Chapter 344 Separation of powers

It's late at night and people are quiet.

The chief assistant of the cabinet, Wang Fa, brought the second assistant Qian Chenghai, Lu Ruhui, Sun Anbang and others into Wang Pu's study. Qian Chenghai was the distant nephew of the former chief assistant of the cabinet, Qian Qianyi, and Lu Ruhui was the grandson of the former assistant of the cabinet, Lu Daqi, and Sun Anbang was also Sun Chuanting's cousin.

The four major families of Wang, Sun, Zhu and Chen are the four major families in terms of economy.

Correspondingly, Wang, Sun, Qian and Lu are the four major bureaucratic families. Since the revival of Longwu, the cabinet chief minister has been replaced by more than a dozen. From the original Sun Chuanting to the later Qian Qianyi and Lu Daqi, to the current chief minister Wang Fa, each chief minister comes from these four major bureaucratic families.

Speaking of which, the cabinet chief only emerged among the four major families, which violated Wang Pu's original intention, but at this stage, there is no way to do so. Concentrating the highest power in the hands of a few bureaucratic groups will not only help the political stability, but will not form a single-on-one situation. It can be said that Wang Pu can come up with the most appropriate strategy.

From beginning to end, Wang Pu never served as the chief minister of the cabinet for one day, but the military power of the Central Army was always firmly controlled by him. Even though Wang Pu is now 89 years old, Wang Fa, who has been the chief minister for a few years, has repeatedly indirectly attacked him, hoping that Wang Pu could hand over the military power in his hands, but Wang Pu was unmoved at all.

In fact, Wang Pu did not intend to hand over military power to Wang Fa.

Wang Pu can guarantee that he has no ambition to be the emperor, but he cannot guarantee that Wang Fa does not have the ambition to be the emperor. If the military power is handed over to Wang Fa, Wang Fa will combine military and political power. If he wants to change the dynasty and become emperor, no one can stop him, so Wang Pu cannot do this.

When Wang Fa and others came in, Wang Pu was lying on his back on a rocking chair, his eyes closed and his face was slept.

Thinking that Wang Pu was already asleep, Wang Fa looked back and signaled Lu Ruhui and others behind him to silence, then walked to Wang Pu and lowered his voice and called out: "Old man..."

Wang Pu slowly opened his turbid eyes and nodded, "Oh, you are here, you are all here."

The rest of Qian Chenghai, Lu Ruhui, Sun Anbang and others rushed forward, bowed respectfully to the ground, and said in unison: "See the old man."

Speaking of which, Qian Chenghai and others are Wang Pu’s younger generations, so it’s OK to call him "Old Master".

"It's free." Wang Pu waved his hand and smiled in an old voice, "Sit down, sit down."

"Thank you, Mr.

Qian Chenghai and others thanked him, and then sat in turn. They dared not only put half of their butt on the chair, and no one, including Wang Fa, has been convinced. Over the past fifty years, Wang Pu has been extremely authoritative. Although this old guy looks old now, once he exerts his power, it is God who blocks the killing of the gods and Buddhas!

The spring of the previous year, the Australian Governor Zhang Tieling made an independent move and tried to become a local emperor who ruled Australia. As a result, Wang Pu was furious and downgraded the elite Central Army of 20 battalions, and put down the rebellion in less than three months. Zhang Tieling was the only son of Wang Pu's confidant general Zhang Monk. He grew up watching Wang Pu's eyes, but in the end, Wang Pu did not have any ruthlessness and directly stripped him alive.

"Old man." Wang Fa glanced at Lu Ruhui and the other two and asked carefully, "It's so late that you haven't rested yet, but you sent someone to come here, but do you have any instructions?"

"Well, it's something." Wang Pu nodded and said, "You will know later."

Wang Pu had already said this, but Wang Fa and others dared not ask anymore, just sit and wait.

However, after waiting for a while, heavy and rapid footsteps sounded outside the study. Before Wang Fa and others got up, five Central Army officers had already entered in high spirits and saluted Wang Pu. A smile finally appeared on Wang Pu's old face and waved his hand and said, "Hehe, you are here, let's sit."

The five officers who came were Li Dingxi, Zhao Zhengyi, Tang Hao, Zheng Yuan and Li Qi.

Among these five people, Li Dingxi is the eldest son of Li Dingguo, currently the Chief of Staff of the Central Army, and the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Zhao Zhengyi is Zhao Xin's second son, and Tang Hao is Tang Sheng's eldest son. These two are currently the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Central Army and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Zheng Yuan is Zheng Chenggong's nephew, the Chief of Staff of the Navy, and Li Qi is the son of the former Chief of Staff Li Ang, currently the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy, and the two are also members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

These five people together formed the supreme authority of the military power of the Ming Empire. According to the Constitution, the Joint Chiefs of Staff was obliged to exercise administrative orders of the cabinet, but in the lifetime of Wang Pu, this constitution was basically a piece of paper. Only when Wang Pu was alive, the cabinet would never move a soldier from the Central Army and any warship of the Navy.

Li Dingxi and the other two also sat down.

Seeing that Wang Pu still had no intention of speaking, Wang Fa's face began to become solemn. He vaguely realized what Wang Pu was going to do. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious. He stepped forward and gently pulled Wang Pu's sleeve, lowered his voice and said, "Old man, can you borrow a step to speak?"

Wang Pu said calmly: "Is there anything I can't say here?"

"this……"

Wang Fa hesitated for a moment, and just when he didn't know what to do, a loud voice suddenly sounded outside the study: "His Majesty the Emperor is here..."

Everyone sitting upright in the study stood up when they heard the sound. Although the Ming Empire had cancelled the bowing ceremony when meeting the emperor, the etiquette of bowing was preserved. Although His Majesty the Emperor now has no actual rule, he is the emperor of the empire, and his status is extremely noble, so it is still necessary to bow.

Only Wang Puyang hid in the rocking chair and did not get up. This was the privilege given to him by the emperor.

Under the eyes of everyone, Emperor Wanli slowly walked into the study. A servant of the royal palace brought a chair for Emperor Wanli and placed it on Wang Pu's left head. Emperor Wanli sat happily, without any displeasure on his face. As the emperor of the empire, he was summoned to the mansion to discuss matters by his ministers. This matter sounds quite the same, but if this minister is an old minister like Wang Pu, it would be a different matter.

Although Emperor Wanli was not old, his mind was no more stupid than Emperor Longwu. He knew very well that with Wang Pu's prestige and power, if he wanted to be the emperor, it would be easy. The people and all the powerful in the world would only welcome him with both hands, and no one would complain to the Zhu family!

Wang Pu then sat up from the rocking chair and said in an old voice: "Well, everything you should come has come, then... let's start. Today I invited you here to discuss something with everyone, a major event that concerns the rise, decline, honor and disgrace of the empire!"

Emperor Wanli's heart thumped, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

Over the years, there have been many rumors on the streets that Wang Pu followed Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms period from beginning to end, so he would never usurp the throne in his lifetime. But after Cao Cao's death, his son Cao Pi immediately usurped the Han Dynasty and became independent. Could it be that Wang Pu planned to hand over power?

Thinking of this, Emperor Wanli couldn't help but look at Wang Fa, the chief minister of the cabinet. A cloud of uneasiness had already enveloped him. With his understanding of Wang Fa, if this person had real power, he would definitely usurp the truth. Could it be that the Zhu family's country was really amazing to pass on to him?

Wang Fa was also fighting in his heart, so there was no need to say that this guy did have the ambition to be an emperor. He always believed that the reason why the Ming Dynasty was able to revive Longwu was not how wise Emperor Longwu was, but that it was entirely Wang Pu's contribution. If it weren't for Wang Pu, the Ming Dynasty would have been destroyed by Jiannu for many years! So Wang Fa believed that this country should belong to the Wang family, and that the emperor's throne should be the father and son of the Wang family.

Wang Fa also knew that most of the people and powerful people in the world were on the side of their Wang family. As long as the Wang family ascended the high ground and established another dynasty for the Ming Dynasty, it would follow the will of heaven and meet the will of the people! What Wang Fa couldn't understand was why Wang Pu was reluctant to usurp the Ming Dynasty and become independent?

In fact, Wang Pu was unwilling to usurp the truth and become independent, and the reason was very simple.

Wang Pu can guarantee that he is not a foolish monarch, he can know that Wang Fa is not a fool, and he can even know that Wang Fa's son and grandson are not incompetent, but what about his son's son and grandson? Can Wang Pu guarantee that the Wang family's descendants will always be wise and capable?

Of course not.

Since it is impossible to guarantee that the descendants of the Wang family will continue to be wise and capable, the Wang family's dynasty will inevitably be destroyed in the end. At that time, the people of the empire will suffer, and the Han people will suffer. If a certain barbaric nation rekinds its revival, who can guarantee that the historical tragedy of the barbarians' invasion of the Central Plains will not happen again?

Therefore, for the sake of future generations and the Han nationality, Wang Pu would never usurp the Ming and self-reliance! What Wang Pu wanted was to reasonably allocate the highest power of the empire from a system and fundamentally, to ensure that the Ming Empire could prosper for a long time and to ensure that the Han nation could last forever!

"I'm old..." Wang Pu said in a lonely tone, "This world belongs to you young people. The future of the empire and the future of the Han people will depend on you."

"Old man." Wang Fa said quickly, "You are light and healthy, and you can live for at least another thirty years."

"Don't interrupt." Wang Pu waved his hand and said, "There is an old saying in China that good people do not live long, and disasters will last thousands of years. I have killed countless people in my life, destroyed countries and hundreds of tribes, which is also a rare disaster in a thousand years. Therefore, it is worth living to the age of 89... But I am old after all, and there is not much time left for me."

The atmosphere in the study was a bit weird and solemn, and no one dared to interrupt Wang Pu.

"When I am alive, I'm sorry that those clowns dare not come out to cause trouble."

A long-lost pride suddenly surged on Wang Pu Cang's old face, but this pride quickly disappeared again, replaced by ruthless melancholy, "But after I die, I can't care about them... I can't rest assured. Before some things are done, I can't even die and keep my eyes closed."

"Dad." Wang Fa said anxiously, "What's wrong with you? Why are you talking about death and death?"

Emperor Wanli also advised: "Yes, my master, with your reputation, even the King of Yama in the underworld has to take a detour when he sees it. Who dares to condemn your soul in the three realms of heaven, earth, and man?"

"Don't say these useless things." Wang Pu waved his hand and continued, "There are two more things now. If these two things are not done well, I will never die. One of the things is the European countries! Before I close my eyes, I must see the Central Army conquering Europe with my own eyes!"

"Don't worry, old man!" Li Dingxi stood up suddenly and said in an inexplicable tone, "The Ministry of Railways is planning to build the Siberian railway. The General Staff has also formulated a detailed combat plan against Europe. At most three years, our Ming Central Army will definitely conquer the entire Europe!"

"Well, it's your business, I just care about the consequences." Wang Pu nodded gently and continued, "The second thing is... I am old and my energy is no longer as strong as you young people. The affairs of the Central Army should be handed over to you young people..."

Here comes! Finally, we're about the main topic!

Wang Fa and Emperor Wanli's heart were hanging at the same time, and even the eyes of officers such as Li Dingxi suddenly became enthusiastic. Including Lu Ruhui, Sun Anbang and others, they all wanted to know how Wang Pu planned to allocate the power in his hands? Give Wang Fa the highest military and political power, or return the military power to Emperor Wanli?

Wang Pu's turbid eyes slowly swept across everyone's faces, and said in an old voice: "From today, His Majesty the Emperor is the supreme commander of all the armed forces of the Ming Empire..."

Before Wang Pu finished speaking, Wang Fa's face had become very ugly, but Emperor Wanli was secretly happy, but he never dared to show it on his face. The rest of Lu Ruhui, Sun Anbang, Li Dingxi and others were also a little surprised. They really didn't expect that Wang Pu would return the military power to Emperor Wanli.

Wang Pu paused and suddenly said, "But..."

Emperor Wanli's heart that had just let go of was immediately hung again, and a glimmer of hope arose in Wang Fa's heart.

Wang Pu continued: "However, the order for the Emperor to mobilize the army must be approved by the cabinet and the approval of the two houses of Parliament before it can take effect. Whether it is the objection of the cabinet or the House of Lords or the House of Commons in the two houses of Parliament, the order for the Emperor's order does not have any legal effect and the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall not be implemented."

Awesome!

Wang Pu’s move is really amazing!

In this way, looking at the entire empire, only the Supreme Commander, Emperor Wanli, has the right to mobilize the empire's armed forces, but he cannot mobilize the armed forces to do things for himself, such as forcibly disbanding the parliament or cabinet. This is not possible, because the emperor's transfer order must be approved by the cabinet and the two houses of parliament.

Of course, this power distribution model is not impeccable.

There is a possibility that His Majesty the Emperor controlled all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and directly controlled the entire armed force, so that he could bypass the cabinet and the two houses of Congress to do whatever he wanted, but within the political structure of the Ming Empire, this possibility was slim.

Because the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are elected from officers at all levels of the Central Army, and this list must be approved by the cabinet, so it is possible that one or two of the members of the Joint Committee will perform infernal affairs. If all members are bribed by His Majesty the Emperor, the possibility is very small. After all, the people in the cabinet are not just for a good meal, and it is impossible that they don’t even know that their own people are bribed by the Emperor.

There is another possibility, that is, the cabinet chief minister who holds actual administrative power controls all members of the joint meeting through the review power of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this way, although the cabinet chief minister has no right to mobilize the armed forces of the empire in name, in fact, the cabinet chief minister is the supreme commander of the imperial armed forces. All members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are loyal to the cabinet chief minister. The cabinet chief minister can even launch a military coup and usurp the throne directly or establish a military government.

This is a serious problem, but Wang Pu has already figured out a way to deal with it, that is, the cabinet only has the final right to review the list of members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but does not have the right to vote and send the list. This right to vote and send the right to vote and send the right to vote and send the right to vote and send the right to vote and send the right to the cabinet. The cabinet will select five to seven of them to form a new Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In this way, it is basically impossible for the cabinet chief minister to completely control the Joint Chiefs of Staff, because Wang Pu actually distributes the appointment and removal power of members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the two houses of Congress, with a large number of people. Once this person is too much, he will be uncoordinated. If he is not in a position, he will have disputes and factions. If someone agrees, someone will object. In the end, the cabinet and Congress will play together. The final result will be that no one can do anything to each other, and everyone will compromise with each other.

Of course, another absurd possibility may also arise, that is, the emperor refuses to exercise the power of the armed forces to regulate and condemn.

For example, in the future, the empire will be threatened by armed threats such as foreign invasions, colonial rebellions, and other armed forces, and the Central Army needs to send troops to suppress them, His Majesty the Emperor refuses to order the mobilization of the army. At this time, another method is needed to make up for it, that is, the power of counseling in the two houses of parliament. When the empire and Han people are threatened, if the two houses of parliament can pass the resolution with a majority and report it to the cabinet for approval, they can directly issue an order to condemn the armed forces to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Wang Pu’s distribution of power is a bit strange, but it is actually a disguised separation of powers.

The separation of powers in the West generally refers to the separation of powers of legislation, administration and justice. However, this system is absolutely not feasible in the Ming Empire, because in the Ming Empire, military power is above all power. Anyone who has the military power is the eldest son. Administration, legislation, and justice must stand aside.
Chapter completed!