Prime Minister of Themiclesia

Prime Minister
尚書令
Incumbent Lja Le (徐貽) since 2016
Type	head of government
Member of	Council of Correspondence
Reports to	The Emperor
Residence	Council Residences
Seat	Court Hall (Themiclesia)
Nominator	Ministry of Administration Council of Protonotaries
Appointer	The Emperor
Term length	unlimited
Constituting instrument	Standing Order of Administrators (吏令) Customary usage
Formation	c. 550
Deputy	Right Minister, Left Minister

The Prime Minister of Themiclesia (震旦相, tjelh-tanh-sjangh) of Themiclesia is the head of the Themiclesian government. Historically, the head of government was the most powerful individual or individuals holding authority in the name of the monarch and over all his possessions. Several offices have been in this position, but the current is the President of Correspondence (尚書令, ′djang′-st′ja-ringh). The incumbent is Lja Le, who assumed office in 2018 after the retirement of St′ang Krugh.

History

Development outside Themiclesia

The institution of the Council of Correspondence can be traced to Menghe in the Warring States, when a trend to centralize administration necessitated a secretariat to handle the monarch's state papers; however, policies were most often made by a chancellor, leaving the monarch a limited role in government. Chancellors were often talented individuals who could, over their careers, serve in multiple courts; as a result, monarchs usually wished to retain a final check on the chancellor's actions, though active policy-making would still be done by the latter. It is understood that the monarch's secretariat, titled "managers of correspondence", handled communications between the chancellor, which led what could be called a government, and the monarch. In this period, the managers of correspondence were effectively secretaries to a passive monarch. This arrangement of power was to continue after Menghe was unified by the eponymous Meng dynasty in 192 BCE, which was the principal influence on perambulating Themiclesian political structures during the Hexarchy.

However, ambitious monarchs soon took a more active role in policy-making than the existing arrangement permitted. The Chancery was reduced from government to an administrative body that interpreted the policies that the Meng emperor and his closer courtiers made, and the managers of correspondence, who controlled communication between the monarch and chancery, grew to represent the emperor's will. The most senior secretary was called the president of correspondence, though he had no formal powers over the other secretaries, that the channels of communication were not constricted. The power of the secretaries was reflected in many social institutions. Though not high-ranking, virtually all other ministers were expected to yield and bow to a secretary when he passed, including the chancellor. The shift from chancellory to secretarial government is thought to have occurred in Menghe, gradually, between 150 BCE and 50 BCE. The same shift was slower to occur in Themiclesia, as monarchs there were more willing to yield power to talented administrators, who could defect if the ruler was impossible.

Domestic development

In Themiclesia, the power of the Council of Correspondence follows a different arc than in Menghe. During the late Hexarchy, the Tsjinh state disestablished most of its fiefdoms (內諸侯, nubh-tja-go) to enlarge the demesne land (縣官, gwenh-kwal), directly controlled and taxed by the ruler; this enlarged the jurisdiction of the chancellor. Following the Treaty of Five Kings, the Tsjinh monarch acquired primacy over the other four states and sought to influence their courts, but in reality every court sought to influence another, through marriage alliances and secret diplomacy. The chancellor thus sometimes became suspect, since he could be a very well-regarded and able administrator but have connections to the other states. Additionally, the Tsjinh monarch actively encouraged the vassals of the other princes to defect (外諸侯, ngwadh-tja-go), sometimes permitting them a great autonomy beyond the chancellor's jurisdiction. Titles were also offered to courtiers for their prolonged support, if a hostile court offered competitive terms. What had been a relatively unitray state in the 2nd century became pluralistic by the early 5th as it expanded without resorting to force. The jurisdiction of the Chancellor of Tsjinh thus fragmented, and active monarchs dealt with several autonomous leaders.

In 420, one such leader deposed the Tsjinh king and established the Sungh. He required the support of many magnates and prominent administrators, who were persuaded that the Tsjinh senior line had died out, and instability was the result of competing claims to the throne. An early foray into war, to some degree, prevented the further disintegration of royal administration. By the time peace was restored in 432, the Council of Correspondence had emerged as a keystone department in organizing the many types of resource towards warfare, working in the name of the king. The Chancellor of Tsjinh was thus reduced to an important, but not predominant, administrator. The Sungh kings continued to pursue policies to bring the states under its control much more aggressively than the Tsjinh kings did. The states responded by strengthening domestic control and reducing the number of independent or semi-independent vassals to resist Sungh and better prepare for invasion. The second half of the Sungh was characterized by more peaceful interaction with the states, though by this point around half of what is now Themiclesia-proper was under Sungh control.

The Sungh dynasty gave way to the Rjang in 491, whose inchoative ruler, King Ngjon, repledged himself to the Treaty of Five Kings but sought to vassalize the other crowns. In 497, war broke out and ended in favour of Rjang and its ally Kem. Pjang and Tengh submitted to Rjang; without deposing the ruling houses, King Ngjon appointed chancellors on their behalf and demanded their vassals to pay homage to him instead. In 499, Kem formed an alliance with Tengh and Sjing in an effort to resist the expanding Rjang. King Ngjon deployed Pjang's troops promising that Pjang's independence would be restored afterwards; after most of their troops were exhausted in battle with Kem, Ngjon deployed Tsjinh's troops in a renewed alliance with a weakened Kem against Pjang and Tengh at the Battle of Gar in January, 500, which was the largest land battle in Themiclesia known to date, with over 40,000 troops engaged. The complex logistics of the battle were handled by the Council of Correspondence, whose committee-style operation was vindicated over unitary leadership.

List of holders

Before 1800

• Lord of Nja-nem, Ghwjang Lu′ (汝南侯王道), fl. 255? – 270, prime minister and Chancellor of Tsjinh; negotiated the Treaty of Five Kings that nominally unified Themiclesia.
• Lord of Kaw-nêng, Tsaw Groh (高寧侯曹冓), fl. 430s, prime minister during the Sungh dynasty.

Since 1800

Party	Prime minister	Shinasthana	Appointed	Dismissed	Seat
C	Lord of Gar-lang	河陽侯	Oct. 2, 1800	Jan. 14, 1814	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord Kjalh-djeng	建成君	Feb. 5, 1814	Nov. 27, 1817	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Mjenh-lang	文陽侯	Dec. 1, 1817	May 22, 1819	Council of Lords
Imp.	Lord Sghjang	庠君	May 22, 1819	Jul. 29, 1821	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Mjenh-lang	文陽侯	Jul. 31, 1821	Oct. 12, 1825	Council of Lords
C	Lord Hrus-mrjang	孝明君	Nov. 10, 1825	Apr. 2, 1826	Council of Lords
C	Lord of Tubh	薱侯	Apr. 21, 1826	Sep. 30, 1833	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Ran	闌侯	Oct. 5, 1833	Feb. 22, 1838	Council of Lords
C	Lord Hrus-mjen	孝文君	Mar. 10, 1838	Dec. 5, 1838	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Stsrungh	淙侯	Dec. 5, 1838	Nov. 1, 1839	Council of Lords
Ind.	Lord of Ran	闌侯	Nov. 1, 1839	Apr. 27, 1845	Council of Lords
L	Lord of Rjai-lang	漓陽侯	Apr. 29, 1845	Jun. 10, 1859	House of Lords
C	Lord of Ghwal	桓侯	Jun. 14, 1859	Feb. 4, 1861	House of Lords
L	Lord of Sng'rja	楚侯	Feb. 11, 1861	Nov. 30, 1866	House of Lords
C	Lord of Nja-'rjum	女陰侯	Nov. 30, 1866	Mar. 5, 1869	House of Lords
L	Lord of Sng'rja	楚侯	Mar. 7, 1869	Dec. 1, 1873	House of Lords
L	Lord T'jang-mjen	昌文君	Dec. 1, 1873	Mar. 22, 1878	Kien-k'ang West
C	Lord of M'i	迷侯	May 15, 1878	Jul. 21, 1880	House of Lords
L	Lord L'ong-mjen	通文君	Jul. 22, 1880	Nov. 25, 1886	Sng'rja
C	Lord of M'i	迷侯	Nov. 25, 1886	Jan. 22, 1889	House of Lords
L	Lord L'ong-mjen	通文君	Jan. 27, 1889	Feb. 4, 1891	Sng'rja
C	Lord of Snul-lang	綏陽侯	Feb. 4, 1891	Oct. 5, 1894	House of Lords
C	Lord of Krungh	洚侯	Oct. 6, 1894	May 10, 1909	House of Lords
C	Lord Rjem-'an	臨安君	May 12, 1909	Mar. 10, 1910	Me'
L	Lord of Mik	邲侯	Mar. 22, 1910	Jan. 15, 1912	House of Lords
L	Goh Mjanh-krje	冓萬基	Jan. 15, 1912	Nov. 22, 1915	Gwreng
L	Lord of Mrji-r'jek	眉澈侯	Nov. 22, 1915	Apr. 30, 1916	House of Lords
L	Goh Mjanh-krje	冓萬基	Apr. 30, 1916	Dec. 6, 1918	Gwreng
L	Rjuk Mjo	陸敄	Dec. 6, 1918	Jun. 29, 1919	Sgjon-gwra
C	Lord of Sloi	隨侯	Jul. 13, 1919	Oct. 7, 1921	House of Lords

See also

• Themiclesia