Chapter 603: Master Zhang, Let’s Have a Good Chat
A team that stretched for more than ten miles was walking on the official road of Luanzhou Prefecture east of the capital, with the cavalry of the Hussar Army in the front.

They were wearing new grass-green military uniforms with red edges, round-brimmed military caps, and carrying Longqing Type 2 cavalry muskets. They were riding four in a row, trotting along the official road.

They also split off a group of people to cruise back and forth on both sides of the official road.

Behind them came the Yulin cavalry, who were wearing bright new military uniforms and black round-top felt hats with a white feather on the brim that sparkled in the wind.

They also carried Longqing Type 2 cavalry muskets and had sabers hung on their saddles. As their horses bounced, the sabers kept colliding with the copper fittings of the bridle, making a clanging sound.

Behind them was the Yongwei Camp, which was the imperial guard army directly under the Imperial Stables. The elite troops of the 26 armies were selected and took turns on duty.

Specially responsible for guarding the imperial city.

In the middle is the military school of Fengchensi, which is the legendary imperial guards.

Most of them were children of generations of military guards. After passing the military examination and becoming a military juren and a military jinshi, they studied at the Qinghe NCO School and the Xishan Military Academy, joined the 26th Army for two to three years of training, and then went through layers of selection at the Jinyiwei and secret “political review” by the Dongchang, before being selected into the Fengchensi.

Some of them are children of nobles. They also have to pass the military examination or the Xishan Military Academy recruitment examination and have experience in the garrison army or the navy before they are eligible to be selected into the Qingyun Camp.

They were wearing bright new-style officer uniforms, wearing round-brimmed hats and carrying sabers, and they looked around vigilantly. In the center of their guard was an eight-horse carriage.

This carriage is twice as big as an ordinary four-wheeled carriage. It is magnificent and has thin steel plates embedded in the wooden boards of the carriage.

Zhu Yijun was wearing a new military uniform, which was gray-green in color and embroidered with gold thread, and was extremely gorgeous. He was holding a stack of documents in his hand and was looking at them carefully in the sunlight coming through the car window.

Zhang Juzheng, wearing a dragon robe and a black gauze hat, sat opposite, looking a little restless.

Sitting opposite the Emperor is a unique treatment in the history of the country.

Zhu Yijun put the document aside and patted it gently with his left hand.

“Master Zhang, have you made up your mind to take action against local officials?”

“Reporting to the emperor. The core of our Ming Dynasty official system is control, using the inside to control the outside, using the small to control the big, especially in the local areas. First, we set up the three offices of the governor, the provincial governor, and the commander-in-chief, and then set up the three halls of the garrison eunuchs, the garrison civil officials, and the garrison generals.

The number of garrison eunuchs reached its peak during the Zhengde period, but most of them were dismissed by Emperor Shizong during the Jiajing period.

The garrison officials became the governors-general and the inspectors-general.”

Zhang Juzheng talked eloquently and Zhu Yijun listened attentively.

“The local prefectures, counties and districts are truly people-friendly officials. Emperor Taizu has repeatedly stated, ‘The foundation of governing a country is to protect the people, and the key to protecting the people is to select governors.’

“Only talented people should be appointed as officials. If a county has a virtuous governor and a county has a virtuous magistrate, it will be able to achieve good governance.”

Zhu Yijun nodded in agreement.

“In our dynasty’s official system, the prefect is in charge of the government of a prefecture, promoting morality, settling lawsuits, distributing taxes and labor service, and educating the people. Compared with the provincial governor who is restricted in every way, the prefect and county magistrate are the ones who have real responsibilities and power.

He must be responsible for the administration, finance, public security, water conservancy, agricultural promotion, and transportation of a prefecture or county.

If problems occur in a local area, the prefect, as one of the officials closest to the people, still has reasons and room to shirk responsibility, but the prefects and county magistrates have no way out. They must personally handle all affairs of the prefecture and county with diligence and caution. “

Zhang Juzheng said excitedly: “Your Majesty is wise!”

It is easy to know the leader in things, but it is difficult to be the leader in things!
The emperor is a wise ruler. He is very familiar with the situation in the court and is well aware of the country’s deep-rooted problems.

As the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, I can easily resonate with the Emperor when talking about things.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, “Master Zhang, please continue.”

“It’s the Emperor.

In governing local areas, some power should be delegated to the provincial governor, prefecture and county so that they can make decisions on the spot, instead of looking left and right, up and down, and looking ahead and behind before doing anything.

Power and responsibilities, power and responsibilities, they must be given the power first before they can be held accountable.

I think there are two major drawbacks in the local government. First, from the provincial government to the prefectures and counties, there are layers of organizations, redundant officials and staff, and unclear responsibilities. When it comes to things that are beneficial, everyone competes to take charge. When it comes to things that are not beneficial, everyone shirks responsibility. “

The carriage rumbled along the official road.

The inner wall of the carriage was covered with a layer of brocade, and the airtightness made the sound insulation very good. The sound of wheels and horse hooves outside could be heard, but it was not noisy.

Zhang Juzheng continued, “At the provincial level, the emperor has vigorously implemented the new official system, with the provincial governor, the provincial procuratorate and the military preparation department sharing the three powers of administration, justice and military affairs, and the governor-general exercising the power of supervision on weekdays and the power of emergency in times of crisis. It is already very perfect.

Your Majesty is in charge of many affairs, and you should have your ministers to assist you in the complicated matters. When it comes to the redundant officials in the localities, I should share your worries.

The reason for the redundancy of local officials is the Dao. There are layers upon layers of military preparation Dao, garrison Dao, and patrol Dao, each with considerable authority, but with much overlap.

Before the Chenghua period, local governors were mostly deputy inspectors or assistant governors of the Censorate, and deputy governors of the Provincial Administration Council. Most of them were in charge of local security, border defense, and the collection of land, grain, and taxes in prefectures and counties.

From the Chenghua period to the Jiajing period, local civil unrest increased suddenly, and the northern barbarians and eastern Japanese invaders disturbed the border, so a large number of military preparation departments appeared.

I have counted that there are 119 local prefectures below the three levels in the country, including 92 military preparation prefectures, 11 patrol prefectures that also serve as military preparation prefectures, and 7 garrison prefectures that also serve as military preparation prefectures.

The Minister of the Imperial Household Department and the Minister of the Imperial Horse Department will also serve as military governors at one place each, the Military Grain Department and the Grain Control Department will also serve as military governors at one place each, the Sea Department will also serve as military governors at four places, and the Governor of Jingzhou will also serve as a military governor at one place.

Zhang Juzheng spoke freely about these data.

He has studied these bad policies for a long time and has a clear idea of ​​what they are.

“Among the 92 military preparation departments, 43 of them also served as sub-inspection departments, of which 37 served as sub-inspection departments, two of which served as sub-inspection departments for designated prefectures and counties, and four of which served as military farms, grain storage, post stations, and horse administration. There was also one department that also served as a sub-garrison, namely the Guannei Department.

The military preparations are called military preparations, but in reality they are temporary stopgap measures when local unrest occurs. “

Zhu Yijun nodded, “That’s right. This has always been the way the government of our dynasty is governed. There is no coordination from the top and no plan from the bottom. Often, they treat the symptoms instead of the root cause. In the end, the whole body is in pain.

This is absolutely not okay!”

“Your Majesty is wise.

The emperor once said that those in power should treat the whole country as if it were a game of chess, and they should have a clear idea of ​​the chess pieces and how to arrange them.

Treating the symptoms without considering the whole situation is indeed a short-sighted and malpractice policy. Many officials have been obsessed with this malpractice and have been meddling in local affairs. Unfortunately, local prefectures and counties are overwhelmed with complicated affairs and lack of officials, so they can only let the clerks control them.

The problems have accumulated over a hundred years and have reached the point where they must be corrected.

Your Majesty, I think that all these prefectures should be abolished. The administration of a province should be led by the governor, and then divided into six departments: Li, Hu, Li, Xing, Bing, and Gong. The governor is in charge of government affairs, and the left and right councilors assist. The six departments are divided into different departments, and the councilors are in charge. Then they will directly arrange government affairs for the prefectures and counties, issue instructions, and supervise and inspect.

Your Majesty, I believe that only in this way, with local responsibilities clearly defined and power and responsibility passed down level by level, can we straighten out the complicated local affairs and enable local officials to exert their energy and talents.

As for the emergency of local unrest, the governor can deal with it on the spot, mobilize the battalion guards and guards under the military preparation department, and even negotiate with the various military departments to request the transfer of some garrison guards. “

After listening to Zhang Juzheng, Zhu Yijun thought about it carefully and nodded, “Master Zhang, this plan is feasible.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Zhang Juzheng bowed and continued, “Your Majesty, I think the second bad government in the local government is that the inspectors who control the big ones with their small ones have too much power.

The Inspector-General was known as the inspector on behalf of the Emperor. He inspected the ministers of the vassal states, the officials of the prefectures, counties and prefectures, and was particularly particular in impeaching and impeaching. He would report major matters to the emperor for judgment and make immediate decisions on minor matters.

The people who are closest to the people are the county governors; the governors of the counties are the two governors of the prefectures and counties; the governors of the two inspection departments are the inspectors. The inspectors are officials of the seventh rank, several levels lower than the governors, inspectors and prefects, but they hold the power of life and death over them.

When inspectors visited various places, they were not aware of the details and did not understand the complicated disputes. They were easily impulsive and even, to improve their reputation, they acted arrogantly towards the three ministries, prefectures and counties, treated them as their subordinates and interfered in government affairs at will.

Over time, local governments simply ignored real issues, kept shirking responsibility, and focused on pleasing the imperial inspectors, resulting in frequent political chaos. Problems were not effectively solved, and many new problems were created. “

Zhu Yijun remained silent.

Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor with a serious expression and felt very nervous.

Why is the Inspector General so arrogant?

It’s because of the strategy of using the small to control the big that was passed down by Emperor Taizu.

This is the Zhu family’s ancestral art of keeping balance, but he encouraged the emperor to abolish the ancestral art. Would the emperor be willing? Would he think too much?
Zhu Yijun secretly agreed with Zhang Juzheng’s approach of suppressing the power of the Inspectors.

He knew very well that the tour inspectors were a trick passed down from the old Zhu family, and they would not tolerate their ministers having any power. Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang did not care about his ministers having power. He could give it up or take it back. The worst that could happen was that he would chop off a few more heads.

He is just too petty. He wants to seize all the power in his own hands. As for the power that has to be shared with others, he wants everyone in the world to help him keep an eye on it.

The subsequent emperors were either “benevolent” or “filial”, and obeyed the orders of the civil officials.

The civil servants have adapted to this “ancestral system” and have found ways to “make full use of it.”

Jinshi are officials of high status and are the backbone of the civil service group.

Select promising ones to be sent out as inspectors, work hard to build up their reputations, accumulate experience, embark on a path to rapid advancement, and quickly move forward to become ministers and ministers.

As for the problems that have accumulated in the localities, what do they have to do with me? I didn’t cause them alone.

Some emperors of past dynasties knew the drawbacks, but they lacked confidence and worried that once power was handed down, it would be impossible to take it back.

These problems are not problems for me.

Am I worried that after power is divided, I won’t be able to take it back?
Who is brave enough to play Match 3 with the whole family?

Secondly, I am a senior civil servant after all, and I know there is a truth: establishing a system to manage people is essentially still people managing people, but it has more benefits and fewer side effects.

The mystery behind it is that I have to become a senior expert before I can taste some of its true flavor.

Zhu Yijun said: “Master Zhang said that the shortcomings of the inspectors are already known to me. Therefore, in the six pilot provinces of Liaoning, Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and Shaanxi, the inspectors are specially ordered to be subordinate to the governors.

According to the ancestral system, the local provincial government was responsible to the Ministry of Revenue, the provincial procuratorate was responsible to the Censorate, the military command was responsible to the Ministry of War, and the governor was in turn under the Censorate.

Now I have changed it. The Provincial Government is directly responsible to the Cabinet, the Military Preparation Department is responsible to the Military Government, and the Provincial Supervision Department is responsible to the Censorate. The three powers are separated and each has its own duties.

The governor also jumped out of the Censorate and the Censorate and became a direct official. He was the one who really toured the places on my behalf.

Now Master Zhang is writing this book.”

“Liaodong Governor’s Pilot Test Paper?”

“Yes, when the Liao governor Que’an (Wei Xuezeng) was in charge of Liaodong, he set up a governor’s inspection office with a chief inspector in charge, who supervised several inspectors.

The inspectors have two duties.

One is to follow the order of the governor to supervise a certain matter in the prefecture, county, post station, or military camp. The other is to follow the order of the governor to investigate a certain matter. He only has the power to supervise and investigate, but not the power to make arbitrary decisions; he can investigate people based on the matter, without worrying about investigating the matter based on the person.

After the trial in Liaodong, Liaoxi also tried it out, and after summarizing and correcting it, the six provinces in Liaoning are continuing to try it out. “

Zhang Juzheng’s face was solemn.

The emperor did not completely abolish the system of inspectors, but changed it from being directly under the Censorate, and being in charge of the imperial inspection, to being a subordinate of the governor. He no longer spoke for the emperor, his power came from the governor, and he did not have the power to make arbitrary decisions.

In this way, the drawbacks of using the small to control the big, which he denounced, are eliminated, while ensuring the effectiveness of supervision over local areas.

But Zhang Juzheng was somewhat unhappy.

This obviously strengthened the authority of the governor.

In the past, the governor held a high position and great power, but had no direct subordinates or offices under him, so it was easy for the Three Departments to sideline him and make him deaf and blind.

Now the governor has an experience department with a chief secretary, and an inspection office with inspectors-in-chief and inspector-general censors. This will be even more powerful, and all three departments will have to obey his authority.

The governor-general is directly under the emperor, and truly patrols the country on behalf of the emperor. The cabinet, the military government, and the censorate are not directly subordinate to him, and they have enough autonomy and decision-making power.

Zhang Juzheng knew that this configuration was best for the emperor.

He appointed and supervised the most powerful governor, but the governor could not govern the country closely. If he wanted to make decisions on the military, politics and justice of a province, he could only do so through the three officials.

The three offices and prefectures and counties not only had their own competent departments, but also their own complete performance evaluation and promotion system. It was difficult for the governor to interfere, nor could he abuse his power, let alone plot any wrongdoing.

After much deliberation, Zhang Juzheng felt that this would have the least impact on the provincial governments and prefectures and counties controlled by the cabinet. Without the imperial inspectors who were there to interfere, the cabinet could clarify the powers and responsibilities at each level and allow the three-level administrative agencies of provinces, prefectures and counties to operate efficiently.

The cabinet, six ministries and various temples have almost been whipped by the Kaocheng Law. If the three levels of local institutions at the provincial, prefectural and county levels can also be whipped until they feel pain and motivate them to move, then my new policy reforms will be twice as effective with half the effort!
“Your Majesty, I will immediately ask someone to find the trial papers of the Wei Governor and the six provinces, and study them carefully. Then, at the meeting of the Advisory Bureau, I will propose a reform plan to abolish the prefectures and inspectors in the local areas.”

“Okay.” Before Zhu Yijun finished his words, he heard a rumbling sound in the distance, as if someone was firing cannons.

Then the carriage stopped suddenly, outside there was the sound of urgent horse hooves, and the whistles for the troops to assemble rang out everywhere, and the atmosphere quickly became very tense.

(End of this chapter)