Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

How to ensure the stability of the tributary system became a problem studied by the Court of Colonial Affairs.

After all, if the nine-rank system they proposed cannot maintain stability, it will be nothing more than a piece of paper.

Based on the emperor's requirements, the Court of Colonial Affairs put forward various proposals from political, military, diplomatic, economic, and cultural perspectives.

Minister of the Interior, Zhuang Tingchen, said:

"I believe that all vassal states should have officials from the Ming Dynasty, and that a parliament should be established."

"Officials and members of parliament must be citizens of the Ming Dynasty and be subject to the orders of the imperial court."

"In this way, even if a vassal ruler wanted to establish himself, no one would support him."

This is one method, but it's too harsh. Zhu Youjian said:
“It is possible for inner vassal states and inner-subordinate outer vassal states to do this, but it is more difficult for outer vassal states to submit to or pay tribute.”

"You can discuss the specifics with the nobles who have established their fiefdoms. The court can appoint a certain proportion of officials and members of parliament."

"I hereby make a request: all the inner vassal states and their subordinate outer vassal states shall be directly managed by the Imperial Guard. For the outer vassal states that have submitted or paid tribute, a special agency shall be established to cooperate with the Imperial Guard of the Great Ming."

“The enforcement of laws by these countries against citizens of the Ming Dynasty must go through the Imperial Guard. Without the approval of the Imperial Guard, no citizen of the Ming Dynasty may be arrested.”

"The Imperial Guard should also have the power to apprehend criminals worldwide. Anyone who violates the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty and is tried can be wanted worldwide by the Imperial Guard."

By positioning the Imperial Guard as the world's policeman, the concept of long-arm jurisdiction was introduced.

As the Ming Dynasty increases its external exchanges, there will inevitably be criminals who commit crimes within the Ming Dynasty and then flee. The Imperial Guard must have the authority to apprehend them worldwide to deter such behavior.

Zhu Youjian had no immediate jurisdiction over foreign affairs, but vassal states had to cooperate.

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) personnel would travel with the Weiweisi (Imperial Guard Bureau) to various countries to gather intelligence and information.

The ministers of the Court of Colonial Affairs were aware of this; they all understood that the Court of Imperial Guards was the Western Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and was actually under the control of the emperor.

Other ministers in the court might oppose such a move to strengthen the emperor's power, but the Court of Colonial Affairs had no power to object at all.

They were originally under the direct control of the emperor, and were private plots that the officials of the court had given to the emperor.

It's better for the emperor to expend his energy in the Court of Colonial Affairs than to interfere more deeply in the change of leadership.

Right now, the ministers in the court are busy appointing officials for various departments and have no time to attend to the Court of Colonial Affairs.

After Zhuang Tingchen and the others exchanged a few words and confirmed that the personnel of the Imperial Guard of the vassal states would also be subject to the guidance of the Court of Colonial Affairs, they accepted this condition.

The Imperial Guard of the Ming Dynasty began to expand worldwide, preparing to become the world's police force.

To this end, Zhu Youjian also ordered the coast guard to be placed under the supervision of the Imperial Guard in order to crack down on wanted criminals who had fled into pirate organizations. The Imperial Guard would also share the profits from the crackdown on smuggling.

All local garrisons have an obligation to cooperate, and can request support when the Weiwei Temple's troops are insufficient.

This will be a quasi-armed force, which the Ming Dynasty will mobilize when it is inconvenient to intervene militarily.

Tian Ergeng, who had served in Dongning for several years, was reinstated. Zhu Youjian appointed him to head the Nanyang Garrison Command, ostensibly to coordinate with various countries in combating piracy, but in reality to establish Imperial Guard Offices and intelligence cooperation organizations among the various vassal states in the Nanyang region.

This was modeled after the Five Eyes alliance. Zhu Youjian planned to expand the law enforcement agencies of various countries, making them relatively independent forces under the support of the Ming Dynasty. He intended to use them to monitor overseas countries and become the covert rulers.

The courtiers were naturally unaware of the emperor's plan, but that did not prevent them from knowing that the emperor intended to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard to strengthen his control over the vassal states.

This would benefit the Court of Colonial Affairs, so they naturally agreed.

Zhuang Tingchen continued:
"In addition, the Ming Dynasty also needs to send envoys to assess the governance of various countries and prevent the vassal states from violating etiquette and laws and infringing upon the rights of Ming citizens."

"The legitimate rights and interests of the citizens of the Ming Dynasty should be protected, and they should become the most supportive force for the Ming Dynasty among the various vassal states."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement and said:

"There should be a certain difference in the treatment of citizens of the Ming Dynasty between those in the inner and outer vassal states."

"We must let the citizens of the Ming Dynasty know that the closer they are to the Ming Dynasty, the more their rights will be protected."

"The Court of Colonial Affairs should cooperate with the Censorate, the Ministry of Revenue, and other institutions to publish human rights reports on the various vassal states and assess the rights and interests of Ming citizens in each vassal state."

"And based on factors such as culture, security, economy, and environment, we assess the livability index to guide immigrants to which vassal state to migrate to."

"The court should encourage vassal states that support the court and govern well, and send more immigrants and invest more in their industries."

These seemingly insignificant, haphazard assessments had a profound impact. Later, the United States amassed a fortune through trade in services.

Zhu Youjian hoped that the Ming Dynasty would master various evaluation standards and use them to shape the international trade order, making it indispensable to all countries.

This actually involves cultural aspects, Zhuang Tingchen said:
"Not only should the development of compliant vassal states be encouraged, but the imperial court should also control the imperial examinations in these vassal states."

“Counties can only grant the title of Xiucai (秀才), while the title of Juren (举人) requires the Protectorate to organize a provincial examination. The number of candidates is allocated according to the number of citizens of the Ming Dynasty and the amount of taxes paid by each country, and the Juren are given the power to serve as officials in the court.”

"The imperial examinations should also reserve places for vassal states, so that they can take the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty and become officials in the Ming interior."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval and praised:

"Your Excellency Zhuang is right. The court should organize the imperial examinations to attract outstanding talents from the vassal states."

"My Royal Academy of Sciences will also establish branches of the Science Association in various vassal states to recruit professionals." "The Ming Dynasty must actively recruit capable talents so that talents from all countries can serve the Ming Dynasty."

In this regard, Zhu Youjian also planned to follow the example of the United States, because the United States developed by relying on immigrant talent.

There are many lessons to be learned from this unprecedentedly powerful hegemon in world history.

Zhu Youjian also hoped to cultivate a large number of "foreign-admiring dogs" and made admiration for China a politically correct stance for vassal states. He encouraged various vassal states to renounce their barbarian ways and integrate into Chinese society, thereby reducing their barbarian habits.

The Ming Dynasty could also absorb some of the elite natives from its vassal states as Chinese, giving them opportunities for advancement.

As long as there are enough Chinese people who admire China, the Ming Dynasty will not be afraid of its vassal states rebelling.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian pointed to the national flag of the Ming Dynasty and said:

"The twelve stars on the national flag of the Ming Dynasty represent the distribution of the Ming Dynasty's vassal states across the twelve earthly branches and time zones of the world."

"I intend to select twelve vassal states as models for our vassal states."

“The selected countries will receive various honors and benefits, and will grant titles and territories to the sons of their rulers and ministers.”

“The twelve vassal states are selected every ten years, and there must be quotas for the inner vassal states, the vassal states that are subordinate to the inner vassal states, the vassal states that have submitted to the inner vassal states, and the vassal states that pay tribute to the inner vassal states.”

"The King of Joseon has come to pay homage this time. He has been given a place and has been recognized as a country with half Chinese influence."

Huang Lijie, Zhuang Tingchen, and others pondered this and realized that the twelve vassal states the emperor spoke of were not so simple. They could be seen as twelve regional governors, each the head of a regional feudal lord.

In the future, these countries will be the armies of the Ming Dynasty in ruling the various vassal states, and the struggle among the vassal states for the status of the Twelve Vassal States will certainly be fierce.

Zhuang Tingchen agreed:

"With the assistance of the twelve vassal states, the Ming Dynasty will find it easier to manage some remote areas."

"I believe that the twelve vassal states should be treated with special favor, allowing them to have more vassal territories."

"Within the Central Plains, the vassal territories of each vassal state shall be included in the territory area, but shall not exceed the limit of the rank of nobility."

“Ordinary vassal states outside of the Central Plains can possess vassal territories of double the size. Those selected as one of the Twelve Domains can have double that size again.”

“With the loss of the status of the Twelve Feudal States, the vassal territories that exceed the limits will be directly under the control of the Ming Dynasty and brought under its direct administration.”

This is something he has been pushing for: to impose similar restrictions on the vassal territories of states outside of China.

Although Zhu Youjian was not optimistic about it, he did not object. Moreover, after considering granting North American fiefdoms to Korea, he said:
“The vassal states of Shenzhou that are selected as the Twelve Domains may also be granted territories as a reward.”

"However, this territory cannot be in China; it can only be granted to them in the Americas and Africa."

"Moreover, they were granted to the nobles of these countries and were directly managed by the Ming Dynasty. They were not considered vassal territories of these countries."

The practice of granting fiefdoms to the crown prince of Joseon was established as a formal system.

In the future, when these vassal states are selected as the Twelve Feudal States because of their obedience, or when they make great contributions, the nobles of their countries will be rewarded, making them more supportive of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty could also utilize the power of these countries, sending them to the Americas and Africa to develop these lands.

Considering that the eastern Americas and western Africa had begun to be occupied by Western countries, Zhu Youjian planned to enfeoff more vassal nobles and draw their power there.

Especially in North America, it's essential to use a system of feudalism to create a chaotic and unregulated environment, preventing the region from becoming a unified whole.

In the future, the only countries that could threaten the Ming Dynasty, besides Russia, would be those originating from this region.

Even if England and France were powerful for a time, they would inevitably decline if they could not unify Europe.

This is the fate of middle-sized countries: their small land areas simply do not have enough resilience in the nuclear age. Moreover, their insufficient population cannot support the industrial chains of the Third Technological Revolution.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian sent people to explore North America early on, aiming to occupy at least the western part of North America and prevent this place from being unified by Western colonists.

Although he was unwilling to expend his strength on the northern grasslands, he still supported Zhang Xianzhong and others in advancing westward.

Its outer defense line was also drawn to the Ural Mountains, to separate Russia and the Ming Dynasty as much as possible.

After discussing the criteria for judging the twelve vassal states, Zhu Youjian and his ministers all regarded obedience as the primary criterion.

Only those vassal states that were sufficiently subservient to the Ming Dynasty could become one of the twelve vassal states, receive the Ming Dynasty's support, and become the leader of their fiefdoms.

If there are not enough such vassal states, then it is better to have none than to have bad ones; it is better to leave twelve vassal states vacant than to grant them arbitrarily.

The Ming Dynasty will not grant out quotas for tributary states in the near future. Only those vassal states that excel in trade and tribute, and who genuinely admire China and intend to secede from the barbarians and integrate into Chinese society, will be granted the status of one of the twelve vassal states.
“If such countries are sufficiently submissive, even if they do not accept investiture from the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will still reward their rulers and pro-China ministers with titles and fiefdoms.”

"This is a reward that all twelve vassal states should receive, and no vassal state should be an exception."

"If a vassal state is upgraded from a tributary vassal to a subjugated vassal, the Ming Dynasty will reward the monarch and nobles in charge with no less than the amount of twelve vassal states."

"We should encourage our vassal states to rise in rank, rather than to fall in rank."

“If a vassal state is indeed demoted, the monarch and nobles of that country shall be collectively demoted.”

"Disqualify certain nobles and citizens as punishment, even expel them from their vassal states, and use force to strike." (End of Chapter)