Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 253 Preparations before Crossing the River (Part )

The North and South Zhili system was created during the Ming Dynasty, but the North and South Zhili system of the Ming Dynasty was closer to the concept of provinces.

The Zhili Prefecture mentioned by Lu Jin is actually more like the concept of a municipality in later generations. It plays the role of guarding, supporting, and leading the overall economic and people's livelihood construction of a large region.

Li Shanchang thought about it after hearing this, and finally commented, "This method is quite novel and very feasible. You can give it a try. What about the fourth one?"

"Fourth, of course, is decentralization. Aren't we afraid that they will split the country? In fact, this matter is very simple. Emperor Taizong of the former Song Dynasty, Zhao Guangyi, has already taught us how to do it.

“Whether it was the county governors at the end of the Han Dynasty or the military governors at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the reason they were able to establish their own regimes was simply because they controlled administrative power, financial power, and military power. They could collect taxes and grain on their own, and recruit and train their own soldiers. What difference was there between them and local emperors? It would be abnormal if they did not establish their own regimes.

"So if you want to avoid separatism, you only need to do the opposite and implement the separation of powers at the local level, just like Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi did, and separate the personnel power, financial power, and military power of each road.

"Therefore, I intend to set up three offices in the provinces: the Provincial Administration Office, which is in charge of civil affairs and has left and right provincial governors; the Provincial Surveillance Office, which is in charge of justice and supervision of local officials and has left and right provincial supervisors; and the Military Command Office, which is in charge of the military affairs of the province.

"With such a division of power, administration, supervision, and military, each in charge of a department, independent of each other, and checks and balances each other, can they still turn the tables?"

"This method sounds feasible. We can give it a try." After listening to Lu Jin's four checks and balances strategies, Li Shanchang was convinced by Lu Jin. If he followed Lu Jin's tricks, he would not have to worry about the problem of local separatism.

Of course, the system at the beginning of each dynasty would not have the problem of separatism. Just like the Han and Tang dynasties, the reason why local officials were able to secede in the late period was because the dynasty had reached its late stage and the central government's control had declined, so it had to delegate power to the local governments, giving them the ability to secede.

Seeing that Li Shanchang had been completely convinced by him, Lu Jincai finally concluded.

"In fact, the establishment of provinces is an irreversible trend that conforms to the times. You mentioned the local separatism in the Han and Tang dynasties before, but it would be better to look at it earlier.

"Counties were originally established by the Chu State, and were later absorbed by the Qin State, which created a system of prefectures and counties that influenced China for thousands of years. However, the prefectures of the Qin Dynasty were large and small, with small ones like prefectures and large ones like Yuzhang County, which is almost equivalent to the current Jiangxi Province.

"However, China was first unified during the Qin Dynasty. No dynasty had ever ruled such a vast territory before, and the Qin Dynasty had no experience to follow. Therefore, after the fall of the second Qin Dynasty, the issue of administrative division had not yet arisen, and no experience was left for future generations to refer to.

"Since the Qin Dynasty, all dynasties followed the Qin law. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system and also used counties. In the early Han Dynasty, counties and kingdoms coexisted. After the reduction of the feudal lords, all of them were changed to counties. Because the two Han dynasties lasted long enough, a total of 400 years, some problems that were not discovered in the Qin Dynasty also broke out in the Han Dynasty. That is, there were too many counties in the world, and the central court could not manage them all, or it could not manage them too detailed."

"Can't manage it?" Li Shanchang frowned and asked in confusion. He didn't expect Lu Jin to have such an opinion.

"Yes, Confucianism has never studied management. In fact, this is a very simple question. How many people can one person effectively manage? Remember, it is effective management, not just remembering names.

"In terms of management, the most amazing person I have ever seen is a teacher who taught me the art of war. His last name is Lin. He is simply a monster. When commanding an army of millions, he can clearly remember the position of each 100-man team. He is a master at using troops. He also likes micro-management, but he can do it because he can really remember who is who, unlike his opponents.
"That's too much. Let's get back to management. A million-man army means 10,000 centurions. Let's not even say 10,000. Can you remember the names of 5,000 men?"

Li Shanchang shook his head. Remember the names of 5,000 people? That's a god! How could a human brain remember that?
"Five thousand won't work, but what about five hundred? Can you clearly remember the names, temperaments, past battle records, and combat styles of five hundred people? I'm afraid that won't work either.

"According to my experience, if it is effective management, no matter what the situation is reported by the lower level, the upper level can give an appropriate response. With such management, one person's energy and time can only manage 30 counties at most. How many counties did the Han Dynasty have?
"At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, there were about 60 counties, plus 80 to 90 fiefdoms. At the peak of the Han Dynasty, there were more than 100 counties, and the central government could not manage them all. So during the reign of Emperor Wu, the country was divided into provinces, each with a governor who was responsible for supervising the governors of the provinces and fiefdoms. This was the prototype of China's third-level administrative divisions, but the governor at that time only had supervisory power, not administrative power."

Li Shanchang nodded repeatedly after listening. Although he had read many history books, he always felt that his research ideas were completely different from Lu Jin's. After Lu Jin's sorting, he felt that the evolution of China's entire administrative divisions became clear.

Lu Jin continued, "When it came to the Tang Dynasty, the same problem arose again. During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the territory was even more vast. There were more than 1500 counties and 360 states in the country. Do you expect the central government to directly manage those 360 ​​states? That is impossible.

"As I said, human energy and time are limited. There are 12 hours in a day. Even if you don't eat, drink or sleep for a day, you still have to deal with the affairs of 30 states every hour. Even if the emperor is diligent, he will die of exhaustion.

"So the Tang Dynasty followed the example of the Han Dynasty and divided the country into ten regions. Each region had an inspector. Like the governors of the Han Dynasty, they only had supervisory power but no administrative power. It was not until the reign of Emperor Xuanzong that the post of governor was set up in the border areas to take charge of the troops in the border areas. Later, the governors of the border areas were given the title of 'envoy holding the power of the emperor', which gave rise to the military and political power of the governor. However, it was also at this time that the third-level administrative division in China finally had administrative power.

"In the pre-Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty inherited the Tang system. Since it knew that the court could not directly manage the prefectures and counties, it simply divided them into 18 regions at the beginning of the founding of the country. After Song Taizong ascended the throne, the 23 regions were changed to regions, and later they were divided into regions and regions. The third-level administrative division was completely stabilized and became a permanent system.

"Moreover, the former Song Dynasty also learned from the experience of the separatist regimes in the late Tang Dynasty, and set up transport commissioners in each route to be in charge of finance, criminal justice commissioners in charge of justice, appeasement commissioners in charge of civil affairs, and constant peace commissioners in charge of military affairs, dividing the power of finance and military law, so that there would be no more separatist forces in the local areas. At this point, the third-level administrative division of China was completely formed. After that, you all know the system of the Yuan Dynasty.

"Sir, you have found no pattern in this. That is, the third-level administrative divisions have become more and more stable, and the power has been divided. In addition, the division of the routes during the Song Dynasty was split from the original 23 routes to routes. That is why I said that the provinces of the Yuan court were too large and could be split into more provinces."

Li Shanchang nodded repeatedly, and finally exclaimed, "I really don't know what famous teacher the Marshal has, to have such a penetrating study of history. After hearing what the Marshal said, I suddenly feel that the context of my Chinese political system is clearly laid out before my eyes."

Lu Jin shook his head and said modestly, "I haven't studied history too deeply. All I have learned are the outline of history and some key events. If you ask me what era names Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang used, I can't tell you a single one."

"Uh" Li Shanchang suddenly felt like he was flattering the horse but ended up hitting its leg.

Lu Jin added, "Because I, Gongshujia, attach more importance to mathematics education, and regard the arithmetic as the foundation of my life. Mathematics is the subject that can best cultivate and train a person's logical thinking ability. As long as mathematics is learned well, the person's ability to do things and express will be more organized. With the help of methodology, what to do first, what to do next, and what to do last, with clear thinking and strong execution, you can do anything successfully.

"Confucianism despises mathematics and regards it as a minor subject. Therefore, most Confucian scholars in the world can only talk a lot. They can speak beautifully and memorize the classics by heart, but they lack some rules and regulations when doing things. When you educate your children in the future, you can let them learn more about mathematics."

Li Shanchang quickly bowed and said, "What the commander said is true. I will definitely teach my children well. But regarding the temporary establishment of Huainan Province and the establishment of three divisions, has the commander made any choice?"

Lu Jin nodded, "Let Yu Tingyu be the Left Commander-in-Chief, Liao Yongan be the Right Commander-in-Chief, in charge of military affairs, Li Yinbing, the Director of the Criminal Law Department of the Academy of Literature, be the Left Censor, Xie Lianqing, the Director of the Etiquette Department of the Academy of Literature, be the Right Censor, Yan Shiguo, the Prefect of Luzhou, be the Left Governor, and Qin Li, the Magistrate of Lu'an, be the Right Governor. After these people are transferred, the local positions will be promoted from deputy positions to full positions, and the Ministry of Personnel will select new deputies."

"Yes."

Li Shanchang immediately wrote down the order. After the Shengwu Army crossed the Yangtze River to the east, the jurisdiction of the original territory, or the administrative system of the new dynasty, was determined.

Afterwards, these orders were immediately issued by the commander's office and sent to various places. The notice of the temporary establishment of the Huainan Province and the appointment of officials were also sent to the counties under its jurisdiction. However, they were not announced to the public for the time being and were only notified as a routine matter among government offices at all levels.

Three days later, Qin Li, the magistrate of Lu'an, had just sent off Chen Puwen, the envoy of Xu Song, when he received an order to be transferred to Luzhou as the right governor of Huainan Province. Qin Li was overjoyed. If the territory did not expand, the existing territory would naturally be under the jurisdiction of the Marshal's Office. But now that the Huainan Province office has been established, it means that the territory of the Shengwu Army will soon be greatly expanded.

After Qin Li handed over the work in his hands to his deputy, he immediately set off for Luzhou. As soon as he arrived in Luzhou and reported back to the commander's residence, he received an invitation to a dinner party from Lu Jin.

That evening, almost the entire new leadership team of Huainan Province was present, except Liao Yongan who was in Anqing and did not return.

Yan Shiguo, Qin Li, Li Yinbing, Xie Lianqing, Yu Tingyu, as well as the imperial guards from Lu Jin's side, Zhu Shou, Zhang Wen, Wang Dayuan and his son, including Yu Tongyuan who was studying artillery in Luzhou, Liu Chuanyi, Lu Jin's wife Zhang Yunxiu, Zhang Wen's wife Qin Shumin, his brother-in-law Qin Zhao, and the Bao brothers from the Marshal's Mansion, all gathered together.

Everyone gathered around a few tables, eating steaming ceramic hot pots. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Lu Jin said to everyone, "Everyone is here today. I'm sure everyone has guessed the purpose of temporarily setting up the Huainan Province. Then I will talk about it in a small circle here. Yes, after nearly half a year of preparation, our Shengwu Army has accumulated enough strength, and the world situation will undergo major changes in the second half of this year. It's time for us to continue to expand.

"The time will probably be around the time of the autumn harvest this year. The Marshal's Office will follow me to the front line. We will temporarily set up a province to govern the Huainan area, Yan Shiguo and Qin Li."

"I'm here!" The two of them quickly stood up and bowed.

"You two have worked diligently in the past year to govern the area. Your actions are obvious to all. Now I have selected you two to be the left and right governors of Huainan Province. You should continue to work hard and not slack off."

"Yes, I will do my best to protect Huainan for you, General." The two of them responded in unison.

Lu Jin waved his hand and said, "Please sit down. There is no need to be polite at the banquet."

"Thank you, Marshal."

"Li Yinbing, Xie Lianqing."

"I'm here." The two heads of the Academy of Literature also stood up.

“You are all the first batch of scholars who passed the examination and have performed your duties conscientiously in the Marshal’s Mansion over the past six months. However, you are still young after all, and you cannot stay in the Marshal’s Mansion forever. If you want to achieve great things in the future, you need more experience.

"I will now select you two to be the left and right censors of Huainan Province, to supervise the civil and military officials of Huainan Prefecture. If there is any corruption, dereliction of duty, or illegality, you must report it immediately and punish it severely. Can you two do it?"

The two of them hurriedly bowed and said, "I will do my best to fulfill my duties."

"Okay, sit down."

"Thank you, Marshal."

After arranging these civil servants, Yu Tingyu immediately looked at Lu Jin, and was about to stand up, but Lu Jin smiled and waved his hand, asking Yu Tingyu to sit down, giving him enough face, and then spoke.

“I will take all the Imperial Guards and the 37th Army with me on this expedition. The defense of Huainan will be in the charge of Brother Yu. I can only feel at ease when Brother Yu is in charge of Luzhou. Brother Yu will guard the middle road, Brother Yongan will guard the south road, and Zhu Liangzu will guard the north road.

"After I take the Imperial Guards away, Luzhou will be empty, but Brother Yu, don't panic. Just hold on for a month and I will be able to send you four divisions, about 50,000 new soldiers."

hiss----

Everyone gasped when they heard this. The current size of the Shengwu Army was only about 100,000 soldiers, and Lu Jin was going to recruit 50,000 new soldiers in this month. It was really too exaggerated.

Yu Tingyu frowned when he heard this and asked, "Are you going to recruit so many new soldiers this year?"

Lu Jin nodded, "Yes, what are we fighting for? We are fighting for food and soldiers. Whoever has sufficient money and food and more soldiers will be qualified to compete for the world. Fifty thousand new soldiers are nothing. Before the end of this year, I plan to expand another 20 to 30 regiments and double the size of the Shengwu Army!"

Gollum—

Yu Tingyu picked up the wine glass and drank it all. He felt the blood boiling in his chest and he could not control his emotions. His eyes were red and he slammed the wine glass on the table with a bang. He could not help but sigh.

"Looking back to half a year ago, we were still on Laoshan Island in Chaohu Lake, being oppressed by Zuo Junbi. Thousands of brothers were in a state of panic, not knowing where their future and where to live. But after the Marshal came, he led the brothers to conquer so many territories one after another. Zuo Junbi and Kang Maocai were no match for the Marshal. It's really been a blink of an eye. Now we are about to be qualified to compete for the world!

"Don't worry, Marshal. Although I am not as capable as Liao Er, I can still eat two kilograms of rice in one meal. I can lift a gun and wield a knife. As long as I am still alive, I will protect Huainan for you. If you want to snatch the city from me, you have to step over my dead body first!"

"Hahahaha, whoever dares to say that Brother Yu has no ability must be blind. If Brother Yu had no ability, how could he have taught the three brothers Tong Hai?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin laughed, stood up and poured wine for Yu Tingyu himself. Yu Tingyu also hurriedly wanted to stand up, but Lu Jin held him down, so he could only hold the cup with both hands to receive it.

After the wine was poured, Lu Jin said, "I have Tonghai and Tongyuan to help me in this expedition. Don't worry, brother Yu. I will definitely not treat them unfairly."

Yu Tingyu also raised his glass and said, "The Marshal is fair in his work. We, Old Yu, trust him and accept his advice. You can order those three guys around. They are lucky to be able to follow you. If they dare to cause trouble for you, I will beat them to death with my own hands without you having to do anything."

Yu Tongyuan rolled his eyes when he heard this and said, "Dad, what trouble can my brother and I cause for the Marshal? Dad, you are just overthinking it."

"Hey, you've become so capable, you've learned to talk back, you've only learned how to fire a cannon for a few days, but you're already so proud of yourself. If the Marshal hadn't taught you, would you have been able to learn those skills? You're asking for a beating!"

"Hey, Dad, there are so many people here. I am an officer after all, please give me some face."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone in the field couldn't help laughing when they saw the father and son fighting.

Lu Jin also laughed for a while, then waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then spoke.

"When the 50,000 new soldiers arrive, you will be responsible for training them, and you will also have to continue to build weapons and armor, and change their clothes so that they can form combat effectiveness as soon as possible. In the future, our battles will become bigger and bigger, and we cannot do without soldiers."

"Yes, I will definitely train them well when the time comes." Yu Tingyu agreed quickly.

Lu Jin looked at Yan Shiguo and Qin Li again, "You two must also be responsible for the distribution of land for these 50,000 new soldiers. In recent years, there have been disasters in Huaixi, and many people have died. Even now, the land is still sparsely populated, and there are still many wastelands in the suburbs that no one cultivates. After you take office, you must immediately check the wastelands in your jurisdiction and prepare in advance for the resettlement of these 50,000 new soldiers."

"Yes." The two of them quickly agreed.

(End of this chapter)