My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 224 A Golden House Lies Within Books

Su Ze looked at the simulation results of the "Handheld Ming Dynasty Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial requesting the establishment of a military department within the Imperial Academy was submitted to the Grand Secretariat that same day. Zhao Zhenji approved it in his draft, while Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong did not submit any draft opinions on the memorial.

There was strong opposition from within the Ministry of War, and even the Minister of War, Huo Ji, submitted a memorial opposing it.

Lower-ranking officials in the Ministry of War attacked Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, for mismanaging the government, and the Duke Dingguo wrote a letter to apologize.

The Longqing Emperor has put your memorial on hold.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige Points: 200]

[Should I spend 500 reputation points to ensure the memorial is fully executed?]

Good heavens, Su Ze even dragged Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi into submitting a memorial, and they still encountered such great resistance.

If Su Ze had submitted a memorial alone, the Office of Transmission would probably be overflowing with memorials attacking him by now.

Sure enough, we've entered the deep water zone.

This proposal to "establish a military supervisory commissioner" actually undermined the power of the Ministry of War.

Whether to require succession to military officer positions through examinations or to exempt them from examinations by paying taxes, these were all within the purview of the Ministry of War.

It could even be said to be one of the core powers of the Ministry of War.

Every day, many sons of military families "lobby" at the entrance of the military department, and many of them are there for this reason.

To give a simple example, if the emperor allowed those who paid grain to be exempt from the examination, there were specific rules regarding how much grain to pay and how long it would take before they could be officially appointed to an official position.

Often, the Ministry of War only needs to "block" something to make it difficult for the generals waiting to inherit their military ranks.

Military officers under the age of eighteen were not entitled to manage garrisons because they were underage.

At this time, the military power of the garrison was in the hands of the superior officer or deputy general in charge.

Many officers were already eighteen years old, but their commissioning was delayed.

For example, Qi Jiguang was like that. When he was seventeen, his father died of illness, and Qi Jiguang took over his father's hereditary position as the commander of Dengzhou Guard.

However, it wasn't until he was nineteen that Qi Jiguang received a formal appointment from the Ministry of War and truly took control of the Dengzhou Guard position.

During these two years, Qi Jiguang, a man of great courage and righteousness, often invited people back for meals, but each time they only had simple food.

The military settlements, land, and ships of Dengzhou Guard were all under the control of the deputy general.

When Qi Jiguang was nineteen years old and successfully won the bid to become a minister, he was officially appointed by the court. His first task upon taking office was to investigate the military farms in Dengzhou.

Qi Jiguang, on the other hand, had learned martial arts from a young age and was exceptionally skilled. He also studied under a Confucian scholar and was knowledgeable and worldly-wise.

If it were anyone else, the Ministry of War could easily delay things, and several years would pass by in the blink of an eye.

In addition, military generals of the Ming Dynasty were to inherit their positions at a lower rank.

The commander's son will be demoted to deputy commander, and the chiliarch will be demoted to deputy chiliarch.

However, the "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty" also stipulated several special circumstances under which a rank could be avoided.

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, at least less than 10% of officials were able to inherit their general positions without being demoted, even though there were still wars to fight and military merits to be earned in the early years of the dynasty.

During the Jiajing era, nearly 80% of military ranks were able to be passed down without being demoted.

As for why this was the case, whether it was because the garrison commanders during the Jiajing era were more valiant than those at the beginning of the dynasty, or because the loopholes in the Ming Dynasty's regulations had formed a kind of unspoken rule, then it is self-evident.

In short, the succession of military ranks was one of the core powers of the Ministry of War, and it was not to be touched.

Su Ze's memorials did not involve any interference with the Ministry of War's authority; they merely requested that officers under the age of eighteen, as well as officers who had just inherited their positions, study at the Imperial Academy. Yet, the Ministry of War objected so strongly.

If he were to truly touch upon the core power of the Ministry of War, Su Ze didn't even dare to imagine how many prestige points would be needed.

Even Huo Ji, the Minister of War, had to submit a memorial opposing this under pressure from the Ministry of War.

This isn't a matter of Huo Ji's personal stance, but rather that as the head of a department, he must stand up for his department; otherwise, how can he command his department?

The authority of a superior also needs to be confirmed by his subordinates.

At Daming Palace, Li Longji was a sage who could obtain lychees from Lingnan with just a word.

However, at Mawei Slope, Li Longji also issued an edict to execute his beloved concubine.

Su Ze just didn't expect that Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, could be so cowardly!
When an official from the Ministry of War submitted a memorial impeaching you, you apologized?

If you, the Duke of Dingguo, can withstand the pressure, wouldn't you be able to spend less prestige points?
Su Ze was helpless.

I'm still 300 reputation points short, but it's only the beginning of the month, and I can gain 16 reputation points every day, so I'll be able to accumulate enough in less than 20 days.

Su Ze decisively chose "yes," allowing the system to lock the task and execute it once enough prestige points were accumulated.

After dealing with this matter, preparations began for the establishment of the Imperial College Military Academy.

He summoned a messenger pigeon and wrote a letter to Qi Jiguang, requesting that Qi Jiguang summarize his combat experience and compile a teaching material for the Imperial Academy's Military Academy.

Of course, the Military Supervisory Commission was only the first step in Su Ze's reform of the Ming Dynasty's military system.

The next step was to separate the Military Academy from the Imperial College and establish it as an independent military academy.

The earliest military academies only admitted students from noble families, which was normal, as for most of history, being an officer was a profession exclusively for the nobility.

Su Ze was not prepared to take this step either. The Ming Dynasty was so big, with so many garrisons, yet it still produced famous generals like Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

Moreover, none of the famous generals were trained in military academies; they were all forged in the crucible of war.

The duty of military academies is simply to train qualified officers through standardized military education.

Modern military officers, regardless of their background, are naturally part of a progressive group.

Even before modern times, in the world before Su Ze's transmigration, military officer groups were considered one of the few progressive forces in some small countries.

Therefore, no matter how much the Ministry of War opposed it, Su Ze was determined to establish this military academy!
The twenty-first day of the twelfth lunar month.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Duke of Dingguo pleads guilty! The Ministry of War has submitted another memorial impeaching him!"

"Sugar prices in the capital surge! Sugar futures index soars!"

Just as the newsboy's cries began, shouts came from the teahouse on the street, and the newsboy hurriedly went into the teahouse.

The person who shouted was a group of guests at a table by the window, led by a middle-aged man wearing a black silk robe with a fur-lined leather jacket over it.

Newsboys, who frequented the streets and alleys of the capital, had their own way of judging people. This middle-aged man had an air of wealth and status; he must be a generous spender.

However, the person sitting at the same table was dressed very simply.

The middle-aged man opposite me was wearing an indigo-colored cotton-padded jacket. This color comes from the natural dye woad, which is cheap but fades over time.

The cotton-padded jacket worn by this middle-aged man had faded, and this attire was typical of a poor scholar in the capital.

The third person at the table was a young man. The newsboy saw the young man's official boots and knew that he must be from an official family.

A merchant, an official, and a commoner?
The newsboy rarely saw such a group, but he still asked the eldest man at the table, the middle-aged man dressed in black silk:

"Sir, which newspaper would you like?"

The youngest scholar from an official family spoke first:
Do you have all the newspapers from the capital?

The newsboy proudly said:
"Gentlemen, I only have four major newspapers on me, but if you need other newspapers, I can get them for you!"

All three laughed, and the eldest, a middle-aged man dressed in black silk, spoke up:

What are the four major newspapers?

The newsboy immediately said:

"Of course, it's the *Yuefu Xinbao*, *Xin Yuefu Bao*, *Xin Junzi Bao*, and *Shangbao*!"

The newsboy read out four newspapers, and the three men reacted with different expressions.

The happiest person was the middle-aged businessman who had spoken up, and he asked again:
Which newspaper sells best?

"They're definitely from out of town," the newsboy thought to himself. "If they were locals from the capital, they would never ask such a stupid question."

However, the newsboy still smiled broadly and said:

"Of course it's the Yuefu Xinbao."

After he finished speaking, different expressions appeared on the faces of the three men. The middle-aged businessman then asked, "What about the remaining three portions?"

The newsboy shook his head and said, "They're all about the same; it depends on what the newspaper contains."

"content?"

The newsboy said:

"Yes, if there are hot news stories in the newspaper, we newsboys will shout to attract customers, and the newspaper will sell well. If there are no interesting articles in this issue, the sales will naturally be poor."

The middle-aged wealthy businessman asked:

"What about today?"

The three men kept asking him all sorts of questions, and if it weren't for their extraordinary demeanor, the newsboy would have left long ago.

Perhaps seeing the newsboy's impatience, the middle-aged businessman took out four brass coins from his pocket and said, "Give me one of each of the four newspapers."

The newsboy, having made his profit, lost all his impatience and pushed back a brass coin, saying:

"Sir, the Yuefu Xinbao is not being published today, so there are only the three major newspapers."

After finishing speaking, the newsboy began to say:
"The best-selling item today is naturally the business newspaper. With the end of the year approaching, the rise and fall of commodity prices is what everyone is most concerned about."

The newsboy handed over a copy of the Commercial Daily and said:
"Moreover, today's business newspaper even publishes a magic formula for getting rich!"

The middle-aged businessman immediately asked:

"A magic method to get rich?"

The newsboy immediately said, "Yes! It's written in the newspaper that the Fan family of Datong bought ten orders for sugar at the bulk grain trading market a month ago, with the agreement to deliver them before the end of the year."

"With the end of the year approaching, the people of the capital have more money this year and want to buy some sweets to take home for the New Year."

"With sugar prices soaring, Fan's Trading Company bought and sold these ten sugar orders directly, making double the profit out of thin air!"

At this moment, the middle-aged man in the faded cotton-padded jacket asked:

"The Fan family business only sells sugar, not sugar?"

The newsboy scratched his head and said:
"I heard that it's just a simple bill, and the profit doubles from it!"

"But I don't know what 'paying the bill' means. I only know that the Fan Family Trading Company made a fortune, and they said they would distribute a thousand portions of porridge in front of the company on Laba Festival!"

The newsboy's description was so vivid that the other customers in the teahouse exclaimed in agreement:
"Give me a copy of the Business Daily!"

"I want one too!"

The newsboy immediately shouted:

"okay!"

Once the newsboy had sold all the newspapers in the basket, the middle-aged wealthy merchant wore a smug expression.

The young son of an official asked:

Which newspaper sold the second best today?

It took the newsboy a while to understand what "second-best" meant. Sure enough, scholars are all so pedantic. He said:
"It's the New Gentleman's Daily, of course!"

"Why?"

"The New Gentleman's Gazette was known among the people as the second official gazette. It was the second most politically informed newspaper after the Yuefu New Gazette, and it even often had exclusive news that the Yuefu New Gazette didn't have!"

"The news that the Ministry of War impeached the Duke of Dingguo and that the Duke of Dingguo wrote a letter to apologize was first published in the New Gentleman's Gazette."

"This concerns Hanlin Su, so it is naturally the biggest news from the imperial court before the New Year."

Upon hearing the name Su Hanlin, the three people present all showed subtle changes in their expressions.

When the newsboy heard the name "Su Hanlin," his face was filled with reverence.

The son of an official asked again:

"Does having news about Su Hanlin in the newspaper guarantee good sales?"

The newsboy said in a matter-of-fact manner:
"Of course, what important matter in the imperial court doesn't involve Hanlin Su?"

This answer was irrefutable, and the room fell silent for a moment.

Just as the newsboy was about to leave, the middle-aged man in the faded cotton-padded jacket asked:

"Are you literate?"

The newsboy nodded proudly, which surprised the other two.

This newsboy probably didn't have good nutrition when he was young, as he was thin and skinny, but he was probably around thirteen or fourteen years old.

He carried a newspaper basket on his back, and although his clothes were patched, they looked clean.

The newsboy said:

"Thanks to Su Hanlin's merit, I was able to attend night school at the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper, where a teacher taught us to read."

"night school?"

"Yes, it was an abandoned almshouse in the western part of the city. I heard that Su Hanlin got it from Shuntian Prefecture. Every night after selling the newspapers, a teacher hired by the newspaper office would teach us to read."

"Sometimes you can even run into Su Hanlin and Luo Hanlin giving classes in person!"

The three men looked at each other, and the young man from the official family said with shame:

"I am not as good as Su Hanlin, who can personally teach and educate people."

But the middle-aged man in the faded cotton-padded jacket frowned. He had once run a free clan school in his hometown, but many of the clan children would only come a few times and then stop.

Firstly, going to school takes up too much time, so children in the countryside have to help with chores at a very young age.

Secondly, studying is inherently a painful experience. If parents don't value it and don't force children to study from a young age, it's very difficult for ordinary rural children to persevere.

Newspaper boys in the capital were mostly orphans, and judging from this newspaper boy's manner of speaking, he had clearly received a long period of education.

He asked, "Selling newspapers during the day and going to school at night, isn't that hard work?"

The newsboy said:

"It's bitter, of course it's bitter."

"If it's so tough, why bother going?"

The newsboy glanced at the other person and said:
"Because newsboys on the street all know that literate newsboys can sell a lot more newspapers than illiterate ones."

"After I learned to read, I would turn the news in the newspaper into catchy rhymes, which always attracted people to buy my newspaper. The most amazing one was a classmate of mine. He had attended elementary school when he was young, and he could turn the news in the newspaper into limericks. His newspapers always sold the best!"

The newsboy said, "As Su Hanlin once said, if you don't study, you won't even be able to sell as many newspapers as others. If you want to live a good life, you have to read and write!"

The three men had different expressions. After the newsboy left the teahouse, he had no idea that the three men at the table could be considered his benefactors.

The middle-aged tycoon sighed:

Even newspaper vendors know that there are hidden treasures in books.

The middle-aged wealthy merchant is Fan Kuan, the editor-in-chief of the Commercial Daily; the faded cotton-padded jacket belongs to He Xinyin, the editor-in-chief of the New Yuefu Daily; and the scholar from an official family is Chen Yubi, the current owner of the New Gentleman's Daily and the son of the former Grand Secretary Chen Yiqin. He and Su Ze were Jinshi in the same year, but because his father was a Grand Secretary when he passed the Jinshi exam, he did not participate in the selection of Shujishi or the selection of officials.

After the newsboy left, Fan Kuan said:
"Su Zilin is too hasty. The New Year is just around the corner, and His Majesty and the Grand Secretaries don't want any trouble. Pushing for the Military Supervisory Commission at this time is probably a miscalculation, and if things get heated, the matter will fall through."

Chen Yubi nodded in agreement.

However, He Xinyin said:

"Are you two interested in making a bet? I think Su Zilin has the potential to make it happen."

(End of this chapter)