“好老”:明清漕运体制与运丁生存之道

“Haolao”:Canal Transport System and the Survival Methods of Transport Personnel in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清把漕粮称为“天庾正供”,作为国家的最高战略物资,始终陷入官营必匮的历史规律;加之明清漕运弃海行河,直接成本相当于全国每年财政收入的数倍,百姓生命与间接成本无以计量。漕运类体制摒弃经济理性,最大程度地限制了自由劳动,抑制了市场经济,造成了国贫民愚的结局,但极利于维护专制权力的稳固和延续。在近代自由的劳动者苦于劳动对人的异化时,明清专制社会被直接强制的运丁则苦于无法享受这种异化,只能承受事实上被谋杀的命运。在明清专制政体反法治、反市场的条件下,为了自利的平民只得运用各种越法手段和资源以自利。“好老”具备了平民成功者的主要特征以及所能达到的极限。尽管他们可以获得丰厚的经济收益,但却永远处于社会金字塔的下层,无法冲破体制的罗网。“好老”们最终的结局是明清专制政体导致的普遍性悲剧。解决漕粮问题最可靠的办法是把粮食作为真正的商品,商营必活;消灭“好老”的正途是法治和市场;解决运丁生计贫困的良方是消除对自由劳动的束缚。

The canal tribute transportation referred to as“The Sacred Tribute”in the Ming and Qing dynasties,which was the greatest strategy of the country and always fell into the historical law of the inevitable bankruptcy of government managing.In addition,abandoning sea transportation and implementing canal transportation,the direct cost was equivalent to many times the national annual fiscal revenue,and the lives and indirect costs of the people could not be measured.The canal tribute transportation system abandoned economic rationality,restricted free labor to the greatest extent,suppressed market economy,and led to the end of national poverty and people's stupidity,but it was extremely advantageous to maintaining the stability and continuation of authoritarian power.In modern times,free laborers suffered from the alienation of labor towards humanity,while canal transport personnel who were directly forced in the Ming and Qing autocratic societies were unable to enjoy this“alienation”and could only bear the fate of being actually“murdered”.Under the conditions of anti-rule of law and anti-market in the Ming and Qing autocratic regimes,commoners who sought self-interest had to use various means and resources for their own benefit.“Haolao”possessed the main characteristics of successful commoners and the limits they could reach.Although they obtained substantial economic benefits,they were always at the bottom of the social pyramid and could not break through the trap of the system.The ultimate outcome of the“Haolao”was a universal tragedy caused by the authoritarian regime of the Ming and Qing dynasties.The most reliable way to solve the problem of grain transportation is to treat grains as real commodities.The correct way to eliminate“Haolao”was the rule of law and the market economy.