Chapter 286: Han succeeded Zhou and its destiny was to be renewed (Part 2)
Even talented people like Xiao He and Zhang Liang could not think so far ahead, but everyone knew that once the status of the court was improved, the status of people like them would be greatly improved.
An official with a salary of 1,000 dan, once sent to a remote place, could even serve as a prime minister with a salary of 2,000 dan, then be transferred to be a county governor with a salary of 2,000 dan, and finally return to Chang'an to serve as one of the Nine Ministers. This is the most perfect promotion process.
The best part is that these adjustments affected officials within the kingdom, not the princes.
It is obvious that the position of the Prime Minister is not a permanent one. For the current Han Dynasty, the Son of Heaven and the Emperor have not yet been completely distinguished, and there is only the Prime Minister who ranks above the princes.
As the emperor's assistant, the prime minister's status is extremely high.
Except for powerful princes like King Zhao, princes with weaker national strength did not dare to offend the prime minister.
The reason why Luo Chen did this was because he knew that the current seemingly peaceful scene would not last long. During the Zhou Dynasty, the princes were killing each other fiercely. Why?
Because the two big countries of similar size with no political trust were too close to each other, and the Zhou royal family had no ability to reconcile the conflict, the situation in the world got out of control.
The current central court has much stronger control than the original Zhou royal family and no longer needs so many princes across counties and prefectures, especially in core areas such as Han and Wei.
Lu Zhi was a little tired of talking, so she asked Luo Xin to start reading out the assistants and subordinates of these senior officials.
This is a complete set of supporting facilities. Xiao He suddenly thought of something and asked hurriedly: "Queen Mother, should Lingnan Kingdom inform the Prime Minister about this matter? According to what you said, Lingnan Kingdom needs a corresponding institution."
King Zhao Tuo of Lingnan is the most special existence in the current order. He is a member of the Zhuxia system, but at the same time he is a vassal king of foreign countries, which is completely different from the prince of the Liu family.
If the trend in Ji Zhao's previous life had been followed, Zhao Tuo would have eventually become an ordinary tributary vassal state, and its status would not have been high. But now the situation is different.
The existence of the Luo family greatly elevated the concept of the Xia Dynasty and stripped away some of the powers that belonged to the emperor. Until the coronation of Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, their prestige had reached a point where it could not be higher.
At least at this time, it is by no means an empty statement that Luo and Huang share the world. Of course, the Luo family will take advantage of this convenience to do things, and the existence of Zhao Tuo is an attempt.
In the future, when the Han Dynasty expands to a larger world, there may be many vassal states, such as the Western Regions mentioned by the ancestor Su Wang, but the vassal states of the various Chinese countries are different from the vassal states of foreign countries.
From the most basic theoretical point of view, anyone from the Xia Dynasty has the opportunity to become the emperor.
The vassal states of the various states were directly managed by the emperor and the prime minister, while the vassal states of foreign countries were managed by the Nine Ministers Agency. The difference between the two was very obvious.
As for which ones are considered vassal states of the Zhu Xia and which ones are considered foreign vassal states, there is naturally a clear definition. In short, it is a definition and system that can allow the Zhu Xia to flourish and expand outward.
Upon hearing this, Lü Zhi said, “Not only will I notify you, I will also send a prime minister to Lingnan to have the King of Lingnan reorganize the country.
In the past, the Zhou Dynasty granted fiefs to princes with the surname Ji in the land of Wu and Yue. As a result, the state of Wu was assimilated by the local people and cut their hair and tattooed their bodies. It was not until Duke Xuan brought the state of Wu back into the system of the Xia Dynasty that the state gradually became familiar with the Zhou rites.
This was a dereliction of duty by the Zhou emperor, and the Han Dynasty would never allow such a situation to happen.
We must remember our ancestors in the Central Plains and never forget that the roots of the Chinese nation are in the Central Plains."
Xiao He was startled. Zhao Tuo had brought hundreds of thousands of people to Lingnan, and who knew how many of them were still alive after all these years. There seemed to be some deep meaning in the Queen Mother's words.
Zhang Liang pondered for a moment. Just from what he had heard so far, this was a very large central official system. There would be about 30% more officials at the court level alone. Even if some of them held concurrent positions, this was still a huge stretch.
What a wise man he was. He saw at a glance that this was a preparation to consolidate local power. He set up the framework now so that he could directly take over the blank areas when the time came. He would not fall into the predicament of the Qin Dynasty, which conquered the six kingdoms but the six kingdoms remained the same as before.
In addition, combined with the previous idea of respecting the imperial court and demoting the vassal states, this move was also intended to gather all the talents in Shandong to Chang'an.
Thinking of this, Zhang Liang couldn't help but look at Luo Xin and Luo Chen. What on earth were the Queen Mother and these two thinking?
When Luo Xin's voice stopped, the court's new official system was read out to everyone. Although this system increased the number of officials, it was more organized and clear.
Luo Chen stripped off all those overlapping functions and clarified the specific responsibilities of each of the Nine Ministers. It was clear at a glance who did a good job and who did a poor job, and it was difficult to shirk responsibility.
Fengchang and Zongzheng were merged into one, but still called Zongzheng, in charge of the affairs of the entire clan, reporting directly to the emperor, accepting the emperor's orders, and not accepting the prime minister's dispatch.
Luo Chen also did not make any major adjustments to the three Nine Ministers who were in charge of the emperor's guards. It would be better to let the emperor do these things himself.
His biggest adjustment was to greatly enhance the status of the prime minister's assistants. Among the original nine ministers, only the Nei Shi and Shao Fu could really be involved in governing the country, and Shao Fu was more like the purse of the royal family.
Luo Chen believed that this was not conducive to the governance of the country. The promotion of officials, the construction of large-scale water conservancy facilities, the land and grain of the world, and the management of the world's commerce, none of these was not of vital importance.
Even though these people work under the Prime Minister's Office, the status and treatment of the Nine Ministers must be implemented.
These adjustments were like a bomb that hit everyone dizzy. Some people were suddenly promoted, or at least their salaries increased sharply. Others suddenly found that their entire offices had been merged.
The hall suddenly became noisy, with everyone talking about something. But when they came to their senses, they realized that although the adjustment was big, it was actually just a clear adjustment of superiors and subordinates and responsibilities.
The entire court became a very flat governing body. Events such as offering sacrifices to heaven, which had little practical significance for restoring production throughout the country, were reduced. The prime minister took over a large number of government affairs, and the various government offices under the prime minister's office gained more decision-making power through the upgrading of the Nine Ministers.
This has positive significance for the subsequent recovery. Officials do not need to consult the prime minister on everything, and the prime minister does not need to consult Lu Zhi on everything.
Freed from the complicated and ineffective affairs, Lu Zhi had more time to think about future plans.
We can propose strategic plans for the affairs of the world and let efficient governing bodies implement them.
After these matters were announced, the most important thing was of course to confirm the candidate for prime minister. Lü Zhi asked with a smile: "Lord Ling, you are highly respected and have been the prime minister since the founding of the Han Dynasty. I think you are the best candidate for prime minister."
Xiao He was shocked when he heard this, and bowed without hesitation, saying: "Queen Mother, I am old, and you have made a new system. The responsibility of the Prime Minister is heavier than Mount Tai. My current body is really unable to bear such a heavy responsibility. Please choose another wise minister."
Lü Zhi nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "Alas, the Marquis of Ling is so talented, but I am too old to take over the government. It is such a pity. I will increase the fief of the Marquis of Ling by 200 households.
Lord Ying, you said that you should choose another wise minister. I wonder who is the wise minister in your mind?
You have been the prime minister for many years, so you must know the officials in the palace best."
Xiao He did not hesitate at all and said loudly: "I dare to say that the Marquis of Dong'e is unparalleled in talent. Although I have not been in contact with the Marquis of Dong'e for a long time, the strategies in the Marquis of Dong'e are a hundred times better than mine.
He is especially good at enriching the country. Now the world is exhausted. If there is a talent like Dong'e Hou, it will surely prosper. I congratulate the Queen Mother. In this difficult time, the country has such a wise minister. This is a blessing for the Queen Mother and the Han Dynasty. "
The voice was loud and powerful, but there was no sense of old age at all.
Lü Zhi sat at the head of the table. Upon hearing this, she clapped her hands and said with emotion, "Marquis of Ling is truly a man of high character. He resigned from the position of prime minister and gave way to his colleagues. He is willing to recommend colleagues with great talents. I am really pleased. If such a wise minister is not rewarded, how can he still stand in the world?
I will add another 200 households to the fief of the Marquis of Ling."
Xiao He said with shame on his face: "I just recommended talents for the country, but the Queen Mother has bestowed such a great favor on me. I really have no way to repay you."
The harmonious relationship between the emperor and his subjects made everyone else in the hall extremely envious.
You are so shameless, Xiao He, for the sake of posthumous reputation and favor. How long have you known the Marquis of Dong'a, yet you are so unrestrained as to say such disgusting words.
If Xiao He knew what these people were thinking, he would probably just want to sneer. I am not lying. Marquis Dong'e is talented. If Marquis Ying can be recalled, the combination of the two will be invincible.
The joy on Lü Zhi's face was completely undisguised. She asked Luo Xin directly: "Dong'e Hou, Ling Hou recommended you to be the prime minister. I know your talents best and I also think you are the most suitable candidate. What do you think?"
Luo Xin bowed slightly and said, "The Queen Mother has bestowed upon me grace. I have nothing else to say except to devote myself to my service."
It’s true.
All the officials in the hall had an expression of "as expected". When they saw the official system and the prime minister position with such great power, many people guessed that this must be the position of Dong'a Hou Luo Xin.
Although Luo Xin had been appointed prime minister before, his situation was completely different from now. In the entire world, Luo Xin was second only to one person.
Ding ding ding!
The bell rang again, and the court officials slowly left the Weiyang Palace. Lu Zhi and Luo Xin watched this scene side by side.
Lü Zhi said softly, "Sir, the burden of the world rests on our shoulders."
Luo Xin smiled and said, "E'er, this is a blessing!"
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During this institutional reform at the beginning of the Han Dynasty, many scholars have seized on the weakening of imperial power to argue that the Han court decentralized power in order to restore the exhausted world. However, the author does not agree with this point at all. On the contrary, through institutional reform, the Han court actually strengthened centralization of power institutionally.
This requires mentioning the similarities and differences between the two concepts of centralization and monarchy. Centralization is a broader concept. The Han court was an entire collective centered on the emperor. In the struggle between imperial power and prime ministerial power, the imperial power may have given in slightly, but the entire Han court was striding forward.
The emperor may have made some concessions in the central government, but he was more majestic in the world. We can say that compared with the Qin Dynasty, the degree of monarchy in the Han Dynasty was not as high, but the degree of centralization in the Han Dynasty was definitely higher than that of the Qin Dynasty. Only by distinguishing these two concepts can we understand the historical direction of the Han Dynasty. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Han Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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