明 萬曆年間 湖廣礦稅太監 陳奉과 民變

Abstract

This article intends to show how tyranny of Chen Feng(陳奉), an official for mining of Huguang(湖廣), had an influence on uprisings in the reign of Wanli. After two palaces and three halls was destroyed by fire, Wanli Emperor decided to send officials for mining around the country to collect mining tax for restoration. Chen Feng was dispatched to Huguang one of the officials whose activities were supposed to increase tax revenues. But Chen Feng was such a filthy that he could not be proper to carry out his own tasks. The first step he took as an official for mining of Huguang was to organize rogues who generally came from not only Huguang but also Jiangsu(江蘇) and Zhejiang(浙江), as tax collectors under his command. And he even conspired with Du Mao(杜茂), a captain of the local defensive army. Based on these organization and connection, he could come to extort a lot of money from the people who lived in this region on the plea of tax. When some of local officers did not consent to Chen Feng’s measures, he punished them for various charges he invented. Besides, men of wealthy were accused of not informing the fact that ancient relics were found out, since he wanted to mine for gold in their private properties including houses, farms and even burial places. It was not important for him whether these suspicions were true or not. So more and more people who resided in Huguang were suffered from his oppressions. Therefore it was tyranny of Chen Feng that became one of the most critical agents which provoked popular riots in Huguang along with huge burdens of compulsory labors and heavy taxations.