초록 열기/닫기 버튼

명말 만력제는 향락과 토목공사에 필요한 재원을 마련하기 위해 각지에 환관들을 파견하였는데, 만력 27년(1599년) 호광지역에 파견된 진봉은 현지의 무뢰배를 조직하여 奏記·謀議·出入 등의 일을 나누어 맡게 하고, 다른 광세태감들과는 달리 밀고를 통해 세금을 수취하였다. 한편으로는 승천부 수비태감 杜茂와 결탁하여 만행을 저지르고, 金을 얻기 위해 백성들의 조상 무덤까지 파헤치는가 하면 引塩까지 막아 竈戶를 격변시키면서 마침내는 호광지역에서 민변까지 촉발시켰다. 결국 17세기 초 호광지역에서 발생한 민변의 주요 원인은 호광지역에 부과된 무거운 부세와 수비태감의 수탈이 가중된 데서 찾을 수 있는데, 거기에다 기름을 끼얹은 것이 바로 광세태감 진봉이었다.


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.