Most of the evaluations of the emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty in later generations were negative. They were stupid and incompetent and did not want to make progress; they reused treacherous ministers and brought disaster to the country and the people. In short, there were no positive words. The reason is probably because the Southern Song Dynasty was occupied by the Jin Kingdom after the Central Plains. They rushed to the south of the Huai River and established it. In the following more than a hundred years, not only did they not "return our rivers and mountains", but they were destroyed by the Mongols who came after them.
In the Xianwen Pavilion, I can still see the true thoughts hidden deep in the heart of the Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty from the imperial pen of Lizong of the Song Dynasty. No one wants their home to be occupied by others. On this point, the emperor is no different from ordinary people. There is no difference.
Inadvertently, I looked up at the window to the north. I seemed to be in a trance. I seemed to see a gray-haired old man standing in front of the window, looking at the north with a lonely expression. He was a royal who had fled from the north. The descendant is also a descendant of a Han Chinese named Zhao whose homeland was occupied. No matter how dim-witted he is, no matter how cowardly he is, the distant Central Plains is also the former residence of his Zhao family.
For more than a hundred years, the people and most officials in Lin'an have become accustomed to treating Lin'an as the capital of the Song Dynasty. Only the lonely Song Lizong still followed the instructions of his ancestors and never forgot his homeland in the north, even if it was just a thought hidden in his heart. But he always regarded Lin'an as his place of business. This was one of the reasons why Lizong of the Song Dynasty did not expand the palace aggressively, although it was not the main reason.
Unknowingly, I also stood up and walked to the window. Gradually, I merged with the blurry figure of the old man.
Maybe this is my destiny. The destiny of a guardian. From the moment I stepped into the Young Emperor's Mausoleum, I have shouldered this important task. A dream hidden in Song Lizong's heart. A dream of countless people with lofty ideals. For me Speaking of which, this is no longer a multiple-choice question. Of course, I have only one way to lead the Southern Song Dynasty to the top of the world again. Of course, this is no longer a dream, but my ideal. An ideal that must be realized.
After yesterday's troubleshooting, I have basically understood the layout of the palace. The side hall I often refer to is the Yanhe Hall located behind the Daqing Hall. It is also called the back hall. It is one of the smallest palaces at the front of the palace. Its size is approximately It can accommodate twenty or thirty people at the same time. The hall in the back hall has been changed into a common conference room in later generations according to my imagination. Cups of hot tea are placed on the long conference table. Officials who come here for meetings can enjoy it. The seating and tea treatment are much more comfortable here than in Daqing Hall.
"See Your Majesty."
"Plain body."
After bowing down and bowing down, the ministers sat in their corresponding positions one by one.
"My dear friends, today we will have the last meeting before the official implementation of the provincial reform. The Government Council will state its concerns here. Let's discuss it. Wen Aiqing, let's get started."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Tianxiang stood up and said. "Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, the Government Affairs Council has drawn up detailed plans and steps for the reform of the provincial travel system after discussions over the past few days. It has also recommended that it be implemented first on Fujian Road and Jiangnan West Road. According to the Mongolian intelligence. The Mongolian provincial system is to set up a provincial structure in the form of Zhongshu Sheng. That is, the provincial Zhongshu Ling is the highest official of a province. This is a typical unified management model. And I The original road of the DPRK was jointly responsible by the four supervisors. This is the first issue that needs to be discussed. Which method should be adopted after the reform of the provincial system of the DPRK. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Zhongshu Ling is responsible for The system concentrates the power of a province in the hands of the Zhongshu Ling. It will help improve work efficiency and increase coordination among various departments. However, the shortcomings of this model are also very prominent. It is that the Zhongshu Ling of this province Excessive power of the order can easily lead to corruption. The quality and development of a province largely depends on the ability of this person. However, I am moving towards the original decentralized management, which can easily lead to mutual blame-shifting among various departments and inefficiency. It is low, but it can prevent the existence of one-spoken organizations. Regarding these two systems, the Government Affairs Council is also divided into two factions. Please make the final decision, Your Majesty."
I thought about it and said, "Master, Weng Aiqing, what are your opinions?"
Jia Sidao said calmly: "Your Majesty, I believe that the principle of dividing officials among the four branches should be maintained. Since Taizu, everyone has been worried about the excessive power of the previous military governors. In the end, the current branching system was formed. If According to the Mongols' approach, it will inevitably go against Taizu's wishes and allow the province's Zhongshu Ling to expand his power, so that the imperial court's control over him will gradually weaken."
Weng Yinglong also said: "Your Majesty, the Grand Master's words are very reasonable."
I knocked on the table lightly and said: "There is some truth in what the teacher and minister said. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The reform needs to be done gradually. I think that in the early stage of the provincial system, the original branching officers should be used." Mainly. When the Independent Commission Against Corruption of our government is fully constructed, it will not be too late to transition to the Zhongshuling responsibility system. In the early stage, I plan to change the four-way supervisory department into a three-way supervisory department, cancel the promotion of Chang Ping, and replace it with its original position. Some affairs are handed over to the provincial envoys. The functions and powers of these three supervisory departments are: the envoys lead administrative affairs. They are responsible for the daily management of subordinate states, counties, military and supervisors. They also make recommendations on the appointment and removal of officials in various states and counties. It has the power and supervises the administrative affairs of local officials. Above it is responsible for the Ministry of Personnel and the newly established Ministry of Education and Health; the transfer envoy takes charge of finance and taxation and is responsible for the fiscal revenue and expenditure of the entire province. Above it is the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture. The head of the prison is responsible for judicial and prison matters. He is responsible for the verification of major cases in the province. He also establishes branches in various states and will later be organized into county offices."
In my plan, the provincial level will gradually transform to the model of separation of powers. First, the legislative power lies with the imperial court. I will not delegate power to the local governments for the time being. I will slowly implement the legal system. But I also want to maintain the imperial power. So. My legal system can be called the legal system under the rule of imperial power. The second is administrative power. This requires the envoys of each province to exercise this power. The upper part is the imperial court and the lower part is the local government. So I will gradually replace the local envoys. To become a person with both character and ability. As for the judicial power, the original criminal and prison department will be used. And gradually transition from reviewing major cases to reviewing all cases. That is to say, the case review power of state and county governments will be independent. Establish a procuratorate and court system similar to that of later generations.
Wen Tianxiang asked: "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of setting up a branch at the lower level of the Prison Department?"
"The reform of the provincial system will start from the road level first, and will gradually transition to prefectures and counties. I plan to extend the criminal and prison system downwards. The purpose is to make the current judicial decision-making power of prefectures and counties independent. There is an old saying that goes well. Absolute power will create absolute corruption, especially in the judicial department. Therefore, before we improve the law, we must also avoid giving officials the opportunity to become corrupt."
"Absolute power creates absolute corruption." Zhao Shunsun praised. "Your Majesty is wise."
"The three supervisory departments of the province will perform their respective duties for the time being. We will discuss the next plan after it has been implemented for a while."
"Yes, Your Majesty. The second thing is the issue of candidates for the two provinces. Regarding this issue, there is a lot of controversy in the Government Affairs Council. The ministers and the Ministry of Personnel and Zhongshu Province have discussed this for a long time, but they still can't unanimously agree on this matter. We also need to ask His Majesty to give us clear instructions."
I asked: "Is there someone selected for the Government Affairs Council?"
"Your Majesty, please take a look." Wen Tianxiang handed over a booklet and said.
In the Government Affairs Council, there are those who belong to the imperial power faction, some who belong to the prime minister's power faction, and some who belong to the neutral faction. People from each faction will naturally recommend their comrades to serve as the third-level supervisors of the two major provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi.
After reading it, I said: "Chen Xinshu will be appointed as the institutional envoy of Fujian Province, and Xie Fangde will be appointed as the institutional envoy of Jiangxi Province. As for the candidates you proposed for the transfer envoys between the two provinces and the candidates for prison sentences, I am not familiar with them. Let's do this. Everyone here will vote to determine the priority. In the Government Administration Council, except Wen Tianxiang, each Aiqing has one vote. Shichen and Wen Aiqing each have two votes. Weng Aiqing also counts as one vote. Everyone votes secretly. The one with the most votes is the winner. Preface. Attached is the file of the Ministry of Personnel. I will review it carefully in the evening and announce it at the meeting tomorrow. Of course, I believe that all voters will put national affairs first, put ability first, and vote on the basis of merit."
"Yes. I obey your order."
Regarding the three major supervisory departments in each province, I will increase the power of the institutional envoys in the future. Therefore, I have appointed candidates for the institutional envoys of the two provinces. Chen Xinshu has the ability. As long as he can meet my requirements and follow my pace, it is completely He is capable of the job. I have also read the information about Xie Fangde. He is not afraid of power. There is no problem with his character. As for his ability, according to Wen Tianxiang's evaluation, "Xie Fangde has a very good memory and has a photographic memory." Able. His ability as an official is not inferior to that of his ministers."
As for other positions, I don’t have any suitable candidates. Secondly, I plan to balance the relationship between various factions. I also believe that people here would not dare to recommend an unlearned person. After all, they are all number one. I'm not worried about which faction the person I vote for belongs to. In the whole world, it's the kingdom. The most important thing is to have the ability, the will, and the ability to get things done.
"After I leave, you can start voting. My dear friends, in accordance with our official evaluation system and the latest official code of conduct. For local officials, the Ministry of Personnel has an evaluation every year. Every three years. Any Officials can only serve for one consecutive term in the same position. This is the same regardless of province or branch."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wen Tianxiang asked next. "The third question is: What is the relationship between the Supervisory Office, Nanya and the provinces? What is the connection with the prison sentence?"
"I have said this before. The Supervisory Office does not belong to local control. It is an independent agency. Its role is to supervise officials in various places. Of course, it also includes officials from the Department of Prisons. Neither the Supervisory Office nor Nanya involves ordinary people. case. Its scope of power is limited to supervising whether local officials violate our laws and official code of conduct. Adjustments will be made later depending on the situation."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I understand."
"Well, Mr. Wen Ai, I will announce it to the world today. The reform of the provincial system in our dynasty has officially begun."
"I obey your decree. Your Majesty, I have one last question. Your Majesty said yesterday about the establishment of a Department of Law under the Government Affairs Council."
"Yes. I did say that. With the establishment of the provincial system and many new departments in our dynasty, as well as the development of society, many old laws are either incomplete or inconsistent with today's reality. Laws serve development. Therefore, we must adapt to society. As society develops, the corresponding laws must change accordingly. Master, do you think so?"
Jia Sidao was stunned. He didn't know why I suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, yes."
I smiled: "I have said before that as society develops, supporting policies must also change accordingly. It is not just the laws of our court. All policies must adapt to the current social development. This is called keeping pace with the times. Enter."
"Advancing with the times." Jia Sidao thought secretly in his heart. "Is this Zhao Fu's intention to say that once the emperor is once the minister, I have to adapt to him as the emperor?"