Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 294 Theoretical Foundation
The news that Zhu Cilang planned to establish academies in various provinces had already spread everywhere.

Thanks to the efforts of Qian Qianyi, Wang Fuzhi and others, and the fame of Jinling Academy, Yuelu Academy and White Deer Grotto Academy, almost all writers with a little fame were eager to try and participate.

With the new dynasty about to be established, the scholars saw new opportunities.

Rumor has it that if one can become a lecturer at the academy, one can obtain an official position and a court salary.

Although the ranks of these positions were not high and most of the salaries were only one tael and five cents of silver per month, for those literati who had been without official positions for a long time, it was better than nothing and was enough to attract a large number of people to compete.

More importantly, entering the academy system meant becoming part of the new dynasty and successfully entering the bureaucratic system under Zhu Cilang's rule.

The situation is ever-changing. Once you miss an opportunity, the spot will be taken by someone else.

Therefore, many literati did not dare to slack off and took action one after another, trying to gain a foothold as soon as possible.

At the same time, many sons-in-law and distant relatives from humble backgrounds who were dependent on wealthy businessmen and gentry families also actively operated with the support of their fathers-in-law and relatives.

Even some wealthy businessmen cast a wide net and sponsored dozens of scholars, trying to gain a place in the academy through them. This situation made the competition among academies in various places more intense.

Qian Qianyi was a prominent figure in the Nanjing literary world and had long witnessed the great influence of Jinling Academy.

He knew very well that the newly built academies in various provinces in the future would inevitably have a greater influence in the local areas.

Therefore, although he was over 60 years old, he still traveled around lobbying, trying to become the dean of one of the academies, so as to leave a significant mark in history books and leave his name in history.

Zhu Cilang’s plan was not only to establish “academies” in various provinces, but these academies were actually the prototypes of later “universities”.

The academy system he envisioned would accelerate the progress of Chinese civilization by learning and improving the Western academic system.

After two years of renovation, Nanjing's Jinling Academy has become a model for Zhu Cilang to establish a new-style academy.

As early as the beginning of his reign, Zhu Cilang brought Western academic systems and civilizational achievements back to the Ming Dynasty through European missionaries and overseas missions, and integrated them into the country's academic and ideological systems.

He did not simply introduce things, but carefully selected and extracted their essence, supplemented it with the essence of local culture, and tried to accelerate the leap and progress of Chinese civilization.

Academies were not just for imperial examinations or technical research. Zhu Cilang's grand vision was that these academies would become the source of the "scientific revolution", "Renaissance" and "Enlightenment" of Eastern civilization.

Therefore, these academies must have certain privileges and become the forefront of the country's promotion of ideological progress.

Rumors about the new academy were also circulating among the people. "I heard that you can really form a society in the new academy?" Some curious people couldn't help but feel curious.

"Nonsense!" Zhang Huangyan couldn't help but laugh and curse:

"That's not an association, it's just a reading club at best.

How can the affairs of scholars be called associations?"

In a restaurant on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, Zhang Huangyan and Huang Zongxi discussed various rumors about the academy while watching the city of Nanjing gradually recovering its vitality.

Today, although Nanjing has experienced the ravages of war, it has gradually regained its former prosperity under the governance of the new dynasty.

Huang Zongxi's background is quite complicated.

Historically, he was a supporter of the Prince of Lu camp and served as the Left Vice-Censor-in-Chief. He was once ordered to go to Japan to beg for reinforcements to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

However, Huang Zongxi's trip was unsuccessful. Disheartened, he finally retired to his home and no longer held office.

Today, Huang Zongxi is still loyal to the Ming Dynasty and is eager to seek an official position in the new dynasty to serve the court.

"The academy that Your Majesty envisions will likely change the entire academic and bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty," Zhang Huangyan said thoughtfully.

"If people like you and me can participate in this, we might be able to gain a place in this troubled time."

"Yes." Huang Zongxi nodded in agreement:

"Academies are not just places for teaching; they can also be the birthplace of new ideas. The court's current emphasis on scholars has exceeded expectations.

Your Majesty clearly realizes that only the revitalization of culture can truly change the fate of a dynasty."

"However, no matter what, we must stay awake." Zhang Huangyan whispered:
"Although academies are good, they are still official institutions after all. Entering the government means following the rules of the court."

"That's true. The court has strict rules. If you're not careful, you might get caught up in political struggles." Huang Zongxi sighed.

"But given the current situation, it's probably impossible to completely stay out of it."

The two men sat in silence, looking at the endless stream of people outside the restaurant. They both knew in their hearts that the establishment of the academy was not only a part of the emperor's promotion of civil and military affairs, but also the beginning of a new power structure.

After all, the once powerful Ming Dynasty rose again, and the Tartars were eventually driven out of the Great Wall.

The Ming Empire once again stood in the East, but Huang Zongxi knew very well in his heart that the Ming Dynasty today was no longer the Ming Dynasty of the past.

After several years of changes, the old Ming Dynasty no longer seems so worth remembering in the hearts of the people.

Today, what the people value is the "New Ming" under the rule of the new emperor Zhu Cilang. The country has been rapidly transforming and moving towards a more efficient and stable direction.

However, Huang Zongxi had deep resentment against the Donglin Party, which made it difficult for him to reach an agreement with former party leaders such as Qian Qianyi.

Huang Zongxi couldn't help feeling a little surprised when Zhu Cilang personally summoned him to Nanjing.

However, Zhang Huangyan's proactive gesture of goodwill rekindled his relationship with his former colleague.

As to why His Majesty specially invited him, Huang Zongxi was not very clear.

Over the past few days, he had heard and seen many rumors about the new dynasty's reforms, which gradually made him understand the reason - many of His Majesty's policy ideas coincided with some of his own academic ideas.

This tacit understanding made Huang Zongxi feel a sense of identification with the young emperor whom he had never met.

During a banquet, Huang Zongxi asked tentatively:

"Is there a limit on the number of members of the 'Reading Club'? Do officials who graduated from the academy maintain close ties with the academy? Isn't Your Majesty worried that they might form cliques for personal gain?"

Zhang Huangyan smiled calmly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then said:

"The world now belongs to everyone. Even if there really is a clique, Your Majesty wouldn't necessarily care too much.

Your Majesty's decree has been issued and must be carried out without question."

He put down his glass and continued:

"However, this restriction only applies within the academy. If you dare to form a clique outside the academy, I'm afraid the results won't be so good.

By then, no matter if it is a reading club or any other kind of gathering, it will be under the watchful eyes of the Inspectorate.”

Huang Zongxi couldn't help but smile after hearing this and said:

"Such a flexible association system is really interesting. It seems that Your Majesty still has some concerns, fearing that once the situation gets out of control, it will be difficult to deal with." "This is just my guess. I don't know the specific situation," Zhang Huangyan explained, but then added:
"But judging by the situation in various provinces, the situation probably won't be too different."

At this point, Zhang Huangyan seemed to have thought of something, and then said:
"Wang Fuzhi is also in Nanjing now. I will hold a banquet someday so that we can meet each other properly.

Mr. Chuanshan is highly regarded by His Majesty and has extensive experience. Perhaps His Majesty has already shared some important news with him."

Huang Zongxi nodded, feeling quite interested in this.

He raised his glass and toasted Zhang Huangyan, and then the topic of their conversation gradually turned to other matters.

After this conversation, Huang Zongxi felt a little touched.

Zhu Cilang established academies, advocated academic discussions, and allowed scholars to discuss politics, which coincided with Huang Zongxi's expectations for court reform.

What he has long advocated is to break the old conventions and habits, so that people of insight can freely discuss national affairs in academic halls and influence the direction of government.

And now, this situation seems to be quietly taking shape.

Huang Zongxi knew very well that if he could use the platform of academies to bring more knowledgeable people into political discussions, it would be possible to promote a real reform.

Officials in the academy put forward constructive opinions through political discussions, thereby exerting influence on actual court decision-making.

Such a model can not only improve the rationality and efficiency of decision-making, but also avoid the drawbacks of arbitrary rule by powerful officials and dictatorship by monarchs.

But Huang Zongxi also understood that the political influence of the academy must be exercised within a controllable range.

Otherwise, if scholars delve too deeply into government affairs, it will inevitably lead to power struggles and conflicts, and may even lead to the dangerous situation of forming factions for personal gain.

Zhu Cilang was obviously aware of this, which is why he allowed scholars to discuss freely in the academy, but strictly restricted their activities outside the court.

"Your Majesty's intentions are indeed far-reaching." Huang Zongxi sighed in his heart.

He understood that Zhu Cilang was not a conservative monarch. On the contrary, behind every move he made was a profound strategic thinking.

Using academics as a bond and academies as a platform, not only can a group of new officials loyal to the court be cultivated, but also the national public opinion and ideological direction can be guided through the dissemination and discussion of knowledge.

Such a situation can not only promote social stability and development, but also avoid excessive concentration and abuse of power.

Huang Zongxi felt more and more deeply that he might be able to find a place in this new dynasty and influence the direction of government by promoting the reform of academies.

After all, Zhu Cilang did not seem to reject the opinions of scholars, and even intended to balance the power structure in the court through academic research.

This evening's conversation not only gave Huang Zongxi a deeper understanding of the reforms of the new dynasty, but also made him full of expectations for his future role.

Perhaps this is exactly the opportunity he has been looking forward to - in this new political landscape, he will have the opportunity to truly participate in and promote reforms and contribute his own strength to the future of the country.

Huang Zongxi was more radical than Wang Fuzhi in philosophy and political thought, and many of his views would become the core of promoting social, political and economic system changes in the near future.

This is also the reason why Zhu Cilang specially summoned him. Huang Zongxi's thoughts were exactly the spark of wisdom that Zhu Cilang needed to reorganize the Ming Dynasty and realize reforms.

Huang Zongxi's idea of ​​"the world is the master and the king is the guest" emphasizes that the world belongs to the people.

"The order or chaos of the world does not depend on the rise and fall of one family, but on the happiness and sorrow of all the people" puts forward the democratic thought that transcends the feudal patriarchal system.

These views directly subverted the traditional concept of the supremacy of monarchy and took a big step forward.

In addition, Huang Zongxi's concept of the rule of law was also very advanced. He advocated that the "law of the world" should replace the emperor's "law of the family", limit the power of the monarch, and ensure that the basic rights of the people are protected.

This idea provided an important theoretical basis for Zhu Cilang's centralized reforms, suggesting that checks and balances must be achieved through the establishment of a fair legal system.

Even more radical was Huang Zongxi's proposal for the prime minister system. He proposed re-establishing the prime minister and its subordinate institutions, and explicitly stated that "the prime minister serves the whole world, not the emperor; the prime minister serves the people, not just one family."

This idea not only emphasized the independence of the prime minister and the bureaucracy, but also further advocated that the court should serve the whole world rather than seek profits for the monarch and his family.

This institutional concept aims to separate state management from family interests and truly realize a bureaucratic system that serves the people.

Huang Zongxi even went further and proposed that "what the emperor thinks is right may not be right, and what the emperor thinks is wrong may not be wrong", that is, the emperor's judgment is not absolutely correct, he should not be self-righteous, but should leave the right and wrong to the "school".

This "school" is not a simple educational institution, but a power check and balance institution similar to modern public opinion centers and parliaments.

Although Huang Zongxi's "school" concept was not yet mature in theory, it provided theoretical preparation for later more mature reforms.

However, the tragedy of history is that these visionary ideas did not have sufficient space to be implemented in the society at that time.

The political and social environment of the late Ming Dynasty did not provide the soil for these ideas to take root.

Now, Zhu Cilang's goal is to establish academies and use the power of education to cultivate the country's elite class, preserve and spread the spark of these ideas.

With the progress of civilization and the gradual reform of the political system, these ideas will one day have a profound impact on the political civilization of the Xin Dynasty and even change the way the entire country is governed.

Under the current situation of internal and external troubles, Zhu Cilang is well aware that centralization is an inevitable practical need.

Without the guarantee of centralization, any initial attempt at the rule of law will be difficult to implement, and the promotion of the rule of law is a prerequisite for achieving true democracy.

Only by gradually promoting the "rule of law" and making the law independent of imperial power can we lay a solid foundation for future institutional reforms.

Therefore, the next focus will be the reform of the six ministries and the adjustment of the central official system.

Zhu Cilang planned to gradually separate the law from the control of imperial power and make it an independent force.

This step is particularly critical. If the law cannot exist independently, then any measures to restrict imperial power will be ineffective.

Zhu Cilang was well aware that political commitments were inherently fragile and that the monarch's words and decisions could change at any time.

However, the orthodoxy is different. It is the pillar of culture and thought. Once the monarch violates the orthodoxy, the society will experience huge shocks.

Zhu Cilang's goal was not only to reform the current system, he also hoped to reshape the "Taoism" of the Ming Dynasty and build a more profound cultural and ideological foundation for future rule.

In order to achieve this, Zhu Cilang not only had to promote reforms through administrative means, but also had to rely on the power of academies and thinkers to reshape the country's spiritual outlook at the ideological level through academics and education.

The thoughts of Huang Zongxi, Wang Fuzhi and others were exactly the pillars of "Taotong" that he needed. As a monarch, he not only had to achieve centralization in politics, but also had to establish control over the future in ideology.

This strategy of fighting on two fronts was Zhu Cilang's response to internal and external crises.

On the one hand, it consolidates internal affairs through centralization and suppresses local separatist forces. On the other hand, it lays a theoretical foundation for future institutional reforms through ideological and academic guidance.

Whether it was a military victory or an ideological breakthrough, Zhu Cilang hoped to gradually realize his long-term plan for the Ming Dynasty through this series of measures.

Zhu Cilang's reforms will not only stop at the adjustment of power structure. His ultimate goal is to establish a more stable and long-lasting national system through the improvement of the rule of law and the reshaping of the orthodoxy.

(End of this chapter)