Chapter 1382: Make a decision

Chapter 1382: Make a decision

  Chapter 1382 Determination

  Qin Lang took a sip of the ginseng tea.

   Luzon people generally like to add **** to Luzon black tea, which has a slightly spicy taste. Qin Lang usually prefers to drink green tea, which tastes lighter but has a long aftertaste.

  Ginseng is not expensive these days, and it was even cheaper in the early years, so not many people take it seriously. The Qin family was the first to start selling ginseng from the Mohe people in Liaodong. The old mountain ginseng that was decades or hundreds of years old in the early years was really cheap. However, it has been several decades, and now that kind of century-old ginseng is rare, and the price is extremely high.

Nowadays, there are many professional ginseng collectors in Mohe. Generally, good wild ginseng has been around for a decade or two. These days, there are basically no ginseng planted artificially, and there are many wild ginseng. Although ginseng picking is hard work, as long as you have experience , It is much more cost-effective than hunting and farming.

  Ginseng, deer, and mink fur are now the three treasures of the Mohe people, and are also loved by nobles in the Central Plains.

The Mohe people have become more honest these years, and they are not so noisy. Now they belong to the Bohai Protectorate and the Heishui Protectorate. The people on the Heishui side are still very barbaric and backward. They are the fishing and hunting tribes who drink blood and usually trade with Tang merchants. Dried fur fish and the like. And the Mohe people on the side of the Bohai Protectorate's Mansion are considered familiar.

In the early years, he hooked up with the Goguryeo people, even many Mohe people joined the Goguryeo country, and later many moved to the Central Plains. For example, Li Jinxing, the Duke of Yan, has a good relationship with Qin Lang. His father Tu Diji is one of Mohe The tribal chief, who failed in the internal struggle in the early years, took the tribe to Yingzhou to defect to the Sui Dynasty, and later entered Youzhou. Tribal people.

   Although the Overseas Chinese Homeland was abolished later, Li Jinxing and the others got better and better, mainly relying on trade and going back to trade with the Mohe people.

When Li Yin was in power, after pacifying the Korean peninsula, he found trouble and sent troops against the Zhumohe tribes dominated by the Baishan tribe and the Sumo tribe. The ministries that fought finally accepted the establishment of the Bohai Protectorate by Datang honestly, and established Some Zhengzhou and military towns and military villages were established, and post stations and border markets were established.

  Later, even Xi Qi was defeated steadily, and finally had to settle in the Horqin Grassland. The hometown of Songmo Raohe in the north of Yanshan Mountain was abandoned, and all of them were given to Datang.

  Only from this aspect, Li Yin actually contributed a lot to Datang.

   Li Yin has been in power for fifteen years, and it is not all random.

  Whether it is the Privy Council, the Transshipment Department, or even the Xuanhui Academy and the Imperial Academy, the balance of power is actually very important for the Tang Dynasty, which has been established for nearly fifty years, and for such a huge Central Plains Empire today.

   Li Yin did nothing wrong.

  Li Shimin gradually merged the power of the three provinces into the Zhengshitang. Although it did speed up the efficiency in various aspects of decision-making and implementation, it made an indelible contribution to the original reform of the Tang Dynasty and its subsequent prosperity.

   But Li Shimin is also a far-sighted emperor. When the emperor is holy and the country is strong, naturally there is no need to worry. After all, such a powerful Zhengshitang is a hidden danger.

  That's why Li Shimin set up the Imperial Academy later, and divided the power of internal control, which in itself divided the power of decision-making.

  From the centralization of the Zhengshitang to the decentralization of the Imperial Academy, this is an inevitable process. When it came to Li Yin, he continued to reduce the power of the political affairs hall, divided the military power into the Privy Council, and allocated the financial power to the transfer envoys. Even the emperor set up Xuanwei Yuan and the Lieutenant of the Guard in the inner court. pattern.

   Is there something wrong?

There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, no matter whether it was the Sangong of the Prime Minister, Taiwei, and Yushi Dafu, or the Sangong and Jiuqing of the Han Dynasty, and the later Chinese and foreign dynasty systems, and then to the three provinces and six departments of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and then to today’s East and West. The government system, etc., is a process that is constantly cyclical.

  Centralization and then decentralization, and then centralization and then decentralization, in this process, new bureaucratic systems are constantly appearing.

  Just like Sangong was the prime minister of the country at first, and then gradually became a false title, and then the inner dynasty became the outer dynasty, and then there was a new inner dynasty.

  Shangshuling, Zhongshuling, and Shizhong were originally official names in the inner court.

  As for the Sangong and Jiuqing, when they developed to the later stage, they were all emptied out and lost their real power.

During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Dutang was in Shangshu Province. Dutang was equivalent to Zhongshu's sect after Zhenguan, and the power of left and right servants was once the highest. The most powerful prime ministers, Zuo Pushe and Shang Shusheng, are no longer as good as before, and Shang Shusheng has even completely become an administrative agency.

  The power of the prime minister is only appropriate in the era of a strong monarch, otherwise there will be powerful ministers, even an imbalance of national power, and then civil strife.

  But Datang is already the fourth generation of emperors, and it will be more difficult for a strong emperor like Li Shimin to appear again in the future.

  So Qin Lang is actually in favor of the separation of powers and powers to form a new balance of power. The eastern and western governments are in charge of civil and military affairs, and financial power is separated, which is quite good.

If you count the Imperial Academy and Yushitai, then even the Chief Assistant of the Political Affairs Hall, it will be very difficult to easily grasp the government affairs, unless there is such a special existence as Qin Lang, but under normal circumstances, it is difficult for Qin Lang to reproduce .

   "The Privy Council was set up by the Supreme Emperor. There is nothing wrong with the Eastern and Western prefectures, which are divided into civil and military affairs."

   pondered for a long time.

  Qin Lang put down his teacup and spoke slowly.

  As soon as he spoke, he set a tone.

  Since it is correct, there is no need to change it.

   There was no Privy Council before, and the military decision-making power also belonged to the prime ministers of the Zhengshitang, but it is different now.

   "However, although the civil and military are separated, it does not mean that the family will be completely separated in the future. Since the two governments are established side by side, then in the future, the holy emperor will hold the imperial court meeting, and the government chief executive can discuss it."

Qin Lang's meaning is rather simple. Previously, the prime minister's military power was reduced, and military and political affairs were all vested in the Privy Council, and the prime ministers had no right to intervene. Now Qin Lang means that the Privy Council has no reason to abolish, but in the future, the prime minister can also participate in major military and state affairs. , The right to speak and make suggestions.

  The joint meeting of the two governments discusses military and national affairs, and the Privy Council is responsible for general military affairs.

  Of course, the core military decision-making power is still provided by the handsome officials of the West Mansion, and finally approved by the emperor.

  Similarly, the rulers of the Western Government can also have the right to speak and make suggestions on major non-military affairs of the country.

  Even Qin Lang mentioned that in the current situation, the generals and generals of the guards of the two yamen in the past have long since ceased to have actual duties, and they have basically become a kind of rank.

   Therefore, in this case, it is necessary for the Privy Council to be in charge of military affairs.

  In this way, the prime ministers of the Political Affairs Hall can also concentrate on internal affairs, and the military and war affairs are left to the professional handsome officials.

   "Sanlang, this country's wealth can no longer be divided separately. Without financial power, how can this minister of political affairs be called prime minister?" Xu Jingzong said.

  Qin Lang still had the same attitude.

"Finance and taxation are also very important to the country, and nowadays, finance and taxation are becoming more and more sophisticated and more professional, so I think it is reasonable to set up the third division and use the transfer envoy to lead the third division envoy to take charge of national finance and taxation. .”

   Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu didn't expect it, but Qin Lang's attitude was very surprising.

  The Privy Council is in charge of the military regime, the transfer department is in charge of finance and taxation, the Yushitai is in charge of supervision, and the Imperial Academy is also divided into internal control power.

  The remaining power of the political affairs hall is really not much. Although it is said to be in charge of the central decision-making power of the imperial court, without the military financial and taxation supervision power, this power has been weakened too much.

  But at the moment, Qin Lang, the only one who can change the system and let the Zhengshitang take back these powers, supports the decentralization attitude, which makes them both surprised and helpless.

  The first official meeting was a bit anticlimactic. After the proposal of the two elders was rejected by Qin Lang, the other prime ministers seemed to be in no mood to talk about anything else.

  So Qin Lang finally talked about some personnel adjustments.

  We must continue to eliminate the remnants of Wei Xiao’s traitors. After eliminating the traitors, we must fill the vacancies in time, and select loyal and virtuous officials. Finally, we must pay close attention to the work of this year’s make-up exams, and we must speed up the holding of Enke to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

  Qin Lang personally proposed some important personnel appointment proposals, and naturally no one refuted them.

  The meeting ended, Pei Xingjian and Jia Runfu went back to Shangshu Province, Laiji also went to the office of Zhongshu Province on the side, and Shangguanyi went to Menxia Province.

  Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu did not concurrently serve in the three provinces, so they still stayed in their own office in the Zhengshitang, while Qin Lang went to the palace to meet the saint. The emperor sent someone to invite him just now.

   Arriving at the Xuanzheng Hall, the emperor asked about the meeting of the Zhengshi Hall, and Qin Lang directly explained the situation.

   "Don't you need to abolish the Privy Council and the Transit Department?"

   "It's not necessary. The two prefectures in the east and west are in charge of civil and military affairs. This is a good policy that can ensure the stability of the Tang Dynasty. There is no need to change it."

   "The power and wealth still belong to the Transshipment Department?"

"Finance and taxation are very complicated. What's more, the third department is not only in charge of finance and taxation, but also in charge of transshipment, relief, Changping, salt and iron, etc. It is the yamen in charge of the national economy. The Tang Dynasty has a vast territory and hundreds of millions of people. The slightest problem will cause the whole world to be in turmoil, so we still need to be more stable."

   "The minister not only suggested to keep the Transshipment Department and the Third Department Envoy, but even strengthen them."

  Qin Lang suggested that the General Administration of Shipbuilding, the General Administration of Statistics, the General Audit Office, and the General Administration of Taxation should be added under the Transshipment Department.

  Even under the General Administration of Taxation, a tax police team will be established throughout the country. After the tax is collected, the tax department will be responsible directly. Any tax evasion and tax resistance will be handled by the tax police.

  The tax department is not only under the management of the county government at the same level, but also under the management of the tax department at the higher level, a dual leadership system.

"After the new tax law, the imperial court took a detour and made a unified tax payment. I think this is not a good thing. It is lazy and lazy. Let the business people convert all the taxes collected into money to pay. Although it is convenient for the tax collection department, it is harmful to the suffering of the people."

"It's like the people paying the land tax. They can pay whatever they plant. Rice, millet and wheat can be paid, but now they have to ask the people to pay taxes in exchange for money. Then the farmers have to sell the grain in the field and exchange it for money, and then hand it over. , This seems to be only one more step, but in fact, many businessmen will take this opportunity to attack and exploit farmers, and they will deliberately lower the purchase price of grain during the grain harvest season..."

   "I didn't expect these things to happen." The young emperor was a little surprised.

  (end of this chapter)