Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The reason there were so many candidates for the civil service was, of course, to expand the foundation of Zhu Youjian's rule.

He used the name of "supporting scholars" to clarify the identity of scholars, with the aim of reassuring some people and preventing instability caused by the migration of surplus people.

The scholars who were preparing for the imperial examinations also enjoyed this preferential treatment, and in Zhu Youjian's view, they were all the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's rule.

The more such people there are, the better, especially after adding the word "preparatory". They enjoy some of the privileges of scholars, but do not receive salaries or honorary stipends, and do not need the court to support them.

In Zhu Youjian's view, these people were supporters who brought their own provisions. He used the carrot of becoming a scholar to entice them forward.

He addressed his ministers:

“The reserve scholars enjoy preferential treatment in some aspects, mainly in terms of policy, to meet their need for respect.”

“They are different from true scholars; the court will not pay them salaries, nor will they be exempt from taxes and corvée labor.”

This explanation dispelled the doubts of some of the officials.

In particular, officials in the Ministry of Revenue no longer worried about the financial collapse caused by supporting scholars.

However, there are still some people who value the title of "scholar" highly and do not want them to have the title of scholar, lest they tarnish this identity.

Zhu Youjian scoffed at their idea and said in a deep voice:
"Would you be satisfied if we called them prospective priests, quasi-priests, or quasi-priests?"

"Should I, in the name of the Emperor, allow a number of people to donate their qualifications, just like the 'Gongshi' (a type of scholar-official), and bestow upon them the title of 'Quanshi'?"

This threat reminded the court officials that the power to donate funds and confer titles upon officials was still in the hands of the emperor.

The title of "Gongshi" was more accurately described as a court rank, which could only be granted by the emperor.

The court officials had considered revoking the title, but their focus had been on the nobility. They had finally managed to transform the Shuntian nobles, who had been granted titles by the emperor outside the court, into the Zhongxing nobles, who were officially recognized by the court, and hadn't yet taken this into consideration.

Now that the emperor has brought it up, some officials immediately feel that the power to confer titles on officials should be transferred from the inner court to the outer court.

However, Zhu Youjian would not budge on this, as he worried that some people would ruin the Gongshi system.

He wanted to reshape the social hierarchy of the Ming Dynasty through the Gongshi class, and the power to confer titles upon Gongshi had to be in his own hands.

In Zhu Youjian's plan, "Gongshi" was equivalent to "Shiren". Whether one was a Shiren would no longer be a self-designation, but rather determined by whether one possessed "Gongshi", or a higher honorary title or peerage.

He intended to control the entry of scholars into the official ranks by bestowing titles upon them, making becoming a scholar akin to joining a political party in later generations. This would not only be a requirement for officialdom but also set moral and ethical standards, guiding and constraining scholars in the name of scholarly virtue and conduct.

As for the prospective scholars, they can be seen as prospective party members. Zhu Youjian planned to relax the requirements for this group, and their number could be five to ten times that of the regular scholars. Ideally, half of them would become prospective scholars, and their loyalty would be secured by promoting a portion of them to full scholars each year.

That way, the Ming Dynasty's rule would be incredibly stable, as half of the population, organized under the guise of scholars, would be able to easily suppress the other half.

Moreover, since prospective scholars came from the general public and the requirements were relatively low, as long as citizens were willing to work hard, they had a great chance to become prospective scholars and see the opportunity to become scholars.

That way, their focus would be on becoming scholars, and they wouldn't rebel in a fit of anger because of dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, Zhu Youjian had a vision: to make all citizens of the Ming Dynasty public servants. He envisioned making scholarly virtues and conduct the moral requirements of a utopian world, listing it as a necessary condition for entering such a world.

However, this idea is still far off. Zhu Youjian can only support a portion of people to become scholars at present, and set up reserve scholars as a supplementary group.
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After stating his position, Zhu Youjian stopped discussing the issue and instead set a new agenda.

Regarding the artisans specifically, Zhu Youjian asked his ministers:

"The world today is transitioning from the age of iron smelting to the age of steel."

"You all tell me, in the steel age, which of the three groups—agriculture, industry, and commerce—was the most powerful?"

Upon hearing this question, the courtiers immediately began to ponder it.

According to traditional views, farmers are naturally the most powerful, and the importance of agriculture has always been ranked first.

However, the steel age was clearly related to industry, and the power of workers would expand dramatically, potentially surpassing that of farmers.

If the emperor's prophecy comes true, then including highly skilled artisans in the list of prospective scholars is only natural.

The imperial court needed to win over these people and bring them into its ruling order.

But this is still a prophecy. Even though many of the current emperor's prophecies have been verified, his ministers do not approve of governing the country through prophecy.

Bi Ziyan, Minister of Revenue, said:

"Your Majesty, workers may be more important in the future, but right now, farmers are the most important."

"If highly skilled artisans are classified as prospective scholars, how should farmers be treated favorably?"

Zhu Youjian naturally attached great importance to agriculture, and immediately said:

"After I ascended the throne, I requested that people who are filial and fraternal and diligent in farming be selected. From now on, those who are diligent in farming should be clearly selected from farmers, not scholars who have never worked in the fields."

"Farmers who cultivate improved varieties, improve fertilizers, and improve water conservancy can be granted the status of scholar-officials, and candidates can also be included in the list of reserve scholars."

"Farmers who have paid a total of one thousand shi of grain will also be included in the list of reserve scholars. This is a preferential treatment for farmers, and the court will not forget them."

"Similarly, merchants also have the privilege of paying one thousand taels of silver to become prospective scholars."

"In comparison, workers also need a path to become prepared men."

While he spoke of preferential treatment for farmers and merchants, Zhu Youjian valued workers the most.
"Workers who want to become reserve soldiers do so for two reasons: first, by serving in the enterprise and obtaining a service voucher, thus contributing to the government's requisition of corvée labor materials."

"Secondly, we need to improve our technology and produce higher-quality products."

“A skilled craftsman can play a role several times or even dozens of times that of an ordinary worker, and they can naturally become prospective scholars.”

"If one makes many contributions to the court or invents new technologies and becomes an engineer, one can also become a scholar."

"In the future steel era, we must value workers."

This policy targets the three major groups of farmers, merchants, and artisans, ensuring that the most outstanding individuals from each social stratum become supporters of the Ming Dynasty.

To persuade his ministers, Zhu Youjian asked them again:
"Tell me, where will the strength of the military primarily come from in the future?"

All the officials knew this, and the summary of the Liaodong War had been ongoing for the past few months.

The reason why the emperor bestowed titles upon artisans last year came to mind for many, and Yuan Keli immediately said:

"The strength of soldiers used to come from money and food, and the most important thing was food and supplies."

"Now the new army has completely switched to firearms, and also needs to add equipment."

"The production of firearms requires workers, and the strength of the army can be said to come from the workers."

This realization greatly pleased Zhu Youjian, proving that his years of instilling this viewpoint had not been in vain.

In retrospect, the Privy Council understood this very well, knowing that it could constrain the army's logistics and equipment from a production perspective.

He addressed Yuan Keli and other officials, saying:

What is needed to produce firearms?

"Besides the design and improvements by engineers, the most important thing is the craftsmen who smelt steel and manufacture firearms, especially the highly skilled craftsmen."

"They are the source of the Ming Dynasty's power, and the court must treat them well."

This explanation fully justifies the inclusion of highly skilled artisans in the reserve scholar class, and the Privy Council officials have been convinced.

They have recognized the power of the workers and believe that they can treat them well.
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However, some civil officials still refused to change the rules and stubbornly opposed including workers among the scholars.

Qian Xiangkun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, said:
"The engineers designed and improved the firearms, and they knew how to manufacture them."

“If we value industry, we can treat engineers well and include them in the ranks of scholars.”

"Even those who fail the imperial examinations can become engineers, and many engineers today are products of their background."

"In the future, we can also let students work, so that they can become scholars dedicated to industry." This suggestion is a summary of some of the policies previously implemented by Zhu Youjian.

Under his guidance, some scholars in the Ming Dynasty turned to industry and became engineers who were granted titles.

For example, Bo Jue, the Earl of Shenguang, was a scholar in the past.

Zhu Youjian acknowledged the contributions of these people, but that did not mean he intended to completely replace the craftsmen with them.

He asked Qian Xiangkun:

"You mean, you don't give artisans room to rise in rank, and you don't give them the opportunity to become scholars?"

"What if they seek refuge with foreign countries to manufacture firearms, or even rebel with firearms themselves? What do you think we should do then?"

"This...this..." Stunned and speechless, Qian Xiangkun never expected the emperor to raise this question.

He said somewhat hesitantly:

"Rebellion is treason, and defecting to foreign countries... is also treason."

“These people are disloyal and should not be scholars.”

These words were a loud slogan, but they clearly failed to convince the public.

Even those who didn't understand, after hearing the emperor's question, realized that they couldn't rely on loyalty to keep the workers loyal under oppression.

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said:

"Even if they don't seek refuge abroad, what if they are recruited by a vassal state?"

"If our vassal states acquire the technology to manufacture firearms, how can the Ming Dynasty maintain its advantage?"

"You've all read Zhang Pu's essay, which earned him the title of top scholar, right?"

"During the Han Dynasty, the reason why one Han soldier could fight against five Hu tribes became one Han soldier could fight against three Hu tribes was because iron technology was leaked out."

"Do you intend to repeat this lesson and allow the surrounding barbarians to catch up again?"

No one dared to respond to these words, especially after the debate on the distinction between Chinese and barbarians had been going on for so long. They all knew that if they said the wrong thing on this point, they might be accused of being loyal to foreigners.

Once that label is attached, one's career path in officialdom is over. Didn't you see how Xu Guangqi was criticized and humiliated for his belief in Western religions?

Unlike Xu Guangqi, they were not valued by the emperor. If they were labeled as barbarians for opposing the emperor, the emperor would certainly dismiss them.

The dissenting civil officials could only remain silent. The Grand Councilor Yuan Keli said:
"I believe that senior craftsmen should be treated with preferential treatment, and those working in equipment manufacturing enterprises should also be treated with the same preferential treatment."

"The weapons produced by these enterprises are all supplied to the imperial court. According to the policy set by His Majesty, each worker can receive a service voucher every month."

"As long as you get one hundred service vouchers, junior and intermediate craftsmen can become prospective scholars, and senior craftsmen can become scholars."

“This method is perfectly appropriate, and I believe it should be explicitly issued to these enterprises.”

Logistics Minister Min Mengde further stated:

"If equipment manufacturers are treated this way, then companies that provide logistical supplies to the imperial court should also enjoy this preferential treatment."

"Furthermore, in order to encourage artisans to continue their work and serve actively after receiving service certificates, I believe that service certificates can be accumulated, and their rank can be upgraded when they reach two hundred or three hundred certificates."

“Junior and intermediate craftsmen who obtain three hundred or six hundred service vouchers can also become scholars.”

This goes a step further than the measures proposed by Zhu Youjian, and it aligns with the court's newly established policy of conscripting corvée labor for enterprises.

With this measure, workers will certainly be more willing to work for military enterprises, as this is their opportunity to become scholars.

Privy Council officials, including Bi Maokang, also voiced their support for recruiting outstanding workers into the civil service.

Even Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue who had previously been more supportive of farmers, agreed that workers could be treated favorably after considering the goods obtained from conscripting laborers from enterprises.

After this policy is implemented, workers will be more motivated to serve, which will encourage businesses to serve.

With their support, the measures to treat workers well were finally passed and approved by most of the ministers.
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After gaining the upper hand with the support of these officials, Zhu Youjian spoke earnestly to the civil officials who discriminated against workers:

“You people don’t understand that workers, peasants and scholars are one.”

"Who are the people who can threaten scholars? Besides merchants who corrupt and tempt scholars with money, there are lawless warriors."

"In the past, the main constraint on military men was food and supplies, which meant they had to rely on farmers."

"And now? With firearms becoming widespread, a musketeer who has been training for three months can easily kill a martial artist who has been honing his skills for decades."

"After equipping themselves with firearms, scholars and intellectuals, with their better logistics and superior firearms, were able to easily defeat warriors."

"The situation where military men ruled during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period will never happen again."

“You must understand that workers, peasants and scholars are one, and we should recruit the best talents from among them to become scholars.”

These words were truly candid, telling those officials who stood on the side of the literati how to suppress the military.

What these people fear most is the rise of military leaders, and they will use any opportunity to suppress and humiliate them.

It can be said that the aftereffects of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period still exist today.

Zhu Youjian's words were meant to dispel this lingering fear and make scholars no longer afraid of military men.

In his view, the distinction between civil and military personnel is no longer so clear in the era of firearms. A cultured person can easily become a qualified soldier if he is willing to learn.

Intellectuals should not fear suppression from the military, but rather see it as one of their options.

However, the civil officials present did not understand this point, let alone expect the emperor to say these words, revealing the fear in their hearts.

Yuan Keli felt that the emperor's words were somewhat inappropriate, but logically speaking, they were not problematic. He said:

“The use of only brave and strong warriors in the army is indeed becoming less and less.”

"Nowadays, people who are good at shooting and good at command are valued more."

“Even a scholar who is weak and unable to kill a chicken can be trained into a qualified soldier in three months.”

His words naturally convinced the court officials even more, and even the Grand Secretary Han Kuang asked:
"really?"

"Is it possible to train an army of scholars in three months?"

The plan is to promote the administration of the military by scholars after verification.

However, this matter is still difficult because some intellectuals are too weak and cannot become qualified soldiers.

Some of the scholars who applied to become civilian military officers were advised to withdraw.

However, at this point, retreat was clearly not an option. Zhu Youjian, intending to boost the morale of the scholars, issued the following order:
"The Imperial Guard will take the lead in recruiting five hundred scholars or students to train a scholar army."

"After they pass the training, they can become officers or civilian staff."

Let the ministers see the results, and stop viewing military men as monsters out of their own fear.

These people must be encouraged to use the power they wield to more effectively restrain violence.

Under this ideology, the policy of preferential treatment for workers finally gained support.

Civil servants began to realize that their reliance was not only on farmers, but also on workers in the steel age.

By controlling the power of workers and peasants, one can control military force. (End of Chapter)