"Changshi Yuwen Zuo, you are accompanying the Holy Emperor on his inspection tour of several counties in the south of the Yangtze River. You might as well tell us what you feel and think, so that we bureaucrats who have lived in Tokyo for a long time and are not familiar with the local conditions can learn from it. The official said it well, and we will live to see it.
Learn as you grow old!"
Cai Bian's tone was very relaxed, and he chuckled happily at the end.
The laughter resonated with everyone present, and they chuckled in unison. The atmosphere in the meeting hall, which had been a little frozen due to the dispute, immediately became harmonious.
Yu Wenxuzhong laughed along with him. When everyone's laughter faded away, he coughed twice, just like the cry of swallows outside the silent woods.
The meeting hall soon became quiet.
"I followed my imperial commander to visit the counties of Lianghuai, Donghai, Liangjiang and Lianghu, and I had the honor to listen to the teachings of the officials. I am willing to share it here to encourage my colleagues."
Yu Wenxuzhong paused for a few moments, and seeing everyone smiling and nodding, he continued.
"On the bank of the Yangtze River, an official once told me that if a country has cohesion, it will naturally have centrifugal force. Just like kneading rubble and sand into a ball, if you knead it well and the cohesion is enough, it will become granite; if you knead it poorly, the cohesion will be lost.
If it’s not enough, it’s just a ball of mud that will fall apart as soon as you let go.”
"What is cohesion? Loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, unity, strength in the southeast, northwest, and central direction, this is cohesion. It is with this cohesion that the Song Dynasty can destroy Xixia, Northern Liao and Dali, and be able to enjoy peace all over the world.
Create a peaceful and prosperous age. However, there are always mortals in this world, and ordinary mortals cannot share hardships or wealth."
"When a disaster strikes, you only care about preserving your own life and interests; when wealth comes, you are afraid that others will share some of it. One person, one family, one clan, one township, one county, one state or even one county all have their own demands and must fulfill them.
They are their own masters and put their own interests first. Everyone cares about their own interests, and even harms the public welfare for their own interests. This is centrifugal force."
Yu Wenxu spoke eloquently. Everyone listened attentively and understood the meaning of his words.
The centrifugal force that officials refer to means that counties, prefectures and counties prioritize local self-interest and act independently without having a sense of the overall situation.
This is easy to understand. The wealthy counties such as Jiangdong, Donghai, and Huaidong paid nearly half of the taxes paid by the Song Dynasty every year. In addition to maintaining the operation of the court, this money also subsidized poor counties such as the northwest.
Why do we have to pay so much tax every year when others only pay so much? Wouldn’t it be nice to intercept it and use it on fellow villagers to improve their political performance?
But the barren counties in the northwest have also said that we are bleeding and fighting on the front line to block the iron hoofs and bows and swords of Xixia and Beiliao, so that you can sing and dance every night, live in peace and sleep, and subsidize some money and food, so what?
Everyone has his own calculations and demands. In a big family, every house and every household has to fight openly and secretly. In such a big country, everyone's calculations and demands will definitely be more.
Yu Wenxu looked around at the crowd and saw that everyone was listening intently, so he continued.
"The officials have said that cohesion and centrifugal force are the most important relationships between the center and the localities, and they must be handled well. If the cohesion is weak and the centrifugal force is strong, the Song Dynasty will be in disarray, rich but weak, like a child walking in a busy city holding gold.
"The cohesion is strong but the centrifugal force is weak. The Song Dynasty was united but rigid and blind, and ended up in a pool of stagnant water."
"The officials have been emphasizing that there is no best official system, only the most suitable one. How to balance cohesion and centrifugal force depends on the situation. The officials also used the metaphor of horseback riding at that time. Running too slowly will delay the journey.
You need to loosen the reins; if you run too fast, you will trip and fall, so you need to pull the reins - the riding skills of officials are beyond the reach of us ministers."
After hearing Yu Wenxuzhong's meaningful words, everyone felt the same.
Cai Bian smiled slightly and had a very touching expression on his face.
"We have benefited a lot from the official sacred teachings relayed by Chang Shi Yuwen Zuo. Everyone, do you have any other comments?"
Seeing that no one said anything, Cai Bian turned directly to Li Fu and said.
"Mr. Li Ge, you are in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. You are also the envoy to the right of the Establishment and Establishment Regulations Department and the Propaganda Envoy. You assist in the establishment of the central and local government officials. Each county has a general officer. In your
It's within the scope of your responsibilities, so please share your opinions."
According to the suggestions of the officials, the Shangshu Province drafted it, and the Zhongshu Province approved it. The "Regulations on the Establishment of Military and Government Officials" was officially announced in the form of a Ming imperial edict, and a new establishment policy was implemented in the Song Dynasty - central and local, from the Shangshu Province to the county offices.
Any increase or decrease in the quota of any department or official must go through preparation declaration and approval processes.
According to the "Establishment Regulations", the government decided to consolidate the establishment work of the three provinces, as well as the Secretariat Province, the Hanlin Academy, the Gewu Academy, the Hongwen Academy and all the civil service agencies and officials that relied on the emperor's support, into a new department - the establishment and establishment.
Ordinance Department.
Dazai Cai Bian personally served as the envoy of the capital system, Zhang Shuye, the Zuopu She, served as the envoy of the left system, Li Fu, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Zongze, the censor of the Zuo Du, Cai Jing, the senior minister of the left government, and Tan Shiji, the minister in charge, served as the envoy of the right system.
Li Fu also served as the propaganda envoy with the Secretary-General, handling specific matters.
The Establishment and Establishment Regulations Bureau is in charge of civil servants. As for the military attache and military establishment, it is the responsibility of the military affairs office of the school inspection. Li Kui, the envoy of the Privy Council, also serves as the military envoy of the capital school.
, the Zuo Chengxuan envoy of the Fourth Hui Academy also served as the military envoy of the Right School.
When Li Fu heard Cai Bian's roll call, he did not dare to neglect, and after a few moments of deliberation, he spoke.
"Dazai, our opinions have been clearly expressed. They are nothing more than positive and negative opinions. According to the official holy teachings relayed by Yu Wenzuo Changshi, it is how to balance cohesion and centrifugal force. Zhengfang feels that now we need to strengthen cohesion and pull the reins.
, slow down; the other side feels that now we need to maintain the current balance, continue to loosen the reins, and let the horse run faster."
It sounds reasonable to say that no one can be offended, but what he said is equivalent to what he didn't say. Li Fu concluded: "How to control this rein requires great wisdom and perseverance. We are not good at riding, so we dare not make any assertions."
.”
Listening to the meaning of these words, I kind of want to kick the ball back to the officials. This is a big taboo.
The government delegates authority to the cabinet so that you can come up with solutions to many major military and state issues. Now that the problem is thrown back, will the government be happy?
Li Fu, who was good at serving as a minister, would definitely not be so stupid, so he changed the subject when he heard him.
"My subordinate is thinking, I am not good at riding and don't know how to control the reins, but I have to get the reins out."
Wonderful!
Cai Bian praised in his heart, he was indeed the person that Sikou Chang Anmin liked. He also spoke slowly.
"What Li Bu said is very reasonable. How to control the reins needs to be determined according to the current situation, but since the official has raised the problem, we must first put the reins in place to solve the problem. When the time comes, it will be loose or tight.
Let’s talk about the affairs again. In this case, it is appropriate for each county to have a general in charge of county affairs.”
"First Evolution"
Cai Bian immediately decided the tone, and the ministers who had been on the opposite side just now fell silent.
After the debate and Yu Wenxuzhong's "supplements", everyone also understood the official's intention. Moreover, Cai Bian's words also meant that each of them took a step back, so they all waited quietly for the next step. If they didn't agree, they would raise it again.
objection.
Anyway, if it is not passed by consensus, it does not count.
"But the officer cannot have too much authority, so he cannot be an envoy such as an envoy to appease, an envoy to pacify, etc."
Adding "envoy" to the official name means that he is sent by his superiors, has a mission, and has full authority to act expediently.
"Similarly, official names like Duzhi County Affairs are not allowed. Well, how about naming it Pingzhang County Affairs?"
Cai Bian's words made everyone stunned for a moment, and they quickly thought about it in their hearts.
Chang Anmin said: "Pingzhang means to evaluate and discuss matters, but also to distinguish clearly. 'When the nine ethnic groups are in harmony, the people of Pingzhang'. Previously, there were Pingzhang's national affairs, Pingzhang's political affairs, Pingzhang's military and state affairs, all of which were discussed.
Responsible for national affairs. Dazai proposed to establish a new Pingzhang County, which is very good."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion, and then all spoke out in agreement. Fan Chunchun remained silent and no longer spoke out to object.
This matter was approved by consensus. This chapter has been completed!
