Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3617: Decentralization and Determination of the Universe

In the ancient Chinese dynasties, if Confucianism was weakened and Legalism and Mohism were introduced, so that Confucianism mastered the doctrine of "rule by virtue", Legalism formulated the doctrine of "ritual system" and the doctrine of law, and Mohism focused on "people-centeredness" and agriculture and industry, after separating the three cores, would it be possible to establish a brand new political class ruling model with separation of powers that belonged to China?

Fei Qian didn’t know whether he could achieve this goal, but he thought he could give it a try.

The separation of powers is not a concept unique to the West.

It has existed in ancient China, but it is very different from the separation of powers in modern times.

The Zhou Dynasty had a "Three Supervisors" system, which even attempted to use the sacrificial power to restrain the administrative power, and to use historians to supervise to form a dual-track constraint of contemporary achievements plus historical evaluation. However, in the end, it was absorbed by the system of rituals and music promoted by Zhou Gong.

The Han Dynasty also formed a triangular game, between the emperor and the inner and outer courts, and then added the imperial censor system, but it is also obvious that this triangle led to bilateral instability when the emperor's power was dominant.

In the Tang Dynasty and after, the middle management of the ruling class had actually realized the harm caused by excessive imperial power. Even the emperor himself was well aware of this, so wise emperors would consciously suppress their personal emotions and tend to solve problems arising in state affairs rationally and from multiple angles.

For example, the Tang Dynasty had the Five Flower Judges, the Song Dynasty had the Zhongshu Menxia Privy Council, the Ming Dynasty had the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the Nine Ministers, etc.

However, China's separation of powers, or dimensions similar to the separation of powers, has both differences and similarities with the West.

First of all, the source of China's power was transformed from the so-called mysterious destiny in ancient times to the ancestral bloodline of the Zhou Dynasty, and then to the inheritance of the Son of Heaven that could be obtained by changing the bloodline. It can be seen that there is a very clear transmission lineage. For the West, it is more like the collective election of primitive tribes, choosing a boss to be the leader horizontally.

Secondly, because of their different origins, the purpose of the political system is also different. The first and foremost task of the vertical Chinese power is to maintain the stability of the dynasty, passing it down from son to grandson for generations. Although everyone knows that this is impossible, everyone wants to pass it down for a few more generations. The West is mainly about protecting interests. Choosing someone as the boss is because of the exchange of certain interests. When new interests emerge, the boss can be replaced at any time.

Finally, beneath the cover of various superficial characteristics, names of power agencies, different functions and so on between China and the West, in fact their core essence is the struggle for interests or power.

Whether it is the vertical authority of China or the horizontal contract of the West, they can all be summarized in one point: dictatorship or monopoly will inevitably lead to problems. The pursuit of monopoly, or so-called unification, is the inevitable pursuit of every company, organization, country, etc.

Fei Qian believed that by pulling the emperor down and taking his place, he would undoubtedly be placing himself in the old reincarnation system. The dragon slayer would be transformed into a dragon, and then wait for the arrival of the next dragon slayer.

Maybe three to five hundred years, maybe even shorter.

So Fei Qian imagined, if the ancient Chinese dynasty weakened Confucianism and introduced Legalism and Mohism at the same time, with Confucianism responsible for moral governance and education respectively, Legalism formulating rituals and laws, and Mohism focusing on people and agriculture and industry, and then deducing such a system, what kind of evolution would occur, and would it have any new significance for the development of ancient China?
Fei Qian once thought about restricting the emperor's power, but then he discovered during the construction and discussion of Qinglong Temple that there was actually an invisible emperor in China, and that was Confucianism.

So Fei Qian began to think about how the development of China would be different if Confucianism had not become the dominant ideology in history, but had been combined with other schools of thought.

With such a premise, Fei Qian needed not only a simple answer, but also hoped for a systematic deduction, including the specific stages of institutional evolution, the division of labor and cooperation among various schools, possible conflicts and integrations, and the impact on China's subsequent economic, technological, and social structures.

So, Fei Qian reviewed the core ideas of Confucianism, Legalism, and Mohism in history, as well as their influence in actual history.

The Mohist school was almost wiped out by the Legalists, Confucianists, and the ruling class.

After all, the original Mohist thought was too advanced...

Even in later generations, ordinary people could not talk about freedom and equality. When ordinary people were needed to risk their lives, the uncles, aunts and uncles would call them in a friendly manner, and then turn around with a syringe and prepare to give an injection, indicating that this was a "stimulus" policy, just like drawing blood from cattle and horses and injecting stimulants.

In ancient China, when people’s intelligence was not high, Mohism had to be changed.

People-centeredness and agriculture and industry are obviously more suitable for the positioning of Mohism, and they are not too advanced to cause trouble.

As for Legalism, it was very successful in the Qin Dynasty. It was just a planned economy similar to the military control in later generations. During the period of war suspension, it could not keep up with the people's living needs. Forced suppression would inevitably lead to a bang, like a pressure cooker exploding.

After the Mohist school was completely defeated and the Legalist school was swept off the boat, the one who had the last laugh was of course the Confucian school.

Confucianism picked up the packages left by Mohism and Legalism on the boat, threw away the packages, and hid the things of Legalism and Mohism in their sleeves. Therefore, the prerequisites for splitting Confucianism are also in place, after all, some things in Confucianism were originally from other schools.

Therefore, the question that Fei Qian needs to consider becomes what is the position of the three schools in the power structure?
How to avoid conflicts?
For example, the Legalists emphasize law and centralization, the Mohists emphasize equality and practicality, and the Confucians focus on moral education. When these three may have conflicts in their ruling methods, how should they be reconciled?
How to reconcile the Legalist approach to harsh laws and punishments with the Confucian approach to benevolent government and moral governance?
Mohism’s people-centered and agricultural-industrialist ideas may promote the development of science and technology and handicrafts, but ancient China emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce. Will this change the country’s agricultural fundamentals?
And so on.

Fei Qian also needs to consider whether there will be any new changes in the different stages of the evolution of this system.

For example, in the early stage, everyone may be happy, there are not many conflicts between powers, and the division of labor is relatively clear. Then in the middle and late stages, there will be no-man's land, or everyone will want to grab the oil and water, and the struggle for power will lead to the collapse of the system.

When the three of them are fighting against external forces, they are invincible. However, when the three of them are fighting against internal forces, it is like sabotaging the performance in the martial arts hall. Only those in the same industry know where to make the most effective move.

Land annexation was one of the main reasons for the decline of the dynasty, so Fei Qian needed to redesign the land system.

We must limit land concentration and promote fair distribution.

Simply reclaiming the land and distributing it to ordinary people cannot completely solve the problem.

Because the population will increase, and the growth rate of land, no matter which dynasty, is far less than the growth rate of population, so the so-called distribution to farmers or freemen can only be carried out in the early days of the founding of the country when the population is sparse. After a few decades, the land distribution system will definitely collapse. So there are two solutions, one is to completely nationalize the land, and the other is to redistribute it regularly, but these two ways have the same problem, that is, how to avoid bureaucratic corruption is the key.

Then, in order to slow down and supervise bureaucratic corruption, internal competition among the three branches of power can become a means of eliminating the problems from each other.

At the same time, the division of power among the three parties ensures checks and balances and prevents any one party from dominating. However, this requires a superior institution beyond the division of power among the three parties, a supreme leader, such as the emperor or the prime minister, to balance or make decisions.

Fei Qian felt that the prime minister might be better than the emperor.

In order to allow all three schools to have the opportunity to serve as prime minister, it is necessary to balance the election and selection institutions as much as possible. For example, the imperial examination system should be reformed so that the number of people from different schools entering the officialdom is roughly the same.

This in turn required a much larger number of bureaucrats than before the separation, so the economy had to ensure that the cost of the imperial bureaucracy was sufficient, which meant developing industry and commerce, reducing the burden on agriculture, and promoting economic diversification. The Mohist technology promotion and the Legalist legal norms could promote the development of handicrafts, ensure the order of commerce, and in turn reduce dependence on land.

In terms of fiscal system, we should avoid the traditional agricultural tax system, and may need to monetize taxation to establish a stable fiscal system and prevent fiscal collapse. The quantitative analysis of Mohism may help with budget management, and the moral supervision and legal supervision of Confucianism and Legalism can be used to prevent corruption.

In terms of military, in order to maintain defensive strength and prevent warlord separatism, the Mohist city defense technology and the Legalist military merit system were combined. At the same time, Confucian education reduced internal rebellion and external cultural invasion.

In terms of culture, Confucian education was maintained, but the ideas of Legalism and Mohism were integrated to promote the combination of pragmatism and morality and prevent ideological rigidity.

In order to build a sustainable political system in the ancient Chinese dynasties, it is necessary to break through the traditional dynasty's "land = power" binding mechanism and establish a dynamic equilibrium system...

There are so many things to think about, but what ends up on paper may just be simple rules.

"Important orders."

After Fei Qian and Pang Tong discussed it, they basically sorted out some ideas and then began to make arrangements.

"The Candidates for the Study of Laws revised the Nine Chapters of Laws and compiled the Han Code. They did not seek perfection in the law, but only to have precedents to follow. They added, supplemented and deleted the law within a ten-year period. They also set up the Ming Law Office under the Candidates for the Study of Laws. It was similar to the Military Academy, and was responsible for explaining the law and adjudicating cases to redress grievances and restore justice."

"Important orders."

"The Great Examination of Works formulated the "Examination of Works Code" to establish measurement standards, supervise casting, forging, water conservancy and other matters. He also established the "Equalization of Transport Stations" to equalize the flow of materials and transportation in various places."

"Issue an order." "The Moriyama Academy shall establish the Doctor of Gewu and the Doctor of Luling, which are of the same rank as the Doctor of Mingjing."

"Important orders."

"There are three officials under the Shangshutai of Xijing. The official in charge of prisoners is in charge of education, the official in charge of bandits is in charge of criminal law, and the official in charge of industry and agriculture. They rotate every three years. Only those who have excellent performance and rotate in all three positions can be promoted to the position of Shangshu."

"Important orders."

"The agricultural scholars checked the household registration of cultivated land in various places and compiled the "Land Household Book" to determine the upper and lower households, relocate those with more people, and replace those with fewer people, so as to make the land area evenly distributed throughout the country."

"Important orders."

"The Qinglong Temple has three divisions of imperial examinations: the Mingjing Division, the Minglu Division, and the Mingshu Division, and each division recruits candidates."

Fei Qian recited the orders one by one, and then Pang Tong had them written down one by one.

Some of these commands were familiar to Pang Tong, while some were completely unfamiliar to him. But no matter whether they were familiar or unfamiliar, they made Pang Tong feel a new vitality and new life.

It’s like seeing the birth of a new life. Even though I know this little guy has small arms, legs, nose, and eyes, and is covered in blood and spots, I can still feel the continuation of its bloodline and the inheritance of civilization.

"In addition to this," Fei Qian said slowly, "the pigeon message was sent to Shandong and widely disseminated... In particular, we must say that in addition to the new policy, we will also establish the Han Elders Council..."

"The three local elders?" Pang Tong asked.

Fei Qian shook his head, "Similar, but not the same. The Council of Elders... is similar to the place where great scholars debated scriptures in the Qinglong Temple..."

The separation of the three factions will inevitably lead to disputes and even unnecessary attacks, including but not limited to articles of association, cases, personal matters, morality, etc., and most of these attacks are overblown and time-consuming. It is possible that the two sides can get by for several days in the court by spitting saliva at each other, especially when encountering foreign invasions or sudden disasters. The bickering in the "cabinet" after the decentralization is not unique to Da Meng.

Therefore, Fei Qian wanted to separate the arguments from the work, similar to the Qinglong Temple. In the Qinglong Temple, anyone who wants to argue can do so, and they can even rent a high platform and hall, invite people to come and watch and listen, and debate. A dozen topics can be discussed at the same time without delaying anything, but in the Chang'an Xijingtai, it is all about handling affairs, refining plans, and promoting specific implementation.

Those who need to quote scriptures should quote scriptures, and those who need to handle affairs should handle affairs.

No system can make people shut up. The fact that there are still undercurrents under the white terror rule in later generations proves that tough administration, punishment, or even massacres cannot completely stop people from speaking. So why bother to stop them? Why not try to guide them instead?
The House of Elders is used specifically for discussing government affairs.

Although it is called the House of Elders, in reality not only the elders can enter the house, but also the local nobles and gentry.

In debates and political discussions, although sometimes people speak in unison, they may also get angry due to different opinions. This can, to a certain extent, allow the local gentry to have the power to participate in politics, while also preventing them from forming cliques and causing trouble for the local area.

"The Council of Elders can propose a policy every year. It is made by the Council of Elders. If two-thirds of the Council of Elders agree, it will be submitted to the higher authorities. Each proposal must go through three rounds of questioning: Confucianism (moral argumentation), Legalism (legal argumentation), and Mohism (effectiveness argumentation). If it is feasible, it can be submitted to the Prime Minister or the Shangshu Ling for review. After the three cost, benefit, and risk estimates are added, it can be rejected or implemented."

Fei Qian smiled and said, "The most important point is that the Han Elders' Council is located in Kyoto."

Pang Tong was unable to react at once.

Fei Qian still smiled, "It's not easy to live in Beijing!"

Pang Tong suddenly understood and immediately clapped his hands and laughed, "My lord, this strategy is brilliant!"

Local gentry and clans have an innate desire for power. This is the same in ancient and modern times, in China and abroad. If their channels for promotion are cut off, they will think of other ways to implement it.

In the early days of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang was unrivaled in cutting grass and opening the door to invite the whole family of local gentry to Chang'an for a visit. This was really a bit crude and crude. Fei Qian's current mode is to "come uninvited". Once he arrives in Kyoto...

Ordinary food, drink and housing are of course nothing, but once you want something more luxurious and of higher quality, then the consumption will skyrocket!

Just like in the big cities of later generations, some people can eat a full meal for ten yuan, while others can spend ten thousand yuan for a meal.

Moreover, Fei Qian believed that once the model of the Council of Elders' proposals was formed, it would inevitably give rise to a group of "proposal brokers" who would lobby the people within the Council of Elders to exchange interests, thus starting a new round of pig-raising model. This was another benefit...

Once Fei Qian's triangular check and balance model of "Grand Prime Minister + Secretariat + Three Classics and Six Ministries + Council of Elders" was formed, the most revolutionary impact of this system was that it incubated the spirit of "political contract" in advance, which was precisely what was most lacking in the ancient Chinese feudal system.

Politics requires a "contract", not "releasing military power over a cup of wine" or "killing three warriors with two peaches".

If you do a good job, you can't just let it go and be abandoned. If you do a bad job, you can't just retire due to illness and be done with it.

Ever since Confucianism proposed the concept of "Son of Destiny", China has formed a "one-way contract" model, in which the emperor has the highest right of interpretation, the highest right of decision, and the final right of execution. He is both an athlete, a referee, and a spectator.

Confucianism is a parasitic vine on the trunk of the emperor. While clearing the surrounding areas for the emperor, it also strangles generation after generation of emperors alive, sucks their blood to grow stronger, and then parasitizes on the next dynasty.

Therefore, both the emperor and Confucianism must fall, and only when the whale falls can all things come to life.

And the most important of all things is the "political contract".

There was no shortage of "contracts" in the Han Dynasty.

The highly developed folk contract documents such as the "Xianling Voucher" in the Han Dynasty formed a sharp contrast with the non-contractual nature of the political field.

Fei Qian deliberately left Lu Bu behind, in fact, to pave the way for the importance of the "political contract".

Only if the "meritorious officials" survive, will the talents in China be able to display their talents to their full potential. Otherwise, they will be like Han Xin, who was blamed for "boasting about his own merits", and Liu Bang's political betrayal will be defined as a moral defect rather than an institutional problem, which will lead to every "powerful official" who comes to power having to consider how he and his family will survive in the end...

The self-pollution of the turtle is also a reminder of this disease.

Among the Han Dynasty, Wang Mang, Huo Guang and others aggravated this problem, which led to the "political contract" being signed and confirmed again and again on the surface, but in fact both parties were wondering if they would be betrayed in the next moment and their lives would be in danger.

This is true even for Liu Xie and Cao Cao today.

Then, once Fei Qian took control of Shandong, the original conflict between Liu Xie and Cao Cao would be transferred to Fei Qian.

According to the original old path, all that was left for Fei Qian was to depose the emperor again, raise a pig, live for a few decades, and then, like Huo Guang, his clan would be exterminated when he died, or he would try to solve the orthodox issue of political succession through abdication, like Wang Mang and Cao Pi.

Both of these are obviously not good solutions.

Therefore, Fei Qian came up with a new model and a new path.

When "proposal, execution, feedback" becomes a closed loop, the legitimacy of traditional Chinese rule will gradually shift from "mandate of heaven" to "fulfillment of contract". After all, the so-called emperor and the court are the universal institutions for maintaining order formed by the transfer of some rights of all the people of this country. They are the institutions for organizing production, guaranteeing life, and resisting foreign enemies. This is itself a "political contract" and is two-way, not a place for someone or some people to show their incompetence and satisfy their selfish desires.

Once a political contract of China is formed, it may lead the Chinese nation to a higher and more brilliant peak.

Of course, due to the constraints of agricultural civilization's basic productivity and production technology, Fei Qian's new system is likely to eventually evolve into a scholar-official democracy rather than a modern parliamentary system, but that's a story for another time...