The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 846 Emperor Guangde Turns the Tide

Liu Kan was full of expectations for the ongoing negotiations in Manila. The emperor wanted to use external forces to overthrow the conservative forces of Princess Liu Yufei and King of Han Liu Qian, turn the tide, save the Great Qi, and prevent it from perishing in the second generation like the Qin and Sui dynasties.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the ninth year of Guangde, at the Lantern Festival family banquet, Liu Kan, in front of the Empress and the Crown Prince, raised his glass and looked south, muttering:
"If the Manila Peace Talks had succeeded, and the British had supported the new policies and sent reinforcements, we wouldn't be trapped internally and externally. Back when the Emperor was still in power, I spent twelve years preparing for the new laws. For twelve whole years, I intended to turn the tide, change our country's warlike state that left the people in dire straits, and return power to the people. However, I was hindered by various parties, especially Liu Yufei and Liu Qian. Considering our brotherly friendship, I yielded in every way... Now the arrow is on the string and must be launched. The new policies can no longer wait."

Queen Christina Augusta of Daqi blushed, slowly put down her wine glass, and encouraged her husband in not very fluent Chinese:
"If you think the time is right, then do it boldly. I believe you can be like my father, holding a sword and looking into the distance, defeating all enemies and performing miracles."

"I don't use a sword, I use a musket."

广德帝很不喜欢奥古斯塔将自己和她的父亲古斯塔夫二世·阿道夫（Gustav II Adolf；1594年12月9日－1632年11月16日）相提并论，但是这个瑞典女人像一头健忘的母狮子，总在不断触犯广德帝的底线。

Fortunately, the emperor was magnanimous enough.

"The Princess is utterly ruthless. She compares herself to Empress Wu Zetian, willing to sacrifice lives and constantly dispatching troops to expand borders. The new policies will become her pretext for rebellion. She hates you for being European, a bewitching Nordic enchantress. If she were to conquer Tianxin City, she would kill you. Are you afraid?"

After hearing this, Augusta picked up the wine glass and drank it all. His big blue eyes stared at Emperor Guangde Liu Kan with an expression that seemed exceptionally calm.

"A long time ago, I told you that you should kill your sister. Your father's blood flows in her veins. She's a warmongerer than your father, the incarnation of Satan... As for me, as the daughter of the Northern Lion, I don't even know how to spell fear. I can still fight in battle. She's coming to Tianxin City. Let this crazy woman come over!"

"It seems that it was a wise decision for my father to marry you to me."

Emperor Guangde smiled awkwardly. It turned out that Master Gu's daughter could not stop talking about her father.

The Queen of Daqi stared at Emperor Guangde and said solemnly:

"As the Queen of Daqi, and as your woman, I will support the Emperor and you forever."

~~~~~~~~~
On the sixth day of the second month of the ninth year of Guangde, Emperor Guangde Liu Kan promulgated the "Outline of the New Law" in the Huangji Hall, announcing that the new law would be implemented from that day on:
There are eternal principles that remain unchanged for thousands of years, but there are no unchanging methods of governance. The concept of adaptability is long seen in the Book of Changes, and the concept of loss and gain can be understood in the Analects of Confucius... In short, if laws and regulations are not changed and old habits are not broken, it will be difficult to revitalize the country and make changes. I order the Prime Minister, the Grand Secretary, the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, the ministers sent to various countries, and the governors of all provinces to consider the current situation and the political leaders of the East and the West, and to discuss the court system, the history of the country, the administration of officials and the people's livelihood, the schools and the imperial examinations, the military, the government, and the finances, and to determine what should be changed, what should be reduced, and what should be merged. They should learn from others or look within themselves, and ask how the country can prosper, how talents can emerge, how the budget can be enriched, and how military preparations can be improved. Each of them should state his knowledge and opinions, and submit a detailed report to me within two months...
On the tenth day of February, Emperor Guangde ordered the establishment of the "Office of Supervision of Government Affairs" headed by Ruan Dacheng and Chen Zizhuang as a special agency to plan and implement the new policy. Yu Chenglong, Zhang Ying, Xia Yunyi and Chen Mingxia were appointed as ministers in charge of government affairs, and Zhang Guowei, Feng Kaizhang and Du Yinxi were appointed as ministers participating in government affairs, to take charge of all matters related to the new policy.

Feng Du and his partner jointly submitted three memorials titled "Three Memorials on Reform by the Jiang-Chu Association", which set the direction of reform, followed the example of Britain and promoted constitutional monarchy.

At the same time, Liu Kan urgently dispatched the Second, Third, and Fifth Corps stationed in Xiangyang, Kaifeng, and Hefei to the capital, dismissed the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition Army, deposed the eldest princess from her title of King of Han, reclaimed the honors bestowed upon the two by the retired emperor, and dismissed more than a hundred of the eldest princess's followers, demonstrating to the world the court's determination to "reform the law." On the first day of March, Emperor Guangde issued another decree:
"...Since the first year of the Wuding reign, wars have been incessant, border expansion has been unchecked, the country impoverished and the people suffering. Colonizing Annan is like drinking poison to quench thirst, and the bloodshed on the border is not worth the cost. You, the ministers, both Chinese and foreign, must understand that the country has reached this point, and there is absolutely no way to reverse this disaster with half-hearted patchwork. It is better to remove the fuel from the cauldron than to try to stop the boiling pot by adding more water. Stop the fighting, negotiate peace, reform and strengthen the country. This is the lifeline of national security and a turning point for the people of Daqi. The retired emperor and I, for the sake of the ancestral temple and the people, have no other plan.

On the eighth day of March, Emperor Guangde announced the implementation of constitutional government and promulgated the "Outline of the Imperial Constitution" in preparation for constitutionalism.

"To implement constitutional government... we should first discuss and gradually reform the official system, and carefully formulate all laws. We should also promote education, clean up the finances, strengthen the military, establish a universal police force, and make the gentry and the people aware of national affairs, thus laying the foundation for constitutionalism..."

The outline consists of 23 articles, including 4 articles on "the supreme power of the monarch" and 19 articles on "the rights and obligations of the subjects". In addition to the general statement that "the monarch is not allowed to interfere with his subjects", it also establishes the basis that civil rights are superior to imperial power. The new laws cover the training of new armies, the development of commerce, the abolition of the imperial examination system, the establishment of schools, the sending of students abroad, the reform of the official system, the reduction of redundant government offices, the reduction of civil servants, and the suspension of donations.

On the same day, Emperor Guangde promulgated the "Constitution of Great Qi".

On March 25, Emperor Guangde announced the abolition of the Honglu Temple and the establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was "ranked at the top of the six ministries"; on the 28th, the court announced the cessation of reporting donations for official positions.

On the first day of April, the Governor of the Hedong River was abolished, and his affairs were transferred to the Governor of Henan; on the third day, the Zhanshi Mansion and Tongsi were abolished.

On April 18, the Ministry of Commerce was established.

On April 25, the governors of Guizhou and Sichuan provinces were abolished, and the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou and the Governor-General of Huguang were in charge concurrently.

On the same day, the Fengtian Prefecture Governor was abolished, with the position of Governor concurrently in charge. The Fengtian Prefecture Chancellor was abolished, replaced by the Education Commissioner of the Three Eastern Provinces. The Ministry of Patrol was established, the Ministry of Education was established, and the Imperial College was abolished.

On the first day of June, the first universal election in the history of Da Qi officially began in 47 provinces (including Annan, Korea, Japan and Kyushu).

All subjects over the age of eighteen in the Great Qi Empire (including Annan, Korea, and Kyushu of Japan) have the right to vote and be elected, regardless of their nationality, race, gender, occupation, family background, religious beliefs, educational level, property status, or length of residence; except for those who have been deprived of their rights due to crimes. Representatives of provincial, state, county, and township councils are elected by direct elections.

On the same day, the long-planned Princess Liu Yufei joined forces with King Liu Qian of Han, King Liu Yu of Chu, and tens of thousands of officials from the three northern provinces. In the name of "clearing the court and establishing a crown prince", they led the rebel army towards Tianxin City. On the sixth day of June, the Southern Expedition Corps stationed on the Yunnan border responded to the rebellion.

(End of this chapter)