Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Chapter 121 For and Against

As soon as Yu Shiyue finished speaking, another person stepped out of the line.

"Your subject, Wang Xuan, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, seconded Vice Minister Yu's statement!"

The military academy should be open year-round to continuously train generals; this is the only way to ensure long-term success!

Zhu Qiyu nodded to himself.

These two have excellent judgment; they are capable of doing great things for the country.

However, dissenting voices quickly emerged: "Your subject, Chen Tai, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, has submitted a memorial!"

Zhu Qiyu looked at him and said, "Speak."

Chen Tai said, "His Majesty wishes to establish a military academy. This matter involves a wide range of issues and cannot be ignored."

Zhu Qiyu said calmly, "Oh? What are you worried about? Tell me."

Chen Tai said: "Firstly, our dynasty's military system has always been based on the garrison system."

Most of the officers in the garrison were hereditary.

If the generals trained by the military academy coexist with hereditary officers, it will inevitably cause conflicts.

Hereditary military officers, relying on the merits of their ancestors, may not necessarily respect those who come from military academies.

Those who graduated from the military academy, confident in their talents, were not necessarily willing to be subordinate to hereditary officers.

With both sides fighting, morale within the army is unstable.

"Secondly, the instructors of the military academy should be famous generals such as Shi Heng and Fan Guang."

These generals were constantly fighting in the field; how could they possibly have time to stay in the capital and teach?

If civil officials are appointed to these positions, they have never personally experienced battle; what real skills can they impart through mere theoretical discussions?

Thirdly, the students of the Military Academy were selected from various guards.

Are the garrisons willing to release the people?

Those brave and skilled young soldiers were the backbone of each garrison.

If they were all sent to the capital for training, wouldn't the fighting strength of the garrisons be greatly weakened?

Fourthly, the military academy was extremely expensive.

Building schools, hiring instructors, and supporting students would cost at least tens of thousands of taels of silver each year.

The country's finances are currently strained, and money is needed everywhere.

"Where does Your Majesty find the extra funds to handle such a non-urgent matter?"

Chen Tai rattled off four rebuttals in one breath.

Many officials on the train nodded secretly, agreeing with Chen Tai's point.

Zhu Qiyu, however, smiled.

He looked at Chen Tai: "Chen Qiandu, are you finished?"

Chen Tai cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes."

Zhu Qiyu's gaze swept over the assembled officials: "Is there anyone else who wants to speak?"

After a moment of silence, another person stepped forward: "I, Liao Zhuang, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, second Chen Qiandu's words."

The establishment of the military academy, though seemingly a good thing, was actually fraught with hidden dangers.

Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider.

Zhu Qiyu looked at him and asked, "Minister Liao, do you know how many vacancies exist in the Ming army?"

Liao Zhuang was taken aback: "This—I do not know."

Zhu Qiyu: "I tell you, the Ministry of War's preliminary investigation shows that more than 30% of the vacancies in just a few garrisons near the capital are vacant."

The amount of money spent on salaries each year is in the tens of thousands.

Is this enough to establish a military academy?

Liao Zhuang did not answer. Zhu Qiyu continued, "Do you know how much of the farmland under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty's garrisons has been encroached upon?"

If all of these occupied military farms were recovered, how much grain could they produce each year?

How many soldiers can it support?

Liao Zhuang was even more baffled; his objection was to the establishment of the Military Academy.

However, Zhu Qiyu kept talking about the vacant positions in the military garrisons and the encroachment on farmland.

Zhu Qiyu also noticed Liao Zhuang's doubts: "I want to establish a military academy, firstly to enhance the national strength of the Ming Dynasty."

This will completely solve these problems.

From now on, if you want to become a general, you'll have to rely on your own abilities!

The achievements of our ancestors cannot be enjoyed for three generations!

In the future Ming Dynasty, there will be plenty of capable people.

There are plenty of people who can shut them down at any time.

If they want to embezzle again, the court won't even need to investigate; everyone else will be watching them!

Zhu Qiyu then looked at Chen Tai: "I will answer you one by one the four points that Chen Qiandu mentioned."

"The first point is the conflict between hereditary military officers and those who come from the military academy."

Are there any conflicts between the Jinshi graduates from the Imperial Academy and the officials who came from hereditary privilege?

Have.

But how did the imperial court handle it?

The capable rise, the mediocre fall.

I didn't mean to abolish all hereditary military officers.

Those who are truly capable can still go to the military academy for further study and can still be promoted.

Moreover, they will have priority to enter the military academy, a benefit earned for them by their fathers.

As for those incompetent people who occupy positions without contributing anything, what right do they have to compete with those from the Military Academy?

"Secondly, the issue of instructors."

Shi Heng and Fan Guang do indeed have to fight, but after the battle they can't return to the capital to rest for a few months?

Can't you go to the military academy to teach a few classes when you're resting?

As for civil officials, they cannot teach real skills.

Which of you here hasn't read a few military books?

Have you read Yu Shaobao's "Essentials of City Defense"?

Which of those points wasn't drawn from real-world experience?

"As for the issue of the garrison refusing to release people."

I'd like to see which garrison dares to refuse to release him!

I established the Military Academy to train generals for the court, not to steal their personnel.

They sent people here to study, and after completing their studies, they returned to their original garrison.

Once these people have developed their skills, they can teach them to other soldiers in the garrison when they return.

This is only beneficial to the garrison and has no drawbacks.

"If anyone dares to obstruct me under any pretext, I'd like to ask them what their intentions are."

"Finally, it's a matter of money."

Chen Qiandu, you're right about one thing: the national treasury is strained.

But I reorganized the money and farmland that I had recovered from the garrison.

This money originally belonged to the military expenditure of our Great Ming Dynasty. Isn't it only natural to spend it on the army?

After Zhu Qiyu finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the hall.

Yu Qian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! I request to take the lead in organizing the Military Academy!"

Hu Chu stepped forward: "I second that proposal!"

Chen Xun stepped forward: "I second that proposal!"

Jin Lian stepped forward: "I second that proposal!"

Yu Shiyue, Wang Xuan, and others also stepped forward: "We second that proposal!"

Chen Tai and Liao Zhuang stood rooted to the spot, their faces ashen.

Zhu Qiyu looked at them and said calmly, "Chen Qiandu, Liao Shaoqing, I have considered the concerns you mentioned."

Despite the concerns, the matter still needed to be addressed.

I'm making this clear today: I've decided to establish the Military Academy.

What you need to do is not tell me whether it can be done, but to help me think of how to do it well.

Alright, let's discuss the specific rules and regulations of this military academy.

As the officials returned to their positions, the atmosphere in the hall gradually eased.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Yu Qian: "Young Master Yu, since you just requested to take the lead in organizing the Military Academy..."

"Then tell me, how should this military academy be set up?"

Yu Qian began, “In my opinion, there are three things that need to be addressed first when establishing the Military Academy.”

First, the venue; second, the instructors; and third, the student body.

"I have two places in mind for the venue."

First, there was the martial arts training ground in the west of the city, which was originally the training ground for the Beijing garrison.

There were existing drill grounds and barracks, which could be easily converted into the school buildings for the military academy.

Secondly, there is the Gongde Temple in the north of the city. The temple is not very popular, but it occupies a large area.

If converted into a school, it could accommodate hundreds of people.

Both places have their advantages and disadvantages; Your Majesty may choose one or use both.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "The training ground is good. It's close to the Beijing garrison, which makes it convenient for students to observe and practice."

As for Gongde Temple —

I remember that place was quite large, but if I convert it into a school, won't people say I'm disrespecting Buddha?

Zhu Qiyu did not believe in Buddhism, so his question was merely symbolic.

He believed that great Confucian scholars would debate the classics for him.

As expected, Hu Dan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Gongde Temple was originally built by the previous dynasty. It has been in existence for a long time and is now in ruins."

Converting it into a military academy would perfectly align with the dual purpose of education, culture, and military defense.

As for Buddha—

I believe that if Buddha truly has a spirit, he should wish for the prosperity of our Great Ming Dynasty.

Peace and security on the border are more effective than burning any amount of incense.