The positive influence of social changes in China in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.

There were also some official jokes in the Ming Dynasty, and two articles about Qian Neng were recorded in Wan Li Ye Bian Bu.

Qian Neng was a famous eunuch during Chenghua and Hongzhi (1465- 1505). Emperor Chenghua ordered him to guard Yunnan. The post of eunuch was established by Emperor Hongxi in the early Ming Dynasty. The emperor didn't trust the officials below, so he sent eunuchs who often worked around him to stare. Admittedly, this is necessary. Officials in the Ming dynasty often fooled the emperor, and the emperor also established some supervision systems, such as sending imperial officials to inspect. However, these censors may also be bought off, even forcing the people to pay, and then fooling the emperor with the supervised people. Therefore, sending slaves down to watch the night for the emperor is the third round of the game of "there are policies on the top and countermeasures on the bottom". The emperor was forced to show his last weapon here. Imagine, who else can he send? Moreover, if you think about it carefully, eunuchs are lewd, have no wives and children, and if a person is full and the whole family is not hungry, they should be less selfish than ordinary officials. Putting ourselves in the emperor's shoes, we have to admire the emperor's good intentions in selecting and employing people.

The problem is that the last reserve team, such as Qian Neng, is also willing to be bought. What's more, guarding eunuchs has great power and the ability to legally hurt everyone, and they dare not buy them.

There was a rich man in Yunnan at that time, but he grew up. The rich man's son is a famous dutiful son, and he is very worried about his father's illness. With this money, you can call the dutiful son and announce that your father's boils are contagious. It's not good if it reaches the army. Besides, he is old again. Now, after research, I decided to sink him into Dianchi Lake. The dutiful son was frightened and immediately thought of buying it. He spent a lot of thought, paid a lot of money, pleaded repeatedly, and finally got the understanding of the leader and revoked the decision.

At that time, there was a man named Wang in Yunnan who made a fortune by selling betel nuts, and the locals called him the betel nut king. When Qian Neng heard about it, he arrested the king and said, "You are an ordinary person, how dare you mislead others and call yourself king!" " The book doesn't describe the reaction of the betel nut king in detail, but I'm sure he will sweat profusely after hearing this accusation no matter what season. To be king without authorization is to declare war on the emperor. Whoever catches this king has made great contributions. Betel nut king knows the seriousness of this crime, and he avoids disaster at all costs. According to the history book, he "did everything he could" before escaping the robbery.

Unemployment also existed in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Those who fail in the competition for living resources will eventually become refugees. After investigation, the Ming Dynasty was largely killed by refugees. Without refugees, ordinary people live and work in peace and contentment. I'm afraid King Chuang can only be the leader of a small gang. Even Li Zicheng himself won't go there. He had no land and was laid off by the post office (post office and guest house), so he only joined Lao Wang Chuang when he was desperate. Money can chew betel nut king clean, and its function is to create Li Chuangwang. Originally, the betel nut king could bring business to many farmers and small traders, but now some of them are going to lose their jobs or even become refugees. From this point of view, what money can chew is the lifeblood of the emperor. Considering that many people would have been willing to learn from Betel nut to create more business and employment opportunities, but the experience of Betel nut king and others scared them away, and the influence of money was even more fatal.

How did the emperor deal with such a deadly and far-reaching natural disaster?

The emperor relied on his eyes and ears to know the situation. The imperial eunuch is the emperor's system eyes and ears, and it is also the obligation of mutual supervision. In the sixth year of Chenghua (1470), Guo Rui, the secretariat of Yunnan Province, wrote a report to the emperor, specifically reporting the situation of guarding eunuch Qian Neng. Guo Rui said: "Money can be powerful, brave, and can go a long way to achieve unified leadership. Since money can get sick, I'm afraid I have to call back to Beijing to recuperate. Pray for the emperor's grace, pity the people of Yunnan, and let him protect Yunnan forever. " The emperor replied, I see.

Eyes and ears fooled the emperor. Shen Defu, the author of Wan Li Leaf, was edited, gnashing his teeth, and said, "Qian Neng, a villain, is hated by the world, and Guo Rui actually protected him with the body of an inspector. Even chopping Guo Rui inch by inch is not enough to make up for his sins. " But this is just angry words. Nothing seems to have happened to Guo Rui, and no one has investigated him. Deceive the emperor? If you understand, you will understand. From this perspective, the emperor is a gullible person.

First, spend money to hang foreign flags.

1927165438+1On October 26th, Chongqing rich businessman Huang signed a secret agreement with French Geely Foreign Firm, claiming that the two joint ventures, Jufu Foreign Firm, were fake joint ventures, and one third of the shares nominally owned by France were "dumb shares". China flies the French flag in the name of French businessmen and pays a "flag-raising fee" of 32 thousand silver every year.

Thirty-two thousand silver is not a decimal. Based on the rice price 190 1 to 19 10, this money can buy more than 500 tons of rice, which is equivalent to more than one million RMB today. Jufu foreign firm has only three small ships of 100 tons, which are engaged in passenger and cargo transportation in the upper reaches of Chuanjiang River, with a total investment of only 302,000 silver. Is it cost-effective to pay such a large "flag hanging fee" every year, which is equivalent to 10% of the total investment?

Fake joint ventures will also bring serious risks. Later, the company grew bigger and bigger, and legitimate businessmen really put on a face of doing things according to law, insisting on taking "virtual shares" seriously and severely beating the Chinese side. As for the private living expenses of French nominal managers and captains, including Yunnan floating smoke and brandy, this is also a considerable figure in the past 20 years.

However, even if these costs are included, Huang, the general manager of Jufu Foreign Firm, still thinks that this transaction is worthwhile, "really worthwhile".

This is not a fool's account of individual entrepreneurs. In Sichuan in the 1920s, most ships were flying the flags of European and American countries. According to the report of China-foreign Economic Weekly 1925 published on September 26th, only three of the 16 shipping companies engaged in Chuanjiang shipping are not flying foreign flags. If counted by ships, there are 36 ships, and 32 ships fly the flags of France, Italy, the United States or Sweden, accounting for 89%. However, after carefully investigating the founders of these shipping companies, I only found a foreign name.

This phenomenon was not only popular in Sichuan in the 1920s. According to the report of Oriental MagazineNo. 1904 1 1, there are more than 300 merchant ships sailing to other places every day in Xiamen, Fujian Province, all of which are Chinese businessmen from various ports. Now they are flying the flags of Britain, France and the United States, and the foreign firm is acting as the manager. The interest right of this perennial audit overflows into the hands of outsiders, not less than several hundred trillion. "According to China and Foreign Daily (1905 10.07), it is" the worst habit "for merchant ships to fly foreign flags in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. With the approval of the Ministry of Commerce, local officials and gentry reported the establishment of merchant shipping associations and generally advised them to hang the dragon flag instead.

In the thirty-third year of Guangxu (1907), the local government of Guangdong even ordered a reform, which exempted all the 52 Liang license fees paid by merchant ships flying the dragon flag, and urged Chinese businessmen not to fly foreign flags.

Businessmen all over the country abandoned the dragon flag on such a large scale and hung expensive foreign flags. What is the value of foreign flags? Let's follow the thinking of Huang, the general manager of Jufu Foreign Firm, and see what he bought with the annual flag fee of 32,000 yuan. This is a transaction with China characteristics. Throughout the ages, whether it is donating official titles or sending performance shares, whether it is hanging foreign flags or wearing "red hats", such transactions have occurred frequently, and this expense has every reason to be included in the regular expenses of China's industry and commerce.

Second, warlords as the environment.

At the checkout, General Manager Huang first emphasized the warlord status. He said: "Jufu Foreign Firm has really (really) reduced a lot of troubles by relying on this signboard of' legal management' in the era of Sichuan warlords' melee. For more than a decade, the ship has never performed a military mission. At that time, there were so-called business tax, direct tax, 25% tax, etc., but Jufu Foreign Firm never paid taxes from its establishment to its end, thus avoiding the oppression of warlords. "

This passage involves two possible losses, one is being a policeman, and the other is exorbitant taxation. How to estimate the potential amount of these two losses? Comparing the experience of ships without foreign flags, we can see the shadow of losses.

Shujiang Company was established in 19 15, and the ship was named Yuanji. Due to the difficulties of the government, the hijacking of bandits, and heavy debts, shareholders all hid, leaving only Ma Zeqing, who contributed the most, struggling to support them. 19 17, the Sichuan army fought with the Yunnan army, and the Yunnan army detained Yuanji as an officer and released him six months later. After returning to Chongqing, Beiyang Army seized ships to transport military supplies. The northern army withdrew from Sichuan, and Yuanji was detained in Yichang by the northern army as soon as he started to move between Yichang, Chongqing.

In desperation, Ma Zeqing invited a French businessman, Max Foreign Company, to invest 22,000 yuan to register in Shanghai. Shujiang Company was renamed Mai Company, and Yuanji also hung the French flag. 19 19 returned to Sichuan. The following year, Sichuan and Yunnan armies fought again, and Wang Wenhua, the commander of Chongqing police, detained Yuanji for military use. As a result, the French consul intervened and the warlords were forced to release the ship.

At that time, due to the constant war and traffic cut off, Yuanji became the only safe means of transportation and its business was booming. In eight months, I paid off my previous debts and made a profit of several thousand taels of silver. At this time, the shareholders who had retreated before came back, demanding to buy back foreign shares and return the 22,000 loan lent by Dazhong Bank to Macy's foreign firm. After the cancellation of Macy's foreign firm, Macy's company was renamed the Aviation Department of Public Bank. Soon, Volkswagen Bank went bankrupt. As a creditor of Volkswagen Bank, the warlord Yang Sen confiscated the Yuanji and transformed it into a warship. 1922, Yuanji sailed for Yichang with Yang Sen's department. The ship decays and disappears, and Shujiang Company dies.

From this perspective, foreign flags are an umbrella against warlords. If there is something, it will prosper, and if there is nothing, it will die. This phenomenon is not limited to Sichuan.

According to Customs Trade Statistics and Report 1920, a war broke out in Guangzhou in the second half of the year. "Soldiers have closed ships one after another, paralyzing the whole shore, and it is extremely difficult to recover the rent, so the shipowner has suffered a lot."

According to the report of Yueyang Port, Hunan Province, "In this year (19 16), China ships were detained for military transportation many times, and all steamboats and civilian ships were used for military purposes, so they came to a standstill. On one occasion, the detained ship docked on the river bank and extended for several miles or three miles for several weeks. "

1923, a report from Wuzhou Port in Guangxi said: "People sailing in China have to fly foreign flags for protection because of the pain of the army's closure. When the port resumed business in autumn, most China ships had been converted to British and Portuguese nationality. "

Generally speaking, these reports can show that the arrest of ships by warlords alone is enough to cause losses to shipping companies and even kill them. It is only a matter of time before the flag of China is eliminated.

General manager Huang said that they have hung foreign flags for more than ten years and have never paid exorbitant taxes to warlords. How much is this right worth? I tried to do the math, but I couldn't figure it out. I can only copy some original data.

According to the report of Oriental Magazine in March, 1926, "Since Sichuan started to fight, various taxes have been like clouds, or the original taxes have increased; Or the same tax, repeated collection; Or set up checkpoints for the sections where they are stationed; Or search by various names. As far as the names of fees are concerned, there are escort fees, river defense fees, ship delivery fees, merchant ship protection fees, clearance fees, ship fees, group defense fees, township customs clearance fees, cost estimation fees, ship inspection fees, unified donation fees, agricultural protection fees, Red Cross fees, landing fees, temporary military expenses, stamp fees, boating fees, public tickets fees, music donation fees, tuition fees and fees.

"As far as the charging institutions are concerned, there are Commercial Insurance Department, Quanchuan Defence Force Collection Department, Department Store Unified Donation Department, Jiang Fang Card Inspection Waterway Police, No-smoking Inspection Department, National Defense Collection Department, Commercial Insurance Department, India Inspection Card, Alcohol and Tobacco Inspection Card, Shipping Department, Military Insurance Department and Guizhou Military Music Donation Department, which are scattered around, swindling and cheating everywhere, and businessmen regard it as a fearful road."

There are 22 kinds of tax items * * * copied above, and there are 12 kinds of charging institutions, and they are generally repeated and aggravated, which is difficult to calculate. What's more, these situations are always changing and advancing with the times. According to the report of Nanning Port 1923 in Guangxi: "In the name of false protection, the army collects protection fees. Every time a ship arrives, there is a local military attache who is collecting money. In the spring, each boat pays * * 600 yuan to Xiaoyang, which shows that it is changing with each passing day, but in autumn, a boat has to pay as much as 3,600 yuan. "

At that time, the merchants were not sure how much they would charge. According to Guangdong Sanshui Port (1923), "The organs set up by the armies along the Yangtze River collect merchant ship protection fees ... This collection organ can be set up anytime and anywhere. It is difficult to predict the profit and loss of a small boat sailing once. ..... If the Chief Secretary for Administration remains unchanged, there will only be one day left. "

Having said that, I need to add a few words. Why can flying foreign flags take refuge and eliminate disasters? We know that the best embodiment of the yamen and warlord factions is such a rhetorical question: I'll do it, what will you do with me? If you dare, Hugh!

Foreigners do sue. Their government sued the businessmen. Start with consular negotiations. If not, go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central Government. If it really doesn't work, send troops to fight. In fact, our warlords despise any rules and principles, and they only admit fighting. They know they can't beat foreigners, and they can't beat the bigger warlords supported by foreigners. Fighting is not worth the loss, so they are very obedient.

According to Wanxian Port in Sichuan, in 19 18, the sales of cotton yarn in Sichuan gradually expanded. On June 5438+00, 2 1, the head of Tanaka Valley stationed in Wanxian suddenly ordered the establishment of a donation bureau to collect special military insurance premiums from ships flying foreign flags according to the number of cotton yarns loaded, and those who failed to pay were detained. More than 80 ships were detained, and foreign consuls, customs and enterprises tried their best to protest. Half a month later, British warships intervened and the captain directly threatened. Colonel Tian immediately released the boat.

The following year, we saw in the report of Chongqing Port that the method invented by Director Tian was fully promoted with the support of the provincial government, but it was only effective for Chinese businessmen: "All goods belonging to Chinese businessmen, whether transported by ship or flag, will be levied. Foreign businessmen and real foreign merchant ships do not accept donations to avoid diplomatic difficulties. "