Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 317: Big Reform! Yongsheng New Deal!

Zhu Yunhuan was shocked, and suddenly he felt as if he had been enlightened.

During this period of time, he has been worrying about the national policies he should implement and what he should do after he ascends the throne.

Zhu Yunhuan already had the general idea and blueprint memorized.

But the specific steps and measures, which ones to do first and which ones to do next, seem so confusing that I don’t know where to start.

He also mentioned this matter when he wrote to Lao Zhu.

But it's not good to say it too clearly, lest Zhu Yuanzhang think that he is unable to shoulder the heavy burden of the Ming Dynasty and worry too much about him.

After hearing what Gu Panjun said, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly understood.

Yup!

What you need to do are actually these two things.

As long as he has soldiers and money, is invincible in foreign wars and has a full treasury, who can stop him from carrying out reforms?

Didn’t Lao Zhu remind you of this a long time ago?

Expand outward to divert internal conflicts.

Throughout history, many problems can be easily solved as long as we can win foreign wars.

Isn’t Emperor Wu of Han’s greatest achievement his defeat of the Huns in the north?
The downside is that the national treasury was emptied.

The biggest reason why Li Shimin became an emperor of all ages was that he solved the border problem in the north with thundering means.

Moreover, it was done at a very small cost, without wasting too much of the Tang Dynasty's national strength.

The Ming Dynasty was invincible in its foreign wars.

At that time, Li Jing led 3,000 cavalrymen from the Yinshan Trail to raid the Turkic royal court and defeated hundreds of thousands of Turkic troops, thus laying the foundation for the prosperity of the early Tang Dynasty.

Just imagine, if the Turks had not been pacified, the Tang Dynasty would have been trapped in the war with the Turks continuously. Without the brilliant record, what kind of prosperous Tang Dynasty would there be!

Not to mention the Song Dynasty.

Even the Ming Dynasty in history was defeated both by finance and by border troubles.

Now that he controls the most powerful army in the world and the Ming Bank, isn't it obvious what he should do first?
Why should we be timid and hesitate to move forward?

It should be noted that Zhu Di did not achieve complete success in his five expeditions to Mobei.

But he defeated the Northern Yuan Dynasty with just a casual battle.

How great an impact would this have on the Ming Dynasty?

You must know that the later Ming Dynasty was always troubled by the nomadic tribes in the north.

In the end, weren’t the three additional taxes levied still for the sake of border defense?

Before he ascended the throne, he had already solved this most serious problem for the Ming Dynasty.

It’s just that it was played too easily and so easily that the response from everyone was not that intense.

This is probably what “a good warrior may not have great military achievements” means.

But no matter what, as long as we can continue to win foreign wars, internal reforms will not be a problem.

"I understand. Thank you, Queen." Zhu Yunhuan suddenly felt a surge of pride in his heart and ordered, "Set up the imperial study."

"Immediately summon all officials above the third rank in the capital, nobles and relatives, and officials and ministers from various ministries to the palace to discuss matters."

The eunuch next to him quickly obeyed the order.

The imperial edict was issued soon.

When the officials received the order, they were all surprised.

Generally speaking, when the emperor gets married, court will be suspended for three days.

After all, they are newlyweds, so they should be more affectionate.

I didn't expect that the current emperor would be so diligent.

Soon, officials arrived one after another and stood waiting outside the imperial study.

Inside the room, Zhu Yunhuan was ordering several Hanlin scholars to draft an imperial edict.

Outside the imperial study, the ministers were whispering and discussing.

"Your Majesty asked us to come to the palace at this time, but I don't know what's the matter?"

"Who knows? But since your majesty became the crown prince, you have been determined to make reforms. Now that you have ascended the throne, I am afraid you will work hard to govern the country."

"A new emperor appoints new ministers. Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, it is time for a new group of officials in the court."

"So soon? His Majesty just held the coronation ceremony yesterday!"

Many people are deeply disturbed.

It is customary for a new emperor to re-adjust the positions of officials in the court when he ascends the throne.

This has been the case throughout every dynasty.

However, most will also have a buffer period.

At least it will take a month or two.

Officials can take advantage of this period to move around and gather information.

If you can make progress, it will naturally be better.

Otherwise, he would retreat and try to keep his position.

If it really doesn't work, it would be barely acceptable to be able to survive safely and retire in a dignified manner.

Like today, when there was not even the slightest rumor and they were suddenly summoned for a meeting, all the ministers felt somewhat uneasy.

"They've asked all the nobles and relatives to come here. I'm afraid they're going to announce the order to sail to sea, right?"

Someone suspected this.

The news of going out to sea has been circulating for a long time.

Everyone thinks it’s time to implement it.

"I hope so." Someone said, "I'm afraid there will be unexpected events."

The court has reached a consensus on going to sea.

No one objected anymore.

However, there are still different opinions on which specific approach to adopt.

But the matter was ultimately decided by Zhu Yunhuan.

……

Their speculation did not last long.

Soon, Zhu Yunhuan ordered someone to enter the imperial study.

The first to enter were Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi, Yao Guangxiao, Xia Yuanji, as well as the Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui and the Minister of Revenue Wang Zuo.

After the greetings, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Grandpa Emperor once said that the position of prime minister will no longer be established in this dynasty. Anyone who dares to say that a prime minister should be established in the future will be executed immediately."

"From then on, the six ministries reported directly to the emperor."

"Grandpa Emperor is diligent in his work and never slacks off on national affairs."

"But since I became the crown prince and regent, I have successively established the Ministry of Posts and Communications, the Ministry of Law, and the Department of Taxation."

"In addition, there are the Ming Manufacturing Bureau, which has a very powerful mandate, the Ming Academy of Sciences, the Ming Bank, the Ming Daily, etc."

"Today, our Ming Dynasty has already exceeded six departments."

"I want to make innovations, and I may have to set up more departments in the future."

"There are so many departments and so much work to do. It's hard for me to handle it alone."

"I have decided to set up a government affairs office from today to assist me in handling state affairs."

"All state affairs, except military and national affairs, are handled by the Government Affairs Office."

“If there are military or national affairs that require coordination by local officials or ministries, the Administrative Affairs Office will also take the lead.”

"If I have an order, the government will act according to it."

"If I do not order, the Government Affairs Office will make the decision on its own."

"You guys are both talented and virtuous, and you are all people I value."

"Zhan Hui, Wang Zuo, you two are the elders in the court."

"The first group of people to enter the Administrative Office will be the six of you."

"The Minister of State Affairs, who is in charge of all officials, is granted the title of first rank and will take office from today."

This was the first reform that Zhu Yunhuan had to carry out.

There is never a vacuum of power.

The prime minister system has lasted for thousands of years, so there must be a reason for its existence.

Even though the prime minister was abolished, there was still a cabinet.

Even if the cabinet was abolished, there was still the Grand Council.

To put it bluntly, the territory of the Ming Dynasty was so vast that there were countless affairs that needed to be dealt with every day.

The emperor alone would be unable to handle all the problems even if he died of exhaustion.

You must delegate authority to allow others to assist you.

His previous plan to ask the Ministry of Public Security to compile the received memorials into brief reports was certainly one way.

But that would only save him time reading memorials.

Things still need to be done by people.

What is more important is to have someone to supervise and follow up continuously.

If there is no one to supervise the handling, it is very likely that he will give instructions but the people below will not carry out the work at all.

What's more, the industrialization of the Ming Dynasty was advancing at a rapid pace.

Various systems are also constantly being improved.

Compared with the feudal agricultural countries that adopted a policy of laissez-faire and tried to do as little as possible in governing the country, this policy would never work in industrial countries.

The state’s governance of society will only become more in-depth and more complex.

The number of matters that need to be handled will increase a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times!
It is necessary to set up a government affairs office.

However, in order to prevent the Government Affairs Office from having too much power, Zhu Yunhuan had already imposed restrictions.

First of all, once there is his imperial edict, the Government Affairs Office can only kneel and receive his orders and cannot handle the matter on its own.

From this point of view, the Political Affairs Office is more like the Grand Council of the Qing Dynasty rather than the Cabinet of the Ming Dynasty.

Only when he did not issue an imperial decree could the Government Affairs Office handle the matter on its own.

Secondly, compared with the Grand Council's ability to handle military and national affairs, the power of the Political Affairs Council was also restricted by Zhu Yunhuan.

Only the power to coordinate military and national affairs.

In short, when a country is waging a foreign war, some things will require cooperation and coordination from local governments. At this time, the Government Affairs Office can intervene. Its important task is to help the army deal with some local affairs.

Similar things include conscription, arranging for discharged soldiers, etc.

The Administrative Office could neither command the army nor appoint or dismiss the army's generals. In addition, the Administrative Office was not like the prime minister, where one person held all the responsibilities, but rather a group of people discussed and decided together, so the power was more checked and balanced.

For this purpose, Zhu Yunhuan also specially arranged two veteran ministers, Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo, into the Government Affairs Office.

One is to calm the hearts of the old officials in the court, so that they would not worry that the new emperor would replace the original officials after taking office, and thus lose their focus on work.

Secondly, after previous events, Zhu Yunhuan gradually realized that court officials must have different factions.

If the officials all belong to the same faction and are united, then he, the emperor, can easily be sidelined.

The roles of Zhan Hui and Wang Zuo in the Government Affairs Office were revealed.

They are obviously not from the same faction as Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi and others.

As for the rank, Zhu Yunhuan was very generous and directly gave them first-rank official positions.

Since the Government Affairs Office is responsible for overseeing all officials and handling government affairs, no matter how small the official positions they are given, they will become important ministers in the court.

There is no need to play the game of low position but heavy responsibility.

On the other hand, Zhu Yunhu felt very clearly that after becoming emperor, there was a natural gap between him and his ministers.

He could no longer mingle with his ministers.

It’s like the gap between the head teacher and students in the previous life.

Students are students after all, and teachers are teachers.

The gap between the emperor and his subjects is much deeper than that between teachers and students.

This barrier can maintain the emperor's dignity, but because of the sense of distance, it makes it difficult for the emperor to truly control his ministers.

In this situation, it is necessary to cultivate a few leading ministers.

It is just like a class teacher needs to get to know students in depth by training class monitors and class leaders.

There is no barrier between ministers as there is between ministers and emperors, so it is more convenient to discuss things.

But we must never allow one minister to become the "leader" of many ministers.

If that happens, it will be a serious threat to the imperial power.

For thousands of years, there have been constant disputes between the power of the prime minister and the power of the emperor, and it has always been like this.

The six people were all shocked when they heard this.

They all knelt down hurriedly: "Your Majesty, we thank you for your grace."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "You have been assigned to the government affairs office. I hope you will work hard and live up to my expectations."

"We will devote all our energy and dedication to serve Your Majesty until our death!" The six men kowtowed again.

Zhu Yunxun waved his hand and said, "Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the six people stood up, Zhu Yunhuan said again: "Now that the Government Affairs Office has been established, all the departments in the court have also been adjusted."

"From now on, the Daming Manufacturing Bureau will move to Beijing and be renamed the Daming Imperial Court Assets Department, which will be responsible for managing factories and companies invested by the imperial court."

"From now on, the chief executives of large factories and companies will be recommended by the Ministry of Assets to the Ministry of Personnel. After being evaluated by the Ministry of Personnel, they will be reported to the Government Affairs Office for discussion and then reported to me for appointment."

"The court also set up the Ministry of Industry and Manufacturing, which is responsible for supervising all factories and companies across the country and guiding the direction of Ming's industrial development."

"A separate Public Opinion Department will be set up to supervise the national public opinion orientation, cultural propaganda, etc. The Ming Daily will be managed by the Public Opinion Department."

"The Bank of Ming Dynasty, the Department of Taxation, and the Ministry of Posts and Communications will all be under the management of the Government Affairs Office from today on."

……

Zhu Yunhuan announced a series of adjustment plans.

The Ming Manufacturing Bureau became a department specifically responsible for managing the Ming Dynasty’s state-owned assets.

Today, the Ming Manufacturing Bureau has invested in a large number of factories and companies.

It's time for change.

The Ministry of Industry and Manufacturing oversees factories and companies, including private enterprises, and provides clear guidelines for development directions.

There are also a series of other reforms.

It's a feast for the eyes.

The powers of each department have also been adjusted.

The ministers of the Government Affairs Office, in addition to meeting and working together, are also responsible for leading different departments based on actual conditions.

After announcing these reforms, Zhu Yunhuan continued, "As the Ming Dynasty's economy develops, there will be more and more affairs, and governance will become more and more complicated."

"Each province is governed by its own department, and multiple governments cannot last long."

"I have decided to establish a governor in each province to handle the affairs of the province."

"In order to prevent him from monopolizing power, each province shall appoint a supervisor."

"Please discuss it carefully and recommend a suitable candidate to me."

In the early Ming Dynasty, each province was not governed by a governor, but was divided into three departments.

That is, the Military Commandery was in charge of military affairs, the Civil Administration Commissioner's Office was in charge of civil affairs, and the Judicial Commissioner's Office was in charge of judicial affairs.

Prior to this, when Zhu Yunhuan was in power, he had already carried out reforms on the Censorate.

The Ministry of Justice was set up in the imperial court, and corresponding agencies were also set up in each province, prefecture, and county.

At the same time, the Censorate was under the management of the Ministry of Justice.

However, given the communication conditions of that era, direct central administration was extremely limited.

There are many things that are not reported in time.

It takes two to three months to go back and forth, and even three to five months in remote areas.

For many things, if we really wait for orders from above, it will be too late to do anything.

It can only be handled by local officials.

However, since the establishment of the Jiedushi system in the Tang Dynasty caused great disaster, the imperial court has been extremely reluctant to set up chief officials in each province.

But the actual situation forced the court to set it up.

Therefore, governors and provincial governors still appeared in the later Ming Dynasty.

The Qing Dynasty was no exception.

Zhu Yunhuan was very clear about this.

Moreover, as his reforms progress, national governance will become more and more in-depth, and more and more departments will be set up at the local level.

If there is no local government that can take charge of the overall situation, and each department acts independently without unified coordination, it will only lead to chaos.

Hearing this, everyone was startled.

Wang Zuo cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, setting up governors and inspectors in each province may make the local areas powerful. If we are not careful, they may become separatist regimes. We must prevent this."

The others didn't say anything.

But there is no doubt that everyone has such concerns.

In fact, their worries are not without reason.

The so-called sky is high and the emperor is far away.

If the chief official who holds great power in a province develops disloyalty, it will undoubtedly bring great hidden dangers to the central dynasty.

"I know what's going on." Zhu Yunhuan said, "The governor is only in charge of government affairs, not military affairs. The governor will be checked by the inspector. Local officials at all levels will be selected and appointed by the Ministry of History."

"The governor and the provincial governor only have the responsibility to impeach and recommend, but not the power to appoint."

"For example, the Metropolitan Surveillance Commission was under the dual management of the Ministry of Justice and the local governor."

"In addition, the Military Command is not under the jurisdiction of the governor and the provincial governor. The governor and the provincial governor do not participate in military and national affairs, just like your government affairs office."

Zhu Yunhuan already had a plan in mind.

He only planned to establish provincial governors and provincial governors, both of whom were government officials, but he did not plan to establish a governor-general to oversee military and political affairs.

With both military and political power in the hands of the imperial court, local officials could easily escape the control of the imperial court.

In the later years of the Qing Dynasty, the governors actually no longer obeyed the orders of the imperial court.

Otherwise, there would not have been such a thing as the "Southeast Mutual Protection".

Later, provinces declared independence one after another.

The Qing Dynasty collapsed dramatically overnight.

The Ming Dynasty could have governors and inspectors who were in charge of the government affairs of a province, but it could not have a governor-general who was in charge of both military and political affairs.

Of course, newly established provinces in remote areas, such as those on the grasslands, can be exceptions.

Those places are not very stable yet, so the military and politics can only be integrated. After they become stable, they can be separated.

After hearing this, several people felt relieved.

As long as the governor and the provincial governor do not hold military power, it will not be easy for local separatist regimes to form.

What’s more, officials at all levels are appointed by the Ministry of Personnel.

"In that case, I feel relieved." Wang Zuo retreated.

Zhu Yunhuan added: "Also, order the Censorate to send out censors to inspect the local areas in turn. If there are any illegal activities, they should report them immediately. Once verified, they will be severely punished."

"We obey your command." Several people bowed and responded at the same time.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "You guys can leave first."

"The Administrative Office will begin operations today. I have already chosen the office location for you. It is inside the palace, right under my nose."

The Ming Dynasty's imperial palace was originally the layout of the former dynasty and the harem.

The front court was where the emperor handled state affairs.

Officials also came in and out here when they attended court.

However, before this, all the court agencies had their offices outside.

Now, Zhu Yunhuan simply let the Government Affairs Office work next to him to make it easier to control.

If the Government Affairs Office has any issues that cannot be decided, they can immediately ask him for his approval.

On the contrary, he was fully aware of the actions of the Administrative Office and could issue an order at any time to stop or change the decision of the Administrative Office when necessary.

It not only improves the efficiency of work, but also makes it easier for him to control the Government Affairs Office.

Several people accepted the order, thanked the emperor, and retreated.

The eunuch immediately went outside and read out the imperial edict on the establishment of the Government Affairs Office in front of all the ministers.

After receiving the order, all the ministers were shocked.

The structure of the Ming Dynasty court was finally going to change.

The Government Affairs Office was established and the Minister of State Affairs was in charge of state affairs, which brought about a new atmosphere.

Just when they thought that today's matter was over, another eunuch came out to convey the emperor's order, summoning Duke of Wei Xu Huizu, Marquis of Changxing Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Wuding Guo Ying, Marquis of Dingyuan Wang Bi, Marquis of Zhuolu Zhu Shou and other military generals and nobles to meet with the emperor.

……

(End of this chapter)