摘要
清末四川私盐在湖北的泛滥,除了市场供需关系以及官商勾结等原因外,还与清代滇铜转运制度乃至财政体系中种种不合理之处密切相关。在清廷奏销制度的制约下,滇铜运员为应对因造船价格上涨、打捞沉铜成本剧增及书吏需索而日益不敷的运铜支出,填补任职州县的巨大亏空,转而通过克扣和挪用水手工食银、脚价等办法将负担转嫁。这就促使水手以运铜为护身符,借助勒索、劫掠、私捞沉铜乃至走私食盐等方式获取额外收入,以致滇铜转运弊端丛生,“川私入楚”则是由此而产生的诸多陋规之一。因滇铜转运关系到国家货币体系的维系,地方官府迫于压力难以严格稽查,缉私形同虚设,这就为川盐沿着长江顺流直下进入湖北创造了条件。
In the late Qing Dynasty,the proliferation of Sichuan smuggled salt in Hubei was not only driven by market supply and demand or collusion between officials and merchants but also closely linked to systemic flaws in the transport system of Yunnan copper and broader fiscal inefficiencies.Constrained by the imperial reimbursement system,officials overseeing copper transport faced mounting deficits due to rising shipbuilding costs,expenses from salvaging sunken copper and extortion by clerks.To mitigate losses and cover deficits from their administrative tenures,these officials resorted to withholding or misallocating funds meant for boatmen’s wages and transport fees.This forced boatmen to seek additional income through extortion,plunder,illicit salvage of sunken copper and salt smuggling by using copper transport as a shield.These practices led to widespread corruption in the Yunnan copper transport system,with“Sichuan salt smuggling into Hubei”emerging as one of its notorious malpractices.Moreover,as Yunnan copper transport was vital to sustaining the national currency system,local authorities faced pressure to avoid stringent inspections,rendering anti-smuggling efforts ineffective.This created ideal conditions for Sichuan salt to flow down the Yangtze River into Hubei unchecked.
出处
《盐业史研究》
2025年第4期34-44,共11页
Salt Industry History Research
关键词
滇铜转运
“川私入楚”
奏销制度
陋规
“Sichuan salt smuggling into Hubei”
transport of Yunnan copper
reimbursement system
malpractices
