Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 434: Split into Six Divisions (VI)

Seeing that everyone was silent, Lu Jin continued.

“Mr. Baishi is worried that the Ministry of Taxation has no basis for collecting taxes. This is unnecessary. Although the Ministry of Finance is not responsible for collecting taxes, it can formulate tax policies.

"The Ministry of Finance has a taxation department that is responsible for setting taxes. What taxes should be collected, where should they be collected, who should be asked to collect them, and how much tax each province, county, and department should bear are all set by the taxation department of the Ministry of Finance and reported to the cabinet and the emperor for approval.

“The Taxation Department has the Agricultural Tax Department, the Commercial Tax Department, and the City and Port Tax Department, which are responsible for agricultural grain and cloth taxes, industrial and commercial company taxes, and the Customs City and Port Tax and tariffs respectively;
"We will set up a tax accounting department to calculate the tax collection task assigned by the Ministry of Finance, the amount that should be collected, and the actual amount collected.

"There is also a tax inspection department. For those who fail to pay taxes on time, we will ask the officials to clarify the situation. If we can handle it, we will handle it promptly, such as unjustified arrears. If we can't handle it, we will report it to the cabinet and the emperor in a timely manner, such as local famine. For those who evade taxes and deliberately fail to pay taxes, the tax inspection department has the right to supervise the local collection!"

Hearing about this organizational structure, there are people who set up taxes, people who are responsible for collecting taxes, and people who do accounting and auditing. It's so complete. Moreover, the people who set taxes and those who are responsible for collecting taxes are not in the same department. The power is split so thoroughly, so there must be no problem.

Li Shanchang then said helplessly, "Then I have no problem."

So Lu Jin looked at the other people present, "Who else has questions about the Three Finance Departments?"

Wang Guangyang then asked, "Your Highness, in addition to the Tax Policy Department that formulates taxation, what other departments does the Ministry of Finance have?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin introduced again, "The General Affairs Department (General Office) is responsible for daily operations; the Tax Policy Department is responsible for formulating taxes; the Budget Department is responsible for approving the expenditure budgets of various departments; the National Defense Department is responsible for approving the military's national defense expenditure budget; the Economic Department is responsible for providing guidance on economic development opinions; the Review Department is responsible for reviewing the approvals of the Budget Department and the National Defense Department. If there are no problems, the General Affairs Department will allocate funds."

Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard this. If this was the arrangement, the process of how to spend the money would be made very clear.

"I have no problem with that." Wang Guangyang said immediately.

Lu Jin glanced at everyone again, "Who else wants to ask?"

Qin Conglong raised his hand and said, "I have no problem with the three finance ministries, but your highness just mentioned changing the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Police. I would like to ask, if we only add a Civil Affairs Department and move the population and household registration of the Ministry of Households there, is it necessary to change the name of the Ministry of Justice as well? Are there any other changes to the Ministry of Justice?"

Lu Jin nodded and said, "The biggest change to the Ministry of Justice is to set up local branches, called police stations, which are mainly responsible for public security, similar to the left and right Jinwu Guards of the Tang Dynasty and the Imperial City Bureau of the Song Dynasty, with the functions of patrolling, arresting thieves, and criminal arrests.

"These public security departments have existed in previous dynasties, but the Tang and Song dynasties only focused on the public security of the capital, but did not pay attention to other cities in the world, so no clear branches were set up.

"In addition, the previous dynasties did not ignore the local affairs. Ordinary criminal arrests were directly handled by the county government. There were two groups of yamen runners responsible for arresting criminals. There were also local pavilion chiefs. The Yuan Dynasty also set up patrol inspectors in key places. These were all public security departments responsible for arresting thieves, but they had never been integrated. The reformed police department will coordinate all these departments together.

"The State Council has set up a police department, the provinces have set up police departments, and the prefectures and counties have set up police stations. The county government's former constables and the clerks in charge of public security have all been transferred to the police stations. Local security booths (police stations) have been set up, and patrol soldiers have been assigned to the internal security army system (military police).

“However, when encountering major cases or gangs, when the police station is short of manpower, you can also apply to your superiors to mobilize the patrol soldiers of the Internal Guard to cooperate in suppressing the bandits, but the command of the Internal Guard still belongs to the Internal Guard system.

"The specific sub-departments of the Police Department include the General Affairs Department, which is responsible for daily operations and receiving and sending documents; the Civil Affairs Department, which is in charge of population registration; the Public Security Department, which is responsible for managing local police stations; the Criminal Investigation Department, which is the former Supervision and Arrest Department, which is responsible for supervising and arresting criminals; the Economic Investigation Department, which is responsible for supervising and arresting economic criminals, such as illegal profiteers or people who defraud money; and the Prison Department, which is the former Prison Department, which is responsible for managing prisons and prisoners nationwide.

"The Customs Department is responsible for the entry and exit registration of citizens, processing customs clearance documents, issuing temporary residence permits to foreigners who do not have a registered permanent residence in my country, arresting foreign vagrants who do not have a permanent residence permit and are hiding in my country, handling foreign criminal cases and public security disputes at customs ports, and investigating and handling prohibited goods entering and leaving the country, such as smuggling.

“The Logistics Department is responsible for the police equipment of the police department; the Personnel Department is responsible for the police officers on the rolls across the country.

"That's all there is to it. That's all."

Qin Conglong listened carefully. There was no problem with the previous part, but after listening to it, he felt like something was missing. Thinking about his previous Ministry of Personnel, he suddenly reacted and asked.

"Your Highness, there is nothing wrong with the above departments, but why are the Autumn Court and the Penalty Department missing?"

Lu Jin said immediately, "Because the trial is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, the three judicial departments have a separation of powers. The Ministry of Justice should only have the power of law enforcement, responsible for maintaining public order and arresting criminals, the Dali Temple has the power of trial, and the Supervisory Office has the power of litigation and supervision. Only in this way can it be fair and just.

"In the future, the Dali Temple will also set up branches in various places, called courts, at the prefecture and county levels. The provinces will set up judicial offices, which are only responsible for managing the prefecture and county courts and do not directly judge cases.

"The Provincial Court of Justice will only provide sentencing guidance when encountering a case that is difficult for the local court to decide; or when the criminal is dissatisfied with the local judgment and decides to appeal, the Provincial Court of Justice will re-examine the case.

"The prefecture and county courts are responsible for the first instance. If the first instance is not accepted and the appeal is made, the provincial government will conduct a second instance. If the provincial government is still undecided, the case will be reported to the Dali Temple for the final instance. Major cases will be reported to the emperor and the cabinet, and the three courts will be sent to conduct a joint trial.

"Since the judicial power has been separated from the Ministry of Justice, the Qiushensi (death penalty review) and the Zangfaku will no longer be under the Ministry of Justice, but will be transferred to the Dali Temple."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion when they heard this, and Wang Guangyang suddenly raised a question.

"Your Highness, there are tax bureaus for collecting taxes, courts for hearing cases, police stations for maintaining public order, and education bureaus for educating people. These tasks are all done by people. What will the county magistrates and prefects do in the future?"

"What for? To arrest the boss, of course!" Lu Jin said immediately.

"Have the cities under your jurisdiction been built? If not, apply for corvée and lead the people to build the cities.

"How is the public security in your jurisdiction? Are there any robbers or bandits? Are there any unsolved cases? If there are any, go and urge the police station to crack down on the bandits and solve the cases.

"Have the people in your jurisdiction filled their stomachs? Are the fields sufficient? Have the water conservancy projects been repaired? If not, lead the people to open up wasteland and repair water conservancy projects. If you don't understand or can't handle something, report it to the provincial government and ask the experts from the provincial water affairs department to guide the water conservancy planning. Then the county magistrate will lead the people to do it!

“Have all the school-age children in your jurisdiction been enrolled? Are there any schools to go to? What is the enrollment rate? If not, urge the Education Bureau to allow them to open schools.

"Do the people in your jurisdiction lack medical care and medicine? Do they have access to doctors when they are sick? If not, then apply to the Ministry of Health to open a hospital. Also, check whether the people in your jurisdiction have been vaccinated. If not, then ask the hospital to do so as soon as possible.

"Are there many unemployed people in your jurisdiction? Is the unemployment rate high? If there are unemployed people, you should attract investment and find businessmen to open factories and companies, and recruit all the unemployed people as workers, so that they have something to do and can earn wages. This can also help develop the economy and increase tax revenue.

"Aren't these all things? How can there be nothing to do? Even if there are no problems with the above, you can still develop the economy. Has the tax revenue in your jurisdiction not increased for several years? Are the people rich? Have the thatched houses and adobe houses been replaced with brick houses? If they are not rich, find a way to make them rich. "Do you have any special products in your jurisdiction? Are there any minerals? Is the terrain and climate suitable for agriculture, animal husbandry, or industry, mining, or manufacturing? Lead the people to do it. If you don't have money, go to the bank to borrow. If there are no merchants, go outside to get them. How to sell the products after they are made? Have the roads been repaired? What are the transportation conditions? Lead the people to make money and get rich, and increase tax revenue for the court!"

"."

Everyone was stunned after hearing this. My goodness, even if this prince of theirs did not rebel and become the emperor, but became a county magistrate or a prefect, he would definitely be in the emperor's favor and would be the best in every evaluation.

Too fucking tight.
"Your Majesty, I'm fine." Wang Guangyang was speechless.

Lu Jin looked at everyone again, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"No more." Everyone shook their heads.

So Lu Jin flipped through the meeting minutes and then continued.

"The last ministerial unit, the Propaganda Department, consists of the General Affairs Department, the Discipline Department, the News Department, the Publishing Department, the Inspection Department, the Law Department, and the Writers Association Department. It is responsible for managing the news newspapers and publishing houses across the country, reviewing all kinds of publications, and the registration of publishing houses, newspapers, and periodicals, as well as the formulation of relevant laws and regulations.

"From now on, all booksellers who want to print and publish books will need to submit samples to the Propaganda Department for review. After passing the review, they will be given a publishing number before they are allowed to print and publish.

"We can also call on famous writers from all over the country to create books that the court needs, such as collecting textbook texts. The Ministry of Education can set the subject matter, and the Propaganda Department can organize the collection of texts. After talented people from all over the country write their articles, they can submit them to the Propaganda Department."

When everyone heard about the functions of the Propaganda Department, they all nodded, but didn't say anything.

In fact, the publishing censorship mechanism has existed in ancient China for a long time. Not to mention the "burning of books and burying of scholars" in the Qin Dynasty, there were not even paper books at that time.

The earliest period during which publication censorship was incorporated into the law was actually during the reign of Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, when it was forbidden for private individuals to privately print calendars and astronomy books. Ancient people were superstitious, and the Tang Dynasty believed that these things were related to the fate of the dynasty, so private printing was prohibited and formally incorporated into the Tang Code, becoming the first law in China to incorporate publication censorship into the law.

As papermaking technology became more mature in the Song Dynasty, paper began to become cheaper. Movable type printing was also born in the Song Dynasty, and the publishing industry developed greatly. Therefore, the system of publication censorship in the Song Dynasty became more perfect.

There was also a double review system in which the manuscript was sent to the authorities for preliminary review and then samples were sent for re-examination after printing. In addition, there was a reward and punishment system to encourage people to report banned books.

The banned books in the Song Dynasty included but were not limited to astronomy, military strategy, heretical cults, and books that taught people how to take shortcuts in the imperial examinations. Violators could be exiled.

There is no need to say more about the literary inquisition in the Qing Dynasty. The thing called "Hexie God" is not a modern phenomenon. The ancient people had already thought about the problems that modern people can think of. They also knew that some books must be banned. So when Lu Jin proposed publication censorship, no one objected.

Chen Yu also said at this time, "This method of soliciting articles is good. This way, the Ministry of Education's work of compiling books will be much easier, especially those professional books for universities, which can be collected directly from the public."

The others nodded as well. Lu Jin looked at everyone and asked, "Who else would like to ask?"

"Gone."

Li Shanchang counted the notes he had just made, then frowned.

"These six ministries, nine ministers, plus the Imperial Hospital, originally there were 16 ministries and temples. Now after the division, not counting the Privy Council, the Executive Yuan alone has 15 ministries and four temples. That's it, not much but not too little either."

Everyone looked at each other when they heard this and felt that it was okay. Although the Executive Yuan had 15 ministries after the reform, several of them were changed from the original Nine Ministers.

The problem is that the Nine Ministers were not small official positions. The six ministers were of the third rank, and the Nine Ministers were also of the third rank. Some of the Nine Ministers were even of higher rank, some of them could be the first rank or the second rank. They were not small positions at all. It was just that the name was not a ministry, but the actual power they held was actually similar to that of a ministry.

There is also the Privy Council. The Song Dynasty established the Privy Council in addition to the Six Ministries, and the official positions in the Privy Council were also not low, such as Privy Envoy, Privy Deputy Envoy, Director of the Privy Council, Co-Director of the Privy Council, and a large number of high-ranking officials from the first and second ranks to the third and fourth ranks.

Now all the Lu Jin departments have been changed into ministries, and the chief officers have all become third-rank ministers. In fact, there has been a reduction in ranks and a cut in administrative expenses. However, judging from the several departments added by the State Council, there is not much difference from the Song Dynasty. One plus one minus, it is still the same.

The overall change after the reform was that the actual power of each department increased and the rank was lowered, but the power was also more dispersed compared to the traditional six ministries. Now no one could become a powerful official and threaten the emperor.

"There are so many departments and the changes are so big. Some departments don't even have a clue yet and there is no talent. It will probably take a lot of time to establish this system." Qin Conglong said while stroking his beard.

Lu Jin immediately made up his mind and said, "If it takes time, then we can slowly change and build it. Anyway, before I die, I must implement this system in its entirety!"

Everyone was speechless after hearing this. Lu Jin was determined to make the change and there was nothing they could do. This was the authority of the founding monarch.

Li Shanchang then said, "Now that the Privy Council and the Executive Council have been decided, the only things left are the Inner Court and the Cabinet. And what Your Highness mentioned at the beginning, how should those people who are neither officials nor clerks but hold public office and receive court salaries be determined?"

Lu Jin frowned when he heard this, "We don't even have a palace right now, so it's a bit early to talk about an inner court, but we can definitely finalize the system first.

"I have no idea about the inner court. Do you gentlemen have any suggestions?"

Seeing this, Li Shanchang immediately took out a list and presented it to Lu Jin, then said.

"Your Highness has inherited the Tang and Song system, so the inner court can also follow the old Tang and Song practices. The inner court of the Tang Dynasty was divided into the Internal Affairs Department and the Palace Department, with a total of six bureaus and six Shangs, a total of twelve bureaus.

"The inner court of the Song Dynasty inherited the Tang system, but with some changes, it was divided into the Nei Shi Sheng and the Ru Nei Shi Sheng, one responsible for daily service and the other for inner court management.

"Your Highness may make slight modifications based on the needs of the function."

Lu Jin took the list and took a look at it. When he saw the Imperial Food Bureau, Imperial Pharmacy Bureau, Imperial Clothing Bureau, Imperial Housing Bureau, and Imperial Transportation Bureau, he immediately realized that Zhu's Twelve Inner Court Agencies were modeled after these things, right?

Isn't the Shangcheng Bureau, which is in charge of carriages and horses, the Imperial Horse Administration of the Ming Dynasty?
PS: There is only one chapter left on the reform of the six ministries. Let’s talk about the inner court and the cabinet at the end.
(End of this chapter)