Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

For the Ming Dynasty, de-Huization was absolutely politically correct.

Because the entire Ming Dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang who expelled the barbarians.

After this sentence was written into the general principles of etiquette and law, it became the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian used Chinese to educate the Hu people, and no one among his ministers dared to object.

Different groups of people had to pass Chinese language tests of different levels to become citizens and be recognized by the officials.

After discussing how the descendants of Han people outside the country could become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, the Minister of Revenue Bi Ziyan said:
"Descendants of Han people who have not been assimilated to the barbarians can also become citizens of the Ming Dynasty if they are born outside the country."

"How are their taxes collected? How can they enjoy their civil rights?"

Zhu Youjian couldn't do much about it because later China did not recognize dual citizenship and he could not learn from it in this regard.

So he could only say:
"All overseas Han Chinese descendants can take a Chinese language test and become citizens when they turn 16."

"If you really can't read, you can serve in the army for three years, receive education in the army, and then obtain citizenship."

"After that, we will collect taxes as we should, and pay personal income tax and property tax according to our income every year."

"How should the tax be divided between the imperial court and the vassal states, and how should it be collected from Han Chinese living abroad? The Ministry of Revenue, the Lifanyuan, and the Overseas Chinese Committee of the National Assembly should work together to formulate a plan."

The matter was referred to the Ministry of Revenue, and descendants of Han people living abroad were given the opportunity to join the army and obtain citizenship.

Bi Ziyan bowed and responded, then asked:

"So what were these people's identities before they were sixteen?"

“Do I need to pay taxes? What rights do I have?”

According to the preliminary draft of the rites and laws convention, only by paying taxes and performing military service could one become a citizen of the Ming Dynasty and enjoy the various rights granted by the court.

The status of those who did not have Ming citizenship and were living abroad was rather awkward, and Bi Ziyan did not know how to collect taxes from them.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youjian said:
"Ming citizens can also hold vassal citizenship. If they do not have vassal citizenship, they are Ming citizens living abroad."

“The establishment of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission is to protect the rights and interests of these people and allow them to elect representatives to participate in the National Assembly.”

"The descendants of these people are also overseas Chinese. They do not need to pay taxes or serve in the military before the age of sixteen. Their status is that of Ming residents living abroad."

"As long as their fathers, grandfathers, or great-grandfathers once held Ming citizenship, they can become Ming citizens by taking exams or serving in the military."

"If three consecutive generations fail to become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, their overseas Chinese status will be cancelled and they will become ethnic Chinese."

"If the Chinese want to become citizens of the Ming Dynasty, they should follow the naturalization procedures of the foreigners."

If no one in three generations can become a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, it means that such an overseas Chinese family has been assimilated into the barbarians, and the Overseas Chinese Committee of the Ming Dynasty will no longer protect their rights.

This was a measure taken by Zhu Youjian to prevent the Han people from becoming barbaric, and he granted the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission the power to educate overseas Chinese.

However, not all overseas Chinese are loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Cheng Ji, the Minister of Rites, said:
"What if overseas Chinese pledge allegiance to foreign monarchs and acquire foreign nationality?"

"Will their identities still be recognized? Will they be allowed to hold both Ming and foreign nationality at the same time?"

This is another troublesome matter. Zhu Youjian is willing to recognize the dual nationality of Ming Dynasty and its vassal states because he has already determined:

Officials of vassal states also had to put loyalty to the emperor first, and loyalty to the vassal monarch second.

Citizens of the Ming Dynasty should naturally do the same and put loyalty to the Ming Dynasty first.

Vassal states have no choice in this regard, but foreign countries may not necessarily agree, especially since some countries have naturalization oaths that require allegiance to the monarch.

So, after thinking about it, Zhu Youjian said:
"Overseas Chinese who pledge allegiance to a foreign country that is hostile to the Ming Dynasty are traitors and their citizenship will be revoked."

"Other foreign countries will look at the signed agreements and are willing to allow Ming citizens to simultaneously hold the nationality of these countries if they are willing to place Ming citizens' loyalty to Ming first and theirs second."

"Otherwise, joining a foreign nationality means giving up Ming nationality, and your identity will automatically change to Chinese."

The naturalization requirements for Chinese are the same as those for foreigners. How do foreigners become naturalized?
Zhu Youjian just said a little bit, and now his thoughts are clearer, he continued:

"For the foreigners currently living in the territory of the Ming Dynasty, as long as they are willing to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, willing to pay taxes and serve in the army, use Chinese surnames and speak Chinese, and pass the Ding-level examination, they can become citizens of the Ming Dynasty."

"Yellow people who are not in the territory of Ming Dynasty but admire Ming Dynasty and are willing to naturalize can become citizens of Ming Dynasty by passing the Class C test."

"Whites and blacks who have made contributions and have been commended by the court, or have donated money to the government, can also apply for naturalization by passing the B-level test."

"Others need to pass the A-level exam to be eligible to apply to become citizens of the Ming Dynasty."

"These non-Han people who admire China can be called Chinese citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Their descendants need to pass the Ding-level examination to obtain Ming citizenship."

"After three consecutive generations of being citizens of the Ming Dynasty, one can be fully naturalized as a Han Chinese, and his descendants can become citizens of the Ming Dynasty at birth."

The naturalization requirements for non-Han people were also stated.

The ministers were puzzled. Xu Guangqi said:
"How do you distinguish between white people, black people, and yellow people?"

"Who are the Koreans, Mongols, Jurchens and other ethnic minorities?"

When Zhu Youjian heard this question, he remembered that he had never talked about the concept of race. These people could understand the literal meaning, but did not fully understand it.

He immediately recalled his knowledge of human race and said to his ministers:
"Based on physical characteristics such as skin color and hair color, there are generally three types of people in the world: yellow, white, and black."

"Among them, Shenzhou, America and the islands of the South Pacific are mostly inhabited by yellow people."

"They are either descendants of Yan and Huang, or they share the same ancestor with Yan and Huang. They are closest to the Han people in terms of blood relationship."

"It is relatively easier to educate them to become Han Chinese."

This made some people suddenly realize, while some people frowned.

Don’t they think that they have the same ancestors as the Mongols, Jurchens and other barbarians, and are unwilling to accept them in their hearts?
At this time, "Records of the Grand Historian" written by Sima Qian came into play: he included the ancestors of the surrounding foreign tribes such as the Xiongnu, Nanyue, Dongyue, and Southwestern Yi into the common ancestry lineage of the Chinese.

This is what is called the common ancestor of the Chinese and the barbarians. The distinction between the Chinese and the barbarians is only due to cultural differences.

In this way, as long as these people were willing to accept education, they would naturally be naturalized as Chinese. After three generations of naturalization and intermarriage with the Han people according to the policy set by Taizu, they completely became Han people.

Zhu Youjian proposed that other yellow people also shared the same ancestor with the descendants of Yan and Huang, which was a further extension of the common ancestor of Hua and Yi. In this way, he naturalized other people with similar skin color to the Han people and united them to drive out the Western colonizers.

Even if the ministers disagreed, they could not find any reason to object. After citing classics and arguing for a while, they finally determined that the yellow race was most likely to have the same ancestor as Yan and Huang, and that the order of naturalization was before that of whites and blacks.

They also accept the term "yellow race" and believe that they are all descendants or relatives of the Yellow Emperor.

Zhu Youjian combined blood and culture to build a Chinese ethnic system with Han people as the core. This system is not exclusive, and anyone can become a Chinese or Han Chinese by accepting education.

He hopes to unite all those who are loyal to China to deal with the racism that has emerged after the rise of Western nationalism.
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Qian Qianyi, who had just been reprimanded by the emperor, did not understand all this, but it did not prevent him from seizing the opportunity and echoing:

"What the Emperor said is true."

"Only when the skin and hair color are the same can they be educated more easily. Just like the Wu family of Gongshun Hou, they have long been no different from the Han people."

"But the Semites are difficult to educate. It takes several or even dozens of generations for them to become Han Chinese."

"Today, there are still some Semites who still use foreign customs and foreign languages."

After hearing this, Zhu Youjian finally thought of the problem of the Semites brought by the Mongols in the Ming Dynasty, and immediately said:

"The Wu family of Gongshun Hou has been influenced by the king for generations, using Chinese surnames and speaking Chinese. Now they can indeed be called Han people."

"But some Mongols and Semites have lived in the Ming Dynasty for hundreds of years, but they still do not use Chinese but use foreign languages. Such people should be expelled."

"Local governments should pay more attention to these ethnic minorities who are unwilling to accept education when conducting household registration checks, and give priority to relocating them."

"From now on, only Han Chinese can live in the territory of Ming Dynasty. Those who do not want to be educated can only be temporary or permanent residents."

Qian Qianyi's superior, Cheng Jiming, the Minister of Rites, who was also a member of the Donglin Party, immediately said:
"The Mongols who were settled in Hejian still follow the barbarian customs."

"Some men wear left-side lapel, and women do this more often. Children wear fox and dog tails as a crown, and their bodies are covered with fur and leather. This is called dazhuang."

"Now that the desert south has been pacified, these people are uncivilized and should be expelled."

Many officials in the north knew about this matter, and they also knew about the foreign customs of these people, which even affected the capital.

They have always been a big problem for local security.

Therefore, when Cheng Jiming proposed to move the army, these officials all agreed.

However, the Privy Councilor in charge of military affairs was worried that such forced migration would cause chaos in the local area.

Zhu Youjian was also worried about local unrest, but he knew that keeping these people would become a chronic problem within the Ming Dynasty.

Not to mention the harm done by some Mongols to local areas, there is a saying that the reason why Beijing was broken into was that foreigners opened the city.

So he said firmly:
"Taizu Fengtian's Northern Expedition Manifesto to Suppress Yuan Dynasty once said:"

"Those who submit to me shall live in peace in China forever, and those who betray me shall flee to the outer reaches of the Great Wall."

"These people have refused to accept education for so many generations, which shows that they are unwilling to submit."

"In that case, move them abroad and beyond the Great Wall. Do not keep them in the country any longer."

The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites were ordered to jointly form the Education Committee to rectify these places within a time limit, and those who refused to accept education would be relocated.

The official positions of high-ranking officials in the mainland were also abolished, and they either naturalized as Han people or moved abroad.

Yuan Keli frowned as he watched the ministers accept the order, knowing that the emperor was going to mess up the internal affairs again. According to this approach, there would inevitably be some chaos within the Ming Dynasty.

He wanted to say something, but thinking about the people who had been evacuated due to the natural disaster, he didn't say anything in the end.

Compared with relocating Han people, it is better to relocate the foreigners who are unwilling to submit to the Han Dynasty, so as to avoid foreigners taking advantage of the lack of Han people in some places to cause chaos.

Moreover, with the current combat effectiveness of the new army, there will be no big problems even if these alien races cause chaos. We can suppress them by simply sending out a battalion of troops.

With the support of the emperor, the ministers reiterated the ban on Hu customs such as Hu clothing, Hu language, and Hu surnames, and supported the Education Committee to formulate laws to educate these foreigners.

However, there are also people who believe that certain ethnic minorities have not been educated for hundreds of years and are opposed to naturalizing them, believing that these people are unfit for education.

In this regard, Zhu Youjian said:
"Xunzi said: "The children of Gan, Yue, Yi and He have the same voice at birth, but grow up with different customs. This is due to education."

"Education can make people of the same race but with different customs, even become enemies. It can also make people of different races share the same customs, and become as close as brothers."

“Of course there are some foreigners who are not worthy of being educated, but there are many more who are willing to be educated. We should not blindly reject them.”

"The Education Committee must formulate appropriate education measures to allow more people to pass the Chinese language test and be eligible to become citizens of the Ming Dynasty."

We still insist on using cultural education to absorb more people into becoming Chinese and Han people.

He hoped that the Ming Dynasty would be open and inclusive, just like the Tang Dynasty.

However, the Tang Dynasty's indulgence of the Hu people in the An-Shi Rebellion also gave him a great warning. Therefore, he was very strict in education and rejected foreigners with different intentions.

Only those who accepted education could become citizens of the Ming Dynasty and have political rights such as being an official. Otherwise, even if they could be an official, they could only be foreign officials, serving abroad, and there were not many positions in the court.

In order to avoid the harm caused by the migration of the Hu people, he required all places to count the proportion of Han people when they counted the household registration. Only places where the number of Han people exceeded half could be designated as Chinese-speaking areas.

Otherwise it is a foreign language area, and people living there need to pass a Chinese language test of the corresponding level to obtain Ming citizenship.

According to this regulation, the population under the jurisdiction of some chieftains could not be defined as citizens of the Ming Dynasty as a whole. The imperial court had to send officials specifically to educate and transform these places into Chinese-speaking areas.

The Education Committee will play an important role in these places, and the main responsibility of the local council is to assist the government and educate the people to become qualified citizens of the Ming Dynasty.

The Nationalities Committee has also found its own position:

Determine the classification of various ethnic groups and finalize their naturalization requirements.

Communicate with people of all ethnic groups, determine strategies for their education, cultivate people who are loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and prevent them from being hostile to the Ming Dynasty as a whole.

Because these tasks were closely related to the Education Committee, the Nationalities Committee was incorporated into the Education Committee and became a second-level committee under the Education Committee.

It was replaced by the Noble Committee, which was composed of the Standing Committee of the Noble Parliament. It was requested by the civil servants to be included in the Congress.

Obviously, the civil servants hope to strengthen their control over the aristocratic parliament and prevent this parliament from being independent of Parliament.

Zhu Youjian was noncommittal about this, because the inclusion of the Parliament of Nobles into the National Assembly would have both advantages and disadvantages for him:
On the one hand, since most nobles were dependent on the emperor, their joining the parliament would strengthen the emperor's control over the parliament.

The disadvantage is that his control over the aristocratic parliament will be weakened, and civil servants will be able to influence the aristocracy and the Lifanyuan through parliament.

So Zhu Youjian gave the choice to the nobles and let them decide for themselves.

How could the nobles of the Ming Dynasty withstand the pressure from the civil servants? Under their coercion, they could only acknowledge that the Parliament of Aristocrats belonged to the National Congress.

However, they also fought for an independent status for the Noble Council: the Noble Council was not led by the Standing Committee of the Congress, only the plenary session of the Congress could veto the resolutions of the Noble Council, and civil servants had to safeguard the power of the Noble Council in the feudal etiquette.

The structure of the National Assembly has been further improved, and it is increasingly representing the will of the people and becoming a platform for the monarch, his subjects and the people to jointly govern the country. (End of this chapter)