Chương 474: Liu Ce's Thoughts

"Who will pay for the military expenses?" Li Ji rolled his eyes and started counting on his fingers.

"Hundreds of thousands of professional soldiers, how much does that cost in a year? Armor, weapons, food, military pay, pensions... the imperial court simply cannot afford it! You, Cheng Yaojin, are a master at fighting, but you're far from good at accounting."

"We could implement a hybrid system! In peacetime, the soldiers could farm, and in wartime, professional soldiers could be recruited as the backbone..." Cheng Yaojin scratched his head, feeling that it was a bit unreliable.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, holding a teacup that had long since gone cold, and smiled as he looked at the noisy crowd below.

Although these people were arguing fiercely, not one of them was acting out of self-interest; they were all genuinely concerned for the good of this newly established dynasty.

The entire council chamber was devoid of intrigue and deceit, filled only with vibrant energy and hope for the future.

Everyone is doing their best to contribute to this new dynasty.

Later, Liu Ce felt hungry, and his stomach growled several times.

He waved his hand with a smile and said, "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Your voices must be hoarse from shouting. Go get some water and eat first, we'll talk later."

The group then stopped, still wanting more, and rubbed their stomachs, realizing they were already quite hungry.

Several people's stomachs started rumbling one after another, like a symphony.

"Oh dear! We were so busy arguing that we forgot to eat lunch!"

"Let's go, let's go eat, I'm starving! I didn't feel it before, but I can't take it anymore as soon as we stop."

"Finish your meal, then we'll continue arguing! I haven't finished yet! Nobody's allowed to run away!"

A group of people walked out chatting and laughing, picking up a whole basket full of draft paper from the ground—some crumpled up, some scribbled messily, some half-finished and then abandoned—there was all sorts of paper.

...

Some time later, in the council hall of the Prince of Yan's residence.

When the group returned from their meal, they were all eager and ready to continue arguing about the topics they had discussed that morning.

This time, Cheng Yaojin was smarter. He hid the buns in his sleeve beforehand, planning to sneak a bite when he got hungry.

He even let out a burp, patted his stomach, and gave off a "I'm ready" look.

Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Liu Ce smiled, picked up a stack of memorials from the table, and waved them around:

"I've read all your ideas, and they're all very good and well-considered. But... I feel like something's still missing."

Everyone immediately fell silent and turned to look at Liu Ce.

Liu Ce first picked up the draft of the Three Departments and Six Ministries system written by Fang Xuanling, and said with a smile:

"Xuanling, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system is indeed a perfect official system, but it has a fatal flaw: infighting."

One matter was passed around between the Secretariat and the Chancellery, with the Ministry of Personnel saying it was unacceptable, the Ministry of Works saying it needed to be changed, and the Ministry of Personnel saying it couldn't be done. It was pushed back and forth for months before it was finally resolved.

Moreover, the Ministry of Personnel wields too much power, making it easy for powerful ministers to emerge.

Fang Xuanling paused for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Your Majesty is right. I hadn't considered that before. I was only thinking about checks and balances, forgetting that too much of a check and balance is inefficient."

"And then there's the imperial examination system." Liu Ce picked up Tian Feng's memorial again.

"Yuanhao, it's not enough to just test Confucian classics. We need officials from the Ministry of Revenue who can do accounting, officials from the Ministry of Works who can build water conservancy projects, imperial physicians who can treat illnesses, and generals who can fight battles."

You can't let a Confucian scholar who only knows how to recite the Analects manage water conservancy projects, can you? The dikes built would be washed away by a single flood.

He paused, then continued, "Therefore, the imperial examinations must be divided into disciplines. In all 360 professions, as long as one has the ability, one can become an official. Arts, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine should each be tested separately to select the talents needed. Only in this way can we recruit truly talented individuals. This is called recruiting talent without being bound by convention."

Tian Feng suddenly realized, and patted his head:

"Yes! How could I not have thought of that! My lord is much more thorough! I was too rigid before."

"And there are local regulations." Liu Ce looked at Shen Pei.

"Separation of military and government is the right thing to do, but separation alone is not enough. Local officials cannot stay in one place for too long; they must be rotated every three years, and they cannot serve in their hometown."

This is the only way to prevent local officials from cultivating their own private power and creating independent kingdoms.

Furthermore, the army's logistics must be entirely supplied by the central government; the army must absolutely not be allowed to requisition food locally. Without provisions, even if a general wanted to rebel, he couldn't.

He commented on each one individually, accurately pointing out the flaws in everyone's ideas, and then offered his own suggestions for improvement.

From the official system to the imperial examination, from land to taxation, he hit the nail on the head in every aspect, seeing further and thinking deeper than anyone else.

Everyone listened in stunned silence, their expressions shifting from confusion to surprise, then to sudden understanding, and finally to deep admiration.

They thought they had thought things through thoroughly, but compared to Liu Ce, they realized that they only saw their immediate surroundings, while Liu Ce saw the future a hundred years from now.

"My lord is wise!" Fang Xuanling was the first to stand up and bowed deeply to Liu Ce.

"We, your humble servants, are short-sighted, seeing only what is before us, unlike our lord who thinks so far ahead. Hearing your words is worth more than ten years of study! No, more than twenty years!"

"Yes, my lord!" Du Ruhui also bowed.

"What you've said is something we've never even considered. With our lord's leadership, the Han Dynasty will surely enjoy lasting peace and prosperity for generations to come! We are willing to follow our lord, even unto death!"

Everyone stood up, bowed to Liu Ce, and their voices were full of heartfelt respect.

Liu Ce smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, everyone, sit down. Stop flattering me, let's get down to business."

Afterwards, Liu Ce told them about the "two governments, three courts and one office" system that he had come up with himself.

He unfolded the framework he had written on the paper the night before, pointed to the densely packed words, and explained them one by one.

What does the State Administration Commission manage? What does the Imperial Clan Court manage? How does the Privy Council operate? How does the Censorate supervise? How does the Supreme Court conduct trials? How does the Royal Audit Office audit accounts?

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned for a long time before exclaiming in amazement.

Fang Xuanling's eyes widened as he muttered "two prefectures, three courts, and one department," gesturing wildly on the paper, his eyes growing brighter with each gesture.

Fang Xuanling was the first to realize this, and slapped his thigh:

"Ah! This is wonderful! This system is more than ten times better than the Three Departments and Six Ministries system! Two offices, three courts, and one bureau, each with its own responsibilities, are not subordinate to each other and are all directly responsible to the emperor!"

This way, no one can monopolize power! And with the Royal Auditorate auditing the accounts directly, who would dare to embezzle? This is far superior to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers system!

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Especially the Privy Council, where civil officials command the military and military generals lead troops, separating military and political power, with military power firmly in the hands of the central government! Now it's difficult for anyone to rebel!"