@ Old John [original]
@ Tieshan Qingshi (laughing alone) [excerpt]
In fact, chaos is not without its merits, and sometimes there will be great changes after chaos. And great changes can often produce great times and great people. Such changes sometimes even change the fate of a dynasty. Looking back at the bloody autumn in the fourteenth year of orthodoxy, perhaps this is the moment conceived in the stone fire.
The reform of Zhanghe Jialong Wanda fought its way out after Yan Song's monopoly and Jiajing's policy. When the financial situation was not good, it created the most brilliant shine in the forty-eight years of Wanli. However, as long as we look farther, we can see that the turbulent years after fourteen years of orthodoxy are an earlier stage in history.
Zhang's reform is to reconnect the road that has come to an end; However, after orthodoxy, it took a wrong turn out of thin air and brought history to another track: in the imperial court, the focus of the civil service group shifted from the emperor to the cabinet, and the military commander (Xungui) group was completely excluded from the decision-making circle. In society, the silver standard was finally established, the commercial economy recovered, the wind of extravagant enjoyment began to rise, and scholars began to regain the habit of expressing their personal will since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Ideologically, the literati began to get out of the shadow of terror and depression in the early Ming Dynasty, and were no longer willing to be slaves attached to the emperor, but dared to fight against the monarch with one body and fight to the death.
From Jingtai to Tianshun, everything is riddled with holes and everything must be done. Jingdi faced the mess after the change of civil engineering, while Yingzong faced the mess after the change of doors. After two major political changes, a "promising" emperor was needed to calm the political situation. However, neither Jingdi nor Yingzong after the restoration were as brilliant as their parents, and they could not completely rely on their own strength to reverse the political situation. Therefore, what they want is not a loyal secretarial team, but a cabinet that can make suggestions for themselves and stabilize the situation in North Korea.
Therefore, it was during this period that the cabinet gradually began to truly fulfill its political mission, and the strength of the civil service group was further strengthened. In Jingtai Cabinet, the actual leader Chen Xun is bold and has an iron fist. He can take the lead, decide the main battle, meet the driver, store easily and other events. Many cabinet ceremonies in the Ming Dynasty were also presided over by Chen Xun.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Huang Jingyun's "National History Only Doubts, Volume III" said: The regulations in the cabinet were not ready until Chen. For example, Chang Chao and the Royal Guards set the throne, after the banquet, the minister was above the suggestion, and imperial academy officials played the first thing in the afternoon, all of which were created by Chen. Chen has no easy storage and trial, he is incredibly outstanding.
Just because of Chen Xun's poor personal conduct, what he did was mostly for the emperor's self-interest, so the independence of Xiang Quan for imperial power was not obvious, and he did not have the prestige of commander in chief. However, compared with Sanyang Cabinet, which was dying during the orthodox period, Chen Xun benefited a lot.
During the Tianshun period, after Li Xian, a university student, helped Yingzong to eliminate Cao Shi's anti-Party, the power of the cabinet was further strengthened compared with that during the Jingtai period. Upward, Li Xian enjoys the right to "build a knee alone" with Yingzong ... He helped Yingzong cut off the powerful and became the most trusted minister of the emperor, which often had a great influence on the emperor's decision-making. Downward, he can also be at home in the cabinet and ministries. Cabinet ministers at that time, such as Shi Peng, Lu Yuan and Chen Wen. , are modest and knowledgeable scholars. Although there is a little friction between them, the whole is quite harmonious. For six ministers, such as Wang Ao, the official minister, and Maang, the minister of the Ministry of War, it can also show good results. Such a single-minded decision-making team was rare throughout the Ming Dynasty. However, Li Xian also has many calculation methods. On several occasions, he excluded the famous ministers who might enter the cabinet, such as Yue Zheng, Ye Sheng, Champ and others. He is no less deceitful than Li Dongyang, Yang Tinghe and Xia Yan. Pushing the right to respect the cabinet and leading the pack, what he did even made a "good start" for Xu's authority.
Corresponding to this is the complete end of the military commander (Xungui) regiment. Before Tianshun, we can see this kind of people in many administrative affairs: Duke and he can not only guard the frontier and lead the expedition, but also participate in some professional affairs, such as Chen Gui, Duke of Taining who supervised the construction of Beijing Palace, and Xuan, Governor of Pingjiang who was in charge of grain transportation in Yongle. However, after Tianshun, specifically after the "Cao Shi Change", in the decision-making of major events in the imperial court, it is difficult to see them except Cheng Guogong and the Duke of England. Occasionally, one or two people use special events, such as Hou Guoxun in Wuding, to be alive and kicking in big etiquette, but once their personal values disappear, they will be mercilessly abandoned by the emperor.
In the orthodox year 14, the morale of Sanyang cabinet was low, but the military commanders led the troops to the north and south. However, once Emperor Jingdi ascended the throne in the north, under the leadership of Yu Qian, the cabinet and minister of war of Chen Xun, the power of military commanders was severely restricted. Even some military commanders who made great contributions to defending the country after the civil war, such as Shi Heng, Yang Hong and Deng Guo, failed to enter the political decision-making circle. For example, Shi Heng, the first hero of Jingtai Dynasty, couldn't even find a foreign town. The influence of Jingtai's military commanders is evident.
It should be said that the Jingtai Dynasty was a dynasty in which the monarch and his ministers worked together to reverse the state's decision-making power from attaching importance to civil and military affairs to restraining military affairs. The cabinet prospered, but the military commanders lost power. Even the Beijing camp, which has always been controlled by the rules, has become a routine in the hands of civil servants. The dissatisfaction of the military commander is obvious. It is no accident that the change of seizing the door was first brokered by military commanders in secret.
After the change of seizing the door, Yingzong used military commanders, even if there were civil servants such as Xu and Yang, he tried his best to make his image close to the military commanders, so Tianshun changed from heavy martial arts to heavy suppression. ...
Later, Yingzong ordered that all crimes committed by soldiers could be dealt with lightly. Even at the end of this year, he even thought about offering sacrifices to heaven for him, but he didn't give up until Li Xian dissuaded him. Before the Cao Shi Revolution, several upstarts were able to influence the selection of the cabinet, the appointment and dismissal of ministers and the abolition of government officials, which was rare during the reign of Taizu and Chengzu. However, once Cao Shi was subjected to exorbitant taxes and levies, the politically tested Yingzong finally chose to move closer to the civilian group and reuse the Li Xian cabinet, not to mention the military's participation in politics.
However, the political fashion of Yingzong's liking for martial arts has not completely subsided. Under the action of this inertia, Chenghua dynasty still used troops repeatedly in the northern frontier. However, after Hongzhi, even this fashion could not be seen. The Ming Dynasty became a completely civilian country. Although there was no prime minister in the cabinet, there was a prime minister. However, under the constraints of the times and civil servants, military commanders have gradually worn away their "personal will" and become an accessory of national policies. Admittedly, there are many famous warriors, such as Qi Jiguang and Li, but their political influence cannot be compared with that of early literati. If they want to spread their cloth, they must be attached to the powerful minister in North Korea. Once their master in North Korea falls, they will only die. If an aristocratic scholar dares to have the slightest sign of endangering imperial power and civil servants, he will be strangled mercilessly at once. For example, Hou Qiuluan of Xianning and the "second generation of nobles" during Jiajing period, even if they once held the military forces of Gyeonggi, only ended up in jail.
Tieshan Qingshi Note: This post is excerpted from two posts published by Sina bloggers in the past, Foreword: From Daoism to Tianshun (I) and Foreword: From Daoism to Tianshun (II). Excerpt from June 2065438+2008, the original title is "The Political Structure from Jingtai to Tianshun in Ming Dynasty: Civilian Groups gradually came to the top, and military commanders (.