Preface:
Since ancient times, the power struggle between emperors and courtiers has never stopped, and the court has litigated prisons, and the struggle has continued. The two official positions of prime minister and prime minister are only one word apart, but they contain the deep meaning of checks and balances of power. Seemingly ordinary official name, far-reaching meaning Prime Minister is Prime Minister, Prime Minister is Prime Minister, the difference between the two is only one word but the difference is worlds, but don't be clear about "don't have a luxurious general, return to the sky and don't give way", since ancient times, the court has never stopped fighting, excluding the military generals who hold military power, the fight between civil officials is the most brilliant, whether it is fighting each other or plotting to usurp the throne, those civil officials in high positions are the first to bear the brunt, such as Huo Guang of the Western Han Dynasty, Yang Jian of the Northern Zhou, etc., all have made achievements on the road of the courtiers, And these people were once old ministers of the ruling and opposition power, either prime ministers or prime ministers.
First, the prime minister is an assistant to ten thousand opportunities and holds the greatest power
The emperor has left and right hands, and the prime minister has unparalleled status
Since ancient times, there has never been a shortage of fights above the court, and it is too common for civil officials to fight for power and profit. Among these power contestants, the prime minister and the prime minister have the highest status, which can be said to be the emperor's most trusted right arm, and the most feared henchman of the emperor. The difference between the two is only a small word, but the position of power is clearly demarcated and the gap is incomparable.
The position of prime minister originated in the Qin and Han dynasties, as the Book of Han said, "the son of heaven is in charge, assistant to ten thousand machines", the prime minister is the emperor's right and left hand, assisting the emperor in handling imperial affairs. A large number of imperial governments were first disposed of by the prime minister, and finally presented to the emperor for final ruling, which virtually reduced the burden on the emperor. The prime minister is like the emperor's most powerful assistant, able to handle trivial government affairs on behalf of the emperor, and the emperor only needs to make the final decision. It can be said that Cheng is important to the emperor's auxiliary power. But drawbacks also followed, if the prime minister had a different intention, the emperor became a puppet, and the change of dynasty was just around the corner.
The most famous prime minister in the history books is none other than Zhuge Liang. When Liu Bei took his last breath, he entrusted his son Liu Chan to Zhuge Liang. Liu Bei was well aware of Zhuge Liang's talent, and also left a will: "If the heir can be supplemented, supplemented; If he is not talented, he can take it for himself." This undoubtedly completely put the future of the Han family in Zhuge Liang's hands. Zhuge Liang later served as the prime minister and assisted Liu Chan, which can be described as hard work and exhaustion. Liu Chan only needed to say that "political affairs are infinite, and saltiness is determined by light", and then completely handed over power to the prime minister. Zhuge Liang was loyal and never had ambitions to seize power. However, Cao Cao at the same time was very different, as a prime minister, he wanted to usurp the throne and become emperor, in sharp contrast to Zhuge Liang. Cao Cao was ambitious in his vain attempt to replace the Han court and seize the throne. Cao Cao's power-seeking prime minister was tantamount to a great trouble for the emperor. But no matter what the ambition, it can be seen that the prime minister's power is boundless and his status is unmatched. It is indisputable that the prime minister's assistant is the second in command.
In the Ming Dynasty, after Zhu Yuanzhang established the new dynasty, he still used the system of prime ministers. However, Zhu Yuanzhang had a suspicious personality, and later suspected that the then prime minister Hu Weiyong was plotting rebellion and killed him. From then on, the post of prime minister was abolished, and until its demise, the Ming Dynasty no longer had a prime minister. This also reflects from the side that the emperor is jealous of the power of the prime minister. The prime minister is like a double-edged sword, which can give the emperor the most powerful help and become the biggest threat to the imperial power. Ming Taizu would rather abandon this sword than let it become the opposite of power.
Second, the prime minister's functions are decentralized and his powers are limited
The prime minister has a clear division of labor and checks and balances on imperial power
After the decline of the prime minister, the prime minister gradually appeared frequently in the historical stage. The term "prime minister" in the Shang Dynasty only referred to the head of the royal family. The word "phase" originally referred to the official in charge of ceremonies. During the pre-Qin period, the two words merged to become the prime minister in charge of the imperial power. Guan Zhong was the earliest outstanding prime minister. The Prime Minister has clear responsibilities and mainly deals with administrative affairs.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the prime minister system rose, and the function of the prime minister was gradually weakened. By the time of Emperor Chengdi of Han, he was worried that the prime minister would have too much power, so he specially set up three dukes to check and balance. The three princes are actually three prime ministers, marking the beginning of the dispersion of the functions of the prime minister. The prime minister became the supreme governor of different departments, each performing his own duties, and compared to the prime minister, the prime minister's power was decentralized, and there was no threat to the imperial power. This reflects that the emperor achieved the purpose of decentralization by setting up a prime minister, avoiding the emergence of another chancellor with imperial power.
During the Tang Dynasty, the status of prime ministers was raised, such as Changsun Wuji, Wei Zheng and others, all of whom were outstanding prime ministers. They have a lot of power in their respective departments, but none of them have the same monopoly as the prime minister. During Wu Zetian's reign, she took the prime minister to the extreme, and she only served for 15 years, but she appointed 73 prime ministers. Wu Zetian's frequent change of prime minister is to prevent excessive concentration of power. She was wary of the expansion of the prime minister's power, and frequently deposed and appointed a new prime minister to ensure that her imperial power was not threatened.
In the Ming Dynasty, after Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the prime minister, he established a cabinet. The cabinet academicians became the emperor's right hand, and the post of chief assistant was the most important. The most famous chief assistant of the Ming Dynasty was none other than Zhang Juzheng. Zhang Juzheng is a cabinet scholar, with power and outstanding achievements. However, compared with Prime Minister Cheng, Zhang Juzheng's power is still limited, and it is impossible to monopolize power. By setting up the prime minister and the first assistant, Ming Taizu skillfully decentralizes power and avoids recentralization.
Later in the Qing Dynasty, prime ministers appeared with different titles, such as military aircraft minister, prime minister, etc. Multiple prime ministers can appear during the same period. In the late Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan held the post of prime minister at the same time, each performing his own duties. The prime minister's functions are clearly divided and excessive concentration of power is prevented. Unlike the prime ministers of the Qin and Han dynasties, the Qing dynasty maintained the rule of the absolute monarchy by balancing imperial power through the prime minister.
Third, the prime minister is supreme, and the duties of the prime minister are different
There is a distinction between the positions of prime ministers and prime ministers
First of all, there is only one prime minister, and the assistant emperor handles imperial affairs, and his status is extremely high. Prime ministers can exist in multiple at the same time, each with different responsibilities and checks and balances with each other.
Secondly, the prime minister directly assisted the emperor, and his power was extremely large, which was easy to cause a threat to the imperial power. The prime minister was responsible to the emperor, but his power was relatively decentralized and he was able to check and balance imperial power.
Thirdly, the prime minister's status and power are higher than that of the prime minister, and he is the first of all officials. Although the prime minister also occupies a high position, he needs to obey the command of the prime minister and does not have the supreme position of the prime minister.
In the end, the prime minister was supreme, which made the emperor love and fear; The prime minister divided his duties, and the emperor used it to divide power and check and balance.
Two official positions with only a word difference, high and low power. The prime minister and the prime minister showed their respective strengths in the court battle, and the power game between the imperial power and the civil servants was clear from the establishment of the two. History is complicated, but if we look at the power struggle in the DPRK from the perspective of the evolution of the prime minister and the prime minister, the chasm is clear and the water is clear.
epilogue
History is complicated, but if we look at the power struggle in the DPRK from the perspective of the evolution of the prime minister and the prime minister, the chasm is clear and the water is clear. The establishment of the prime minister and the prime minister implied the monarch's consideration of the balance of power, and was the product of the confrontation between the imperial power and the civil power. In the long history of the river, the prime minister and the prime minister have alternated similarities and differences, adding variables to the power struggle.