Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian believed that his ministers had not understood, but in fact, he underestimated them.

These people were able to pass the imperial examinations and become ministers, making them arguably the most brilliant group of people in the Ming Dynasty.

After the emperor said, "Politics should be decided by the collective, but sacrifices should be performed by me," they understood that what the current emperor cared about was not governance, but rather seeking power over the orthodox tradition.

This is unacceptable to them:
Because before this, the orthodox tradition was in their hands.

Using this, they could criticize the emperor with the words of a sage. When the emperor's actions did not meet their expectations, they could righteously criticize him and gain the respect and admiration of the people.

If the emperor seizes power over the moral authority, how can they criticize him when he makes mistakes? How can they uphold morality?

Therefore, even among the court officials who believed Qiao Zhou's ideas were wrong, they were unwilling for the emperor to publicly criticize him. Wen Zhenmeng, a scholar of the Imperial Secretariat, said:
"Your Majesty, Qiao Zhou's words are indeed inappropriate."

"But appeasing the people and winning their hearts is the ultimate principle of governance."

"When dealing with matters, one should proceed slowly and deliberately, and not exhaust the resources to the point of exhaustion."

This has garnered much praise, with many believing that Qiao Zhou's "On Hatred of the State" is not entirely without merit. The principles of recuperation and pacification of the people are timeless truths.

On the contrary, the practices of Emperor Wu of Han, which were praised by the emperor, worried many people. They did not want years of war to lead to the depletion of the country and the halving of the population.

Zhu Youjian sighed and rubbed his forehead upon hearing this, without arguing with these people.

He couldn't refute the views in "Anti-Nationalism," which is a very deceptive theory.

He could only point to Wen Zhenmeng and address the assembled officials:

"Look, this is the harm caused by Qiao Zhou's ideology, its poison still lingers today."

"Does it matter whether the views in 'Anti-Nationalism' are correct or not? What matters is that it should not exist at all."

"After Qiao Zhou published 'On the Hatred of the State,' the pro-peace faction in Shu Han rose rapidly and engaged in fierce debates with the pro-war faction."

"Shu Han was originally weak and a small country compared to Cao Wei. Only by concentrating all its strength could it use offense as defense and prevent Cao Wei from invading."

"Once internal disputes arose, the state could no longer focus its efforts on external threats. As a result, the Shu Han state grew weaker and weaker, and eventually perished at the hands of foreign enemies."

"It can be said that Qiao Zhou undermined the morale of the Shu Han people, and even destroyed the very meaning of Shu Han's existence."

"As a result, when they encountered Deng Ai's surprise attack, apart from a few people like Zhuge Zhan, Liu Shan and the subjects of Shu Han had no will to fight."

"Don't you know how to reflect on the consequences of these events recorded in history? And you still want to argue with me about whether 'On the Hatred of the State' is acceptable?"

He got angrier and angrier as he talked, and almost roared out.

Wen Zhenmeng was speechless. Before he could gather his thoughts, Zhu Youjian immediately continued:

"What is the purpose of theory? It is to guide practice."

"Practice has already proven the failure of Qiao Zhou's ideas, so why do people still believe in his theories?"

"If the court had not decisively dealt with the peace faction during the defense of Beijing in the Zhengtong era, how could the victory of the defense of Beijing have been guaranteed when the people were eager to retreat?"

"Yu Zhongsu's greatest contribution lies in this: he ended the court's debate over war and peace and strengthened the people's determination to fight."

"If Li Gang had been given important positions during the Jingkang Incident, and the court had resolutely resisted the invaders, how could the Song Dynasty have ended up in the fall of the country and the southward migration, leaving behind the humiliation of the Jingkang Incident?"

"The different outcomes of these two wars are something everyone should reflect upon."

"The Hanlin Academy should carefully study and compare the measures implemented during this period."

"Only in this way can we learn from history and understand the rise and fall of dynasties."

They directly criticized Qiao Zhou's ideas based on practical results, arguing that no matter how perfect his theories were, practice had proven them to be worthless.

This aligned with the ideas of practical learning, and Qian Qianyi was very pleased, echoing:

"In times of war, everyone should be of one mind." "Therefore, when Yuan Shikai initiated a state of war, he implemented public opinion control."

"I believe this should be written into the rites and laws, and during wartime, we must not allow false rumors to confuse people's minds."

Yuan Keli faced considerable criticism last year due to media censorship, and upon hearing Qian Qianyi's support, he immediately explained:

"Sun Tzu's Art of War says: 'The Way is to make the people agree with their ruler, so that they will follow him to the death and to live, without fear of danger.'"

"This is what Sun Tzu puts first; morality must be upheld during wartime."

"I believe that during wartime, public opinion should be controlled to prevent fallacies like those of Qiao Zhou from spreading."

"Normally there is no need for debate; we should allow for discussion and not punish people for their words."

They believed that the emperor should maintain control during wartime, while deliberation was still necessary during peacetime.

Zhu Youjian did not seek to seize control of the orthodox doctrine in a single meeting. With the support of Yuan Keli and Qian Qianyi, he ordered the Ministry of Rites and the Privy Council to cooperate in perfecting wartime public opinion policy.

No matter how much we fight in peacetime, we must unify our thinking in wartime, and everything must be aimed at victory.

As for the rest, he can take it slowly; he has plenty of patience now.

Especially seeing the somewhat silent ministers, he earnestly instructed them:

"The reason why Shu Han perished was because Liu Shan failed to uphold the principle of 'offering sacrifices to the king.'"

"What is sacrifice? It is not just a formal ceremony, but more importantly, a spiritual and intellectual one."

"When Qiao Zhou's ideas emerged, Liu Shan not only did not suppress them, but also promoted him. This is where his folly lay; he directly relinquished power over matters of thought and ideology."

"The final result was that the meaning of Shu Han's existence was undermined by Qiao Zhou's ideology, and the emperor, his ministers, and the people all lost their will to fight."

"All the ministers have titles and are destined to become feudal lords. You must remember this lesson and never give up your right to perform sacrifices."

"If anyone challenges this point, we must not hesitate to suppress them."

Speaking with murderous intent, Zhu Youjian, under the guise of instructing the feudal lords, instructed Qian Qianyi:
"The purpose of establishing the Datong Academy is to study how to move towards Datong."

"Especially in terms of ideology, there needs to be a mainstream consciousness that all groups can agree on."

"You have an obligation to refute anything that does not conform to or is harmful to this mainstream ideology, and to prevent such ideas from poisoning the world."

“All countries should also establish branches of the Datong Association under the guidance of the Datong Academy to ensure ideological unity.”

"If anyone promotes the idea that vassal states should be independent, not pay taxes or labor to the court, or refuse to be summoned for military service, the Datong Academy should refute it without hesitation and request that it be banned."

These words express expectations for Datong Academy.

Upon hearing this, Qian Qianyi quickly understood that the emperor intended to use the Datong Academy as an assistant in the orthodox tradition, helping to control the power of sacrifices.

This undoubtedly elevated the status of the Datong Academy, and Qian Qianyi, who was in charge of setting up this institution, said with great pleasure:

"Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations."

"The Education Committee is drafting the Education Law. I request that this law be improved to prevent the spread of fallacies."

Zhu Youjian nodded, expressing his approval of Qian Qianyi's initiative.

Having failed to gain the approval of his ministers, he decided to place greater emphasis on the Datong Academy outside the court and on employing talented individuals from the common people.

As for his earlier statement that "government affairs are decided by collective discussion, while sacrifices are performed by the emperor," he naturally did not bring it up again, given that his ministers were unwilling to relinquish their power to perform sacrifices.

This discussion between the emperor and his ministers ultimately ended in a dismal failure. (End of Chapter)