Zhu Houzhao listened carefully to Liu Jin's description of the decentralization of power, mutual checks and balances, and supervision that were common in later generations. The systems of later generations were very sound in many aspects, especially those related to power.
"This is indeed a good idea!"
When Liu Jin finished speaking, Zhu Houzhao thought carefully for a while and nodded in agreement.
"But with the decentralization and checks and balances, the number of officials will inevitably increase greatly, which will inevitably increase the burden on the people. In addition, if the royal power goes to the countryside, more officials will be needed."
"More officials mean that more people have the opportunity to prey on the common people, and it also means that the common people need to bear more taxes."
Zhu Houzhao is a real genius. He just doesn't want to learn many things. When he really learns and thinks about it, he can quickly discover the multi-faceted nature of things.
Decentralization and checks and balances do have many benefits, but as Zhu Houzhao said, the result of decentralization is that it is easy to create redundant officials. Originally, a county only needed one county magistrate, and then added a county seat, chief executive, teachings, and county officials.
The four chief officers, Wei, plus some other officials in the yamen, such as yamen servants, catchers, cadres, and officials.
In total, there are only five officials. As for the county officials, there are only dozens of them. The total number will generally not exceed a hundred. It mainly depends on the number of things.
In some remote counties, there are few things and dozens of people are enough to handle them. But in big cities like Beijing and Tianjin, they need more officials. There may be hundreds, but generally speaking, a county only has that many officials.
A few dozen people are enough.
But when looking at future generations, let’s not talk about the five sets of teams. Just how many government departments there are, government offices, development and reform micro, supervision, auditing, finance, agriculture, civil affairs, forestry, land, public security, justice, water conservancy
, education, culture...
There are dozens of departments, large and small, and there are many officials under this department. After all, the number of people eating public food in the entire county is at least several thousand, which is dozens or hundreds of times more than in ancient times.
In terms of the ratio of officials to citizens, during the Han Dynasty it was about one to eight thousand, which means that eight thousand people supported one official. In the Tang Dynasty, it was almost one to three thousand, and in the Ming Dynasty it was about one to two thousand three. But by
Later generations, even according to the officially announced number.
Calculating that there are about 6 million officials in the country, the ratio of officials to civilians is more than one to two hundred. It can be seen that the number of officials in later generations is really too many, too huge, and they support countless idle people.
Thinking of this, Liu Jin also sighed and said: "What His Highness said is reasonable. The decentralization and checks and balances of power have their benefits, but there are also many disadvantages."
"Just like everything in this world, it cannot be perfect, and they all have their own two sides."
"Although our current Ming Dynasty system has many drawbacks, in general it is still good. At least the number of officials can always be controlled, and there will be no redundant officials."
"This is also a good thing for the common people. It means that the common people need to bear less tax, and it also means that the court can use more tax revenue to build the Ming Dynasty, whether it is building bridges and paving roads, building schools or hospitals, etc.
In the end, it is the common people who benefit."
This is Liu Jin's heartfelt thought. The advantage of having fewer officials in ancient times is that at least the taxes borne by the people are very low. Compared with the taxes of other countries in later generations, the taxes of the Ming Dynasty are really very low now.
Even if the tax office directly under the Ministry of Household Affairs levies commercial taxes, the proportion will not exceed 20%. If we think about the taxes of future generations, if all the taxes are added up, it is estimated that they are all taxes.
"But it is indeed a problem that local officials have too much power. Proper decentralization, checks and balances, and supervision are also very necessary~"
"But we need to think carefully about it. To prevent local evil forces like the Sun family from appearing, or if they do, we must have a complete response mechanism to quickly eliminate these cancers."
Zhu Houzhao dragged his chin, thinking about this problem.
"Your Highness, this issue should be left to your Majesty and the princes of the court to think about."
"Your Highness' current matter is how to lead the people of Huairou County to live a good life."
Looking at Zhu Houzhao, Liu Jin laughed and asked him to practice. After practicing, he was right. Only after he felt the same about some things, he would understand them and not reject them.
"Ha~"
"I already have some ideas about this."
After hearing Liu Jin's words, Zhu Houzhao immediately became energetic.
Even though this guy has only been in Huairou County for a few days, the main purpose of coming here is to clear out the cancer of the Sun family, but he also has a relatively clear grasp of the situation in Huairou County, and is planning in his mind how to develop Huairou County in the future.
.
"Tell me and listen~"
Liu Jin smiled and said.
"Huairou County is located in the north of the capital and has many natural advantages, so the focus is on the needs of the capital, such as the development of animal husbandry and breeding."
"Huairou County has many mountains and forests, and it is also very good to engage in breeding industry. In addition, Huairou County is rich in coal resources. This time the Sun family's property was confiscated again. I am wondering if all these coal mines can be confiscated and treated as belonging to the entire Huairou County.
Resources, and then the government funds the establishment of coal processing plants and sells them to the capital. The benefits obtained from the coal processing plants are regularly distributed to the people of Huairou County, or are given back to Huairou County through the construction of schools, roads, etc."
Zhu Houzhao's words made Liu Jin couldn't help but open his eyes slightly.
I looked at Zhu Houzhao carefully again, wondering if this guy was also a time traveler.
He actually thought of the concept of state-owned enterprises, and even thought of taking back the coal resources of Huairou County to the entire county, and then establishing a coal company directly under the county. He also thought of the distribution and profit of the coal company's income.
Liu Jin couldn't help but be shocked by Zhu Houzhao's uncanny imagination!
"Old Liu, what do I think?"
Zhu Houzhao looked at the wide-eyed Liu Jin and asked.
"Well, this is a very good idea. The owners of the county-run businesses and factories belong to the entire county, and the beneficiaries are also the entire county. This is a very good idea."
"However, the key is to ensure that this business and factory can truly serve the people of the entire county, and that the profits can be used for the people of the entire county, and to prevent anyone from stealing the wealth that belongs to everyone."
Liu Jin came back to his senses, smiled and expressed his agreement.
"Haha, this is what I have been thinking about for two or three days. The Sun family has taken over all the coal resources in Huairou County. It is better to use large-scale centralized mining for coal mining. Small-scale mining will definitely lead to random mining.
phenomenon, resulting in a waste of resources, just like here in Xishan, there are so many large and small coal mines that vicious competition has occurred, and the original green mountains and clear waters have become ugly."
"Huairou County is rich in coal resources and is the most important coal-producing area in the capital. It must be well planned and utilized, and people cannot mine it randomly."
"In addition, this resource belongs to every citizen in Huairou County. It is obviously unfair to give it to one person alone, so I came up with this method."
After receiving Liu Jin's approval, Zhu Houzhao raised his tail and kept telling Liu Jin his thoughts.
After all, he is the prince, and he often follows Liu Jin. He has a wide range of knowledge, which is naturally far beyond what ordinary people can compare with. He can see many things in a longer term and can think of more places.
“I am truly impressed by His Highness’s far-sightedness and dedication to serving the people!”
Liu Jin quickly flattered Zhu Houzhao. Of course, he really admired Zhu Houzhao in his heart. This guy's brain circuit is really amazing. No wonder he learns things very quickly.
"Haha~"
"Yeah, I also think my idea is very good."
"Hmph~"
"I am also planning to invest in building a factory in Huairou County. For example, a clock factory is very good. It is very popular now and the market demand is very strong. As long as we can produce clocks, the business will be very good."
"In addition, I am also planning to learn from you, Old Liu, and build one or two colleges here in Huairou County to do some professional research and education. I have already thought about it, and I will build an electromagnetic college to specialize in the most cutting-edge research.
Electromagnetic field.”
"Ha, maybe there will be a lot of talents in Huairou County in the future."
Hearing Liu Jin's words, Zhu Houzhao became even more happy and began to talk about his plan for Huairou County to Liu Jin.
It doesn’t matter if this guy doesn’t do things, but when he does things, he still looks good.
One can think of building a collective industry, and one can also think of attracting investment. Even though what he recruits and attracts is his own capital, this is still a development path and model.
He can also think of building schools, cultivating talents, and developing emerging industries. If you think about it carefully, this guy is really a talent. When he really wants to do something, it is really impressive.
"Your Highness's idea is very good. I look forward to the fact that Huairou County will definitely become a strong county in our Ming Dynasty under the governance of Your Highness!"
After Liu Jin heard Zhu Houzhao's plan, he also expressed deep admiration.
"Haha, Lao Liu, just wait and see~"
"Who am I, Zhu Houzhao?"
"When I'm on horseback, I can open up territory and expand territory with archery, and when I'm off my horse, I can write down a pen to govern the country and benefit the country. Well, at least I can be an excellent scholar and researcher, and research useful things.
mechanical."
Zhu Houzhao was so proud that his tail was raised so high that he was not ashamed at all when he boasted, and his face did not even turn red.
But Liu Jin feels that Zhu Houzhao is really a talent. As long as he is willing to do things with his heart, he can really do anything well. He has a wonderful brain and can always think of things that others can't think of.