The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 255 Two Capitals and Nineteen Provinces

The summer days are getting hotter and hotter, and as far as the eye can see, everything is lush and green.

The various departments in the capital were extremely busy, dealing with matters such as reducing the number of members of the imperial family and abolishing old policies. All the affairs of the nine provinces and all regions were weighing on the shoulders of these hundreds and thousands of people.

The Hall of Literary Glory.

A group of Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet stood on either side of the Emperor, and Yang Rong was reporting on the current situation in the Ming Dynasty.

"Now, the Ming Dynasty has two capitals and fourteen provinces. All provinces are governed by three departments. Among them, Zhejiang, Henan, Shaanxi, Huguang, Shandong, and Jiaozhi provinces each have a governor who holds the title of Vice Censor-in-Chief, a third-rank official. This has gradually become a precedent since the late emperor first ordered court officials to govern the provinces."

"The idea of ​​adding a province proposed by Lord Shouzheng is roughly as follows: to establish a separate province for the land in Liaodong within the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission. Liaodong is a military stronghold, and the same reason was used to establish Guizhou as a province."

During the Ming Dynasty, Liaoning Province was later under the jurisdiction of Shandong. Li Xianmu valued the situation in Liaodong and believed it was necessary to establish a separate province to coordinate with the military and political affairs of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission. This move was for the sake of stability in Liaodong.

Zhu Gaochi thought for a moment and readily agreed, “Shandong and Liaodong are separated by Zhili and Bohai, which is indeed inconvenient. They should be established as separate provinces. Since they are located in the Liao River basin and in Liaodong, I hope that there will be peace there forever, so let’s name it Liaoning.”

"A Liaoning governor shall be permanently stationed there, to support the commander of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, to cultivate the land and increase population, thus securing the northeastern border of our Great Ming Dynasty forever."

The crowd responded in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."

"There's no need for such formalities between us, ruler and subject. Let's talk about everything else."

Yang Rong glanced at Li Xianmu, who said softly, "Your Majesty, I will now speak."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji both sat up straight. It must be quite something that Li Xianmu was speaking in person.

As expected, Li Xianmu's first words shook the entire Hall of Literary Glory—

"Your Majesty, what we are considering is to split up Southern Zhili."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji were immediately dumbfounded. The idea of ​​splitting up Southern Zhili was simply outrageous.

“There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers on the earth.” Li Xianmu’s voice was very calm. “Although the Ming Dynasty has two capitals, the North and the South, it does not need two Zhili (administrative regions). The territory of the South Zhili is too large.”

The last three words struck everyone's hearts like a boulder, weighing heavily on them and making it hard to breathe. These three words also revealed why Li Xianmu wanted to split up Southern Zhili.

Ultimately, it was due to Nanjing's special political status.

To use an analogy, Nanjing is like an emperor emeritus, but an emperor emeritus must be powerless. However, the Southern Zhili region, with Nanjing as its core, is incredibly large and incredibly wealthy. Even though the imperial court sent several waves of people to garrison Nanjing, including nobles, eunuchs, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it still made people uneasy.

After Li Xianmu raised the matter in the cabinet, it was discussed briefly and then unanimously approved by the cabinet. Thus, the matter was brought before the emperor.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. Zhu Gaochi slowly said, "Nanjing is the place where the dragon rose, and we must be careful. If it is to be divided, Mingda, what are your plans?"

These words cheered the cabinet members, indicating that the emperor was not opposed to it, but rather wanted to see if it was suitable.

"Our initial plan is to retain only Nanjing and Yingtian Prefecture, allowing Yingtian Prefecture to exist independently alongside the other provinces, while the other prefectures will be separated from Southern Zhili."

Although the concept of municipalities directly under the central government did not exist in this era, there were still examples of separate administration. In essence, the prefectures of the two directly administered regions were both separately administered.

“A province spanning the Yangtze River was established in the eastern part of Southern Zhili, with Suzhou as its capital, while Fengyang was established in the western part of Southern Zhili.”

After the provinces were established, the customs north and south of the Yangtze River differed. The Huai River region was divided, allowing Shandong, Henan, and the two newly established provinces to share the land, preventing separatism. Secondly, the Jiangnan region was divided, and after its establishment as a province, unlike Zhili (the former capital of the Tang Dynasty), a distinction arose between local areas.

The policy of dismantling provinces was intended to reduce local power and consolidate the central government. The transfer of provinces, prefectures, and counties was also for this purpose, and both the emperor and the crown prince understood this very well.

Once Southern Zhili is divided into three parts, there will be no one in the entire south that can threaten the capital.

"What about the Six Ministries and Five Offices in Nanjing?" Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji asked hesitantly. "If only Yingtian Prefecture is retained, wouldn't the institutions in Nanjing be redundant?"

The entire set of government institutions in Nanjing is the most difficult problem to solve among the three parts of Nanjing. The livelihoods of the million canteen workers depend on it, and now it depends on the livelihoods of the high-ranking government officials.

However, since Li Xianmu and the others had already discussed it, they were naturally prepared. Li Xianmu said confidently, "If this division of provinces is really implemented, there will be five more provinces in the court. The vice ministers of the six ministries in Nanjing who have made contributions can be appointed as provincial governors, while those who have not made contributions will be demoted to provincial inspectors."

The six ministers of Nanjing were directly transferred to various provinces to serve as governors with the title of minister, while the other officials of middle and lower ranks were transferred to various provinces to serve as provincial officials such as the provincial education commissioner.

Therefore, the number of senior civil servants in Nanjing is still insufficient.

Upon hearing Li Xianmu's explanation, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji immediately understood. Indeed, once the provinces were divided, the prefecture and county levels would not change much, but the provincial-level officials would immediately require five more sets of leadership teams.

Moreover, most provinces in the Ming Dynasty do not have permanent governors, and there are many vacant official positions. It is not difficult to place a few retired ministers of the Six Ministries in Nanjing.

"But why did the teacher mention five provinces? Liaoning is a separate province, and Southern Zhili is divided into three provinces, making a total of three provinces. What about the other two?" Zhu Zhanji asked in confusion.

Li Xianmu pointed to the map of the Ming Dynasty and said, "It is like this. The eight hundred li Dongting Lake is where the State of Chu emerged during the Spring and Autumn Period. The land here is fertile, the transportation is convenient, and the population is large. However, the people are unruly and will become a major threat if there is any change. Since we are dividing the province, I suggest dividing it in two, north and south of Dongting Lake, to weaken its power."

The same principle applies to Shaanxi. As early as the Yuan Dynasty, the Gansu Provincial Government was established in the Hexi Corridor. To the west of Gansu lies the Western Regions, which had been lost for hundreds of years. In order to govern the seven garrisons of Guanzhong, and to be able to advance or retreat as needed, I believe it is necessary to establish a province here.”

Zhu Zhanji then understood.

Li Xianmu did not stop, pointing to the map of the Ming Dynasty and continuing: "After the division of provinces, the territories of each province of the Ming Dynasty will also be changed. The Mongols have placed Hanzhong under Shaanxi, which I think is very good and should be followed."

I just explained that the division of the Huai River into four parts is similar. The territories of the provinces of the Great Ming should be intertwined, and then people with different languages, cultures, and terrains should be brought together.

The mountains and passes of one province were to be divided among other provinces to prevent any separatist regime from opposing the central government.

here……

here……

And here too.

Li Xianmu pointed to each point on the map and explained his ideas, which excited Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji. They had been hesitant about whether or not to split up Southern Zhili, but after hearing his explanation, they immediately agreed.

"Mingda is truly my treasure!" Zhu Gaochi slapped his thigh heavily, his heart filled with excitement. "I have granted all of today's proposals."

Since the boundary between Huguang (Hunan and Hubei) is Dongting Lake, the other side follows the ancient road and is divided into Hunan and two other provinces, North and South.

As for the division of Southern Zhili into three parts, it is inappropriate for Fengyang, located in the western part of Southern Zhili, to be the provincial capital. Similar to Yingtian Prefecture, it will be separated and administered separately. I will appoint a prince to govern Fengyang.”

No one objected; Fengyang was indeed unsuitable, given its potential to become a "royal prison." During the Yongle era, almost all members of the imperial family, including Zhu Yunwen's descendants, were imprisoned within the high walls of Fengyang.

"In the western part of Southern Zhili, I remember that Anqing Prefecture and Huizhou Prefecture have always been of great importance, so I named it Anhui and made Anqing Prefecture the provincial capital."

The eastern part of the province straddles the Yangtze River and should be named Jiangning, but since Suzhou Prefecture is the provincial capital, let's name it Jiangsu.

After finishing his speech in one breath, Zhu Gaochi said happily, "Now my Great Ming Dynasty has two capitals and nineteen provinces."

Zhu Gaochi looked at the map again, recalling Li Xianmu's writing and drawing on it. The more he looked at it, the more perfect it seemed. "With this division, the court can be as stable as Mount Tai."

Zhu Zhanji suddenly thought of another very serious matter: "If we divide it like this, the provinces will naturally have no power to threaten the court, and we don't have to worry about anyone seizing power and opposing the court. But what if someone rebels?"

Anyone with even a basic understanding of history knows that the Han Dynasty was much more fragmented than it is now, with hundreds of commanderies and kingdoms, much like modern prefectures. Their power was even more dispersed. However, as the dynasty developed, the court realized that such fragmentation was not an option. If bandits fled, the lack of a unified force would restrict them in every way.

The governorship also emerged in this way. The three provincial-level departments checked and balanced each other, leading to inconsistent orders, which is why the governorship, a powerful regional official with centralized authority, came into being.

Li Xianmu explained: "The governor is in charge of the civil affairs of a province and gives some military affairs. He is the real ruler of the province. The provincial administration commissioner and the provincial judicial commissioner are his subordinates, but the commander is not."

When war actually breaks out, the imperial court will appoint a military commander to transfer military power over several provinces, and the commanders of those provinces will all obey his orders.

What Li Xianmu was referring to was the governor-general system, a dual-headed system of governor-general and provincial governor. The governor-general held a higher position, but his actual power was not great; he only surpassed the provincial governor during wartime.

There has never been a perfect system in this world. The governor-general system is one of the most tried and tested systems. Zhu Gaochi frowned and thought for a long time before slowly saying, "Dividing the provinces and then appointing governors has been a fixed practice since the beginning of this dynasty. As for future matters, we can discuss them later."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood that the governorship system was originally temporary, but now it had become permanent.

"Your Majesty, now that the position of governor has become permanent, it is no longer appropriate to hold a concurrent post. I wonder what rank should be assigned to it?"

"The provincial governor is a second-rank official, while the provincial governor is appointed by the central government and comes from the Censorate. He is called the provincial governor and censor-in-chief. I think it is appropriate to rank him as a second-rank official."

The head of the Censorate is the Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, both of the second rank. Next are the Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, both of the third rank. Now, with just one word from the Emperor, nineteen more Governors-in-Chief have been added, all of the second rank!

Although these governors and censors did not hold positions in the capital, it was still a major upheaval for the Censorate.

(End of this chapter)