明清之際山西交城的山區社會與地方治理

Mountain Society and Local Governance in Jiaocheng, Shanxi, during the Transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasties

明清易代之際的交城地方社會的動亂，與山區經濟的發展和變革有密切關係。明萬曆年間的清丈過程中，賦役的苛徵，以及稅負的不公導致稅糧的逋欠和戶籍的脫漏，使山區成為脫逃賦稅戶籍之地，亦為社會動蕩的隱憂所在。明末以來政府對交山「賊寇」的征剿，既有出於政治上統一的目的，也有出於經濟上稅糧完整的需要。然而，地方政府對於社會矛盾處理欠妥，使得征剿行動屢屢失敗。趙吉士擔任交城縣知縣後，重建政府合法性和禮教秩序，使地方士紳確立了平寇的共識。另一方面，趙氏通過親自踏勘和情報搜集，掌握「山寇」的動向，針對性的制定策略，使寇亂得以平息。最後，在善後階段，通過建設龍門渠水利工程，解決山民的生計問題，然而卻無法持續推進。

 

The turmoil in the local society of Jiaocheng during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasties was closely related to the development and transformation of the mountainous region’s economy. During the land survey and tax reassessment carried out in the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty, the harsh exaction of corvée and taxes, together with the inequitable distribution of tax burdens, led to arrears in grain taxes and the disappearance of households from the official registers. As a result, the mountainous areas became refuges for those evading taxation and registration, and also a latent source of social unrest.

Since the late Ming period, the government’s campaigns to suppress the “bandits” in the Jiaoshan region were motivated not only by the political goal of maintaining unity, but also by the economic need to ensure the full collection of grain taxes. However, the local authorities’ improper handling of social conflicts caused these suppression campaigns to fail repeatedly.

After Zhao Jishi had become the county magistrate of Jiaocheng, he worked to restore governmental legitimacy and the Confucian moral order, enabling the local gentry to reach a consensus on pacifying the bandits. At the same time, Zhao personally conducted field inspections and gathered intelligence to understand the movements of the “mountain bandits,” formulating targeted strategies that eventually brought the unrest under control. Finally, in the post-conflict stage, the construction of the Longmen Canal irrigation project helped address the livelihood problems of the mountain inhabitants, although this effort ultimately could not be sustained.