Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Is martial arts shifting towards sports and wellness?"

When the emperor's request reached the Martial Arts Association, it immediately caused a huge uproar.

Since ascending the throne, the current emperor has been elevating the status of warriors.

Even after the introduction of new firearms, brave generals faced elimination, but military men who could lead troops could still easily become officers.

Martial artists are proud of this and regard their hard-earned martial arts as an opportunity to turn their lives around.

Little did they expect that this opportunity would pass in the blink of an eye, and now the emperor has made it clear that martial arts should shift towards sports and health preservation.

"Physical education is one thing."

"What's so special about health preservation?"

"Are you suggesting we practice fancy but ineffective martial arts?"

The members of the martial arts association were discussing this extensively.

Although they did not openly oppose the emperor's order, they were clearly somewhat resistant.

However, some people felt that the emperor's decision made sense. Shan Sinan, who had just returned from Jiangnan, said:
"When I was in Jiangnan, I often consulted scholars and officials."

"What they seek is not to kill the enemy, but to strengthen themselves through martial arts."

"This is the essence of sports and health preservation. His Majesty has instructed us to focus on this so that martial arts can be recognized by more scholars and officials."

Shan Sinan's words carry considerable weight within the Martial Arts Association.

Although he had never participated in a martial arts tournament, he was a senior figure in the martial arts world and had fought in the Wanli Emperor's war to aid Korea.

He also instructed Cao Bianjiao in martial arts and is one of the current emperor's martial arts teachers.

His words have given many people pause for thought.

Chen Wangting frowned and said:

"Does Master Shan mean that the Emperor is learning martial arts from us for the purpose of maintaining his health and well-being?"

Shan Sinan said with certainty:

"Of course!"

"Do you all think that His Majesty will personally take to the battlefield?"

"If such a situation were to occur, we would be guilty of a grave sin."

"Your Majesty is of inestimable worth; how can you possibly fight with others?"

Chen Wangting was speechless for a moment, and had fallen into deep thought:
Indeed, the emperor practiced martial arts out of interest, for the purpose of improving his health.

If the emperor were to actually lead the troops into battle, what would be the point of having these military men?

Thinking about it this way, he realized that he had made some mistakes in teaching the emperor martial arts.

We cannot teach the current emperor martial arts techniques just because he has a talent for them.

It's useless for the emperor to practice these things; he might even go to the battlefield out of curiosity. If something goes wrong, it will be a huge problem that shakes the whole country.

Chen Yuanyun, who returned from Japan and had extensive exchanges with foreign martial artists, said:
"Firearms are prevalent in the West, and their martial arts are declining."

“A hundred years ago, jousting was extremely popular among knights in the West.”

"There was even a French king who was shot and killed because he was fond of jousting."

"We cannot teach the Emperor battle techniques, otherwise problems may easily arise during practice."

Such severe consequences have made many martial arts association members tremble with fear at the mere mention of the topic.

They dared not imagine the extent of the blame the Martial Arts Association would face if the emperor were to die in the duel.

It's better for the emperor to practice martial arts for health and wellness; at least it won't cause any problems.

After learning this, Chen Wangting, as the president of the martial arts association, had to change his mind. Thinking about his Tai Chi practice, he said:
"Tai Chi Chuan can be divided into civil practice and martial practice."

"Literature is the essence; martial arts are its application."

"Master Shan's idea is that we should refine the methods of literary practice and pass them on to scholars and officials for health preservation and physical fitness."

"We martial artists still need to practice martial arts and understand how to compete."

Upon hearing this, Shan Sinan stroked his beard and agreed:

"That's exactly right!"

"In the future, martial artists should still practice martial arts, and they can go to the arena to fight and participate in martial arts competitions."

"For scholars, officials, and ordinary people, it is sufficient to teach them literature and skills, and to help them maintain their health and well-being."

"In this way, martial arts tournaments will be more recognized by the literati and can be more easily spread to the general public."

"Martial arts training also has its own traditions and will never die out."

This strategy satisfied the emperor's demands while also allowing martial arts to have greater room for development.

The members of the martial arts association nodded in agreement, believing it to be a win-win situation.

As a result, Chen Wangting changed his attitude and no longer rejected the emperor's request to create a health-preserving Tai Chi.

However, some people are concerned about the entertainment aspect of martial arts competitions. Zhang Qian said:

"Not all martial arts competitions are entertaining."

"There are significantly more people who enjoy watching boxing and combat sports than wrestling."

"Does this mean that martial arts that are not aesthetically pleasing will not be developed? Will they all give way to those that are aesthetically pleasing?"

"These competitions should not be made into entertainment; the educational and entertaining approach should not be used in competitions."

Back then, he rolled around in the ring, drawing boos from the audience, which is why wrestling was separated from boxing.

He worries that if martial arts competitions become more entertainment-oriented, wrestling will attract even fewer viewers.

Other project leaders share this concern.

Based on current trends, boxing, which has the most restrictions, actually has the largest number of viewers.

People prefer the action of boxers fighting back and forth; it's a very exciting spectacle.

Besides martial arts competitions, the recently popular wrestling matches are also very attractive.

Even before many competitions begin, several scripted wrestling matches are arranged to warm up the atmosphere.

If martial arts competitions become more entertainment-oriented, they may increasingly resemble wrestling matches.

This is something they don't approve of; they're unwilling to equate martial artists with actors.

Chen Wangting asked Chen Yuanyun:
"The king was killed in a jousting contest by the Western knights. What happened afterward?"

"They can't have remained unchanged."

Chen Yuanyun was aware of this; the Westerners brought back by the Ming Dynasty delegation came from all walks of life, including warriors who had participated in jousting tournaments. He explained:
"The rules of the Tessek knight tournament have been changed, not because of the death of the king, but because the battlefield no longer needs valiant knights."

"Compared to the Ming Dynasty, the Western world fought more wars, and their armies were equipped with firearms much faster."

"Compared to musketeers who can be trained in a few months, the training cost of knights is too high, and even if they wear plate armor, they are easily killed by heavy muskets."

"So now the Western Knights as a whole are in decline, and the tournaments have become performance competitions for major festivals."

This statement sent shockwaves through the hearts of all the martial artists present.

They realized that once firearms became widespread in the Ming Dynasty, the industry would develop in the same direction.

If a new path is not found for martial artists, they will only be able to perform during major festivals in the future.

The emperor's proposal to make martial arts competitions more entertaining may also be based on this point.

"Could martial arts duels really degenerate into a game?"

A sense of crisis arose in the hearts of these people. Only then did they realize the emperor's intention in demanding the development of sports and martial arts for health preservation; without this new path, martial arts as a whole would decline.

After learning that the current jousting competitions in the West consisted of riders dressed in flashy costumes entering the arena on horseback and performing horseback spurring and target shooting, they all felt that this was unacceptable and that a new way of developing martial arts competitions had to be found.

Even though Chen Wangting disliked the entertainment aspect of martial arts competitions, he had no choice but to comply with the current emperor's demands.

Thinking about how he had just divided martial arts into literary and martial training, he said:

"How about dividing martial arts competitions into both literary and martial arts contests?"

"The intellectual debate should focus on entertainment, while the physical contest should be exciting."

"Fighting should be based on real combat, with as few rules as possible. Before entering the ring, you should sign a waiver of life and death."

"Especially the horse battles, we must continue to select the world's number one warrior."

The Martial Arts Association must not give up on this most important event of the martial arts tournament.

Even though there are many deaths and injuries, just like in a jousting tournament, and even if the winner of the world's best is unable to lead troops into battle, they still have to be preserved as the most important competition in martial arts.

The title of "Number One Warrior Under Heaven" is bestowed by the emperor and is the highest honor for a martial artist.

They also acknowledged the strength of the horse racing team and believed that martial arts competitions must retain this event.

Other competitions, as Chen Wangting said, are divided into civil and military categories, and there's no real connection between them.

The members of the martial arts association engaged in a heated debate about which events qualify as intellectual contests and which as physical contests.

Chen Wangting and Shan Sinan compiled their opinions and then went to see the emperor.
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Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) attached great importance to the shift in martial arts, which was the purpose of his support for martial arts.

The Ming Dynasty was ruled by civil officials, which naturally excluded military affairs.

If he doesn't push for it, martial arts will likely decline completely in the era of firearms.

Therefore, he chose to support martial arts, promote traditional martial arts to its peak, and then naturally shift to sports.

Now is the time to turn things around. If we wait for decades for the older generation of martial artists to die out, and the new generation of martial artists is left without successors due to the rise of firearms, the martial arts tradition will be interrupted, which will be detrimental to future development.

However, there are also problems with turning to a different path when martial arts are flourishing.

The most difficult part is changing the mindset of the older generation of martial artists.

Hearing Chen Wangting and Shan Sinan's distinction between civil and military officials, he laughed and said:
"The division into civil and military categories is excellent!"

"Civil officials can have civilian military officers, and military personnel can also have civil training."

"Only in this way can the arts and sciences be combined and integrated into one."

"Let's do it your way and try promoting health-preserving exercises first."

"Add more rules to the literary combat competition to minimize injuries and make the competition more exciting."

"Another type of martial arts competition can involve killing enemies without performing."

This kind of competition reminded him of the martial arts of later generations. One explanation for the origin of the name "national martial arts" is that "martial arts that are only used to kill enemies and not for performance are called national martial arts."

Now is not the time to face national subjugation and racial extinction, so we will not elevate martial arts to the status of a national art.

However, martial arts competitions that only involve killing enemies and not performing can also be developed.

Zhu Youjian agreed to the martial arts association's request to retain the horse-riding competition and to award the winner of the horse-riding competition the title of the greatest warrior in the world.

It also allows for both unrestricted unarmed combat and unrestricted full-armor combat, and permits the holding of martial arts competitions that may result in injury or death.

The martial arts tournament will continue, and those who win medals will be granted the status of a public servant.

They also have the opportunity to train in the Imperial Guard Warriors Camp, and if they learn how to lead troops, they can become officers in the army.

Even if you can't learn it, you can still be a warrior and carry out special missions.

This was Zhu Youjian's requirement for the Warriors Battalion: to become a special forces unit and carry out special missions for him.

Therefore, he will not give up the Martial Arts Association, nor will he reduce the treatment of martial artists.

Chen Wangting, Shan Sinan, and others were delighted to learn of this and became even more enthusiastic about shifting their focus to martial arts.

From this point on, martial arts competitions in the Ming Dynasty began to separate.

Some martial artists uphold tradition and enjoy fighting, and will only step into the ring after signing a death waiver.

Many people, however, choose to engage in verbal debates, as it is considered safer.

Because the name "literary duel" sounded unpleasant for a martial arts competition, they chose the emperor's name and called it a sports competition.

Martial arts competitions usually refer to physical combat, which allows for injuries and fatalities.

Traditional martial arts training methods are still practiced in the martial arts club.

However, more people choose to practice literature to improve their health.

Various techniques beneficial to health preservation have been refined and integrated.

Training methods that damage the body are discarded in literary practice.

Tai Chi Chuan, a martial art created at the emperor's request and practiced by him personally, is highly regarded by many.

Some of the older ministers in the imperial court would choose to practice.

This allowed the martial arts association to continue to grow in influence, preventing it from completely declining due to the development of firearms.

Various sporting events also flourished, boosting the entertainment industry in the Ming Dynasty.
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Having successfully neutralized the threat posed by the theory of immortality to the army, warriors, and eunuchs, Zhu Youjian was concerned about its further impact.

He discovered that while the theory had negative effects, its benefits were even more pronounced.

The biggest change was that the literati and officials of the Ming Dynasty finally realized that the barbarians were not the same as themselves and that they could not use their own way of thinking to view the barbarians.

They quickly came to understand some of the barbaric practices that they had not understood before, based on this theory.

The distinction between Chinese and barbarians, which Zhu Youjian promoted by all means, finally took root in people's hearts.

The Ministry of War, in particular, greatly admired the theory of immortality promoted by the City God Temple because of the belief that war was a short-lived activity. They believed that this was the meritorious act among the three immortalities, which could grant them eternal life and make them immortal beings.

At the same time, they also attached great importance to the granting and inheritance of hereditary military officers and soldiers in the garrisons.

Because if you want people to believe they are immortal, you have to give them generations of inheritance.

The emperor's demand for reform of the garrison system was finally met with their decision to expand the reform to more garrisons, increasing the number of hereditary soldiers as a source of junior officers.

They also took strict precautions against the tendency of the army to become barbaric and primitive. They wanted to prevent the army from degenerating into beasts and savages.

The Ministry of Personnel was not as affected as the Ministry of War, but it still revised many policies accordingly.

In particular, the age limit for ministers required by the emperor was explicitly written into the system. It was believed that only by reaching the age of forty, when one was no longer confused, could one cultivate a long-term mindset, pay more attention to the long term, and thus be qualified to serve as a minister in the court.

The Ministry of Revenue was also greatly affected. Some people even proposed using the equal-field system to distribute land to all farmers so that they would not have to worry about survival and could maintain their longevity mentality.

They also enthusiastically supported the policy of relocating migrants, believing that this was the only way to ensure that the migrants would continue to live long lives, rather than degenerate into short-lived barbarians.

The Ministry of Revenue, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, also proposed a plan to plant giant trees, referencing the shipbuilding plans formulated by the Cabinet and the Ministry of the Navy, to provide sufficient timber for the construction of palaces and pavilions.

Their reasoning, of course, is that this falls under the long-lived species' plan. They can't refrain from doing these things just because they won't be needed in the short term.

Although Zhu Youjian believed that concrete buildings would be the mainstream in the future, it was not certain that much wood would be used.

But since the Ministry of Agriculture has a plan, let them do it.

Anyway, the Ming Dynasty has now expanded its territory to a large extent, with enough mountainous land to develop forestry.

He instructed the Sinong Temple to plant saplings in the Northeast and Southwest, in preparation for future harvesting.

In conjunction with this plan, waterways and post roads were also constructed to prevent the giant trees from becoming too large to transport out.

It can be said that these government departments were positively influenced and put forward many proposals in response to the theory of immortality.

This is certainly because newly appointed officials need to make a good impression, and it also shows their acceptance of the immortality theory.

This was especially true among the older court officials, where it was deeply ingrained in their minds. (End of Chapter)