Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 319: The First Year of Civilization! The Emperor's Duty, the People's Responsibility!

The twenty-ninth year of the Ming calendar.

It is destined to be an extraordinary year.

In this year, Zhu Yunhuan, the Yongsheng Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne and launched a new national policy of "internal reform and external expansion".

From then on, educating the barbarians in all directions and leading them towards civilization gradually became the wish of the Ming Dynasty's literati, who have always taken the world as their responsibility.

The Ming Dynasty also became more and more prosperous as it expanded outward.

Under the leadership of the Ming Dynasty, the world entered a new era.

This year is also known as the "First Year of Light" and the "First Year of Civilization" in later historical books.

The previous era was called the "Barbaric Age" and the "Dark Ages" by historians.

It means that from this year on, thanks to the active and enterprising spirit of the Ming army and literati, the world got rid of the dark ages of barbarism, ignorance and backwardness and entered the "civilized" era.

Under the leadership of the Ming Empire, the world opened a new chapter.

These are all things for later.

……

The establishment of the Military Affairs Office was like a thunderclap, leaving all the officials in the Ming Dynasty stunned.

For a long time, although there were differences between civil and military affairs, there was no strict distinction between the two.

This has been the practice throughout the dynasties.

The division of professions in ancient times was never strict.

Although there is a distinction between civil and military officials in the court.

But military and national affairs have never been decided solely by military officers.

The actual situation is that civil officials are unwilling to become military officers, but are happy to control military generals.

Even if a civil official is ordered to supervise the army, he still regards himself as a civil official rather than a military general.

Most of them have only read a few military books, but have no military experience, so it is easy for them to talk about military affairs on paper and be out of touch with reality.

But the civil servants are unwilling to give up power.

Now, Zhu Yunhuan cut it off with one stroke, and the civil and military officials were completely separated from then on.

This is something that has never happened in any dynasty.

After the eunuch went outside to announce the decree, a group of civil officials requested to see the emperor.

"Your Majesty, setting up a military affairs office to give military commanders exclusive power is not feasible, right?"

"Your Majesty, the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties is a lesson not far away. Only by controlling the military with the civil can we achieve long-term peace and stability."

"Your Majesty, although there are many disadvantages to ruling the military with civil officials, it can prevent the military from becoming too powerful. Moreover, the military power of the Ming Dynasty is unrivaled in the world. Even if the military's combat effectiveness is reduced due to the restraint of civil officials, it is not a big deal. But once the military becomes too powerful and no one can control it, disaster will not be far away."

"Your Majesty, this is no longer the era of conquering the country. Military and political affairs are originally one, how can they be divided and governed?"

"Your Majesty, when the world is at peace, weapons should be put into storage and horses should be released to the mountains. How can we allow the military lords to monopolize power?"

……

The civil servants made suggestions one after another, and they were determined not to give up until the Military Affairs Office was withdrawn.

Zhu Yunhuan was calm and composed, and said calmly: "Since ancient times, civil officials and military officials have had different paths. I set up the Military Affairs Office to allow civil and military officials to better perform their duties."

"If you do not trust the military commanders of the Ming Dynasty, you can join the army and give up your civil service to become a military commander."

"I will immediately issue an order to transfer him to a functional department under the Military Affairs Department."

"In this way, we can manage military and national affairs and prevent military commanders from becoming too powerful. Who among you is willing to do this?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil servants looked at each other and fell silent.

They did not want military generals to take power, but no one was willing to switch from a civil servant to a military general.

Compared to being a comfortable civil servant, being a military officer is a very hard and tiring job.

Leading troops to war requires a lot of hardship.

War will result in death.

If you are a civilian official, you can go to the army to control the military generals.

There are many people who are willing to do that.

After all, if that were the case, you probably wouldn't have to go to the front line.

Although he was said to be the military supervisor, in fact he was just giving orders from behind.

After the war was won, the generals had to share much of the spoils among them.

Even if we take a step back, we'll lose the battle.

By relying on the mutual support among the civil officials in the court, the blame could mostly be shifted to the military generals.

Such as not listening to his own advice, being unruly, and having no idea how to command troops.

Of course, the civil servants in the court will speak for "their own people".

In the end, the military generals were severely punished and some were even executed.

Civil officials might be reprimanded, transferred back to the court to continue serving in other official positions, or demoted.

After a few years, it can be restored to service.

If we win the war and succeed by chance, then of course it will be mainly our own credit.

The civil officials in charge in the court, from the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Personnel, would favor the civil servants and give them greater credit for their achievements.

Reduce some of the general's merits.

Even if the emperor found out, he could justifiably say that they were doing it to prevent the generals from becoming arrogant and self-centered...

With the help of the civil service group, commanding military generals is a low-risk, high-return job.

But once they transfer to a military position, they are no longer "insiders" of the civil service group.

He can't show off his power or bring blessings, and no one will take the blame for him when something goes wrong.

Not to mention that in the eyes of the world, except for a few generals who were granted the title of dukes and marquises, generals were all barbarians, naturally inferior to the civil servants who understood the ways of sages.

How could they be willing to lower their status?

The field suddenly became silent.

Zhu Yunhuan swept his eyes across the faces of the ministers and said, "All of you are loyal and dedicated people who serve the country and the people."

"If the Military Affairs Office is really that dangerous, I believe all of you will join the military and give up your studies."

"Now that you are unwilling, I guess the Military Affairs Office won't be that dangerous."

"Let's just leave it at that."

Without waiting for the ministers to speak again, he changed the subject and said, "The Military Affairs Department is newly established, with many subordinate agencies, and it needs a lot of officials to handle the affairs."

"Most of the generals in the army are illiterate and lack cultural literacy."

"To work in an agency under the Military Affairs Department, one still needs to be educated."

"I have decided to select those who are familiar with military books and proficient in military tactics from the Imperial College, the Ming Military Academy, and candidates from various provinces to serve as military officers in the Military Affairs Department."

"Firstly, they can fill the vacancies in the Military Affairs Department. Secondly, they are scholars after all. They have read many books of sages and know how to be loyal to the emperor. They can also restrain the military officers and serve as a check and balance."

"What do you think, my dear ministers?"

When the civil servants below heard this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, His Majesty still supports the civil servants.

If those people are assigned to the Military Affairs Department, won't the civil officials still be superior to the military generals?

"Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we have no objection to this!"

Many officials expressed their opinions.

The corners of Zhu Yunxun's mouth curled up slightly.

He already knew exactly what these officials were thinking.

They also thought that the students of the Imperial Academy and the candidates from various prefectures were "their own people".

But he didn't know that after joining the Military Affairs Department, he would be transferred to a military position.

Those who are willing to switch to military positions must not be on the same page with them.

What's more, the majority of personnel arrangements are made by students from the Ming Military Academy.

After all, they are the ones who truly understand and know military affairs.

Unless the students of the Imperial College and the candidates from various prefectures are truly proficient in the art of war, they will definitely be screened out in the entrance examination.

At that time, we can't blame him as the emperor for not giving him a chance.

His real purpose was to successfully promote the students trained at the Military Academy, place them in various parts of the Military Affairs Department, and firmly grasp the military power.

"That's it, my dear ministers, please leave."

"If you have any suggestions in the future, please make them to the Government Affairs Office. You don't need to come to see me again."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately issued an "order to expel guests".

Now that the Government Affairs Office has been established, it must take the blame for him.

Just hide behind the scenes.

In this way, the pressure and conflicts of the court ministers were transferred to the Government Affairs Office and the Ministers of Government Affairs.

As an emperor, he can sit back and watch the ups and downs of the world.

They would not offend officials easily. If the officials below wanted to curse someone, they would curse the Minister of State of the Government Affairs Department.

And as the emperor, he still has a good reputation and is highly regarded by many ministers.

This is a very simple way to control your ministers.

Zhu Yunhuan has been studying this since he traveled through time and has gained a lot of insights into this area.

Of course, in order to prevent the Government Affairs Office from blocking information, he would also deliberately allow some ministers to submit secret reports.

All secret reports had to bypass the government affairs office and go directly to the emperor.

However, secret reports are not used easily, and not every minister is qualified.

In addition, there is the Intelligence Department of the Military Affairs Department, Yao Guangxiao's Ming Intelligence Bureau, and the inspectors and Jinyiwei assigned to him by Zhu Yuanzhang to gather information. The three major sources of intelligence report information separately, so there is no need to worry about losing control of power.

Compared with strategies and tactics, Zhu Yunhuan believed more in the power of institutions.

The best solution is to design a good system that allows you to exercise power without any effort and ensures that information is not blocked.

Strategy and tactics can only serve as a supplement to the deficiencies of the system or in other special circumstances.

"Your Majesty, there is one thing I am not clear about. I would like to ask Your Majesty for your instructions."

A civil official stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, if you let civil officials and military officials be in charge, there will be fewer constraints on the use of soldiers, which will be beneficial for the army to wage wars abroad. However, if you do this, the army will not be responsible for maintaining public security when stationed in a place."

"I am afraid that the local officials' officials are not enough to deter the unruly people."

"Moreover, local officials at all levels, including the censors of the Censorate, are all outside the military system."

"There is no way to restrict those who lead the troops, and there is no right to question them."

"If there is a change, I am afraid the generals may not be willing to send troops to quell the rebellion with all their strength."

"If we wait until we report to the Political Affairs Office and then coordinate with the Military Affairs Office, it will be too late."

"As the saying goes, speed is the essence of war."

"But if the civil and military are separated and the garrison troops do not take care of local affairs, the opportunity will inevitably be delayed."

"I hope Your Majesty will understand the reason behind this."

This is the truth.

In fact, this was also a very important reason why civil and military affairs were entangled before.

That is, the country uses the army to rule the world.

When public security was bad and unruly people disobeyed orders, troops were dispatched to suppress them.

Since the taxes could not be collected, troops were sent to collect them.

The military garrisons were also very dispersed.

A garrison may have several thousand soldiers, but when it actually sends out a mission, it often only sends a few or dozens of soldiers.

To put it bluntly, soldiers are being used as servants.

But there are still some differences between civil and military affairs.

Although civil officials can control military generals and impeach military generals, they are ultimately two different systems, and there will always be friction or they may dislike each other.

Lack of cooperation happens from time to time.

Soldiers were more "vicious" than police officers, treated civilians more harshly, and were less likely to obey the orders of civil officials.

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at them and said, "When I was the crown prince, I had already issued an order that ordinary bandits, gangsters, hooligans and ruffians should be eliminated by the Criminal Department's Anti-theft Division, and the local prefectures should send officials to carry out the enforcement."

"If there is a special situation, the local garrisons will no longer intervene."

"I'll add one more thing. From now on, the military will no longer be deployed to help maintain local order, punish lawbreakers, collect taxes, combat smuggling, etc."

"Only when there is a major disturbance, such as when the rebels have captured the government office and the situation is critical, can we send troops to suppress the rebellion."

"If there is no major incident, the imperial garrison will only serve as a deterrent."

"The garrison will stay in the fortress designated by the court and conduct military training in the designated area. Other than that, local affairs have nothing to do with the garrison."

All the ministers were shocked, but Zhu Yunhuan changed the subject and said, "The disbanding and reform of the garrison troops are still in progress. All the troops under the command of the provincial governors will be retired from active service and transferred to local officials."

"The county lieutenants will be transferred to the civil service system and will serve as the chief of security for each county. They will no longer be under the management of the military."

"The county lieutenant's direct superior will be transferred from the Metropolitan Commandery to the Metropolitan Censorate, which will be under the command of the Ministry of Justice."

"At the same time, we also accept the command of the county magistrate."

"It is actually a command structure that combines vertical and horizontal lines and focuses on horizontal lines."

"Other levels shall follow suit."

"All soldiers and generals who should leave the military system should leave."

"All soldiers with security missions were transferred to the Ministry of Justice system and managed by both the Ministry of Justice and local government."

"Also, please send a copy of the household registration and population data from the Ministry of Revenue to the Ministry of Justice so that it can manage the people and crack down on lawlessness."

Zhu Yunhuan took a deep breath and said in a loud voice: "The army is used to fight wars. Things that are not related to fighting should be separated from the army."

"The Ming army does not engage in business, does not care about local affairs, and in principle does not maintain local security."

“I don’t till the fields, I don’t plant crops, and I don’t raise pigs or chickens.”

"The Ming army only does one thing, and that is to fight!"

"Always train for war, always prepare to wage war."

"The Ming army doesn't need so many redundant soldiers and personnel."

"All troops that should be disbanded will be disbanded."

"What I want is an elite force that is invincible and unstoppable."

"Not a group of servants and common people doing menial tasks."

"Local public security management, ordinary people making trouble, and mountain bandits and robbers are all the business of local officials and your civil service system from now on. They have nothing to do with the army."

"My dear ministers, do you understand what I said?"

The civil servants were all stunned.

Most of the troops under the provincial commanderies were withdrawn from the active army and incorporated into the Ministry of Justice system.

In this way, the authority of the Ministry of Justice will be further strengthened.

With this "military force", local governments have sufficient capabilities to deal with general civil disputes.

After the responsibilities and powers were clearly defined, there was no more bickering between the civil and military officials.

"I have made up my mind on this matter. Anyone who opposes will be killed!"

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "My dear ministers, please leave."

The civil servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, they finally said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. We will take our leave."

Although they were still dissatisfied, they could not find any reason for the time being.

Not to mention, Zhu Yunhuan’s attitude was so firm.

The civil servants knew when to advance and when to retreat. They understood that now that things had been said, if they offended the emperor, he would definitely not show mercy.

Even if the civil servants wanted to "die for advice", they would not act rashly.

Those present today are all high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

There are no “greenhorns” who have just entered officialdom and do not know their limits.

After watching the civil officials leave, Zhu Yunhuan said to the eunuch beside him, "Go and announce the decree."

The internal reforms have been announced, and the next step is to announce the external policies.

That’s the real highlight.

Many of the Ming Dynasty's problems can only be solved by advancing both internally and externally.

The eunuch took orders and walked out of the imperial study following the imperial decree.

Outside, all the civil and military officials, meritorious officials and heroes are still there.

The eunuch slowly opened the imperial edict and read:
"I have heard that the laws of nature are cyclical, and the four seas are one family. The Ming Dynasty was given the mandate by heaven. We must not only maintain peace within our borders, but also repel foreign invaders. We should be gracious to distant people and save those in danger."

"There are countless barbarians in the overseas countries today, who have never been influenced by the king. Their rule is often brutal, their people are often backward and ignorant, and there are frequent invasions and riots, which cause great suffering to the people and make their living miserable. I feel deeply sorry for them."

"I have decided to send my army out to sea to save the barbarians from danger, comfort the people from suffering, and spread the power and virtue of the Ming Dynasty."

"To follow the Way of Heaven is the duty of the Son of Heaven; to educate the four directions is also the responsibility of the millions of people of the Ming Dynasty."

"Therefore, I have issued a special decree that all nobles, meritorious officials, wealthy merchants, and gentry who have ambitions for the country can raise funds and apply to the court to form an armed fleet with a maximum of 500 people. After approval, they can set sail to expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty, spread Chinese civilization to the barbarians, and establish immortal merits."

"The Central Plains has been educated by saints for generations, and people here understand etiquette and are well-versed in civilization. This is far beyond the reach of the barbarians overseas."

"The sage has always had the ambition to educate the people of the world, and learning is not limited to high or low status."

"I hope that scholars all over the world can also step forward and go to sea with me to spread the teachings of the sages throughout the world."

"The barbarians in the eight wildernesses can all learn the teachings of the sages, and from then on they will no longer be ignorant, but will have a heart of benevolence, and abide by moral propriety, so that all the overseas nations will know the civilization of the Ming Dynasty and return to civilization."

"For those who have made contributions to education, I will reward them generously and confer them titles and salaries to honor their achievements. I hope that the subjects and people of the Ming Dynasty will respond enthusiastically and join in this great cause."

"Announce it to the whole world, and let all know it."

"Appreciate this."

……

(End of this chapter)