明代漕粮收兑中的征银买粮

Silver Collection and Grain Purchase in the Tributary Grains Transportation System of the Ming Dynasty

明永乐迁都北京后,运用国家行政组织能力替代市场机制,从粮产相对丰裕地区漕运税粮,以保障京师粮食供给。地方漕粮征收一般需参考粮产多寡、水路交通等因素,但实际上存在水路交通不便或因改种经济作物而不产粮的州县承担漕粮的现象,这些州县因应市场的逐渐成长,采用征银买粮方式完成漕粮交兑。具体做法上,各州县有直接征银买粮交兑者,也有以物易银,再以银易粮交纳者。征银或易银买粮交兑主要由粮长、大户等基层管粮人员直接负责,歇家、牙行等中介力量也参与其中。尽管征银或易银买粮交兑也存在各种陋规,而且大多数州县未能演变为类似一条鞭法的国家层面的永折或至少是省级的统筹折银,但总体上降低了运输成本,因应了市场经济的成长,说明中国帝制晚期王朝行政干预色彩最为浓厚的漕运也在一定程度上容纳了市场机制。

After the capital change to Beijing in Yongle period,the Ming government utilized state administrative capacity to transport large amount of grains from the production areas to supply the capital.Among the areas responsible for providing the tributary grains,there were some areas where the water transportation was not convenient or,the grain production was reduced due to the crop changes.In these areas,the rural elites or local clerks and mid-men involved in this system commonly collected grain tax in silver form and used the silver to buy grains from the market for the tributary grains transportation.Although there occurred various malpractices in the process,and there was no unified regulation coming into being,this type of practices generally reduced the cost of the grain collection and transportation,indicating the penetration of the market mechanism into the state administration system in late imperial China.