The Ming Dynasty started with saving the eldest grandson

Chapter 338 Establishing a new Yamen

"A chief secretary has only seventeen magistrates, a county government has only four magistrates, and a township has only one magistrate."

“According to the previous system, barely enough was enough.”

"But under the new system, even basic government operations cannot be maintained."

“Therefore, the special zone must add more specialized yamen based on actual needs.”

Chen Jingke stood in front of the blackboard and introduced eloquently.

There were two rows of people sitting opposite. In the first row were Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, Zhu Xiongying and his grandson.

In the second row are seven cabinet bachelors including Li Shanchang, Xu Da, and Qiu Guangan.

Behind the two rows of seats, there were several rows of people standing, all walking in the cabinet.

Each person held a charcoal pen in his hand and quickly recorded every word he said.

Coupled with the supporting staff, the number is even larger, which puts a lot of pressure on the finances.

Although through a series of measures such as opening up the sea, equalizing land, and tax reform, the imperial court's annual revenue doubled several times.

But that is a matter of the future. Now that there is no money, the government will go bankrupt in a matter of minutes.

The five-year plan is progressing slowly, and a big reason is the lack of people.

The terms of office of officials are three to five years, and they can be promoted only after they have completed their service.

In this case, one step ahead means one step ahead.

There is also sand control and prevention in Shaanxi, and support for construction in Hexi, Liaodong, Jiaozhi and other places.

"Specially responsible for supervising and guiding local change work and five-year plan implementation."

Those who serve in the cabinet are just to observe the administration, and in the future they will serve as external officials.

The Ming Dynasty's official selection system became increasingly standardized, and it was difficult to jump to higher levels. One had to work his way up step by step from the grassroots level.

Therefore, although the Center supports change in general, it has always been cautious about how to change it specifically.

But adding a new institution is a very complicated matter, especially for a country with a vast territory like Ming Dynasty.

A large chunk was taken away from military pay and official salary.

Infrastructure construction in various places, such as building Chidao, building water conservancy facilities, etc.

There is no doubt that the starting point for the upcoming special zones is the highest.

If you want to win the opportunity to go to the Special Administrative Region, the best way is to deeply understand Chen Jingke's plan.

Zhu Biao and others have long known that there are not enough officials in the local government.

But the expenses have also doubled several times.

But when to go out, where to serve, and what position to take, are directly related to the upper limit of the future.

So they are naturally the most attentive.

If the expenses of more than 2,000 yamen are increased out of thin air, the pressure on the court will only increase.

Chen Jingke continued: "While the original government offices remain unchanged, two more government offices will be added to each county in the special zone."

Although everyone knows that the newly established Yamen will definitely create greater value.

Now Chen Jingke has proposed the special zone plan and found a new way for everyone.

At present, it has reached 130 million yuan, which is more than six times that of Hongwu ten years.

It will be trial-operated in the special zone first, and then it will be promoted nationwide after getting familiar with it.

"It will help the cabinet understand local conditions and make policy adjustments more accurately."

There are currently 48 people in the Cabinet Walk, and the planned number is 108. More people will join in the future.

“The first yamen is the Comprehensive Reform Department, which is under the direct control of the cabinet, and a comprehensive reform bureau is set up in the local area.

"At the same time, the collected intelligence information must be summarized in a timely manner to the Comprehensive Reform Department."

The key is that no one knows how the new department should be set up and what government affairs it will undertake.

The five-year work plan has completely hollowed out the Ministry of Household Affairs, and internal funds of 6 million yuan are needed to subsidize the deficit.

If one official is added to a county, the total number of people in the country will be more than 2,000.

Another question is whether old-school officials are qualified for the new job.

After the peasants were assigned to the farm, they stopped recruiting civilian men for corvee service and instead spent money to recruit them.

The competition between them is very fierce.

In fact, the imperial court's finances are now barely maintained.

Coupled with other expenditures, the court barely balanced its books.

This is also a huge expense.

Although Teacher Chen does not do post-class inspections, whoever understands his class more deeply will have the opportunity to be reused first.

"This agency does not have any other powers such as judicial, civil affairs, taxation, etc."

After everyone thought about it carefully, they had to admit that this proposal was indeed a good one.

Zhu Yuanzhang kept nodding, but did not speak.

He just came to listen and make some comments. The real person in charge was his son Zhu Biao.

But you can't speak casually and take away your own son's power.

Zhu Biao also respected his old father very much. He first asked him for advice and then said:
"Now, whether it's in-depth reform or a five-year work plan."

"The most difficult part is that local officials cannot fully understand the imperial court's thoughts."

"Some people understand it, but they can't do it for various reasons, or even set up obstacles."

"And the court also lacks detailed local information and cannot make timely adjustments."

“With the Comprehensive Reform Department, these problems will be solved.”

"Jing Ke's proposal is good, I think it's feasible."

As soon as he said this, he set a major tone.

The Comprehensive Reform Department can be established, let’s discuss how to set it up directly.

Li Shanchang was the first to speak: "Chen Bandu, I wonder what the relationship is between the Comprehensive Reform Department and the local government?"

This is asking the question of power ownership.

Chen Jingke said: "It is affiliated to the local government, and its level is equivalent to the chief clerk, but it accepts business guidance from the higher-level comprehensive reform agency in its work."

He further explained: “Whether it is innovation or five-year plans, local government agencies are the main body of implementation.”

"Without the cooperation of local government agencies, the comprehensive reform agency may not be able to do anything."

"Moreover, we must also prevent the occurrence of the comprehensive reform agency's inaction and reckless behavior."

To put it bluntly, it is still a matter of power struggle. Why should the work led by the local government be subject to the command of an outsider like you?

How can the comprehensive reform agency carry out its work if no one listens?

On the other hand, the comprehensive reform agency has no affiliation with the local government, and whether the local economy is good or bad has little impact on them.

Because economic development is the task of local governments, they are only responsible for guidance.

We have given you guidance, and if you fail to do it well, it is your own fault.

In this case, will they still give their best guidance?
It does not even rule out the situation of giving random orders randomly.

It would be different if the two parties had a subordinate relationship. If the local economy did not do well, they would not be able to reap the benefits.

This explanation succeeded in convincing most people.

At this time Geng Guang raised a question:
"Comprehensive reform agencies are affiliated with local government agencies. What if they collude with local officials and obstruct reforms in disguise?"

Chen Jingke didn't even have to ask, Li Shanchang answered for him:
"The Ministry of Civil Affairs' Merit Examination Department has revised the standards. In the future, changes and the implementation of the five-year plan will be important assessment items."

"If you fail to meet the standards in this assessment twice in a row, you can be dismissed from office directly."

Geng Guang had no objection. As long as they wanted to continue to be officials, they must support the work of the Comprehensive Reform Department.

Even if I meet someone who is really stubborn, I will oppose it and obstruct it.

That's okay. When the time comes, he will be dismissed directly and replaced by someone who is willing to do it.

It's just a matter of delaying two more years and will not affect the overall situation.

Afterwards, others asked some questions, such as the specific scope of authority, specific work content, etc.

Chen Jingke answered one by one.

He didn't start talking about the second item until everyone had no more questions:
"The second yamen added is called the Department of Industry and Commerce, which is in charge of industry and commerce..."

"Ahem..." At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang coughed lightly and interrupted him:

"Since ancient times, China has attached great importance to agriculture and neglected commerce. There are many cunning and shameless people in that generation, so many people in the world underestimate it."

"If the new government office is named after industry and commerce, it may arouse opposition from the government and the opposition."

"It will also make the world mistakenly think that the Ming Dynasty attaches great importance to merchants. It will be even worse if the merchants get carried away."

Others agreed. How can the name of a government office contain the word "Shang"? It's inappropriate.

When Chen Jingke thought that this was indeed the case, he said, "Your Majesty is wise, but I didn't think carefully about it, so let's change the name."

"It's better to call it the Municipal Administration Department. Its full name is the Market Supervision and Administration Department..."

"The market includes industry and commerce..."

The name successfully gained everyone's approval and was decided.

The Industrial and Commercial Bureau...the Municipal Administration Department is responsible for the registration, layout adjustment, and follow-up management of industrial and commercial affairs.

There are also tasks such as the construction and management of bazaars.

Even mining and other tasks are managed by them.

In short, the current scope of duties of the Municipal Management Department is very wide.

He can manage almost all the industrial, commercial and mining industries, and his power is indeed quite large.

But there is no way. The industrial and commercial foundation of Ming Dynasty is too weak now, and dividing too many yamen will cause a waste of human resources.

We can only first establish a comprehensive department for unified management.

When industry and commerce develop, they will be split according to actual needs.

Everyone naturally recognizes this organization very much.

Again, a big reason for the slow implementation of the Five-Year Plan is the lack of specialized agencies responsible for it.

The Municipal Management Department has filled this gap.

As for the new Yamen, Chen Jingke has only done these two for the time being, and there is really no need for more.

Besides, he is not omnipotent and cannot make things perfect in the planning stage.

There were indeed many government agencies in previous lives, but most of them could not be copied.

We can only put forward a rough framework first, and then make adjustments according to the actual situation during the implementation process.

This was originally the purpose of establishing special zones.

Then everyone discussed the specific scope of duties of the municipal management bureau and how certain things would be carried out.

For example, the registration process for different industries.

Opening a canteen is definitely different from opening a business, and opening a carpentry workshop is different from opening a mine.

In the previous life, if you were a central organization to do these trivial things, it would be a bit unprofessional.

However, in Ming Dynasty, all this was groundbreaking, and there was no previous experience to refer to.

It’s really up to them, the decision-makers, to think and make decisions.

If they don't think about it, but let the market operate on its own, and then sum up experience based on the operation.

The efficiency will be very slow and unnecessary losses will be caused.

They come up with a rough framework, whether it has flaws or not, it is much better than no rules at all.

If there are any problems, just improve them based on actual operations.

When the first set of procedures is formulated, the people below will know what is going on.

There is no need for decision-makers like them to think about these details.

This class lasted for an hour before it ended.

It’s not that everything has been solved, or that I don’t want to continue talking, it’s just that I can’t continue talking.

Everyone is very busy. It is not easy to spare an hour for class every day.

Any longer time will affect the central operation.

Even if lecture time is strictly controlled, a lot of work will still pile up every day.

Seven cabinet ministers had to work overtime to handle them all.

After everyone else left, only Chen Jingke, Zhu Yuanzhang and his grandson were left in the lobby.

Lao Zhu then said: "No wonder you often said in the past that the Ming Dynasty was just a grassroots team."

"We were not convinced at the time, but now it seems that is the case."

Zhu Xiongying interjected: "Grandpa Huang, you are wrong. What Jing Ke said is that all dynasties were Caotai teams."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "There is no need to comfort me. Your grandfather is not that fragile. This is just out of emotion."

Chen Jingke reflected: "Actually, what I said is not right. It is disrespectful to the ancients."

"Human civilization is not achieved overnight. It is a process from scratch."

“From simplicity to complexity, from rudimentary to perfection.”

"Our understanding of the world is also deepening little by little."

"My understanding of the country, the people, power, responsibilities and obligations, etc., is gradually deepening."

“Without the accumulation of our predecessors, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

"Today we stand on the shoulders of the ancients. It is arrogant to say arrogantly that they did not see far enough."

"Future descendants will also use the same attitude to evaluate us."

“To despise the ancients is to despise ourselves.”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Okay, okay, don't give us so many big reasons."

"We all understand what you said. I just wanted to compliment you from the side, but you took it seriously."

Chen Jingke smiled and said: "You can't blame me alone. It was the prince who took it seriously first. I was influenced by him."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao laughed happily.

"There's nothing you can do about it. Who made him the prince? You can only bear the blame."

After joking for a while, Zhu Xiongying suddenly said:
"When the special zone plan is implemented, how about I go over there and keep an eye on it?"

Chen Jingke was not surprised by his decision. In fact, the two of them had discussed this matter long ago.

Zhu Xiongying has never been the kind of person to rest on his responsibilities.

It's just that he knows how to measure things, and usually behaves in a low-key manner.

Naturally, he was not willing to let go of such a good training opportunity.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not directly say his decision, but asked:

"Oh, tell us what you think?"

Zhu Xiongying explained: “The Special Administrative Region needs someone with sufficient status and understanding of the New Deal to take charge.”

"There is no one more suitable than me."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but nod. Those who meet this standard in the imperial court basically have important responsibilities that are difficult to leave.

Zhu Xiongying is really the most suitable candidate.

"Secondly, the Special Economic Zone is the future of Ming Dynasty. When I go there, I can understand the New Deal more intuitively and prepare for the future."

This reason is even more sufficient.

It would be better for the future emperor to understand the New Deal.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been convinced, but he did not make a decision. Instead, he said:

"Discuss this matter with your father, he has the final say."

Zhu Biao was not modest either. He nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. You might as well go over there and watch."

"But Jing Ke can't go with you."

Firstly, Chen Jingke has a more important task, and secondly, it is to train Zhu Xiongying's ability to be independent.

Zhu Xiongying had already prepared for this and said:
"I know, I'm not going to take him with me this time either."

At this point, he changed the subject and said, "Can I take Miaojin with me?"

Hearing this, Lao Zhu didn't say anything, stood up and left with his hands behind his back.

Zhu Biao said angrily: "If you have the guts, go talk to your imperial grandmother and see if she can beat you up."

Zhu Xiongying shrank his neck and said, "Forget it then."

Chen Jingke was speechless when he saw him acting cute.

This kid thinks about good things every day.

Not to mention that the two of them are not married yet, even if they are married, there is no rule about taking the crown princess to experience in other places.

After that, the two followed Zhu Biao to the Qianqing Palace and helped handle some official affairs together.

When it was almost time to get off work, a waiter suddenly came over to deliver a message:
The King of Joseon sent a memorial to invite An, along with the completed "Liaodong Book".

Chen Jingke was shocked, and then his face showed joy:
Fang Xiaoru is back.

(End of this chapter)