“化私为官”:《南部档案》所见清末硝磺政策转变及其在地效应

The Change of Saltpetre-Sulphur Policy and Its Impact on Local Society in the Late Qing Dynasty as Seen from“Nanbu Archives”

梳理新近发掘的《南部档案》并结合已出材料,得见清末硝磺领域发生了一次微妙却重要的改革。光绪中叶以降,随着洋产入侵、朝廷括财及地方自筹自支趋势日盛,贵州和四川接连以机巧的"化私为官"策略,先期获得禁品硝磺的商业开采和贩销权,并逐步结合地情推行"官运商销""局运商销"等体制,取代了旧有军政型限产采买制。就卷入新政的南部县而言,由于市场有限及价格管制,硝磺官卖未达当局经济预期。以官店为代表的新利益主体的引入,强化了缉私氛围,激起更多缉私行为,客观上达致改革的"禁私"目标。但同时却致发了更多诬告性"贩私"案,对地方社会秩序造成冲击。领域内利益格局也发生变化。营汛系统已基本被排除在利益圈外。南部县衙则各方周旋,疲于应付,对新政态度趋于谨慎。承商虽有"威势"但不获实利。炮房、药铺等民商与贫弱小民一样,处于被动承受地位,愈发无意且无力参与"走私"。当局"刀尖上跳舞"式的革新总体上得不偿失。

Combing the newly discovered"Nanbu Archives"and other published files,a subtle but important reform has taken place in the filed of Saltpetre-Sulphur in the late Qing Dynasty.With the invasion of foreign products, the trend of the imperial court to rake in wealth and local self-financing had been becoming increasingly obvious,Guizhou and Sichuan Province have successively adopted a clever strategy of"Hua Si Wei Guan"to obtain the commercial mining and selling rights of proscribed Saltpetre-Sulphur in advance, and gradually implemented"Guan Yun Shang Xiao"and"Ju Yu Shang Xiao"system instead of restricted production and"Cai Mai" system under military and political control since the middle of GuangXu dynasty.In the case of Nanbu County,which has involved in the New deal,Saltpetre-Sulphur monopoly has fallen short of the economic effects the authorities had expected due to limited markets and price controls.The introduction of the new interest subject,represented by the official shops,has tightened the atmosphere of anti-smuggling,aroused more anti-smuggling behaviors, and objectively achieved the goal of"prohibiting smuggling"in the reform,but at the same time, it has caused more false accusations against"smuggling"cases,and impacted local social order.The pattern of interests in the field has also changed."YingXun"system has been basically excluded from the interest circle.Although contractors have got the"prestige"but actual gains.Civil merchants from fireworks houses and medicine shops, just like the poorer and weaker people,have been in a passive position and increasingly unintentional and powerless to participate in"smuggling"under the New Deal.The reform like"dancing on the tip"of the authorities has failed on the whole.