The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

Liu Yu, leaning on his cane, stepped forward.

As the head of the Han imperial clan, he was of advanced age and high moral character; he should have stood up at this time!

"Duke of Jin, this old minister has something to say."

Now that the six provinces have been newly established, everything is in need of rebuilding, and the feudal lords from all directions are eyeing us covetously. Your Majesty's title is still too light, insufficient to pacify the hearts of the four seas, and insufficient to appease the hopes of the people.

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you ascend the throne as the Prince of Jin, so as to bring peace both domestically and internationally!

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a stir in the hall.

Wang Kuang and Guo Tu exchanged a glance!

They all secretly thought it was a pity!

They were a step too slow again!

Just as he was about to speak first and gain the credit for persuading Liu Yu to take the lead, Liu Yu suddenly cut him off!

They were too embarrassed to compete with Liu Yu!

The two men quickly stepped forward and said, "We second that request! We request that the Duke of Jin be promoted to King of Jin!"

Immediately afterwards, Sima Fang, Cai Yong, Zheng Xuan, Yang Biao (who had just returned), Jia Xu, Cheng Yu… all the civil and military officials stepped forward and bowed in unison:

"Please grant the title of King of Jin to the Duke of Jin!"

Just as the clamor subsided, three people suddenly stepped out of the train.

Lü Bu was still the same Lü Bu: "Duke of Jin, why call yourself a king? If you ask me, just call yourself emperor!"

"We control half the country, and our generals are numerous and formidable. Let's ascend the throne directly, change the era name, and reorganize the system!"

Zhang Fei quickly followed up, patting his chest: "Fengxian is right! Brother, you deserve to sit on this throne!"

Fengxian and I secretly made the dragon robe for you! We intended to bring it today, but someone urged us to ascend the throne, so we forgot to take it!

All the civil and military officials stared wide-eyed. This was something they should keep to themselves; how could they possibly bring it up?!

That's so mood-ruining!

Bi Lan also bowed and said, "I second that proposal. The Hundred Crafts Workshop has prepared all the necessary ceremonial objects and equipment, which are ready for immediate use."

The crowd was shocked once again!

There are still experts!!

The moment these three spoke, the entire room fell silent.

Liu Bei was both amused and annoyed, pointing at the two men:

"Fengxian, Yide, stop talking nonsense!"

With the Han traitors still not eliminated, the world still unsettled, and the people displaced, wouldn't declaring oneself emperor at this time be handing over a handle to others, allowing all the feudal lords of the world to join forces against one another?

Let's not talk about this again.

He paused, then glanced at the crowd below: "The matter of ascending to the position of Prince of Jin shall be decided according to the opinions of you gentlemen."

On an auspicious day, sacrifices were offered to Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples, and the title of Prince of Jin was conferred.

The other titles need not be elaborated upon.

"Here you go!"

Everyone agreed in unison.

Zhang Fei and Lü Bu pursed their lips and didn't argue anymore. Being called a king was fine, since they weren't far from becoming emperors anyway.

After the court session ended, the officials left their offices in twos and threes, all discussing two matters.

One was the ascension of the Prince of Jin to the throne, and the other was the official system.

The current shogunate's staff is only capable of managing a few provinces; managing six provinces, half the country, is already a stretch.

Everyone is guessing that Commander Li, with his many clever schemes, might have already come up with a plan.

After all, from land reclamation to the imperial examination system, from horse administration to business warfare, which one wasn't initiated by him first?

Shouldn't they also consider this?

As expected, the conference took place on the third day.

After Liu Bei finished his opening remarks.

Li Chang immediately stepped forward and sent people to distribute the "Official System Instructions".

"Gentlemen, now that the six prefectures have been newly established, the old system is no longer suitable. There is a proposal for a new official system, and I would like to invite you all to discuss it together."

Everyone immediately perked up – here they come!

Sima Fang was prepared, but this time he wasn't!

Have a good night's sleep!

But some people still don't believe it and end up with dark circles under their eyes from staying up all night!

The entire hall of civil and military officials instantly became more alert, everyone straightened their backs, their eyes burning as they stared intently at the booklet in their hands!

coming!

The long-awaited new generation of official system of the Han Dynasty has finally been unveiled!

Li Chang walked to the map in front of the hall and pointed to the center:

"The central government system consists of three provinces, six ministries, one cabinet, and one military government."

The Secretariat was responsible for drafting imperial edicts and formulating government decrees; the Chancellery was responsible for reviewing and approving edicts and supervising their successes and failures; and the Department of State Affairs was responsible for implementing government decrees and overseeing the six ministries.

These three short sentences sent a tremendous shock through the hearts of all the civil and military officials present!

Everyone instantly understood the terrifying and profound meaning behind it!

Decision-making power, approval power, and execution power are completely divided into three parts!

It can guarantee both efficiency and quality to a certain extent!

The previous problems of powerful ministers monopolizing the government and a single powerful minister controlling the court have been eradicated!

The three provinces check and balance each other, supervise each other, are not subordinate to each other, and each performs its own duties!

The eyes of the court officials flashed with brilliance, their hearts filled with utter shock!

They believed that with this system in place, there would be no more powerful ministers in the court, and the abuses of monopolistic power would be eliminated! A truly excellent system for all time!

No one objected; in their view, this was Li Changzai dividing his power!

Otherwise, Li Chang would be the most powerful prime minister!

At the same time, everyone looked at Li Chang and was deeply impressed by his magnanimity, as he was actually willing to share his power!

That's incredibly bold!

Li Chang continued: "The six ministries are: the Ministry of Personnel, which is in charge of the assessment and appointment of officials; the Ministry of Revenue, which is in charge of household registration, money and grain, taxes and land reclamation; the Ministry of Rites, which is in charge of rites and sacrifices, and the imperial examination and education; the Ministry of War, which is in charge of military registration, weapons and troop conscription; the Ministry of Justice, which is in charge of criminal justice; and the Ministry of Works, which is in charge of engineering construction, water conservancy and all kinds of crafts."

The cabinet consisted of several Grand Secretaries who were in charge of confidential matters, assisted the Prince of Jin in decision-making, and coordinated the three provinces.

The military government was in charge of national military deployment, appointment and removal of generals, training and warfare, and was directly responsible to the Prince of Jin.

The military and government have been completely separated!

Political power resides in the imperial court, military power in the monarch, and the cabinet provides checks and balances on the court!

Interlocking!

At this moment, all the civil and military officials were completely solemn, their hearts filled with extreme shock!

Its strategic vision, meticulousness, checks and balances, and long-term perspective are all perfect!

It's like a mature system that has been developed for thousands of years!

Sima Fangfu sighed deeply, a great weight lifted from his heart.

In the past, he was in charge of all sorts of miscellaneous tasks, entangled in a hundred different jobs, working day and night, dealing with endless trivial matters.

Now that the six departments are separated and each performs its own duties, the complex government affairs are instantly broken down and clarified, and the efficiency of the imperial court's operation is greatly increased!

The seasoned ministers, well-versed in classical texts, were now deeply moved!

Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan praised it highly, saying, "This system is worthy of being a model for all time!"

Li Chang nodded in agreement, and then said:

"This is the central system. The three provinces are separated, with decision-making, review, and execution being distinct, mutually checking and balancing each other, and each having its own responsibilities. This prevents power from being too concentrated and also prevents shirking responsibility when problems arise."

"As for the localities," Li Chang said, gesturing with his pointer across the prefectures and counties on the map:

"It is still divided into three levels: prefecture, county, and county."

The governor was in charge of the civil administration of a prefecture, the prefecture was in charge of a commandery, and the county magistrate was in charge of a county, only responsible for agriculture, sericulture, taxation, education, and people's livelihood.

Separate judicial offices were established at each level: prefectures had their own prefectural courts, counties had their own county courts, and districts had their own county offices, all dedicated to criminal justice and adjudication, conducting trials according to law and free from interference by local officials. For the time being, the Ministry of Justice at the central level was responsible for these cases.

Further establishment of arrest offices was set up, with state arrest offices in prefectures, prefectural inspectors in counties, and county lieutenants in counties, specifically responsible for arresting thieves, maintaining public order, and inspecting household registers. This was temporarily the responsibility of the Ministry of War.

The judiciary and public security were separate from civil affairs, each with its own responsibilities and not subordinate to any other. In case of important matters, the central government would only send a short-term governor to temporarily coordinate and handle the situation.

We've left room for error, allowing for mistakes and subsequent improvements.

If it doesn't suit you, you can always make some changes.

But in front of all the civil and military officials.

boom!!!

The entire venue erupted for the first time ever!

Everyone's pupils constricted, their faces filled with disbelief!

Civil affairs, judiciary, and public security—a complete separation of powers!

Since ancient times, local officials have wielded immense power, controlling the people, the law, and the military, allowing powerful families to maintain their rule over the region for centuries!

Now Li Chang has cut it open with one stroke!

Local officials only care about farming, collecting taxes, and educating the people!

They don't get involved in case trials, arrests, or security patrols! That's a completely different system!

Countless officials from Ji and Qing provinces who had submitted to powerful families turned pale instantly!

They instantly sensed a chilling aura; this was a blow that severed the power of local aristocratic families!

Before everyone could recover from their shock...

Li Chang finally put forward the most ruthless, most deadly, and most disruptive iron rule in the chaotic world!

……

(Thanks for your support, here's another update. I'm a bit too tired to keep up, the quality feels lower, and the writing just doesn't feel right.)