Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Looking at the court officials whose hearts were swaying, Zhu Youjian said:
"I have been pushing for a term limit system, with a change of leadership every three years."

"Do any of you know the reason behind this?"

The ministers pondered this in their hearts.

Some believe that the emperor himself found it troublesome to preside over the court selection process, so it was changed to once every three years.

Some believe that the emperor was considering the stability of the court and was no longer frequently changing officials as he did during the Tianqi era.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang said:

"At the end of the Wanli era, Emperor Shenzong neglected his duties, not only appointing a single prime minister but also failing to fill vacant positions."

"There were even cases where the seven ministers of the imperial court were acting in their positions."

(Chronological table of the Seven Ministers in the History of Ming Dynasty; in the 42nd year of the Wanli reign, all seven ministers were acting ministers.)

"During the Tianqi era, the situation went too far. Court officials usually did not serve for more than a year before being replaced."

"Such rapid turnover of officials makes many people uneasy about their positions."

"His Majesty has set a term limit, with a change of government every three years."

"This is a way to stabilize the court, correct the mistakes of the Tianqi era, and avoid the situation like during the Wanli era, when the court had no officials to fill and could only let others act as substitutes."

This view was shared by many officials.

They did not want their official positions to remain unchanged for decades, as was the case during the Wanli era.

However, the situation during the Tianqi era, where official positions changed every few months, was also not good enough, as there was simply no time to demonstrate one's abilities.

Therefore, rotating employees every three years is the most widely accepted practice. It allows them time to demonstrate their abilities without hindering their chances of promotion.

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:
"The Grand Secretary is right!"

"The reason I did this is for the sake of stability in the court."

"Only when the court is stable will officials focus their attention on important matters."

"Instead of thinking about what your next official position will be as soon as you've settled into your post. If you're thinking about these things all day long, you can't focus your energy on your actual duties."

"I don't want any officials like that."

"Officials should be given stable positions in the future, and time to do their jobs."

"Officials must also be promoted based on performance standards; only those who meet the standards are considered outstanding officials."

With that, Zhu Youjian, his expression cold and stern, addressed the assembled officials:
What are the standards for the Beijing Inspection?

"The standard for dismissing officials who are old, sick, greedy, and cruel is very clear."

"However, the four criteria of being weak and inactive, being careless in conduct, being impetuous and superficial, and lacking talent are difficult to define."

"The standards for what kind of officials perform well and what kind of officials perform poorly are not clear enough."

"I hereby propose a standard: only those who meet this criterion can be called outstanding officials and will be given priority for promotion in the future."

These words made all the ministers take them seriously.

Since the emperor has said so, officials will have to meet this standard for future promotions.

The Ministry of Personnel was responsible for selecting officials, and Guo Yunhou, the Minister, who had been promoted by Zhu Youjian, immediately offered his support:

"Your Majesty, please explain in detail. The Ministry of Personnel will comply with your decree."

They unequivocally supported the emperor and promoted officials according to his instructions.

Zhu Youjian nodded to him with satisfaction, but instead of explaining in detail himself, he first asked Xu Guangqi:

Xu Qing once said: "The birth rate generally doubles every thirty years, and it cannot be reduced unless there is a major war."

"Therefore, the imperial court formulated a law on immigration, stipulating that surplus men who did not have enough land must go to the city to engage in industry and commerce, or immigrate overseas."

"After that, the agricultural population will be fixed at no more than 200 million, while the urban industrial and commercial population will grow rapidly."

"Could you estimate how many more people will be engaged in industry and commerce in the future?"

Xu Guangqi scratched his head, because he had no idea how to estimate it.

We could only go along with the emperor's words and say:

"The population of the Ming Dynasty is currently less than 200 million, which is far from the upper limit of the agricultural population."

"In addition, with the various vassal states attracting immigrants, I estimate that the industrial and commercial population will increase, but the exact number is difficult to estimate."

Zhu Youjian was not disappointed, because he knew that demanding an exact figure was impossible at this point. He simply used the opportunity to elaborate:
"Let's set aside the impact of Yu Ding moving into the city for now and just talk about the urban industrial and commercial population. They will find it difficult to buy land in the countryside in the future, so if the population grows naturally, it will double every thirty years."

"How much would industrial and commercial output need to increase annually to maintain these people's living standards and prevent their per capita income from declining?"

This is easier to calculate than before, Xu Guangqi quickly concluded:
"To ensure that per capita income does not decrease, industrial and commercial output must keep pace with population growth."

"Assuming the population doubles every thirty years, the output of industry and commerce should also double."

"When spread out over the years, that's an annual growth of 2.33 percent."

"Considering factors such as the influx of surplus laborers into the city, even faster growth is needed."

With this figure in hand, the courtiers understood the emperor's purpose.

It is likely that the performance standard proposed by the emperor was that industry and commerce should grow by at least 2.33% annually.

As expected, Zhu Youjian said:
"The people have a desire for a better life. If the Ming Dynasty wants to build a moderately prosperous society, it must ensure that everyone can live and work in peace and contentment."

"An annual growth of 2.33 percent can keep the per capita income of industrial and commercial workers from decreasing. This is the minimum standard for political achievements."

"Of course, considering that annual output value may fluctuate, my requirement is that the average annual growth rate should exceed 2.33 percent when the three-year term is completed and the evaluation is completed."

"How much has the output value increased compared to three years ago?"

Some officials are bad at math and didn't understand why growth doubles every thirty years and requires an annual growth of 2.33%.

Now, when the emperor asks again about the annual growth rate of 2.33%, what would the growth rate be in three years? Their instinct is to say 6.99%.

However, Xu Guangqi's answer made them realize that this was wrong. He simply said:
"The growth over three years is approximately 7.15 percent."

"Only by reaching this number can we double it in thirty years."

Zhu Youjian nodded in praise:
"This is the role of science: to use precise calculations to clarify the standards for political performance."

"From now on, we will use this standard: only those whose three-year growth exceeds seven percent will be considered for the title of outstanding official."

Those with exceptionally high growth rates will be designated as outstanding officials.

Xu Guangqi was delighted to hear this, as it was an affirmation of his scholarship by the emperor.

Other officials were not so happy; they were quite clueless about things like output value.

Only the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry were relatively happy, as this performance standard was very beneficial to officials like them who were good at economics and industry.

Bi Ziyan, Minister of Revenue, said:

"To prevent officials from exaggerating their achievements, I believe we should also examine the tax revenue growth figures to avoid them from making false reports."

This was also something Zhu Youjian was wary of. The reason he only mentioned the growth of industry and commerce was to prevent some officials from engaging in exaggeration and falsely reporting agricultural output. If taxes were levied according to their reported figures, it would drive farmers to their deaths.

The impact of false reporting by industrial and commercial enterprises is smaller, but it can still cause problems. Zhu Youjian agreed with Bi Ziyan's reminder and added:
"The Statistics Department of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will share relevant statistics with the Ministry of Revenue."

"The Academy of Sciences will also calculate various indicators to help the Ministry of Personnel identify officials who have committed fraud."

"Data and science should play a greater role in digitizing these measurable indicators as soon as possible."

Xu Guangqi was even more pleased to hear this, because it would enhance the Academy of Sciences' influence over the officialdom.

However, dissatisfied officials began to exert their influence. Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Justice, said:

"Your Majesty, measuring officials' performance by output growth is acceptable for officials in the Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of Industry."

"However, I believe that this standard should not be applied to officials who are in charge of etiquette and law."

This was echoed by officials from the Three Judicial Offices and the Ministry of Rites, none of whom were skilled in economics.

Officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War also didn't quite agree, and they weren't good at economics either.

These types of officials were the mainstream in the imperial court; in their view, being an official meant judging cases.

However, Zhu Youjian separated the Supreme Court and courts at all levels precisely so that local officials would be responsible for the economy. In his view, having county magistrates and prefects, who were in charge of overall management, adjudicate cases was a waste.

However, the opinions of the court officials must also be respected. Faced with so much opposition from officials, Zhu Youjian could only say:

“Officials in charge of etiquette and law, as well as military officials, should indeed not be held to this standard.”

"However, the economic officials in charge of household registration must take this as the standard."

"Moreover, the three levels of officials in charge of administration, namely the provincial governor, the prefect, and the county magistrate, will be evaluated based on this standard with the economy as the central focus."

"Only by meeting this standard can the people under their rule enjoy long-term peace and stability."

They made some concessions to them, but insisted that the officials in charge be evaluated according to this standard.

If future provincial governors, prefects, and county magistrates fail in this aspect, they cannot be considered outstanding officials and will find it difficult to be promoted.

Only those who performed well in their positions as county magistrates, prefects, and provincial governors could be considered candidates for outstanding officials and ministers of the imperial court.

The courtiers were buzzing with discussion, and many held opposing views.

The newly appointed Minister of War, Liu Zunxian, tried to smooth things over:

"I believe this standard should be used in the mainland."

"The population growth in the border areas is slower, and there is a lot of land available for cultivation, which can support a larger population."

“For these places, we should examine border defense and education, rather than just the economy.”

Zhu Youjian found this reasonable, and since Liu Zunxian's statement acknowledged using economic performance to evaluate political achievements, he immediately nodded in agreement.

“We can divide the border areas into the interior and the frontier. The interior focuses on the economy, while the border areas focus on border defense and education. The population and the number of high-standard farmlands are matched.”

“Some mountainous and remote areas with a tough local culture and frequent unrest can also be investigated as border areas.”

"However, for industrial parks that are established and have the conditions to develop the economy, they must be assessed according to economic standards, with a minimum growth of 7% every three years."

"The Ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, as well as the Grand Secretary who is in charge of administration, are all evaluated according to this standard."

"Only those who meet the standards can remain in office as outstanding officials."

"If you exceed the standards, I will bestow honors and titles upon you, and even grant you noble titles."

"Han Qing, Bi Qing, Shang Qing, you must all strive towards the goal of being granted a noble title!"

Han Kuang, Bi Ziyan, and Shang Zhouzu were immediately put in a difficult position. Under the pressure of the emperor's gaze, they could only promise to work hard to meet this standard.

The performance standards for economic officials have been established.

Zhu Youjian did not spare the officials in charge of etiquette and law who had just caused a disturbance. He ordered his ministers to formulate standards such as literacy rate, Chinese language proficiency rate, case-solving rate, and wrongful conviction rate to evaluate their performance.

For those without clear performance standards, let them set their own goals, and evaluate them three years later.

Zhu Youjian wanted every official to have a goal, so that they wouldn't only act when he pointed at them.

The three-year term goals, along with the annual targets, will force officials to keep moving constantly.
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It can be said that Zhu Youjian's idea was well-intentioned.

It can both motivate officials and allow outstanding officials to stand out under clear performance standards.

However, the current situation in the Ming Dynasty is that there are no clear statistics on the industrial and commercial output value in various regions.

Zhu Youjian only allowed the districts and counties that established industrial parks to primarily compile statistics on the growth of industry and commerce within the industrial parks.

For those without industrial parks, industrial and commercial taxes are calculated, and the relevant standards are met based on the estimated tax amount.

His demands regarding Grand Secretary Han Kuang were even more specific:

"There are no clear figures for the current industrial and commercial output of the Ming Dynasty."

"I estimate it at 30 million, and I require that the total number of industrial parks in various regions increase by 2.1 million in three years."

"Judging from the development of the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, this is a figure that is easy to achieve."

"The Prime Minister should think carefully about which industrial parks to prioritize for support."

Thinking about how the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area has developed from nothing to its current output value of several million, Han Kuang felt that an increase of 2.1 million in three years was indeed not difficult.

As long as he attracts scattered private industries and businesses to the industrial park, this is a number that is easy to achieve.

He could even set his sights higher in order to elevate his rank.

This made him very happy, and he said:
"I will certainly support industrial parks in various regions and ensure that performance standards are implemented."

"Officials who do not meet this standard will not be promoted in the future."

This was even stricter than the regulations set by Zhu Youjian. He only used this standard to select officials for priority promotion, without saying that those who did not meet the requirements would not be promoted.

Considering the frequent disasters currently plaguing the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian said:
"Not promoting them would be too much; we need to consider the specific circumstances."

"Now that the north is suffering from disasters everywhere, we should focus on resettlement and disaster relief in the disaster areas."

"Governance should take into account specific circumstances, and performance standards can be further subdivided."

"However, the speed of industrial and commercial development is a hard standard, and all places that can count industrial and commercial output must reach this line."

"The Grand Secretary, who is in charge of the Planning and Development Commission, must strengthen the statistical analysis of data and not be misled by local authorities."

"With more accurate data in the future, it will be easier to evaluate officials."

Han Kuang was instructed to consult with the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Academy of Sciences, the Statistics Bureau, and other government departments on how to better calculate the output value of the three major industries of agriculture, industry, commerce, and manufacturing, and to evaluate the performance of officials.

He knew that using this standard to evaluate officials would inevitably lead to problems such as falsification and an overemphasis on economics.

However, using other standards to evaluate officials is even more ineffective. Moreover, the more standards there are, the harder it is for officials without connections to get promoted.

Thinking of the economic miracle brought about by using GDP to assess officials in later generations, Zhu Youjian chose this method, using economic data, especially industrial and commercial output, to assess political performance.

He hoped that Ming Dynasty officials would pay more attention to industry and commerce and enter the industrial age as soon as possible.

(The GDP of the Ming Dynasty was estimated at approximately 2.5-3 million taels of silver. The image is from the paper "A Tentative Exploration of GDP in the Ming Dynasty", by Guan Hanhui and Li Daokui, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University.)

(During the Ming Dynasty, agriculture accounted for about 90% of the total output value, while industry and commerce accounted for about 10%, with an estimated output value of 30 million taels.) (End of Chapter)