When the Han Dynasty was established, it inherited the mess left behind by the Qin Dynasty. Men went off to war as soldiers, while the frail and infirm were responsible for transporting food. The people toiled hard, short of cash. Even the emperor himself could not gather four horses to pull his carriage, and some ministers could only ride in ox carts. The common people didn't even have a proper home. At that time, the coins from the Qin Dynasty were heavy and inconvenient to use, so the Han Dynasty ordered the people to mint their own coins, stipulating that one catty of gold be minted into one catty of coins. They also implemented some simplified laws and reduced prohibitions. However, those unscrupulous profiteers secretly hoarded money, inflated prices, and caused food prices to skyrocket, with a stone of rice going for thousands of cash and a horse costing hundreds of gold.
After the country was at peace, Emperor Gaozu ordered that merchants could not wear silk clothes, could not ride in carriages, and heavily taxed them. During the reigns of Emperor Xiaohui and Empress Dowager Lü, because the country had just stabilized, restrictions on merchants were relaxed, but the descendants of common people were still not allowed to become officials. The court set the salaries of officials and the expenses of government offices, then taxed the common people. The taxes collected from mountains, rivers, gardens, ponds, and markets were taken for personal use by the emperor and nobles, without being included in the national financial income. Just tens of thousands of stones of grain were transported from Shandong to the capital each year.
During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, there were more and more copper coins, which became lighter, so they began to mint new coins with the inscription "half an ounce," and allowed the common people to mint coins themselves. As a result, the state of Wu, a vassal state, minted a large amount of coins locally, amassing a fortune rivaling the emperor's, and eventually perished due to rebellion. Deng Tong, a minister, also made a fortune from minting coins, surpassing the emperor. The widespread circulation of coins minted by Wu and Deng Tong ultimately led to a ban on private minting.
The Xiongnu often raided the northern border, where many troops were stationed but food supplies were insufficient. Therefore, the court recruited civilians who could transport food to the border, granting them titles, with the highest being a high-ranking official. During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, a drought occurred in the western region of Shangjun. The court issued orders to sell titles again, lowering their prices to recruit more civilians. People could also work off their crimes by supplying food to the government. The court increased the number of horse farms, expanded horse breeding, and made the palaces, pavilions, and chariots even more luxurious.
I have been emperor for many years, and the Han Dynasty has been established for over seventy years. The country has been peaceful and everyone was living the high life, with households thriving, grain warehouses in the capital full, and the national treasury overflowing. There was so much money in the capital that copper coins were rusting and impossible to count. The granaries in Taicang were bursting with grain, so much it was rotting in the streets! Every household had horses, and fields were filled with groups of them, even to the point where there was no space left for the mares. Even the guards were feasting, officials' families flourished, and positions were treated as family legacies. As a result, selfishness was rampant, but crime was low. People worried more about doing the right thing than looking bad. During that time, the laws were lenient, the people were wealthy, the state treasury was full, and some individuals, having wealth and power, acted tyrannically in the countryside. The imperial family, local officials, and officials below the rank of high ministers all competed to show off their wealth, with houses, chariots, and clothes even more luxurious than the emperor's, without limits. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing; that's just how it goes.
Since then, Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen, among others, were sent to pacify Dong'ou and govern the two Yues, and as a result, the Jianghuai region suffered from overtaxation and exploitation. Tang Meng and Sima Xiangru blazed a trail over a thousand li to open up the road to the Southwest Yi, expanding the Bashu region, but the people of Bashu were exhausted as a result. Peng Yue and Wu She wiped out Korea and established counties by the sea, plunging the Yan and Qi regions into unrest. Later, Wang Hui set up a plan in Mayi; the Xiongnu cut off marriage alliances, invaded the northern border, and the war continued endlessly, causing great suffering to the people, with conflicts becoming more frequent. People carried rations on their journeys, and families sent supplies to those away. The whole country was in an uproar as people tried every means to avoid excessive taxes, leading to a national financial deficit. Bribery became rampant; officials were promoted for gifts, and crimes could be bought off. Official appointments were corrupt, and there was a complete lack of integrity. Military might was favored, and the laws became ever more severe. And so, the age of officials truly dedicated to the state began.
Later on, the Han Dynasty sent tens of thousands of cavalry to attack the Xiongnu every year. General Wei Qing captured the Xiongnu territory south of the Yellow River and built Shuofang City there. At that time, the Han Dynasty opened a road to the southwestern barbarians, mobilizing tens of thousands of people to transport food over long distances. Due to the difficult transport, it took more than ten dou of food to exchange for one stone, and money was used to buy the help of minority ethnic groups in the Qiong and Bo regions for transportation. For several years, the supply lines were constantly disrupted, and the barbarians took advantage of this to attack multiple times, prompting the court to send troops to suppress them. As a result, the taxes in the Ba and Shu regions were insufficient, so the court incentivized wealthy commoners to cultivate land in the south, selling their harvest to the government in exchange for funds. Transport costs from the eastern coastal counties mirrored those of the southwestern campaign. The court also mobilized over a hundred thousand people to build Wei Shuofang, with very distant logistical distances, and this labor was borne from Shandong to various places, costing tens to hundreds of millions of cash, depleting the national treasury. So the court recruited commoners; if they could just offer up a slave or two, they could be exempted from lifelong servitude; officials could even be promoted and ennobled, and even offering sheep could lead to an official position. This marked a turning point, where even the humblest offering could buy a path to power, highlighting the desperate measures employed by the Han to sustain its costly wars.
After four years, the Han Dynasty sent out six generals, leading over 100,000 troops to attack the Right Worthy King, killing 15,000 enemies. The following year, the generals launched another assault against the Xiongnu, killing 19,000 enemies. The soldiers who captured and killed the enemies received rewards of over 200,000 pounds of gold, while the tens of thousands of captives also received generous rewards, with their basic provisions provided by the government. However, over 100,000 soldiers and warhorses from the Han Dynasty died, not to mention the cost of weapons and transportation! At this point, the Grand Farmers had spent all their money, tax collection was nearly exhausted, and it was still not enough to cover the expenses of the army.
The emperor expressed concern, saying, "I have heard that the teachings of the Five Emperors were different, yet they all managed to govern the world well; the systems of Yu and Tang were different, yet they both became kings. The reason they took different paths was because the merits they established were consistent. The northern border is still not stable, and I am very worried. Recently, the generals attacked the Xiongnu, killing 19,000 enemies, but the soldiers left behind have nothing to eat. I plan to allow the people to buy titles or redeem imprisoned criminals to reduce their guilt."
Please establish reward positions, named Military Merit Ranks, totaling 170,000 levels, with a total value of over 300,000 gold. Those who purchase Military Merit Ranks will be given priority in official positions:
- A Thousand Commander is equivalent to five Grand Officers.
- Those found guilty can have their penalties reduced by two levels.
- The highest title can be a Minister of Music, to commend military achievements.
Many military achievements were recognized through this ranking system, with significant accomplishments rewarded with marquis titles and lesser ones with minor official titles. The official system was complex and diverse, leading to numerous titles and significant waste.
Starting from Gongsun Hong, who used the principles of the Spring and Autumn Period (a historical era in China) to restrain his subordinates, he became the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty; Zhang Tang, relying on strict legal texts to judge cases, became the Minister of Justice. From then on, strict laws and severe punishments prevailed, leading to an increase in cases of wrongful association, slander, and extreme crimes.
In the second year, signs of rebellion from the Kings of Huainan, Hengshan, and Jiangdu were exposed, and the court officials seized the opportunity to investigate and punish them severely, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands. Local officials became even more cruel and strict in enforcing the law, and the laws themselves became more stringent.
At that time, the court recruited virtuous, upright, and knowledgeable good men, some of whom even rose to high official positions. Gong Sunhong became the Prime Minister, dressed in coarse clothes, ate simple meals, and led by example. However, this did not bring any practical benefits and instead seemed more about looking good than doing good.
In the second year, the top general once again attacked the Xiongnu, capturing forty thousand enemy heads. In the autumn, King Hunxie led tens of thousands of troops to surrender, and the Han Dynasty sent twenty thousand carts to welcome them. Upon their arrival, they were rewarded, and the deserving soldiers received rewards as well. The expenses for this year amounted to a fortune.
In the earlier years, the Yellow River had burst its banks multiple times over the past decade, causing repeated flooding in the regions of Liang and Chu. The counties along the Yellow River constantly built and repaired embankments, but they were always washed away, costing a huge amount that was difficult to calculate. Later, the court wanted to save on the cost of shipping and opened channels to irrigate farmland along the Fen River and Yellow River, using a massive workforce; Zheng at the time believed that the shipping channel of the Wei River was too far, so he opened a direct channel to Huayin, also using a massive workforce; Shuofang also opened a channel, employing a large number of workers. These projects went through two or three phases and were not yet completed, with costs exceeding a fortune.
To fight the Xiongnu, the court heavily bred warhorses, with tens of thousands of horses needing to be fed in Chang'an City. The soldiers in the Guanzhong region responsible for feeding the horses were not enough, so they had to be transferred from nearby counties. And the surrendered Xiongnu people depended on the court for keeping them fed, clothed, and housed, which the court's finances could no longer support. The emperor even cut back on his own food and fancy carriages, using palace treasures to help them out.
In the second year, the Shandong region suffered from floods, and most of the people were freezing their butts off and starving. Therefore, the emperor sent envoys to open the granaries of the counties to provide relief for the poor. However, this was not enough, so they also strong-armed the rich into loaning money to the people. Still unable to completely solve the problem, the court relocated more than 700,000 poor people to the west of Guanzhong and the new Qin land south of Shuofang, where the works were all provided by the court. Several years later, the court distributed land and property to them and sent people to protect them by regions, with officials' carriages constantly on the move. The cost? Billions, and that's a lowball estimate.
Ah, at that time, the county's finances were empty, while the rich were hoarding cash, squeezing the poor for every penny, raking in the dough—so much money, you couldn't count it. Those local bigwigs were all just waiting with their hands out for a handout from the emperor. These guys were making a killing in smelting, salt, and alkali—tens of thousands of gold coins, easy!
So the emperor and his advisors cooked up a plan: reissue the currency to fix the mess and nail those greedy speculators. It had been over forty years since Emperor Xiaowen's currency reform. Starting from the Jianyuan period, coins were used less frequently, so local government offices often directly minted coins near copper mines, and the common people also secretly minted coins. The result? More money, but it was worthless, and everything was crazy expensive.
Some people reported to the emperor: "In ancient times, leather coins were used, and the exchange of tributes between vassals was also done with leather coins. Gold was divided into three categories, with yellow gold being the best, white gold being average, and red gold being the worst. Nowadays, the standard weight of half a liang is four zhu, but those crooks always tamper with the coins, wear them down, and steal the metal, making the coins lighter and thinner, which made paying tribute from distant lands even more difficult and expensive." So it was decided to use white deer skin, cut into one-foot squares, embroidered with patterns, to make leather coins worth forty thousand each. Officials and nobles had to offer leather coins and jade bi together when paying tribute, to be considered acceptable.
Then, silver and tin were used to mint white gold coins. Reflecting the celestial correspondence of dragon to heaven, horse to earth, and turtle to humanity, white gold coins were divided into three types: one weighing eight liang, made round with dragon patterns, called "White Xuan," worth three thousand; one slightly lighter, square with horse patterns, worth five hundred; and one even lighter, oval with turtle patterns, worth three hundred. Officials who privately minted various coins were sentenced to death. However, the number of officials and commoners secretly minting white gold coins was countless.
Finally, the emperor appointed Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin as Grand Ministers of Agriculture, in charge of salt and iron affairs; Sang Hongyang, due to his expertise in calculations, was appointed as a Palace Attendant. Dongguo Xianyang was a major salt merchant from the Qi state, and Kong Jin was a major ironmaster from Nanyang, both incredibly wealthy, having amassed fortunes in the thousands of gold pieces, which is why Zheng recommended them to the emperor. Sang Hongyang was the son of a merchant in Luoyang, skilled in calculations from a young age, becoming a Palace Attendant at thirteen. These three were masters of finance, incredibly shrewd and efficient in their dealings.
The laws were getting tougher, and many officials had been dismissed. With continuous wars, regular folks were spending money to avoid conscription, and even fifth-rank officials couldn't recruit soldiers. As a result, a thousand soldiers and five fifth-rank officials were arranged to serve as officials, with anyone who didn't want to comply having to buy their way out. The former officials were sent to clear out the thorny brush and build the Kunming Pool.
The following year, the Grand General and the Cavalry General led troops to fight the Xiongnu, killing eighty to ninety thousand enemy soldiers. The court rewarded them with five hundred thousand gold coins, but over ten thousand war horses died, plus the cost of shipping all that gear! At that time, the national treasury was empty, and many soldiers were not receiving their pay.
Some people told the court that the three-zhu coins were too light and easy to fake. Therefore, the court ordered every county to start minting five-zhu coins with thicker edges to stop them from wearing down or getting shaved.
The chief financial officer reported to the court that mountain and sea resources were gifts from nature and should be managed by the Imperial Household Department. But you weren't greedy, Your Majesty; you handed them over to the chief financial officer for taxation. The plan was to get ordinary people to kick in some cash and labor to produce salt using government tools, with the government only providing pots and pans. However, the rich and powerful wanted to corner the market, screwing over the common people and blocking the government at every turn. Anyone caught making their own iron or salt got their left toe chopped off and their stuff confiscated. Counties that couldn't produce iron got their own little ironworks, run by the county itself. Therefore, Kong Jin and Dongguo Xianyang hit the road to manage salt and iron production nationwide, establish government offices, and even allow wealthy individuals who were previously involved in salt and iron production to become officials. As a result, the government got all messed up, not caring about who was qualified, and suddenly lots of merchants were officials.
Now, about those merchants, you see, they just love the ups and downs of the market, hoarding goods desperately in pursuit of profits. As a result, the ministers in the court said, "Every county and state has suffered disasters, and many poor people have no means of livelihood, so why don't we recruit them to settle in the Guangrao area? The Emperor himself should tighten his belt, take out the money from the palace to help the people, and reduce the taxes. The problem is, the common people did not all return to farming; instead, more and more merchants appeared. The poor have no savings at all, relying entirely on government relief." They also proposed, "In the past, when calculating vehicles, merchants, and money, there were different standards, so let's calculate according to the previous standards. Those merchants, whether borrowing for trade, hoarding goods in the city, or doing business to make money, even if they are not registered in the market, must report what they own, with every two thousand coins counted as one unit. Those with rental income or coin minting will have every four thousand coins counted as one. As for officials, the elderly, and border cavalry, their carts will count as one; merchants, their carts will count as two; ships over five zhang (approximately 15 meters) will count as one. If anyone conceals or does not fully report, they will be sent to guard the border for a year, and their money and goods will be confiscated. If someone reports, the informant can receive half." "Registered merchants and their families were forbidden from owning land, so farmers could farm easier. Whoever dares to violate the order, their land and servants will be confiscated!" The Emperor remembered the words of Boshi, so he summoned Boshi, appointed him as a Palace Attendant, made him the Minister of the Left, rewarded him with ten hectares, and then had the orders proclaimed throughout the land.
So, there was this guy, Bu Shi, a man from Henan who farmed and raised livestock for a living. After his parents passed away, he had a younger brother who grew up, so Bu Shi voluntarily split the family, leaving a hundred-odd sheep while giving his brother the land, house, and other property. Bu Shi then went to the mountains to herd sheep, and over the course of more than ten years, the flock grew to over a thousand, allowing him to buy land and a house. But his brother blew through everything, so Bu Shi kept bailing him out.
The Han were always at war with the Xiongnu, so Bu Shi wrote the emperor, offering to donate half of his wealth to support the border war. The emperor sent an envoy to ask Bu Shi, "Do you want to become an official?" Bu Shi replied, "I've been herding sheep since I was young and am not used to being an official. I don't want to become one." The envoy asked if there was any injustice in his family that he wanted to report to the court. "Nope," said Bu Shi, "I've never had any trouble with anyone. I've lent money to folks in need and straightened out a few troublemakers. Everyone in the village listens to me, so why would I have any issues with others? There's nothing I want to say." The envoy asked, "If that's the case, why do you want to donate money?" Bu Shi replied, "The emperor's gotta wipe out the Xiongnu, right? So those of us with skills should fight, and those of us with money should chip in. That's how we win!"
The messenger passed on Bu Shi's words to the emperor. The emperor told this to Prime Minister Hong. Hong said, "That's not a normal thing to do. A guy like that, who goes against common sense, can't be used as an example; it'll set a bad precedent. Don't agree to it, Your Majesty." So the emperor did not reply to Bu Shi for a long time, and after several years, he sent Bu Shi back home. After returning home, Bu Shi continued to farm and herd sheep. Over a year later, several enemy commanders surrendered, causing huge military expenditures and emptying the national treasury. The next year, many poor people moved, all hoping for relief from the court, but the court was unable to afford it. Bu Shi took out 200,000 cash to the Prefect of Henan to help these refugees. The Henan prefect reported the list of donors to the court. When the emperor saw Bu Shi's name, he recognized it and said, "That's the guy who wanted to give half his fortune to the war effort!" So the emperor rewarded Bu Shi with four hundred exemptions. Bu Shi then donated all of these exemptions to the court. While other rich folks were hoarding their cash, Bu Shi was eager to help the country. The emperor saw Bu Shi as a true patriot and rewarded him to inspire others.
At first, Bushi wasn't exactly thrilled about becoming an official. The Emperor said, "I've got tons of sheep in the imperial hunting park, and I want you to go and herd them." Bushi then became an official, wearing coarse clothes and straw shoes to herd the sheep. After a year or so, the sheep were plump and healthy. The Emperor went to see his sheep and was very pleased. Bushi said, "It's not just about herding sheep; it's the same with governing people. You gotta let 'em rest and graze, and you gotta get rid of the bad apples before they spoil the whole bunch." The Emperor was impressed by Bushi, so he sent him to serve as a county magistrate in Goushi County, where the people supported him. Later, he was promoted to be the magistrate of Chenggao County, in charge of transportation, and he achieved the best results. The Emperor considered Bushi to be honest and loyal, so he appointed him as the Grand Tutor of Prince Qi.
Kong Jin was promoted to the position of Commissioner of Agriculture within three years for his achievements in casting utensils nationwide, ranking among the Nine Ministers. Sang Hongyang was the Agriculture Minister's assistant in charge of various accounting affairs, gradually implementing a system of balanced supply and demand to circulate goods.
The court began to allow officials to use grain payments to fill vacancies and promote to higher positions, with the highest salary for officials reaching six hundred stones.
Five years after the casting of five-zhu silver coins, the court pardoned hundreds of thousands of people who had been sentenced to death for counterfeiting coins. There were countless others who, undiscovered, had killed each other in their desperation. Over a million people voluntarily surrendered. However, less than half of those who surrendered; almost everyone in the world had privately counterfeited coins. With so many lawbreakers, the government could not arrest and punish them all, so officials like Chu Da and Xu Yan were sent to inspect various places to investigate and punish those who seized land and were corrupt officials. At that time, the Grand Master Zhang Tang was in power, promoting officials such as Xuan and Du Zhou to be the chief ministers, and appointing strict and harsh officials such as Yi Zong, Yin Qi, and Wang Wenshu as Nine Ministers. This led to more officials speaking their minds.
Da Nong Yan Yi was executed. Initially, Yan Yi was a low-ranking official in Jinan County, and gradually rose to the position of a high-ranking official due to his integrity and honesty. The emperor and Zhang Tang together created deer hide currency and asked for Yan Yi's opinion. Yan Yi said, "Nowadays, when vassal kings meet the emperor, they use jade *bi* discs worth thousands, while the value of deer hide currency is as high as 400,000 cash units, which is disproportionate." The emperor was very unhappy. Zhang Tang had a personal vendetta against Yan Yi, and someone reported that Yan Yi had different opinions, so this matter was handed over to Zhang Tang to handle. Yan Yi was talking to a guest, and the guest mentioned some inconveniences of the new laws; Yan Yi didn't directly answer, offering only a mild rebuttal. Zhang Tang reported that as a high-ranking official, Yan Yi saw the inconvenience of the laws but did not speak up, held a grudge, and requested his execution. Since then, the crime of "subversive muttering" emerged, and the officials and ministers began to flatter and please the emperor.
The emperor issued a tax edict, and Bu Shi was reinstated, but the people still did not hand over their money to the county officials, so the tax edict went nowhere.
Many corrupt officials in various regions privately minted coins, which were light and insufficient in weight. Therefore, the ministers in the court suggested that the coin mint in the capital produce a coin called "Chi Ce," where one Chi Ce coin was worth five regular coins, and only Chi Ce coins could be used by the government; other coins were not allowed. Platinum, another currency, dropped in value. People stopped using it. Local officials tried to ban it, but it was no use. Within a year, it was completely out of circulation.
That year, Zhang Tang died, but folks did not miss him at all. Two years later, the Chize coins also depreciated, and the common people found them a real hassle to use, so the Chize coins were abolished. The court then ordered a ban on private coinage in various regions, only allowing the three Shanglin government offices to mint coins. Once they started minting more coins, the court stipulated that only the coins minted by the Shanglin officials could be used nationwide, and the coins previously minted in various regions were confiscated and the copper melted down and returned. As a result, the situation of private coinage by the common people decreased, and it just wasn't worth it; only those shrewd businessmen dared to secretly mint coins.
When Bu Shi served as the Prime Minister of the State of Qi, Yang Ke reported people across the country for corruption and bribery, pretty much everyone above the middle class got caught up in it. Du Zhou was responsible for handling these cases, and in the end, hardly any appeals were successful. The court also dispatched imperial censors and judicial officers to inspect cases of corruption and bribery in various regions, confiscating a fortune in private wealth, seizing millions of slaves, as well as confiscating land, with hundreds of acres in larger counties and over a hundred in smaller ones, along with countless houses. As a result, most merchants and people above the middle class went bankrupt, and the common people started living it up, spending their money on good food and clothes, and stopped saving. Meanwhile, the treasury was overflowing due to salt and iron revenues and confiscated wealth.
The court expanded the border passes and set up left and right assistant officials. At first, there were many official offices managed by the Minister of Agriculture for salt, iron, and cloth, and the Office of Water Conservancy was established to oversee salt and iron. Later, after Yang Ke reported corruption and bribery, the wealth in Shanglin Garden (a historical royal garden) increased, so the Office of Water Conservancy was put in charge of managing Shanglin Garden. As the wealth in Shanglin Garden grew, the court expanded its size. At that time, the Yue Kingdom wanted to engage in a naval battle with the Han Dynasty, so the Han Dynasty extensively renovated Kunming Pool and built many viewing platforms around it. They also constructed tall, multi-decked warships, adorned with numerous flags, which were very spectacular. Encouraged by this, the emperor built the Bailiang Terrace, which soared several dozen zhang high. From then on, the construction of palaces became increasingly luxurious.
The court distributed confiscated money to various official offices, and the Office of Water Conservancy, the Imperial Household Department, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Master of the Horse all appointed agricultural officials who regularly distributed confiscated land to these offices. Confiscated slaves and maids were given to the royal gardens to raise dogs, horses, and birds, as well as to other official offices. With more and more official offices and slaves, there were still four million stones of grain transported by water each year, supplemented by the court's own grain purchases, which barely met the demand.
Zhong Yan said, "Those aristocratic children and wealthy people only know how to engage in cockfighting, dog racing, hunting, and gambling all day, disturbing the common people." So he investigated and punished a large number of people who violated the laws, arresting thousands of them, known as "those caught up in the dragnet and sent into exile." Those who bribed their way into office could get positions, but appointments were already a mess.
At that time, the Shandong region suffered severe flooding disasters, coupled with several years of poor harvests, causing the people to starve and resort to cannibalism, a situation that lasted for hundreds of miles around. Taking pity on them, the Emperor ordered, "He told them to use the Jiangnan farming methods of fire plowing and water hoeing, allowing the starving people to seek refuge in the Jianghuai region. Anyone who wanted to stay could." He sent loads of officials to escort them and also dispatched grain from Bashu to aid the disaster victims.
The next year, the Emperor began to tour various regions. When crossing the Yellow River to the east, the Hedong prefect, unable to greet him in time, killed himself. The same thing happened in Longxi when the Prefect of Longxi was unprepared, causing the Emperor and his officials to go without food. So the Emperor headed north to Xiaoguan, leading a massive cavalry force to hunt in the New Qin region to whip the border troops into shape before returning. In some areas of the New Qin region, there were no post stations or guards for hundreds of miles, so the Emperor executed officials below the Prefect of Beidi, let the people graze on the borderlands, and lent them mares, to be paid back in three years with just a tenth of the value as interest, to lower taxes and boost the New Qin region.
Once he got the Baoding, the Emperor established sacrificial sites for Houtu and Taiyi, and court officials planned the Enthronement Ceremony. Roads and bridges were repaired across the land. Old palaces were renovated, along with the highways and county towns the Emperor would pass through. Local officials stocked up, ready for his arrival.
In the second year, Nanyue rebelled, and the Xiqiang invaded the border again, running rampant. Therefore, the emperor, as Shandong couldn't keep up with supplies, ordered the pardon of all prisoners in the country. He deployed over 200,000 naval troops from the south to attack Nanyue, sent tens of thousands of troops to assault Xiqiang from west of the Sanhe River, and dispatched thousands more to cross the Yellow River to build defensive works. The emperor also established Zhangye Commandery and Jiuquan Commandery, stationed chief agricultural officials in Shangjun, Shuofang, Xihe, and Hexi regions, and mobilized 600,000 border troops to cultivate land. In the Central Plains region, roads were intensively repaired, and military provisions were stockpiled, with more than 3,000 li being transported for distant areas and over 1,000 li for nearby areas, all supplied by the chief agricultural officials. Border troops lacked sufficient weapons and equipment, so weapons were allocated from the arsenal and engineering officials to make up for the shortage. Chariots, cavalry, and horses were severely lacking; county coffers were low, making horse purchases difficult. Therefore, the emperor issued another decree, stipulating that officials from princes to those above 300 shi must provide mares to various post stations according to their ranks, and the post stations must raise these horses and pay annual interest. Prime Minister Bu Shi of Qi State submitted a memorial, saying, "They say when the king's worried, his people feel the pinch. Now that Nanyue has rebelled, I'm ready to die alongside my son and Qi's best shipwrights."
The emperor issued a decree: "Bu Shi may only be a farmer who farms and herds, but he never values money too much. He always gives any extra grain to the country. Now that a crisis has befallen the nation, Bu Shi has volunteered to go to battle with his son, ready to die for it. Although he has not yet been to the battlefield, his loyalty and righteousness are evident. He is to be appointed as the Marquis, rewarded with sixty pounds of gold and ten hectares of land." The news went out, but nobody else stepped up. Among the numerous marquises, not a single one was willing to lead troops to fight against the Qiang and Nanyue tribes. When it came time to hand over the tribute of gold, the steward found that over a hundred marquises lost their titles for not paying enough tribute. As a result, the emperor promoted Bu Shi to the position of Chief Justice.
After becoming Chief Justice, Bu Shi discovered that many counties were dissatisfied with the government's control of salt and iron. Iron was crap, prices were high, and the government forced people to buy it. Additionally, there were problems with how they taxed ships, meaning few merchants and high prices. Bu Shi used Kong Jin to bring up the ship tax issue. The emperor wasn't happy about that.
The Han Dynasty fought for three years, crushing the Qiang and wiping out the Nanyue. Seventeen new counties were established from Fanyu in the west to the southern part of Shu, leaving their customs alone and not taxing them. The old counties like Nanyang and Hanzhong provided supplies to the newly established counties based on their land area. However, these new counties often experienced rebellions, killing officials and forcing the Han to send southern troops to put them down. Thousands of troops were sent every year, all paid for by the Grand Minister of Agriculture. The Grand Minister of Agriculture barely managed to keep up, using the equal-field system to get salt and iron to pay for it all. But the army only got what they needed, and nobody dared to tax them more.
In the second year, also known as the first year of Yuanfeng, Bu Shi was demoted to the position of tutor to the crown prince. Meanwhile, Sang Hongyang became the Commissioner of Agriculture, completely taking over the national monopoly on salt and iron. Sang Hongyang believed that different departments competing with each other in buying and selling led to soaring prices, and sometimes the national tax revenue was not enough to cover transportation costs. Therefore, he proposed the establishment of dozens of regional agricultural commissioners, each in charge of various counties, and set up salt and iron officials in each county. He stipulated that remote areas could pay taxes using their most valuable local products at peak market prices, with supplies adjusted accordingly. An Office of Price Control was established in the capital to handle the allocation of goods nationwide. He also had the artisans manufacture vehicles and equipment, all supplied by the Department of Agriculture. The Department controlled the national supply, buying low and selling high to keep prices stable. As a result, large merchants could not make big profits and could only buy and sell at cost, preventing prices of various commodities from fluctuating. This is known as "equilibrium." The Emperor thought this idea was good and approved it. Later, the Emperor went on a northern inspection to Shuofang, east to Mount Tai, inspected the coast, and checked the northern border before returning to the palace. Along the way, rewards totaling millions of bolts of silk and mountains of gold and silver were given out, all paid for by the Department of Agriculture. Sang Hongyang also suggested allowing officials to pay off their positions with grain, and criminals could also pay off their crimes with grain. It was also stipulated that common people could transport grain to Ganquan and receive different rewards based on the quantity, ensuring their families' needs were met and eliminating the need to hide wealth. Each county transported urgently needed supplies to designated locations, and farmers actively transported grain, with grain transport in Shandong increasing by six million stones each year. By the end of the year, both the Taicang and Ganquan granaries were full. Five million bolts of silk were also allocated from surplus grain and supplies in border areas. Despite no increase in taxes for the common people, the country had sufficient supplies. Therefore, Sang Hongyang's success earned him the position of Left Privy Counselor and a hefty reward of 200 pounds of gold.
That year was slightly dry, and the emperor ordered officials to pray for rain. Bu Shi said, "Officials should only be concerned with collecting taxes. Now Sang Hongyang has officials opening shops to do business, selling goods for profit. Let's kill Sang Hongyang and make it rain!"
Sima Qian said: The trade routes of agriculture, industry, and commerce were unobstructed, so various forms of currency, including shells, coins, and cloth, prospered. The origins of currency go back a long way, even earlier than the time of Gaoxin, and cannot be verified. Therefore, historians write about the Tang and Yu dynasties, and poets sing of the Yin and Zhou. During the era of peace and prosperity, education flourished, agriculture was emphasized over commerce, and people's pursuit of wealth was constrained by rituals and ethics; once the world became unstable, the situation reversed. Therefore, when things develop to the extreme, they will decline, and when the time comes, they will change. The change in "material and cultural aspects" is the constant law of development.
Yu's "Yu Gong" divided the country into nine regions, and each region paid taxes according to the local land conditions and population. Tang and King Wu inherited the shortcomings of the previous dynasty but made some changes to ease the burden on the common people. Everyone worked diligently to govern the country, but eventually weakened. Duke Huan of Qi used Guan Zhong's strategies to adjust priorities, expand territory, command vassals, and with the small state of Qi, achieved hegemony. The state of Wei employed Li Ke, fully exploited the land's potential, and became a powerful vassal state. Since then, the world entered the Warring States period, where everyone was at war, all about power and might, ignoring right and wrong. Only after obtaining wealth could they talk about humility. Therefore, the rich amassed fortunes, while the poor starved; powerful countries could annex smaller ones and become the lords of vassals, while weaker ones could face extinction.
It wasn't until the Qin Dynasty that the whole country was finally unified. Back in the Yu and Xia dynasties, gold came in three colors – yellow, white, and red – and money also included coins, cloth, knife money, and even turtle shells. Then came the Qin, and they standardized the money – just two types: gold, which they called the top-shelf stuff because it sounded fancy; and copper coins marked "half an ounce," which weighed exactly that, and were the everyday money. Stuff like pearls, jade, turtle shells, silver, and tin? Purely decorations and keepsakes, not actual money. But the value of all this stuff went up and down like a rollercoaster. So the Qin kicked out foreigners, built irrigation systems, and everyone slaved away in the fields – still not enough food! The women toiled at the loom – still not enough clothes! Back then, they poured all the country's wealth into worshipping the emperor, and it still wasn't enough! No big deal, just how things went back then. What's the fuss?
