利益与制衡:晚清改革背景下的江北漕粮河运

Interests and Balance: The Grand Canal Transportation for Tribute Grain of Northern Jiangsu Province Under the Reformation Background of the Late Qing Dynasty

同治以后,中国一度进入改革时代,'事捷而费省'的海运成为漕粮运输的主导方式,然而,江北徐、扬、淮、通四个府州每年却依然将10余万石漕粮通过运河转输至直隶通州。江北河运虽因漕船难雇、运道淤塞而靡费惊人,但竟然保留了35年之久。清廷力保江北河运,并非看重其对国家民生的实用价值,而是试图以江北河运为抓手,利用涉漕利益集团及朝廷内外因循守旧的河运派来制衡以'湘淮集团'为主体的'洋务'改革势力,以牵制和遏制湘淮集团权力的扩张、甚至改变晚清'内轻外重'的政治格局。而以漕运、河道总督为核心的利益集团也乐于借助中央这把保护伞来维持其从河运中获得的私益。

From the reign of Tongzhi emperor,China once entered the era of reformation for new industries and policies. The fast and economical maritime shipment had become the dominant method for tribute grain. However,the four districts of northern Jiangsu included Xuzhou,Yangzhou,Huai’an prefectures and ( south) Tongzhou sub-prefecture had conveyed more than 100 000 shi ( 1 shi = 60 kilograms) of tribute grain to ( north) Tongzhou of zhili via the Grand Canal every year. Although the canal conveyance of Jiangbei ( North bank of the Yangtze River) was surprisingly expensive and difficult due to the problems caused by hiring the boat and boatmen,the silting of the canal and water conservancy,this policy had unexpectedly lasted for 35 years. The Qing court’s efforts to protect the Jiangbei canal transportation did not value its practical benefit to the people’s livelihood of the country. Instead,the monarch took it as an kind of approach,to use the interest groups of the canal conveyance inside and outside the court to restrict the Fraction of Foreign Affairs as well as Xiang Huai Groups ( Hunan and Anhui Group) headed by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. Furthermore,the monarch even attempted to reverse the political situation of neiqing waizhong ( more influential of local bureaucrat comparing with less powerful of imperial authority) in the late Qing Dynasty. The interest groups with the core of the governor for the tribute grain transportation and the governor for the river conservancy also desired to take use of imperial power as a protection umbrella to maintain their private benefits from the canal transportation.