Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2450: The Peace of the World (II) Decade (Part )
Time flies, and it has been ten years since the death of the late Emperor Zhu Yijun. From the first year of Taichang to the tenth year of Taichang, the Ming Dynasty prospered under the leadership of Gao Youshi, the Duke of Jingguo. Although it continued to suffer the test of the Little Ice Age, the great Chinese nation still made the transition from the "Wanli Restoration" to the current "Taichang Prosperity".

After ten years like this, how can we not take a good look back?

In the first year of Taichang (1604), the year after Zhu Yijun's death, Gao Youshi was years old (actual age, the same below), and Zhu Changhao was years old (actual age, the same below).

Politically, Gao Youshi took charge of the government affairs as the "chief minister" and exercised the imperial power. According to the will of the previous emperor, it was clearly stated that "before the crown prince is crowned, all state affairs shall be decided by Rixin (Gao Youshi's nickname)". Therefore, he reorganized the cabinet and various ministries and agencies in Beijing, dismissed Shen Yikuan, a cabinet minister of the Xinxue School, and his remaining factions, and appointed Song Yingchang, Xiao Liangyou and other backbone members of the Practical School to the cabinet, forming a new decision-making core.

After Zhu Changhao successfully ascended the throne, Queen Mother Wang followed the late emperor's will and asked the young emperor to "serve the prime minister as his father". She herself lived in Kunning Palace and only appeared on important ceremonial occasions to endorse Gao Youshi's power.

In terms of economy, the imperial court established the "Anxi Taxation Office" and actually levied a 10% tariff on the Western Region trade routes. The proceeds were used for Anxi's military and economic construction. In the first year, more than taels of silver were collected.

From the three borders of Shaanxi to the Anxi Governor-General's jurisdiction, the imperial court vigorously promoted the use of Beijing's "wheel-axle turnover" for military farming. The average increase in grain production in various places was more than 20%, greatly alleviating the pressure on military food inside and outside the Great Wall.

In the military, the Erdemutu tribe of the First Naturalized Cavalry Army marched westward to the Ural Mountains, forced the city of Tyumen to surrender without bloodshed, set up fortresses such as "Zhenbeibao" as forward strongholds, and relied on the prestige of the Mongols among the nomadic tribes to conquer many Tatar tribes along the way, fully demonstrating the correctness of Gao's pragmatic approach to the westward expedition.

In the same year, the Jinghua Nanyang Fleet arrived in the Persian Gulf for the first time and signed the "Band of Abbas Trade Treaty" with the Safavid Dynasty, exchanging porcelain, spices and other items for war horses and other strategic materials.

The young emperor Zhu Changhao began to formally receive the "Emperor Enlightenment Course" taught by Gao Youshi himself. He studied "Dragon Whip Shadow" and basic arithmetic every day. By the end of the year, he was able to recognize the main provincial outlines of the "Ming Dynasty Territory" on the map.

Gao Youshi also gave him a specially made small abacus with the words "rule the country with mathematics" engraved on it, and started the "daily assignment of one question" system, with the first question being "how to use ten carts of grain to feed a hundred people".

In the second year of Taichang (1605), Gao Youshi was years old and Zhu Changhao was years old.

Politically, he implemented the "Taichang Jingcha Kaoke Fa" (Gaogong Kaoke Fa 2.0), with "practical learning and political achievements" as the core of the assessment. More than mediocre officials were eliminated, and "technical bureaucrats" with craftsman backgrounds were promoted, such as Zhou Maoren, a graduate of the Jinghua Craftsmen School, who was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Works. Of course, this person had passed the formal imperial examination and obtained the status of juren before his appointment.

In addition, the court also issued an edict to compile the "Great Ming Practical Learning General Code", trying to include known practical knowledge such as mathematics, investigation of things, and agronomy. Gao Youshi personally served as the chief editor, Xiao Liangyou served as the vice president of compilation, and Xu Guangqi was the editor-in-chief.

Economically, the Ming Dynasty launched the "Tea-Horse Trade 2.0", setting up state-run tea factories in Yanbian, one of the Han provinces, exchanging brick tea for Mongolian and plateau war horses, obtaining tens of thousands of fine horses each year. At the same time, the outflow of finely wrought ironware was prohibited, but the circulation of ordinary daily ironware was not prohibited.

In Jiangnan, a pilot program of "official cotton and linen textile workshops" was launched, introducing the Persian carpet weaving method. The products were not only supplied to the royal family and vassal states, but were also allowed to be sold to the public at a small profit. Thirty percent of the profits were used to expand the workshop and set up the "Royal Relief Agency" to provide relief to disaster victims in disaster-stricken areas across the country and win the hearts of the people.

In the military, the First Naturalized Cavalry Army cooperated with the Stroganov family to defeat the Polish intervention forces, and then captured Moscow and supported the puppet Tsar Dmitry I. The two sides signed the "Moscow Secret Treaty", and the Ming Dynasty obtained the area east of the Ural Mountains, while at the same time puppeting the Russian Tsardom, which was still in its initial development stage.

In the Ming Dynasty, all military towns in the country added "Firearms Training Schools". All Type A and Type B armies were required to practice tactics such as "three-stage attack" and "infantry and artillery coordination". The firearms rate of the entire army reached over 80%, and the penetration rate of advanced flintlock rifles (Wanli Type 50 and Type ) reached over %.

In terms of the emperor's teachings, Zhu Changhao could recite the entire "Three Character Classic", while Gao Youshi used the example of "military farming in the Western Regions" to demonstrate grain transportation on a sand table. It was the first time that the emperor orally expressed his experience in governance, such as "storing grain at the border to prevent disasters before they happen".

In addition, at Gao Youshi's request, the emperor began to learn basic Mongolian vocabulary and could recognize words such as "Eternal Heaven" and "Great Khan". Gao Youshi said with a smile, "It is your majesty's sword, how can your majesty not know its use?" But at the same time, Gao Youshi also established Sinology in various Mongolian tribes, especially forcing the children of Mongolian nobles to learn to communicate in Chinese. Only those who can recognize 3,000 characters and write military documents can inherit their fathers and grandfathers.

In the third year of Taichang (1606), Gao Youshi was years old and Zhu Changhao was years old.

In politics, the imperial examinations were the first to include "practical subjects", allowing candidates to use practical classics such as "Complete Book of Agricultural Administration" to replace some of the classics in their answers. In terms of the appointment of specific officials, candidates who were evaluated as "excellent in practical studies" were allowed to obtain the "Tongjinshi origin", and according to the "Tongjinshi" status, they were given a new standard for official promotion (although candidates could previously become officials, their promotion was slow and the upper limit was low).

In the inner court, Gao Youshi weakened the approval power of the Imperial Household Department. The eunuchs in the inner court only retained the right to know and approve matters at the provincial level and above. The affairs of prefectures, states, and counties were no longer reported to the Imperial Household Department, but were handled by the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, etc. However, the documents were kept on file for the emperor to review.

At the same time, Gao Youshi took power away from the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, requiring them to "only monitor the five crimes of treason, collaborating with the enemy, treason, corruption, and deceiving the people among civil and military officials, and not to interfere in the administration of the court."

In terms of economy, the "Taichang Silver Dollar" was manufactured and issued, with Minglian deposit silver and Japanese silver mine as reserves, gradually replacing privately minted silver ingots of varying purities. The efficiency of commercial tax collection in Jiangnan and other places increased by 30%.

As for "Taichang Tongbao" (copper coins), by further developing copper mines in Jiangxi, Yunnan and other places, and introducing copper mines in Japan and Luzon controlled by Jinghua, the manufacturing accuracy of copper coins (edge ​​scale) was improved, privately minted copper coins were gradually eliminated from the market, and the court's control over the economy was strengthened.

In terms of military farming in the Western Regions, the "Daitian Method" was introduced, and combined with fertilizers produced in Beijing, the grain production in pilot areas such as Ili and Andijan was doubled, making them the "granary of the Western Regions" and even able to transfer 50,000 shi of grain to the Hexi Corridor area.

In the military, the Second Regiment of the First Army of Naturalized Cavalry, the Third Regiment of the Seven Ansi Rivers, and the Russian Special Army defeated the main forces of Poland and Lithuania in the Battle of Smolensk, forcing Poland to give up its fantasy of controlling Russia. With the intervention and mediation of the Pope, the "Minsk Four-Power Treaty" was signed, which divided the borders and spheres of influence of Eastern European countries and agreed on the common strategic goals of Ming, Russia and Poland against the Ottoman Empire.

The Jinghua Nanyang Fleet and the Marine Corps captured Mocha (southeast corner of Yemen), controlled the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, established the "Yemen Xuanwei Office", supported the pro-Ming Sultan, and controlled the right of passage and taxation in the Red Sea, with an estimated annual profit of 130,000 taels.

Osman then concentrated the forces of the two holy cities and called on the surrounding vassal states to join the expedition into Yemen, intending to recover the lost territory, but a town of reinforcements sent by Gao Yuan arrived ahead of time, and the two sides fought in Zabid. Since Osman originally received information that "the enemy troops in Mocha were about 3,000", he was not well prepared and was defeated by the more than 15,000 troops of the Southern Xinjiang Army, and the entire army was scattered.

Although the commander of the Southern Xinjiang Army, Cen Yunhan, had not anticipated such a situation, he immediately issued an order to "take over all of Yemen and surrender all places." Within the year, he completed control of the entire territory of Yemen, forming a situation of resisting Hejaz in the north and bordering Portugal (colony) in the east.

In this year, Zhu Changhao was already able to perform addition and subtraction of hundreds of digits. Gao Youshi began to use "Zheng He's Voyages to the West" and "Yemen Xuanweisi" as examples to explain the impact of sea power on national power. The emperor was able to mark the locations of "South Sea Islands" and "Arab tribes" on the map. At the same time, the emperor began to copy the handwriting of the previous emperor's red comments. In the calligraphy homework, the two words "Yuan Fu" were written in a very good manner. The Queen Mother cried when she saw it, saying that "there is the legacy of the previous emperor." Gao Youshi was silent for a long time when he saw the work, and sighed with emotion.

In the fourth year of Taichang (1607), Gao Youshi was years old and Zhu Changhao was years old.

Politically, Gao Youshi ignored all objections and promoted the splitting of the six ministries for reform. The Ministry of Personnel was split into the "Ministry of Officials" and "Ministry of Personnel"; the Ministry of Revenue was split into the "Ministry of Finance", "Ministry of Civil Affairs", "Ministry of Commerce", "Ming United Savings Bank (Ming Lianchu)", and "Ministry of Audit"; the Ministry of War was split into the "Ministry of Military Affairs" and "Ministry of Military Supplies (part of which was reformed in parallel with the Ministry of Industry)"; the Ministry of Rites was split into the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" and "Ministry of Culture and Education"; the Ministry of Industry was split into the "Ministry of Construction" and "Ministry of Industry"; the Ministry of Criminal Justice was split into the "Ministry of Police", "Ministry of Justice", and "Supreme Court" (combined with the "Three Judicial Departments" reform).

As a result, the six ministries of the imperial court were directly expanded to 15. At the same time, the Censorate also carried out corresponding reforms and adjusted its structure to the ministerial level. From then on, the imperial court was known as the "Sixteen Ministries".

In view of the more detailed division of departments and the rationalization and decentralization of power, the power struggle between the Ming Dynasty Cabinet and the six ministries ended in history - the cabinet won in the end. Therefore, Gao Youshi immediately promoted the "institutionalization of the cabinet" and made institutional requirements for the career of cabinet ministers, such as cabinet ministers must have served in senior positions for at least six years (the court takes an examination every three years, and six years means two examinations), etc., to prevent Hanlin scholars with no actual work experience from "rising to the cabinet".

In the same year, Gao Youshi himself also resigned from all the positions in the Ministry of Revenue and the finance department after the division, except for the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet.

In terms of economic development and people's livelihood, the biggest good news this year is the completion of projects such as "Planting Trees to Consolidate Soil (Phase I Project)" in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River and "Blocking Water and Flushing Sand" in the middle and lower reaches.

Since the Hetao area was brought under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court (the Ordos tribe moved west to the Seven Rivers), the imperial court has carried out a comprehensive vegetation restoration project in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in recent years, and reinforced the embankments in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River with Jinghua cement technology. The disaster resistance of the embankments has been improved to "once in fifty years". The governors of Henan and Shandong jointly submitted a memorial stating that "river disasters have dropped sharply and the people are living in peace."

On the other hand, although Gao Youshi resigned from his direct position in the "Ministry of Large Households", he implemented a "commercial tax grading system" across the country, exempting or reducing business tax for small and medium-sized merchants, and instead imposing a 5% progressive tax on wealthy merchants, including his own Jinghua Group. As a result, the annual revenue of the national treasury increased by million taels.

Taking into account that some wealthy businessmen may evade progressive taxation through "family business division", Gao Yousi adjusted the "family business" identification rules and determined what is called "family business" through the "share identification" method of "within the five mourning periods", thereby determining who needs to be levied progressive taxation - if you have the guts, just give the shares of your own business directly to outsiders.

In the military aspect, due to the great achievements of the Naturalized Cavalry First Army (expanding thousands of miles of territory), it was authorized to expand to 50,000, renamed "Imperial Guard Cavalry Army", and included in the Imperial Guard sequence. Hanaji was appointed as the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and the general commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Army, and Erdemutu was appointed as the deputy general commander. The entire army was equipped with the Wanli Type 3 short musket.

In addition, the "Iron Mountain Fort" (Yekaterinburg, it was mistakenly written as Dingshan Fort in the previous chapter, I correct it here) established in Siberia was transferred to it to control the iron mines in the Ural region on behalf of the court.

The Xiting Governor's Office was officially established, Xiong Tingbi was promoted to Governor-General of Xiting, Sun Chengzong was appointed as the Inspector General of Xiting, and Erdemutu was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Xiting.

The emperor also grew up and mastered the knowledge of the first two volumes of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art". Gao Youshi used "Beijing grain price regulation" as an example to guide him to analyze "supply and demand balance". The emperor took the initiative to think about the suggestion of "setting a time limit for opening warehouses for relief", which was praised by Gao Youshi and the court officials.

At the same time, although the court officials still opposed the emperor's learning to shoot with a musket (firearms still had certain risks), Gao Youshi insisted that the emperor start learning archery and gave him a special children's version of a horn bow. The emperor hit the bull's eye at a distance of thirty steps for the first time during practice, and was recorded by the historian as "a man of divine power."

In the fifth year of Taichang (1608), Gao Youshi was years old and Zhu Changhao was years old.

Politically, this year started with a happy funeral - the Empress Dowager Li died of illness in a Buddhist temple outside Beijing. Before her death, she left a will: "Follow the ancestral system and attach importance to practical learning." The Queen Mother Wang and the Emperor were deeply saddened when they heard the news. Gao Youshi personally presided over the funeral ceremony and bid farewell to the old empress dowager with a mournful honor comparable to the death of the previous emperor.

Considering that the old empress dowager had "embarrassed" Gao Youshi many times in his early years, his current actions were praised by the court and the public, and there was a couplet widely circulated among the people: "In the past, I was constrained but still fulfilled my filial piety, and now I am in charge of the world and am more loyal." When Gao Youshi heard this, he just said to the people around him, "Rather than saying that the Empress Dowager constrained me in the past, it is better to say that she was testing me. What's wrong with this?"

This year, the proportion of Jinshi candidates who passed the imperial examinations reached 15%. Traditional scholars also began to study the "Elements of Geometry" translated by the court. The Hanlin Academy even set up a "Western Learning Translation Office" and began to translate "Illustrated Description of Western Wonders". Some people in the private sector began to study whether steam engines and bamboo dragonflies could be combined... Gao Guoshi heard about it and smiled and said, "You can study it, but don't do it easily."

Economically, the imperial court began to promote Dutch windmills in coastal areas to provide power for various machines. The "brocade workshop" opened by Jinghua in the Jiangnan region produced more than 300,000 pieces of cloth annually, and the monthly salary of machine workers was raised to 5 taels of silver, which caused a shock and imitation in the northern cotton textile industry. More than 20 new workshops were established in Shandong and Hebei.

However, local merchants and even big landlords in Jiangnan were extremely dissatisfied. Some merchants were forced to upgrade their equipment and try to compete with Beijing through formal channels, while others began to join forces and tried to call for a strike. The big landlords were dissatisfied because tenants and long-term workers had fled and entered the city as hired workers, resulting in a shortage of manpower, and they also began to conspire with the big merchants to stir up trouble.

Both the Beijing Internal Affairs Department, the East Factory, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard warned Gao Youshi again and again, but strangely, Gao Yuanfu, who had always made decisive decisions, seemed to be slow to react this time and had not made any reply.

On the other hand, the Western Silk Road was connected, and it only took a month for a caravan to travel from Suzhou to Samarkand by horse, and the freight was reduced by 40%. The annual trading volume of major products such as Western jade and Central Plains porcelain reached more than kilograms, and the cities along the trade route became more prosperous. The Anxi Governor's Office proposed that the Central Plains commercial tax could be implemented in the Western Regions. Gao Youshi thought about it for several days and ordered to levy half of the Central Plains tax first, and then decide according to the situation.

In the military, the Anxi Governorate, the Xiting Governorate, the Russian Special Army and Persia jointly sent troops to defeat the main force of the Ottoman Empire in the east in the Caucasus. Afterwards, the Caucasus was nominally assigned to Russia in the north and Persia in the south, and the Ming Dynasty actually obtained a trading base on the northern coast of the Black Sea.

At this point, in theory, Ming merchant ships could reach Constantinople directly from the Black Sea... er, the outskirts of Istanbul. However, because there were not enough ships at present, Xiong Tingbi and Erdemutu could only report to the court and strive for Gao Youshi to allow them to build a shipyard in Azov, or arrange for Jinghua to build a factory there.

This year, the young emperor Zhu Changhao followed the old practice of the previous emperor when he was young and participated in the cabinet meeting for the first time, listening to the topics such as "grain policy in the Western Regions". Gao Youshi deliberately asked for his opinion, and the emperor proposed "perhaps relief grain can be distributed according to tribal population", which was adopted by Gao Youshi and written into the memorial.

At the same time, the emperor also began to study stories such as the marriage between the Han and the Xiongnu in "Zizhi Tongjian". Gao Yousi took the opportunity to explain the "way of control", and the emperor gradually understood Gao Yousi's idea of ​​"using commerce instead of war" to govern the controlled areas.
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PS: My thoughts were tied up last night, so today’s chapter will be considered as yesterday’s.

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