Chapter 41 Reform of the Official System
Why did all the ministers and officials strongly oppose Sun Wu's proposal to reform the official system of Wu, and even want to kill Sun Wu?
The reason is very simple!
Because the cake of Wu's official system is so small, once a large number of talents pour in, how will the local officials and ministers of Wu survive?
The official system reform advocated by Sun Wu was nothing more than another way of saying it. In fact, he wanted to eliminate those who were just sitting there doing nothing and replace them with people with real talent and knowledge.
All the ministers are well aware of this matter!
They are willing to be conservative and not strive for progress. How can they tolerate others taking a piece of meat from their mouths?
Furthermore, the reason why some ministers and officials could not tolerate the reform of Wu's official system was simply that they had a high opinion of themselves and did not want to become barbarians like Chu!
Wu and Zhou had the same origin, so the official system of Wu actually followed the official system of the Zhou royal family, namely the system of hereditary aristocracy and hereditary salaries.
Now, basically all countries in the world are using this official system without any changes, even the remote Yue State is the same!
Only Chu!
The Chu people called themselves barbarians, and their official system was different from that of the Central Plains and the Chinese culture, so they were excluded from the Chinese cultural circle from beginning to end.
Whenever a hegemonic power emerged in the Central Plains, the first country it would challenge was the State of Chu!
If you don’t beat up the Chu people, you won’t be able to call yourself a dominant country!
It should be noted that the State of Wu first proclaimed itself a king during the reign of Shoumeng, but it was not recognized by other countries in the world.
When the State of Wu was on diplomatic missions to other countries, it always used the title of viscount bestowed by the Zhou royal family!
The State of Wu just didn't want to be inferior to the State of Chu, so it called itself the king.
Once the Wu State changed its official system, it meant that the Wu people had completely distanced themselves from the orthodox Central Plains cultural circle and began to move towards the prevailing southern cultural circle, namely the Chu cultural circle.
How could the conservative ministers tolerate such a thing?
But once the Wu State reforms its official system, how can they have a good life?
But Sun Wu doesn’t care about these at all!
When the court fell into silence, Sun Wu faced the angry ministers and said fearlessly: "Although Sun Wu is dead, I am afraid that the Wu Kingdom will not be able to prosper!"
"If the official system of Wu is not changed, I am afraid that all the talented people in the world will not be admitted to Wu, or those who are admitted to Wu will not be able to get the proper positions!"
Sun Wu looked around again, seeing the many officials kneeling down, and raised his lips in a sarcastic arc, saying, "You two, noble officials, you are just ordinary officials of Wu, but you only care about your own personal interests and ignore the interests !"
"Isn't this just a position of idleness? How can I be a minister?"
"If you eat the emperor's salary, you should share the emperor's worries and be loyal to the emperor! This principle is known to ordinary butchers, assassins and rangers. Could it be that you are not as good as them?"
"Crows are loyal to their parents, lambs are loyal to their mothers, and they all repay kindness with kindness. Your Majesty has shown great kindness to you, my friends. How can you repay your kindness?"
"Could it be that you, the second and third sons, are not even as good as crows and sheep?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers felt their faces burning and were filled with shame.
What Sun Wu said was so brilliant that it is hard to refute!
He cursed, but it seemed like he didn't!
He is so pedantic that he doesn't even use a single dirty word when cursing people!
When Qingji saw this, he was deeply impressed.
"Sun Wu! Stop slandering me here!"
Senior official Shen Xi said angrily: "No matter what, reforming the official system is to shake the ancestral system and is a matter of national importance. It is absolutely wrong!"
"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!"
Shen Xi hit his head on the floor again and kicked the ball to Qingji again.
Qingji didn't care, but he didn't say it directly. Instead, he focused his attention on Ji Zha.
"Dazai, what do you think?"
Ji Zha bowed and said, "Your Majesty, changing the ancestral system and the official system should not be done in a hurry."
"What kind of official system is more suitable for the current national conditions of Wu State remains to be discussed."
It seems that Ji Zha holds a neutral attitude, but is more inclined to reform the official system of Wu!
Because Qingji had already informed Ji Zha in advance and it was all planned.
"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right. In this case, the new official system should be implemented in Wu State. If it is feasible, it should be implemented. If it is not feasible, it should be abandoned as soon as possible!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Ji Zha, Sun Ping, Sun Wu and other ministers shouted in unison.
Seeing that Qingji had made the final decision, Shen Xi and other ministers could only sigh in their hearts, feeling helpless!
Although it was said to be a trial, how could the ministers not know that Qingji was determined to implement the new official system of Wu?
What can they do if Qingji insists on having his own way?
Unable to help but, the ministers and officials all looked at Sun Wu with resentment and secretly bore a grudge against him.
If Sun Wu had not instigated you, how could the king have done such a thing?
Next, Sun Wu took out a bamboo slip about the new official system from his arms and read it aloud.
Wu inherited the Zhou system and changed it to the hereditary noble system, which was basically the three dukes and nine ministers system of the Qin Dynasty template, but there were some differences!
Under the King of Wu were the Prime Minister, the Grand Marshal, and the Imperial Censor.
The functions of the Three Dukes are: Taizai is the head of all officials and assists the King of Wu in handling daily government affairs!
The Grand Marshal was the highest military commander, assisting the King of Wu in commanding the country's troops!
The Grand Censor was the deputy of the Grand Chancellor. He was in charge of maps, books, memorials, and supervised all officials. He was the eyes and ears of the King of Wu.
The three dukes were not subordinate to each other but directly belonged to the King of Wu, which facilitated the centralization of royal power!
The Nine Ministers were Taichang, Tingwei, Zhisuile Neishi, Dianke, Langzhongling, Shaofu, Weiwei, Taipu and Zongzheng.
The duties of the nine ministers under the three dukes were:
Tingwei, in charge of judicial affairs;
The Minister of Grain and Internal Affairs was in charge of the state's finances and taxation;
Taichang, in charge of ancestral temple sacrificial rituals;
Dianke, who handles domestic minority affairs and foreign relations;
Langzhongling, in charge of the palace guards of the King of Wu;
The Shaofu was in charge of the revenue from mountains, seas, land and marshes that were used exclusively for the needs of the royal family, as well as the government handicrafts;
Weiwei, in charge of the capital's guards;
Taipu, in charge of the palace carriages and horses;
Zong Zheng was in charge of the clan affairs of the Wu State.
But no matter whether it is the Three Dukes or the Nine Ministers, they are all appointed and transferred by the King of Wu and cannot be inherited by the family!
In addition to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, King Qingji of Wu also set up left and right prime ministers, whose status was equivalent to that of the Nine Ministers.
The Left Prime Minister is in charge of diplomatic affairs, while the Right Prime Minister is responsible for assisting the King of Wu in handling state affairs. Both are deputies of the Prime Minister, but are directly dispatched by the King of Wu!
After the system of Three Dukes and Nine Ministers came into being, the original official titles of Shangqing, Shangdaifu, Zhongdaifu and Xiadaifu were all used as titles.
In addition, Qingji also set up a special post of guest official to serve as a guest official for talented people who came to Wu and kept them there for future use.
The system of three dukes and nine ministers was proposed by Qingji after careful consideration.
It turned out that he had thought about implementing the more advanced system of three provinces and six ministries, but considering that the State of Wu was too small and had a small population, the use of the system of three dukes and nine ministers was already difficult enough, let alone the system of three provinces and six ministries?
In addition to reforming the official system, Qingji also changed the military system of Wu.
The military system of the Wu State was basically inherited from the Zhou royal family!
In the early Zhou Dynasty, the royal family was powerful, rituals, music, wars and conquests were all decided by the emperor, and military power was concentrated in the hands of the Zhou emperor.
Under it are official positions such as "Lord of the Friendly Nations, Imperial Secretary, Situ, Sima, Sikong, Yalu, Shishi, Captain of a Thousand Men, and Captain of a Hundred Men", and there is still no distinction between civil and military!
Each vassal state and some noble ministers also had their own armies, but they generally had to obey the orders of the Zhou emperor.
In the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the royal family declined, and when war broke out, it often relied on the armies of some vassal states and aristocratic ministers!
