Chapter 77 What kind of official system should Da Qin use?
Ying Zheng was very curious about Emperor Hongwu, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty. He wanted to know how he rose to power and how he became the master of the world from a beggar step by step.
“Emperor Hongwu was a very powerful emperor. He did something that almost no emperor in the previous dynasty had done. He abolished the prime minister system, no longer had three provinces, and the six ministries were directly controlled by him.”< br>
Abolition of the prime minister system and direct control of the six ministries is indeed concentrating power on the emperor, but is this really good?
After Ying Zheng thought for a while, he saw the problem with this method. Without the prime minister to share government affairs, the emperor who is centralized will be very tired. There are too many government affairs that require the emperor to make decisions.
He asked with a strange look: "Then Emperor Hongwu will not be exhausted to death, right?"
As expected of the First Emperor, he saw the disadvantages of Emperor Hongwu's abolition of the prime minister system at a glance. Li Niandao: "Emperor Hongwu and not tired After his death, he worked diligently for eighteen years after the abolition of the prime minister system."
Hearing this, the political boss couldn't help but give Ming Taizu a thumbs up. He was a ruthless man. No wonder he could rise as a beggar. Ascend to the throne.
Ying Zheng continued to ask with great interest: "What happened next? What about the emperors of the Ming Dynasty after Emperor Hongwu? Did they reinstate the prime minister system again?"
Li Niandao: "Emperor Hongwu was far more energetic than ordinary people. After abolishing the prime minister system, he could get up early every day, go to bed late, and deal with government affairs diligently, but he never thought that his descendants would be able to do it."
"After the death of Emperor Hongwu, the emperors after the Ming Dynasty found that their energy was limited and they could not be as diligent as their ancestors, so they established a cabinet, promoted cabinet ministers, and assisted them in handling government affairs."
Assisting in handling government affairs, I'm afraid With little help, he became the new prime minister, went around in a circle, and finally came back.
“In the beginning, cabinet ministers were also called assistant ministers. They were advisors to the emperor and were responsible for advising on certain matters that were difficult for the emperor to decide. They did not have much real power.”
"But as time went by, the cabinet gradually gained real power and was no longer limited to making suggestions. , and can also make a decision. The chief minister among the cabinet ministers is called the 'chief assistant'. Some of the chief ministers in the Ming Dynasty have no less power than the previous prime ministers. "
As expected, Hong was just as he thought. Emperor Wu abolished the prime minister system, but his descendants restored the prime minister system to a certain extent.
"Of course, the chief assistant and the prime minister are still different. They are not the real prime minister. Most of the time, the power of the chief assistant is far less than that of the prime minister. From this point of view, Emperor Hongwu succeeded in abolishing the prime minister system!"
After talking about the three provinces and six ministries of the Ming Dynasty, Li Nian then talked about the Qing Dynasty: "When the Qing Dynasty was conquered, although the Qing Dynasty was a barbarian, it had to admit that it had reached a peak in the dynastic official system."
"The Qing Dynasty used the Ming system. There are still six ministries and a cabinet. However, Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty created an organization called the 'Military Aircraft Department'."
Ying Zheng asked: "The Military Aircraft Department is new Cabinet?"
Li Nian thought for a while, shook his head and said: "No, compared to the cabinet in the Ming Dynasty, the scope of the Military Aircraft Department is very wide, but the actual power of the Minister of Military Aircraft is very small."
Ying Zheng was a little puzzled, so he listened to Li Nian continue: "The Military Aircraft Department has neither official offices, nor dedicated officers, nor staff, nor a fixed number of personnel. The emperor selects ministers of third and fourth grades or above to join the duty."
< br>"The ministers of military aircraft are all Part-time, able to participate in decision-making, but without decision-making power, accompanying the emperor, taking orders directly from the emperor, drafting documents, and handling government affairs. "
"Like the seal of the Military Aircraft Department, it is returned immediately after use to keep it strictly confidential. , the military aircraft department's footmen all choose illiterate children under the age of fifteen to serve as officers. In the military aircraft department's duty station, there are specially appointed censors to inspect the places, and no one is allowed to pry. "
"Therefore, the military Although the scope of the Military Aircraft Department is wide, the power of the Military Aircraft Minister is limited. In fact, it was the cabinet that the Ming Dynasty emperor originally wanted to establish. "
After this talk, Ying Zheng generally understood the role and function of the Military Aircraft Department. limit.
The officials of the Military Aircraft Department were selected by the emperor and were not full-time. They could be dismissed and appointed at any time. They had no decision-making power and could only put forward opinions, so they could not issue actual government orders. The Military Aircraft Department is the team that Emperor Hongwu and Zhu Di want. Just give them advice, but don't do anything. We, father and son, have to make the decision.
Ying Zheng immediately thought of the benefits of the Military Aircraft Department, which basically avoided the possibility of powerful ministers appearing and greatly strengthened the king's power.
As for the disadvantages...
The king has too much power and no checks and balances. If he is a wise king, the military aircraft department will be the most effective tool in the king's hands. If he is a faint king, the military aircraft department will be useless.
And once there is no king to control and command, the Military Aircraft Department will be like a bunch of headless flies. Unlike the Ming Dynasty cabinet, even if the emperor does not do business, it can still operate for decades.
But I have to say that for an emperor who wanted to centralize power, the Military Aircraft Department was indeed very tempting. Ying Zheng suddenly asked: "From the time when Emperor Yongzheng established the Military Aircraft Department to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Military Aircraft Department Can it always exist?”
Li Niandao: "It has always existed!"
Ying Zheng originally wanted to ask how the Qing Dynasty could avoid the emergence of faint kings and tyrants when there were military aircraft, but when he thought of the Qing Dynasty's "secret establishment system" and the Qing emperor He had few heirs, so he decided not to ask.
He changed the question and said: "What kind of official system do you think our Da Qin will implement?"
Listening to Li Nian talk about later dynasties as a reference, the purpose is to modify the current official system of Da Qin to make it more beneficial to himself and Da Qin.
Li Nian also knew that Ying Zheng would ask him for his opinion, so he thought about it and said, "I think it is advisable to take the system of three provinces and six ministries as the basis, and make appropriate modifications based on the situation of the Qin Dynasty."
Ying Zheng said: "How to modify?"
Li Nian shook his head and said: "I don't know how to modify it specifically!"
Although I searched for information from later generations, I still have no idea how to modify the three provinces and six ministries system in Da Qin, and create a system that is consistent with both the First Emperor and Da Qin. Li Nian couldn't think of a perfect official system.
"I have only a few opinions, for your Majesty's ears. If our Qin Dynasty adopts the system of three provinces and six ministries, we should focus on restricting the Shangshu Province and the Six Ministries. The powers of both are too large and the scope of their powers is too complicated."
"Powers and powers. Too big a party The officials were overweight and their powers were too complicated to clarify affairs, which would easily lead to confusion and errors in government orders. I thought that some of the six ministries could be separated from the Shangshu Province and put under the direct control of the king, such as the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Household Affairs. "< br>
"The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the assessment, appointment and removal of officials. This important power must be in the hands of the king."
"Furthermore, it is the Ministry of War. An Chongrong, the military governor of the later Jin Dynasty, once said, 'The emperor is the one who has strong soldiers and horses. Do it' . The importance of military power can be seen. The Ministry of War is related to military power, and I think it is not good to put it directly under the Shangshu Province. "
Meng Yi's eyes jumped when he heard this, and he was the only one who dared to say it in front of the king. These.
"The Ministry of Punishment is in charge of law and prisons. The Ministry of Justice will use the Ministry of Punishment when implementing administrative orders. Therefore, the powers of the Ministry of Punishment cannot be completely separated from the Ministry of Justice. Part of it should be retained."
"For example, the Ministry of Justice is implementing administrative decrees. When someone deliberately obstructs and destroys someone, the Minister of Finance should have the power to order the arrest, but he should not have the power to interrogate and convict."
(End of this chapter)