Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 432: Establishing a Calendar Bureau and Guarding Korea

"Then you can test it carefully." Zhu Changluo's face showed appreciation. "Xu Qing."

"I'm here." Xu Guangqi responded immediately.

Zhu Changluo issued an order: "The Ministry of Rites will take the lead and establish a Calendar Bureau under the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. This bureau will be responsible for calculating astronomical data and compiling the calendar. If they need a vacancy, land, or funding, they can simply submit a petition. The Calendar Bureau's accounts will be under the Imperial Astronomical Observatory's general ledger. As long as they are honest and upright, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory will provide whatever the Calendar Bureau requests. If the Imperial Astronomical Observatory cannot provide the funds, it will send a letter to the Ministry of Rites. In addition, a separate seal will be created for the Calendar Bureau, allowing them to submit petitions directly within their duties. Deng Yuhan will be in charge of this seal. As for the official title, I will initially give him the title of Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"Yes." As soon as Xu Guangqi heard the appointment of the Deputy Minister of Rites, he knew that the emperor's establishment of the Calendar Bureau was not a whim.

The Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Rites was a fifth-rank official, one level below the fifth-rank Director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, and one level above the sixth-rank Deputy Director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. This position placed Deng Yuhan above Johann Adam Schall von Bell, but prevented the Calendar Bureau from overtaking the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. It was a perfectly balanced position.

Beyond this obvious distinction, there's a subtler point. The Monk and Taoist Registrars were both subordinate to the Ministry of Rites. Their highest ranking officials, the Left and Right Shanshi and Left and Right Zhengyi, were only of the sixth rank. The soon-to-be-established Jesuit Registrars would certainly not be a higher-ranking government office than the Monk and Taoist Registrars. In other words, even if Jin Nige achieved the highest rank within the Jesuit Registrars, it would still be lower than the rank of Deng Yuhan, a Jesuit descendant.

Xu Guangqi knew that after Johann Adam Schall von Bell was appointed to the Imperial Observatory, Long Huamin had been using overt and insubordinate tactics to suppress him in order to maintain his absolute authority within the Jesuit Order. Xu Guangqi even speculated that Schall von Bell's "exposure" against Long Huamin was due to Long Huamin's petty actions irritating him. He also wondered if the new Jesuit Superintendent, Nicolas Ginni, would revert to his old ways and resort to subtle tactics of suppression to maintain his authority within the Jesuit Order.

Thinking of this, Xu Guangqi couldn't help but glance at Deng Yuhan. He was surprised to find that Deng Yuhan, who had been so excited not long ago, was now like being struck by lightning. Deng Yuhan stood there in a state of shock, neither thanking nor refusing.

When the emperor asked that question, Deng Yuhan had already expected the emperor to provide the necessary support for his cause, but the generosity of the Ming emperor far exceeded his imagination. The emperor gave him more than just simple support, but a government office, a government office where he had the final say.

Tycho Brahe was able to become a leading astronomer and make many accurate predictions because he had the support of the Danish King Frederick II, who was fond of astrology. He was able to build his own observatory and observe the celestial phenomena for a long time. Now, he had the support of the emperor of the world's richest empire.

Deng Yuhan had an extremely rich imagination. In just a few breaths, he had already imagined in his mind the scene of himself gazing at the stars after the observatory was built and drafting a theory that would be passed down from generation to generation behind an elegant Chinese desk.

"Hurry up and thank me!" Seeing that Deng Yuhan did not respond, Tang Ruowang pulled his sleeve as a reminder.

Deng Yuhan came back to his senses, fell to his knees on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed, saying: "Your Majesty, I, Deng Yuhan, thank you for your grace! I am willing to follow your Majesty's orders, even if it means sacrificing my life!" He moved so loudly that it seemed as if he was going to break a thick gold brick with his knees.

"Zhu Youxiao." Zhu Changluo turned his head and looked at Zhu Youxiao.

"Your son is here." Zhu Youxiao immediately put on an attitude of lowering his head and listening attentively.

"Are you interested in astronomy?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Yes!" Zhu Youxiao answered decisively. But rather than being interested in astronomy itself, he was more interested in these bizarre astronomical instruments. He felt that while these instruments had various uses, their craftsmanship was rather crude. He believed he could create something more beautiful and sophisticated to present to his father.

Zhu Changluo nodded and looked at Yang Ruchang, the director of the Imperial Observatory. "The Imperial Observatory and the Imperial Household Department should discuss adding astronomy to the curriculum. Whether it's Eastern or Western, as long as it's good and correct, everyone can learn it."

"I will obey the emperor's order." Yang Ruchang had never been opposed to the introduction of Western learning. After several consecutive inaccurate predictions of solar eclipses and errors in calculating the year, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory no longer had any reason to refute it with a smug look on its face.

"Wang An." Wang An was standing behind the dragon throne. Zhu Changluo didn't want to turn around, so he just waved.

"I'm here." Wang An immediately ran to the emperor in small steps.

"Ask the craftsmen in the palace to make a copy of this set as a teaching aid." Zhu Changluo pointed to the magical instruments in front of him.

"Yes." Before Wang An finished speaking, Zhu Youxiao spoke up. "Father."

"You want to do it yourself?" Zhu Changluo saw through Zhu Youxiao's thoughts at a glance.

"Nothing can be hidden from father." Zhu Youxiao replied with a smile.

"Then do it." Zhu Changluo's voice was filled with a father's kindness. "Just don't fall behind in your studies."

"Yes, I saved it." Zhu Youxiao replied.

Zhu Changluo glanced at everyone's faces and decided there was nothing more to say. "That's it. Xu Qing stays, and everyone else goes back."

Xu Guangqi was suddenly startled when he heard this. He already had some psychological trauma about being summoned alone.

"We will take our leave." While Yang Ruchang, Deng Yuhan, Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Luo Yagu and others kowtowed and took their leave, the palace maids and eunuchs on duty in the main hall were also dismissed by Wang An's gesture.

Soon, the only people left in the huge main hall of the Qianqing Palace were the emperor, the eldest prince, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and the Minister of Rites.

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"I summoned you here today not only to discuss matters in heaven," Zhu Changluo stood up and paced around the spacious hall. Zhu Youxiao followed closely beside him. "There's also a matter of great importance on earth that I want to discuss."

Xu Guangqi's heart was hanging even higher. "Please give your Majesty's order, and I will obey it." "I don't want you to do this matter, I just want to discuss it with you." Zhu Changluo stopped in front of a cabinet and pulled out an exquisite wooden box. "Wang An, give that to him."

"Yes." Wang An walked around the Tianxue instruments still displayed in the center of the hall and came before Xu Guangqi. He then pulled out a rather thick memorial from his pocket and handed it over with both hands. "Please review it, Xu."

Seeing Wang An pull out another memorial, Xu Guangqi was stunned. For a moment, he didn't dare to reach out to take it. It was as if it wasn't a memorial, but a knife dripping with blood.

"This is something you wrote yourself, what are you afraid of?" Zhu Changluo looked at Xu Guangqi with interest, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Yes." Xu Guangqi raised his hand, but instead of taking the memorial immediately, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

While Xu Guangqi was wiping his sweat, Wang An turned the memorial around so that Xu Guangqi could directly see the title of the memorial.

The Liaodong region is in great danger

"Your Majesty, are you going to ask me about my role in the tutelage of Korea?" Xu Guangqi took the memorial from Wang An but didn't even open it. Although he had submitted it in June of the 47th year of the Wanli reign, he still remembered its contents clearly and could even recite some passages.

"You guessed right, but you haven't opened it yet." Zhu Changluo took the wooden box and returned to sit on the dragon throne.

"After the great defeat at Sarhu, I have never stopped thinking about the Liao situation," Xu Guangqi replied.

"Hmm," Zhu Changluo waved to Wang An. "Bring Xu Qing a stool over here."

"Yes." Wang An looked around and didn't find a stool, so he trotted to the side room.

"It has been almost two years since this memorial was kept in the palace. Do you still think that someone should be sent to supervise Korea?" After Zhu Changluo finished speaking, Wang An also found a stool.

"Yes!" Xu Guangqi said firmly. "I believe that before we completely wipe out the bandits, we must send envoys to control Korea. And the sooner the better."

Wang An silently carried the stool to Xu Guangqi. After putting it down, without waiting for Xu Guangqi to thank him, he returned to stand behind the dragon throne. Wang An was very clear about his position. There were no other servants in the palace at that moment. He was the one who served.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat." Xu Guangqi thanked him and sat down. His sitting posture was even more serious and mature than the one Zhu Youxiao tried so hard to put on.

Zhu Changluo nodded and pointed to the memorial lying between Xu Guangqi's legs. "I've read this memorial many times. But this is a serious matter, so I'd like to hear your detailed explanation."

"Yes." Xu Guangqi seemed a little excited, but he tried his best to appear calm: "The so-called guardianship is first of all supervision, then protection."

"Jian" means to monitor and supervise. Various signs indicate that the great defeat in the 47th year of the Wanli reign was closely related to Korea's indecisiveness. It could even be said that the Eastern Route Army led by Liu Ying was delayed by the Korean army, preventing it from reaching its designated location and attacking Hetuala on time. This allowed the slave soldiers to concentrate their superior forces to launch a fierce attack on the Western and Northern Route Armies, defeating them one by one."

"Tell me in detail." A gleam of light flashed in Zhu Changluo's eyes.

Xu Guangqi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. While searching his memory and organizing his words, he slowly said:
"On February 25th, the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the Eastern Route Army advanced northwards, following the plan devised by Yang Hao. On the 26th, the Korean commander, Jiang Hongli, met with Liu Ying, the commander of the Eastern Route Army, and stated that the food supply had not yet arrived. He requested that they wait until supplies were complete before continuing their advance. Liu Ying refused Jiang Hongli's request and instead ordered the Korean army to march immediately."

"On the 27th, Liu Ying led our army to the foot of Pingding Mountain, while the Korean army set up camp about ten miles away at Baidong Geling. The two places were nearly fifty miles apart, and it was impossible to see each other. It was not until our garrison commander Yu Chengen, with a letter from the Korean military supervisor and the commander of the Zhenjiang guerrilla affairs, Qiao Yiqi, came to Jiang Hongli's tent and drew his sword to urge them to retreat, that the Korean army abandoned their food and supplies and joined our army on the 28th."

"From the moment the two armies met, Jiang Hongli repeatedly pleaded with Liu Ying to halt his advance, citing food shortages and the soldiers' distress. On the 29th, Du Song of the Western Route reached the Hun River, while the entire Eastern Route Army halted for a day awaiting resupply from the Korean army. On the first day of March, the Korean army received some supplies, and the Eastern Route Army set out again. However, that same day, the Western Route Army encountered a full-scale attack from the Nu tribe."

"On the second day of March, the Eastern Army arrived at Shenhe and encountered only four or five hundred enemy soldiers for the first time. Remember, Shenhe is less than seventy miles from Hetuala. On the third day of March, the Western Army was completely annihilated. The enemy turned and launched a general attack on Malin's troops in the north. The Korean army once again refused to advance, citing a lack of food. The Eastern Army remained stationed that day and did not move forward until the fourth day of March."

"On the fourth day of the third lunar month, the Eastern Route Army reached Fuchedi, where they were ambushed by a large force of the Nu bandits. By this time, both the Western and Northern Route Armies had been annihilated. On the fifth day of the third lunar month, Liu Ying's Eastern Route Army was completely annihilated, and Liu Ying himself was killed in action. That same day, Jiang Hongli led the majority of the Korean army in surrender to the Nu soldiers."

"Calculating the timeline, the Korean army led by Jiang Hongli held up the Eastern Army for two full days. If the Eastern Army had strictly followed General Yang Hao's instructions and launched the attack on Hetuala at the scheduled time, then by the time the Western and Northern Armies were under the full force of the enemy's attack, the enemy's nest would have been razed to the ground by the Eastern Army." As Xu Guangqi finished speaking, his eyes bloodshot, his face a look of deep sorrow. "Or perhaps the enemy simply didn't dare to rally their main forces, abandoning their nest and risking everything."

Zhu Youxiao listened with a frown on his face. As soon as Xu Guangqi finished speaking, he immediately asked, "According to Xu Butang, the defeat at Sarhu was caused by the Koreans?"

"In reply to Your Highness," Xu Guangqi shook his head and said, "I do not place all the blame for the defeat on the Koreans. The root causes of Liaodong's decay and the rise of the bandits are the accumulated national flaws, the Liao garrison's disloyalty, the emperor's lax planning, the generals' dissenting ambitions, and misguided deployment. Just looking at the Battle of Sarhu alone, there were numerous problems, including the temporary rescheduling, pre-battle leaks, and the reckless advance from the west. If the Ming Dynasty had not fallen, the bandits would not have been able to rise, and the Korean vassal states would not have dared to vacillate. However, regardless, the Korean vassal states' ingratitude and the guilt they have incurred for the Ming Dynasty's loss of troops and cities are inexcusable."

Zhu Youxiao nodded solemnly.

"So what you're saying," Zhu Changluo asked, "is that the delay of the past two days was intentional by the North Korean army?"

"I think so," Xu Guangqi replied immediately. "The Korean army's excuse for delaying is completely untenable! Although the scheduled date for the expedition was moved up from March 21st to February 21st in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, the imperial edict requesting Korean assistance in the campaign had already reached Pyongyang in the 46th year of the Wanli reign. A full six months passed between the preparations for the expedition and the actual deployment. It's impossible that Korea couldn't even gather a few days' supply of food for these ten thousand men. Moreover, before the Eastern Route Army set out, the order from General Yang Hao had already been sent to the Korean army. Unless the Korean army ignored Yang Hao's order, they shouldn't have been short of food before the battle. Moreover, when the army ran out of food during the march, Jiang Hongli neither sent anyone to urge them to stop nor punished the grain officer. Instead, he repeatedly requested that our army halt its march and wait for them to resupply. How bizarre!"

(End of this chapter)