Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3899 How abundant and prosperous!
Fei Qian also had his own considerations regarding Zhuge Liang.

Just like Fei Qian had previously considered Sima Yi.

Nowadays, Fei Qian has long since passed the stage of collecting stamps and asking for autographs everywhere.

In ancient feudal dynasties, why were some good policies unable to be effectively sustained? Either the upper and lower levels were disconnected and the policies were paid lip service, or the policies collapsed when the person left and were completely overturned when the next person came to power.
The reasons for this are mostly related to interests.

However, there are also cases where people followed the old rules.

Fei Qian believed that Cao Shen's ability to follow Xiao He's policies was not due to a lack of independent thought, but rather because he deeply understood that early Han society, after the chaos of the late Qin dynasty, most needed recuperation and policy stability. Xiao He's policies—light taxes and a policy of inaction—had proven effective, and arbitrarily changing them would disrupt society and increase costs.

Thus, with these two prime ministers carrying on the legacy of the past and paving the way for the future, the foundation for the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing was laid, the continuity of the Huang-Lao policy of non-interference in governance in the early Han Dynasty was established, and they became a model for restoring the people's strength in the early period of the dynasty.

Beyond the prime minister level, there's also the role of bridging the past and the future across dynastic timelines...

Furthermore, Fei Qian believed that the highest form of good governance is institutionalization, ensuring it is not easily altered by changes in monarchs. Policies implemented at the level of the prime minister, or by a single individual, are often short-lived; even those that followed the established practices of Xiao He and Cao Shen were subsequently overthrown by Emperor Wu of Han.

However, some things remain effective indefinitely, regardless of which emperor or prime minister...

For example, the imperial examination system.

Another example is the Three Provinces and Six Ministries.

The imperial examination system was established in the Sui and Tang dynasties and matured in the Song dynasty. Although it became rigid in its later stages, its core values ​​of fair selection of officials and broadening the foundation of political power made it a basic talent policy that lasted for more than a thousand years, profoundly shaping the basic social structure of ancient feudal dynasties.

The Three Departments and Six Ministries system, which began to take shape in the early Han Dynasty and was perfected in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, served as the core of the central government system. Although it underwent adjustments, its basic framework remained intact for over a thousand years, until the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Through the separation of powers and checks and balances, and procedural decision-making, it ensured the basic stability of government operations.

Only through such institutional and public acceptance can a truly lasting impact on ideas be achieved.

Just like the systems left by Zhuge Liang in governing the southern regions, which profoundly influenced the ethnic minorities in the south, some tribes in these areas still cherish the memory of Zhuge Liang even in later modern times, and even during the Bald Qiang era, they were still talking about returning to the old Chinese tradition...

This shows that truly benevolent governance, which resonates deeply with the people, can have a spiritual influence that transcends the regime itself.

So how can we win people's hearts?
This is something that Fei Qian, as the current supreme ruler of the Western Capital of the Great Han Dynasty, must consider.

Only when a stable interest structure or consensus is formed, so that policies benefit a wide range of people, just as the recuperation and restoration policies benefited farmers and landlords, and the imperial examination system benefited a large number of scholars, will subsequent rulers face enormous resistance if they want to overthrow the policies, as this would infringe on vested interests.

Here, a new fork appears.

The policy of recuperation and development that benefited farmers and landlords ultimately could not withstand the desires of the rulers. The Huang-Lao school was suppressed by Emperor Wu of Han, but the imperial examination system was able to continue for more than a thousand years, spanning several dynasties. What were the reasons for this?
Did the Huang-Lao policy of recuperation and development become ineffective? Clearly not. The recuperation and development policy implemented in the early Han Dynasty brought about national strength, abundant finances, and social stability. These achievements should have been the strongest reason to maintain their sustainability. So why were they so easily overturned? Weren't the vast majority of the people the ones who benefited?
This brings us to the issue of "discourse power".

Ordinary people should have been the biggest beneficiaries of the country's interests, but in ancient feudal dynasties, the opposite was true.

As an emperor, one should naturally speak for the people. However, just like Emperor Sima, even when people risked great dissent to point out that the people were starving and had no food, the emperor remained oblivious.

The key issue is that ordinary people often can't express their hunger clearly!

It's not that ordinary people can't speak, but rather that they don't know how to express themselves.

Is it just a meal without money, a day or two of hunger, or a period of time without money?

Were people starving and malnourished, or were they unable to receive supplies and aid?
Or is there some issue on which support or assistance is needed?
In these specific details, the common people of ancient feudal dynasties had absolutely no idea how to appeal, describe, or explain...

Because the vast majority of people in ancient feudal dynasties were illiterate.

They grew up in a happy educational environment; no one told them to study, they were just happy in the fields.

Therefore, if Fei Qian were to focus the main benefits of his policies on the general public, it would indeed be in line with the values ​​of later generations, but it would also be out of step with the times...

You have to eat one bite at a time, and do things one step at a time.

The people who can best support Fei Qian's institutional and policy reforms right now are indeed ordinary citizens, but they have no voice. Therefore, Fei Qian must first cultivate a group of vested interests who have a voice.

Similar to Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang.

Pang Tong was a cousin of Pang Degong of the Pang clan, while Zhuge Liang was a wandering member of the Zhuge clan of Langya...

These people share a common name: those from humble backgrounds.

Fei Qian needed the strongest support from these people from humble backgrounds to thoroughly institutionalize and proceduralize the policies he wanted to change. Only when these policies were integrated into the operating system of the state apparatus, such as the imperial examination system or the Three Departments and Six Ministries, would it mean that even if someone wanted to change or overthrow them, it would mean reconstructing the entire system, which would be prohibitively expensive, forcing them to eventually give up and accept it reluctantly.

On the other hand, the public opinion system of Qinglong Temple, controlled by Fei Qian, would also elevate these policies to a ruling philosophy or ideology, making them an official ideology, and thus giving the relevant policies a theoretically correct status.

At the same time, the political wisdom and vision of the successor are also crucial. For example, Cao Can and Emperor Wen of Han were able to prioritize the long-term interests of the country, restrain their personal impulses to be unconventional, and respect the successful experiences of their predecessors.

Fei Qian could not possibly concentrate all government affairs in his own hands for an extended period of time.

When Fei Qian was in Pingyang, Bingzhou, he was exhausted from reviewing all the official documents. If he were to expand to the Central Plains, all the official documents from all the counties would be collected by Fei Qian. Even twelve hours a day wouldn't be enough to keep up with the workload. Therefore, he would naturally need a political successor.

For example, Pang Tong, and Zhuge Liang.

Yes, that's right. In the last assessment, Sima Yi was already out of the running.

That's why Fei Qian specifically spent time talking with Zhuge Liang at night.

Fei Qian had previously told Zhuge Liang that the emperor and imperial power should be separated. This was because he considered the significant limitations of the sustainability of good governance in ancient times, which heavily relied on the quality of the monarch. If a wise ruler was followed by a foolish or tyrannical one, even the best system could be destroyed. With the final interpretation and decision-making power resting in the hands of the emperor, the system could not constrain the holder of supreme power, leading to a lack of fundamental checks and balances.

At that time in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Liu Xie's title of emperor and his actual imperial power had already become separate...

Therefore, Zhuge Liang was not surprised at all and accepted this view.

The system of extending the prime minister's power downwards, dividing it into the Three Departments and Six Ministries, was also bait deliberately thrown out by Fei Qian. If Zhuge Liang was immediately attracted by these Three Departments and Six Ministries, and then began to think about which position he himself could hold and which piece of the pie he could cut...

Fei Qian would then lower his expectations of Zhuge Liang, just as he had for Sima Yi.

In order to ensure the continuation of imperial power, the Han Dynasty had to use the maternal relatives of the emperor as generals to protect the young emperor. It also cultivated a eunuch faction to compete with the powerful generals for power. This series of farces ultimately led to the lack of legal division of decision-making, deliberation and execution powers, which meant that whoever controlled the inner court around the emperor controlled the entire state apparatus.

Power struggles often revolve around who can become the sole representative of imperial power. The process is bloody and highly destructive. Once a faction comes to power, confiscating property and dismissing officials are minor matters; the real consequences are usually the extermination of the entire clan, and sometimes even the extermination of nine generations of relatives!
The Han Dynasty didn't get off to a good start in the struggle for power at the top within a unified nation. It wasn't until the Three Departments and Six Ministries system that the highest decision-making and executive powers of the state were structurally, procedurally, and collectively reshaped, significantly reducing the intensity of the struggle.

For an imperial edict to take effect, it must involve the cooperation and checks and balances of at least two independent departments.

This institutionally prevents any single powerful minister from monopolizing the entire decision-making process.

Even if a relative of the emperor holds a high-ranking official position, they cannot bypass the review process of another province.

Fei Qianruo further promoted the separation of imperial title and imperial power, which made it impossible for the emperor to support a powerful minister when he did not have real power, and it was impossible for someone to unconditionally relinquish power to the emperor once he gained real power...

Interestingly, a foolish ruler often leads to the proliferation of treacherous officials, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

Although Fei Qian's idea is still not a perfect system, it is a big step forward in de-privatizing and streamlining the source of power!
The Three Departments and Six Ministries system did not eradicate political struggle, but rather changed the form and threshold of struggle!
This could change the original political model of the Han Dynasty, which revolved around a single, so-called private agent of imperial power, and transform the power struggles that were prone to violent upheavals into relatively mild factional competition within an open, multi-centered, and procedural civil service system.

The structure of the Three Departments and Six Ministries would greatly increase the institutional costs for relatives of the empress or eunuchs to legally and fully control the government.

Even though powerful relatives and eunuchs might gain immense influence in a short period, it was difficult for them to simultaneously hold positions as head of government, military commander, and emperor's representative as they did in the Han Dynasty.

But Zhuge Liang was Zhuge Liang after all, and he raised another question, which went straight to the heart of the contradiction.

Fei Qian replaced the unstable structure of the Han Dynasty, which consisted of powerful relatives of the emperor, eunuchs, and ministers, with the "Three Departments and Six Ministries" system. This did solve the problem of constant political turmoil at the top, but he did not mention another fundamental contradiction of the Han Dynasty, namely land annexation.

As for the fact that government orders are not delivered to rural areas, this is an additional effect of land consolidation.

"Excellent! Kongming has indeed grasped the crux of the matter!" Fei Qian clapped his hands and laughed.

The candlelight inside the central command tent seemed to cheer with joy, popping and crackling, causing the two figures to sway.

When Fei Qian asked Zhuge Liang why he was concerned about land annexation and the resulting problem of government orders not being effectively implemented, Zhuge Liang spoke of the various obstacles to the implementation of the new land policy in Sichuan, his brow furrowed, clearly indicating that this problem had troubled him for more than a day.

To protect their interests, powerful local families often use the pretext of imperial orders to cause trouble. After all, ordinary people have no idea what imperial orders are or how to distinguish between genuine and fake ones. So, they often hear about imperial orders but can't produce them...

Zhuge Liang described the stark difference between the Chengdu Plain and remote mountain villages, and also recounted his observations of the undercurrents beneath the outward compliance of the powerful aristocratic families, as well as the natural barriers that towering mountains posed to government orders and the economy.

His tone carried a hint of helplessness and deep reflection, typical of a pragmatist encountering an impenetrable wall of reality.

"...Our lord's new policies are far-sighted, and in Guanzhong, Hedong, and even Longyou, they have been able to be implemented largely thanks to our lord's formidable power and the control of the local military. However, the situation is quite different in Shu..."

Zhuge Liang pointed in the air, saying, "Near Chengdu, the administration of Xintian, with its land surveys, registration of households, and land allocation, though facing resistance, can be implemented gradually. However, once beyond the plains into the mountains, the various tribes of the Cong, Qiang, and Di establish their strongholds on steep peaks, forming their own independent jurisdictions. Their people either cultivate the steep slopes or engage in fishing and hunting; their landholdings are scattered and difficult to count. Furthermore, they speak different languages ​​and have vastly different customs, making it a daunting prospect for Han officials. Documents of the new administration are practically useless here. The mountain people only know their chieftains, not the prefects or the imperial court."

Zhuge Liang paused, then continued, "As for the gentry of Shu, they are temporarily restrained from annexing land due to the might of our lord's army. However, their family traditions and vast tracts of land remain fundamentally intact. What they fear is not the land policy itself, but our lord's military might… Once… once the central authority relaxes even slightly, or if there is trouble on the border, they will surely revert to their old ways! They may cleverly conceal their land holdings, or seize land from the poor at exorbitant interest rates, or even collude with powerful mountain leaders to obstruct government orders! Our lord, you are well aware of the arduousness of the Shu roads; news travels back and forth for months at a time, leaving the central government with little power… Moreover, this is not only a problem for Shu; I fear that once the empire is pacified, similar situations will be difficult to avoid in the surrounding remote areas… Although I have divided the land among the powerful clans in the south and established counties and townships to sow discord, I have failed to eradicate the root of the problem… After much thought, I have found no good solution to break this deadlock…"

After speaking, Zhuge Liang sighed deeply, his gaze falling on the flickering candlelight, as if he saw in that light and shadow the endless challenges of governing the vast territory in the future.

Originally, the powerful families and clans in the south were all connected. Zhuge Liang, together with Xu Shu, reported to the emperor that the south should be divided into three parts, which would entice the powerful families in the region to compete for county and township positions. This would break the original interconnectedness of the south, which was as close as an iron net. However, this was only a temporary solution and did not address the root cause of the problem. Therefore, Zhuge Liang was also very troubled by this matter and felt that it was extremely difficult to solve.

Fei Qian nodded and smiled, not directly answering Zhuge Liang's question, but instead asking, "Kongming... tell me, after the First Emperor conquered the six kingdoms and unified the world, what were his great achievements like?"

"Naturally, he is unique throughout history..." Zhuge Liang replied, then his gaze sharpened, "My lord's intention... is it 'standardizing writing and unifying the gauge of carts'?"

Fei Qian laughed heartily, "The one who truly understands me is Kongming!"

Fei Qian extended his hand, gesturing, "Xintian administration should simultaneously pursue equal land distribution and external expansion."

"The principle of equal land distribution needs little explanation: it involves inspecting land acreage, curbing land annexation, and providing hereditary occupations to those without or with little land, ensuring they have stable livelihoods and thus fostering a stable mindset. With a stable mindset, they can then learn to read and write, and only then can they achieve a unified written language and standardized practices..."

The ever-increasing tuition fees and student loans in the United States in later generations, on the surface, appear to be capitalizing on schools and financial institutions to extract profits, but what is their true purpose?
So why did Qin Shi Huang only implement the standardization of writing and the standardization of weights and measures at the county level?
"...However, land will eventually run out, and as the population grows, there will eventually be no land left to distribute. Therefore, we must expand outwards, following the precedents of border openings, but this should not be limited to garrisoning; we should also relocate people to populate the border regions, to cultivate and expand the land, and even seek new land by sea... This will not only alleviate the problem of overpopulation in the hinterland but also increase resources." Fei Qian said slowly, "In the past, relocating people to the border was mostly met with resentment. This is because the benefits mostly accrued to the higher-ups rather than the lower classes. The hardships of the wilderness were often due to difficulties in clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, and the difficulty of making a living... while the government often neglected its duties, leaving the people to fend for themselves. Therefore... I used the Western Regions as a trial, and trade as a means of development..."

Zhuge Liang suddenly understood, "My lord, this method is brilliant! Using the Lesser Yang as a guide, it directs the Greater Yang along the back, and the Yangming along the abdomen, naturally stimulating the Lesser Yin, Greater Yin, and Jueyin in the back!"

It's obvious which is easier: resettling a hundred people or ten thousand.

The reason why officials were not interested in relocating people to the border regions was twofold. First, the matter was too complicated and tedious, which was an immense challenge for most administrators in ancient feudal society, and even if they were willing, they were powerless to do so. Second, there was not enough incentive to relocate people, as those who came were all poor and destitute, with nothing but their lives to their name.

Businessmen are different.

As long as merchants are given sufficient benefits and their orderly movement is guaranteed, the expansion and development of trade routes will give rise to places of residence, supply stations, and accompanying populations.

When the profits of traveling merchants far outweigh the risks of the journey, then it's time for thousands of people to flock to the sea...

Ahem, heading west to the Western Regions...

Do traveling merchants need some fellow villagers to ensure their safety?

If we discover any mineral deposits, should we recruit some helpers?
If a business grows too big, is it necessary to open branches, set up permanent cattle and horse stables, or transfer points?

Later on, these things only needed the government to provide guidance, and they naturally started to unfold.

Moreover, and crucially, during the Han Dynasty, Chinese civilization was undoubtedly at its peak!

Think back to when the US later touted the Tower of Light; how many people believed that even molten lead could taste sweet...

Zhuge Liang's eyes brightened. "And there are the agricultural and industrial scholars established by our lord? And the Five Directions Teachings?"

Fei Qian smiled and nodded, "At that time, it won't be us driving them away, but rather various parties inviting them... so why worry about food, clothing, shelter, or transportation?"

Sparrows are eating it.

When protecting a Han Chinese man, whether due to overwork or not, can become a local official in another region, and a source of pride and glory for the local gentry, is there any need to worry about the Han people's basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation?

Would the Han Dynasty then still need to go to the trouble of recruiting people for some kind of "relocation of people to populate the border regions"?

Just like the Japanese in the East, they would actively come forward to "request seed"...

After the "relocation of people to populate the borders", the strength of Han culture will inevitably crush the barbarian civilizations that are still in their infancy. It is like a two-dimensional foil thrown out by a high-dimensional civilization. Apart from Taobao, which can be purchased at home with guaranteed satisfaction, worry-free payment, and more secure transactions, I dare ask, what barbarian in this world can stop it?