A Study Of The Coordination System Of Government Affairs In The Ming Dynasty

Coordination of government affairs was an important part of the core function of the state’s political operation,a flexible adjustment and application of the established system,and existed throughout the evolution of Ming government affairs.The practice of coordination in successive generations provided the empirical basis for the coordination of government affairs in the Ming dynasty.Although the early Ming establishment improved the confusion of government affairs caused by the separation of official names and positions in the Song dynasty,the new problems caused by the complexity of government affairs and the lack of systems that accompanied the acceleration of social development and exchange and integration provided a real need for the coordination of government affairs in the Ming dynasty.Challenges such as the incompatibility between the inherent functions of the ministry and the old system,disputes over the interests of the ministries,and the lack of radiation from the single function of the independent ministry,all the time pushed the ministries to use political coordination to integrate their functions,supplement political information,and thus promote the operation of government.The changes in the political system of the Ming Dynasty changed the subjects and respective functions of government coordination.At the central level,the emperor,as the center of power,influenced the process of political coordination and the results of its implementation;the cabinet participated in coordination by supporting political affairs;the six ministries participated in political coordination by organizing and presiding over "court deliberations" and "ministry deliberations" when political affairs concerned their own ministries;and the Du Cha Yuan and the six divisions participated in political coordination by using their own methods.The six branches of the Imperial Court and the six departments are involved in the coordination of political affairs through participation in meetings or audits to fill the queue.The local government offices as the executive body of the central government decree,the three local divisions on the basis of the interaction of the division of power to discuss political affairs,the inspector to monitor the standard behavior of the local,the governor to go on patrol,when the three divisions "different powers" dispute to assist in the control of the party,the coordination of the dispatch,the state and county officials because of their special position to assume the responsibility of the upper to carry out the decree,the lower to adjust the people.In addition to the central and local dual political system of institutions and officials set up,the Ming dynasty attaches importance to the construction of the people’s voice channels also provides the institutional basis for the people to participate in the coordination of political affairs,li Lao and other people became the Ming dynasty non-political system of coordination subjects,although not the main force in the coordination of political affairs,but its role can not be replaced.The interaction of multiple coordinating bodies in the Ming Dynasty was characterized by the intertwining of vertical and horizontal coordination.It includes the six ministries’ "ministry discussion",the ministers’ "court discussion",and the ruler and ministers’ "face-to-face discussion",which existed at the stage of the central government’s discussion of major political affairs;it also existed at the stage of the central ministries,prefectures,and courts The political coordination system was formed by the coordination of the financial support of the central ministries,prefectures,and courts,the rational deployment of local materials and manpower,and the unified dispatch of officials from the central government to local government affairs and military and civil affairs;in addition,the local people expressed their demands and wishes through the coordination of public opinion and financial and material support.Since the political system of "matters are decided at the top" limits the autonomy of local political coordination,the coordination of many political decisions and the coordination of materials depend on the instructions of the central government and the implementation of the decisions by the local authorities.The evolution of power and responsibility in the interaction of political affairs coordination drew the power of each coordinating body into a pattern of checks and balances.Coordination groups were formed among officials because of the interconnectedness of their duties after the regular authorization,such as the three divisions and the inspection of officials.However,in order to achieve effective and orderly social governance,the phenomenon of temporary authorization to lead special dispatch was more common,and the dispatch of fujian officers and governors supplemented and adjusted the political life of the Ming dynasty,coordinating the contradiction of different powers of affairs.Both regular authorization and temporary authorization were regular means of government coordination,reflecting the dynamic process of division and integration of affairs in Ming government coordination,which was not only the adjustment of the rigid system,but also the political need for the emperor to achieve mutual checks and balances through the authorization of power.The coordination of government affairs in the Ming dynasty was an act of governance used by the Ming court for the smooth implementation of government affairs and the maintenance of the ruling order.The Ming government coordination undoubtedly had the effect of regulating political behavior,increasing the rationality of decision-making,improving administrative efficiency,and rationalizing the deployment of materials,and was a revitalizing and complementary means to the system.However,while it brought various positive effects to the operation of Ming politics and maintained the ruling order,the alienation of the late Ming political environment,the Emperor’s neglect of government,the officials’ denunciation,the ministers’ reprimand,and each other’s blame also kept the political affairs undecided for a long time,distorting and holding the coordination effect,becoming an obstacle to the implementation of Ming coordination,and slowing down the normal operation of Ming politics,thus accelerating the process of the Ming dynasty’s downfall.