Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

To conquer barbarians, we need not only food, but also weapons and armaments.

In response, Zhu Youjian instructed Yuan Keli:

"The future will be the age of firearms, and all of the Ming Dynasty's weapons must be upgraded."

“Take out all the weapons that were previously stored and distribute them to the immigrants to fight the barbarians.”

Yuan Keli was somewhat embarrassed:

“In the past, it was common for accounts to be chaotic and for military equipment to be incomplete in various places.”

"There is a war going on in Liaodong now; this is not the time to settle old scores."

They advised the emperor not to pursue the matter too much and to turn a blind eye.

Zhu Youjian did not place much importance on those old weapons, after all, their role in the age of firearms was very limited.

However, the supply of firearms is too great for the army, and it is impossible to equip every military and civilian household with firearms at present.

The outlying garrisons must store some cold weapons so that they can be issued to the militia reserves in the event of war.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youjian decided to combine leniency with severity, and issued the following order:

“Starting from the first year of Chongzhen’s reign, investigations were conducted. Those whose accounts did not match before were allowed to perform meritorious service or pay silver to redeem themselves.”

"Any problems that arise after the first year of the Chongzhen reign shall be dealt with in the same way as before."

"Isn't the Censorate a bit free? Let them send people to reinforce the Military Supervisory Office to investigate, first to find out the stockpiled weapons in Beizhili, and transport them there..."

Originally intending to transport them to Cangzhou, Zhu Youjian worried that the disaster victims would seize the weapons and rebel, so he changed his mind and said:

"It will be transported to Tianjin Port and supplied to the front lines along with other equipment."

"Have the logistics department establish a management system to improve the arms reserve."

"From now on, the governors, inspectors, the logistics department, the military supervisory office, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will all have the power to inspect the inventory."

Using multiple government departments for oversight increases the cost of reselling warehouse goods.

Yuan Keli, in his discussion of the strict investigation into problems that occurred after the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, thought of the previous strict investigations into corrupt officials who continued their corrupt practices after that year.

This measure did improve the atmosphere in officialdom, preventing it from deteriorating further.

In particular, the officials after the first year of the Chongzhen reign showed a clear change compared to those before.

Thinking back to the shirking of responsibility in various places when supplies were being mobilized, Yuan Keli decided to investigate thoroughly, make an example of some officials to warn others, and take the wartime state seriously.
-
After discussing military equipment for a while, Zhu Youjian brought up another matter:

"Overseas expansion and development requires governance by officials."

"Nearly ten thousand candidates participated in this imperial examination, but the court only recruited eight hundred Jinshi and eight hundred Supplementary List members."

"It's really pitiful for those who passed the imperial examinations."

"I intend to give them a chance. Anyone who is willing to serve as a civilian officer in a garrison outside the Great Wall will be granted the rank of Second Lieutenant of the Ninth Rank, and will be promoted every five years as a military officer."

"This will show my sincere heart and allow me to share the benefits of development with my subjects."

When this idea was proposed, Yuan Keli raised his hand in approval, because he had already sensed the shortage of civilian military officers.

As the Privy Council, which served as the wartime cabinet, the need for talent was intense, and he requested the emperor to:
"The Privy Council is short-staffed. Could we recruit some people from among these staff to fill the positions?"

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:
"If someone has the title of Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system) and also passes the examination on etiquette and mathematics, the Privy Council can retain them."

"But without these two kinds of examination certificates, one can only be transferred to the Privy Council by making outstanding contributions over the years."

"The Privy Council should be staffed with quality over quantity. It is better to recruit college students who have passed the math exam for internships than to recruit just anyone."

Yuan Keli was not entirely satisfied with this, but after speaking with the emperor, he learned of the emperor's concerns—

The current expansion of the Privy Council is temporary. After the wartime state ends, many officials will be transferred to local posts. If someone abuses their power to bring in relatives or protégés, then the Privy Council during the wartime state will become an opportunity for some to gain prestige.

It's one thing if they're just trying to get credit, but the real problem is that some people might steal the credit and affect the war effort on the front lines.

Therefore, the emperor insisted on quality over quantity, preferring to use interns as temporary replacements.

However, policies should also be in place for interns, Yuan Keli said:

"If an intern makes a good contribution, can they be promoted to a full-time position?"

"I believe we should give them opportunities and encourage them to do things."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement:
"Interns who make outstanding contributions can be promoted to the rank of ninth-grade official according to policy."

"But these people, just like those who passed the provincial examination and were appointed to official positions, were treated as non-successful candidates in the imperial examination."

By using a relatively low position, it curbs some people from using Privy Council positions as a means of advancement.

After pondering for a moment, Yuan Keli asked the emperor again:

"Even if you are not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), your background must be clearly stated."

"Should we classify them as either Juren (举人) or Xiucai (秀才)?"

Zhu Youjian did not open up official positions to those who had passed the imperial examinations or the county-level examinations. His purpose in recruiting these people, besides supplementing the officials outside the capital, was to weed out those who studied the old classics.

Therefore, he was unwilling to accept this as the norm, and after thinking it over, he said:

"This time, the successful candidates in the imperial examinations will be appointed to official positions and will be granted special privileges."

“Equally outstanding college students should also be given some spots.”

“Those who are granted special privileges will start as officials of the ninth rank. If they make outstanding contributions, they may be granted the title of Yuanshi and enjoy the treatment of Jinshi.”

As he spoke, he thought of the martial artists who had participated in the martial arts examinations and tournaments, and gave the order:

"Those who pass the imperial examinations in martial arts, as well as those who rank in the top 100 in horse combat at the martial arts tournament and the top 10 in other individual events, will also be given the opportunity to become officials."

"Upon enlistment, one will be granted at least the rank of second lieutenant (rank nine), and after military academy training, will begin as a squad leader."

We must capture all these talented individuals and send them all to Liaodong to fight the barbarians.
-
After the policy was announced, the scholars and military officers who had not yet left the capital were overjoyed.

They felt that the current emperor was truly a wise ruler, as he had given them so many opportunities to become officials.

Pan, a scholar from Nanjing, was one of them.

He was originally just a scholar who did accounting, but because Nanjing held the provincial examination for accounting, he was promoted to the rank of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) as a supplementary candidate.

After arriving in the capital to participate in the imperial examination for mathematics, he unsurprisingly failed, and he didn't even pass the subsequent special examination.

However, with his scholarly background, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find an accounting job in the capital. He planned to obtain his accountant, tax agent, and auditor qualifications before returning to his hometown to make a living.

Seeing that the imperial court was about to recruit successful candidates in the imperial examinations to become officials, Pan, the successful candidate, immediately saw an opportunity:

With his proficiency in arithmetic, passing the arithmetic exam would be a piece of cake.

Therefore, like many other successful candidates, Pan registered for the ritual and mathematics examination to be held in June, intending to secure a position in the Privy Council.

There were also some people who gritted their teeth and went to southern Liaoning, intending to take the risks and make a living there.

If scholars are like this, the military men in the capital are even more eager.

Those qualified to be officials joined the army, while those not qualified chose to attach themselves to people like Tian Jianxiu, hoping to find an opportunity through them.

After Tian Jianxiu returned to Liaonan with the 5,000 recruited military households, he found that many familiar military men had come to join him. He was overjoyed and appointed these men as soldiers, acting as captains and platoon leaders.

His guerrilla battalion was quickly established and strengthened. Many were watching to see if he could lead these refugees to "fight the barbarians and distribute the land." (End of Chapter)