manynovel Chapter 1262: Reform Step 1
Chapter 1262: Reform Step 1
Chapter 1262: The First Step of Reform
"The first step in the reform is to unify the positions and titles of officials! Eliminate the officials in the Ministry of Personnel from the Ministry of Personnel. Officials will no longer be judged by their positions, but by their ranks. I intend to set the rank from the first rank to the ninth rank in eighteen grades! Abolish the distinction between upper and lower ranks within the ranks."
The emperor nodded slowly after listening to what Zhang Yue said. This was also his original intention.
In order to seize power from military generals at the beginning of the country, there were officials called local shogunate officials.
Later, in order to select literary officials (officials from humble backgrounds who passed the imperial examinations) as his confidants, the emperor created the position of librarian.
Therefore, there were two systems in the Song Dynasty. One was the regular court system, in which officials were ranked according to their official rank; the other was the system for daily life within the palace, in which officials were ranked according to their official positions.
In order to make it easier for these officials to seize power from the officials of the original system, the Ministry of Personnel was replaced by the Court of Justice, the Ministry of Revenue was replaced by the Three Departments, the Ministry of Justice was replaced by the Court of Criminal Justice, the Ministry of Rites was replaced by the Court of Ceremonies, the Ministry of Works was replaced by the Court of Supervision, and so on... Although it was a seizure of power, they could not go too far, so the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue were not completely abolished, and some functions were still retained, which was considered to be preserved in some respect.
Therefore, there were fights, bickering, and buck-passing during management, which led to extremely low efficiency of the court.
Now that the Song Dynasty has initially completed centralization, these acts of misattribution can be avoided, so this is the first point that must be clarified in the reform.
That is why we have to cut staffing and merge departments.
The second is the official rank. In the Tang Dynasty, there were 30 official ranks. In addition to the Nth rank, there were also the upper fourth rank and the lower fourth rank. In the Song Dynasty, there were 42 ranks in the transfer of officials in the capital alone.
Theoretically, it would take at least 126 years to go from the 42nd rank of Proofreader to the 1st rank of Grand Tutor. It seemed as if everyone had hope, and if the emperor passed away, everyone could move forward collectively.
Getting promoted is like queuing. Originally, it was enough to queue in a straight line, but later, as the number of officials increased, in order to increase their sense of accomplishment, the queue had to be made into a zigzag shape, so that you can fully experience the joy of promotion and become addicted to the game.
After the reform, there was no difference in rank between local officials and Beijing officials, and the eighteenth rank was enough.
Why reduce the number of ranks? To shorten the hierarchy.
When you do a job, half of the credit is taken by the small leaders and never reaches the big leaders.
When you ask your superiors for a resource, half of it is taken away by your junior leader, and you only get a small amount.
I just want to ask you if you are angry or not, and if you have the motivation to work. Many people leave the company, not because they are angry with the senior leaders, but because they are made difficult by the junior leaders.
The disadvantage of vertical management is that there are too many levels and decision-making efficiency is low. In order to improve efficiency, large companies often adopt flat management.
When discussing the political gains and losses of successive dynasties in China, Qian Mu repeatedly praised the beauty of the Han Dynasty's official system...the counties directly governed by the central government.
The prefect and the nine ministers were of the same rank, both of whom were paid two thousand stones. It was common for the prefect and the nine ministers to be transferred between them. It was not like in the Imperial Song Dynasty where everyone was vying to become an official in the capital.
However, Qian Mu was still wishful thinking. Weren’t the Thirteen Inspectors Offices established during the Han Dynasty?
The emperor said: "The Tang system is very beautiful, but I think it is not as good as the Han system!"
As soon as Zhang Yue heard it, he knew that the emperor was quite yearning for flat management.
Zhang Yue said, "Your Majesty, there were only 36 counties in the early Qin Dynasty, but in the Yuanshi period of Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty, there were 103 counties! And Langya County governs 51 counties. How can it be managed?"
Want flat management?
Don't you want to micromanage?
Are you Lao Zhu? He is the emperor, in charge of the six ministries, and even rushes to do the job of prime minister. Can you do it?
I am the one who does the daily work, but I carry hundreds of military prefectures of the Song Dynasty on my shoulders alone!
Before I stay here to make a comment, I need to confirm two things first.
One is to abolish departments, and the other is to reduce official ranks. These are the things that are easiest for the two to confirm. The rest will need to be confirmed in the next meeting.
The reform is easy at first and difficult later. First deal with the things that are not likely to cause controversy between the emperor, his ministers and the officials, and then slowly tackle the difficult things.
Get the beginning of everything done first, and the rest will come later.
As for the other contents and reform plans drafted by Zhang Yue, the emperor would have to read them in full before the two of them could discuss them again.
……
After finalizing the two matters, the king and his ministers began to chat.
It was already late in the morning, so the emperor and his ministers had breakfast.
The emperor ate and said, "I don't want to follow the Three Dynasties, but the Han and Tang systems have their merits? I also think we can follow them!"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty can emulate it, but you cannot use it! You can emulate the style of the Han and Tang dynasties, but you cannot copy the system."
"Why?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, let's take the Three Dynasties as an example. In later generations, there are often lunatics who attack the Three Dynasties and deny the Three Dynasties' abdication."
The official said, "From the three generations till now, has there ever been a case of external Zen?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, each generation has its own system."
"During the Three Dynasties, people did not farm, but ate wild fruits to fill their stomachs; women did not make clothes, but used the fur of animals to cover their clothes. This was because the population was small. (In ancient times, men did not farm, but the fruits of plants and trees were enough to eat; women did not weave, but used the fur of animals to cover their clothes.)"
"When Yao ruled the world, he lived in an uncut thatched hut, and his rafters were not cut. He ate coarse grains and drank wild vegetable porridge. He wore a torn coat in winter and coarse cloth in summer. Today, a gatekeeper would not live worse than him. (When Yao ruled the world, his thatched hut was uncut, his rafters were uncut; his food was coarse grains and rice, and his soup was made of wild vegetables. In winter, he wore a deerskin coat, and in summer, he wore a hemp coat. Even the gatekeeper's clothing and maintenance were not worse than this.)"
"When Yu ruled the world, he personally held a hoe and worked on the farm with the people. His thighs were so thin that there was no flesh on them, and his calves were hairless. Today's slaves are no more than this. (When Yu ruled the world, he personally held a hoe and worked on the farm with the people. His thighs were so thin that there was no flesh on them, and his calves were hairless. Even the labor of a slave was not as hard as this.)"
"So in ancient times, when the emperor abdicated, it was just a matter of giving up the life of a gatekeeper to another person. But today, even if it is a county magistrate, people would want to pass it down to their descendants. (In ancient times, the whole world was not enough. Today, a county magistrate dies one day, but his descendants will live on for generations.)"
The official laughed when he heard this and said, "This is what the Five Vermin said."
Why is Han Fei considered a sober person?
When most people questioned the Three Dynasties, Han Fei, as a Legalist, spoke a fair word for the Three Dynasties expounded by Confucianism.
After Wanyan Sheng, the Emperor Taizong of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty, ascended the throne, he once stole money from the treasury to buy wine, which was discovered by the ministers headed by Nianhan. In the end, Wanyan Sheng, as the Son of Heaven, was beaten with 20 sticks by the ministers!
This is the custom of the Jurchens after they destroyed the Liao Dynasty, and they still retained the customs of the tribal alliance.
The fact that a king would be beaten for stealing wine gives us an idea of what happened during the Three Dynasties.
Therefore, Han Feizi's analysis is the most reliable one Zhang Yue has ever seen.
However, Han Fei's analysis cannot be generalized. For example, archaeological discoveries such as the Liangzhu ancient city and other relics of civilization contemporary with the Three Dynasties, as well as the discovery of luxurious tombs of aristocrats, show that there was already a serious polarization between the rich and the poor, as well as luxurious enjoyment by the upper class at that time.
Later, such civilizations were gradually lost in the long river of history.
But during the three generations of Yao, Shun and Yu during the tribal alliance civilization, they, as leaders, still lived a life without cutting thatched roofs or chopping rafters. Therefore, the civilization they founded has a long history and has been passed down to this day, and their descendants still miss them.
The emperor agreed with what he said, and took a look at his meal and said, "It's a pity that I like to eat mutton and can't give it up."
Zhang Yue would not persuade Song Huizong like Cai Jing did, saying "Only the king doesn't know how to do it".
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty is known for your frugality. This is a saintly virtue that can be a model for future generations."
The official laughed and said, "You are too serious. Is it like what you said about the salt banknotes and Jiaozi?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, in gambling, if you lose, you lose your money, and if you win, you lose your luck, so I never gamble."
"Is it among the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers?" the emperor asked casually.
Zhang Yue said, "I have heard something."
The emperor seemed to be thinking about something, and then said, "I will review your regulations tonight. Please pay more attention to the Liao envoy."
Zhang Yue agreed.
After Zhang Yue took his leave, the official watched Zhang Yue's back and thought to himself.
He knew clearly whether officials were honest or not. There were many "Capitol Hill stock gods" like Wang Gui in the court, and their ethics were far inferior to Zhang Yue's.