Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 449 Nine Ministers, Six Ministries, and Two Offices
In November, snowflakes fell in Chang'an, and the inner palace was already covered in white snow.

Late at night, the lamps in the side hall were still lit, and Zhang Yu paced back and forth. A long cloth hung on the wall.

The handkerchief clearly displays the titles of various official ranks in the Tang Kingdom, with the names of people corresponding to each title on the left and right. However, there are several empty spaces.

Why isn't my husband resting?

Seeing that Zhang Yu had not yet entered the inner room, Wang Ji came out wearing an outer robe and asked with concern.

"With the founding of the nation and the ascension to the throne imminent, the rewards and honors for the officials have yet to be decided. I must ponder this carefully!" Zhang Yu said with a headache as he looked at the names on the cloth.

Since the country was to be established, it was necessary to appoint officials and give positions to the people, but how to do so was a headache.

Before the founding of the dynasty, because Zhang Yu ruled as the governor of the state, many official positions were ambiguous, and the differences in status between people were not significant. It was common for low-ranking officials to be assigned high-ranking positions, such as Yang Jun, who was in charge of personnel. Now, if the officials are to be rewarded, a clear division between the upper and lower ranks will inevitably occur.

Previously, Zhong Yao and Du Ji were in charge of all matters. Now, if the country were to be established and the king declared, then the affairs of the Tang Kingdom would need to be handled by the officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Nine Ministers, and the selection of such personnel would need to be considered again.

"Chancellor—Zhong Yao, Grand Censor—Xin Pi, Grand Judge—Wang Chen, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat—Du Ji, Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat—Dong Zhao, Minister of Personnel—Yang Jun, Minister of Revenue—Yu Yi… Prefect of the Capital—Chang Lin… Attendant-in-Ordinary—Guo Tu, Vice Minister—Guo Jia…"

Wang Ji's gaze lingered on Wang Chen for a moment, then she looked around the list and noticed the missing civil and military officials. She asked, "Where are Xun You and Zhao Zi? Also, Yu Yi has followed my husband for more than ten years. It might cause dissatisfaction if he is only appointed as a minister, which would damage my husband's reputation."

"Ok?"

"Where is Jia Wenhe?"

Zhang Yu frowned and said, "How could I not know what you mean, Madam? I just don't know how to settle Xun You, Zhao Zi, Jia Xu and others. Besides, Xun You and Jia Xu are my advisors. If they are given high positions now, they will have to stay in Chang'an and will not be able to follow me to conquer the heroes."

"As for Yu Yi, he has followed me for many years, working diligently and conscientiously in the salt and iron industry, and providing me with military supplies. How could I not want to give him an important position? The position he was appointed as Minister of Revenue is to be in charge of the country's expenditures."

Wang Ji asked in confusion, "The poll tax, land tax, and salt and iron taxes are under the jurisdiction of the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Why not appoint Yu Yi as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and instead appoint him as the Minister of Revenue?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Since the reign of Emperor Guangwu, the Ministry of Personnel has gradually taken away the positions of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. Now I want to make the Three Dukes an honorary position and let the various departments of the Ministry of Personnel take charge of the affairs."

Wang Ji pondered for a moment and said, "My husband favors the Secretariat and wants to use it to seize the power of the Nine Ministers. So why don't you re-establish official positions and give heavy power to minor officials with a few hundred bushels of grain? This is not a long-term solution."

"Since the Han dynasty, the Secretariat has selected candidates for the civil service examinations based on their filial piety and integrity, and they discussed state affairs with the emperor and formulated national strategies. The Nine Ministers then took charge of these affairs. Therefore, if the Secretariat were to take away the power of the Nine Ministers, the Nine Ministers would become a mere figurehead. Above the Nine Ministers would be the Chancellor, who would be weaker than the Chief Secretary."

“Zhong Yao is the son of my husband Yuan Cong, and is like Xiao He and Deng Yu. If Du Ji’s power is higher than Zhong Yao’s, then there will be conflict!”

Zhang Yu looked at Wang Ji with surprise. To his surprise, Wang Ji was so knowledgeable about the official positions in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and he also understood the potential drawbacks of his preference for the Shangshutai (Imperial Secretariat).

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Secretariat (尚书台) were officials of the inner court, assisting the emperor in managing state affairs, formulating national strategies, and selecting talent. The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers (三公九卿), on the other hand, were officials of the outer court, responsible for implementation. Compared to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers of the Western Han Dynasty, they had far less say, and their power was gradually stripped away by the Secretariat.

If we take the official positions of the Eastern Han Dynasty as a model, then Zhang Yu intended to expand the Shangshutai (Secretariat) from an inner court to an outer court, with the affairs of the Shangshutai taking the lead and the Nine Ministers revolving around it.

If Zhang Yu's plan is implemented, then the power of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat will be no weaker than that of the Chancellor who is in charge of the Nine Ministers, and may even be able to rival him. This is what Zhang Yu is hesitant about. He does not know whether he should strengthen the power of the Imperial Secretariat.

"How does Madam know about the national system?" Zhang Yu asked.

Wang Ji calmly replied, “Since my husband is about to establish a new country, I take the opportunity to consult my father about the system of government officials when I have nothing else to do.”

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does Madam have any insights regarding the Ministry of Revenue and Expenditure?"

"I dare not speak much about matters of state. But since my husband went down to Guanzhong, the profits from salt and iron account for half of the national revenue. Therefore, when Yu Yi was in charge of salt and iron, all the staff of the general's office, as well as Zhong Yuanchang and Du Ji, respected Yu Yi. Outsiders often value all three equally. Now that my husband has placed Yu Yi below Zhong and Du, I fear Yu Yi will become dissatisfied."

Wang Ji pondered for a moment and said, "A country is like a large family. Distributing salaries, bestowing rewards, and supplying military funds are of paramount importance. How can it function without money?"

Zhang Yu squinted. After Wang Ji's reminder, he gradually realized the problem. His official system was modeled after the Eastern Han Dynasty, but the problem was that the Eastern Han Dynasty did not implement state monopoly on salt and iron. Therefore, salt tax accounted for a very small proportion of the national revenue, while the majority was poll tax.

Now, regarding land tax, he abolished individual taxation and implemented household tax. Regarding salt and iron, he adopted a state monopoly, with salt tax accounting for half of the revenue; therefore, he had to formulate a system adapted to the salt tax.

Previously, the salt and iron taxes were separated and placed under the management of Yu Yi, which elevated Yu Yi's status. This meant that if he were to transfer the budget to the Ministry of Revenue and place it under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat, the power of the Grand Secretary would become immense, eventually eroding the power of the Chancellor, which would be detrimental to the stability of the court. After much deliberation, Zhang Yu had an idea and decided to emulate the Song Dynasty by establishing a system of a Grand Secretary.

From the Tang Dynasty onwards, the state monopoly on salt and iron became a key source of revenue for ancient dynasties, gradually surpassing land tax. Salt tax accounted for half of the revenue in the Song Dynasty, and even more than 80% in the Yuan Dynasty. Salt tax continued to constitute a large proportion during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In order to balance the administration and the military, the Song Dynasty separated finance and established the Three Offices to manage it. The Three Offices, which had the power of expenditure, became the Minister of Finance, a position second only to the head of administration. Therefore, it would be better to follow the Song Dynasty's example and separate the finance department to be responsible for auditing the military and government departments and to manage the nation's finances.

“What you say makes sense. Money and grain are the foundation of the country. Then let’s separate the state-run salt and iron industries into an independent department, with a separate planning department, which will oversee the salt bureau, iron bureau, and audit bureau. Yu Yi will be appointed as the head of the accounting department, and the department will not be established together with the Ministry of Revenue.”

As he spoke, Zhang Yu took a pen and crossed out Yu Yi's name next to the Minister of Revenue, and wrote Cui Yan's name instead.

"Why not submit the land tax to the accounting department as well?"

Seeing that Zhang Yu did not abolish the Ministry of Revenue, but instead set up a separate department, Wang Ji could not understand and asked.

Zhang Yu smiled and explained, "If the land tax is managed by the Accounting Office, wouldn't that mean that the officials of the prefectures and counties would be subject to the Accounting Office? Then what would be the purpose of the Secretariat?"

Although Wang Ji knew a little about the national system, his understanding was not profound. The relationship between the central government and local governments was complex, and the most crucial indicators for the central government to assess local governments were revenue, grain, and population.

If the collection of taxes and grain is separated from the revenue, then in the eyes of the prefectural and county officials, the Secretariat will have no right to inquire about their tax and grain collection. As a result, the Secretariat will lose its enthusiasm for managing the local prefectures and counties, and since the Accounting Office is not responsible for performance evaluation, the evaluation of prefectural and county officials will easily become a matter of passing the buck.

Historically, Wang Anshi implemented the Yuanfeng Reforms, abolishing the Three Offices and replacing them with the Ministry of Revenue responsible for expenditures. Essentially, this was because the Three Offices were responsible for all national expenditures and revenues, while the Ministry of Revenue lacked financial authority. This would easily lead to unclear responsibilities and a serious problem of redundant officials.

Therefore, by drawing on the mixed nature of fiscal power in the Song Dynasty, separating state-run taxes such as salt and iron, and retaining the authority over land taxes for the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Agriculture, the ambiguity of authority could be avoided to some extent.

"The strategist, the prime minister, and the minister of state!"

With three powerful officials in charge, Zhang Yu gradually formed a complete central system in his mind. He then wrote "Recordation of the Ministry of Personnel" next to Zhong Yao's name and "Pacification of the Ministry of Personnel" next to Yu Yi's name.

The Accounting Office was responsible for the state-run salt and iron monopolies and had the right to audit the financial expenditures of various government departments; the Chancellor led the Nine Ministers and was responsible for the execution of specific affairs; the Minister of State Affairs led the Six Ministries and was responsible for supervising the Nine Ministers and evaluating local officials.

The Secretariat was the meeting place for the Accounting Office, the Chancellor, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and the Grand Censor, where the court formulated its annual financial plans and discussed important government affairs.

Seeing that Zhang Yu had been busy for a while but still hadn't found the names of Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and others, Wang Ji asked.

"Then why should we place ministers such as Jia Xu and Xun You in positions of power?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu picked up his brush and wrote the three characters "Privy Council" in the blank area, listing the names of Xun You, Jia Xu, Tian Feng, and others.

"Is the Privy Council perhaps the place that controls military secrets?" Wang Ji asked.

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu put down his pen on the shelf and laughed, “Nothing is more taboo in the world than a general who is ignorant of military affairs and a civil official who replaces a military general. However, when I conquered the four directions, my strategies relied heavily on the above-mentioned gentlemen. Therefore, I established the Privy Council to govern the generals and officers of various departments and to advise on military affairs. The person in charge is the Privy Councilor, with Xun You in charge and Zhang Yang as his deputy. When the ministers participate in military affairs, they must be referred to as ‘participating in Privy Council affairs’ or ‘discussing Privy Council affairs’.”

The Privy Council of the Song Dynasty and the Five Military Commissions of the Ming Dynasty were essentially attempts to divide the power of the administrative head in deliberating on military affairs. Since Zhang Yu was in charge of military affairs, he simply let his staff discuss military matters and took the opportunity to establish the Privy Council so that he could adjust the situation of the various armies.

Seeing Zhang Yu's well-organized plan, Wang Ji's eyes flashed with a strange light. She had thought that her husband was young and well-versed in military affairs, but not necessarily clear about the checks and balances of the court. However, she did not expect that her husband already had a plan in mind, separating finance and military affairs, while politically following the system of the Eastern Han Dynasty's Secretariat and the official system of the Nine Ministers.

Thinking of this, Wang Ji felt fortunate that he had chosen Zhang Yu. Who could have imagined that a mere scion of a border outlaw would one day become an emperor?

While Wang Ji reminisced about the past, Zhang Yu continued to outline his blueprint, merging the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Vice-Minister into the Secretariat, which would be an inner court official, with Guo Tu in charge and Zhao Zi in charge of confidential documents.

“My lord,” Wang Ji reminded him, “during the Later Han Dynasty, the powers and responsibilities of the Nine Ministers and the Six Ministries were often unclear. If we do not change this and continue to follow it, disputes will be inevitable!”

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The division of powers and responsibilities among the Nine Ministers and the Six Ministries is as follows. I will meet with Zhong Yao and Du Ji tomorrow to discuss important military and political matters."

Compared to the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty added two departments: the Design Bureau and the Privy Council. Therefore, it was urgent to discuss matters with all officials so that everyone could clarify their responsibilities.

(End of this chapter)