Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Ministry of Rites.

Huang Shijun has been riding high these days.

It was his persuasion that led the emperor to decide to promote the theory of immortality.

His prestige within the Ministry of Rites was instantly established—

As the head of the Hanlin Academy and the person in charge of the Hanlin journal, he, as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, could not convince the other scholars if he did not have theoretical achievements.

Now that the theory of immortality has emerged, countless related papers and monographs will be written. The Hanlin Academy as a whole will benefit, and naturally, they will be extremely supportive of him as the head scholar.

In particular, his father was over a hundred years old and was even bestowed the title of "Centenarian" by the emperor himself. This made him even more respected among the ministers, and many people asked him for the secret to longevity.

The emperor also asked him about this matter and sent eunuchs and imperial physicians to record his father's daily routine.

Huang Shijun sent these records to other ministers, which earned him much praise.

However, he was not satisfied with these empty titles. As one of the first to come into contact with the theory of immortality, he put forward a viewpoint:
Only those who live long lives possess etiquette and music.

"Ritual and music are the advanced form of civilization."

"Only when people are well-fed and watered and have no worries about life can they have enough time to contemplate rites and music."

"The Duke of Zhou established rites and music, laying the foundation for Chinese civilization. This marked the beginning of the Chinese people becoming a long-lived species."

"Civilizations without rites and music are barbarians, struggling to survive."

"They will stop at nothing to survive."

“You can’t believe anything a barbarian says unless you give them enough intimidation.”

This further explains why barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue, and also clarifies the difference between the Chinese and barbarians.

Zhu Youjian greatly admired his articles and theories. During the autumn lecture on September 12, he specially invited him to give a lecture, explaining the difference between long-lived and short-lived species, and verifying the distinction between Chinese and barbarians.

This marks the formal entry of the theory of immortality into the mainstream, becoming one of the theories for governing the world.

Huang Shijun said with great excitement:
"The Duke of Zhou established rites and music, enabling the Chinese people to become a long-lived species."

"But whenever there is war, the short-lived behavior will come back."

“Especially the surrounding barbarians, who often harass China with short-lived species.”

"They are all a threat to the longevity of immortal beings!"

This is the insight he gained from reflecting on history from the perspective of a centenarian.

Throughout history, apart from the Ming Dynasty which maintained stability for over two hundred years, no other dynasty, including the Han and Tang, has enjoyed such a long period of stability.

A centenarian will likely experience war and turmoil in most of his life.

Many people who might have lived to be a hundred years old died young in the war.

Even if they manage to survive by sheer luck, they will still suffer humiliation.

This is something Huang Shih-Chun doesn't want to see, so he proposed:

"For the Ming Dynasty to become a stable civilization of immortal beings, it must first maintain stability and avoid war."

"Zheng Sikou suggested that all short-lived behaviors be classified as depravity, which could be considered as the migration of criminals. Although this is somewhat harsh, it is a necessary measure."

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to achieve long-term stability, it must crack down on the behavior of degenerating into short-lived species."

This was Zheng Sanjun's suggestion, which was brought up again in the imperial court.

His actions earned him the support of many scholars and officials.

Many of the ministers who attended the lecture echoed Huang Shijun's words.

Zhu Youjian adopted the theory of immortality because it was conducive to maintaining stability.

Although he had reservations about these ministers' abuse of the crime of debauchery, he was compelled to speak out under their pressure:

"If short-lived species behavior is classified as illegal and criminal, then those who commit such acts can naturally be considered criminals."

"But if the law doesn't specify, you can't convict someone arbitrarily."

"Otherwise, who among the people of the world would feel at peace?"

"I suppose when you are serving the people, you would not want to be arbitrarily convicted by officials."

These words prompted the courtiers to ponder deeply, and Zhu Youjian then continued:
"I am promoting the restoration of rites and music, and I will govern the country by rites and music."

"I don't mind if you have ideas, but they must be clearly written into the rules of etiquette."

"Before it is written into the laws of etiquette, no one can exercise private law, no matter how noble the name they are."

"Only acts that violate etiquette and law will be punished."

He reiterated his support for etiquette and law, stating that he would not punish others with undefined etiquette and law.

The officials felt reassured, knowing that the emperor would not punish them arbitrarily.

However, this also limits their ability to punish the common people. Zheng Sanjun, Minister of Justice, stated:

"Your Majesty is reforming the rites and music system. The new rites and laws are still being drafted, and there are bound to be areas that are not covered."

"How should one punish criminal acts that are not covered by the laws and regulations?"

Zhu Youjian looked at him and said:

"As I said before, in cases where the law does not provide for them or where there is controversy, the nine Grand Secretaries of the Court of Justice may convene to make a judgment, which can then be used as a reference precedent."

"The National Assembly's Ritual and Law Committee can send members to serve as jurors. If there are objections, the case can be submitted to a joint trial by the three judicial departments, as well as further trials by the Nine Ministers and the Grand Court, to arrive at a convincing verdict."

“These precedents can be regarded as temporary regulations and used as standards for adjudication by courts at all levels. When the laws are revised every sixty years, a decision will be made on whether to incorporate the precedents into the law.”

"Does Minister Zheng understand now?"

"If you have an idea, you can draft it into law."

"As long as Congress passes it, I will respect the will of the people."

Zheng Sanjun bowed and stepped back.

He had figured out the emperor's ways and decided to exercise his power in making laws.
-
After establishing this principle, Zhu Youjian signaled Huang Shijun to continue.

Huang Shih-Chun then continued:
"The second threat to the immortal race is the barbarians, which is arguably the most important threat."

"Throughout history, every few decades, the country has been plagued by barbarian invasions, and countless people have died in the war."

"The Tang Dynasty's use of barbarian military governors triggered the An Lushan Rebellion, and the Song Dynasty's relocation to Lin'an due to barbarian invasions resulted in the deaths of countless Chinese."

"The borders of this dynasty are not peaceful either. The Tartars are harassing us from the front, and the Jurchens are causing trouble from the rear."

"To eliminate the threat posed by the short-lived barbarians to the long-lived race, we must conquer them."

In the past, these words would have been opposed by many civil officials.

Those who believe in valuing literature and pacifying the military naturally reject the use of force.

But upon hearing Huang Shijun's words, they had to think deeply:

Even a top scholar like Huang Shijun believed in conquering the barbarians, so how could they sit idly by?
Are we to let the barbarians grow stronger and invade us when we are old?

They are immortal beings, so we must consider the long term!
Qian Qianyi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, said:
"Your Majesty, I believe that what Vice Minister Huang said is quite right." "Grand Secretary Xu once said: The birth rate doubles every thirty years. Unless there is a major war, it cannot be reduced."

"This applies to both the Chinese and the barbarians."

"Therefore, every few decades, new barbarian forces would rise up on the frontier and invade with their own barbarians."

Why?

"This is because the barbarian lands are only so big and cannot support more people."

"So they used military force to reduce the population and attempted to invade and plunder the Ming Dynasty."

"If the Ming Dynasty does not completely conquer the grasslands, new barbarians will continue to rise on the grasslands."

This statement caught Zhu Youjian's attention; he hadn't expected Qian Qianyi to come up with this idea.

He said with great satisfaction:
"Qian Qing is right, this is why I want to grant fiefdoms on the grasslands."

Why was the west able to remain peaceful for decades after the Longqing Peace Treaty?

"This is because they settled and cultivated the land in the Guihua area, and obtained grain through trade with the Ming Dynasty, which enabled them to feed more people."

"The situation in Liaodong was different. After the Chahan tribe moved east, they fought wars everywhere, making Liaodong unstable. In the end, like raising a venomous insect, they nurtured the powerful Jurchens."

"Stability must be maintained on the grasslands, and the feudal system must be preserved. We cannot allow them to wage war on their own and create a unified power."

Zhu Youjian then asked him, citing Qian Qianyi's statement as evidence, the current situation in Eastern and Western Mongolia after the Longqing Peace Treaty:

"The grasslands have been ravaged by the Jurchens, so there's no need to worry about the population problem for now."

"But as the land was restored and stability was established, the population on the grasslands was bound to increase rapidly."

"What do you think we should do when the grasslands can no longer support it?"

They guided Qian Qianyi to formulate a cruel policy to reduce the grassland population.

However, Qian Qianyi relapsed into his old habit of starting things but not finishing them. Whether it was a lack of insight or a lack of resolve, he made many statements but never proposed any policies to reduce the population.

Zhu Youjian was so angry he wanted to take back the "sir" he had just said, but he could only patiently guide him:
"When Qian Qing was in charge of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, did he not gain any insight?"

"The people on the grasslands believe in Buddhism. If we let them become monks, could we slow down population growth?"

This policy adopted by the Qing Dynasty resulted in the Mongolian population not only failing to increase but actually decreasing by one-fifth.

Qian Qianyi hadn't expected that the emperor would give such a clear hint now, so he hurriedly said:
"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

"Letting Buddhists on the grasslands become monks can slow down population growth."

"As long as the population is reduced, and they can trade with the Ming Dynasty for food, they won't starve to death easily. I imagine they won't invade as frequently as before."

He repeatedly echoed the emperor's words, fearing that the title would be changed from "Sir" to "Minister Qian" again. He had been tricked by the emperor in this way many times, and now he could tell the emperor's intentions from the changes in address.

Following the emperor's intention, Qian Qianyi was about to continue elaborating when Wu Zongda, the current Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, said:
"The Buddhism practiced by the people on the grasslands mostly comes from Tibet."

"Therefore, if we want the grasslands to be peaceful and stable for a long time, we must control Tibet."

"This is ultimately a hidden danger. I believe that Buddhism and Taoism should be allowed to preach in the grasslands and temples should be built for them in the territories of the Ming nobles."

"This could further divide the faith of the grasslands and make them more divided."

This is also a solution, which Zhu Youjian greatly approved of, praising it:

"Wu Qing's suggestion is good."

"Moreover, with temples, herders can settle around them, allowing them to establish fixed pastures or secure nomadic lands, thus preventing them from migrating haphazardly."

"In this way, we can count the population of the grasslands and register them as households."

“Those who come to graze their livestock but are not registered in the territory can be regarded as vagrants and captured for slavery.”

"The Imperial Medical Academy and the Ministry of Agriculture should establish hospitals and veterinary stations near the temples, send doctors there, and introduce species such as fine-wool sheep from the west to the grasslands to provide technical support for the settlements and strive to get nomadic tribes to settle down."

"This is a long-term strategy for stability and security, and Minister Sun must pay close attention to it in the Frontier Committee."

Sun Chengzong nodded in agreement, and then suggested:

"I believe that to reduce the population on the grasslands, we can follow the example of the interior."

“Those who have no land or jobs in the interior must migrate, and those who have no pastures on the grasslands and do not want to become monks must also migrate.”

"The imperial court can recruit these people into the army, led by Ming officers, to maintain stability on the frontier."

"If we can open up more land beyond the Great Wall, we can arrange for them to settle down."

"In this way, the population of the various vassal states on the grasslands near the Ming Dynasty has always been under control, and the court can also set population limits for each territory."

"Ensure that none of the vassal states have the power to unify the grasslands and threaten the Ming Dynasty."

It is suggested that the system of relocating surplus laborers be applied to the border regions as well.

Furthermore, these surplus men from the grasslands were forced to serve as soldiers, acting as the vanguard for the Ming Dynasty's expansion beyond the Great Wall.

Zhu Youjian was extremely pleased with his idea and praised it highly, saying:
"Mr. Sun's suggestion is excellent!"

"Even the Ming Dynasty had to relocate its surplus population, let alone its vassal states?"

"The population of our vassal states is not large now, and it will take a long time before it reaches its limit."

"But if a person does not plan for the future, he will have trouble in the present. As long-lived beings, we must consider the long term."

"Only by occupying enough land can the remaining people in the future have enough land to cultivate."

“The remaining men of the vassal states can form armies or pioneer groups, and they are allowed to expand their fiefdoms.”

"in addition……"

After a pause, Zhu Youjian did not fully agree to Sun Chengzong's proposal to limit the population of vassal states. He said:

“The barbarian populations of the vassal states should be restricted.”

"But if it can accommodate them, it can attract more Han Chinese to go there."

"Let the vassal states recruit themselves now, and then the Ministry of Revenue, the Court of Colonial Affairs, and the Academy of Sciences will calculate the population carrying capacity of each vassal state later."

“In places where the population exceeds the limit, the sons of vassal nobles and meritorious officials are allowed to open up new territories with the surplus population.”

“The area surrounding the Ming Dynasty should first be converted into a Chinese-speaking region, and the barbarians who are unwilling to accept civilization should be relocated.”

"The matter of relocating Han people will be considered after the population limit is exceeded."

This approach was clearly intended to maintain the enthusiasm of the nobility for expansion and to reassure them about recruiting immigrants.

They even implied that if they drove out the barbarians who refused to submit, the court would organize officers to recruit them to expand the borders.

Sun Chengzong was very pleased to hear this, because many of the meritorious officials of Liaodong had fiefdoms on the grasslands. They were very worried about the situation where there were more barbarians than Han people in their fiefdoms.

With the emperor's instruction, they could confidently relocate the disobedient barbarians.

The destination for their migration was already decided. When the Western Sea Lord marched into the North Sea, he encountered the Rus' people. He sent them to attack the Rus' strongholds, and after conquering them, he settled them there.

These people had no local roots and could only rely on the Ming Dynasty. The nobles who were enfeoffed there could use them to counterbalance the local tribes and continue to drive the unruly barbarians westward.

Under this policy, the tribal distribution in the northern frontier underwent significant changes. Following the emperor's demands for further tribal subdivision, the Frontier Commission forcibly split and relocated many large tribes, transforming them into smaller, more localized tribes. (End of Chapter)