How to use Parkinson’s theory to analyze the system of the second government and the third department in the Song Dynasty?
Quotes
Thousands of years in ancient Chinese history, dynasties have changed frequently, and family inheritance is just a dream. An overall analysis of history shows that the change of dynasties has nothing to do with the people in essence. It is just the change of the royal family and the change of the system. The detailed analysis of the reasons for the replacement includes personal factors of the emperor, factors of powerful ministers, factors of foreign races, etc. It seems that there are many names, but in summary it is to reform the old and make new things. In the history of ancient China, there were indeed cases of royal personal factors leading to the destruction of the country, such as the death of the second emperor of Qin, which was caused by neglect of the interests of the people and the rise of rebellion. The second emperor of the Sui Dynasty died because he indulged in pleasure and was respected above all.
In fact, more dynasty changes are related to the usurpation of power by powerful ministers. For example, the Tian family usurped the Qi Dynasty, Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty, Liu Yu usurped the Jin Dynasty, etc. These were all the results of the mismatch between the actual income of powerful ministers and their status. But why did this phenomenon not appear again after the Song Dynasty? It's just that the practices of the Song Dynasty emperors overlapped with the famous Parkinson's theory, and the institutional manifestation was a two-government and three-division system. It was this approach that caused no powerful official to usurp the throne after the Song Dynasty. It was also this approach that led to the demise of the Song Dynasty.
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law proposes that an incompetent official has only three paths. The first is to apply for resignation and give up the position. Second, a knowledgeable person is responsible for the specific operations. The third is to appoint two people to help you do things, but these two people must be lower than your ability.
In feudal society, the royal family was destined by destiny and wanted to have the supreme power of the country. In order to ensure the ruling relationship, the throne was hereditary and passed down from generation to generation. Emperors often took great pains to consolidate their status. He guarded against each other with his brothers and kept his ministers in check. A series of actions ensured that the imperial power was in his own hands. With such power, who would be willing to give up their position? Of course, the emperor took the initiative to abdicate in favor of someone more worthy, but this was by no means his personal wish.
The second level is to let knowledgeable people assist. In the ancient Chinese political system, positions such as prime minister and general were derived. Wen Ze is often not the emperor himself who writes pen to determine the world, and high-risk matters such as military power to determine the world are not something ordinary emperors can control. This gave rise to powerful officials such as Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Sima Yi. When the emperor handed over a certain power to others unconditionally and without restriction, he often also gave up his throne with both hands. But this is the special thing about the Song Dynasty. The implementation of the two-government and three-division system actually made the Song Dynasty no longer have powerful ministers.
In Parkinson's Law, it is not terrible to let two incompetent people assist you. What is terrible is to have four even less capable people assist these two "cronies". "Governing by doing nothing" is the icing on the cake in terms of literal explanation. It is the original intention to let those in power use their power without disturbing the people. But in actual operation, these four words have become a drain on the bottom of the cauldron. In the early years of the Song Dynasty, the economy was prosperous, and the country was peaceful and peaceful with singing and dancing. However, in the later period, there were too many political officials and personnel, and the army was poor and weak. The flourishing Song Dynasty was plunged into a quagmire and never recovered, and this was also attributed to the rulers' application of Parkinson's theory to the second-government and three-division system.
The Song Dynasty, which had a system of two government offices and three departments, no longer had powerful ministers
On the eve of the founding of the Song Dynasty, the negative impact of the system of three provinces and six ministries became apparent, so the Song Dynasty improved its own plan. Secretary system?. The second government is the "East Government Hall", which is in charge of government affairs, and the "West Government Privy Council", which is in charge of military affairs. The Department of Finance, the Ministry of Accounts, and the Department of Salt and Iron are the three departments in charge of financial power. The list of administrative departments is not enough for everyone to see the facts clearly, but one thing is obvious. The system of two governments and three departments separates military power, government affairs, and financial power, which fundamentally isolates the three most basic conditions for powerful ministers to disrupt government.
Many people believe that all dynasties before the Song Dynasty were also divided in power, such as the three provinces and six ministries mentioned. However, this is not the case in reality. As the highest chief executive, the power held by the prime minister should not be underestimated. He often takes into account both government affairs and financial powers. The existence of "Tiger Talisman" makes the separation of military power exist in name only, and "Generals are not subject to foreign military orders." This alone has turned "Tianwei" into a thing of the past countless times. But the second government and the third department have really achieved substantial decentralization. This is also the scary part of Parkinson's Law.
1. Dongfu Government Hall
The third point in Parkinson's Law proposes to find two people with lower abilities than yourself to help you handle affairs, which is the case in Dongfu Government Hall. Before the Song Dynasty, due to the excessive power of the prime minister, it affected the government and even usurped the throne. Song Taizu worked hard as prime minister.
"Xu Zi Zhi Tong Jian Chang Bian" records that the emperor wanted to appoint a deputy for Zhao Pu but was unable to name him. He summoned Hanlin scholar Tao Gu to accept the order and asked: "Who is the first-level official of the prime minister?" ?Answer: In the Tang Dynasty, you participated in the government affairs and participated in the government affairs. ?Yes, what is recorded here is the naming of official positions when Song Taizu was seeking a deputy position for the prime minister.
Although the name was borrowed from the previous dynasty, its power is not comparable to that of the Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, those who participated in political affairs were similar to temporary official positions and mostly did errands, but Song Taizu gave them great power. It is a deputy position in name, but except for the slightly inferior name, it is the same as that of the prime minister in terms of political affairs and the power is equivalent. Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty once served as a counselor in political affairs. This formed a check and balance relationship in the Song Dynasty, weakening the power of the prime minister and strengthening centralization.
2. Xifu Privy Council
Parkinson’s Law is an argument put forward for leaders with insufficient abilities, but Song Taizu obviously did not belong to this type of leader in terms of leading troops in war. For talented leaders, it is obviously the wisest move to take the power from their own hands. It is understandable that military generals do not understand civil affairs, but government affairs have their own special characteristics and can be divided and conquered. There is already a solution to the establishment of deputy positions. However, as a military commander, what should I do with military power?
The origin of Song Taizu made Song Taizu deeply aware of the importance of military power. The allusion of "A cup of wine releases military power" has been praised for thousands of years, so what is the Xifu Privy Council? ?The Privy Council is in charge of military records and tiger symbols, and the three yamen are in charge of all armies. They lead the ministers and lead the troops, and each of them has its own assigned guard. It is true that Song Taizu himself was the master of military power, but wouldn't it be child's play for him to personally conduct military campaigns whenever there was a war? Therefore, they separated powers under the shadow of their own power. Every time the Sanyasu went on an expedition, they had to go to the Privy Council to collect the Tiger Talisman. Although this sight was cumbersome in terms of system, it was a sight that the emperor liked to see. The effect will be better if it is combined with the "Garrison Method". I won't mention it here for the time being, just to leave a foreshadowing.
Three, three-division system
The first of Parkinson's Law is to apply for resignation and give up the position. This is unrealistic for a certain aspect, but it is logical for an area that is easy for the emperor to control. After the government affairs and military power are properly handled, only the financial power can influence the government affairs. In the face of absolute power, financial power is just a number. Obviously, according to the third point of the theory, it can be assigned to a few people who are not as capable as themselves. And Song Taizu also did the same.
As for the establishment of the three departments: Duzhi, Household Department, Salt and Iron, there is not much to say. They are just divided according to categories and signed by each. Finance is gold and silver on the surface. What the emperor needs to do is not to control how each transaction is spent, but to control the total amount and abnormal issues. In every disaster, battle, etc., it is enough for the emperor to know how much money he has spent and what he has done. Wouldn't it be nice if the three departments submitted their financial statements on time for the emperor's review? They could check each other and be directly in the hands of the emperor.
The pros and cons caused by the two-government and three-division system under Parkinson's Law
A comprehensive understanding of the two-government and three-division system is decentralization. We need to focus on the third point of Parkinson's theory. . The two-government and three-department system sets up managers with dual positions, which weakens the power of powerful officials and has an excellent effect in curbing money and power. Moreover, money, power, and soldiers are separated, and even if powerful ministers meet certain conditions, they will be timid in doing things. In the Song Dynasty, Jia Sidao was like this. Although he was a powerful minister, he had no other choice but to deceive the emperor's favor and collude with foreign enemies. He had a certain influence on the country and the government, but usurping the throne was beyond his reach. From this perspective, the strengthening of imperial power was better than the previous three provinces and six ministries system.
Of course, the two-government and three-division system is not perfect. To be qualified for the job, the best candidate must be professionally qualified. At this time, if you choose to guard multiple people at the same time, even if you have the ability, there will be a certain amount of internal friction. In terms of merit, in terms of superior-subordinate relationships, and in terms of how things are handled, there are bound to be differences. Moreover, when all the power is concentrated in the emperor, it is easy to cause the disadvantage of changing orders every day. For example, Wang Anshi's reform was supported by the emperor, but was still opposed by relevant ministers. When the interests of powerful ministers are affected, it is difficult to implement the decree effectively. When the emperor's support is lost, it is inevitable that the decree will be abandoned halfway. This is true in terms of government affairs, and even more so in terms of military power.
As mentioned in the previous article, the "more garrison method" used in conjunction with the three-companies system is essentially to prevent the power from falling alone. "Registration law" aims at and separates. Every once in a while, the garrison garrison generals will be replaced with the border garrison generals, creating a situation where "the soldiers do not know the generals, and the generals do not know the soldiers" to a certain extent. This indeed reduced the general's prestige in the army, but the lack of mutual understanding also deepened the situation of appointing idlers.
The emperor decentralized power and gave orders from above. The minister followed suit, as long as he made steady progress, he would inevitably neglect the combat effectiveness of the army. This was the beginning of the weakness of the Song army, the beginning of its complete inability to resist foreign enemies, and the beginning of the destruction of the Song Dynasty.
Conclusion
Looking at the past and looking at the present, although the system of the Song Dynasty had shortcomings, it provided a strong reference for future generations, and its influence on the usurpation of power by powerful ministers was indelible. Analyzing a certain system from a historical perspective is inevitably biased. What can be seen clearly is the inheritance and development of the system, but it is difficult to analyze the development of the problem itself. Parkinson's theory can clearly analyze the root causes of bloated institutions, overstaffing, and low efficiency. This is not only helpful for analyzing the system, but also for future decisions.