Cui Zao (崔造) (737 – October 25, 787[1][2]), courtesy name Xuanzai (玄宰), was a Chinese economist, military general, and politician during the Tang dynasty, serving briefly as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong.
[4] Cui later served as Zuosi Yuanwailang (左司員外郎), a low-level official under one of the Secretaries General of the executive bureau of government (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng).
Cui Zao, as an associate of Liu's, was demoted to be the secretary general of Xin Prefecture (信州, in modern Shangrao, Jiangxi).
Emperor Dezong, believing that he was acting appropriately, issued an edict praising and consoling him, and he made Cui Libu Langzhong (吏部郎中), a mid-level official at the ministry of the civil service affairs (吏部, Lìbu), as well as imperial attendant (給事中, Jishizhong).
Cui, during the time that he was living in the Yangtze River region, had long despised the institution of having various special directors for financial matters, believing the officials given those positions to be generally corrupt, so he advocated abolishing the director positions in charge of tax collection and transportation of food supplies.
[6] Han Huang, the military governor (Jiedushi) of Zhenhai Circuit (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang), on whom the imperial government relied on for food supplies at the time since there was a major famine in the Chang'an region, however, opposed these changes.
When a large amount of food shipment arrived from Zhenhai to Chang'an in fall 786, Emperor Dezong was very pleased with Han and gave him the additional offices as directors of the monopolies and taxes.