Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Launching the war in Annam under the banner of the Mo family had both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside is that it would expand the influence of the Mo family, making it difficult to change the Annam Military Governor's Office into the Annam Protectorate in the future.

The advantage is very obvious: it turns the Ming Dynasty's campaign against Annam into a civil war in Annam.

The reason why the Mạc dynasty was able to survive, as the regime that replaced the Lê dynasty and was later expelled, was because it still retained influence in Annam.

After the restoration of the Lê Dynasty, power was seized by the Trần family, who were considered by many Annamese to be unworthy of their titles.

The fact that official positions in the Le Dynasty were occupied by people from Thanh Hoa and Nghe An also caused dissatisfaction among many northern literati.

After Zhang Jingxin arrived in Gaoping, he quickly noticed this, because he discovered that many scholars from both northern and southern Annam were gathering there.

This gave him an idea. He communicated with these scholars while simultaneously petitioning the court to allow the imperial examinations to be held.

After receiving the report from Zhang Jingxin, Zhu Youjian was somewhat satisfied with the envoy he had sent and instructed the officials of the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Ministry of Rites:
"You need to discuss carefully how to conduct the imperial examinations overseas, and how many places there will be for the Juren and Jinshi degrees."

"However, the Chinese Proficiency Test Level 4 can already be implemented. Anyone who passes the test and is willing to serve the Ming Dynasty can be appointed as an official, and may even be granted an official position after meritorious service."

“County examinations, prefectural examinations, and provincial examinations can be established immediately. Those who pass will be granted the status of Xiucai (a scholar who has passed the county-level examination) and Gongshi (a scholar who has passed the county-level examination) and will be granted official positions immediately.”

"The number of scholars selected by Annam this year shall not be less than one thousand."

"Wherever the Ming army goes, scholars will be recruited there."

This was clearly preferential treatment for Annam, which caused some dissatisfaction among the officials in the interior.

Minister of Rites Cheng Jiming advised:

“Inland scholars could only serve as fifth-level clerks. To become an official, one not only needed to have years of service, but also had to pass examinations on etiquette and mathematics.”

"His Majesty's decision to allow Annamite scholars to be directly appointed to official positions is far too generous."

"Rather than employing these people who lack loyalty and ability, it would be better to employ the scholars of the Ming Dynasty."

Huang Liji, the head of the Court of Colonial Affairs, said:
"Annam is a newly annexed territory, and it is only right that it should be treated with certain preferential treatment."

"Moreover, His Majesty has long allowed those who have passed the imperial examinations to be directly appointed as officials overseas. University students without the title of 'Juren' also have a high chance of being recruited as officials after graduation, as long as they pass the examinations on etiquette, law, mathematics, and arithmetic."

"I believe that the most important thing now is to hold the civil service examination in Annam and win over the hearts of the local people."

"As for their abilities and whether they are completely loyal, we can wait and see."

This aligned with Zhu Youjian's thoughts, and he nodded, saying:

“In the past few years, newly incorporated overseas territories must be given certain preferential treatment so that they will submit to the Ming Dynasty and voluntarily become Chinese.”

"This imperial examination is for this very purpose. Zhang Jingxin's memorial and Huang Qing's words are very much in line with my wishes."

“Your Court of Colonial Affairs has put your heart into it and knows how to educate the barbarians.”

They praised the actions of the Court of Colonial Affairs and agreed to Zhang Jingxin's proposal.

He will preside over the civil service examinations in Annam, which will be launched rapidly in the conquered territories.
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The imperial examinations were administered by the Ministry of Rites. Although Zhang Jingxin came from the Ministry of Rites, he was now an official in the Court of Colonial Affairs. Naturally, the Ministry of Rites was dissatisfied that its power had been usurped by the Court of Colonial Affairs.

However, this was wartime, not the time to dwell on established laws. Zhu Youjian had already decreed that all areas where fighting occurred would be under martial law, to facilitate flexible responses.

After bestowing upon Zhang Jingxin the post of Provincial Education Commissioner, Zhu Youjian, seeing the displeased expressions of the Ministry of Rites officials, reassured them:

"What Chengqing said just now makes some sense."

"Compared to the newly surrendered Chinese, I naturally trust the Han Chinese in the mainland more."

“People newly incorporated in Annam have this preferential treatment, and scholars from the mainland also have the same opportunity.”

"However, one must go to the front lines in Annam to receive orders and promise to serve in Annam for at least six years in order to obtain an official position."

This saved Cheng Jiming's face and showed preferential treatment to Han scholars, preventing the court and the public from thinking that the emperor valued the newly surrendered foreign tribes more.

However, the requirement to serve on the front lines in Annam for at least six years made many people realize that obtaining this privilege was not easy and required risking one's life.

It's estimated that not many scholars in the Ming Dynasty would have this courage, just like the previous rule that allowed successful candidates in the provincial examinations to be directly appointed as officials abroad, which not many candidates were willing to do.

However, this policy did have some effect. At least the scholars of the Ming Dynasty realized that territorial expansion was not unrelated to them, and that they could obtain official positions through this opportunity.

University graduates from last year who are still unemployed are particularly excited about this policy, seeing it as an opportunity to directly enter government service.
"Why don't you bring the Wu hook and charge Guanshan Fifty States?"

"The recapture of Annam is our chance to become officials!"

These college graduates, who were unable to find employment and had no chance of passing the imperial examinations, began to volunteer to serve as officials in Annam.

Zhu Youjian was pleased with this, because he did not want the college students he had trained to be idle and return to the countryside to control public opinion.

Even after the newspaper was published and the role of local opinion leaders weakened, he still did not want to release these people.

To this end, he had many university graduates recruited to positions within the inner court and encouraged various vassal states to recruit them.

Furthermore, Zhang Pu was tasked with exploring the training of researchers at the Academy of Sciences and establishing graduate programs for undergraduates. Universities were encouraged to set up research institutions to recruit graduate students.

This had some effect; most of the students who were willing to pursue further studies or were preparing to continue their studies in the imperial examinations joined graduate schools.

However, the employment problem has always been a major challenge for college students who are unwilling to pursue further studies or engage in professions such as government officials.

The current policy of allowing scholars to be directly appointed as officials is partly intended to solve their employment problems.

Almost all the universities sent letters to their graduates, offering to recommend them for official positions in Annam.

In particular, most of those who interned at the Privy Council last year but were not retained signed up for the battle of Annam.

Some local scholars who heard the news also signed up to participate.

Ultimately, more than 500 scholars and university students, after receiving training from the Court of Colonial Affairs and the Imperial Academy of Administration, went south and contributed their efforts to governing Annam.

Some of those who made outstanding contributions were even granted the title of Yuanshi (a high-ranking scholar) and were destined to become high-ranking officials in the imperial court in the future.

It can be said that these people were the beneficiaries of the reconquest of Annam, and also the interest class that emerged during the Ming Dynasty's expansion abroad.

Zhu Youjian's arrangements for Annam affairs focused on cultivating a privileged class and distributing the benefits to those who had made contributions.

In order to cultivate more supporters and make the Ming Dynasty's overseas expansion smoother.

He didn't care how the war was going.

Because he never imagined that the attack on Annam would fail, victory was a foregone conclusion.
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Li Yun and Zhang Shize on the front lines in Annam thought the same way. After the Mo clan of Cao Bang surrendered, they led their troops directly to Lang Son under the leadership of Mo clan members.

Although they encountered some obstacles along the way, they quickly reached the vicinity of Lang Son.

It was here that they encountered a large Annamese army and were ambushed. However, the British Duke's guards, led by Zhang Shize, had been trained for several years and were equipped with modern firearms.

After being ambushed, they launched a counterattack, advancing all the way to Lang Son. They then used tunnels to breach the city walls and capture this strategic location.

With this, Annam's northern defenses were completely breached. If Zhang Shize were to join forces with Yuan Chonghuan, who had marched from Yunnan, they would be able to directly conquer Annam.

Just as he was having this wonderful dream, news from Gaoping made him slam his fist on the table in anger.

Because Yuan Chonghuan's troops did not advance smoothly, but were blocked by the Wu clan of Xuanguang Town.

As one of the local powers in Annam, the court's strategy towards the Wu clan of Xuan Quang was to win them over and bestow titles upon them.

However, Yuan Chonghuan believed that the so-called Wu clan of Xuanguang Town was not a threat and did not deserve to be granted a title.

Especially after Zhang Jingxin led 500 guards to defeat the Gaoping army without losing a single person and sent Mo Jingkuan, the leader of the Mo clan of Gaoping, to the capital, he looked down on the so-called local power faction in Annam even more.

In his view, the Mo family was completely unworthy of the Marquis of Gaoping. He himself had worked hard to achieve merit but had not yet been granted a title, so why should they be granted one?
With this mindset, when Yuan Chonghuan's western army marched down the Red River and faced the Wu clan of Xuanguang Town, he did not choose to first try to persuade them with courtesy before resorting to force, as the eastern army did. Instead, he directly launched a large-scale attack, intending to capture the area.

The Wu clan of Xuanguang Town naturally resisted fiercely, exerting all their strength to defend against the Ming army.

Although they are not very powerful, they have a strong foothold in the local area.

As a result, despite Yuan Chonghuan's repeated victories, he was trapped there.

Upon receiving this news, Zhang Shize was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and cursed loudly:
"Acting on one's own initiative and doing things one's own way."

“This Yuan Chonghuan is a real barbarian, so unruly.”

He harbored deep resentment towards Yuan Chonghuan, and his anger was impossible to conceal.

He originally planned to combine the forces of the two armies and directly capture Thang Long City.

Now that Yuan Chonghuan's western army is blocked, if he leads his troops straight to Thang Long, he will be risking his own troops.

He might have taken the risk if it were the imperial army, but now most of his men are guards trained by the Duke of England at great expense and with great effort.

These guards were used for the open domains of England; they would be needed to expand and guard the fiefdoms in the future.

Zhang Shize dared not risk these guards; if they failed and suffered losses, he simply could not afford the consequences.

He could only remain in Lang Son, waiting for Zhu Xieyuan to lead the troops from the capital to arrive.
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Yuan Chonghuan's actions also sparked controversy in the capital.

Under Zhu Youjian's repeated emphasis, the Privy Council has always delegated a lot of authority to the front lines, only issuing strategic goals and not making specific arrangements for tactical planning.

The previous execution had been very successful, and victory had been achieved in the Liaodong Campaign.

However, Yuan Chonghuan's actions of acting arbitrarily, ignoring the court's request to win over local power holders and directly attacking them, clearly violated the Privy Council's arrangements.

As a result, officials of the Privy Council submitted memorials demanding the removal of Yuan Chonghuan.

However, Grand Secretary Han Kuang and others believed that a general should not be replaced on the eve of battle, especially since Yuan Chonghuan was winning victory after victory and had not suffered any defeat.

This viewpoint resonated with many, who did not see anything wrong with Yuan Chonghuan's actions.

In response, Yuan Keli, the Grand Councilor, said:
“Yuan Chonghuan’s approach was not a tactical failure, but it was because the military strength of the Ming Dynasty far surpassed that of Annam.”

"But strategically, he went against the court's arrangements, abandoning the court's strategy of winning over local power factions and acting entirely on his own."

"If the local forces in Annam are alarmed as a result, the court will have to expend much more effort to conquer Annam."

This was one of the consequences of Yuan Chonghuan's failure to follow the court's strategy of first offering persuasion and then resorting to force, and his direct attack on the Wu clan of Xuanguang Town.

As the protector of Xuanguang Town, Wu did not directly submit to the Ming Dynasty when it tried to win her over, but she also did not oppose it, thus managing to play both sides.

Such forces were attacked without hesitation by the Ming army, and the previously neutral local forces in Annam were likely to turn against them.

Therefore, upon hearing Yuan Keli's words, Zhu Youjian immediately concluded:

"Yuan Chonghuan's actions violated the court's policies."

"What does the Privy Council think should be done?"

Before Yuan Keli, representing the Privy Council, could speak, Han Kuang had already said:
"Even so, I fear that punishing the generals who have won at the front will dampen the morale of the army."

"Are we to ignore the merits of those victorious soldiers?"

This immediately put Zhu Youjian in a dilemma, because the merits made by the soldiers on the front lines were genuine, and many had even sacrificed their lives for them. If punishing Yuan Chonghuan implicated them, it would cause them dissatisfaction.

In response, Yuan Keli said:
"If we achieve a tactical victory, we should commend the meritorious soldiers."

"If the strategy fails, then punish the commander-in-chief."

“Yuan Chonghuan disregarded the court’s strategy and acted arbitrarily, making it impossible for them to join forces and attack Thang Long on the agreed date.”

"He should be dismissed and thoroughly investigated, so that the generals and commanders on the front lines can learn a lesson from this."

The Privy Council members echoed this sentiment, believing that generals who disobeyed the Privy Council's policies should be punished.

Under the emperor's restrictions, their Privy Council no longer intervenes in specific frontline tactics, and even strategic arrangements are being violated. So what is the point of their existence?
Therefore, Yuan Chonghuan's actions must be severely punished; this was the view of all Privy Council officials.

Although Han Kuang did not want to confront the Privy Council, Yuan Chonghuan was the most militarily talented border official among his disciples.

If he can't even protect this person, who will he be able to rely on in the army in the future?

Therefore, he held onto Yuan Chonghuan's victory tightly, fearing that rashly replacing him might lead to defeat on the front lines.

He suggested to Zhu Youjian:
"Although Yuan Chonghuan went against the Privy Council's strategy, judging from his performance, there is still a possibility of a rendezvous."

"I believe we should give him a chance to atone for his crimes and go to Thang Long immediately."

"Otherwise, rashly changing personnel could lead to defeat, making a reunion even more impossible."

This statement garnered support from many members of the Donglin Party.

Zhu Youjian was also worried that rashly changing people would lead to failure, especially since Yuan Chonghuan had been transferred to Yunnan and was now holding both the positions of governor and general, making it difficult to find someone to replace him.

Ultimately, he adopted Han Kuang's suggestion and allowed Yuan Chonghuan to redeem himself through meritorious service.

However, the Privy Council's demands must also be followed: Yuan Chonghuan must be clearly convicted and punished for violating the court's policies.
"Those who disobey the court's strategies and violate its arrangements will not be rewarded by the commander-in-chief, even if they win."

"If it leads to serious consequences, further punishment will be imposed."

"Rewards for soldiers will be issued according to their normal merits, but without any coefficients."

The regulations clearly define rewards and punishments for those on the front lines, requiring frontline commanders to implement the imperial strategy. (End of Chapter)