1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 379 Order and Efficiency

The banquet ended, and the moon was high in the sky.

Seeing that it was about time, Zuo Zongtang, Liu Rong, Wang Quan, and the others all got up to take their leave.

Before leaving, Peng Min, along with the servants of the Prince's Mansion, presented each guest with a carefully prepared gift—a set of crystal-clear, high-end glassware that refracted dazzling light under the whale-shaped oil lamp, along with several jars of finely brewed local rice wine and a few bottles of foreign liquor.

By the mid-19th century, glassware was no longer a particularly rare item in coastal areas, especially near open ports.

However, it is still relatively rare in inland areas. Moreover, it was personally bestowed by Peng Gang, which gives it special significance.

The group thanked the king and accepted the gifts, then left the Northern Prince's residence.

After seeing off the last guest, the bustling inner quarters of the Northern Prince's Mansion gradually quieted down.

Peng Gang had a slight flush of alcohol on his face, but his eyes remained clear and his mind was still lucid.

Instead of immediately returning to his bedroom to rest, Peng Gang called Peng Yi and strolled to the outer study.

Peng Yi was in charge of the Sacred Treasury of the North Palace, making him the de facto Minister of Revenue of the North Palace and a highly relied-upon right-hand man of Peng Gang.

Upon entering the outer study, Peng Gang waved his hand, gesturing for Peng Yi to sit down. He then casually plopped down in the main seat, rubbing his throbbing temples, and got straight to the point: "Yi, it's harvest time right now, and it's also the first time we're properly levying land taxes in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties. This is our first time collecting taxes, and it's of great significance. It not only concerns how much grain we can collect, but also the hearts and minds of the people and the prestige of our Northern Palace."

Peng Yi's expression hardened, and he nodded seriously: "Third Brother, don't worry. The regulations have already been issued to the county according to our agreement. From the deputy section chiefs to the county magistrates, all the officials in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties are trustworthy people carefully selected by Third Brother. Moreover, Jiangxia and Hanyang counties are under our watchful eyes, so there won't be any mistakes."

The timing of the land reform policies for farmers varied across regions, but the period for complete tax exemption was the same: a full year of tax exemption following the completion of land reform.

Jiangxia and Hanyang counties completed their land reform earliest, and naturally, they were also the first to begin collecting taxes.

Jiangxia and Hanyang were the first two counties that the Northern Palace controlled, and both were among the wealthiest counties, forming the Northern Palace's earliest base of operations.

Peng Gang attaches the highest importance to these two counties.

Compared to other counties, the officials that Peng Gang dispatched to these two counties were among the most outstanding in terms of both loyalty and professional competence.

The proportion of elderly military dependents is also high in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties, especially in Jiangxia County, where more than 70% of the residents are military dependents and craftsmen from Guangxi and southern Hunan, while the original inhabitants are a minority.

Most of the original inhabitants of Jiangxia County are now either in the Taiping Army or in the male and female quarters of Tianjing and Anqing.

Judging from the quality of officials and the proportion of military dependents in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties, Peng Yi felt that there would be no major problems with tax collection.

Even if a small number of officials are corrupt, they wouldn't be so corrupt as to harm these people who risked their lives to follow Peng Gang all the way to Hubei.

"The charter is good, but the key is its implementation."

Peng Gang's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a clear, resonant sound in the quiet study.

"What I'm worried about isn't the regulations, but the people who handle things below. Money can corrupt people's hearts. How many people in the world can withstand the temptation of money, power, and sex?"

The officials in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties are indeed of higher quality than those in other places, and since they are under our watchful eyes, the probability of something going wrong is indeed lower than in other places, but that doesn't mean that nothing will happen at all.

In the future, taxes will be levied in more than just these two counties. We can't rely entirely on the self-discipline of local officials and expect them to have the moral character of saints.

Those whose moral character rivals that of saints are ultimately a tiny minority. It is still more prudent to rely on systems to constrain them.

Limited by insufficient administrative personnel, or perhaps due to the rapid pace of territorial expansion, Wuchang was unable to quickly establish a complete bureaucratic system and fill it with enough officials in a short period of time.

To be honest, Peng Gang has expanded the ranks of officials very quickly.

However, China is simply too large; the population of a single province is equivalent to that of a major country.

As of now, Peng Gang has taken control of the entire Hubei province, Nanyang Prefecture in Henan province, Jiujiang Prefecture in Jiangxi province, and parts of northern Hunan province.

The population under its rule is estimated at nearly 30 million, roughly equivalent to the population of Japan.

The populations of Britain, France, the United States, and the German regions in the mid-19th century were all in the range of just over 20 million.

Peng Gang's Wuchang regime gradually filled the vacancies of local officials based on the existing reserve of officials, while also adding new government offices according to actual needs.

Now that taxes are officially being levied, it's time to put the establishment of a corresponding oversight system on the agenda.

Peng Yi quickly grasped Peng Gang's intention: "Relying solely on the Sacred Treasury or having Third Brother personally send people to inspect is probably not enough, and it would be easy for the subordinates to figure out our methods. Third Brother, do you want to set up a Judicial Commissioner's Office?"

When Peng Yi mentioned supervisory offices, the first things that came to mind were the Censorate and the Provincial Surveillance Commission, which were responsible for upholding discipline and clarifying official conduct.

Peng Gang stood up, walked to the window, looked out at the clear night sky through the wooden lattice, and slowly said, "My idea is to adopt the system of the Censorate and the Provincial Surveillance Commission and the Western auditing system to establish two new government offices that are directly under my jurisdiction and independent of other government offices, specifically responsible for supervision and auditing affairs."

The Ming and Qing dynasties had already established a multi-layered supervisory system through the Censorate, the Provincial Surveillance Commission, and the Imperial Inspector (in the Ming dynasty), which could be selectively modified and applied as needed.

At present, the bureaucracy in the central government of the Northern Palace is still small, and the highest administrative division is only at the prefecture level. Provinces have not yet been established. Setting up an Provincial Surveillance Commission would be sufficient to meet the needs, and the establishment of the Censorate can be postponed for the time being.

Although the Qing dynasty followed the Ming system, it made significant adjustments and changes to the three provincial administrations: the Provincial Administration Commission (Fantai), the Military Command Commission (Dutai), and the Provincial Surveillance Commission (Jietai).

The Qing Dynasty directly abolished the Regional Military Commissions, and the military functions of the Regional Military Commissions were taken over by the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army systems, while local military affairs were coordinated by the Governors-General and Governors.

Although the position of Provincial Treasurer was retained, by the late Qing Dynasty, most of the Provincial Treasurer's powers had been replaced by the Governor and the Viceroy, and he became a subordinate official of the Governor, mainly responsible for financial and civil affairs.

The functions of the Provincial Surveillance Commission in the Qing Dynasty can be roughly understood as a composite of the later provincial high court, provincial procuratorate, provincial justice department, and public security department, seemingly a very powerful department. However, it was a provincial department under the leadership of a high-ranking official (governor/governor-general).

The situation of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner in the Qing Dynasty was similar to that of the Provincial Administration Commissioner. In fact, they were also subordinate officials of the Governor. Compared with the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner in the Ming Dynasty, the power of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner in the Qing Dynasty was greatly reduced.

"The Qing court's chief judicial officer is in charge of both criminal investigation and supervision. His functions are somewhat too diverse. Being in charge of everything makes it difficult to manage everything effectively. It would be better to establish an Inspectorate to specifically supervise the conduct of all civil and military officials. As for auditing, there is an Audit Office in the Imperial Treasury, and the Hankou Customs also has auditors. This system is excellent and should be promoted," Peng Yi said after thinking for a moment.

The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner is the highest judicial official at the provincial level, and the responsibility of supervision is only a part-time duty.

Peng Yi felt that the functions of the Provincial Surveillance Commission were too numerous and complicated, and not professional enough. He suggested setting up an Integrity Commission to investigate the conduct of civil and military officials, with a particular focus on investigating whether there was any embezzlement, apportionment, or fraud in the collection of taxes and the expenditure of funds.

As for the auditing departments, the Shengku under his supervision and the Hankou Customs under Liu Qixian's supervision already had independent auditing departments.

Both he and Liu Qixian felt that the specialized audit office and professional auditors were very convenient to use and could be promoted to local areas.

Peng Gang smiled and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"The position of Inspector of the Inspectorate is a job that can offend people, so it's not advisable to select officials from Hunan or Guangdong. If something really happens, they might be tempted to show favoritism or bias," Peng Yi said thoughtfully.

The majority of the bureaucrats in the North Palace were from Hunan, while a minority were from Guangxi and Guangdong.

The former is a traditional combination of being from the same hometown and being classmates, and there are quite a few brothers-in-law; the latter is simply a relationship between people from the same hometown.

Choosing officials for the Inspectorate from among these people was clearly not a good idea. "While there are few civil officials who have no connection with the scholars of Hunan, they are not entirely absent," Peng Gang thought, already having a preliminary list of candidates in mind.

"The former Pingjiang magistrate who surrendered to us during last year's western expedition, now Baling magistrate Pang Gongzhao, is from Zhejiang. The former Xiangyang prefect Hai Ying, who just joined us, is from Henan. These two have no connection or foundation with the civil and military officials from Hunan and Guangdong, so they have few concerns. It is just right for them to preside over the Inspectorate."

Last year, I also selected several scholars from Jiangxi and Anhui to become Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). With their addition, we can still build a small team for the Inspectorate and Auditorate.

Peng Yi thought this was a good idea. Among the main Qing officials who had surrendered to the Northern Palace, Yang Xun was the first magistrate to voluntarily surrender. He was also from Hunan and had good relations with officials in the Hunan circle.

Liu Qixian had a good personal relationship with Zuo Zongtang and also had decent relations with officials in the Hunan circle.

Pang Gongzhao was the only civil official from Zhejiang in the North Palace, and he was all alone.

Hai Ying, the prefect of Xiangyang, had only recently surrendered, but his situation was similar to that of Pang Gongzhao. It was likely that Hai Ying's future would be much the same as Pang Gongzhao's.

“These two are suitable. Liu Qixian, a fourth-rank prefect, offered half of De’an Prefecture to surrender, and Third Brother eventually promised him the fourth-rank position of Hankou Customs Chief. Hai Ying, the prefect of Xiangyang, also surrendered Xiangyang City to surrender at the last minute, despite being a fourth-rank official. Whether Third Brother appoints the heads of the Inspectorate and Auditorate to the third or fourth rank, we won’t be treating them unfairly.” Peng Yi felt that Hai Ying and Pang Gongzhao were indeed suitable candidates.

"Keep a close eye on the taxation matters," Peng Gang said as he led Peng Yi out of the outer study.

Peng Yi solemnly promised Peng Gang, "Brother, I understand! I will keep a close eye on things."

"Good!" Peng Gang patted Peng Yi on the shoulder, a relieved smile on his face.

"With you watching over things, I feel a little more at ease. Our resources aren't very substantial yet, so we have to be careful with every step we take. Go on, it's getting late, you should get some rest too."

The Yangtze River, carrying silt and sand, flows eastward.

On the river, paddle steamers flying Union Jack and the flag of the British East India Company crisscrossed with Chinese-style flat-bottomed sampans, their whistles mingling with the shouts of boatmen and porters, creating a unique symphony at the Hankou wharf.

The docks were a surprisingly busy scene.

Goods were neatly stacked in designated areas according to category and batch, while dockworkers, wearing numbered vests issued by the Hankou authorities, moved the goods in an orderly manner under the direction of customs officers wearing armbands.

The prosperity of Hankou's commerce not only supported a group of government officials, dock maintenance workers, and brokers who made a living through intermediaries, but also a large number of laborers and small vendors.

In the Hankou area, especially in the area near the docks, there were significantly more food stalls and goods stalls than before the port was opened, and there were even a few Western restaurants and cafes.

The commercial tax revenue contributed by Hankou to the central government of the Northern Palace increased month by month, with the gate tax alone nearly doubling.

Jardine Matheson, the magistrate of Jardine Matheson & Co., and the British consul, Agnès Alcock, stood side by side on the pier, watching the dockworkers load boxes and bundles of tea, high-quality raw silk, and exquisite silk fabrics onto their cargo ships.

In stark contrast to the bustling, chaotic, and disorderly docks of Shanghai or Guangzhou, filled with the constant shouts of laborers, the cursing of foremen, and the haggling in various dialects, Hankou presented an astonishing level of order and efficiency.

The Wuchang authorities had a very clear plan for Hankou. The dock floor was marked with brightly colored bricks to divide it into different functional areas, such as the tea area, raw silk area, silk fabric area, waiting area, and released area, etc., all in an orderly manner.

Laborers, dressed in dark blue uniforms, either used standard wooden handcarts or carried goods on their shoulders or by hand, shuttled back and forth along designated routes to transport goods from the warehouse to the ship's side.

The most striking thing is the goods themselves.

Tea was no longer haphazardly packed in burlap sacks or bamboo baskets, but was uniformly packaged in standard wooden crates coated with tung oil and printed with the words "Supervised by Hankou Customs".

On both sides of the container, the cargo name, grade, net weight, gross weight, place of origin, batch number, destination port, and information of the customs official handling the shipment are clearly written in both Chinese and English.

The raw silk was bundled neatly and uniformly, and the silk fabrics were wrapped in moisture-proof oil paper before being packed into crates of uniform size. All of this greatly improved the efficiency of counting, inspecting, and loading and unloading.

The person in charge on site was not a foreman waving a whip and stick, showing off his power and swearing, but a low-ranking customs officer wearing a black uniform, a bronze badge on his chest, and an armband.

They shouted in brass whistles, held hard leather clips with cargo lists attached, and checked the information on the containers from time to time, using gestures and concise instructions to coordinate operations.

Every day, there are dedicated personnel responsible for cleaning and sanitation at Hankou Wharf, making its hygiene conditions much better than those of the five open ports along the coast.

Under the pavilion on the pier, Matheson pulled out his heavy gold pocket watch, snapped it open, glanced at the time on the watch, and compared it with the estimated loading progress on the manifest in his hand. His tone was somewhat incredulous: "My God... Alighieri, I must say, this feels more like a port in the Baltic Sea or Liverpool than a port in the Far East."

From the start of loading until now, only five hours have passed, and they have already completed a day's worth of loading! At this rate, the loading process that was originally planned to take five full days can likely be finished before sunset tomorrow!

The Hankou Customs saved us at least two days' worth of berth fees, overtime pay for the laborers, and… most importantly, the shipping schedule. You know very well what that means for us.”

Consul Alger did not answer immediately; his gaze remained fixed on the busy yet orderly workers and officials. He adjusted his monocle, trying to get a better look.

As a diplomat who has served in China for many years, he has witnessed too much bureaucratic inefficiency and corruption at border crossings.

Harassment from local gangs, extortion by local authorities, and delays and shirking of responsibility by local officials were all major headaches for him.

These troublesome problems are almost non-existent in Hankou.

Alcock disliked the Northern King, who took a hard line against Britain, but he had to admit that the trade experience in Hankou under the Northern King's rule was indeed much better than that in the five open ports under the Qing government.

“Of course I know, efficiency… higher efficiency, Mr. Martin.” Aleksandar’s voice was somewhat low.

"What you care about is the profits brought by efficiency, but what impresses me even more is what is reflected behind this amazing efficiency and organizational ability. Did you notice the customs officials who were dealing with us? That Director Liu, and his deputy."

They spoke directly and clearly, giving explicit answers to our questions without any ambiguity or bureaucratic jargon. More importantly, they offered no hints whatsoever. There were no hints of extra fees or that we would have to pay a huge additional price for special treatment. Everything seemed to be written in their regulations, with prices clearly marked and procedures strictly followed.

This was almost unimaginable in my experience dealing with Qing Dynasty officials. For example, the Shanghai Daotai, Wu Jianzhang, outwardly acted like a servant to me, but in reality, he was extremely greedy, taking advantage of both sides and always demanding exorbitant sums from us.”

Just then, the manager of Jardine Matheson's company, who was in charge of supervising the loading and inspection of the goods, and the weighbridge operator hurriedly came over with several documents.

"Your Excellency," the steward reported, glancing down at the records.

"As is customary, we randomly opened and inspected 3% of the high-value goods. These mainly included Grade S and Grade A black tea, raw silk, and that batch of Jiangling forging."

The result... well, the result was quite unexpected. All the sampled tea leaves were completely consistent with the grade and dryness specified in the contract, and no inferior tea leaves or leaves were found to be mixed in.

The fineness, strength, and cleanliness of the raw silk fully met the standards. As for the silk fabrics, the patterns, colors, and textures matched the samples we confirmed; we found no instances of shoddy workmanship or inferior materials, and they even exceeded our expectations.

The manager looked up at his boss and the consul, his tone still tinged with disbelief: “Your Excellency, please forgive my bluntness, but based on my years of experience working in Shanghai and Guangzhou, to maintain such a high degree of consistent quality on such a large scale of delivery, without any fraudulent practices such as receiving the wrong goods, this… this is almost the first time. The merchants here seem to be more trustworthy, and the government here seems to value maintaining a good and efficient business environment.”

The quantity of goods being delivered this time was very large, and the manager and several weighbridge operators even learned some local friendly greetings in advance so that they could come in handy if they got into a fight.

Based on past experience, the larger the quantity of goods delivered, the easier it is for cunning Chinese merchants to take advantage of the situation and pass off inferior goods as superior ones.

I never expected that the work would go so smoothly and comfortably. I finished my work while sipping red tea, without any harassment or bribery from local gangs or officials. I maintained a pleasant mood throughout the process.

These managers and weighbridge operators from Shanghai are even considering not returning to Shanghai and instead staying in Hankou to work long-term.

(End of this chapter)