Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 435 Personnel and financial reforms to eliminate long-standing problems!
Their tone was respectful yet yielding, clearly indicating that they had sensed the deeper meaning behind the emperor's oppressive power and dared not say anything more.

After all, in their view, temporarily halting the progressive tax system was already a great success.

How could one possibly ask for this and that in front of the emperor?

Little did they know that this idea had already been part of Zhu Yunwen's calculations.

"Good!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen's brows suddenly lit up with joy, and his voice was clear and resonant, unable to conceal his excitement.

The matter progressed even more smoothly than he had initially anticipated.

"The third new policy measure was to thoroughly reform the old corvée system."

"The way to govern a country begins with governing its officials."

Ordinary people rarely interact directly with high-ranking officials; they mostly deal with the yamen runners who travel through the streets and alleys.

"However, for a long time, the group of yamen runners has always been outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel and has failed to be incorporated into the rigorous system of official governance."

"If they are not strictly restrained and local officials are allowed to act arbitrarily and manipulate power at will, the foundation of the country's governance will never be stable."

"Moreover, if the imperial court sits idly by and does not intervene, the actual power in the local areas will inevitably fall into the hands of those local tyrants who are entrenched in one place, causing public resentment to boil over and the foundation of the country to be shaken."

"Therefore, reforming the corvée system is an urgent matter."

"From now on, the selection of servants for government offices at all levels must follow the roster system."

"The identity information of each constable must be entered into a roster and reported level by level to the superior government office for review and filing."

"Once confirmed, even local officials have no right to dismiss them at will, let alone recruit people on their own."

"And they should be included in the same assessment system as officials."

"Recruitment will be conducted through a unified examination, and dismissals will be handled strictly in accordance with the rules and regulations."

"The number of runners and their selection in each government office must be strictly determined and the quotas must be set, without any deviation."

"A thorough investigation and rectification of the existing constable force will be carried out, eliminating the inferior and retaining the superior."

"Whenever a newly appointed official takes office, his or her servants shall be uniformly assigned by the imperial court."

"Officials may select their own personnel within the scope designated by the court, but they are strictly prohibited from hiring secretaries, servants, or similar personnel privately, and are even more prohibited from disclosing confidential matters of the government to outsiders. Violators will be prosecuted."

"At the same time, we will carry out a comprehensive reform of fiscal management and implement budget constraints."

"All levels of government must establish a dedicated treasury in the Great Ming Bank. All income, regardless of its source, must be deposited in the treasury and subject to the supervision of the imperial court."

“For all expenditures, a detailed budget list must be prepared at the beginning of each year and submitted to the higher-level government for approval at each level.”

"To cope with emergencies, a certain amount of funds may be reserved for activities, but the amount must be strictly controlled and must not be excessive."

"The funds will be allocated by the national treasury only after the budget has been approved."

"Income and expenditure are clearly separated, running in parallel without interfering with each other."

"From now on, whenever the government sends its yamen runners out to collect taxes, miscellaneous fees or fines, every penny paid by the people, regardless of the reason, must be issued with a formal receipt stating the reason. The funds will then be deposited into the national treasury. No one is allowed to intercept or misappropriate them privately."

"The yamen runners were no longer the private soldiers of local tyrants, but faithful enforcers of the imperial laws."

"Public finance is no longer a breeding ground for private desires, but a solid support for the operation of the country."

"Only in this way can we restore a bright and clear world for the people and a just and transparent government for the court."

……

In the agricultural era, the way to govern a country was often simple and unpretentious.

For many matters, the government only needs to adhere to the principle of non-interference and remain uninvolved, which is the most appropriate way to govern.

However, when the Ming Dynasty stepped into the threshold of the industrial age, everything would be turned upside down.

The social structure suddenly became more complex, and all aspects of governance were transformed, becoming completely different from the past.

Zhu Yunwen was perfectly clear about this.

If the Ming Dynasty were to open a securities market, leading society into a new era where capital and industry coexist, but the government failed to keep up with the trend and reform its governance model in time, the entire country would inevitably fall into a quagmire of chaos, with order collapsing and the people's hearts uneasy.

Looking at the real history, the rise and fall of countless dynasties proves this point.

Most ruling regimes, at critical junctures of historical transformation, were overthrown by the tide of history because they failed to adapt to the dramatic changes, either rebuilding or perishing.

Those favored by luck seize the opportunity and embark on a path of rapid development.

Those who are unlucky will sink into despair and find it difficult to recover.

The wheels of time roll ever forward, unstoppable. If one does not go with the flow, the only outcome will be utter destruction.

Zhu Yunwen is now driving the wave of capitalism and industrialization in the Ming Dynasty with lightning speed, far surpassing the pace of any other country in history.

If the original pace is followed, the country can still gain some breathing room and have a valuable period of time to test the waters and explore the way forward.

This is also a normal developmental trajectory in history.

But now, he has chosen to make the Ming Dynasty sail at full speed, with one year being equivalent to ten, or even several decades or hundreds of years of natural development. This means that the Ming Dynasty no longer has time to slowly explore the path in the dark.

Zhu Yunwen could only rely on his visionary foresight to stand at the commanding heights of top-level design from the very beginning and reforge the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable, the price to be paid might be incalculable, and it could even shake the foundation of the nation's destiny.

In fact, reforms targeting yamen runners had already been quietly tested and rolled out on a small scale earlier.

When the garrison troops were abolished, some generals and soldiers were reassigned as local government officials, which was a microcosm of this reform.

Apart from special institutions like the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which were retained and transformed into part of the Wu Ding system directly under the administration of the government, many of the generals and soldiers of the other guard posts were transferred to government service positions after retirement.

These battle-hardened soldiers, having shed their military uniforms and donned civilian clothes, ventured into the streets and alleys to maintain order, and their efforts have begun to show results.

However, this little bit is far from enough to support his grand plan.

Zhu Yunwen's vision was to thoroughly formalize the personnel management of all government offices and incorporate it into a rigorous institutional framework.

He wanted every executor of his decrees to work together seamlessly, like gears, from top to bottom, without leaving any room for error.

This ensured that the Ming Dynasty's control and management of society was in no way inferior to the pace of capitalism and industrialization, and even surpassed that of modern society in later generations.

Only in this way could the Ming Dynasty stand firm in this unprecedented historical tide and usher in a true golden age.

The two core pillars of this transformation are the strict control over personnel and the thorough restructuring of financial power.

All government employees must be brought under the unified jurisdiction of the imperial court, and local officials are not allowed to recruit or place them at will.

At a deeper level, this move is intended to sever the roots of corruption and bribery and to curb the undercurrent of using power for personal gain.

An official may be able to uphold integrity and incorruptibility, but those around him may not necessarily have the same integrity.

Whenever a new official is appointed by the imperial court and is about to take up his post, a group of people will flock to him, seeking connections and begging to serve as gatekeepers, sedan chair bearers, cooks, or even various other odd jobs.

Normally, the court does not pay the salaries of these attendants and servants; the officials themselves must pay for them.

So, where does the money of officials come from?
It should be noted that even though Zhu Yunwen significantly increased the salaries and benefits of officials after ascending the throne, their wages, while rising, were still far from enough to cover such a large amount of expenses for his entourage.

The secret behind this is astonishing.

The servants who followed the officials to their posts were mostly there voluntarily, without taking a penny.

Even so, finding a menial job under the command of an incumbent official was extremely difficult, and everyone was scrambling to get one.

It often required going through close relatives, friends, and in-laws of officials to pull strings and squeeze into the ranks of those who were "paid without taking a penny."

People live a bustling world, all driven by the pursuit of profit.

These servants certainly couldn't actually "help others for pleasure" or serve the people free of charge.

They followed officials into local government offices, all with the intention of profiting from it.

What's even more chilling is that the benefits these servants can extract often far exceed the normal servants' wages by several times, or even dozens or hundreds of times!
This has long been an unspoken rule passed down through generations in officialdom. For thousands of years, it has remained so.

With such a malignant tumor entrenched, even officials with a pure heart cannot guarantee they will remain untainted.

Just like in "Dream of the Red Chamber", when Jia Zheng took office as the educational commissioner, although he himself did not take a penny, the servants who followed him took the opportunity to amass wealth without any mercy.

So, could officials simply go to their posts without servants and travel light?
the answer is negative.

This is not because officials need to be surrounded by servants to show their authority, nor is it simply for the sake of pomp and dignity.

If he were to go alone, upon arriving at the place, he would inevitably be surrounded by a complex network of yamen runners, or have his authority stripped away, or be manipulated like a puppet.

In this way, even if he had a lot of ambition, he would find it difficult to realize it.

Even the silent wooden bodhisattvas in the temple are perhaps more intimidating than this official who has only a name.

If he wanted to take office and seize power, he had to bring a group of people with him.

In Zhu Yunwen's view, such a system was deeply entrenched in problems and required radical reform.

He was determined to use swift and decisive measures to uproot the corrupt foundations and rebuild a clean and efficient officialdom.

Otherwise, the future of the Ming Dynasty will be firmly dragged down by these invisible shackles, making it difficult to move towards a true golden age.

The management of financial power is equally important and cannot be ignored.

If income and expenditure are not strictly separated, even if officials themselves are not corrupt, the clerks who run errands can easily create pretexts to extort money from the people.

Only by severing this hidden channel at its source, and ensuring that all funds collected, regardless of the name, are immediately deposited into the national treasury, can this wanton abuse of power for personal gain be completely curbed.

Moreover, with the evolution of society, the types of taxes levied by local governments are destined to no longer be limited to the traditional land tax.

Tax sources from industrial production and commercial activities are far more flexible and have more room for maneuver than rigid and singular land taxes. If ironclad rules are not established and loopholes are not plugged from the outset, they will inevitably become fertile ground for corruption and bribery.

The same principle applies to expenditure issues in budget management.

In a simple agricultural society, there are very few items related to income and expenditure, which are straightforward and clear, so there is no need to establish a special budget system.

However, once the era enters a new stage, the sources of income will become as intricate and complex as the branches of a river.

The uses of expenditures are as numerous and varied as the stars in the sky.

If we don't plan ahead now and establish strict budget constraints, we will definitely fall into a mess that will be difficult to clean up in the future.

Currently, the collection of commercial taxes is mainly managed directly by the Inland Revenue Department, which is able to maintain order.

However, as time went on and commerce flourished, the commercial taxes in various places eventually had to be collected by the local governments themselves.

Even though the imperial court dispatched tax agencies to local areas, their actual operation still largely depended on the overall management of local governments.

After all, local customs, economic development, and other factors vary greatly from place to place, making it difficult to generalize.

As society becomes increasingly complex, there are more and more matters that require the establishment of specialized agencies and departments to deal with, and the coordination and scheduling of these agencies are increasingly highlighting the indispensable leading role of local governments.

Of course, a governance approach that combines vertical and horizontal management can be adopted.

The local government was responsible for daily management, while the organization was also supervised and constrained by its superior department.

However, attempting to hand over all matters to higher-level departments for direct control is wishful thinking and absolutely impossible.

Even in later eras with readily available information and advanced technology, where one can consult superiors at any time, such centralized power could not be achieved. How much more so in this age of poor transportation and slow communication, where being unable to effectively exert influence is the norm.

This is precisely why Zhu Yunwen established the positions of governor and inspector early on to coordinate the affairs of various departments.

Zhu Yunwen explained his ideas in detail, each word clear and firm.

These matters were complex and involved a wide range of issues, yet he explained them in great detail, covering everything from the overall picture to the smallest details, leaving nothing out.

It took him almost an hour to finally finish explaining his blueprint.

The main hall fell silent immediately.

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent, their brows furrowed, still carefully considering the new policy strategies he was explaining.

After a long silence, Yang Shiqi broke the silence first: "The management of local yamen runners has always been a thorny problem. Your Majesty's proposal to incorporate them all into the imperial system and strictly regulate them like officials is indeed a brilliant and refreshing approach."

His words carried a hint of approval, but his eyes subtly revealed a complex emotion.

Did the imperial court not know about the various misdeeds of the yamen runners?

of course not!

Throughout history, the government has been well aware of the problems caused by these low-level lackeys, yet it has never been able to find a solution.

In the past, the Ming Dynasty court had tried to establish some "official" yamen runners in an attempt to regulate them, but the number of positions was very limited and far from sufficient.

Ultimately, the imperial court in the agricultural era relied on land taxes and poll taxes to maintain its operations. With limited financial resources, it was simply unable to support too many full-time government officials.

However, the affairs of the government office are numerous, and daily tasks cannot be handled entirely by just a few people.

Therefore, more often than not, the government could only rely on unpaid temporary servants to fill the vacancies.

Since these people have no salary to rely on, they are naturally unwilling to work for free, so making money becomes their way of survival.

The imperial court was not entirely unaware of this, but they were exploiting the people's hard-earned money, not the national treasury's silver.

As far as the imperial court was concerned, it seemed to be of no importance.

These temporary officials exploited the people for personal gain by intimidating and oppressing them, while the imperial court used their existence to further consolidate its control over the lower classes.

As long as they didn't act too arrogantly, the court pretended to turn a blind eye and tacitly approved of their actions.

However, if their misdeeds go too far and arouse public resentment, the imperial court will be furious and execute them as an example to quell public anger and win back the hearts of the people.

In reality, this is a ruthless and sophisticated method of control!

Therefore, despite widespread public discontent and suffering, and despite frequent memorials from officials, the imperial courts of successive dynasties never truly resolved to address the issue.

On the one hand, tax revenue is meager and the national treasury is empty, making it impossible to bear the burden of thorough reform.

On the other hand, deep down they simply didn't want to touch this hot potato.

In a sense, the imperial court's reliance on yamen runners to govern the people was somewhat like the police in later generations secretly relying on gangs to maintain street order.

This sounds like a scornful dark joke, but in some countries and in some corners of the world, it is an absolute reality.

The same was true of the imperial courts of ancient times.

The harm caused by yamen runners is known to everyone, from the court to the common people.

The rampant and unbridled behavior of those local officials who preyed on the villagers was an open secret, and the officials were well aware of it.

However, the imperial court had neither the spare capacity to increase expenditures nor the ability to significantly raise taxes, so it could only allow these yamen runners to "generate their own income" by squeezing money from the people to support themselves and, incidentally, maintain the stability of the regime.

This practice was not only common in ancient times, but even in modern society, when some countries are in financial trouble and the government is unable to pay the salaries of administrative staff, they will tacitly allow administrative law enforcement agencies to "go free" within certain limits and let them extort money from the people to keep operating.

Such examples are not uncommon.

In reality, it is exactly the same as the ancient yamen system, only with a different face.

The Ming Dynasty of today is not what it used to be.

With fiscal revenue increasing year after year and the national treasury becoming increasingly abundant, the government has sufficient resources to support a regular yamen runner team, and no longer needs to rely on such despicable means of exploiting the people to "support" officials and yamen runners.

Zhu Yunwen then decided to change these things and make the country's administration and governance completely standardized.

This is undoubtedly a momentous event.

This filled Yang Shiqi with mixed feelings, which is why he praised it while displaying a complex expression.

……

(End of this chapter)