7. The whereabouts of prices after the implementation of the two tax laws
The rise in prices after the above-mentioned Anshi chaos has experienced a total of more than thirty years, and until the early years of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, prices were still quite expensive. However, this kind of price is not without periods. After the first year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, there was another big change in prices. The main reason for this change is the implementation of the two tax laws, while the phenomenon of change is the decline in prices for a long period of time. For convenience, the situation of this price change is described first, and then the reasons for the change are analyzed.
In the Tang Dynasty, the price of goods fell for the longest time this time; it lasted about seventy years from the first year of Emperor Dezong's reign to the middle age of Emperor Xuanzong. Literature of this period always mentions the question of "the weight of money over money", or how producers such as peasants and workers suffered greatly because of the low prices. For example, the Old Book of Tang, vol. 129, "The Biography of Han Mixed", says:
Shi (Zhenyuan 2nd year November) Right Cheng Yuan embroidery judgment branch. ...... Embroidery with the capital of the capital heavy goods light, cut the disease, but in the Jiangdong Prison Harvest saw more than 400,000 yuan of money, so that it was transferred to the customs. (New Book of Tang, vol. 126, "Biography of Han Di", is slightly the same)
Bai Juyi's "Bai Clan Changqing Collection" Volume 30 "Rebbe Trial Strategy" Fifth Dao (Zhenyuan 16 February) said:
Q: The disadvantages of textiles are due to female workers. Mulberry and linen are not much, and the cloth is already low, and the silkworm weavers are tired. The public speaker knows. Want to be equal, its magic is safe? ......
Right:...... Fang Jincang is vain and the farmer is sleepy, the cloth is lowly and the female worker is laborious, and he is foolish and ignorant of his roots. ...... However, the untouchables of the cloth are also made up of the cone knife. Millet wheat is sufficient, spring goods circulate, then the price of cloth, light and heavy flat.
And the third question [12] of the Collected Works of Quan Zai, volume 40 of the Jinshi Ce Question[12], says:
Millet is lightly dipped, while money is heavier. Or go to the foundation of food and clothing, and make fun of it. If you are not in the hurry, you will be very hurt. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 483)
This was the case during the reign of Emperor Dezong. During the reign of Emperor Xianzong, prices became even lower and became a hotly debated issue between the government and the public on that day. The Fifth Dao (元和三年) of the Bai Clan Changqing Collection volume 30 of the Jinshi CeQing (元和三年) says:
Question: The grain bearer is born in The Lower Ya; the Spring Cargo Man is in the Upper Ya. It will be from the equality to the welfare of the people. Imada domains do not increase, and the price of millet is increasingly low; mulberry is not planted, and the estimation of cloth is light. The poorer the one who wields the power, the richer the one who reaps the benefits. To make the peasants more difficult, the wandering hands are more prosperous. But isn't it appropriate to lose the knot of the valley? Is it important to give the right to the weight of the spring goods?
And with volume 46 of the book "The Price of Ping Department Store" (Yuan hechu), it says:
Imada domains are not added, and the estimation of the millet is lighter; the mulberry is not planted, and the price of the cloth is increasingly low. It is to harvest the harvest of the time and become richer, and the diligent and the poorer to use it lightly. Fu Qian's knife is heavy, the valley is light, and the valley is light, and the peasants are trapped.
And "Tang Hui Wants" said:
In February of the second year of the second year, the edict said: "Money is expensive and lowly, and it hurts farmers and workers." ..."(Vol. 89, Vol. 50 of the Yuangui of the Book of Records)
In February of the sixth year, the system: "... When the tax was first set in the middle of the construction period, the goods were heavy and the money was light. It is the light goods and heavy money, and the Qi people have produced it, and they have already doubled their initial conquests. ..."(Vol. 83, Old Book of Tang, vol. 148, and New Book of Tang, vol. 169, Biography of Pei Yuan)
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 15, "Xian Zong Ji" says:
(Yuan He 7 February Deconus) Edict: "Money is heavy and light, and the disadvantages are quite serious. ..."(Book of The Imperial Turtles, vol. 50)
Shen Yazhi's "Shen Xiaxian Anthology" Volume 10 "Provincial Trial Strategy" Question 3 (Yuan he Ten Years) said:
now...... The goods are not unconditioned, and the millet is light. From the business to the rich and the peasants to the defeat, the money is expensive and the millet is light. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 734)
Yuan Shu's "Yuan's Changqing Collection" volume 27 "A Book of the Prime Minister for People" says:
Mulberry is not added, and the price of cloth is low.
And Han Yu's "Han Changli Collection" Volume 14 "JinShi Ce Qing" says:
The more down there are today, the more lowly they are, and the more difficult people are, the more difficult they are.
This was all the case in the time of Emperor Xianzong. And when Muzong ascended the throne, prices were equally depressed. Book V of the Book of The Yuangui. One says:
Emperor Muzong ascended the throne in the first month of the fifteenth year of yuan and fifteenth year, and the leap month edict said: "The plight of the people today is known to all." ...... The goods are light and the money is heavy, and the tax is secretly added..."
Later, during Emperor Wenzong's reign, low prices were still a problem to be solved by the government. The Old Book of Tang, vol. 17, "Wenzong Ji" is written in June of the third year:
Ugly, Shang Yu ZiChen said to the stringers: "The coin is light and the money is heavy, how?" ”...... (Same as book 176 "Yang Si Fu Biography" and "Book Of The YuanGui" volume 50)
And Feng Zhen's "Miscellaneous Records of Yungu", Volume IV, says:
In the middle of the development, the price is minimal.
Until Emperor Xuanzong's middle age, prices were still the same low. The Quan Tang Wen vol. 763 Zheng Ji's "Records of the Southern Gate of The Shucheng City of Chuzhou" says:
In the first month of the First Spring of the Present Dynasty (Emperor Xuanzong), ChuZhou was newly made the southern gate of the inner city. ...... The history of the thorn and the history of the imperial history of the li gong new work. His public name was Xun (荀), a native of Chengji in Longxi. ...... Shi Wu Han Yi, if you give clothes, you will be given a tribute to the years. The fountain is light and the coin is heavy, and the gift is given to it, and the soldier wins. Now the fountain is heavy and the coin is light, and it is endowed with it, and the officials are benefited by it. Gong Yue: "I have uneasiness in my heart. What's the point? Deficiency, that is, with the veil, and the price of its things is straight. Having heard the order, he moved the barrier with his voice, and he said, "There is a king like this, so that I can follow the water and fire." "It is the new south gate, but the building has been increased to the old five-two."
From the above, it can be seen that in the Tang Dynasty, from the early years of Emperor Dezong's reign to the middle age of Emperor Xuanzong, prices declined for a long time. But to what extent did prices fall during this period? Now, for the sake of convenience, let's first talk about the situation of the change in the price of silk. It is said above that after the Anshi chaos, the price of silk was once as expensive as 10,000 yuan and one horse. After that, it gradually declined, but the middle horse of the Great Calendar still sold for 4,000 yuan, and in the first year of construction, there were only more than 3,000 or 3,000 yuan. From then on, in the tenth year of zhenyuan, the price of silk continued to fall, selling only fifteen or six hundred yuan per horse. The Collected Works of Lu Xuangong Hanyuan, Vol. 22, "Six Articles on Equalizing Taxes and Paying Pensions to the People" [13], says:
Now he takes a horse of silk, and when he is paid fifteen or six hundred yuan. The people of the nearest people took a horse and folded it into fifteen or six hundred yuan. A large rate of ten thousand dollars, for six horses of silk. The price becomes cheaper, and the more the number becomes. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 465)
And the New Book of Tang, vol. 52, "Chronicle of Food And Goods", says:
Since the beginning of the two taxes, the goods are heavy and the money is light, but the money is lost. The lower the price, the more it is accepted.
Silk for money three thousand two hundred. The next horse is worth 1,600, and the loser is more than two. Although the endowment does not increase, the people are more and more troubled.
Later, in the nineteenth year of Zhenyuan, the price of silk fell by half, and each horse sold only eight hundred or nine hundred yuan. Volume 47 of the Collected Works of Quan Zai,"On the Table of Droughts"[14] says:
In the Gregorian calendar, the price of silk is nearly 4,000. Eight hundred and nine hundred. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 488)
And the "Quan Wen Gong Ji Supplement on Chen Que Zheng" [15] said:
In the great calendar, a straight line of money is four thousand. Eight hundred today. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 486)
Between Yuan and Changqing, the price of silk is also equally low, and each horse still sells for eight hundred yuan. Volume IX of the Li Wen Gongji, "Reforming the Tax Law", says:
The subject thought that since the beginning of the first year of the founding of the Middle School, two taxes have been set, and it has been forty years [16]. ...... The amount of tax is the same as before, and the millet is getting cheaper and cheaper, and the money is getting worse. The price of silk is only eight hundred... Whoever loses ten thousand to the taxpayer is two horses for ten silks. And he will supervise his money, and make him a cheap seller? (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 634)
Also "Han Changli Collection" Volume IV. The "On the Matters Concerning the Salt Change Law" (Changqing II) says:
One horse of silk is worth eight hundred.
Such a low price of silk did not change particularly much during Emperor Wenzong's reign; the white silk sold in Yangzhou at that time was only a thousand yuan and a horse. The monk Yuanren's "Records of the Journey of the Tang Dynasty" volume 1 says that Emperor Wenzong opened on October 14, 3014, in Yangzhou:
Buy two horses of white silk, the price is two.
The following is a list of silk prices since the beginning of the new century, and a plot is drawn to show the general situation of silk price changes in the Tang Dynasty.
In addition to the price of silk, the price of agricultural products after the early years of the Zhenyuan Dynasty was also very low. Lu Xuangong's "Hanyuan Collection" Volume 18 "Please Reduce the Price of Jingdong Water Transport to Save Military Grain in Towns along the Border Prefecture"[17] says:
His Majesty has a large number of border soldiers, gives money to labor, sets up the army and the law of the army to save transportation, and doubles the price of the people to persuade the peasants. At the beginning of this order, everyone was pleased, striving for great profits, and not being afraid to work. Ploughing crops, millet and wheat are cheap.
The nearby states along the border are frequently old, the valleys are rich and lowly, and the times are different.
In recent years, the land of Guanfu has been repeatedly ascended. ...... The home of the farmer, the valley of the valley.
In this year's Guanzhong land, a hundred grains are abundant. Jing Yin and the counties now frequently talk about this matter, worried about the Big Poor in Jingmi Millet, please Guanghe Ling, in order to save the peasants.
Tang Dynasty silk price change map (in chinese)
Liu Yuxi's Collected Writings of Liu Mengde, Vol. 17, Dai Jing Zhaowei Yin (Xia Qing) Xie Xu Folding Basket [18] says:
The saint is on top, the wind and rain are in time, and the year of shuncheng is always low.
This was the case during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Repeatedly, the price of rice during the reign of Emperor Wenzong yamato was also very cheap. The "Shirashi Changqing Collection" volume 51 "(Yamato) Sixth Spring Gift Division Si Dongdu Zhugong" says:
Occasionally, when the valley is low, it is time for the people's security day.
Also in the same book volume 52 "(Yamato) Six Years of Cold Food Luo Xia Feast Tour Feng Li Er Shao Yin" said:
The price of rice is as low as earth, and the taste of wine is stronger than that of dumplings.
And in the same book volume 57, "Sending Two Silver Plants and Pei Shilang because of the Two Absolute Titles", it says:
The small instrument does not know how to tolerate a few, And the Xiangyang rice wine rises wide. [19]
However, how cheap was the price of rice in this period? In the reign of Emperor Dezong, except for Huainan, where the price of rice was as high as 150 yuan and a bucket due to water turmoil, in the Guanzhong area, brown rice only sold for 37 yuan per bucket, and good rice sold for less than 70 yuan. Volume 18 of the Lu Xuan Gong Han Yuan Collection, "Please Reduce the Price of Jingdong Water Transport to Collect Foot Price in The Matter of Saving Military Grain in Towns Along the Border Prefecture" says:
This summer, the water in Jianghuai is sloppy, the seedlings are drifting, and the price of rice is doubled than usual. ...... In present-day Huainan Prefecture, each bucket was worth one hundred and fifty yuan. ...... Its rice is both rough and old, especially in Gyeongeup. Today, according to the city's monthly estimate, each bucket only earns thirty-seven yuan.
In this year's Guanzhong land, a hundred grains are abundant. ...... minister...... The valuation of the present quantity is determined, and the county is counted as expensive, and the boat car is like a boat to Taicang, the grain price is about forty, and the price of rice is about seventy or less.
Subsequently, during the xianzong yuan and the year, due to the bumper agricultural harvest, the price of rice fell to two pieces of money and one bucket. Volume 238 of the General Commentary says:
It is the year (Yuan and six years) the world's great minoru, and the rice bucket has a straight two money.
However, as a general matter, the price of rice on that day is more than fifty yuan and one bucket. Volume IX of the Li Wen Gongji, "Reforming the Tax Law", says:
The subject thought that since the beginning of the first year of the founding of the middle school, two taxes have been set, and it has been forty years. ...... now...... The millet is getting cheaper and the money is getting worse. ...... The meter bucket is not more than fifty. (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 634)
Until the last year of Emperor Xuanzong's middle school or the early years of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong, the price of rice was still very low, and he only sold for forty yuan for a bucket. The Taiping Guangji, vol. 499, "Wang Yi" quotes the Wenqilu as saying:
When the Prince of Jin was the Prince of Jin[20], Li Biao judged Du Zhi. ...... The price of Kyoguo rice is forty per bucket.
The above is the situation after the early years of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, the price of rice was low. As for the price of millet, during the Yuan and He years, it was more than twenty wen and one bucket. The first passage of the third volume of the Li Wen Gong Ji (李文公集) "Jin Shi Ce Qing" says:
When the two taxes were initially set, the money was straight and low, and the millet was expensive. ...... Thirty years... Money is getting higher and higher, and millet is getting lower and lower. The price of a bucket is not more than twenty... (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 634)
This is of course much cheaper than the price of five hundred yuan and one bucket of millet after the Anshi chaos.
Summarizing the above, we can see that since the early years of the ZhenYuan Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, prices have changed from the high rise after the Anshi Chaos to a long period of decline. This time the price decline lasted for a long time, about seventy years, until the middle age of Emperor Xuanzong, or even the early years of Emperor Yizong Xiantong. As for the degree of decline, as far as the necessities of life are concerned, the price of silk is as low as eight hundred yuan a horse, and the price of rice is as low as forty or fifty yuan or even two yuan a bucket. This is of course much cheaper than after the Anshi chaos, when a silk horse often sold for three or more than four thousand yuan, and a bucket of rice often sold for one thousand or eight hundred yuan.
Now we have to ask, after the first year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, why did prices fall like this? According to the author's opinion, the price of goods is so low this time, and the implementation of the two tax laws is actually the most important reason.
Before discussing the impact of the two tax laws on low prices, we must first understand the changes in the tax system of the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, because the natural economy still occupied a large power, the government implemented the rent-moderation system, and its income was completely based on physical goods. The rented grain paid by the people to the government is made of silk, and the adjustment is made of silk cloth and linen. In the first year of Emperor Dezong's construction, with the development of the monetary economy on that day, Yang Yan began to make two tax laws, stipulating that the people should pay the two taxes to the government in summer and autumn, instead of in kind, but instead of paying in money. In this way, because from now on, the people can only use money to pay taxes to the government, and cannot pay entirely in kind such as grain silk, as before, and the value of money rises because of the need to increase, and as for the grain and other goods, it is the opposite, and the price falls because of the reduction of need. This is the origin of the problem of heavy money and light goods after the early years of Zhen Yuan. Therefore, since the implementation of the two tax laws, the price of goods in the Tang Dynasty has undergone a great change, that is, it has declined for a long period of time. Volume 22 of the Collected Works of Lu Xuangong Hanyuan( "Six Articles on Equalizing Taxes and Benefiting the People" says:
The system of taxation of the house of husbands and wives must first lead to the cause of welfare, and then take its tithe. What it takes, measures the strength of people, and allows the land to be appropriate. What is not powered is not levied, and what is not the land is not paid. It is said to be a general law, which has been practiced throughout the ages. ...... Therefore, it is possible to encourage people to do their work, and to assign them to the one who is destined to be endowed, only the cloth is hemp and the hundred grains. ...... However, those who are in the valley do what people do; those who pay for money and goods do what officials do. He who does what a man does is therefore taxed, and he who does what an official does is endowed with a sacrifice. This is also the case for those who understand. It is the decree of the national dynasty, the ancient process, and the people who take it, and do not exceed their points. Rent out the valley, mediocre out of the silk, mix out of the silk cloth hemp. Not this family, not in the endowment. The testament of the Saints can be signed. There are often forbidden people to mint money, and those who use money as a gift are also? Today's two taxes are different from the old chapter. Violating the general direction of the earth is the last law of the reckoning. If you don't judge things, don't do the work of people, but the valuation of assets is poor, you will set taxes with money. ...... What is expropriated is not what is expropriated, and what is expropriated is not expropriated. Therefore, the price is increased to buy what it does not have, and the price is reduced to sell what it owns. One increase and one decrease, the loss has been more. (New Book of Tang, vol. 52, "Food And Goods")
Here it is said that "increase the price to buy what he has, and reduce the price to sell what he has", that is, the producer sells corn cloth and other things at a low price in exchange for coins to pay taxes to the government; because the producer has only grain and no money. And the New Book of Tang, vol. 52, "Chronicle of Food And Goods", says:
In the twelfth year of (Zhenyuan), Yin Qi of Henan rebelled against its shortcomings, thinking: "... At the beginning of the tax, money was light and heavy, so His Majesty used money as a tax. If the tax name is changed, if it is light, there will be six. ...... The people are out of the cloth, and the taxes are allocated to the money. ...... Farmers own it, only cloth. There are more cloths and less money. And there are drums cast to help the country, so why take it from the peasants? "Neglect, do not report."
And the "Bai's Changqing Collection" volume 46 "IdleNess" says:
Today's idlers are idle and profitable, and nongsang are tired and wounded. Therefore, the wounded are heavy by the world's money knife and the valley is light. Therefore, the light one loses its essence by endowment. Those who have lost their endowments will measure the land to rent, and the husband's family will be out of the mediocrity; the renter will only be a grain. In addition to the valley, it is also responsible for money. Those who are rich, the mulberry land does not produce copper, and the private family does not dare to cast it, so where can those who are engaged in farming get it? If the official Xu pursues the conscription, and the official limit is forced, he will change all his possessions to go on official journeys. When the age is rich, the half price of the lowly is not enough to fill the money; in the case of the year of death, the interest rate is doubled and said to be insufficient to repay the debt. If this is the case, what does the farmer want? It is the merchants who take advantage of the time to shoot profits, and the rich people in the day; those who look forward to the diligent work of the people in the fields are poor every day. ...... The subject often thinks about it repeatedly, but it is actually light from the valley and the money knife is heavy. ...... Today's money is reduced by day, or accumulated in the government, or stuck in the private household. If you want to seek the sun and the moon, when you lose at the age, the price of the subject is afraid of the valley, and the karma of the nongsang is hurt, and after ten years, its disadvantages may be even worse than today.
And with book II, "Poetry for Friends", it is said:
Private money stove, flat land without copper mountain, Hu for the summer and autumn tax, years to lose copper money? The money force day has been heavy, and the agricultural power day has been lost. Millet and wheat, silk and cotton. Hungry and cold? At the beginning of my country, there was no publication. The maid must be counted as Dingkou, and the rent must be counted as Dingtian. Do not seek the soil and nothing, do not strengthen the difficulties of others. The income is out, and the upper and lower feet are also safe. As soon as the soldiers are rejuvenated, the law is changed, and the soldiers will not be paid back. Make me nongsang people, between acres. Who can reform this evil, treat the king with the right to profit, and restore the law of renting and maid, so that ru Zhenguan nian?
Also the Li Wen Gongji, volume IX, "Neglect and Reform of the Tax Law", says:
The subject thought that since the beginning of the first year of the founding of the middle school, two taxes have been set, and it has been forty years. ...... The amount of tax is the same as before, and the millet is getting cheaper and cheaper, and the money is getting worse. ...... And he will supervise his money, and make him a cheap seller? ...... Pushing the root causes and evils is the birth of money and supervision over the people. The money man's lawsuit is cast, and the millet farmer's is out. Now that the peasants are selling millet at a low price and are easy to pay for, is it not upside down and take what they have not? By being a rich family and a big businessman, they all accumulate more money to get more and more weighty. Therefore, the peasants are increasingly poor, and their last karma is increasing day by day. A year of water and drought, the people's dishes, the family does not have enough food, the situation has three years of storage? (Quan Tang Wen, vol. 634)
And the "Han Changli Collection" volume 37 "Money is heavy and light" says:
The Right Minister Fu Zhun YushiTaimu, Zhun Zhongshu Menxia Post Feng Jinzhi: "Money is heavy and light, and the disadvantages are quite serious. Detailed adaptation can be convenient. The minister foolishly thought that money was heavy and light, and there were four ways to save it. One day in the material earth tribute. The peasants can do what they can, and the workers can do the same. Man cannot mint money, but makes him sell cloth and grain, so as to lose money to officials, because the more cheap things are, the more expensive the money. Now when you go out of the land of cloth, rent and give it to cloth; out of the town of cotton silk department store, rent and give it to cotton silk department store; go to Beijing to learn about the grass; three hundred miles to millet; within five hundred miles, and the river can be poured in, willing to rent it with grass millet, and listen to it. Then people benefit farmers (or "abundance"), money is light, and grain cloth is heavy. ......
The remarks of Lu Yan, Qi Kang, Bai Juyi, Li Ao, and Han Yu who opposed the two tax laws all thought that paying taxes with money was enough to increase the value of money due to increased need, and the price of goods fell low because of the reduction of need. Therefore, in order to raise prices and promote production, they strongly advocated the restoration of the previous system of paying taxes with grain.
The two-tax law can affect the decline in prices, not only because it increases the demand for money, but also because it reduces the supply of money. As mentioned above, in the early Tang Dynasty, the rent system was implemented, and the government's income was mainly grain rice cloth. And with the implementation of the two tax laws, the government only asks taxpayers for money, not goods. In this way, the money stored in the national treasury naturally increases, while the money circulating in the market is reduced on the contrary, thus affecting the low price of goods. Bai Juyi's criticism of the two tax laws is quoted above, saying:
The money under today's day is reduced or accumulated in the government,......
Hubu Shangshu Yang Yu Ling said: "The king makes money and powers the department store, trade and relocation, flexibility and tirelessness, so that things are not very expensive or lowly, and his technique is not him, but only on the top." Who? What is above is what is high, and man will follow it. The power of the ancients is above, and the present is inferior. The four sides of the past are scattered, and now the public house of Tibet. ...... Then the money is not heavy, and the goods are not light? ..."(Tongjian vol. 242 Changqing First Year September Nonzi Tiao Tong)
Therefore, in order to increase the amount of money in circulation in the market, so as not to fall too low prices, the government often proposes a large amount of money from the treasury to buy goods. The Old Book of Tang, vol. 15, Records of the Emperor Xianzong says:
(Yuan He) In April of the eighth year, chengshu, with money heavy goods and light goods, out of the treasury money of 500,000 yuan, so that the two permanent closing positions of cloth, each section of the old estimate plus one of the ten. (Same as book 48 "Food Goods Zhi", "Tang Hui Yao" volume 89, "TongZhi" volume 62 and "Book Of The YuanGui" volume 50 together)
And the Tang Hui Wants, vol. 89, says:
In the first month of the twelfth year of the yuanhe, the edict: "The establishment of spring goods has a conventional practice in ancient times: it will make the weight light and light appropriate, and it is a matter of capital dispersion and moderation." It will change for the benefit of man. Nowadays, the public and private sectors are degraded. It is advisable to see half a million yuan of money, so that Jing Zhaoyin can choose the place to open and trade according to the market price; choose a Qingqiang official and specialize in the work. The committees and divisions are still the first to make the disposal conditions. It will make things last a long time, and the law will be passable. (Old Book of Tang, vol. 48, "Chronicles of Food Goods" and "YuanGui of the Book of Tang", vol. 50)
The above is to say that after the implementation of the two tax laws, because the government collected money for taxation, most of the money that was originally circulating in the market was transferred to the state treasury, so that there were insufficient chips in the market and prices were low. Again, the accumulation of money on that day is by no means limited to the government, and private individuals also operate this matter. At this time, a number of rich businessmen and dignitaries, high-ranking officials and nobles, saw that the value of money had increased due to the implementation of the two tax laws, and there was a tendency to continue to grow, so they relied on our personal strong financial resources to accumulate cash in large quantities, causing a situation in the market where chips were even more insufficient, the value of money increased even more, and thus prices were even lower, and then they threw the money they had accumulated out of the market and earned huge profits due to the increase in value of money. As quoted above from The Li Wen Gongji, Volume IX, "Reforming the Tax Law", it says:
now...... Millet is cheap, and money is more important. ...... By being a rich family and a big businessman, they all accumulate more money to get more and more weighty.
Today's money day to reduce consumption... Or stay in private.
Two taxes are set in the self-construction, and the people think that the people are troubled by the light things and heavy money. ...... Rich and big businessmen, accumulate money to get more and more important.
This kind of speculation has been banned by the government. However, because of the profits, speculators often circumvent them in many ways, and the decree is only a kind of documentation. The New Book of Tang, vol. 54, Records of Food and Goods, contains the 20th year of Zhen Yuan:
Those who save money from businessmen are out of the market.
And the Old Book of Tang, volume 14, "Xianzong Ji" contains the yuan and the third year:
On the sixth day, he decreed that there would be little money, and that if he wanted to set up an order for animal money, he would first warn the merchants of the world to pay for livestock money, and order that the market would be easy to get rid of, and no money would be allowed for livestock money.
And with book 48 of the Chronicle of Food And Goods, it says:
In June of the year (Yuan he 3rd year), the edict reads: "The law of spring goods is in the flow of righteousness." If the money is scarce, the goods should be cheap. Therefore, those who hide money must take advantage of the urgency of others, and those who live in goods will lose their already resources. (The Quan Tang Wen is more "profit-seeking, do you know the national plan?") If the evils are not reformed, the people will be overwhelmed" and so on) Now I want to cast money to order the stagnation, and add drums to cast the capital cloth, so that the merchants will be forbidden, and the nongsang will be safe. When righteousness is saved, it is not lust for profit. If the revolution is not gradual, it is frightening or shocking. Should the world's merchants, the first to save money, the commissioner of the committee, order the collection of goods. The palace must not have a limit on the schedule, persecute the merchants, and let them barter for convenience. After counting the age of one year, this law is everywhere, and new rules are established and a prohibition is set for saving money. Therefore, there is a notice first, allowing him to be square, meaning that when he is in charge, he will not lend money. ..."(Tang Huijiao, vol. 89, and YuanGui, vol. 5.) I. Quan Tang Wen, vol. 59)
12th Year of the First Month,...... He also said: "In recent days, the cloth has turned lighter, and the money has become less and less, and the reason is where the plug is." No flow. It is advisable to order the civil and military bureaucrats in the capital, regardless of the high rank of the people, and the envoys of the lords of the counties and counties, down to the Shishu Merchant Brigade, Siguanfang City, all the private storage of money, and not more than five thousand ("Tang Hui Yao" and "Book of the YuanGui" are all "ten") continuous. If this has been done, after Xu has been discharged from the edict, he will be allowed to collect and store the city's other items within one month. If the amount of money is large, and the disposal is not completed, it is allowed to be more limited within the limit of the prefecture and county; even if there is such a color, it shall not exceed two months. ...... If, after the expiration of the limit, there are violators, white-bodied people, etc., it is advisable to pay the priest to execute him with a rod of pain; his civil and military attaches and princesses, etc., and appoint si wen to play, when the heavy department is degraded; the relatives of the envoy, also have the title of wen song. Its remaining money is not limited to how much, and the officer is exorcise. One of the five points in the number is charged with the reward money, and it stops at five thousand. ..."When the Jingshi Lilu District was accumulating wantonly, there was money in many ways. Wang Yi, Han Hong, Li Weijian, the number of less than half a million. So he bid for the first house to change his money. Many even went to the alleys to return to their own. However, those who are high and powerful depend on the money of the right and left officers in the name of money, and the prefectures and counties are not allowed to conduct exhaustive examinations, and the law is not good. (Tang HuiJiao, vol. 89, and Yuan Gui, vol. 50, are the same)
And the Yuan's Changqing Collection, vol. 34, "Bills of Money and Goods", says:
BongJinzhi: "The plight of the people today is known to all. Tax cuts are not enough for the state, and if you want to remain, people will be trapped, all by the goods are light and heavy, and the taxation is secretly increased. It is advisable to make Bailiao express their opinions in order to eliminate their shortcomings. ”...... The subject did not dare to expedition to the ancient evidence, and stole it since Yuan He... There is a limit to the amount of money that cannot be exceeded... however...... The accumulation of money does not come out of the wall... Nor has he heard of whipping a husband, deposing an official, rewarding a reprimand, and hiding a bad one. Isn't it convenient for the law to be timely? Cover does not go too far.
Summarizing the above, it can be seen that since the implementation of the two tax laws in the Tang Dynasty, the supply and demand relationship of money has not been balanced: on the one hand, it needs to be increased because it is used to pay taxes, and on the other hand, the supply is reduced because of the national treasury and private reserves. As a result of the oversupply of money in the market, the value naturally increases dramatically, and prices tend to fall even more. This situation of heavy money and light goods has a very bad impact on producers such as workers and peasants, so many people advocate still paying taxes in kind and providing financial relief. This idea was initiated very early, but it was not until Emperor Muzong ascended the throne, due to the proposal of Hubu Shangshu Yang Yuling and others, that it began to be reformed. The New Book of Tang, vol. 52, Chronicle of Food And Goods, says:
Two taxes are set in the self-construction, and the people think that the people are troubled by the light things and heavy money. ...... Emperor Muzong also used goods to lighten money, so the people did not use it, and the hundred officials discussed their shortcomings. ...... Hubu Shangshu Yang Yu Ling: "... Now it is advisable to make two taxes under the heavens, wine, salt, and money to be offered and left in the state, and to lose the grain of cloth, then the people will be more lenient than they want. ...... The goods are heavy and the money is light. "The prime minister is good at his opinion, because the two taxes are provided for the state to be easily clothed, and the rent is adjusted without counting the money; only the salt wine is calculated at the rate of the salt, which is different from the two taxes, and the money cannot be removed." (Tongjian, vol. 242 Changqing First Year September Nonzi Article is slightly the same)
And the Tang Hui Wants, volume 84, says:
In August of the fifteenth year of yuan and the fifteenth year, Zhongshu Men played: "Fu Zhun this year's leap month on the seventeenth day of the first month, ordering hundreds of officials to discuss the weight of money and goods." Now, according to the Qunguan Household Department Shangshu Yang Yuling and others, fu asked the world to pay taxes on the two taxes of salt, salt, wine, etc., and they were taxed with the products of cloth and silk cotton, and they did not levy money, so that the goods became heavier and lighter, and the peasants were exempt from selling horses at a low price. As discussed by the group of officials, everything is appropriate, and the public and private interests are deeply beneficial, please discuss the payment of the expenditure. ...... The change of law is in the long price, and the long price is the public and private interests. ...... Officials do not exclusively use money as a tax, and if people can use what they produce and use, then the money and goods will be equal to their weight, and the longmu will be widely woven by silkworms. When the time comes, it is appropriate. ..."The edict should be followed. (Old Book of Tang, vol. 48, "Chronicles of Food Goods" and "Yuangui of the Book of Tang", vol. 50)
As mentioned above, Muzon changed the two taxes to a property payment, with the aim of reducing the value of money and raising prices. However, in fact, after Muzong's reform, the problem of heavy money and light weight has not been properly solved. It turned out that after the first year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, prices were depressed, and the implementation of the two tax laws was only one of the main reasons, not the only reason. Therefore, as to the reasons for the current low price decline, in addition to the implementation of the two tax laws, we must further explore.
According to the author's opinion, the price of goods fell this time mainly because of the oversupply of coins; and the demand for coins on that day was too much supply, in addition to the implementation of the two tax laws, there were other reasons.
The need for money has increased, and we can look at it in terms of time and space. In the early Tang Dynasty, because the natural economy still occupied power, cloth and other physical objects could be used as currency to be traded, so the price of goods was mostly expressed in silk. Since then, the social economy has developed more forward, and this kind of trading tool made of physical objects can be greatly inconvenienced in buying and selling. In the edict of the twenty-second year of the new century, there are already words that "cloth cannot be traded in size, and millet cannot be traded with spoons" [21]. After the early years of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, because the circulation of money was not enough to meet the commercial needs of the day, the government often forced the people to pay prices in kind such as cloth when buying and selling, so as to increase the amount of money in circulation. For example, the New Book of Tang, vol. 54, "Chronicles of Food Goods", says:
(Zhenyuan) for twenty years, ordered the market to trade, with Ayara silk cloth miscellaneous goods and money combined.
(Yuan He) In February of the sixth year, the system: "Ten pieces of money have been paid for public and private transactions, that is, they must be used concurrently." Wei Du Zhi Yan Iron Envoy and Jing Zhaoyin immediately made a fractional stream of music. ..."(Old Book of Tang, vol. 48, "Chronicle of Food Goods" and "Book of YuanGui", vol. 5.) Together)
However, although the decree is a decree, because of the convenience of the relationship, no one likes to use money as a trading tool; this kind of reversing behavior of trading with physical goods as currency is gradually abandoned. Volume 34 of the Yuan's Changqing Collection, The Bill of Money and Goods says:
Eavesdropping on Yuanhe since... There is a method of trading money and money,...... however...... Money doesn't sell at the same time...
Thus, from the early years of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, money became the most important currency in commerce; people's need for it can be said to increase with the passage of time.
Repeatedly, due to the promotion of money in space, we can also see the increase in the need for money on the same day. At this time, not only the places where the previous exchange in kind were to be traded with money, but also overseas countries had to absorb China's money. The New Book of Tang, vol. 52, Chronicle of Food And Goods, says:
Hubu Shangshu Yang Yu Ling: "... In the past, the (money) was in the Central Plains, and now it is leaked to the border people. ...... Before the Calendar, Zi, Qing, Taiyuan, Wei, Bo, miscellaneous lead and iron, used in tongshi, and Lingnan mixed with Dansha elephant teeth. Iwazumi goods are used today. Therefore, the money is insufficient. ..."(Tongjian vol. 242 Changqing First Year September Nonzi Article is slightly the same)
Among them, regarding the leakage of money to foreign countries, the first chapter of the Japanese Kuwabara's "Pushou Gengkao" says:
When the Tang Dynasty, copper money flowed out of overseas, that is, it was not uncommon. Article 821 of the Zizhi Tongjian Tang Ji volume 58 Muzong Changqing First Year (821) has clearly recorded the huge amount of money and goods flowing out at that time. According to the "Biography of Tang Dahe on the Eastern Crusade" (Qunshu Class Cong, vol. 69), Jian Zhen carried a large amount of copper coins when he crossed the East. According to abouzeyd 's record ( " Anthony " , vol. 72-73 ) , chinese money was scattered in the Persian Gulf at the end of the Tang Dynasty. (See chen yujing translation, page 34)
Regarding the use of money in Lingnan, the Han Changli Collection, vol. 37, "Money is Heavy and Light", says:
The courtiers were foolish to think that money was heavy and light, and there were four ways to save it. ...... The second is in the gap, and there is no leakage. ...... Forbidden money is not allowed to go out of Wuling (below or there is a comeback "Wuling" word), buy and sell one silver. Those who steal money out of the mountains, and those who buy and sell against orders, sit and die. Five Ridges old money, listen to people carry out. In this way, the money will be light.
In this way, due to the increase in the number of places where money is used, the need for money increases.
The need for money has increased as described above. What about the supply of money? The main raw material for coinage is copper. The copper production of that day, according to the New Book of Tang, volume 54, "Chronicle of Food Goods", is as follows:
Yuan and Chu, the world... Years of... Twenty-six thousand pounds of copper...
(Emperor Wenzong) Fifty copper pits under the heavens, 266,000 catties of copper mined.
and Xuanzong... The age rate of the world... Six hundred and fifty-five thousand pounds of copper...
Here, we have better look at the production of copper in the Song Dynasty and then compare it. According to the History of Song, vol. 185, "Chronicle of Food Goods", in the first year of the Song Dynasty, the production of copper was as high as 14,659,969 catties. Comparing the production of copper in the Tang Dynasty with this number, it can be said that it is a small witch.
Although the production of copper in the Tang Dynasty was pitiful, if the copper was used entirely to mint money, the amount of money could also be increased. But this was not the case at the time, and many coppers were consumed for the manufacture of industrial products of various colors. For example, book 501 of the Book of The Yuangui says:
In the first month of the ninth year of Zhen Yuan, the various salts and irons made Zhang Huan play: "... From now on, there should be a copper mountain. Let the people mine, and everything will close according to the current price. Except for casting mirrors, nothing shall be cast or sold privately. Its old utensils are first unconcealable and damaged in people's homes, and they are still allowed to sell to officials. ..."The edict is yes.
In June of the tenth year, the edict said: "In the future, the casting and sale of bronze ware in the world must not be prohibited. ......”
Since the theft of Yuan He, there was a ban on copper for public and private instruments... However, bronze is listed in public and private,
And "Han Changli Collection" Sanqi "Money Heavy and Light" said:
The courtiers were foolish to think that money was heavy and light, and there were four ways to save it. ...... The second is in the gap, and there is no leakage. No one is forbidden to use copper as a vessel, and it is forbidden to cast copper for the floating Buddha statue bell chimes.
And the New Book of Tang, vol. 54, "Chronicle of Food and Goods", says:
In the third year of Yamato, the statue of the Buddha was made of lead-tin earth and decorated with gold, silver, and black oil and blue iron. Only copper is used for nail tweezers, and the rest are forbidden. The thief dies.
In this way, the copper that can be used to mint money is naturally very limited.
Regarding the amount of money minted in the country every year on that day, it can be seen in the literature at a time, as described below.
The New Book of Tang, vol. 54, "Chronicle of Food And Goods", says:
(Zhenyuan twenty years) the world cast 135,000 taels of money.
(Yamato eight years) The world is less than 100,000 taels of money.
Also in the same volume 52 "Food And Goods Chronicle" contains the words of Yang Yuling of the Shangshu of the Household Department:
Today, there are only a dozen furnaces, and the revenue is only 150,000. (Tongjian vol. 242 Changqing First Year September Nonzi Article Tong)
On this point, we would do well to look at the amount of money minted in the Song Dynasty to compare the funds. The History of song, vol. 180, Chronicles of Food And Goods, says:
At that time (the third year of Tianxi), there were four prisons for minting money: Raozhou YueYongping, Chizhou YueYongfeng, Jiangzhou Yue Guangning, and Jianzhou Yuefengguo. ...... In the middle of the Tao, the years cast 800,000. In Jingdezhong, it increased to 1.83 million. After the big middle auspicious charm, the copper pit is not issued. At the end of the Jubilee, one and a half million were cast.
First, the four prisons of Jianning Province in Jiangchi Rao Prefecture, aged 1340,000 taels of money, were charged with offerings; the six prisons of Hengshu Yan'eshao Wuzhou, aged minted 1.56 million taels, were used as road branches.
It can be seen from this that the amount of money minted after the early years of Tang Zhenyuan was much less than that of the Song Dynasty.
Although the amount of money minted on the day is very small, if these minted money can be circulated in the market, the problem of insufficient chips may not be so serious. However, in fact, the money that has been painstakingly minted is not all used as a trading tool. On that day, because of the lack of copper production, the price of bronze was expensive, and many people destroyed money to take copper to mint various industrial products to make huge profits. Book V of the Book of The Yuangui. One says:
In the first month of the ninth year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, the salt and iron of the various provinces made Zhang Huan play: "The public and private cast bronzes and miscellaneous things in the public and private provinces of the various states. The country has less money and more losses. The prodders, the potential will be cast. For every thousand dollars sold, it is six pounds of copper, and six pounds of writing utensils are made of written utensils. Its benefits are thick, and the pin casting is more. Between Jianghuai and Huaihuai, Qianbao reduced consumption. ......”
In October of the first year of the JingzongBao calendar, king Yin of Henan began to play: "On the twenty-first day of August, it is forbidden to sell and cast money as a Buddha statue, and still let Jingzhao Henan Yin Chonglike play the article." Today, the offender is invited to steal money. "Yes. (The Old Book of Tang, vol. 17, "Jingzong Ji" and the "New Book of Tang" vol. 54 "Food And Goods" are slightly the same)
And the "Bai's Changqing Collection" volume 46 "The Price of Ping Department Store" says:
See also the evil of today's people (referring to the weight of money and light weight - Han), from copper to money also. Who? Husbands and officials mint copper and mint money, into a coin, and the cost of breaking the money is also; the private sale of money is a tool, and the profit of breaking a dollar is also a profit of counting money. The caster has a course, the seller is unlimited, although the age of the official cast, how can it be better than the private day of the sale? Therefore, the money in the world is decreasing day by day and increasingly heavy.
Although the time (during the reign of Emperor Wenzong) forbade copper as a vessel, the Southern Column of Jianghuai Lingnan was reckless. Minting thousands of dollars for instruments, selling profits several times.
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 176, "Yang Si's Fu Biography", says:
In October of the second year of Kaicheng, he became a household attendant and led the salt and iron transport envoys. In the first month of the third year, he and Li Jue, who were also in the same rank, and with their own officials, led the envoys as before. ...... Shang (Wenzong) took the coin light and the money heavy, and asked the salt and iron envoy, why should it be too much? Yang Si replied: "This matter has not been obtained by the tired dynasty. However, the prohibition of copper, the law is not changed, the law is disturbing, and in the end it has not been able to eliminate the drawbacks. Li Jue said: "The order to ban copper, the regular code of the imperial court." However, if it is not strict, it is better to have no orders. Now that Jianghuai has been south, bronze has become rampant. Profit-seekers in the market can sell money for a number of instruments, and the profit is three or four times. The distant people did not know the law, and the rate was taken for granted. Even if the state adds furnaces to mint money, why should it be the disadvantage of selling and casting? Therefore, the ban on copper had to be strict. (Book of the Yuangui, vol. 501)
As a result, of course, the amount of money will be greatly reduced.
From the above, it can be seen that the decrease in the supply of copper coins on that day, in addition to the lack of copper production, the use of Buddhist statues such as bells and chimes in Buddhist monasteries was the main reason. These many Buddhist temple supplies, whether made directly from copper or destroyed copper coins, are enough to reduce the number of copper coins. Therefore, although the reasons for the destruction of the law during the Wuzong Huichang period were various, the government wanted to seize a large number of bronze artifacts from the Buddhist temple in order to increase the number of copper coins and solve the most difficult problem of heavy money and light weight in the past years, which was one of the main reasons. The Wuzong Ji on volume 18 of the Old Book of Tang says:
(Huichang 5th year) autumn, July Gengzi, and the province of Tianxia Buddhist temple. ...... Zhongshu also played: "The bronze statue of the temple under the heavens is a bell, and the salt and iron envoys cast money." ...... All the statues of gold, silver, copper and iron, after being issued, are limited to one month to accept officials. If violated, the salt and iron envoys were punished according to the forbidden copper law. ......”
And Emperor Wuzong abolished the floating slaughter law, and the Yongping supervisor Li Yuyan asked the bronze statue of the bell to be returned to the prefecture and county, and the copper was more than enough.
In February of the sixth year of Huichang, the edict said: "New money such as the casting of Buddha statues and bells and chimes by the drums of the various paths has been ordered, and the old money must be circulated, and the price of silk has increased slightly." ...... It is lighter than the money, and the people are trapped. Now add drum casting, will be popular. When the transmutation is saved, do not cut here. ..."(Old Book of Tang, vol. 48, "Chronicle of Food Goods" and "Book of Yuangui", vol. 50)
Summarizing the above, it can be seen that since the early years of The Tang Dynasty, on the one hand, due to the promotion of money in time and space, on the other hand, due to the shortage of copper production and the large number of bronze utensils used in Buddhist temples, money has been oversupplied in the market. Originally, since the implementation of the two tax laws, the money in the market has long been demanded and supplied. Now, with the addition of the above-mentioned reasons, the degree of demand for money oversupply is of course more serious. In this way, the value of money naturally increases and the price of goods naturally decreases. Therefore, since the early years of the Tang Dynasty, prices have been declining for a long time.
Eighth, the rise in prices at the end of the Tang Dynasty
The above-mentioned decline in prices after the first year of Emperor Dezong's reign lasted about the middle age of Emperor Xuanzong or the first year of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong. Since the yizong xiantong years, prices have changed again, reversing the previous long-term decline and rising.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, prices rose, mainly because of the shortage of goods supply. The supply of goods on that day was insufficient, on the one hand due to natural disasters, and on the other hand, due to man-made disasters. Volume 252 of the General Commentary says:
Since Emperor Yizong, the extravagance has become more and more intense, and the use of troops has been unceasing, and the endowment has become more and more urgent. The Kanto region has been flooded and drought for many years, and the prefectures and counties are not really heard. The people are in exile, there is no complaint, they gather together as thieves, and they sprang up where they are.
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 182, "Shi Pu's Biography", says:
From Guangqi to Dashun, in the six or seven years, the Bian army was four sets, the three counties of Xusi, and the people had no cultivation. Frequent floods have caused people to die.
Man-made disasters are particularly acute. In the first year of Emperor Qianfu's reign, Wang Xianzhi of Puzhou gathered a crowd to commit theft, and then followed by large-scale burning and looting by Huangchao Qin Zongquan and others, and the production undertakings in the Central Plains and jianghuai were greatly destroyed. The Old Book of Tang, vol. 200, "The Tale of the Yellow Nest" says:
So since the Tang Dynasty, Deng, Xu, Ru, Meng, Luo, Zheng, Bian, Cao, Pu, Xu, and Yan have been poisoned by the State of Bi yiqi (HuangChao). Thieves besieged Chen County for 100 days. Kanto is still old and has no crops, and people are hungry and leaning against the walls. Thieves eat prisoners, and there are thousands of eclipses. Thieves have spring mills, hundreds of giant mortars, born into mortars, broken, and eaten with bones. Its poison is.
It is also said in the "Biography of Qin Zongquan" in the same volume 200:
The nest thief is cursed, and the patriarchal power is reinstated. He was called the emperor and replaced the official. He sent Qin Yan to chaos Jianghuai; Qin Xian invaded Jiangnan; Qin Huan trapped Xiangyang; Sun Ru besieged Mengluo Shaanxi, as for Chang'an; Zhang Hui besieged Ru Zheng; and Lu Tang attacked Beizhou. The thieves are all fierce and vicious, slaughtering the characters and burning the county. West to Guannei, east to Qingqi, south out of Jianghuai, north to Wei Slip, fish rotten birds scattered, human population cut off, thorn hazelnut wilderness. Thieves are hungry for food, but they are stored for people, and when the sergeants come out, they salt corpses. (The New Book of Tang, vol. 225, "Biography of Qin Zongquan" and "Tongjian" vol. 256 and the fourth year are slightly the same)
And in the same book 20, the "Chronicle of Emperor Zhaozong" says:
Although the nest thieves are flat, the murderers of the patriarchal power are large. West to the Jinshang Shaanxi, Antarctic Jingxiang, east through Huaidian, north to Xu Yan and Zheng, covering dozens of states, five or six years, the people have no cultivation and weaving; the yi of a thousand rooms, there is no one or two. Years are fierce, and they are all eaten by people. The coolness of the funeral, not before.
And the Article of The General Commentary, Vol. 257 Guangqi 3 June, says:
The first east was through the Yellow Nest Rebellion... Followed by Qin Zongquan and Sun Ru's brutality, only bad walls remain. (Zhang) Quanyi first arrived, white bones covered the ground, thorns looked out, and the residents were less than 100 households. ...... There are no cultivators in the four fields of the city.
Amid the sound of destruction in various production areas, Jianghuai, the richest in the country, was even more in tatters after the scuffle of Qin Yan, Bi Shiduo, Sun Ru, and Yang Xingmi. The Article of the General Commentary, Vol. 259, in July of the first year of The Year of Jingfu, says:
First of all, Yangzhou was rich in the world, and people at the time called Yang Yiyi Yiyi. And through the Qin (Yan) Bi (Shi Duo) Sun (Ru) Yang (Xingmi) soldiers, between Jianghuai and Huai, thousands of miles from east to west, swept away.
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 182, "Biography of Gao Biao", says:
Between Jianghuai and Huai, Guangling Town, Rich Jia Tianxia. After Master Duo Qin Yan, Sun Ru and Xingmi attacked each other. For four or five years, the company of soldiers continued to burn, the huts burned, and the people lost their lives. The wealth of Guangling was swept away. (The New Book of Tang, vol. 224, "Biography of Gao Biao")
In this way, coupled with the obstruction of transportation in various places during the war, the supply of goods will naturally be greatly affected.
Due to the lack of supply of goods, prices soared in the late Tang Dynasty. For example, Pi Rixiu's "Pi Rixiu Anthology" Volume 10 "Three Shy Poems" says that Huaiyou was expensive because of famine:
Tianzi was old (seven years of Xiantong), and the people of Huai were hungry. On the oil of Zhongying, how tired it is to move! ...... One gold is easy to reed, one is exchanged for a reed.
The volume of the "Three Waters" of the Emperor Fu said that the price of Gusang in the Luoyang area was high due to the loss of agricultural production:
Tang Xiantong Gengyin was old (eleven years), the Luoyang famine, the price of grain was expensive, although there were those who died in the ditch. To the silkworm moon, and the sandaldo is fed by insects, and the leaves are one pound straight and one liter. The villagers of Cijiandian North in Xin'an County have dozens of mulberry trees, which are particularly lush and yin. Gong Zhi conspired with his wife: "... By my own count, if you abandon silkworms and take the precious leaves, you will receive thousands of dollars ("Ten" in the Taiping Guangji). ..."Wife is good. It is to carry a skeleton land, raise silkworms and count the foils. In the early morning of tomorrow, Hesang Ye YiCheng received three thousand texts. City shoulders and cake bait to return. (Taiping Guangji, vol. 133, "Wang Gongzhi")
The Tongjian, vol. 251, Xiantong, October of the ninth year, says that when Pang Xun was in turmoil around Xuzhou:
During the day, The Rice Bucket paid two hundred.
This is much more expensive than the price at which rice buckets often sold for forty or fifty yuan after the early years of zhenyuan.
The above is the situation of price increases during the Year of Yizong Xiantong. In the era of the Emperor, prices rose even more. During the middle and middle years, when Huang Chao occupied Chang'an and the source of grain was cut off, the price of rice was as high as 30,000 yuan and one bucket. The Old Book of Tang, vol. 200, "The Tale of the Yellow Nest" says:
During the shi (middle and middle ages), the people of Gyeonggi were all living in the valley and had been working hard for many years. The thief sits in the empty city, and the endowment is intruded. The grain is full of food, and the rice bucket is thirty thousand. Officers and soldiers all carried out the mountains and the people to feed on thieves, and hundreds of thousands of people were captured. (The New Book of Tang, vol. 225, "The Tale of huangchao" and the "Tongjian" vol. 354 and the april of the second year are slightly the same)
Subsequently, during the Guangqi period, Jingxiang was short of agricultural supply due to natural and man-made disasters, and the price of rice was as expensive as 30,000 or 40,000 yuan per bucket. Book 44 of the Tang Hui Wants says:
In March of the second year of Guangqi, Jingxiang was still a locust, thirty thousand rice buckets, and cannibalism.
And the Old Book of Tang, volume 19, "Records of emperor Xuanzong" contains the may of the second year of Guangqi,
Jingnan Xiangyang is still a drought locust, thirty thousand rice buckets, and many people cannibalize.
And the Article of December of the second year of the Guangqi In the Second Year of the General Commentary says:
Qin Zongyan besieged Jingnan for two years, and Zhang Ou defended himself. The rice bucket in the city is forty taels.
Wei Chishu's "Nanchu News" said:
The rebellion of Sun Ru in Jingnan, fighting rice forty thousand. Holding The Golden Treasure for an exchange, there must be a pinch of one, called dojo rice.
Around the same time, huainan was cut off from food sources because of locust pests and the scuffles of Qin Yan, Bi Shiduo, Yang Xingmi, and so on, and the price of rice soared, selling 10,000 yuan per bucket, or even 50,000 yuan. The Taiping Guangji, vol. 145, "Gao Biao" quotes the "Demon Chaos Zhi" as saying:
In the third year of Tang Guangqi, Zhongshu ordered Gao Biao to town Huaihai, and there were locusts that did not fly. ...... From November to February of next year, the fog is unclear. ...... It is more than ten times more expensive than the grain of rice. Cold and cold rain servants, thousands of mouths a day, abandoned outside the guo.
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 35, "Five Elements", says:
(Guangqi) Three years, Yangzhou famine, rice bucket ten thousand dollars.
And the same book 182 "Biography of Gao Biao" says:
From November of the second year of the second year, the rain and snow were obscure, and it was incomprehensible to february of the third year. It is not old, food is expensive, Daojin looks at each other, and hunger is hidden.
Then Cai Thief Yang Xingmi led 30,000 troops from Shouzhou to attack the city of Yangzhou. There were 50,000 rice buckets in the city, and most of them starved to death.
And the Article of The General Commentary, Vol. 257 Guangqi, October of the Third Year of the Guangqi Dynasty, says:
Yang Xing secretly surrounded Guangling for half a year. Qin Yanbi Shiduo's size was more than a few dozen battles and many disadvantages. There is no food in the city, and the rice bucket is fifty taels.
At this time, since the price of rice is so expensive, it is very inconvenient to trade with a large amount of money; so many people take valuable items such as gold and jade jewelry to buy rice instead of copper coins. The Article of August of the Third Year of the General Commentary says:
The people of Guangling competed for gold and jade beads (Zhang) Xiongjun to trade food, and tongxian brought one to get five liters of rice, and jin yu got five liters of bran.
And the Old Book of Tang, vol. 182, "Biography of Gao Biao" with "Biography of Qin Yan" said:
(Yangzhou) in the city to treasure the city rice, gold one pound, through the rhino belt one, get five liters of rice.
After Emperor Zhaozong, it was Emperor Zhaozong. As for the rise in prices in the shojong era, the only thing that can be seen in the documents at the moment is the following two articles. The Tongjian, vol. 258, in April of the second year of the Shun Dynasty, states that when Wang Jianbing besieged Chengdu:
Chengdu is starved of food and abandoned children are full of roads. There are people who sneak into the city to sell rice. ...... However, the cause is not a fight. The diameter of the cylinder is half an inch, the depth is five minutes, the meter is measured and the mane is measured, and each cylinder is more than 100 yuan. Hungry and devastated. And the same book 263 days and 2nd year article says that when Zhu Quanzhong's soldiers surrounded Fengxiang:
It is winter snow, (Fengxiang) the city is full of food... Selling human flesh in the city, the pound is straight to the money hundred, and the dog meat is straight to five hundred.
In short, since Emperor Zhaozong in the Tang Dynasty, on the one hand, due to natural disasters such as water and drought and locusts, and on the other hand, due to the scuffle between thieves and warlords, the supply of goods was very insufficient; therefore, prices rose to the point of death.
IX. Conclusion
Summarizing the above, we can know that the prices of the Tang Dynasty were not always in a static state, but often fluctuated one after another. If we simplify or systematize these seemingly irregular changes on the surface, we can find that the Tang Dynasty had three periods of price decline and four periods of price increase.
During the three periods of price decline in the Tang Dynasty, the prices between Emperor Gaozong and Kaiyuan Tianbao were particularly low. The former period is equivalent to the reign of Zhenguan Yonghui in political history; the latter period is also the era of political prosperity. Historians and poets have sung praises and praises to the wise statesmen of both periods in their works; they have all admired or nostalgic for the peaceful and prosperous situation they worked so hard to create. It can be seen from this that the low price at this time, in the minds of ordinary people, is a good phenomenon of the social and economic prosperity of the day; it is not as modern economists say, that the low price is a symbol of world panic. However, in the last period of price decline, we have repeatedly seen the lamentations of producers complaining in the literature, which shows that prices have fallen for a long period after the first year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, which is a bit regrettable. This is because prices fell in the first two periods, mainly due to the extreme development of production, and in the latter period, it was due to the oversupply of money circulating in the market, that is, the reduction of the purchasing power of ordinary people.
Repeatedly, in the four periods of price increase in the Tang Dynasty, although the price of the early Tang Dynasty was very expensive, it was very short, but it was only about ten years; although prices rose before and after the Wu Zhou Dynasty, the degree of increase was the most slight: therefore, the price increase in these two periods was not very affected, and the problem was not particularly serious. However, in the two periods after the Anshi Chaos and the end of the Tang Dynasty, prices rose very profitably and for a long time. In the previous period, the children of the great poet Du Fu were also starving to death because of the high price of goods. In the latter period, the residents of Yangzhou, where industry and commerce were most developed and the wealthiest, also became starving due to the impact of rising prices. This is because the reasons for the frequent wars and chaos in this period, the destruction of production, and the lack of supply of goods are natural, and the impact of currency depreciation and inflation on price increases in the previous period cannot be ignored.
In November 1939, he was awarded the Kunming Academia Sinica.
P.S. The "Tang Dynasty Silk Price Change Map" in the text was painted by colleague Mr. Pan Shijun.
exegesis:
[1] For the use of cloth as currency in the Tang Dynasty, see Kato Shigeru Nichiren, "A Study of Gold and Silver in the Tang and Song Dynasties," Japanese text, pp. 124-153.
[2] Regarding the reasons for the government's currency depreciation policy in the first year of the Qianfeng Dynasty, there is no direct record in the literature. According to the author, the government was at this time on a large-scale conquest of Goryeo, thinking that it was to raise huge war costs.
[3] The course of this incident, as well as the remarks of both sides, are contained in the Old Book of Tang, vol. 4, Food And Goods, Tongdian, vol. 9, Yuangui, Vol. 501, Tang Huijiao, vol. 89, and Tongjian, vol. 214.
[4] During the Kaiyuan period, due to Pei Yaoqing's reform of Caoyun, the rented rice transported from the Jianghuai area to Guanzhong reached 700 stones in three years. Cf. Old Book of Tang, vol. 98, New Book of Tang, vol. 127, Biography of Pei Yaoqing, and Tang Huijiao, vol. 88.
[5] Subsequently, Liu Yan made great reforms, and the canal was able to transport Jianghuai products to Guanzhong on a large scale. Cf. Old Book of Tang, vol. 123, New Book of Tang, vol. 149, Biography of Liu Yan, and Tongjian vols. 223 and 226.
[6] It was during the reign of Emperor Dezong. Refer to the Old Book of Tang, vol. 145, "Biography of Li Xilie", and "Biography of a Traitor" in Volume 220 of the New Book of Tang.
[7] The incident was in May of the second year of Zhide. Cf. Tongjian, vol. 219.
[8] The matter was at the beginning of the Zhenyuan Dynasty. Quoted above in the New Book of Tang Dynasty, the Chronicle of Food and Goods says: "Zhenyuan Chuguan Auxiliary Su Bing", that is, referring to this matter. Refer to the Old Book of Tang, volume 121, and the New Book of Tang, volume 224, on the Biography of Li Huaiguang.
[9] See Detailed Notes on the Collected Works of Du Shaoling, vol. VI. Zhu Heling's note is quoted in the inner quotation: "This was composed in the spring of the first year of the Qianyuan Dynasty, so there is a Chaotian language in the poem. ”
[10] From the time of the Anshi Rebellion, it was about the first year of Emperor Dezong's reign.
[11] See Detailed Notes on the Collected Works of Du Shaoling, vol. 13. The inner quotation from "Du Xuan" says: "This is both for the Gongbu Lang, and the retrospection of the past also. Therefore, the title is "Remembrance of the Past". It is written in the middle of the Yanwu curtain in guangde nian. ”
[12] The Old Book of Tang, vol. 148, "Biography of Quan De", says: "In the winter of the seventeenth year of the ZhenYuan Dynasty, the tribute of the Ministry of Rites was made by this official. In the coming year, I really worship the waiter. Whoever was three years old and was still known as a meritorious man. His "Jinshi Ce Question" was written during this period.
[13] This omission was performed in May of the fifteenth year of the Zhen Dynasty, in the Tongjian, vol. 234.
[14] This omission was performed in May of the fifteenth year of the Zhen Dynasty, in the Tongjian, vol. 234.
[15] Both were written in the nineteenth year of the Reign of Zhen Yuan. See New Book of Tang, vol. 165, "The Biography of Quan De".
[16] It is about 15 years from the first year of Jianzhong.
[17] The Tongjian, vol. 234, is this neglected under the Article of August of the eighth year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty.
[18] According to Wei Xiaqing's jingzhaoyin in the last year of the Zhenyuan Dynasty, see Old Book of Tang, vol. 165.
[19] According to Pei Du, he was appointed as the emissary of Shannan's Eastern Province in Xiangyang, in September of the fourth year of Yamato. Refer to the Old Book of Tang, vol. 17, under the Wenzong Ji.
[20] According to the Old Book of Tang, vol. 164, "Biography of Wang Bao", with "Biography of Wang Duo", and "New Book of Tang" vol. 185 "Biography of Wang Duo", Wang Duo was the first jinshi of Huichang, and the Xiantong 12th year Tongping Zhangshi. When Duo was a beggar, he was in the middle of the big salty passage.
[21] See Qujiang Anthology, vol. 7, "The Edict of Releasing PrivateLy Minted Money" and volume 501 of the Yuangui of the Book of Records.
Source: Research on Chinese Economic History I