The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 715 Good Bow Hidden

"Minister Kang, the emperor trusted you back then and put you in charge of implementing the new policies in Jiangnan. Facts have proven that you have lived up to my father and the Great Qi. You have been impartial and balanced in your official duties, practicing the doctrine of the mean. Unlike some officials who blindly followed the Qi Dynasty's Land System and rushed forward with impulsive measures, you have shown sympathy for the people, taking from the rich and giving to the poor, sparing the people any suffering... You, like Chief Minister Kang, are both pillars of the Great Qi. Come, I offer you a toast!"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words! I am deeply humbled. It is my great honor to be able to promote the new laws for the Emperor and to serve the Great Qi. I will uphold my uncle's wishes and serve the Great Qi with all my heart and soul until my death!"

On the 30th day of the 12th lunar month in the fifth year of Guangde, New Year's Eve, Liu Kan followed the old custom of his father Liu Zhaosun and summoned all the ministers to have a New Year's Eve dinner in the Huagai Hall.

Although it is a family dinner, the guests invited tonight are all cabinet ministers, Beijing officials, military generals and nobles.

Almost none of Liu Kan's family members and relatives were present tonight.

This is what is meant by being alone.

After Emperor Guangde's various "evil deeds" in the past few months, he had already offended all the royal relatives. From the two Empress Dowagers to Liu Kan's sister, all the royal relatives had complaints about the new emperor.

Not long ago, Princess Liu Yufei used the excuse of "catching a cold" to set off from Nanjing and go to her villa in Taicang to celebrate the New Year.

Empress Dowager Cisi, Jin Yuji, refused to attend the family dinner on the grounds that she was in mourning at home - she believed that the retired emperor had passed away - and it was inconvenient for her to attend a banquet.

Empress Dowager Yang Qing'er believed that the retired emperor was still alive, and was busy reciting the Diamond Sutra. It was said that she had read it 18,700 times and needed to recite it another 80,000 times to complete her merit.

Although Emperor Guangde had issued a decree to abolish Buddhism, Yang Qing'er still defied the order and filled the Cining Palace with Buddhist scriptures and instruments, turning her bedroom into a Taoist temple. Liu Kan knew it very well, but he could do nothing about it, because Yang Qing'er was his mother after all...

Among all the royal relatives, only Concubine Dowager Chen Yuanyuan and Earl of Yongping Zhang Duan came tonight.

Because Concubine Dowager Chen Yuanyuan looked very similar to Zhang Yan, after Zhang Yan's death, she was adopted as the adopted mother of Emperor Guangde and stayed with Liu Kan to take care of him.

At that time, Liu Kan was still young and Liu Zhaosun was often away on military campaigns, so Chen Yuanyuan was mostly responsible for taking care of the prince. There was even a rumor in the harem that the retired emperor had the idea of promoting Chen Yuanyuan to be the empress - although there were already two empresses at that time.

In any case, the emperor's original intention was to let Concubine Chen take good care of Liu Kan.

However, Concubine Chen seemed to have no feelings for the child.

Twenty years ago, Chen Yuanyuan was in her prime, a breathtaking beauty. As one of the most beautiful women in the Qi Dynasty, her energy was primarily focused on competing with the two Empress Dowagers, Bumbutai, Liu Rushi, and other beauties for her favor, leaving her with no time to care for the young Crown Prince Liu Kan. More importantly, Liu Kan's presence constantly reminded Chen Yuanyuan that she was just Zhang Yan's shadow, a substitute for her, and so her feelings for him faded.

Logically speaking, Emperor Guangde should have had no feelings for this unworthy adoptive mother. However, as soon as he came to power, he posthumously conferred the title of Empress Dowager Xian on Concubine Chen and built a brand new palace for her.

This may be done with the intention of winning over people.

As for the emperor's uncle Zhang Duan, when the retired emperor was in power, Zhang Duan's father Zhang Guorui, the father of Empress Dowager Zhang Yan, was demoted to a commoner by the retired emperor because of his corruption, dereliction of duty, disregard for human life, and oppression of the people. Zhang Duan was also sent to Ningguta.

A month ago, Emperor Guangde issued an edict to recall this unfortunate uncle from Ningguta to Nanjing, conferred him the title of Earl of Yongping, and granted him fertile land and beautiful houses.

When one person succeeds, everyone around him will prosper. In order to consolidate the imperial power, Emperor Guangde promoted his confidants and relatives, which was understandable. After all, when someone comes to power, someone else will be eliminated. Metabolism has been going on since ancient times.

However, the speed at which Emperor Guangde promoted ministers was jaw-dropping.

Before the funeral of the retired emperor was held, Liu Kan had already arranged his own people in the six ministries of the cabinet and important places in the capital.

Against this background, the ministers who attended the Emperor of Da Qi's night banquet this year were very different from those in previous years.

Almost all the old ministers from the Liu Zhaosun era have disappeared, and the few old men who are left behind exist like mascots, appearing dim among the glittering new nobles.

The person sitting next to Emperor Guangde tonight was not the Grand Eunuch Dongfang Zhu, nor the Commander of the Suoyi Guard Liu Xingzuo, nor even the Commander of the Imperial Guard Jiang Liuer, but the Minister of Personnel Kang Jingxiu.

Kang Jingxiu was the eldest nephew of the former Prime Minister Kang Yingqian. He was both talented and knowledgeable, and had inherited the previous dynasty and had been promoted many times. During the reign of the retired emperor, he was appointed Governor of Zhejiang and concurrently the Governor of Five Provinces, in charge of the reform affairs in the southeast.

He fulfilled the emperor's orders and vigorously implemented reforms in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Risking assassination, he successfully completed tasks such as land measurement and tax collection. He made significant contributions to the retired emperor's eventual, bloodless control of Jiangnan, contributing greatly to his success. Kang Jingxiu possessed an easygoing disposition, maintaining a composed demeanor. In the second year of Taichu, powerful figures in Jiangsu and Zhejiang sent assassination troops to assassinate him. Kang Jingxiu, however, fortified himself in his mansion and refused to fight. The assassins set fire to the east, but Kang Jingxiu ordered his guards to defend the northwest. Soon, the assassins, as expected, entered through the northwest gate.

People at that time compared Kang Jinglie with Zhou Yafu of the Han Dynasty.

After Emperor Guangde came to power, Kang Jingxiu naturally became the main target of his efforts to win over.

There are rumors in the capital that Kang Jingxiu, who is only forty years old, is very likely to become the new prime minister of the cabinet of Da Qi. If so, he will be the youngest prime minister in the history of Da Qi.

Kang Jingxiu raised his glass, drank it all, looked at Emperor Guangde, and said respectfully:
"Our emperor is wise and wise. He has reigned for only three months, but he has already eliminated long-standing abuses, suspended warfare, and allowed the people to rest. This is a blessing for the country and the people! I respectfully wish Your Majesty a long and prosperous reign. I wish the Great Qi Dynasty will surpass the Han and Tang dynasties and establish immortal achievements!"

All the close ministers raised their glasses at the same time and congratulated: "A great achievement, far surpassing the Han and Tang dynasties!"

The young and energetic Emperor Guangde nodded slightly, looked around, glanced at the new nobles of Daqi, his trusted ministers
Kang Jingxiu, nephew of Kang Yingqian, Kang Guangxu, son of Kang Yingqian, Mao Chengdou, son of Mao Wenlong, Mao Yan, nephew of Man Gui, Shen Mo, nephew of Shen Lian, Wang Jin, son of Wang Erhu, Yuan Shu, son of Yuan Keli, Qi Ming, son of Qi Jin, Sun Shirui, son of Sun Chuanting, and of course Li Juying, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

When the ministers saw that Emperor Guangde had something to say, they all looked up at the emperor, their eyes full of anticipation.

Liu Kan's handsome face flushed slightly. "Father has already surpassed the Han and Tang dynasties. Now, what I and you, my beloved ministers, must do is to safeguard this legacy. Sometimes, defending is even harder than attacking. I have always been frank. The Great Qi expanded too quickly in recent years. As the saying goes, without benevolence and righteousness, the dynamics of attack and defense will be different."

"The Qi Dynasty's Land System made a great contribution to the Great Qi's conquest of cities and expansion of territory. However, it can now come to an end. The Great Qi needs the golden mean. My father often taught me that walking fast does not necessarily mean walking well; walking steadily is the right path."

The ministers were silent.

Although most of the people present were close associates of Emperor Guangde, and all of them rose to power thanks to Emperor Guangde's rule, the Qi Dynasty Land System was, after all, the economic foundation of the Great Qi Dynasty and the basis for the existence of the imperial political system.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the land system cannot be changed at any time. If we are not careful, the country will be destroyed and people will die, with no hope of recovery.

It should be noted that the reforms in Fujian, Jiangxi and other places at that time, just to survey land and nationalize commerce, resulted in the heavy loss of millions of people.

"I know what you are worried about." Liu Kan's eyes were firm, as if he was possessed by the emperor, and he said in an unquestionable tone:
"Are you worried, my dear ministers, that the various regiments will not support the reforms?"

Wu Shen, the Minister of Revenue, was the most senior among the new nobles and had to stand up and advise:
"Your Majesty is wise and wise. Abolishing harsh laws, weakening the system of collective responsibility, and allowing private land transactions will certainly gain more support from wealthy households and the descendants of the gentry, and reduce potential enemies who will resist the Great Qi. Given the current situation of the court, this is necessary. However, in the final analysis, doing so is a step backward and a betrayal of the Great Qi regulations of the past twenty years. I am afraid that the military and civilians will find it difficult to accept it for the time being..."

Emperor Guangde interrupted Wu Shen, saying dismissively, "Are you worried, Shangshu, that the regiments will revolt? I've already reassigned training officers to each camp to control military power. I wouldn't dare say I have complete control now, but if a rebellion were to occur, I could easily handle it calmly."

Sun Shirui added: "Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as you firmly control the food and logistics of each army, you can rest assured."

Sun Shirui is currently the head of civil affairs and the head of the Ministry of Revenue. He has taken over Xie Guangkun's position and is in charge of the logistics supplies of various corps. Together with the Minister of Revenue, he controls the purse of Da Qi.

~~~~~
In the first month of the sixth year of Guangde, Emperor Guangde summoned the commanders and instructors of each corps to Beijing.

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, the chief officers and instructors of the 15 corps arrived in Nanjing.

Emperor Guangde announced to all the generals that the war between the north and the south had ceased, the sea and the river were calm, and maintaining a war force of 500,000 was too heavy a burden for the court, so he decided to disband the various corps and streamline the military and government.

It is planned to reduce the 15 major corps to 8 major corps and cut 200,000 troops.

The decision to disarm was made by Liu Kan after careful consideration.

If we want to change the extreme political system, restore the people's strength, and replenish the seriously overdrawn national strength, we must first start with the money-eating army and control the size of the army.

The first step in reform is to suppress military personnel through disarmament and restore the normal civilian elite system.

(End of this chapter)