明代江南治农官述论

A Study on the Zhinong Officials in Jiangnan Region of the Ming Dynasty

明代治农官制创始于永乐初年,经宣德至成化间添革往复,由江南一隅推广至全国大部,并基本完善了司府州县各级治农官建置。正嘉以降,江南治农官不断遭到裁省,权力收缩、下移,由官到吏。终明之世,江南治农官先后经历了三次职能转变:宣德二年初次复设后,在永乐以来单纯的提督农田水利基础上,统摄粮长、职兼催粮;宣德六年开始全面负责秋粮的催征解运,但仍保有治农本职;成化九年再次复设后,又基本恢复到永乐旧制。明人对江南治农官的存在价值与实际效果的认识有很大差异。总体看来,治农官在"财赋尽出于水利"的江南地区看似不可或缺,但事实上并未发挥应有作用,甚至一定程度上沦为病农、逋赋的负面因素。

The Zhinong Official in the Ming Dynasty was first established in the early period of Yongle's reign and only existed in Jiangnan Region.After the dissolving and reestablishing reforms from Xuande to Chenghua,this position became legal in most part of the Ming country and formed a complete Si Fu-Zhou-Xian bureaucratic system.Since Zhengde and Jiajing' reigns,the number of the Zhinong officials was decreased,their power was weakened from time to time and at last the person holding this position was not treated as a senior official but a junior clerk.Throughout the Ming Dynasty,the function of this position changed three times.First,in Yongle's reign,the Zhinong official was only responsible for the land irrigation and water conservancy;after the first reestablishment in the second year of Xuande's reign,the Zhinong official obtained the power to manage Liangzhang and was concurrently in charge of the collection of the land tax.Second,in the sixth year of Xuande's reign,the Zhinong official began to take the overall responsibility for the collection of the autumn land tax and still kept its initial duty in agriculture.Third,after another reestablishment in the 9th year of Chenghua's reign,the power of this position recovered as in Yongle's reign.As to the value and effect of the Zhinong officials,the Ming people had various opinions.In all,although seemed to be indispensable in Jiangnan Region where irrigation and water conservancy was essential,the Zhinong officials did not play their role in a satisfactory way and sometimes even negative to agriculture and taxation to some extent.