Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Such a large-scale bestowal of rewards made even the most obtuse minister realize that the emperor was creating a new group of meritorious officials.

If it weren't for the prior stipulation that high-ranking nobles could not serve as ministers or chancellors, it's likely that civil officials would have risen up in opposition.

They didn't want to go back to the early days of the dynasty, when they were at the mercy of nobles.

Now that these people won't compete with them for positions, they naturally don't mind.

Some even secretly hoped that they would also be granted the title of Zhongxing.

They didn't have to wait long. After rewarding the meritorious officials at the front, Zhu Youjian began to reward the meritorious officials in the rear.

Although it was inconvenient to bestow titles of high nobility upon them at the moment, Zhu Youjian still promoted Yuan Keli and other wartime commissioners to the rank of First Class Viscount, granting them the title of Viscount.

The praise for Yuan Keli uses the phrase "to do one's best to assist the emperor's destiny," while the praise for Yang Sichang, Min Mengde, Bi Maokang, Xu Guangqi, and Bi Ziyan uses the phrase "to work together to assist the emperor's destiny," implying that as long as they retire normally, they can obtain a title of earl or higher.

This undoubtedly excited the officials, especially the civil officials, who had not expected that Xu Guangqi and Bi Ziyan would also have the opportunity to be granted titles.

However, considering Xu Guangqi's role in training the new army and developing weapons, and his current position as the de facto head of the Grand Council, they felt it was only natural, as Xu Guangqi had indeed made contributions to this battle.

What's truly surprising is Bi Ziyan, who was a purely civil official and had no involvement in military affairs.

If we have to say it's related to the military, then it's raising military funds.

Faced with the questions from his ministers, Zhu Youjian said:
"Among the meritorious officials of the early Han Dynasty, Xiao He was number one, precisely because of his achievements in managing finances and provisions."

"The military expenses for this Liaodong campaign were continuous and there was no increase in taxes. This is Bi Ziyan's achievement."

"If he hadn't cleared up the arrears and rectified the tax system beforehand, how could the imperial court have launched the Liaodong War with such ease?"

"Bi Ziyan, like Min Mengde, fulfilled his responsibilities in terms of money, food, and logistics."

This statement made the court officials realize once again the importance the emperor placed on money and grain.

He realized that the future Minister of Revenue would be a position where it was easy to make meritorious contributions.

If you provide enough money and provisions when the emperor launches a war, you might be able to obtain a noble title.

Some people with expertise in finance and supplies are already eyeing this position.

Even Han Kuang, who served as both the Grand Secretary and the Director of the Finance and Economic Committee, was feeling disappointed and wondering if he could make a contribution to the finances.

His sense of loss intensified, especially after the emperor bestowed upon him the title of First-Class Viscount, placing him second only to Bi Ziyan among civil officials.

Because he was just a hair's breadth away from becoming a count.

If he had been even slightly more proactive in supporting the Liaodong campaign and made any noteworthy contributions, the emperor might have praised him as a "conspirator in assisting the emperor's destiny" and granted him the title of earl.

Now, he does feel a sense of crisis. Although the emperor and his ministers have always upheld the position of Grand Secretary, they do not truly trust his abilities as Grand Secretary.

Otherwise, the positions of the cabinet and the prime minister would not have been constantly challenged, and power would not have been transferred during wartime.

Recalling the glory of being appointed prime minister and the boast that the emperor could "rule by doing nothing," Han Kuang felt like a joke, now unable to even hold onto his position as prime minister.

If he couldn't achieve something that would impress the emperor, Han Kuang was certain that he wouldn't be re-elected next year. He would either be sent to the Court of Colonial Affairs or forced to go to his fiefdom.

He had to find a way to continue serving as Grand Secretary.
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Zhu Youjian was naturally unaware of Han Kuang's thoughts.

After Han Kuang repeatedly prevented him from reforming the Shanxi merchants and failed to implement any other remarkable measures, he had little expectation for the chief minister.

Otherwise, a wartime system wouldn't have been created, with a wartime prime minister appointed, allowing Yuan Keli to effectively wield power.

According to his plan, the wartime system should last for two or three years, during which Han Kuang will step down and be replaced by Yang Jingchen.

Therefore, when bestowing a title upon Han Kuang, he did not offer excessive praise to save face, but instead designated him as a first-class sergeant, just like the other wartime commissioners whose achievements were not particularly noteworthy.

It's because he hasn't produced any outstanding achievements and has just been drifting along without making any progress.

He wanted to use this attitude to show his ministers that although he was generous in bestowing titles, he only granted them to meritorious officials.

After bestowing titles upon these civil officials and civilian military officers, Zhu Youjian bestowed titles upon another group: equipment research and development personnel.

He addressed his ministers:

"What the barbarians fear about China is its firearms."

"The success of this Liaodong campaign largely relied on the effectiveness of firearms." "In particular, the trapdoor musket, the Lügong cannon, warships, and arrow-type shrapnel shells demonstrated their formidable power on the front lines."

"Lu Xiang and others who invented them should also be granted noble titles."

"You should all think about what title we should bestow upon them?"

This immediately caused a huge uproar, because they did not expect that the emperor would also grant the craftsmen a noble title.

Moreover, he was granted a high-ranking noble title, surpassing that of the vast majority of meritorious officials.

The Ministry of Rites reacted most strongly, with Minister Cheng Jiming, Vice Minister Qian Xiangkun, and others vehemently opposing it.

Zhu Youjian waited for their opinions, then looked at the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works and said:
"Do you despise craftsmen so much because you think the Ministry of Works is not worthy to be ranked alongside you?"

"How much of what you've learned about the 'Six State Offices of the State, with the Hundred Craftsmen occupying one of them' in the Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou)?"

The officials of the Ministry of Rites naturally dared not contradict the words of the *Zhou Li*, but the Minister of Rites, Cheng Jiming, argued forcefully:

"The state has six official positions, and the Ministry of Works is the first. We, your subjects, naturally dare not object."

"But the Ministry of Works is important, but that doesn't justify bestowing titles upon artisans."

"The ones who manage the artisans are the most important; if any titles are to be bestowed, they should be given to officials of the Ministry of Works."

This kind of talk, which attributed credit to scholars and looked down on craftsmen, greatly angered Zhu Youjian, who rebuked it, saying:

"absurd!"

"If what you say is true, why does the 'Kaogongji' section of the 'Zhouli' go to such lengths to describe how to make chariots, armor, weapons, bows, and arrows?"

"This is because at that time, chariots, armored soldiers, and bows and arrows were the most powerful weapons of a country."

"The warships and firearms we have today are just like the chariots and bows and arrows of that time. Why shouldn't the people who invented and manufactured them be granted titles?"

After questioning his ministers, Zhu Youjian acted arbitrarily:
"The imperial edict is hereby promulgated to confer the title of Marquis of Divine Might upon Lü Xiang, who invented the breech-loading cannon and the Lü Gong cannon; the title of Earl of Divine Wood upon Xu Sen, who perfected the revolving musket; the title of Earl of Divine Light upon Bo Jue, who perfected the telescope; and the title of Earl of Divine Arrow upon Zhang Tao, who improved gunpowder, discovered mercury fulminate, and presided over the research and development of arrow-type shrapnel shells."

"There are also teams that imitated Western warships and designed third-class cruisers, Zhang Pu's team that perfected copper-based paper-cased bullets, Tongzhou Arsenal, Zhuolu Arsenal, Caofeidian Iron and Steel Plant, as well as other craftsmen from the Equipment Institute and the Wensi Institute who have made contributions to the research and development and manufacturing of firearms. They will be granted the title of viscount according to their merits."

"I want the whole world to know that inventing weapons can lead to being granted a noble title."

"In the future, the Ming Dynasty will rely on its strong ships and powerful cannons to win, and it must be worthy of the courage of its soldiers."

These words were considered heretical by civil officials, who had always opposed "mechanical changes and embellishments" and preferred that everything remain unchanged to conform to their views.

The emperor's encouragement of inventions and weapons research was seen by them as a completely misguided path.

Not only did officials from the Ministry of Rites want to stand up and oppose it, but even Liu Zongzhou, who had remained silent until now, wanted to object to this point.

However, at this moment, the Grand Secretary Han Kuang, the Second Grand Secretary Yang Jingchen, the Grand Secretary Xu Guangqi, the Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, as well as officials from the Privy Council, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works, all expressed their support.

Because of this battle, they deeply realized the importance of firearms.

It could even be said that the Liaodong Campaign, despite lacking a renowned general, achieved its overwhelming victory thanks to the newly equipped firearms-wielding army.

After becoming familiar with the power of the new firearms, the soldiers at the front completely suppressed the enemy.

The new army, with full confidence in the new firearms, was brave and fearless on the battlefield.

If it weren't for the supply shortages due to winter, they would still be chasing the Jurchens now.

The reason why so many people in the Privy Council were granted titles this time is because the importance of logistical supplies has been elevated to an unprecedented level.

If the Privy Council wants to dominate the war, it must also support the advancement of firearms and make the front lines more reliant on logistics.

Therefore, they strongly support granting titles to artisans, because they are now united as one.

Xu Guangqi was originally a supporter of firearms, so it was not surprising that he, as a Grand Secretary, stood up for them.

Wen Tiren had always catered to the emperor's wishes in the cabinet, so while the ministers despised him for standing up for him, it was not unexpected.

However, the fact that both Grand Secretary Han Kuang and Second Grand Secretary Yang Jingchen supported the emperor puzzled them somewhat.

Could there be some hidden secret in this matter? (End of Chapter)