Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"The behavior of long-lived species rejecting short-lived species."

"No wonder people don't want to join the army!"

This is a negative consequence of the implementation of the theory of long-lived and short-lived species.

This also made Zhu Youjian understand why, despite his generous rewards, so few people were willing to join the army.

It turns out that the people of the Ming Dynasty, being a long-lived species, subconsciously rejected the behavior of short-lived species.

Previously, they may have only had a vague understanding of this, vaguely recognizing that joining the army was not a good thing. Now, with the spread of the theory of immortality, their motivation for action has become clearer.

It is estimated that unless people are desperate, even fewer will be willing to join the army in the future.

This situation, if continued, would be detrimental to the Ming army, and Zhu Youjian was very worried about it.

Especially when short-lived races are associated with barbarians, if soldiers are associated with short-lived races, they may mentally identify themselves as barbarians. This could lead to them becoming increasingly barbaric, fearing power and lacking respect for virtue.

Zhu Youjian was well aware of how serious the consequences would be. Those humanoid warlords of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period could be considered barbarians.

Therefore, the army must not be barbarized, and barbarians must not be employed.

Zhu Youjian was aware of the consequences of the barbarization of the Roman Empire's army.

Therefore, although he intended to use Japanese slaves and Annamese as auxiliary troops, he never thought of letting them occupy the main position.

These people who wanted to become officials in the garrison needed to be naturalized as Chinese.

The army must never be barbarized; this is related to the continuation of civilization.

Thinking about this problem, Zhu Youjian wanted to consult someone, but for a moment he didn't know who to turn to.

In the past, he liked to consult Zhang Pu about matters requiring advice and planning.

This person is both capable and resourceful.

Moreover, even though they are not of high status, they will still try their best to give you advice.

It can be said that Zhang Pu was his strategist, and some policies originated from Zhang Pu's ideas.

However, Zhang Pu has now gone to the Suzhou-Songjiang New Area, and Liu Lishun, who returned to Beijing from Suzhou-Songjiang, is no longer of this use. This man is too upright to resort to underhanded tactics.

Zhu Youjian wanted to consult with someone, but couldn't find anyone for the time being.

This made him sigh again: No wonder the emperor liked to use eunuchs and consult with those around him.

He ordered someone to summon Liu Ruoyu, and then, thinking of the officials in the inner court, gave them instructions:
"Summon Niu Jinxing and Song Xianze as well."

"I have some matters to consult."

These two historical advisors of Li Zicheng were summoned together.

They were able to stand out in Li Zicheng's group, so they must be able to come up with some ideas.
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Niu Jinxing has been feeling somewhat down lately.

He discovered that after the Liaodong War, the emperor seemed to have forgotten about him and rarely summoned him.

In particular, his own defection tactics seemed meaningless after the Jurchens' crushing defeat. This prevented him from achieving much merit in the Liaodong campaign.

If the emperor hadn't still entrusted him with intelligence on the Jurchens, he would have almost thought he had been abandoned by the emperor.

Upon learning that the emperor wanted to consult him on some matters, he was so happy he almost jumped for joy. He hurriedly went to the palace with Song Xianze to pay their respects.

Upon arriving at the palace, Niu Jinxing discovered that the emperor had summoned him to the West Garden. The surrounding area was quite spacious, suggesting that they were to discuss some private matters.

This excited him even more, as he felt it was a good opportunity to regain his position in the emperor's heart.

When the emperor inquired about his recent condition, he said:

"Huang Taiji led the Jurchens in a flight, and they were always on the move, making it difficult for the spies arranged by the Embroidered Uniform Guard to pass on messages."

"However, what is certain is that some Mongol tribes in the northern deserts were dissatisfied with Ligdan Khan and formed an alliance with the Jurchens."

"The Chahan tribe has always been afraid of fighting the Jurchens. If the Ming Dynasty does not intervene, Ligdan Khan will surely be defeated."

Zhu Youjian nodded, this was something he had expected, and said:
"Let the nobles enfeoffed in Liaoning and Jinning seize the opportunity to send troops, and prevent the Jurchens from unifying the northern desert."

"Drive them further west to fight against Ross."

This has always been his strategy: to drive the Jurchens westward and make them enemies of Rus'. Finally, he would use Rus' pressure to prevent them from escaping.

The reason why the tribes on the grasslands are difficult to fight is mainly because they have a lot of room to maneuver; they can run to the Western Regions, the Central Plains, and even Ukraine and Hungary.

Now that Ross has risen to power, their escape route to the west has been cut off. As long as we keep pursuing them, we'll eventually wipe them out!
Niu Jinxing was certainly aware of this strategy. After hearing about Ross, he reported the following information:
"The Lord of the West Sea has sent troops to the North Sea this year and has already encountered the Rus' people in the river next to the North Sea."

"The Rus' established strongholds along what they called the Yenisei and Lena rivers, and along the rivers to the east and north."

"I believe that nobles should be enfeoffed as soon as possible to prevent the Rus' people from becoming a new powerful enemy in the north."

(Russia's expansion was along rivers, and by 1632, the fifth year of the Chongzhen reign, it had already expanded to the Lena River.)
Zhu Youjian was deeply shaken upon hearing this news. He was relieved that he had driven out the Jurchens last year and that troops could be transferred to Beihai this year.

Otherwise, once the Rus' people have established a foothold in the north, the Ming Dynasty will need to expend several times the effort to conquer them.

He could not allow a new powerful enemy to emerge in the north, and immediately issued an order:

"Order Zhang Xianzhong to wipe out the Rus' people and drive them back to the west."

“Tell him that this matter must be done well, and that not a single Rus’ person should be left in the north of the Ming Dynasty.”

"If his own troops are insufficient, he can request assistance from Heilongjiang and Jinning. I will issue an edict to Huo Weihua, the Inspector General of Heilongjiang, to assist in driving out the Rus' people."

They were preparing to send troops from the northeast to drive the Rus' out.

At the same time, preparations were made to govern the local area, and the following order was given:
"In the future, the North Sea and the adjacent waterways will also be inspected by governors, and fortresses will be set up along the rivers and nobles will be appointed to guard them."

“The Lena River, east of the North Sea, was named the Lening River, in order to find members of the royal family and nobles who were willing to be enfeoffed there.”

“The Yenisei River will be renamed the Yeni River. The Tungusic people in that area are close relatives of the Jianzhou Jurchens, and we can recruit them to go west.”

Pointing to the map, they determined the direction of their attack and, like the Rus', advanced along the river.

Those nobles in the capital who were unwilling to take up their fiefdoms were allowed to establish garrisons and outposts along the rivers, and the surrounding open mountains and forests were granted to them, giving them sufficient land.

After receiving fiefdoms, these people had a responsibility to defend their lands, even if they didn't actually go to their fiefdoms. Each noble family would relocate some of their population to ensure there were enough Chinese people in the area.

If the nobles gain profits from their fiefdoms in the future, they will be even more enthusiastic and will not give up their lands.

Zhu Youjian was taking precautions against the faction that wanted to abandon their territories, so that after a few decades, civil officials would feel that ruling a particular place was not worthwhile and would easily decide to give it up.

After arranging this matter, Zhu Youjian deeply felt the approaching conflict between East and West. He planned to publish more about Rus' in the newspapers, especially the cruelty of the Rus' people—

The people of the Ming Dynasty must understand that no new powerful enemy will be allowed to emerge in the north, otherwise they will continue to be threatened.

For long-lived species to survive, they must eliminate the threat posed by short-lived barbarians.
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This is related to national defense, and Zhu Youjian's current headache is the issue of joining the army.

He asked Niu Jinxing:

"After the theory of long-lived and short-lived species spread, some people believed that soldiers were short-lived species."

“Short-lived species are also considered barbarians. When soldiers are in this kind of public opinion environment, their way of thinking is easily barbarized, and they become fearful of power and do not appreciate virtue.”

"What does Minister Niu think is the best way to solve this problem?"

Niu Jinxing is paying some attention to the theories that have been hotly debated recently.

He knew that the emperor had actually raised two major questions:
Firstly, soldiers are a short-lived species, and the people of the Ming Dynasty, who are a long-lived species, are generally unwilling to join the army.

Secondly, soldiers are prone to becoming barbaric, turning into fearful of authority rather than virtuous. If these two issues are not addressed, serious problems will arise.

After thinking for a moment, he said:
Minister Zheng of the Ministry of Justice said that criminals cannot be equated; loyal ministers and filial sons and adulterers and adulterous women commit crimes and cannot be judged the same.

"I believe this is reasonable. Your Majesty may expand the scope of merit evaluation to include all soldiers who have made meritorious contributions."

“Even if these people commit crimes, they should be judged by the higher authorities.”

"Your Majesty may issue an edict of amnesty to show favor to the meritorious soldiers."

"We can also choose not to grant them a pardon, so that they will know the power of the imperial court."

This is preferential treatment for soldiers, and also a solution to the problem of barbarization. Since soldiers are prone to becoming fearful of authority and disrespectful of virtue, then a combination of kindness and severity should be applied.

At the same time, preferential treatment for them will attract more people to join the army.

This echoed Zhu Youjian's response to Zheng Sanjun, who was unlikely to object.

He could only nod in agreement:

"It is only right to discuss merits with meritorious soldiers."

"Not only military personnel, but all those who receive medals can be included in the scope of merit evaluation."

"You can write an article and publish it in 'Hanlin' or 'Science', and discuss the scope of the Eight Deliberations with Minister Zheng's advisors."

"However, one thing must be made clear: the Eight Deliberations can only be held after the trial. The trial must be conducted in accordance with propriety and law."

He praised Niu Jinxing a few times and arranged for him to write a paper.

Zhu Youjian knew that although this method had some effect, it could not completely solve the problem.

He said to Niu Jinxing:

"Is there any other way? Niu Qing can think of more options."

"And you guys, if you have a solution, just say so."

He then asked Liu Ruoyu and Song Xianze, who were standing next to him, to speak up and offer their suggestions.

Niu Jinxing knew immediately that things had gone wrong; his method had not met the emperor's expectations.

Just as he was thinking about how to remedy the situation, Song Xianze, who was standing next to him, seized the opportunity and said:
"I believe that in addition to long-lived and short-lived species, there should also be an immortal species."

"Soldiers are not short-lived, but immortal beings."

"The Emperor built temples to worship the heroes and martyrs and conferred divine titles upon them."

"This is to make them an immortal species, not a short-lived barbarian species."

"The claim that soldiers are a short-lived species must be refuted; they must be made to think of themselves as immortal beings!"

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly clearing Zhu Youjian's mind.

He paced back and forth happily, muttering to himself:
"The immortal race, the immortal race..."

"That's a good way to put it!"

"Heroes who live on forever should be immortal beings."

“They are not a short-lived species, and they will not become barbarians who fear power and do not cherish virtue.”

He looked at Song Xianze with great surprise, thinking that this charlatan had solved a big problem for him.

The key difference between long-lived and short-lived species lies in their mindset. They differ in many ways based on their life expectancy.

If the notion that soldiers are a short-lived species becomes a consensus, not only will society reject and despise them, but soldiers themselves may also become increasingly opportunistic and short-sighted, turning into barbarians who fear power but do not appreciate virtue, based on this perception.

Conversely, if one adopts the mindset of immortality, things are different. Soldiers become willing to sacrifice themselves, believing that if they die, they will become immortal heroes.

They would never become barbaric, because that would cost them their right to immortality. The imperial court would never bestow deification upon those who did not meet certain requirements.

Song Xianze then said:
"The imperial court rectified the sacrificial rites, redefined the pantheon of gods, and clearly required all righteous gods to be converted."

"Therefore, to become an immortal species, one must never become a barbarian."

"In addition, not only will heroes be deified, but they will also be granted hereditary military positions and other hereditary titles. Their descendants can also serve as priests for generations and have an everlasting family business."

“As long as these people aren’t out of their minds, they will definitely be more loyal to the Emperor!”

This statement surprised Zhu Youjian even more.

As emperor, he was naturally concerned about the loyalty of his army.

For the sake of their eternal lineage, immortal beings would naturally be even more supportive of the emperor.

This provides a theoretical basis for his deification as a martyr.

Moreover, it also provided a theoretical basis for the hereditary official system of the garrison.

It is precisely because the hereditary officials of the garrison have become immortal beings that they will be more loyal to the emperor and the court.

He said with great emotion:

"Therefore, I established hereditary military service, so that the descendants of heroes would have a hereditary career and the opportunity to become immortal beings."

"As long as the Ming Dynasty survives, these heroes will be worshipped, their deeds will be passed down forever."

"Mr. Song, I intend to have you take charge of the City God's Office and spread these theories."

Song Xianze was overjoyed and hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude.

He knew that his life was entering a new phase, and if he did this well, he would have the chance to become an immortal being in the future.

The emperor would certainly not be stingy with titles of nobility, nor with bestowing divine titles.

Hearing about Song Xianze's appointment, especially being addressed as "Teacher" by the emperor, Niu Jinxing was so envious that his eyes practically turned red.

Because this is the treatment he has always sought but never received.

Although the current emperor values ​​him, he has never treated him as a teacher.

If I can't come up with any new solutions, I'll be outdone by Song Xianze.

Thinking of the information collected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard from various overseas countries, Niu Jinxing said:
"I have heard that in India, the social classes are divided into Brahmins and Kshatriyas."

"Among them, Brahmins were priests and scholars, and Kshatriyas were military nobles."

"I believe that families descended from gods can serve as priests for generations and can be regarded as Brahmins."

“Hereditary officials can serve as military officers for generations, and they can be regarded as Kshatriyas.”

"Both of these classes are immortal beings and will be more supportive of His Majesty."

Using India's caste system, combined with the theory of immortal beings.

Zhu Youjian's head buzzed; he never imagined that the theory of immortality, so soon after its inception, would develop into this—

Indianization is something he has always tried to avoid, and his biggest concern about conquering India is being influenced by them.

It's surprising that India hasn't even been conquered yet, and people are already advocating for the caste system.

His gaze towards Niu Jinxing was now filled with chilling intent. (End of Chapter)