Chapter 92: Salt Administration Reform

“Commandant, rest assured—we will avenge our previous disgrace!”

The four Battalion Commanders responded in unison.

The earlier defeat could be called an accident.

But failure in the military is still failure; no amount of justification can erase the mistakes made during command.

Connections and background merely grant more chances to fail; once proven incompetent, they will still be abandoned by their patrons.

Now that the rebel army’s main force has been wiped out, if they can’t even deal with a few remnants, they have no place left in the military.

It was clear that Marquis Wuyang still knew how to manipulate men. The provocation tactic was old, but it worked.

Li Mu, as the example to be held up, wished he could vanish on the spot.

Other people’s children are extremely provocative.

Even if relations had been good in the past, after such an incident, resentment was bound to arise.

To erase this rift, either everyone must progress well, or the gap between them must widen enough.

The lottery ceremony ended quickly; the four who drew tasks took their leave.

Holding in such rage, without release, would inevitably lead to trouble.

…

“Li Battalion Commander, how long do you think they’ll need to capture Taizhou?”

Marquis Wuyang asked with concern.

It was clear the previous incident—letting the rebels escape—had directly shaken his confidence in his officers.

“My Lord, the rebels have just suffered defeat; their morale is shattered.

The conscripted soldiers won’t fight for them.

The Huang brothers slaughtered indiscriminately in Taizhou, deeply offending the gentry.

Deep-rooted local families aren’t easily uprooted.

As the rebels show signs of decline, the hidden remnants of these gentry families will seize the chance to retaliate.

The smaller rebel bands they previously absorbed now pose a serious threat as the main force falters.

The enemy’s current situation is one of internal strife and external pressure. A light push will cause this crumbling house to collapse.”

“Breaking Taizhou won’t be hard—it’s merely a question of losses. I estimate the rebels can hold out three to five days.”

In fact, even without launching an assault, a full siege would make it impossible for the rebels to last two months.

According to intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the enemy missed this year’s autumn harvest; Taizhou’s grain reserves are scarce.”

Li Mu analyzed objectively.

The hastily assembled rebel force was inherently chaotic.

When winning, they could still unite.

But once faced with adversity, hidden internal conflicts would erupt.

Compared to the rebels’ earlier reckless assaults, the Five City Military Commission was far better prepared.

Not only had they brought heavy cannons from Nanjing, but also mobilized countless craftsmen to build siege engines, with the Jiangnan Naval Force providing support.

Even if they couldn’t breach the walls, they could simply wait until the enemy collapsed on its own.

“I understand your point. A siege and blockade, waiting for the rebels to collapse, is indeed the most prudent choice.

But the Battle of Taizhou concerns the honor of the Five City Military Commission—this battle must be fought!”

Marquis Wuyang said sternly.

In court politics, some things must be upheld.

If the Five City Military Commission had achieved no victories before, choosing the safest option—siege—would have been ideal.

But now the opposite is true: aside from one mistake, the Five City Military Commission has performed well on the battlefield.

People can accept never having had something, but cannot accept losing what they once had.

The simplest way to wash away the stain is to win it back quickly.

The rebel force in Gaoyou State splitting up to flee, though allowing many Wen family members to escape, accelerated the rebels’ collapse.

The Five City Military Commission has little time left—they must capture Taizhou before the Imperial Guard crushes the rebels in Nantong State.

“Boom… boom… boom…”

The dense artillery fire marked the beginning of the siege.

On the city walls, the Huang brothers had lost their former bravado.

Unlike past defeats, this campaign had encountered imperial cavalry and suffered devastating losses without warning.

Especially the loss of their core troops had the greatest impact on the Taizhou militia.

To stabilize morale, they had no choice but to personally take the walls and command the soldiers.

“Big brother, the enemy is well-prepared—they’re about to cross the moat.

Taizhou’s fall is only a matter of time. We must find a chance to break out!”

Huang Renliang urged urgently.

He was only in his twenties, with plenty of life left to enjoy—he didn’t want to die in Taizhou.

But in the militia, Huang Renlong still held the highest prestige.

Even if they fled, they needed the elder brother’s approval.

“Second brother, we’re short on grain—evacuation is inevitable.

But you’ve seen the power of the enemy’s cavalry.

On open plains, we’d be no match for those demons.

Even if we break out, we must wait until they’ve moved away before acting.

Unfortunately, we can’t contact our allies in the navy; otherwise, fleeing by water would be the best option!”

Huang Renlong had barely finished speaking when a cannonball flew toward them.

With a thunderous “boom,” three of his bodyguards were blown to pieces.

The Huang brothers, barely escaping death, lost half their wits and instinctively fled down from the gate tower.

With their commander fleeing, nearby defenders blindly followed.

In an instant, the gate tower was left vacant.

Regaining his senses, Huang Renlong roared:

“Why are you down here? Get back up!”

Fortunately, the moat had blocked the enemy; otherwise, the chaos among the defenders would have cost them the walls.

The soldiers were driven back, but the damage to morale lingered.

From the soldiers’ resentful glances, it was clear their fear of their commander had changed.

With no time to soothe morale, the Huang brothers’ minds were fixed only on escape.

Having narrowly escaped death again, their faith in the rebellion grew weaker.

Reason told them: if they didn’t flee soon, they’d be trapped forever.

…

Huai’an City.

“Left Chancellor, here is the map of the salt fields in the Two Huai region.

We audited the accounts of several salt fields in Huai’an Prefecture—the figures were shocking.

According to imperial salt laws, these salt fields alone should contribute at least 1.4 million taels annually in taxes.

Extrapolating from this, total salt tax revenue from the Two Huai region should be between 2.5 and 3 million taels.

Two Huai salt production accounts for roughly one-third of the nation’s total; taking a midpoint, theoretical national salt tax revenue should be around 8 million taels.”

When Gu Yuansong finished speaking, the room fell heavy with silence.

Last year’s imperial salt tax revenue was 1.3 million taels—nowhere near the 8 million.

If this number reached the Emperor’s ears, who knew how furious Tianyuan Emperor would become.

Over 80 percent of the tax revenue was divided among the bureaucracy and salt merchant syndicates—clearly, they were mocking the Emperor’s ignorance.

“The world accuses us of corruption, but compared to these people, we’re nothing.

Salt is already wildly profitable, yet these people still aren’t satisfied.

When the court established the salt tax laws, they fully considered the merchants’ interests.

The Great Yu Dynasty’s registered population is eighty million; doubling that figure for the real number isn’t excessive.

Everyone needs salt; annual consumption exceeds twenty billion jin.

Even if we made just one wen profit per jin, that’s still two million taels in silver.

Besides humans, livestock and workshops all depend on salt.

Actual annual consumption must reach forty to fifty billion jin.

Total output from all salt fields matches this data.

In my decades of life, I’ve never heard of salt going unsold—it’s all been sold.

Even at the lowest estimate, an annual salt tax of ten million taels for the empire shouldn’t be unreasonable, right?”

When Zuo Guang’en spoke, everyone in the room was stunned.

Mathematically, ten million taels in salt tax was reasonable—but in practice, it was another matter.

The salt profits were too enormous; everyone wanted a share.

If the true situation were reported to the Emperor, who knew whether Tianyuan Emperor could tolerate this system of plunder?

Even if the current emperor accepts it, what if the next emperor finds it unsatisfying and wants more?

“Grand Chancellor, a comprehensive reform of the salt monopoly carries too great a risk.

Just the Two Huai salt industry has caused such upheaval; if we implement this nationwide, resistance from the regions will surely be immense.

Why not compromise? The imperial salt tax will still be collected as usual.

With the Two Huai salt merchants as an example, I believe we can set a collection target that regional salt bureaus can meet.

For the shortfall, simply have regional salt merchants voluntarily contribute to the court.”

Vice Minister of Revenue Pang Chengjie quickly spoke up to advise.

Reforming the salt monopoly is meant to solve fiscal problems, not to overturn the table.

The upheaval in the Two Huai region has already severely damaged the interests of the bureaucratic elite.

If we do this nationwide, no one will be able to live in peace.

At its core, this is a problem of benefit distribution—those who take more naturally leave less for others.

Beneath the massive salt monopoly lie countless small and large interest groups.

The court succeeded in implementing reforms in the Two Huai region only because the Seven Great Families there rebelled.

Though forced into rebellion, rebellion is rebellion—forcing the court’s officials to abandon them entirely.

Such a maneuver can only be done once.

Once others are on guard, trying the same trick again won’t be so simple.

“Vice Minister Pang’s proposal is not beyond consideration.

But such matters cannot rest solely on my willingness—we need everyone’s cooperation.

If regional salt officials continue their corruption, and if salt merchants still act recklessly, then I am powerless!”

As he spoke, Zuo Guang’en deliberately spread his hands wide.

With the precedent of exterminating the Seven Great Families of Two Huai, his fear of powerful clans had vanished completely.

The salt merchants, known for their military strength, had been crushed effortlessly by imperial troops.

Other purely scholarly clans were even less of a threat.

Once removed from court, these men were nothing but frail scholars, relying only on their prestige in scholarly circles.

After all, as the head of the eunuch faction, he had no concern for his reputation.

This shift in mindset directly influenced Zuo Guang’en’s decisions.

“Grand Chancellor, there are still more wise men in this world.

If a few fools cannot understand your benevolence, then simply send them to their graves!”

Gu Yuansong said with a smile.

The eunuch faction’s power surged, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s prestige rose with it.

Realizing the weakness of the civil official clique, he, as Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, became equally forceful in his actions.

Though many factors led to this southern expedition, the essential goal was one—to raise money!

Whoever handles this mission well will become the Emperor Tianyuan’s trusted minister.

Whoever obstructs the court’s efforts to raise money becomes the emperor’s thorn and thistle.

Even Xu Ge-lao, the leader of the pure stream, showed no political acumen befitting a Grand Secretary upon entering the Two Huai region.

It wasn’t that he lacked ability—he had long seen through the essence of the problem.

As a senior official at court, one must consider not only one’s own faction’s interests, but also the empire’s interests.

When these two interests clash, political wisdom is severely tested.

The actions of the two senior pure stream officials at this critical juncture were exemplary.

Grand Secretary Pang chose to feign illness to avoid trouble; Grand Secretary Xu chose to feign ignorance.

They loudly proclaimed their intent to crush the eunuch faction, yet in practice deliberately avoided confronting them.

The pure stream faction had its own political ambitions, but being trapped within the system, they could not betray their class.

Their identity and position prevented them from raising revenue for the court like the eunuch faction—but that did not mean Xu Wenyue did not wish to solve the court’s fiscal crisis.

In the upheaval of the Two Huai region, the pure stream faction did not ignite a political storm largely because they were led astray by the two senior officials above.

Under Emperor Tianyuan’s sharp rule, officials who cared only for factional interests could never enter the Grand Secretariat.

…

(End of Chapter)