The Prime Minister's Residence: Recommendations on the Official System for Young Deng

Currently, the provincial government system of Xiao Deng largely follows the Mongol model, which is not surprising. There is one Left and one Right Chancellor, both of the second rank; two Associate Administrators, subordinate to the second rank. However, Wen and Qing both command large armies outside the province, stationed in Pyongyang, Liaoxi, and other locations. Thus, only Hong Jixun and Luo Guoqi serve as true prime ministers.

The Left and Right Department Directors are of the fifth rank. There are two Assistant Directors, subordinate to the fifth rank. The Provincial Affairs Officer is of the seventh rank. Though these positions are not high in title, they wield considerable real power and often hold multiple assignments simultaneously (the text notes that Park Chung-hyeon, as Provincial Affairs Officer, also supervises the Civil Settlements Office), overseeing temporary government bureaus.

In military administration, there is a Provincial Privy Council. The President of the Council is of subordinate first rank; two Vice Presidents of second rank; two Deputy Privy Councillors of subordinate second rank; two Assistant Councillors of third rank; two Associate Assistants of fourth rank. The Council Judges and Advisors are of fifth rank. These positions are primarily sinecures for high-ranking generals. For example, Vice President Chen Hu, Assistant Councillor Zhang Dai’er, and Deputy Privy Councillor Zhao Guo all serve as regional commanders. Deputy Privy Councillor Guan Shirong is a deputy commander, since Liaoxi combines military and civil administration under the overall command of Associate Administrator Qing Qianxing. Such commanders are akin to the governors of a prefecture in Tang or the chief ministers of a circuit in Song. Assistant Councillor Li Hesang and Associate Assistant Yang Wanhui also serve as Chief Commanders, and their ranks are largely ceremonial.

Nonetheless, the Provincial Privy Council is not entirely a leisurely office. Unlike Zhu Yuanzhang, Deng She’s Wing Marshals are equivalent in rank to the Associate Assistants and not so lowly. Thus, Council Judges and Advisors remain staff with actual duties, performing advisory tasks under Deng She’s leadership.

Military forces are divided into three categories: field army, garrison troops, and settlement forces. The field army consists of Deng She’s old troops and the main force of the Liaodong Red Army, as well as Jurchen cavalry; garrison troops are mainly mixed Red Army units and former Goryeo regiments; settlement forces are largely newly recruited refugees and demobilized personnel.

The field army is organized under the Chief Commander's Office, whose rank matches that of the Chief Commanders (third rank), but their actual status is similar to that of Wing Marshals. Left Che'er and Lu Qianshiyi were promoted from Chief Commanders to Wing Marshals. Normally, these troops are stationed near the provincial capital and key locations to reinforce the front lines as needed.

Across the region, there are nearly twenty (currently about eighteen) Wing Marshal Offices, each overseeing military forces and defending their respective areas, each with several ten-thousand-households under their command.

Following the Mongol model, the ranks are: upper ten-thousand-households of third rank, middle and lower ten-thousand-households of subordinate third rank; upper thousand-households of subordinate fourth rank, middle and lower thousand-households of fourth and fifth rank; upper hundred-households of subordinate sixth rank, lower hundred-households of seventh rank.

In local administration: In the leap month of the sixth year of Longfeng (June–July 1360 CE), Deng She was named King of Yan and remained as Left Chancellor of the East Sea Provincial Government. The East Sea was divided into three sub-provincial governments, each with its own Chief Administrator, Associate Administrator, and Left and Right Department Heads. Their ranks are all one grade lower than those of the East Sea Provincial Government.

In the Liaoyang sub-province, Deng She does not appear to have established circuits or appointed overall civil officials. But Liaodong was sparsely populated to begin with, and the circuit-level structure seems to have been replaced by the Wing Marshal Offices.

At present, Deng She does not control Shenyang, so his actual domain only justifies the establishment of Double City, Helan, Dongning (Liaoyang), Guangning, and similar prefectures. Liaoxi has not been fully subdued (Daaning is not under control), and Liao Left, sparsely populated in the Yuan era and largely used for military settlements, has not yet had prefectures established and can be deferred.

In the Korean sub-province, it appears circuits have been established, as recently referenced by the "Bosal Circuit Changseong Prefecture," which reflects the adaptation of the Goryeo circuit system.

In the South Korea sub-province, the Mongol model of the Eastern Expedition Provincial Government is followed, and no major reforms have been made.

In truth, the circuit-level institution is unnecessary, especially since the East Sea is in its infancy and Liaodong is vast and sparsely populated, making such redundant layers excessive. The structure of sub-province–prefecture/direct-administered county–county/scattered county suffices as three levels.

Prefecture:
Prefect, one, fourth rank.
Associate Prefect, one, fifth rank.
Judge, one, sixth rank.

Direct-administered county:
County Chief, one, fifth rank.
Associate Chief, one, subordinate sixth rank.

Scattered county:
County Chief, one, sixth rank.
Associate Chief, one, seventh rank.
Judge, one, eighth rank.

County:
County Magistrate, upper seventh rank, lower subordinate seventh rank.
County Assistant, upper eighth rank, not placed in lower.
Registrar, County Constable, Inspector, etc.

The Provincial Censorate and the Administration Bureau are omitted.

In fact, the Provincial Censorate only functions properly under Fang Buzhen. Yao Haogu actually serves as Prime Minister, much like a Chancellor. Wang Zongzhe resembles the Minister of Rites, recently occupied with affairs at the Qinghua Hall and the Guest Reception Hall.

Qinghua Hall Attendant, modeled after Hanlin Academicians, can be fourth rank.
Guest Reception Hall Advisor, next in status, can be fifth rank.

My opinions on local administration:

Liaodong sub-province:
Liaoyang Prefecture.
Guangning Prefecture (includes Haozhou, Yizhou).
Liaoxi Prefecture (set at Yizhou).
Kaiping Prefecture.
Gai County (direct-administered county).
Gao County (direct-administered county).
In the future, Shenyang Prefecture, Daaning Prefecture, etc., can be established.
Kaiyuan and Xianping could be set as prefectures, or temporarily used for military settlements and horse breeding.

Korean sub-province:
Pyongyang Prefecture.
Dongning Prefecture (Ningbian).
Double City Prefecture.
Haiyang Prefecture (original Helan Prefecture moved to Haiyang).
Huanghae Prefecture.
Haizhou (direct-administered county).

South Korea sub-province:
Following Goryeo's old system.

In military organization, I suggest gradually changing the titles of Ten-Thousand-Households and Thousand-Households, which sound ambiguous between civil and military, to Chief Commander (demoted to fourth rank) and Commander (demoted to sixth rank). Hundred-Household could become Military Officer (standardized to seventh rank). Squad Leader could become Decurion.

As follows:

Wing Marshal: third rank.

Field Army:
Army (office): Chief Commander, subordinate third rank or third rank; ten thousand personnel.
Battalion: Commander, sixth rank; 800 personnel.
Company: Military Officer, seventh rank; about 100 personnel.
Squad: Decurion, ninth rank; 10 personnel.

Garrison Troops:
Guard: Chief Commander, fourth or subordinate fourth rank; 5,000 or more, 3,000–5,000 personnel.
Post: Commander, sixth or subordinate sixth rank; 800 or 500 personnel.
Company: Military Officer, seventh rank; about 100 personnel.
Squad: Decurion, ninth rank; 10 personnel.

Settlement Forces:
Settlement Guard: Chief Commander, subordinate fourth rank.
Settlement Post: Commander, subordinate sixth rank.
Settlement Company: Military Officer, seventh or subordinate seventh rank.
Settlement Squad: Decurion, subordinate ninth rank.

A ten-household settlement force forms one Settlement Squad, with the Decurion roughly equivalent to Wang Anshi’s “Protector.” Five to fifteen Settlement Squads form a village, called a Settlement Company. The establishment of Settlement Posts and Settlement Guards depends mainly on terrain and soil, not strictly on population. One Settlement Guard typically has about five thousand households.

Additionally, two recommendations:

1. Zhu Yuanzhang established “Military-Civil Ten-Thousand-Household Offices” for cultivating land in the Huai region. Xiao Deng could emulate this by establishing such offices in Liao Left’s Haizhou and Jinzhou, as well as in Korea for managing Jurchen military and civilian affairs, later converting them to Settlement Guards.

2. Sub-provincial governments should be simpler than provinces. Zhu Yuanzhang never appointed Chief Administrators in sub-provinces, only Associate Administrators. Xiao Deng appoints Chief Administrators mainly to appease "uncles," but this is potentially problematic.

One Chief Administrator (second rank, as Chen and Wen are already second rank); Associate Administrator, third rank. Left and Right Department Directors, subordinate fifth rank; Assistant Directors, sixth rank; Provincial Affairs Officer, subordinate seventh rank.

South Korea Provincial Government and Goryeo General Administration should not be entirely separate, to avoid redundancy. The King of Goryeo could be made Chancellor of the South Korea sub-province (a special position, subordinate rank); Heo Gwangsu as Associate Administrator.

I have always believed Qing Qianxing could serve as Hong Chengchou. Having him manage Korean affairs would placate the Yangban class, much better than letting eunuchs do it (which the Yangban would see as an insult). But since there are other plans, that can be discussed separately. Or perhaps he could retain a nominal title in the Goryeo court?