The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 246 All the Martial Arts
After the first grand court assembly in the first year of the Hongxi reign, the officials left the palace, while some officials remained in the palace to discuss state affairs.

Zhu Gaochi was in a good mood. The Yongle era was completely over, and his era was about to begin.

In a side hall of the Huagai Hall, apart from Li Xianmu who was somewhat somber, everyone else was quite excited.

The fact that you are here today means that you are trusted by the emperor as a core confidant and are at the core of the dynasty's rule.

There are eight people in the hall today. Li Xianmu sits in the upper left position, which shows his highest status among the civil officials.

Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Right Minister of the Imperial Clan, Minister of War, and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory.

Below him on the left are two people: Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, and Xia Yuanji, the Minister who had just been transferred back to the Ministry of Revenue.

Both of them are core members of the princeling faction.

Zheng Huan, the former Minister of Revenue, was not a confidant of the emperor and was therefore not included in this list. He was transferred to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, in charge of the Censorate.

The five people on the right are cabinet ministers, collectively known as the "Three Yangs," listed in order of their ranking as follows:

Yang Shiqi, Vice Minister of War and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Hall.

Yang Rong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall.

Yang Pu, a Hanlin Academician and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall.

Huang Huai, Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Jin Youzi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and concurrently Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion.

Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji looked at the five cabinet ministers opposite them, and then at the two of them standing alone. A sense of urgency suddenly arose in their hearts.

With the Cabinet faction so powerful, their Minister faction is bound to fall behind.

The two exchanged a glance, but it seemed that His Majesty intended to maintain a balance of power.

The two of them, one in charge of the Ministry of Personnel and the other in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, were like two officials in charge of the highest and lowest positions. As long as Li Xianmu did not interfere, they were enough to rival the cabinet!
The five members of the cabinet, including Yang Shimin, Yang Jin, and Yang Hui, were also sizing up Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji.

The two ministers, who were deeply trusted by the emperor, were the biggest obstacle for the cabinet to seize power from the six ministries.

Li Xianmu sat on the upper left, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere in the hall, yet he was fully aware of everything.

The struggles in the court never cease. When the late emperor was alive, the Crown Prince's faction and the Prince of Han's faction fought openly and covertly. Now that the Crown Prince's faction has won and ascended to power, internal strife has begun within the Crown Prince's faction.

The idea that there are no factions outside the party and everyone is part of the emperor's faction is the emperor's fantasy. It would be strange if there were no factions within the party and everyone was harmonious.

The capital city is not a plain; it has many hills.

"My dear ministers, you have been waiting for a long time." The emperor's hearty laughter came from behind the hall, and then Zhu Gaochi walked nimbly into the hall. The court robes he wore when he attended court had been changed into regular clothes with twelve dragon patterns.

Power is indeed a fascinating antidote. After Zhu Gaochi became emperor, his spirits improved a lot, and he even stopped walking with a limp.

The crowd bowed to the emperor, and then a line of eunuchs carried in stools. After thanking the emperor again, they took their seats.

"Now that we have entered the Hongxi era, there should be a new atmosphere. Although the Ming Dynasty is not yet in a state of disrepair, it has been sixty years since its founding, and various problems have arisen. The burden on you all and I is very heavy."

After the initial joy of becoming emperor, Zhu Gaochi had come to a general understanding over the past few months, through memorials and the information gathered by his ministers, that the current situation of the Ming Dynasty was not good.

Sixty years after its founding, many dynasties would have entered their final countdown, but the Ming Dynasty still possessed vigorous vitality. It must be said that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were indeed remarkable.

Li Xianmu began, “Your Majesty, the most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. Now that things in the capital have been largely settled, it is time to inquire about foreign affairs.”

When the late Emperor was alive, whenever the Mongols raided the borders, Your Majesty would personally lead the expedition. However, Your Majesty dislikes military affairs and always relies on military officials. I request Your Majesty to summon the generals of all the border regions.”

Many Tumu Fortress conspiracy theorists in later generations would repeatedly say one thing: "How did the Mongols bypass Xuanfu and enter the Ming Dynasty to attack the emperor's army? This must have been a coup conspiracy."

This shows a complete lack of understanding of ancient military strategy. During the late Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji bypassed countless fortified cities and plundered Jinan, Shandong, relying on his swift and swift cavalry.

In fact, as early as the Hongwu and Yongle periods, the Mongols freely entered and exited Xuanfu, but these were all minor incidents, and the court did not pay much attention to them.

The true purpose of ancient military strongholds was to cut off logistical supplies and prevent the enemy from waging a protracted war. They couldn't stop looting, and there was no intention to bother stopping it.

The Tumu Crisis was caused by two main factors: First, the Ming Dynasty's defense system was flawed, with insufficient defense of the northwest from the beginning. Of the nine important border towns that were later established, two or three were no longer in existence. Second, Bao Zong and Wang Zhen were incompetent and stubborn, and their incompetence led to the deaths of their entire army.

However, the problem with the defense system can be explained. It is impossible for humans to cope with non-existent risks. From the Hongwu to the Yongle period, there were no risks from the northwest, so naturally, there was no need to spend huge amounts of manpower and resources to build military strongholds.

Li Xianmu had no intention of doing that. His military philosophy was strategically offensive; he couldn't conceive of defensive strategies like those for the nine border strongholds, and even if he could, he wouldn't mention them. The reactions of the people in the hall varied. Judging from the various actions of the current emperor since ascending the throne, he didn't seem to pay much attention to military affairs. They hadn't expected Li Xianmu to bring up foreign affairs on this occasion, but considering Li Xianmu's position as Minister of War, it was quite reasonable.

There were reasons why Zhu Gaochi didn't pay much attention to foreign affairs; it wasn't that he lacked foresight.

It was because Emperor Yongle launched five campaigns against the Mongols. Although the latter two campaigns were not very effective, they still brought ten or twenty years of peace to the Ming Dynasty.

The historical record's phrase "Six armies repeatedly marched out, clearing away the dust in the northern deserts" is not flattery, but a fact.

Compared to military affairs, Zhu Di devoted less attention to domestic politics, which led to many problems. It was reasonable for Zhu Gaochi to shift his focus to domestic affairs.

Every era has its own tasks.

The People's Republic of China followed the same path, immediately commencing economic construction after the Korean War, and its counterattack against Vietnam was also aimed at creating a peaceful environment for domestic economic development.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Gaochi smiled and said, "At the beginning of the year, Mingda said that the Ming Dynasty should focus on domestic affairs and build up its economy for ten years. I did not expect that Mingda would suddenly bring up foreign affairs. Why don't you tell all of your thoughts to me first?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xianmu's eyes dimmed. He even began to wonder if the word "ten years" was cursed. Emperor Shizong of Zhou once said, "Ten years to expand the world, ten years to nurture the people, and ten years to achieve peace," before suddenly passing away. Now, Emperor Hongxi was also nearing his end.

If Emperor Hongxi had lived another ten years, he wouldn't have brought up foreign affairs here today. Unfortunately, Zhu Gaochi didn't live long, so some plans had to be changed.

One emperor and one courtier.

The same applies to imperial policies; policy continuity is a miracle, while frequent changes in orders are the norm.

Putting aside the heaviness in his heart, Li Xianmu cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, after the late emperor's years of military campaigns, the various Mongol tribes in the northern deserts no longer pose much of a threat to the Ming Dynasty."

If there are no external threats, there will inevitably be internal troubles. In the past, the northern borders of the Ming Dynasty were guarded by the border princes. After the late emperor's Jingnan campaign, the border princes were moved inland and their guards were reduced. The emperor was put in charge of guarding the country's gates and the imperial guards were used to resist foreign enemies. This has been going on for nearly twenty years.

Extending from Dongsheng and Daning in the east, connecting Xuanfu and Datong in the middle, and reaching Suzhou in the west, the area is dotted with numerous military towns, each heavily guarded. Among them, a general has been stationed there for more than 20 years, making it virtually an independent kingdom.

I believe this is inappropriate!

The courtiers in the hall suddenly realized that Li Xianmu was worried that the border military commanders would become too powerful and cause trouble for the former dynasty's regional governors.

“Mingda’s words make a lot of sense. Mingda’s idea is to recall all the generals to the capital, and then what?”

After being recalled to the capital, they will definitely be released, since these generals who can guard the city are all experienced veterans and are indispensable.

"I suggest that the border garrisons be distinguished according to their distance from the capital. Garrisons such as Xuanfu and Datong, which are close to the capital, are the heartland, the most important and the most dangerous. They should report to the capital every two years."

Military towns located over a thousand miles away, such as Daning and Dongsheng, reported on their duties every four years; while military towns located over two thousand miles away, such as Ningxia and Gansu, reported on their duties every six years.

"Brilliant!" Zhu Gaochi clapped his hands in praise. He immediately thought of Li Xianmu's move. It was not only to let the emperor know the situation of the military town, but more importantly, to let the general guarding the military town have direct access to the emperor's ears. This way, they could communicate face to face and prevent some treacherous officials in the court from deceiving the emperor.

"In addition, I also suggest that the positions of the generals in charge of the major garrisons be switched every six years to prevent them from staying in one place for too long and causing trouble that is detrimental to the court."

Not only were the garrison commanders rotated, but if a commander-in-chief performed meritorious service, he would be transferred to the Five Military Commissions to take charge of the three major camps in the capital, and could be transferred both inside and outside the capital.

When dealing with martial artists, the key is to "use their abilities to control their momentum!"

Zhu Gaochi immediately sat up straight. The general held real local power over the army, while the Five Military Commissions held supreme military power, though it was somewhat nominal.

Li Xianmu's words were quite clear: those who had made great contributions and were highly respected in the local area were transferred to the Five Military Commands. They did not have direct control of the army, but their power could be used to suppress the local areas, and the court could consult them on political and military affairs.

From this series of actions, it can be seen that Li Xianmu was very wary of military men and had actually thought about the problems and tricks involved; otherwise, he would not have proposed such a targeted method.

In fact, Li Xianmu didn't think that much about it. He wasn't worried that military men would dare to rebel. The Ming Dynasty had a high degree of centralization, with the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War each having their own checks and balances, leaving no fertile ground for military men to rebel.

He was worried that military men would harbor bandits to enhance their own power, engage in smuggling with various tribes in the northern deserts, and engage in large-scale power-money transactions, eventually leading to the system of the Song Dynasty, which would directly cripple the fighting capacity of the Ming army.
Zhu Gaochi frowned slightly and then asked the others, "What do you all think?"

"I agree!"

“What Lord Shouzheng said is absolutely right. In recent years, I have occasionally heard that some military generals have made a lot of money doing business with Mongol tribes.”

Everyone agreed; they had no reason to refuse something that could restrain military generals.

"In that case, I will inquire with the Duke of England later. If there are no problems, we will implement it starting this year. As I am not very clear about the current situation on the borders, let's recall the generals of the borders back to the capital one by one, starting with the three towns of Xuanfu, Datong and Suiyuan. The cabinet will issue an edict and send it to me for my seal."

"Yes!" Jin Youzi and Huang Huai, who were mainly responsible for these written tasks in the cabinet, responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)