Bi Ziyan

Bi Ziyan

Bi Ziyan, who was born in Zichuan (now Xipu village, Wangcun Town, Zhoucun District, Zibo City), was a native of Jinghui (once jingzeng). During the reign of Tianqi and Chongzhen, he served as the Secretary of the Ministry of household and took charge of the national finance. In the case of exhausted financial resources and insufficient income, Bi Ziyan's careful coordination and careful calculation supported the Ming Dynasty's finance for nearly 10 years and made great contributions to the country. He left many memorials, which are valuable historical materials for studying the economic history of Ming Dynasty. Bi from Yan Wanli 20 years weak crown Jinshi and, granted Songjiang push official. He is young and talented, especially good at managing complex economic affairs. He served successively as head of the Ministry of punishment, worker wailang, huaixudao counsellor, Hedong Deputy envoy, Taomin bingbei counsellor, and Shaanxi youbuzheng envoy. In the first year of Taichang, he was promoted to Taipusi minister, ranking among the nine ministers.

(overview photo source: the portrait of Bi Ziyan on display at the Bi Ziyan Memorial in Zibo) < / I > < I >)

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Bi Ziyan (1569-1638), a minister in the late Ming Dynasty, was born in Xipu village of Wangcun town. In 1588 (the 16th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty), he was elected to the imperial examination, and in 1592 he became a scholar. He has successively served as Songjiang Tui Guan, chief of the Ministry of punishment, worker wailang, Hedong Deputy envoy, Taomin bingbei participating in politics, Yulin West Road Inspection envoy, and youbuzheng envoy. In 1620 (the first year of Taichang), he was promoted to minister of Taipusi. Later, he served as the censor of Youjin capital and governor of Tianjin. He and Yuan Keli, governor of Denglai, acted as horns for each other. They were specially responsible for coastal defense, warship repair, weapons management, and water army construction. They once suppressed the Bailian uprising in Hebei and Shandong. In 1628 (the first year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty), when he was the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, the military was frequent and the Treasury was empty. He put forward 24 suggestions to reduce expenditure, and went to nine frontier towns to check the number of troops and horses to plug the loopholes. Because of the merit, he was granted the title of Prince Taibao in Jin Dynasty. Later, he was appointed as the Minister of Li Department, but he did not take office. In the autumn of 1632 (the fifth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty), the Ministry of punishment invited the emperor to issue an imperial edict according to the usual practice. He takes justice, benevolence and justice as the criterion, and does not enforce the law for personal gain. Zhang Yixian, the eunuch of the prime minister, was ordered by Prime Minister Wen Tiren to be in a dilemma with Bi. He even wrote more than ten resignations, but he was not approved. He was removed from his post and returned to his hometown. A year later, he returned to his original post. He died in 1638. His works include 8 volumes of Shi Yin Yuan poetry collection, 19 volumes of Fu Jin Du Fu Liu Xian Liu Ji Shu Cao, 20 volumes of Du Zhi Memorial Hall manuscript and 98 volumes of other works, all of which are printed and handed down in the world. There are also 100 volumes of selected ancient prose Shangyou Bian and 100 volumes of ancient and modern four seasons Jueming.

Chronology of people and events

The first year of Tianqi (1621)

Liaoyang was defeated by the Qing army, and there was an emergency in the pass. The imperial court ordered Bi Ziyan to serve as governor of Tianjin to prepare coastal defense. Xiong Tingbi managed Liaodong and built a "three party arrangement" strategy. Tianjin was one of the important parties. Bi Ziyan led the defense of Jingdong and cooperated with Yuan Keli, governor of Denglai. He used Qi Jiguang's legacy to set up the Navy, build warships, set up the fort along the coast, and personally presided over the navy to practice the land war, which greatly enhanced Tianjin's military equipment and became a reliable rear of Liaodong front and a solid barrier for Beijing. Soon after, the governor of Tianjin was vacant. After the imperial court finished, it urged the governor of Liao Dynasty to pay and concurrently led the governor of Tianjin until the fifth year of Tianqi. Over the past few years, Bi Ziyan has made great contributions to ensuring the supply of Liao's wages and guarding the gate of the capital.

The fifth year of Tianqi (1625)

Bi Ziyan was transferred to be the censor of the right capital of Nanjing duchayuan, and the next year he became the Secretary of the Ministry of household. He is fair, honest and upright. He knows the general situation and considers the overall situation. During the reign of Tianqi, it was Wei Zhongxian's autocratic and disorderly administration that the Donglin Party was attacked, and the dispute between the parties in the DPRK and China never stopped. Bi Ziyan and Yuan Keli are very close in their thoughts. Both of them are deeply worried about the future of the country. In the party struggle, they take a neutral attitude, but they tend to the Donglin Party. Wei Zhongxian hates him very much. In the sixth year of Tianqi, Bi Ziyan was the Minister of the Ministry of household affairs. Wei Zhongxian proposed to sell the horse pasture of nantaipu temple to help the renovation of the third palace. If the grassland is sold, the horse raising in nantaipu temple will be forced to stop, which will directly affect the supply of army horses and draught horses. Bi Ziyan resolutely disagrees. Wei Zhongxian took advantage of the emperor to scold Bi Ziyan, and sold the grassland. Bi Ziyan angrily called himself ill and returned home. At this time, Yuan Keli, the left Minister of the Ministry of war in Beijing, was promoted by the court to replace Bi Ziyan as the Minister of the Ministry of household in Nanjing. He also changed the counselor of the Minister of the Ministry of war, and because of his public opposition, Wei Zhongxian was forced to return to China.

The first year of Chongzhen (1628)

Wei Zhongxian group was eliminated, and Bi Ziyan was called to worship the Minister of the Ministry of household. Bi Zi and Yan Pingsheng are good at financial management. He has made great achievements in promoting the advantages and eliminating the disadvantages of the Ministry of accounts. The slight improvement of Chongzhen's finance in the early period was the result of Bi Ziyan's painstaking efforts.

When Bi Ziyan took office, Wei Zhongxian embezzled and squandered the national treasury of Ming Dynasty, and the country's annual deficit amounted to more than 1.3 million taels of silver. With the financial collapse, the government had to impose heavy taxes on the people. The three rates increase has brought the people to the extreme. Bi Ziyan started with saving resources and opening up the flow. He first proposed that redundant soldiers should be eliminated and the land should be restored. Local officials should be assessed by the speed of economic development. Bi's suggestion was praised by Emperor Chongzhen. After that, he extensively solicited the opinions of the old court officials and systematically put forward 12 measures to solve the financial difficulties. These include increasing salt diversion, allowing merchants to transport grain to the border, eliminating redundant soldiers, checking the illegal payment of troops, developing paddy fields in Jingdong, checking the hidden fields in the world, and setting up military garrison. In order to prevent local officials from embezzling taxes and silver, he personally compiled the detailed list of taxes and duties, issued it to the whole world, and strictly supervised and examined it, so as to control the corruption. The original Guantun land was occupied by the powerful families for a long time, and the taxes could not be paid. Bi Ziyan was not afraid of the difficulties, and personally presided over the verification of Guantun land. He ordered that the land should be taxed according to the mu, which increased the income. Under his careful planning, redundant soldiers and expenses were reduced, false claims and embezzlement were greatly reduced, the national tax revenue increased, and the Ming Dynasty finance showed signs of recovery. Therefore, Bi Ziyan was deeply trusted by Emperor Chongzhen.

Winter of the second year of Chongzhen (1629)

The Qing troops entered the pass and surrounded the capital. Four hundred thousand soldiers and horses of the king of service gathered around the capital, and the supply of grain, grass and military pay became a serious problem. Bi Ziyan has been working on logistics for more than a month without eyes and clothes. Under his careful planning, the provision of food and pay was timely, which made a great contribution to the defeat of the Qing army besieged the city. After the Qing soldiers retreated, Bi Ziyan was so tired that his head and face swelled as big as a fight, and his mouth vomited blood. Emperor Chongzhen was so moved that he was promoted to be the crown prince. However, with the increasing domestic and foreign troubles in Ming Dynasty, the financial situation of Ming Dynasty also deteriorated irreversibly. Although Bi Ziyan did his best, he could not turn the tide back. In the fourth year of Chongzhen, Liang Tingdong, the Minister of the Ministry of war, asked to increase the land tax of the whole world. In addition to the 5.2 million Liang increase in the old tax, another 1.65 million yuan was added to the new tax. Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to approve it. It has also pushed people across the country to the death line. In this case, Bi Ziyan put forward ten remedial measures. He asked Chongzhen to pay attention to the fact that the common people were in the situation of hanging cauldron. He asked Chongzhen to reduce the taxes of the whole world, so that the common people could have the savings of fighting. Of course, his opinion was unacceptable to Emperor Chongzhen.

The sixth year of Chongzhen (1633)

Bi Ziyan was impeached for protecting Zheng Youyuan, a magistrate of Qingpu County who failed to complete the tax task when he left office. Emperor Chongzhen was very angry and asked Bi Ziyan what was the matter. Bi Ziyan said that when Zheng Youyuan left office, he had completed 70%. Emperor Chongzhen didn't believe it, so he sent someone to check the accounts, only to find that one or two of them had not been paid, so he arrested Bi Ziyan and put him in prison. He was released from prison half a year later after being rescued by the ministers of the central court. In the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, he resumed his former post and became an official. In 1638, Bi Ziyan died in Zichuan.

Bi Ziyan was an upright and capable official in his whole life. He was an outstanding minister in the late Ming Dynasty. After his death, he left many works, including eight volumes of shiyinyuan collection, Liuji shucao, duratezou draft, Siku Zongmu, etc., which retained a large number of precious historical materials and were the necessary reading materials for the study of Ming Dynasty's economic history and system history.

Records of Ming history

Bi Ziyan, a native of Zichuan. Wanli 20 years Jinshi. Except Songjiang. He was young and talented, and was given the charge of the Ministry of punishment. A member of the Ministry of calendar and work, a doctor, moved to Xudao of Huaihe River for consultation. In the face of internal difficulties, they were divided into Jining. Change the Deputy envoy of Hedong to lead the disease away. Taomin army was set up to participate in politics. He moved to Yulin west road according to the inspection envoys and sent them to the right. Taichang, called for the eunuch.

In April of the first year of apocalypse, Liaoyang was covered. Tingyi set up the governor of Tianjin, which was specially responsible for coastal defense. It was changed from Yan Youjin to Yushi in the past. Set up Navy, repair warships, prepare military equipment. Tianjin was one of the three main strategic areas, with the addition of various battalions in Zhenhai. Qi Jiguang's legacy was used. The Navy learned the land war first, so the army could use it. Wei Zhongxian ordered Liu Qiao, a thousand families of royal guards, to arrest the abandoned generals in Tianjin. He was strict with himself and said nothing about it. The army recruited by the four sides fled every day. They used self strict words to make up for their relatives. The head of the Ministry of war came here with a military strategy. He was strict and asked to supervise the army. Shandong white lotus demon thief rise, make Si Xing lead 5000 people to go, achievement is much.

At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, in the 46th year of Wanli, Liao Zuo used military forces and proposed to board and ship to Lai. In February next year, there will be a special chamberlain of the Ministry of household affairs, who will also be the censor of youjindu. He will be in charge of the Liao Dynasty's salary. For details, please refer to the biography of Li Changgeng. And is, Changgeng moved, was ordered from the strict generation. Xu Qian Ping thief Gong, into the right are the censor and the Ministry of the left Chamberlain. At that time, the governor of Tianjin province ordered the governor to pay his servants and take charge of his affairs. He also talked about the Korean War. He strictly said that he should not discuss the Korean War in a hurry. When he asked for tribute, he should be allowed to seal his ears. The number of earthquakes in the capital, because the words should be cautious, grace should be festival, talent should be cherished, internal operation should be stopped, the language is very straight. Since the strict in the matter for several years, comprehensive nuclear austerity, public and private rely on it.

Five years later, he took charge of the imperial court of Nanjing. In January of next year, the Secretary of the Ministry of household will be changed. Zhongxian's comments on the Nantai servant

Chinese PinYin : Bi Zi Yan