On the 12th day of the 20th year of Wanli, on the first day of the lunar month, Gao Pragmatically was ordered to manage the affairs of the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties, supervise the imperial guard and the seven towns of Xuanda in Jiliao, and also take charge of Tianjin's preparations for war. He was given Shang Fangjian, and all the generals did not have to take orders.
If you are engaged in military law, there is no need to report it.
As soon as the news came out, the matter of "starting the spring and conquering the Yuan Dynasty", which was originally only discussed in private, was directly put on the table, and it was inevitable that there would be a lot of discussion about the highly pragmatic "second managerial strategy".
The previous appointment of a highly pragmatic manager was essentially a bluff by the imperial court to scare people. Therefore, although he set a record that time, that is, while he nominally controlled the frontier army in the seven towns, he did not step down as minister of Rongzheng, and the frontier army in Beijing captured him.
, but because he did not even plan to leave Beijing that time, the court officials did not react much. Although some people expressed that such an action would cause hidden dangers, basically no big noise was made.
However, this time it was different. The power Gao Pragmatic held in his hands was even greater than the last bluff, which immediately caused many officials to express their opposition.
To say that the power is great, it is indeed great: Needless to say, the Imperial Guard is the core elite that the imperial court has worked hard to build over the past few years. Although the entire army only has more than 60,000 people, its artillery equipment is more than twice that of the border troops of the same strength.
, the cavalry unit of the Imperial Guard consists of one man and three horses, which can be said to be the richest in the entire Ming Dynasty;
The four towns of Ji and Liao are Ji Zhen, Liaodong, Changping, and Baoding. Among them, Liaodong has 180,000 soldiers, Jizhou has 180,000 soldiers, Changping has 60,000 soldiers, and Baoding has 40,000 soldiers, which amounts to 460,000 troops.
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There is also Tianjin that is listed separately. This Tianjin town was newly established after Tianjin Port became more and more important. It has not yet been placed under the jurisdiction of Governor Jiliao, so this town is a little exception. It has only about 20,000 horse infantry, but
There is a navy. However, the imperial edict only said that Gao Jingshi should also be in charge of Tianjin's preparations for war. Considering that the navy cannot go to Chahar, Gao Jingshi is not inferior to the 20,000 infantry and cavalry, so Tianjin Town probably will not actually participate in the battle.
The Xuanda side is almost the same as before. Xuanfu has 130,000 soldiers, Datong has 120,000 soldiers, and Shanxi has 70,000 soldiers. The total is 320,000 troops. Calculated in this way, Gao Pragmatic is as good as last time, and his men are still
There are more than 800,000 troops. It seems that there is no difference. Why is it different?
Not to mention that the last time was just a bluff, but this time he actually wants to "supervise" the army. In fact, the following statement about giving Shang Fangjian is even more shocking.
Originally, the status of civil servants in the Ming Dynasty was high. Governors and even governors who were sent to the border areas to oversee military operations were often given the Shang Fang Sword in order to serve as a sufficient deterrent to their generals. However, in the past, the expressions used when bestowing the Shang Fang Sword were
"Those below the rank of commander-in-chief who do not need orders will be engaged in military law", but this time Gao's pragmatic treatment was obviously different. He was "generals and officers who are not ordered to be engaged in military law" and "no need to report".
First of all, the most obvious difference is that Gao Pragmatic has the right to kill Zongbing, the highest-ranking general of the Ming Dynasty, when he believes that the opponent "does not need to die."
This means that he will be killed in vain, without even reporting it to the police, and the court will fully delegate power without imposing any restrictions on him.
Another point is that this sentence is not precise enough and may cause ambiguity. Should the three words "generals" be understood as "all generals" or "all generals"? This difference is
In the sky and on earth, the former only refers to generals, so it doesn't matter. Even if an unlucky general is killed, the princes in the court will probably not feel very distressed in their hearts. However, if it is the latter, then it won't work.
Including civil servants!
How can you kill civil servants? This is tyranny!
Although the words in the imperial edict were a bit vague, officials in the capital were clearly not vague. They wrote to the emperor one after another to ask the emperor to clarify his doubts. This matter must be made clear. Of course, making it clear is not the fundamental issue. The fundamental issue is to ensure that no one can kill civil servants without permission.
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When things got to this point, even the officials of the Practical School could not help themselves. Some people also followed Shangshu and said that it was wrong to kill civil servants without permission. In the long run, the country would be ruined.
If you take a closer look, you will find that, except for most of the direct descendants of Gao Jingshi's family, who were embarrassed and could only remain silent, they were almost in a situation of opposition from the whole court. Gao Jingshi himself also wrote two memorials in succession, the first memorial
He said that he would never indiscriminately accuse civil servants; the second memorial expressed his attitude to the emperor, saying that he did not agree with the power of the emperor to deal with civil servants, and emphasized that this was the power of the emperor, even if it was granted by the emperor
The Emperor (Shang Fang) uses the sword, and his ministers dare not be good at it.
Originally, this matter was supposed to be just a one-word question, and the palace could just respond casually. However, for some unknown reason, the emperor waited for three days without any news. All the memorials were like a pile of mud, and no response was received.
Just when the fermentation in the outer court had become too much, and most of the cabinet ministers felt that they had to remind the emperor by resigning, the palace suddenly handed over a handwriting to the cabinet. This handwriting was not an order, but a proposal.
When asked a question, the emperor asked the cabinet ministers four questions in his handwritten edict: "What is the role of the manager? What responsibilities does he bear? What authority should he be given? What is the end of his duties?"
What is the position of the manager? What is the manager responsible for? What authority should be given to the manager? To what extent is the manager's task considered completed?
These seem to be four clear questions, but the elders are all smart people and know how to extrapolate from the surface to the inside. In fact, the emperor's four questions all point to one thing: how to define "jinglue".
Speaking of which, this may be a chronic disease of the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, there was always a lack of official posts for senior military officers. The civil servants of the imperial court were dispatched to local areas, mostly in special capacities with titles such as the Ministry of War and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
, superior to the three divisions.
The origins and differences between the two positions of governor and governor have been mentioned before. Neither of them are "official officials", but are essentially "official positions". The source of power is not the imperial court structure, but the emperor's temporary appointment. And "
The same is true for "Jinglue". Even compared with the permanent establishment of governors and governors, it is neither permanent nor has its duties been accurately defined.
In other words, the function, power, operation, etc. of the office of governor depend entirely on how the emperor arranges it.
Here we have to flog the "History of the Ming Dynasty" again, because the "History of the Ming Dynasty" says: "In the first year of Tianqi, the Liaodong Jinglue was established. The name of Liaodong Jinglue came from Song Yingchang and Hou Yang Hao in the 20th year of Wanli. By the first year of Tianqi, it was also
Sun Chengzong, the governor of the cabinet, managed Shanhaiguan and was called the auxiliary. In the fourth year of Chongzhen, he was merged into the governor. In the eleventh year, a governor was added to Baoding."
Therefore, it is said that "History of the Ming Dynasty" is often unreliable, and it is obviously wrong here. Judging from the records in "Shilu of the Ming Dynasty", the earliest Jinglue did not appear in the Tianqi period. Of course, "Jinglue" can be understood as a verb here
, understood as something like "operating military affairs with responsibility and military strategy".
For example, on Bingchen in June of the 18th year of Hongzhi: Li Hao, the left minister of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Jinglue Shanhaiguan, returned to Beijing and went to Jinglue to tell his story. From Miaoshan Pass to Miyun Tomb Tiangu Pass, he displayed fifty hectares of wasteland and twenty temples, and built side walls.
It is more than 24,790 feet long, the furrow is more than 3,300 feet long, there are more than 170 piers, towers, towers, barracks, etc., and more than 380 barracks. ("Wuzong"
Record")
In the first month of the 13th year of Zhengde, Guimao: The Tatar bandit Wu Chijin led his troops to Muhetao and entered Yansui. The guards heard about it. The Ministry of War issued an order: "Zhu Luan, the deputy general of Yansui, and the general Hang Xiong, guerrilla attack Zhou Zheng.
Liu Yujun's Anbian camp and other places, Ji Shiying, Feng Dajing and others stationed in the east camp of Convenient Castle; General Liu Yong guarded the town and sent troops at the same time, Ningxia General Anguo guarded the town, Deputy General Lu Ying, guerrilla Li Yongding's Qingshui camp, Huama
Chi, Dingbian camp and other places, together with the East Road generals, ordered soldiers to patrol and call for reinforcements. Zhao Wen, the commander-in-chief of Shaanxi Province, and Zheng Yang, the censor of the capital, were stationed in Guyuan to manage the strategy. Please listen to all the generals and guard the battle by yourself, and there is no need to control it remotely."
From it. ("Wuzong's Records")
In the seventh month of the 16th year of Zhengde's reign, the Ministry of War reported: "Juyong, Zijing, and Daomaguan built piers, towers, and wall trenches, all of which are extraordinary. Li Zan, the royal censor of the capital, has summarized the experience." ("Records of Emperor Shizong")
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In the 11th month of the 30th year of Wanli, Jiashen: From the Imperial Procuratorate, Youdu Censor, Jianda, was the governor of Ji, Liao, Baoding and other military affairs, as well as in charge of food and wages, and the management of war against the Japanese; Youchendu Censor, Hu Yingyuan, was the governor of Zhejiang, etc.
At the local level, he supervises military affairs. ("Records of Shenzong")
Of course, "History of the Ming Dynasty" also has other records, such as Bingzi in June of the 26th year of Wanli: Wan Shide, the censor of Tianjin Qiandu, conducted an expedition to Korea.
As can be seen from the above, the minister of the Ministry of Industry can also take up the position of "Jinglue", so the actual minimum "standard configuration" of "Jinglue" can probably be regarded as the minister. In other words, it is the rank of Shangguan and above in Liubu Hall
Ministers can serve as "strategists" when the emperor deems it necessary.
The mention of Yang Gao in the history of the Ming Dynasty was made in Geng Shen, the leap month of the 46th year of Wanli Period.
Literally understood, Yang Hao's actual position was the left minister of the Ministry of War and the censor of the right Qiandu, responsible for "the management of Liaodong". "Jinglue" is more appropriately understood as a verb here.
There is no problem with this understanding. For example, sometimes, governor and manager are often used together as verbs. For example, "History of the Ming Dynasty" records that on Bingchen of the first month of spring in the twenty-fifth year of Wanli: North Korean envoys came to ask for help. February Bing
Yin, reconsidered the expedition against the Japanese. Bingzi, the former governor, Tongzhi Magui, was the general military officer preparing for the Japanese, and commanded all the armies in the north and south. In the third month of Yisi, Shandong right participated in the political affairs. Yang Hao became the censor of Qiandu, and managed the military affairs of North Korea.
, Xing Jie, the minister of the Ministry of War, was appointed Shangshu, governor of Ji, Liao and Baoding military affairs, and conducted military affairs to ward off the Japanese.
Huh? Xing Jie here is even more interesting. He serves as both the governor and the general manager as the Minister of War.
So to sum up, the ministry of "Jinglue" is really very general, vague, and the definition is very unclear. The emperor "asked" the cabinet in the form of a handwritten letter what this "Jinglue" is and what it is, which is actually the opposite.
General Yijun:
You say that I have given too much power, but economics is a job temporarily appointed by the emperor. How much power is given is comprehensively measured from the importance of the task itself and the power required to complete the task. As the founding of the Ming Dynasty, more than 200 people
The "last war" against Mongolia since 2000 was such a huge event! What's wrong with me giving the "Mongolian-Yuan Economic Strategy" more power than all previous economic strategies?
These four questions, or rather this one question, really stupefied the elders. It’s not that I couldn’t find the words to answer, but it’s that no matter how I answered, it was difficult to say these words accurately.
Are civil servants important? In the opinion of the elders, of course it is extremely important. It is completely politically correct in terms of right and wrong. However, the emperor's meaning is also correct. The elimination of the Meng Yuan is also an out-and-out political correctness for the Ming Dynasty.
Who dares to object to this point of view, it should be very appropriate to go to Xiaoling or Changling to enjoy the Lingchi treatment.
You ask why? Because the Ming Dynasty's "rightness of the country" came from expelling the Tartars and restoring China. This is a fundamental footnote to the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty's rule.
Since it is impossible to make a comparative and selective answer, the cabinet has no choice but to use "question-answering skills" to avoid talking about "which is more important". Instead, it shifts its focus and starts to discuss whether the position of "strategist" needs to be clearly defined, and if so.
Then how to define it, and even discuss whether there should be some changes in the relationship between ministers and officials.
Faced with such a difficult question, Liang Menglong did not intend to "rush to answer" whether it was Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue from the Heart School, or Wu Dui from the Practical School. In the end, it was Wang Jiaping who spoke first.
Wang Jiaping's style remains the same, he speaks without ambiguity and clearly expresses his opposition to fundamental changes to the non-permanent position of manager.
His reason is not complicated. That is to say, the post of manager is created because of the situation. If there is a serious matter in the country and a senior official needs to be temporarily in charge, then a special "manager" will be set up.
Come on. The advantage of doing this is obvious: the manager usually has a lot of power and can only be set up temporarily. If it is set up permanently, who will supervise him and who will check and balance him?
Wang Jiaping's position has always been relatively neutral, and he even has a slight inclination towards the pragmatic school. Although this statement is directed at Gao pragmatism, it is not essentially aimed at Gao pragmatism, a specific person. This is even the case with Wu.
Dui and Liang Menglong knew it very well, so they did not jump out to refute, but planned to wait and see how Shen Yuanfu would answer.
Unexpectedly, before Shen Yuanfu answered, Xu Cifu actually intervened on his own initiative and clearly expressed his agreement with Wang Jiaping's opinion. He believed that the mechanism of setting up the management strategy according to the situation and letting it go after the matter is very good, not only can it be flexible
Deal with various major troubles that occur due to accidents and are completely unpredictable, without causing structural power imbalance, thereby avoiding hidden dangers to the country.
Shen Cifu said meaningfully that everyone should discuss the matter on its own merits and not be too high-spirited - for example, the current problem is actually not that complicated. You just need to understand one thing: if you want to win this battle, you really need to
Does the manager need to have the power to kill frontline civil servants?
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