The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 712: Establishing the Military Affairs Council and Eliminating the Prime Minister
[In order to ensure that secret memorials were kept secret, Yongzheng perfected the measures and adopted four methods. ]

[First, the imperial edicts must be taken back and kept in the palace.]

[It ensures that the secret words spoken by the emperor can only be communicated privately between the emperor and his subjects, and cannot be disclosed publicly, let alone used as evidence for future threats or other ulterior motives, thus ensuring the privacy of the secret memorial.]

【Second, there is a special box for transportation. 】

【Third, the memorial was sent directly to the inner court.】

[Memorials from provincial officials were sent directly to the Qianqing Gate without going through the Tongzhengsi, and were handed over to the eunuchs in the memorial office to be delivered to the emperor personally.]

[If the memorials from officials of a lower rank cannot be delivered directly, they must be handed over to the designated ministers of the king for forwarding.]

【Fourth, check it out for yourself.】

[Yongzheng personally checked every memorial, and no minister in charge of forwarding it was allowed to open it privately.]

[When reviewing memorials, no one was allowed to approach. Even though sometimes there were 20 to 30 or even 50 to 60 memorials a day, no one was allowed to share this most secret information.]

[Fifth, the writing must be done by the person himself, unless he is seriously ill or is really old and his hands are trembling, in which case he can have someone else write for him with the emperor's consent.]

……

Ming dynasty.

"This is good, this is good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes began to light up!
To be honest, although he is a Hu person, his temperament and style of doing things are somehow to his liking.

And all kinds of systems just hit his strengths.

“You can use it right away.”

Old Zhu muttered to himself.

"This not only dispels the concerns of the whistleblower, but also ensures the supreme power enjoyed by the emperor alone."

"It is the most private channel for advice between the monarch and his subjects, and it can also enhance the trust between the monarch and his subjects."

"…From small things like colds and fevers to big things like the character of people, their methods of handling things, and their secret behaviors, he can know everything! That is…"

Old Zhu looked at his gentle and refined eldest son.

I'm just tired!

It's unlikely that Biaoer's body can withstand it!
With a turn of his eyes, Lao Zhu set his sights on Taoism.

He doesn't believe in alchemy.

But these people do have some skills to maintain their health.

How to get it...

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was squinting his eyes, and sighed in their hearts.

Someone is about to be ambushed again.

……

During the Song Dynasty and Renzong Period
Zhao Zhen snorted with disdain.

But I thought it was wonderful!
This revised secret memorial system allows officials to check and monitor each other.

Because everyone was worried that the emperor had learned their secrets, they became cautious and careful, and did not dare to act too freely.

Local governors and other senior officials cannot act on their own and will be more restrained, which can reduce the probability of them making big mistakes.

If there was no secret memorial system, lower-level officials would not be able to communicate directly with the emperor. Secret memorials gave lower-level officials an opportunity to talk to the emperor!
Moreover, he can tell the truth in the secret memorial without too many concerns, and the emperor will keep it secret for him, so it is easier for the emperor to get the truth.

When encountering major events, the emperor and his ministers can discuss in advance, so that the introduction of policies will not be hasty or inconsistent with public opinion.

Ministers can be educated at any time, minor mistakes can be corrected, corruption can be prevented in the bud.

Through secret channels, useful talents can be discovered in advance, the crimes of certain people can be learned in advance, and preparations for their removal can be made early.

One can also discover the strengths and weaknesses of a minister and judge his character from the words between the lines of the secret memorial, or analyze the minister's psychology through the revelations of others.

The most important thing is that it can broaden your horizons and become familiar with general affairs!
Tianmu said that Yongzheng had never left the capital in his entire life, but since he was sitting in the palace, he could obtain a lot of the most accurate information through the secret memorial system!
It truly means “keep your eyes and ears open”!
Zhao Zhen was so envious!
Does he want to use it?
Thinking crazy!

But can it be used?
Unless he is really crazy, it cannot be used.

The emperor glanced at the ministers in the courtyard.

Every one of them had a look of contempt.

The officials at this time were fundamentally different from those in later dynasties.

He is selfish, but also public-spirited, self-respecting and upright.

There is also a bit of arrogance that a man can be killed but not humiliated.

As for the ministers of Ming and Qing dynasties.

Zhao Zhen now gets a headache when he thinks about the weird vortex between the emperor and his ministers in the Ming Dynasty.

Good stuff, but it doesn't work right now.

Zhao Zhen sighed regretfully and inadvertently saw Di Qing's calm face.

Ok?
A light bulb went off in his head! He had an idea.

Scholars are noble, but military men are not necessarily so.

……

[It seems that the emperor and his ministers are thousands of miles apart, but with the secret memorials, Yongzheng often understands the actual situation in various places better than the cabinet ministers. ]

[Moreover, through the mutual exposure and supervision among ministers on a daily basis, the emperor had an advance judgment on things, and the decisions he made were often forward-looking.]

[The secret memorial system actually achieved Yongzheng's goal of handling government affairs without the cabinet.]

[Because all the officials' reports were first read by the cabinet, then presented to the emperor, and then returned to the various places. This set of procedures takes a lot of time.]

[Moreover, after passing through so many people's hands, there is no longer any secret left. ]

[Yongzheng obtained a lot of things that needed to be kept secret through memorials.]

[But after running for a while, Yongzheng gradually discovered that although the secret memorial system was secretive, it was not a formal channel after all. When encountering certain military and national affairs, if only private reports were relied on, it would be difficult to bring them to the table for public discussion, and the efficiency of handling affairs was still low.]

[He began to look for a way to discuss things openly, easily and efficiently, and to ensure privacy.]

【The Grand Council came into being.】

……

Ming Dynasty·Chongzhen period
Zhu Youjian understood.

"He's going to take action against the cabinet?"

He was so surprised that he could hardly control himself!
Yongzheng's behavior has gone beyond the scope of a ruler who maintains the status quo.

Just looking at the internal affairs system, this man is definitely a pioneer!
If the system of the early Qing Dynasty was a continuation of the Ming Dynasty, then Yongzheng took the Ming Dynasty's system to a higher level.

"Military Affairs Office..."

But Zhu Youjian couldn't figure it out.

Is this Grand Council an independent small cabinet?
Wouldn't that be duplicating what the Cabinet said?

And the process of submitting memorials to the emperor hasn’t changed?

All petitions from local officials must first be sent to the Ministry of Public Security for inspection and receipt. At the same time, the petitioners must prepare a release note and send it to the relevant departments.

The notice is a copy of the question book, and its content is basically the same as the question book.

In this way, the memorial would be sent to the Cabinet after passing through the Ministry of Public Administration, and after being drafted by the Cabinet, it would be presented to the Emperor for his decision.

After the emperor sees the cabinet's draft, he has to judge whether the cabinet's opinions are feasible.

But the question book is often very long, and it is difficult to grasp the key points at once.

So he reformed the memorial book himself. He asked the cabinet to refine the memorial book when submitting it. He would use yellow paper to write a summary of no more than 100 words on the key points and paste it at the end. This was called "sticking yellow paper".

This was to save the emperor's time.

Then, the memorial that had been decided by the emperor would be recorded on the manuscript with a red pen by the Approval Office and the Cabinet according to the emperor's wishes, which was called "red ink".

The approved manuscript was forwarded to the six departments, which copied it to the relevant government offices for implementation, and two copies were made separately and compiled into volumes for archiving.

The process of submitting a memorial is similar.

In this way, all reports from officials would first be read by the cabinet, then presented to the emperor, and then returned to their respective locations.

This is why Tianmu said that this process not only takes a lot of time, but also has gone through many hands, so there is no secret left.

But if we don’t do this, the report can’t be implemented, right?

Zhu Youjian was thinking hard and suddenly slapped his forehead!
"Ouch! So stupid!"

Yongzheng strengthened the secret memorial system so that memorials could bypass the cabinet, the Ministry of Public Security and other government offices and quickly reach the emperor!
The emperor became the first person to get the information!

Now that the source has been resolved, there is no need to worry about whether the cabinet interferes or not!
"Military Affairs Office..."

Zhu Youjian looked at the sky longingly.

Whether I can save the Ming Dynasty depends on you!
Emperor Yongzheng!

……

[The Grand Council originated from the Qing Dynasty's military operations against the Dzungar Tsewang Arabtan in the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign.]

[Because it involves military affairs, in order to ensure that military secrets are not leaked and to command the army quickly and efficiently, Yongzheng temporarily set up this department. ]

[When this department was first established, it was not a formal government office, but rather belonged to Yongzheng's "Military Secretariat", with military ministers and military secretaries as its staff.]

[The Grand Councilor was not a full-time position, and his duties remained the same. Most of them were important officials that Yongzheng relied on, initially Yunxiang, Zhang Tingyu, and Jiang Tingxi.]

[Military secretaries were full-time staff, most of whom were transferred from the Council of State Affairs, which existed in name only.]

[Although these personnel worked in the Grand Council, they still belonged to the original government office and occupied its vacancies.]

[Every day at the hour of Yin, the Grand Councilor and the Grand Councilor entered the duty room. At the hour of Chen (7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.), the Emperor summoned the Grand Councilor.]

[In case of urgent military affairs, he will be summoned in advance. He will meet once or several times a day, depending on the number of matters, and there is no formality.]

[After the military minister left, the imperial edict was compiled into text and handed over to Zhang Jing for forwarding.]

……

Tang Xuanzong Period
"How can there be such a person..."

Li Shimin sighed and didn't understand.

Yongzheng himself was not good at martial arts or military affairs. This was a foregone conclusion.

But can it make up for the lack of military strategy with its overflowing qualifications in domestic affairs?
This is a bit too unreasonable!
As the ruler of a country and a strategist who could calmly command the overall military situation, Li Shimin knew too well the importance of military secrets.

Therefore, he understood better the significance of the temporary establishment of the Grand Council.

It will allow the soldiers at the front to obey the emperor directly, avoid constraints from departments at all levels, and improve the efficiency of handling military affairs!
"You don't understand military affairs, so why can't you do it?"

Li Shimin looked at Li Longji with a puzzled look on his face.

"Speaking of internal affairs... your Kaiyuan Era wasn't bad, was it?"

Li Longji covered his black eyes, wanting to cry but without tears.

That's different!

Completely different!

"Emperor Taizong, please eat grapes!"

Yang Yuhuan didn't care about military affairs or whether she would be beaten or not.

She held the flower basket and took out a bunch of grapes from it.

Li Shimin was already holding a bunch of fruits in his hands at this time, so how could he hold the grapes?
Hey! Yang Yuhuan's plan worked!
"Oh no, there's nowhere to get this."

"I'll feed your majesty~"

Shy Yang Yuhuan picked a grape, tilted her head and blushed.

The delicate and jade-like hand touched Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at the willow-like jade fingers heading straight for his chest, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He took a step back.

Ignoring the other party's resentful expression, he said to Li Longji, who had no expression on his face:
"Well, I won't bother you... I have something else to do! I'm leaving first!"

Before he finished speaking, the person disappeared.

Only scattered fruits and vegetables were left on the ground.

……

Tang Dynasty and Gaozong period
Li Zhi looked at this new thing, the Grand Council, with great interest.

The staff and number of people are not fixed, and the location can be changed at any time.

All signs indicate that Yongzheng tried his best to avoid the formation of another power group around him.

"He is truly born to be an emperor."

Li Zhi reviewed Yongzheng's governance and character.

This became more and more certain.

“All ministers and systems are tools.

"When you catch the fish, forget the fishing net and don't worry about your original intention."

……

[In the ninth year of Yongzheng's reign, Yongzheng felt that Dengzhou, Shandong, was a strategic military town with a vast territory, but there were only 6,000 troops stationed there. He ordered the military ministers to discuss in detail whether it was necessary to increase the number of troops.]

[In February of the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, General Yue Zhongqi of Ningyuan impeached Deputy General Shi Wenzhuo for letting the enemy go. Yongzheng ordered the military ministers to discuss the report.]

[In the same year, the headquarters of the Western Route Army was to be moved to Mulei. Yongzheng selected the auspicious day and time of the fourth day of the sixth lunar month in Beijing. On the thirteenth day of the fourth lunar month, he ordered the military minister to notify Yue Zhongqi to handle it accordingly, but repeatedly reminded him to prevent leaks.]

[From this time on, the Military Affairs Council has gradually expanded its functions and become the core institution for making decisions on major national affairs.]

[Also, the efficiency of the Military Affairs Office is extremely high, and the work of the day must be completed on the same day, and no backlog is allowed.]

[When the imperial edict was sent by the court, it was sealed and handed over to the Ministry of War, and then delivered by post stations. In case of emergency, it was marked on the front of the letter with "immediate delivery", and the daily distance was 300 miles.]

[If the situation is more urgent, then you can travel 800 miles a day without stopping.]

[In order to ensure the secrecy of the information, even princes, beile and other royal relatives are not allowed to approach without permission. ]

……

The period of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty

"It seems to be accidental, but in fact it is a step-by-step plan."

Liu Xiu saw through it at a glance that the Grand Council was actually a major reform to consolidate the court and the independence of imperial power!
Liu Zhuang's mind wasn't that quick, but he still found clues after thinking about it from the beginning.

"Qin first established the position of prime minister, who was the head of all officials and held administrative power."

"The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system and did not change it. Among the three officials, the Minister of Education was still the most important."

"My father appointed Shangshu, a minor official in charge of documents, to be in charge of memorials and issuing orders from the king, thus taking away some of the power of the prime minister."

"The Shangshu Ling became the prime minister in name only, and the three dukes were just in name only...After that, during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei replaced the Shangshu with Zhongshu Ling, and during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Shizhong participated in government affairs and controlled Zhongshu."

"The Sui Dynasty established a three-province system of power sharing, with the Zhongshu Province receiving orders, the Menxia Province reviewing, and the Shangshu Province executing. The heads of the three provinces were all prime ministers, checking each other, and the imperial power was strengthened as a result..."

"It evolved continuously until the early Ming Dynasty, when Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister system that had been passed down from generation to generation and divided government affairs into six ministries that were under the command of the emperor, and all military and political power returned to the emperor."

"After the mid-Ming Dynasty, power fell into the hands of the emperor's secretariat and the cabinet."

"The Qing dynasty inherited the Ming system, but it was different in that it retained the characteristic of the kings' joint decision-making. The kings and the leaders of the eight banners were the deliberative kings, who discussed major policies with the emperor and managed the affairs of the six ministries."

"This is not good for the imperial power. Therefore, after Kangxi took power, he deprived the power of the regent ministers in order to control the power. However, the Manchu meritorious group still poses a threat to the imperial power..."

"So... Yongzheng would set up the Grand Council."

Liu Xiu couldn't help but applaud and praise:
"My son is smart!"

"The struggle between the power of the prime minister and the power of the emperor is actually inseparable from the essence of all power struggles."

Liu Xiu stretched out his hands, one high and one low.

"That is, if you suppress one side, the other side that is elevated will become too powerful over time, and in the end you will have to reform the department again."

“Although these departments are constantly given new names and not all are prime ministers, their essence is the same.”

Liu Zhuang understood, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"So, the core of the establishment of the Grand Council is that the emperor has the final say!"

"So, all the prominent military ministers are nothing more than mouthpieces for the emperor, not prime ministers who can make important decisions!"

Liu Xiu took back his hands, put them in his sleeves, and sighed:
"Yes... He really got rid of the prime minister..."

"...All of Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas were realized in his hands."

"There is nothing strange in the world."

……

Ming dynasty.

The expression on Zhu Yuanzhang's face seemed neither smiling nor crying.

"That's it...that's it..."

He muttered:

“Instead of tearing the house down and rebuilding it, new pillars were cleverly added.”

"The weight that was originally borne by the old pillars was transferred to the newly replaced pillars."

“The load-bearing force has shifted, but the original layout of the house has not changed…”

"Yes...disperse."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the sky, feeling a strange feeling in his heart.

The system he envisioned was not perfect, and the Ming Dynasty was still caught in the struggle between the emperor and his ministers.

Then...the emperor who destroyed the Ming Dynasty further improved his own system.

It was conveyed to myself through the sky.

"God's will?"

“It really is…”

God’s will cannot be violated.

……

[Yongzheng chose the best time to establish the Grand Council.]

【At this time, the national civil service has undergone major adjustments and is both stable and improving, providing a good soil for administrative system reform.】

【The Grand Council was not a whim of Yongzheng, but was constantly enriched and improved.】

It has several notable features.

【First, there is no organization.】

[Although this department has very high standards, it did not have a clear departmental organization when it was first established, which made it seem "insignificant" and well concealed, so it would not be opposed or resisted by the old meritorious groups when it was first established.]

【Second, temporary.】

[Because the Grand Council was a temporary agency, it was not part of the central government, and its members were specially appointed to work part-time.]

[The advantage of this is that the emperor can decide whether to keep or leave personnel at any time, which makes it easier for the emperor to control and appoint them.]

[At the same time, there is no promotion or demotion for those who stay or leave, and there are no psychological barriers. ]

【Third, confidentiality.】

[The Grand Council stipulated that Manchu and Han members could only read memorials written in their own language. If they read anything other than that, they had to ask for permission.]

[The Grand Councilor needs to seal the letter under the supervision of multiple parties. ]

[Even so, Yongzheng was still worried, and ordered the Ministry of War to report the number of letters sent by the military ministers and the names of the recipients once a month to prevent any fraud such as private entrustment, thus eliminating the possibility of cheating by the military ministers.]

【Fourth, fast and efficient. 】

[In the Grand Council, all memorials must be submitted directly to the emperor on the same day for review and approval. After the Grand Councilor drafts the memorials, they are immediately sent out, which is extremely efficient.]

[The establishment of the Grand Council was Yongzheng's original way of maintaining imperial power.]

[It not only ensured that the emperor's supreme power was not diluted, but also improved work efficiency. ]

[It is not only necessary for centralization of power, but also eliminates the hidden danger of officials forming cliques for personal gain.]

[Yongzheng used the simplest and most direct method to break through the intricate network of central relationships, holding the rope in his hand and weaving a new network that belonged only to him.]

……

{The unique creation of the efficient and practical Grand Council was inseparable from the fact that Yongzheng had a good understanding of the people's sentiments and the administration of officials when he was in the palace, and was aware of the shortcomings of the court.}
Yongzheng once thought deeply: "The key to governing the country is to employ people."
{This way of employing people is still true today.}
{He recruited talented people. As long as they had talent, he would directly promote them regardless of their nationality or place of origin, without setting any limits.}
{As for the mediocre and inferior officials who only know how to run around and seek personal gain, they are always severely punished without any mercy.}
{The Grand Council had an immediate effect in breaking up the power of the Manchu kings and disintegrating the power of the Han prime ministers at that time.}
{Yongzheng was a man who really made the matter of being the emperor very clear.}
{…This is quite interesting, Son of Heaven…Emperor…}
｛The Tao Te Ching says: To bear the disgrace of the country is to be the master of the country. To bear the misfortune of the country is to be the king of the world. ｝
{The Avatamsaka Sutra says: "If you wish to become the dragon and elephant of all Buddhas, you must first become the horse and cow of all sentient beings."}
(End of this chapter)