The system of three officials and nine ministers is actually not a bad system. At least they perform their own duties, which makes the political structure at the upper level clearer and the officials at the middle and lower levels know what they should do.
But in the eyes of some emperors, the Sangong and Jiuqing system was something that restricted their rights.
For example, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty.
In the early Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty was newly established. With the help of the Sangong and Jiuqing system, the Han Dynasty recuperated and slowly recovered from the wars in the late Qin Dynasty.
However, during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty discovered that the system of Sangong and Nine Ministers severely restricted the imperial power and was not conducive to his implementation of centralization of power and launching large-scale wars against the Xiongnu.
Therefore, starting from the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a series of reforms were carried out in the Sangong and Jiuqing system. The purpose of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was to strengthen the centralization of power and control all the so-called "outer dynasty" and "inner dynasty" in his own hands.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty himself was very talented and strategic in the early days. Through a series of reforms, he took all the internal and external affairs into his own hands, and dismissed official positions such as Taiwei that added constraints to him. However, in the later period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, this kind of centralized power Disadvantages also appeared.
As Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty became more and more successful, he continued to use troops abroad, which led to the weakening of the country's strength and serious losses in Dingkou. What's even more terrible is that because Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty single-handedly controlled the government, as long as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not repent, no one could restrain him. The power in the hands of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not bury his famous name in his lifetime. He woke up in time, issued the Luntai Sinner Edict, and began to recuperate and recuperate. Only then did the national destiny of the Han Dynasty be preserved.
Later, after Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty came to the throne, he realized the shortcomings of this system and once again reformed the Sangong and Jiuqing system. While ensuring the authority of the emperor, he avoided the situation that occurred in the late period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After the reform of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Some adjustments have been made to the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers system.
Later, during the period of Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty, the prime minister, who was responsible for commanding hundreds of officials in the outer court, was deposed. As a result, there was no longer a clear distinction between the outer court and the inner court. The three gongs and nine ministers were in charge of the government affairs and assisted the emperor respectively. The Han Dynasty began a two-hundred-year-long There has been no prime minister to assist the government for many years. The system of three ministers and nine ministers at this time is actually completely different from the original system of three ministers and nine ministers.
Later, after the turmoil in the late Western Han Dynasty and the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the so-called Three Gongs and Nine Ministers system had become existential in name only.
As Cao Cao re-established the Prime Minister and opened the Prime Minister's Office, he took over all the power. All government affairs of the court were decided by the Prime Minister's Office. The assistant officials of the Prime Minister's Office had more say than the three ministers and nine ministers of the imperial court.
The so-called Sangong has become an honorary position with no real power, while Jiuqing has long been a position in Qingshui Yamen, without any real power at all, and no one is willing to take it.
The official system of the Han Dynasty has reached the point where it is impossible to change it.
However, the key point here is whether to restore the three gongs and nine ministers system of the early Han Dynasty, or to re-establish an official system to replace the three gongs and nine ministers system.
One thing to say is that there is nothing wrong with the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers system, but is Liu Bei really willing to reset the positions of Taiwei, Prime Minister, and Yushi Zhongcheng that disperse the emperor's power? !
Liu Bei is not Liu Chan, and Ji Han is not at the "critical stage of survival" now. It is impossible for Liu Bei to choose to concentrate all power on Zhuge Liang alone in order to achieve a stable and transitional regime.
Although Liu Bei still trusted Zhuge Liang and believed in Zhuge Liang's ability and character, Zhuge Liang did not have such a strong desire for power. Historically, if it were not for the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang would not have chosen to "integrate the palace and the palace."
Therefore, the issue of officialdom is not only something that needs to be discussed by the subjects, but Liu Bei's subjective will is also very important.
The system of the Three Gongs and Nine Ministers is binding on the imperial power, but in this troubled time without unification, Liu Bei's group is in a remote place. If they cannot concentrate all resources to do things, they will have to go back and forth between internal dynasties and external dynasties. If you are wrangling, it will be very hard to stabilize the internal political situation, let alone the Northern Expedition.
However, the official system is generally not easy to change after it is established. If the situation in Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in his later years were to happen again, I am afraid that most of the ministers would not be willing to see it.
Therefore, regarding the reform of the official system, the controversy in the northern part of the Liu Bei Group is very large.
Some people advocate returning to a state where the three princes and nine ministers perform their own duties. Although it will limit the imperial power, it can at least ensure the stability of the court and prevent the situation from being turbulent due to the emergence of individual "mediocre kings".
However, some people believe that centralization of power must be strengthened and efforts must be concentrated to do major things. When the world is unified in the future, it will be too late to carry out official reform.
The two parties were quarreling very fiercely. Both parties had their own selfish motives and ideas, including Liu Bei's own will.
In Liu Bei's group, the top civil servants were weighing the pros and cons, and no one easily took sides.
Whether it is Fazheng, Pang Tong or Liu Ba, in fact, they all find it very difficult to reform the official system. On the one hand, they must take into account Liu Bei's will and emotions, and on the other hand, they must also take into account the powerful people in Shuzhong and Jingzhou. interests, so they dare not express their opinions easily.
After all, with their status, once they express their stance, they will take a stand, which is a force that Liu Bei cannot ignore.
As for Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang really doesn’t have any problem with expressing his stance or not.
Others may not know clearly and think that Zhuge Liang is half Jingzhou and must represent the interests of the Jingzhou family. However, those who have really come into contact with Zhuge Liang know that Zhuge Liang is firmly on Liu Bei's side.
Zhuge Liang's consideration was actually very simple. He wanted to formulate an official system that would not only serve Liu Bei's interests, but also help stabilize the current political situation.
So Zhuge Liang took Zhang Xi and chatted for a long time.
Why are you looking for Zhang Xi? !
Because Zhang Xi is from Yingchuan and has little contact with the aristocratic families in Jingzhou and Shuzhong, it is impossible for him to have any conflicts of interest with them.
Secondly, the bunch of gadgets that Zhang Xi created, whether it was papermaking, printing, or Yuelu Academy, were simply digging into the family's lifeblood. Not to mention that Zhuge Liang didn't dare to use it directly. The trump card-the imperial examination system.
It is absolutely impossible for Zhang Xi to side with the noble family, so discussing with Zhang Xi can help Zhuge Liang get the greatest inspiration.
Then... Zhuge Liang regretted it again.
To be honest, sometimes Zhuge Liang really wants to have a good chat with Zhang Xi to see what kind of mess this guy has in his mind.
Talk to Zhang Xi about the official system, and this guy can actually tell you a bunch of stuff.
But the problem is that most of the things Zhang Xi mentioned are superficial and very superficial.
For example, Zhang Xi once suggested Zhuge Liang to implement the "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System", but Zhang Xi could not fully explain how the "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System" would work and how to strengthen the imperial power while also limiting it.
Zhang Xi only remembers the functions of various provinces and ministries, but when it comes to how to operate specific things, Zhang Xi can't explain why.
In fact, it's okay so far. After all, this "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System" sounds a bit similar to the Sangong and Nine Ministers system. They divide their respective powers. However, it limits the rights of the Sangong and the Nine Ministers and only gives them the responsibility for specific affairs. However, they were not given the right to deal with affairs accordingly. The direct responsibility of the officials of each province and department was still the emperor. This was considered to have split the power of the prime minister, but strengthened the imperial power. Zhuge Liang could still understand and was deeply inspired by this.
But Zhuge Liang shouldn't talk too much and ask what to do if the emperor is too young to govern.
I really don’t blame Zhuge Liang, because there were too many baby emperors in the Eastern Han Dynasty. By that time, it was basically relatives or eunuchs who interfered in politics, which led to quite serious consequences.
When formulating an official system, we must take precautions.
Zhuge Liang was mainly worried about how the government would operate when there was another baby emperor who was unable to govern alone.
After all, whether it is the "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System" or the "Three Gongs and Nine Ministers System", the ultimate direct responsible person is the emperor. If the emperor cannot manage politics, he will give his relatives or eunuchs a reason to do so.
Then Zhang Xi told Zhuge Liang about the "cabinet" and "shangshufang" systems.
If the emperor is too young to govern, then the ministers should recommend a small group of low-ranking officials and powerful people to help the emperor govern. They will return to power when the emperor reaches adulthood.
As for the so-called "cabinet" or "shangshufang", all their rights are pinned on the imperial power. They will definitely work hard to safeguard the imperial power to ensure their own rights. However, because they are elected by ministers, they cannot be completely separated from the prime minister's power. It will inevitably fall into a situation where although it has a high position and authority, there is a gap between the ministers and the ministers, preventing the birth of powerful ministers.
Want to be a powerful minister? !
Then you have to ask the officials first if they agree, and at the same time you have to ask the emperor if he agrees.
Zhang Xi believes that the "cabinet" and "shangshufang" systems are actually good. At least the Ming Dynasty was able to live for two hundred years even though the emperors were weird. The "shangshufang" system of the Qing Dynasty did not infringe on imperial power. , whether it is the chief assistant or the minister of military aircraft, they can be exempted at the emperor's request, and they cannot effectively threaten the imperial power at all.
But after Zhuge Liang heard this, he was so stupid that this was such a messy system.
If Zhang Xi's suggestions are followed, there will be serious contradictions between the "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System" and the "Cabinet Shangshufang System".
The Cabinet Monk's Study Room basically completely deprives the three provinces of their rights, which will lead to the overlapping of responsibilities of the two departments, a waste of administrative resources, and the inability to improve administrative efficiency.
Therefore, what Zhang Xi said was actually two parallel systems, but they were just different trade-offs between imperial power and prime ministerial power.
It's okay not to listen. After listening, Zhuge Liang's focus was not only on how the official system can ensure the operational efficiency of the central government, but also on the balance between imperial power and prime ministerial power.
So, what kind of brain circuit does this guy use to think about these conflicting and contradictory things? !
(End of chapter)
