Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After the methods for formulating and revising the rites and laws were determined, Zhu Youjian and his ministers all breathed a sigh of relief.

These articles, though seemingly simple, are actually a summary of discussions over the past few years, defining the future national policy of the Ming Dynasty:
Governing the country with etiquette and law.

Even Emperor Zhu Youjian had to abide by the three major rites and was bound by them.

This essentially established a constitutional monarchy, whereby officials would gradually strengthen their control over the emperor by revising and interpreting the rites and laws.

Imperial power will inevitably weaken step by step in the future, until it becomes a figurehead.

Therefore, the court officials were not in a hurry to strengthen the restrictions on imperial power now; they had enough patience.

For Zhu Youjian, his job was simply to help the future emperor secure his throne. As for how much power he would wield, that would be up to the future emperor to earn.

After all, even when imperial power was unrestrained, there were not many emperors who held absolute power.

Previously, Emperor Wanli was trapped in the deep palace and remained idle, yet he still could not get the civil officials to compromise.

What Zhu Youjian needs to do now is to establish a system that gives future capable emperors the opportunity to compete for power.

He addressed his ministers:

"As for rites and music, I have granted your wishes."

"In matters of conquest, it must be initiated by the emperor."

"Otherwise, if the world is without morality, it will be another chaotic era like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period."

This is a blatant threat to the court officials, implying that the emperor must hold the power of conquest.

Otherwise, he wouldn't mind releasing the feudal lords and letting the world descend into a state of chaos.

Although the courtiers did not quite believe that the emperor would do this, these words demonstrated his determination.

Considering that the emperor had indeed cooperated in matters of ritual and music, Han Kuang, the chief minister and head of the civil officials, said:
"Rites, music, and military expeditions naturally originate from the Son of Heaven."

"The Grand Council and the Privy Council can both assist in the campaign."

Zhu Youjian frowned upon hearing this, because what he wanted was not the power to mobilize troops through the Grand Council and the Privy Council, but the unrestricted right to wage war.

Furthermore, these two institutions are controlled by civil officials and civilian military officers. If the deployment of troops were to go through them, the emperor's military power would sooner or later be stripped away, turning him into a mere figurehead.

So he ignored Han Kuang and said to Yuan Keli:

"Previously, Minister Yuan and I determined that the overseas and border regions would be under martial law, so we can issue an edict directly."

"Does Yuan Qing admit it now?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Keli knew that his test had begun.

He had previously negotiated with the emperor through the martial law system to exchange for the power not to use imperial edicts.

If he denies it now, the emperor will overturn the previous tacit agreement. The newly drafted rules of etiquette will be discarded by the emperor.

So after careful consideration, he said:
“There are frequent wars overseas and in the border regions. If trouble breaks out, it is indeed necessary to designate them as martial law zones to facilitate the dispatch of troops to quell the unrest.”

"I believe this system can be written into the enfeoffment rites and laws, as an article for the Court of Colonial Affairs to govern overseas vassal states."

"As long as unrest occurs abroad, Your Majesty may issue an edict to declare martial law and dispatch troops abroad to quell the unrest."

This system is confused with the emperor's ability to issue decrees to the Court of Colonial Affairs, thus absolving the Privy Council of its responsibilities.

This means that the emperor mobilized troops in this way to govern the vassal states, without needing to go through the Privy Council.

However, this approach is not possible in the two capitals and sixteen provinces within the territory; it must be done through the Privy Council according to normal procedures.

This was a significant concession to the emperor, clearly defining his power to wage war abroad.

Many among the officials were opposed to it, and Wang Zaijin, who had already decided to retire, loudly proclaimed:
"Your Majesty may deploy troops abroad, but I believe that we should be cautious when engaging in war with vassal states or foreign countries."

The Sima Fa states: "Even a large country will perish if it loves war." I believe that if we want to wage war against vassal states or foreign countries, we must go through the court and the parliament.

This was echoed by the courtiers, who, though they dared not say it themselves, agreed with Wang Zaijin's proposal.

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief He Ruchong said:

"Your Majesty recently decided to launch a campaign against the Mughals, which I believe is inappropriate."

"According to Your Majesty, the Mughal Empire is a large country with a population of over 100 million and fiscal revenue of over 40 million taels."

"According to the previous classification, it is a four-star regional overlord, which is not much different from the Ming Dynasty when it was in decline."

"We must be extremely cautious about going to war with such a country."

"His Majesty once said that caution is necessary when dealing with three-star and four-star nations."

"I believe that waging war against such a country must be done through a court assembly and a parliament."

These words made Zhu Youjian quite surprised.

Unexpectedly, He Ruchong, a minister who kept a low profile in the court, actually spoke against him based on his own theories.

This made him realize even more the evolution of his ministers. If these people figured out his methods, he would never be able to defeat so many ministers.

Considering the criticisms from some members of the public regarding the proportion of legislators, he became even more determined to formulate legal provisions as soon as possible.
You must establish your own rules and regulations according to your own will when your subjects are unfamiliar with them, and make them abide by the rules you set.

Seeing that He Ruchong and Wang Zaijin's proposals were supported by the court officials, some of the enfeoffed nobles began to oppose them at Zhu Youjian's instigation.

They believed that the overseas regions and border areas were too far away, and if every battle had to be reported to the imperial court, there simply wouldn't be enough time.

They must be given the power to wage war in order to secure their territory.

They preferred not to go because they were restricted in every way, lest they be unable to deal with the enemy.

With their support, Zhu Youjian spoke up:
“It is impossible to maintain complete peace when establishing vassal states overseas and beyond the Great Wall.”

"The first few decades of governing the territory may be spent quelling rebellions."

"Therefore, the governors and viceroys of foreign lands cannot be without power, and the lords and vassals must also have the power to independently mobilize troops and quell unrest within their territories."

"Of course, He Qing has a point. We do need to be cautious about going to war with three-star and four-star countries."

After calming the assembled officials, Zhu Youjian followed their lead:
"Based on the experience of attacking Annam this time, conquering such a three-star country requires the deployment of troops from within the territory, which would require going through the Privy Council."

"Therefore, waging war against three-star and four-star countries requires a court assembly. After the court assembly approves it, the Privy Council will take the lead and form a wartime committee with relevant agencies to be responsible for implementing the operation."

"If the war goes smoothly, there's no need to say more. If the war doesn't go smoothly, like the losses suffered in the campaigns against the Jurchens in previous years, then we need to go further and fully enter a state of war."

"At this point, we must fully mobilize the people to support the war effort and form a wartime cabinet after the National Assembly approves it. The Emperor will appoint a wartime prime minister to oversee the war effort, unite all forces, and serve the victory of the war."

"Last year, the court used this system to expel the Tartars. We should summarize the useful experience and establish the wartime cabinet and wartime committee system."

The wartime cabinet system was formally established above the wartime commission, and was responsible for implementing total war.

The next level of warfare was to be carried out by the wartime committee, involving only partial mobilization.

The ministers, recalling the heavy losses suffered in Liaodong in previous years and the overwhelming victory last year, began to approve of the system.

Sun Chengzong, who held high prestige among both civil and military officials, even spoke out:

"Wartime committees are of great benefit to operations."

"I believe it should be written into the rites and laws, and stipulated in detail in the military law." This would consolidate the power of large-scale warfare into the wartime committee and the wartime cabinet.

Officials from the Privy Council and the Ministry of War all agreed, as did the nobles and military officers who participated in the court assembly.

They were fed up with the haphazard orders from civilian officials and wanted to gain command of the front lines.

With their support, the power to wage war and some mobilization were given to the court assembly, while the power of general mobilization was given to the parliament.

In the event of foreign invasion, a wartime committee can be temporarily formed at the front line to counterattack the enemy.

However, apart from countering invasions, whether to launch a war against three-star and four-star nations, and whether to establish a wartime committee in the court, requires the approval of the court assembly.

This introduced uncertainty into the war against the Mughal Empire, which the nobles were not happy about.

They finally found a suitable place for colonization and plunder, how could they give it up so easily?

Sun Yuanhua, who was eager to establish a kingdom in India, said:

"The decisions to conquer Japan and India were made before this system was established. I believe that there is no need to go through the court meeting to conquer these two places."

The nobles and high-ranking officials all supported it, and the ministers with titles did not oppose it.

Ultimately, the proposal was passed, allowing the conquest of countries within China's borders, such as Japan and India, to proceed without a resolution from the imperial court.

Within the three-sided, three-chain defense line, no force capable of challenging the Ming Dynasty is permitted.
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With the power to wage large-scale wars established, smaller-scale wars become even easier.

Zhu Youjian directly stipulated, citing the need for governance, that the suppression of one-star and two-star forces could be decided independently by the Court of Colonial Affairs and the governors-general of foreign countries.

This is essentially the emperor's power; he can directly issue decrees to mobilize troops.

The civil officials were afraid, worried that the emperor would send troops from abroad to purge disloyal ministers from his inner circle.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang said:

"The power of the governors-general and governors of foreign territories should not be too great, so as to prevent the emergence of separatist regimes."

"I believe that they should be restricted to deploying troops only within their jurisdiction and not allowed to appear outside their jurisdiction."

"The scale of troop deployment should also be limited, and should not exceed half of the troops under its jurisdiction. This is to prevent governors and viceroys from losing soldiers and generals due to their ambition but lack of ability, or from losing all their troops and leaving them without any troops to defend the city."

This was approved by most of the ministers, who felt it should be restricted.

However, Sun Yuanhua, who might be appointed as a governor-general overseas, expressed his dissatisfaction:

"Such restrictions mean that if one governor-general encounters the enemy, the others can only watch helplessly."

"I believe that the regulation of mobilizing half of the troops should be implemented by the governors and viceroys who mobilize troops to other areas."

"The deployment of troops within the jurisdiction should not be restricted; the unrest within the jurisdiction should be quelled with swift and decisive action."

This argument makes sense, and Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement.

However, it was too dangerous for the governor-general to send troops out, and many ministers thought it was inappropriate.

Ultimately, Zhu Youjian, taking their opinions into account, stipulated:
"When governors and viceroys outside their jurisdictions transfer troops outside their jurisdictions, the limit is 10,000 men."

"Whether it is expanding territory or assisting other governors and viceroys, only 10,000 people can be dispatched. Any more than that must be reported to the court and go through the Privy Council."

"At the same time, they are allowed to conscript troops from their vassal states, and can temporarily gather no more than 100,000 troops to quell border unrest."

This power is immense; a force of 100,000 is enough to launch a war to destroy a nation.

The court officials were very worried about this, and after much persuasion, they finally convinced the emperor to reduce the number to 50,000. Moreover, the troops of the vassal states were still under the command of the vassal generals, and were only subject to the orders of the governors-general and governors.

This is the only way to prevent foreign governors from consolidating their military forces and establishing their own independent regimes, thus escaping the control of the imperial court.

Each governor-general's directly subordinate garrison was limited to a maximum of twenty, with a standing force not exceeding one hundred thousand. The mobilization of more than fifty thousand troops within the jurisdiction had to go through the Privy Council.

The maximum number of regular troops that can be mobilized outside the jurisdiction is 10,000, as well as 50,000 troops from vassal states.

This was a power granted to governors-general and governors of foreign territories, or rather, to the emperor.

If the emperor so desires, he can mobilize troops from several governor-general's jurisdictions to conquer other forces without going through the Privy Council.

Zhu Youjian was already satisfied with this, because he was worried that he would not be able to control a larger-scale war, and he was even more worried that future emperors would act recklessly.

So he agreed inwardly, but on the surface he frowned and said:
"Relying solely on overseas and border troops may pose a challenge against elite forces like the Eight Banners of the Jurchens."

"Moreover, overseas campaigns cannot be carried out without ships, and an army skilled in using ships is also needed."

"I should be able to directly command the navy and the marines."

This was clearly not approved by the court officials, especially since the capital was so close to Tianjin. If the emperor could directly deploy the navy, he could use the marines to purge corrupt officials from his inner circle at any time.

Navy Minister Yu Anxing, despite having effectively lost authority within the Navy Ministry, also objected at this time:
"There are many coastal garrisons, which bear the heavy responsibility of coastal defense."

"Your Majesty can only command the three overseas garrisons and cannot overstep the jurisdiction of the Navy over the coastal areas."

"The naval fleet can only be commanded by the Ministry of the Navy."

Zhu Youjian was angry upon hearing this and said in a rage:

"If this won't work, and that won't work, what else can I do?"

"Forget it, I don't need your navy either. My inner court has its own shipyards, which can build a royal fleet."

"Most of the Marine Corps' Fuhan Army came from the Imperial Guard and were assigned to the Royal Fleet as Marines."

"From now on, this force will serve as the Imperial Navy fleet, under my direct command."

They forcibly demanded an army for overseas campaigns.

He didn't want to be trapped in the palace, unable to do anything.

Since civil officials were unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Age of Exploration, the emperor himself took on the task.

The courtiers did not want to strengthen the emperor's power, but upon closer examination, they were in the wrong.

After all, the emperor had given them the power to govern the territory; they just wanted to find a place to vent their energy.

If even this is not allowed, the emperor will certainly be dissatisfied. He might either become complacent like the Wanli Emperor or heavily rely on eunuchs like the Tianqi Emperor.

Ultimately, through Yuan Keli's mediation, they agreed to add a fleet to the Imperial Guard.

However, the scale must be limited and must not exceed that of Zheng He's fleet.

Moreover, they were not allowed to go ashore, and the rotation with the Imperial Guard could not exceed five thousand people each time.

At the same time, it is required that the number of personnel in the Imperial Guard be limited, and the Jinyiwei Eagle Army, which can be directly dispatched by the emperor, should also be restricted.

After Zhu Youjian agreed to these restrictions, he and his ministers finally reached an agreement.

The fleet size was determined to be 50 warships, totaling 200 ships, with no more than 30,000 soldiers.

The total number of Imperial Guards and Eagle Flying Army soldiers was set at 15,000, and this limit could not be exceeded, otherwise the army would need to be reduced.

The Military Supervisory Office would send supervising censors to oversee the operation and prevent overstaffing or misconduct.

The number of troops directly under Emperor Zhu Youjian was limited to 60,000. At the same time, a reserve force of no more than 15,000 guards and other personnel was permitted to serve as the emperor's six armies in the new era. (End of Chapter)