When we watch costume dramas, we often see many departments, such as the military department, the household department, the official department, etc., and the top leader of their department is Shangshu.
However, although these departments are equal on the surface, their power is big and small, so let's take a look at who has more power today.
01 Military Department
The military department is best understood, and it can be seen from the name that it is suitable for military affairs and leads troops to fight, especially in the period of military strength, its status and authority are more prominent.
In the Qin Dynasty, Taiwei was similar to the position of the secretary of the military department, and was ranked as one of the three dukes; In the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the power of the military department Shangshu reached its peak, and he became the highest military commander under one person and above ten thousand people.
However, because the position of the Ministry of War is too important and holds the power of the army, the emperor is also very jealous, especially after the incident of Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robe, which makes the rulers even more afraid.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, military generals were subject to the jurisdiction of civil officials, and during the Ming Dynasty, it was difficult for the military department to enter the cabinet, and most of them acted according to the orders of the cabinet and had very little power.
In short, in different dynasties, due to the needs of the rulers and the times, the power gains and losses of the military department Shangshu were different.
In some periods of frequent war, the military department may be more important, while in relatively peaceful times, it may be in a relatively marginal position.
02 Officials
It is true that the word "official" is often understood as a small official or an official, but the scope of the jurisdiction of the official department is quite broad and important.
The origins of the position can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty, and the high position of the Zhou duke in the official department clearly demonstrates its importance in the political system.
The official department was given the name of "Heavenly Official" and oversaw the government of the "Six Classics", which included six departments: households, officials, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers.
It can be seen that among these six canons, the position of the Ministry of Officials is obviously the most prominent, because it covers the overall supervision of officials and administrative management.
03 Household Department
In charge of household registration and financial affairs, the functions of the household department have played an important supporting role in the governance of the country and social stability.
Originally known as the "Minbu", Tang Gaozong later renamed it "Hubu", a name that more accurately reflected its primary responsibilities, namely the management of the population and finances.
In addition, the household department is also called the "local official", and according to the order of the "Zhou Li", the heavenly official (official department) ranks first, and the local official (household department) ranks second.
However, this is not absolute, after all, there are still departments such as the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, for example, during the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Rites was in charge of the invigilation of the imperial examination, and its status was significantly higher than that of the Ministry of Households.
In the process of dynastic change and social development, the power position of these three departments often varies according to the changes of the times.
Therefore, the evaluation of their power requires a comprehensive consideration of the specific historical and political background, as well as the ruler's regulation and guidance of various departments.