Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian mentioned the concept of reactionaries to Chen Zilong. What he was most worried about now was those reactionaries who, for their own benefit, were willing to collude with barbarians.

Historically, the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by these very people.

Although the Jurchens have been driven out, there are still quite a few people who harbor such thoughts.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian demanded that such people be criticized more.

Furthermore, through the "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs," they were defined as traitors and reactionaries.

We must make the people despise traitors and understand the harm they cause.

At the same time, he decided to hold a large-scale memorial service for the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the Han people and for China—regardless of whether they had served the Ming Dynasty, they should all be honored.

Use the deeds of these heroes to shape the soul of the army.

Let the soldiers know that their willingness to die is not an act of short-lived death, but a sacrifice for a higher ideal, so that they can become immortal heroes.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian specially inscribed a message for the martyrs, saying:

"The idea that heroes and martyrs are immortal cannot be just a saying; it must be put into action."

"The Temple of Heroes and Martyrs that I specially built opposite the Mingtang Hall is to commemorate them."

"We must let the fallen heroes know that their sacrifice was not in vain!"

And he specifically instructed:

"Heroes who have descendants can be recruited into the army as hereditary officers and sergeants."

"If there are no descendants, the court can arrange for someone to perform sacrifices, or select a close relative as an heir."

"Orphans of the vanguard of the government army can choose to be honored as martyrs, which will strengthen their sense of belonging."

Chen Zilong was tasked with writing these stories into the "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs" and with collecting relevant materials for the section on martyrs in the "History of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty".

Chen Zilong was very interested in this and said:

The Analects says: "To revive a state that has been destroyed, to continue a lineage that has been broken, and to promote a person who has been neglected, the people of the world will turn to you."

"Your Majesty's restoration of the lost and the continuation of the lineage will naturally win the hearts of the people."

"I believe that for heroes who have made great contributions, a temple should be built to commemorate them."

Zhu Youjian nodded in approval, believing that temples could be built for those who had made great contributions, while those with lesser contributions could be enshrined in the ancestral temples.

For the martyrs whose names have been lost, arrangements should also be made to show that they will not be forgotten:

"Many martyrs in the struggle against the Yuan dynasty have lost their names. You can try your best to collect them when you write your book. If you really can't find them, commemorate them as unknown martyrs."

"This is a very important matter. I will issue an edict to local prefectures and counties to cooperate in compiling local chronicles and collecting relevant historical materials."

"And have the local City God Temple and Martyrs' Shrine build a martyrs' cemetery and preside over the memorial service for the martyrs."

A complete set of practices was proposed, forming a comprehensive system.

This was something Zhu Youjian planned to establish after years of practice and increasingly profound reflections on sacrificial rites.

"The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war." His most important job as emperor was to control the military and the sacrificial rites.

He devoted a great deal of effort to this. As the main body of the new sacrificial system, the City God Temple required each temple to have four shrines: a shrine for martyrs, a shrine for famous officials, a shrine for local worthies, and a shrine for the deceased.

Among them, the Martyrs' Shrine was related to the morale of the army and was the one that Zhu Youjian valued the most.

Outstanding heroes and martyrs may even be enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts or the Imperial Ancestral Temple as one of the worshippers.

The Temple of Famous Officials and the Temple of Local Worthies are connected to other temples such as the Temple of Confucius, the Temple of Shennong, the Temple of Lu Ban, and the Temple of the God of Wealth, which are used to worship people who have made great contributions.

Only at the Temple of Rebirth can one pay to have a memorial tablet erected in the temple and enjoy incense offerings—this is a revenue-generating channel for temples and also a psychological comfort for the wealthy.

Zhu Youjian hoped that this approach would ensure that civil officials, military officials, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all had a place to belong, and that they would not do anything perverse that would damage their reputation after death.

Especially for military officers and soldiers with high mortality rates, honor was a necessity. Otherwise, who would be willing to die for their cause and possess the courage to face death?

Facing Chen Zilong, he sighed:

"Barbarians are fearless of death because they will die if they don't plunder, and they are willing to risk their lives when faced with death."

"Their remaining bestiality makes them fight like cornered beasts, which is the reason for their ferocity."

"But the people of the Ming Dynasty, being a long-lived race, are completely different from the short-lived barbarians."

"To encourage a long-lived species to face death, they need to be given sufficient spiritual and material incentives."

"I can provide you with all these material things, including titles, fiefs, hereditary official positions, and perpetual land."

"But in terms of morale, we need your help!"

Chen Zilong felt an even greater sense of responsibility after hearing the emperor's words.

If his "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs" is not worthy of a temple or monument to heroes and martyrs, then what he leaves behind will not be fame, but likely ridicule.

Therefore, he decided to devote all his energy to writing "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs".

To make things easier for him, Zhu Youjian appointed him as the compiler of the "History of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty" to facilitate his access to materials.

He also needs to review the parts about the biographies of heroes and martyrs to avoid contradictions between the two books.

In dealing with barbarians, the primary approach should be criticism, but at the same time, education and guidance should be provided to show them the way out.

In Zhu Youjian's view, traditional methods of educating barbarians were not very effective.

Many barbarians were educated at the time, but they may still rebel later.

Both the Han and Tang dynasties suffered greatly from the assimilation of barbarian tribes.

Even the Ming Dynasty was deeply troubled by it. The three major campaigns launched by the Wanli Emperor, triggered by the rebellion of the barbarians, still cause great harm to the court to this day.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian pointed out that the purpose of education is assimilation, to teach barbarians to become Chinese, or even to absorb them into Han people, to draw a clear line between them and their original ethnic group, or even to assimilate them as a whole.

In this way, there would be no distinction between ethnic groups, and naturally, there would be no worry about them rebelling.

In the future world of great harmony, there will certainly be no distinction between ethnic groups.

The purpose of education is assimilation, and this should be reflected in books such as "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs".

Those descendants of Mongols and Semu people who submitted to the Ming Dynasty and became completely Sinicized can serve as examples to prove the correctness of this policy.

Even barbarians who are assimilated can become heroes; he was not someone who denied barbarians a way out.

Chen Zilong wrote them down one by one, feeling that they could not only be included in "Biographies of Heroes and Martyrs," but also be published as several academic papers.

The Hanlin Academy shouldn't be the only institution to promote the distinction between Chinese and barbarians; the Chinese Academy of Sciences can do the same.

Unbeknownst to him, this incident caused a major uproar at the Academy of Sciences, revealing flaws to some people who were keenly interested in science.
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As an academic institution within the inner court, the Academy of Sciences currently has little influence. The court officials, busy with leadership transitions, pay it little attention.

However, Qian Qianyi, as the chief compiler of the History of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty and also the head of the Hanlin Academy and the person in charge of religious ceremonies, was still aware of this.

He was particularly devastated to learn of the emperor's thoughts from the young man Chen Zilong.

During this period, Qian Qianyi was somewhat disappointed.

He discovered that after becoming the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, his status did not improve as he had hoped, and the emperor did not regard him as a trusted minister.

Otherwise, he shouldn't have received the emperor's instructions regarding the direction of compiling the "History of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty" from Chen Zilong. Instead, the emperor summoned him to the palace to discuss and make arrangements.

What disappointed him most was that the real power he held had decreased compared to before.

This was something he hadn't anticipated before he sought the position of Vice Minister of Rites:

"This shouldn't be!" "The Left Vice Minister is superior to the Right Vice Minister, so why has my actual power decreased?"

When Qian Qianyi pondered this matter with his disciple Qu Shisi, he was quite puzzled.

Qu Shisi hadn't expected this at first, but after Qian Qianyi explained his current situation, he immediately understood:
"Sir, you do not have a directly subordinate office in the Ministry of Rites, so you feel that your real power has been reduced."

"When you were serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the official position in the Ministry of Rites was not important to you. What was more important was your concurrent position as Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as well as the position of President of the Hanlin Academy and Academician of the Secretariat."

"Now that these part-time jobs are gone, and you're no longer the head of the Ministry of Rites, it's natural to feel that your real power has been reduced."

As the Left Vice Minister of Rites, Qian Qianyi was the assistant to the Minister of Rites. When the Minister of Rites was absent, he could preside over the affairs of the Ministry of Rites.

However, this was ultimately illegitimate and could not be considered a power that truly belonged to him.

Qu Shisi suggested:

"The Ministry of Rites currently has four departments: the Department of Ceremonies, the Department of Music and Rites, the Department of Education, and the Department of Propaganda."

"Sir, you must at least have one person in your possession, someone you can trust."

"This way, you'll have a handle when you're doing things, instead of being busy all the time without any real power."

Qian Qianyi nodded in agreement and immediately began his analysis:

"The Department of Ceremonial Affairs has the greatest power and is crucial in the reform of rites and music."

"Minister Sihan is not going to let go of this; we can't get involved."

"The same goes for the Department of Rites and Music. It is very important in the creation of rites and music, but the Emperor has assigned the Imperial Music Troupe to be in charge of this. Normally, the Department of Rites and Music only manages the Music Bureau and is responsible for miscellaneous matters such as collecting music and drama. There is no need for us to compete for it."

“If the Department of Education does a good job, it will easily achieve results and win the hearts of scholars. But if it does a bad job, it will easily attract criticism and be despised by scholars.”

"The Propaganda Department was newly established not long ago, but judging from the Emperor's attitude, it seems to be highly valued."

They are interested in taking control of the Propaganda Department, or plotting to seize control of the Education Department.

These two bureaucratic agencies, if placed in later generations, could be established as ministries, wielding immense power, no less than the Nine Temples.

As long as he controlled one thing, Qian Qianyi would have a solid base of support within the Ministry of Rites.

If he possesses both, he can rival the Minister of Rites.

Qu Shisi never considered having his teacher and the Minister of Rites vie for power; that was impossible.

After all, the Minister of Rites is not only one of the Nine Ministers, but also a Grand Secretary, a natural candidate for the cabinet.

It's good enough if you can coexist peacefully with such officials; don't even think about challenging them.

He only wanted to control a department, and suggested:

"The current emperor cherishes his reputation very much and loves his people very much."

“Before formulating laws, regulations, and policies, people always like to cite classical texts or observe public reactions.”

"Moreover, after the regulations were formulated, great importance was attached to publicity so that the people would know the original intention."

"There is much that can be done in the Propaganda Department. If done well, it can bring us closer to His Majesty."

It is suggested that Qian Qianyi focus his efforts on the Propaganda Department, which would help him to get closer to the emperor.

On the contrary, even if the Ministry of Education did a good job in education and gained the support of scholars, the emperor would not feel anything. In fact, the emperor might even be wary of the scholars because of their good reputation.

Qian Qianyi knew he wasn't someone who could argue logically with the emperor; what he needed to do was flatter the emperor. His relationship with the emperor was the key to his advancement.

Therefore, he nodded in agreement with Qu Shisi's words, and also felt that the Propaganda Department was closer to the emperor than the Education Department.

Thinking of what Chen Zilong had told him, Qian Qianyi sighed:

"His Majesty's emphasis on the distinction between Chinese and barbarians is truly extraordinary!"

"Not only did they recognize the long-lived and short-lived species, but they also invented the immortal species to encourage people to resist the barbarians."

“Now those who resist the barbarians are regarded as heroes, while those who served the Yuan Dynasty are regarded as reactionaries who have become barbarians.”

"How can the History of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty be written like this? Are we supposed to criticize the Yuan court and its officials?"

"No historical record from any dynasty has ever been written like this. Aren't you afraid that future dynasties will distort the 'History of Ming'?"

This practice of criticizing the previous dynasty has been met with considerable controversy.

He acknowledged the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, but using whether or not one helped or resisted barbarians as a standard of evaluation was, in his view, too extreme, and would tarnish the reputation of many virtuous people.

In particular, he believed that besides the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, there were also principles of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. The current emperor placed all of these behind the fundamental principle of separating Chinese and barbarians, which greatly displeased him.

By this standard, all the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty would be reactionaries.

Even the Shang and Zhou dynasties had figures like Boyi and Shuqi; how could the Ming dynasty not allow such people to exist?
His resentment towards the emperor was partly due to this reason—

If it were a face-to-face discussion, even if he didn't dare to refute, he would definitely offer his own opinion.

But how could the emperor discern the truth from Chen Zilong's account?

This made him feel like he no longer had the right to speak in front of the emperor, and was just a servant.

He felt very disappointed and sensed a crisis.
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Qu Shisi listened to his teacher's words and was quite unconvinced.

In his view, the teacher's current situation is entirely his own fault, and he has no reason to blame the emperor.

Just like the emperor's assessment, he also felt that his teacher was not firm enough:

They wanted to curry favor with the emperor to gain power, but they also had the pride of a scholar.

They often give up when faced with significant resistance.

This approach is absolutely deadly.

Not only did he fail to gain staunch supporters, but even the emperor himself did not consider his loyalty absolute.

This approach might be acceptable when the emperor has just ascended the throne and needs to employ people.

However, when the emperor already held absolute power and had countless people siding with him, they were essentially deliberately distancing themselves from him.

If the teacher continues to hesitate like this, he will soon be replaced by someone else.

Therefore, Qu Shisi did not argue with his teacher at all, but instead said:
"The Yuan Dynasty was not a legitimate dynasty. What right do we have to talk about loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness with a barbarian ruler?"

"We will do whatever the Emperor says."

"Moreover, there's nothing wrong with de-barbarization. Why should we, the great Chinese nation, learn from the barbarians?"

"If you want to take control of the Propaganda Department, you need something to focus on."

"This is a good opportunity to promote the distinction between Chinese and barbarians and to set rules for the surgical department of the Academy of Sciences."

“The scientific school led by Zhang Pu and Chen Zilong is gaining more and more influence. If our practical school wants to gain the upper hand in the court, we must suppress them.”

They believe that suppressing the scientific faction is an urgent matter, and that in the future, schools of thought will be the biggest distinction in the imperial court.

The current emperor strictly restricts those from the same hometown, party, or society, but he has not imposed any restrictions on those from the same school of thought.

The best way for court officials to form alliances is through academic connections.

The schools of thought, the schools of mind, the schools of practical learning, the schools of science... these academic inclinations will become the biggest labels on officials.

Qu Shisi keenly perceived this trend and believed that the scientific school should be suppressed while the practical school's status should be elevated. This would allow them to gain an early advantage in future academic debates. (End of Chapter)