Han officials

Chapter 299 Misjudging [4.5K]

The position of governor originated with Emperor Hui of the Former Han Dynasty, Liu Ying.

However, in essence, it is still an inheritance of the Qin Dynasty's system of censors.

After unifying the country, the First Emperor established a complete system of local supervision.

He divided the empire into thirty-six prefectures, and each prefecture was headed by a governor, a commandant, and a supervisor.

In the First Emperor's plan, the prefect, the military commander, and the supervising censor were all of equal rank, with no distinction between superior and inferior.

Qin Shi Huang may not have been a perfect emperor, but he was definitely an excellent politician.

He was facing an unprecedented situation.

The feudal system that had prevailed in China for thousands of years was completely ended in his hands, and a centralized system was established.

The term "unification" may sound simple, but those who truly understand it know just how astonishing it is!

A single word can become the law of the world.
An ordinary man can become a teacher for generations.

This statement by the literati and officials is somewhat too restrained when used to describe the First Emperor.

As for the separation of powers in later Europe and America, it was nothing more than a political instinct in front of the First Emperor.

However, after Liu Bang became emperor, in order to demonstrate his magnanimity, he said, "(I) will work with the heroes and virtuous officials of the world to establish the world and bring peace to it together," and he did not send anyone to supervise the local areas, thus showing his trust in local officials.

However, while Liu Bang trusted these veteran ministers, Empress Dowager Lü Zhi, who later ruled as regent, was not so at ease with them.

Therefore, after Emperor Hui of Han ascended the throne, under the leadership of Empress Lü, the system of supervising censors of the prefectures in the Qin Dynasty was restored, and it was stipulated that the supervising censors of the prefectures would be rotated every two years, similar to the circuit inspection teams of later generations.

Unfortunately, despite the good policies, the Lü Clan Rebellion caused repeated turmoil in the court and greatly damaged its authority.

Many of the imperial censors sent out by the Chang'an court to supervise the prefectures neglected their duties and colluded with the prefects.

Therefore, after Emperor Wen of Han ascended the throne, he established a new local supervision system in addition to the existing system of supervising officials in the prefectures and censors—the system of issuing official appointments by the prime minister.

The prime minister dispatched officials from his staff to inspect the entire country and supervise local areas, with one official in each prefecture.

This is known as "Nine men from the Eastern Secretariat were sent out to supervise the prefectures as governors"!
The word "刺" originally meant to spy or gather intelligence.

These officials of the Eastern Secretariat, with a rank of 600 shi, were primarily tasked with supervising local governors and imperial censors.

This laid the foundation for the system of inspectors during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, forming the prototype of the system.

Therefore, the original role of "prefectural governors" was actually that of supervisory officials.

They were similar to censors, but surpassed them.

From this perspective, calling a prefectural governor the same as an imperial censor is not entirely accurate.

After all, from the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Guangwu to the death of Emperor Si, a period of more than a hundred years, the Censorate could not govern the governors of a single prefecture.

Even though the official rank of the Governor of Youzhou was only 600 shi, the Grand Censor and the Vice Censor-in-Chief did not have direct jurisdiction.

Because the governors were directly appointed and dismissed by the emperor, and their reports went directly to the emperor or the Three Dukes, they were directly responsible to the emperor.

It was not only not under the jurisdiction of the Censorate, but was also a supervisory system of equal rank to the Censorate.

However, with the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the power of the governors of various prefectures increased dramatically, and they became local administrative officials.

Xun You and Xi Zhicai, who were well-versed in court history, were naturally aware of these changes.

After pondering for a moment, Xun You nodded and said:
"Since the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system, such an arrangement is not unreasonable."

"But in this era of great strife, could we postpone it for a while and discuss it again after the world is at peace?"

Unexpectedly, Xi Zhicai shook his head upon hearing this:
"Those who heal the world should prioritize prevention over treatment; how can they avoid seeking medical help when they are already ill?"

But after refuting Xun You's point of view, he turned around and bowed to Wei Zhe, saying:

“Gongda’s words are not without reason. If we are talking about collecting military resources and expanding territory to fight the enemy, the governor is indeed more suitable.”

"How about we leave the governors of the prefectures at the front lines in place for now and implement this in the inner prefectures first?"

After saying this, Xi Zhicai hesitated slightly, but couldn't help but add:

"In fact, it would be best to restore the original Qin system, and the governor should also supervise it."

In an era when even a county magistrate could be called a "marquis of a hundred li," the power of a prefect was essentially equivalent to that of a feudal lord.

After hearing what the two said, Wei Zhe thought it over and over again and finally nodded.

"This is the view of a wise and experienced ruler; let it be so."

Wei Zhe then discussed the general administrative divisions with Xun You and Xi Zhicai.

In the end, all three agreed that it could be implemented first in Jizhou, Youzhou, Qingzhou, Liaozhou, and Yingzhou.

However, when it comes to implementation, this cannot be decided by a few people in a few words.

For the first two weeks after returning to Ye City from Yanzhou, Wei Zhe was almost always busy with this matter.

……

Afternoon, at the General of the Cavalry's residence.

"The five provinces of Ji, You, Qing, Liao, and Ying comprise 26 prefectures and kingdoms, and 255 counties."

Guo Yuan, looking exhausted, handed the final plan to Wei Zhe and reported:
"If the military and political affairs of these five states are separated, then five additional governors, such as the Governor of Ji State and the Governor of Qing State, will be appointed."

"If this were extended to each prefecture and kingdom, it would require twenty-six prefectural generals; as for further subdivision into counties, it would be absolutely impossible."

It must have been really tough on Guoyuan, the old steward.

While Wei Zhe and the others were decisive in their discussions, numerous problems arose during implementation. During this period, Guo Yuan worked almost day and night with a group of shogunate officials to discuss various plans, and only then did they manage to come up with an optimal solution.

Yes, in front of Wei Zhe, Guo Yuan readily admitted that this plan was only barely feasible.

He brought it out simply because it had the fewest drawbacks and the greatest advantages.

Wei Zhe naturally understood this; if governing a country involved nitpicking, it would be more practical to cultivate immortality.

The present is not like the Ming Dynasty; there is not such a large population base and arable land area. The development level of the south is far less than that of later generations. He would not be so insane as to want to separate the military and the government in various counties.

After carefully reading through Guo Yuan's explanation, Wei Zhe finally nodded.

"Good, then proceed according to this order."

“Each of the five prefectures shall be headed by a governor-general, who shall be in charge of the army and shall hold a rank equivalent to that of a prefect; each county shall be headed by a general of the Eagle-wing Central Army, who shall hold a rank equivalent to that of a prefect. Thus, military and political affairs shall be separated and shall not be disturbed.”

After saying that, Wei Zhe told Guo Yuan to go and rest, while he searched through the smuggled bag for a suitable candidate to fill in the vacancy.

In fact, if it were the appointment and removal of administrative officials, Wei Zhe could listen to Guo Yuan's opinion, but when it came to the appointment and removal of generals, he would not.

Since the uprising in Liaodong, Wei Zhe had always been the sole decision-maker regarding who to employ and who not to employ.

He is not afraid of making mistakes, but he is afraid of losing the right to make mistakes.

Three days later, edicts from the shogunate were sent to various parts of the Han Dynasty via post roads.

The garrison soldiers, who had been receiving winter training at the Military Academy since Fang County, finally made a large-scale appearance this time.

Xu Kuan, Gong Hong, and other outstanding students of the military academy either served as local county magistrates or as Eagle-Flying Generals. A very few, like Kuang Sheng, even rose to the position of Governor of Liaozhou, stationed in Haidong.

As these true loyalists gradually rose to key positions, Wei Zhe's control over his subordinates strengthened even further.

Of course, Wei Zhe did not forget the heroes who contributed to this battle.

Along with the reorganization of the inner prefectures, Wei Zhe also rewarded those who had contributed to the capture of Yanzhou and Xuzhou.

In reality, nepotism is not the beginning of a regime's collapse; the problem lies in unclear rewards and punishments.

In this respect, a ruler must never act solely based on his own likes and dislikes.

……

At 3:45 AM, at the Mi residence in the eastern ward of Ye City.
-
The Book of Documents states:

"The most capable ministers are the most trusted and upright, and the best advisors are the most virtuous."

Today, the country is in turmoil, wolves and jackals block the roads, the old territory of Qingzhou is devastated by war, and the common people are displaced in the wilderness.

To Mi Zhu, courtesy name Zizhong, Prefect of Xuzhou: He is a man of upright and honest character, with a heart as pure as frost and snow. He distributed a thousand gold pieces to aid the army; he mobilized his entire clan to support the righteous army. His loyalty shines as bright as the sun, and his righteousness reaches the clouds.

His talent can bring peace to the people, and his virtue can heal wounds.

I hereby appoint you as the Prefect of Qingzhou, in charge of the affairs of Beihai and Donglai prefectures.

May you spread benevolence throughout the Jiehai region, restore the towns and villages of Zi and Mian, so that widows and orphans may find their place, and merchants may travel without fear.

Agriculture and sericulture are fundamental; their seasons must not be disrupted. Judicial and criminal justice must be exercised with utmost care, ensuring fairness. Alas!

You should emulate the virtues of the ancient sages, being diligent and cautious. If any wicked or cunning person dares to disrupt the law, execute them first, and report them later!

The notice was issued to all prefectures and counties, so that they may all be informed.

The day of Gengchen in the seventh month of summer in the first year of Xingping —
As Lu Su finished reading the appointment, Mi Zhu, who was bowing and receiving it below, was immediately filled with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Mi Fang's fingers trembled slightly.

After Lu Su left, Mi Fang grabbed his elder brother's arm and said in a trembling voice:

"The Governor of Qingzhou... the Governor of Qingzhou... Brother, did I hear that right?"

Seeing Mi Fang's tearful eyes, Mi Zhu was overwhelmed with emotion.

"That's right, it's the Governor of Qingzhou." After saying that, he couldn't help but exclaim sincerely, "Zifang, we didn't misjudge him!"

It was worth risking the extermination of his entire clan to do things for Wei Zhe; now he has finally received his reward.

With this qualification, even if Mi Fang were to die now, the Mi family would still have a strong foundation in the future.

At this moment, Mi Fang finally realized what was happening and gritted her teeth, saying:
"Brother, don't worry, this time you will definitely achieve something great."

"At worst, we'll give up this family business and buy a great city in Qingzhou."

Mi Fang was not bragging; his family was incredibly wealthy, with assets exceeding hundreds of millions, making them richer than princes.

If one were truly willing to spend money to become an official, it wouldn't be a problem to buy a good record.

As for embezzlement or anything like that, the Mi brothers never even considered it.

To put it bluntly, their desire for beautiful women is greater than their desire for money.

After all, the Mi family has been wealthy for generations and has already enjoyed all the luxuries they could; what they lack now is a prestigious title.

"Respect! The Mi family of Qu County deserves respect!"

At this moment, the Mi brothers' eyes were full of fighting spirit.

……

However, on the other hand, Wei Zhe did not actually have high expectations for Mi Zhu.

His fundamental purpose in appointing Mi Zhu as the governor of Qingzhou was to set an example.

The more generous the rewards Mi Zhu receives, the more collaborators the Wei army will likely have in the future.

However, Wei Zhe did not expect that Mi Zhu would give him a surprise.

The day after accepting the appointment, he traveled down the Yellow River to Qingzhou, arriving in the same day and immediately taking up his post.

Therefore, the Mi family, who always liked to make a grand display, did not even hold a celebratory banquet.

Only seven days after Mi Zhu took office, he sent a lengthy memorial to Wei Zhe from Qingzhou.

The content is roughly divided into two parts:

The first half of the document took stock of Qingzhou's current situation and requested a full restoration to its normal county status.

After all, while military control may be good, it is certainly not as effective as regular household registration in motivating the people.

In the latter part, Mi Zhu requested the establishment of "ever-normal granaries" based on the current situation in Qingzhou.

This means using Li Kui's "flat grain purchase method" from the Warring States period, buying grain in good years and selling grain in bad years.

It has to be said that our ancestors were far ahead of their time.

While other parts of the world were still practicing slash-and-burn agriculture and eating raw meat, the ancient Chinese sages of the Warring States period had already begun to systematically use price levers to protect the agricultural economy.

However, as a member of a merchant family, why did Mi Zhu have such a deep understanding of the "flat purchase method"?

We should thank Guan Zhong and Fan Li, the patriarchs of the merchant profession.

Because Guan Zhong also proposed the "art of lightness and heaviness" of "gathering lightness and dispersing heaviness".

As for Fan Li, he further refined the "Theory of Price Stabilization" based on the work of the two, thus laying a solid theoretical foundation for macroeconomic regulation and making government management more feasible.

While they may not be familiar with other classics by the Mi family, they could not possibly miss the works of Guan Zhong and Fan Li.

To some extent, the success of the Mi clan of Donghai in commerce is a testament to their research capabilities.

At least the Beihai Guan family, who are descendants of Guan Zhong, do not have his level of expertise in the study of Guan Fan.

Of course, the "ever-normal granary" system was not invented by Mi Zhu.

As early as the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Former Han Dynasty (54 BC), Geng Shouchang, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, established granaries in the border counties, clearly stating that "when grain is cheap, we will increase the price to buy it in, and when grain is expensive, we will decrease the price to sell it out," and named it "Ever-Normal Granary."

However, after Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Bingyi, passed away, his successor, Emperor Yuan of Han, heavily relied on Confucian scholars and governed the country entirely with Confucian principles.

As a result, in the fifth year of the Chuyuan era (44 BC), the Confucian officials in power used the excuse of consecutive years of famine in Guandong and the fact that the Ever-Normal Granary was competing with the people for profits to abolish the Ever-Normal Granary along with the Northern False Field Official, Salt Official, and Iron Official in the Hetao Yinshan region.

The demise of the Former Han Dynasty began with Emperor Yuan, which is the most objective assessment imaginable!
However, it was not fully implemented during the Former Han Dynasty, and it was even less likely to be implemented after Emperor Guangwu established the country.

The establishment of this dynasty was achieved through compromise with local powerful clans and aristocratic families.

Therefore, when Emperor Guangwu passed away, Emperor Ming planned to re-establish the Ever-Normal Granary, but the plan was abandoned due to the opposition of the Confucian scholar Liu Ban.

However, in essence, what the Confucian officials criticized as "competing with the people for profit" was nothing more than competing with local powerful clans for profit.

It is important to know that the existence of "ever-normal granaries" is the best way to restrain powerful people from manipulating grain prices and plundering the people's wealth.

This can be seen from the phenomenon of "famine in years of plenty".

Countless self-sufficient farmers were forced to sell their land and their bodies, becoming serfs, by the powerful and wealthy.

The efforts of prefects and magistrates to crack down on powerful local magistrates every year may not be as effective as the implementation of the "ever-normal granary" system.

After all, the former was merely clearing away the branches and leaves, while the latter was using a sword called "economy" to cut down the very foundation of local powerful clans.

The shogunate, the government office.

After reading Mi Zhu's lengthy memorial, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh repeatedly:
"I was blind; I never imagined that Mi Zizhong possessed such talent for governing the country!"

Upon hearing this, Guo Yuan and Xun You, who were sitting on the tables on either side, immediately put down their memorials in surprise.

Mi Zhu and the others had met him, but they didn't think much of him.

Seeing this, Wei Zhe didn't explain further, but simply handed over the policy document in his hand.

"Take a look!" Wei Zhe exclaimed sincerely, "This strategy benefits the country and its people; it should be implemented throughout the land!"

Hearing Wei Zhe give such high praise, the two became even more curious.

Xun You and Guo Yuan immediately put down their work and huddled together to browse.

When they saw Mi Zhu requesting the "re-establishment of the Ever-Normal Granary" to prevent "low grain prices from harming farmers and high grain prices from harming the people," the two men merely nodded slightly, thinking that Mi Zhu was quite capable and a qualified governor.

However, when the two saw that Mi Zhu proposed to establish "charitable granaries," taking the principle of "saving money from the people to prepare for floods and droughts," and using it specifically for free relief during famine years, thus forming a dual-track system of "ever-normal granaries to protect market prices and charitable granaries to relieve famines," both of them were immediately impressed.

In particular, when Mi Zhu wrote in his policy inquiry that wealthy households and merchants could be ordered to pay grain according to their status, which was similar to the "calculation of grain tax", both of them couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Emotions told the two that Mi Zhu's actions were somewhat similar to those of a Legalist cruel official, but reason made them feel that doing so might be a good way to save the world.

Seeing their reaction, Wei Zhe smiled slightly.

In fact, when he first saw this suggestion, he was just as surprised as the other two.

Firstly, because Mi Zhu's suggestion was undoubtedly a betrayal of his own class.

Secondly, it's because he was too ahead of his time, proposing a concept similar to "income tax for high-income earners."

According to Mi Zhu, ordinary people toil in the fields all year round and barely have enough to eat. Only then do they deserve a tax of one-thirtieth, which is to be generous in supporting farmers.

However, wealthy merchants do not engage in agriculture and sericulture, yet they can amass wealth by trading goods throughout the world, stealing the benefits of the people to enrich themselves. They are great thieves, and therefore should be subject to heavy taxes.

He even used his own family, the Mill family, as an example to analyze how much tax should be paid based on annual income.

Wei Zhe was truly impressed by the way they immediately offered up their own resources.

After all, if Mi Zhu's words were true, the annual tax rate of the Mi clan of Donghai would be close to one-fifth of the total tax. Compared with the common people's standard of one-thirtieth of the tax, the Mi clan's tax rate was six times higher.

Good heavens, while others make a splash with their new appointments, Mi Zhu's first move is to cut his own throat.

Putting everything else aside, the remaining powerful clans of Qingzhou were probably dumbfounded by this ruthlessness...

(End of this chapter)