchange for salt certificates, which allowed them to collect salt at designated salt fields and sell it within designated regions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But because the northwest was poor and frontier grain prices were high, grain was supplied only to border troops, not civilians. Locals often survived by smuggling salt. Merchants spent vast sums transporting grain over long distances; even after obtaining official salt, they found no profit. Over time, the ‘Zhong Method’ fell into disuse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhong Method was unworkable,” Zhang Fangping’s brow remained furrowed. “That’s why, when Fan Zhongyan was appointed to oversee the green and white salts along Shaanxi’s frontier, he reformed the salt system: replacing physical grain exchange with cash payments. Merchants now paid copper coins directly in the capital to obtain salt certificates, then collected salt at the fields. Grain for the northwest was transported directly via the southeastern canal system. The ‘Zhong Method’ was abolished entirely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Zhongyan was Zhang Fangping’s close friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After passing the imperial examination, Fan Xiang rose from magistrate of Qianzhou to Assistant Prefect of Zhenrong Army, personally leading troops against Li Yuanhao’s siege. He was a man like Zhang Fangping—versed in frontier affairs and economics—who had overseen the construction of Liu Fan Fortress and Dingchuan Fort, and performed notably in managing Shaanxi’s silver, copper mines and minting, as well as overseeing the green and white salts along the frontier. He now serves as Prefect of Huazhou in Guanzhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all goes as planned, with Zhang Fangping set to resume his post as Director of the Three Departments next year and oversee national finances, he and Bao Zheng will soon jointly petition to reappoint Fan Xiang as Director of the Jie Salt Administration, restoring his control over northwest salt policy and promoting him to Deputy Transport Commissioner to assist Zhang Fangping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu was familiar with Fan Xiang and his salt certificate system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was highly prominent in ancient Chinese economic history, especially in Song economic history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The *Song Shi: Food and Currency Annals* explicitly records that Fan Xiang’s salt certificate system was highly complete; later civil officials dared not alter it lightly, making only minor additions or subtractions on its foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangping’s next words were direct, offering Lu Beigu little courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you know the salt certificate system, on what grounds do you believe your design could surpass Fan Zhongyan’s?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given how complete the salt certificate system already was, Lu Beigu’s proposal to revise Fan Xiang’s system—his friend’s creation—was not surprising in provoking this reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Beigu did not retreat. He said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know full well the problem of copper coin shortages in Sichuan. When my party passed Luzhou, we saw countless boats shuttling back and forth transporting well salt from southern Sichuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean transporting salt from Sichuan to Guanzhong to exchange for copper coins?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Zhao Bian interjected. He was Transport Commissioner of Yizhou Circuit and understood economic matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not so,” Lu Beigu shook his head. “Sichuan’s roads are treacherous. Transporting salt overland would make its price vastly higher than well salt shipped eastward along the river. Guanzhong’s people couldn’t afford it, nor could they obtain copper coins. My idea is to let southeastern merchants bring copper coins to Sichuan to buy salt, alleviating Sichuan’s copper coin shortage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that already how it’s done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Bian frowned, utterly confused: “But the court limits annual well salt sales. Southeastern merchants can’t pay entirely in copper coins—they use mostly iron coins, jiaozi, even cloth and silk. And what does this have to do with the northwest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yizhou Circuit differed from others: because Sichuan produced abundant tea and well salt, its Transport Commissioner also supervised the monopoly revenues from tea and salt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Zhao Bian had strong authority on Sichuan well salt matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely because it’s already being done this way, it has practical feasibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Beigu’s phrasing was awkward, but he offered no further explanation, returning to his main point: “I’ve considered: Sichuan has abundant well salt but lacks copper coins; the northwest lacks grain; the southeast has abundant copper coins; the central plains have abundant grain. These four can form a self-sustaining cycle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fangping’s furrowed brow eased slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sensed something, yet still saw only a blurred outline, as if a sheet of paper lay between him and clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lu Beigu laid out his entire plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>① “Deficit” is not a modern term; it originated from Su Chuo of Western Wei’s accounting system, which prescribed “red out, black in.” During the Sui and Tang dynasties, “deficit” was commonly used to denote state expenditures exceeding revenue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>② A salt certificate, which according to the *Song Shi: Currency Annals*, entitled its holder to 116.5 jin of salt at a price of six guan per certificate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1385,"2026-06-20T21:44:14.864Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","21d4436130399be8d202312b244700ea2c8b69ec596fb86fb24b41b562b4d182","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-39","a-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-chapter-37",56,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-literary-genius-in-the-song-dynasty-cover.jpg"]