My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 225 Memorial Requesting the Establishment of a Military Supervisor
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

Under the whale oil lamps of the royal palace.

Under the glow of burning candlelight, the Longqing Emperor paced back and forth in the main hall.

"How is the Duke of Cheng?"

Li Fang lowered her eyes and said:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Physician reports that he may not survive the night."

The Longqing Emperor plopped down on the dragon throne and let out a long sigh.

For some reason, starting this year, the emperor has gradually become more sensitive to death.

Zhu Xizhong, the Duke of Cheng, is now the nominal head of meritorious officials in the Ming Dynasty and the former "High Priest" of the Empire, who has represented the emperor in sacrifices 66 times.

This old minister, who inherited the title of Duke of Cheng in the fifteenth year of the late emperor's reign and diligently handled royal ceremonies, has been bedridden since the beginning of this year.

The successor was Xu Wenbi, the Duke of Dingguo.

Such a senior and important official naturally deserves the emperor's special favor.

The Longqing Emperor dispatched imperial physicians and personally bestowed medicine, but it was clear that there was nothing that could be done to save him.

Just then, a bell rang out in the capital, and the Longqing Emperor knew that the old Duke had passed away.

The Longqing Emperor looked somewhat somber.

Duke Cheng was an important minister in the late emperor's reign. He once saved the late emperor from a fire and later stood firmly on his side in the political struggles of the late emperor's reign.

After the late emperor's death, the ceremonies for the late emperor and his own succession ceremony were all handled by the Duke of Cheng.

"The messenger announcing the death hasn't arrived yet!?"

The Longqing Emperor was somewhat displeased. When a high-ranking official of the Duke's rank passed away, the Duke's mansion should have sent a filial son as a messenger to the palace to announce the death.

Knowing that the emperor was in a bad mood, Li Fang quickly comforted him:

"Should be arriving soon."

Just then, a eunuch came to announce that Zhu Shikun, the second son of the Duke of Cheng, had come to the palace to report the death.

"Xuan!"

The heir apparent of the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Shitai, was to stay at home to oversee the funeral arrangements, so he sent his second son as the messenger to announce the death.

The Longqing Emperor remembered Zhu Shikun, the second son of the Duke of Cheng, who was his favorite. Before Zhu Xizhong died, he had always wanted to find a job for his second son.

The Duke's mansion could only be inherited by the eldest son. According to the rules, after Zhu Xizhong died, the second son, Zhu Shikun, had to move out of the Duke's mansion.

The second son of a nobleman left behind little legacy.

A short while later, Zhu Shikun, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt before Emperor Longqing.

Zhu Shikun, fighting back tears, held up a memorial to the throne and said:

"Your Majesty, this is my late father's last testament."

It informs us of the past and guides us to the future; it serves as a framework for the affairs of the king.

A memorial is the most formal document. A memorial from a high-ranking official is his last words to the emperor before his death.

Zhu Xizhong was already seriously ill and there were signs before his death. He had been writing this will for a long time.

The Longqing Emperor unfolded his will. The beginning of the will was written in neat handwriting by the Duke of Cheng. The opening was filled with simple words, such as feeling ashamed for failing the late emperor and for not being able to assist the current emperor. He also said that he was not fortunate enough to live to see the prosperous reign of the emperor.

This will was clearly not written on the same day; the handwriting that follows is crooked and slanted, suggesting that Zhu Xizhong wrote it while suffering from severe pain during his illness.

The second part is about entrusting the young emperor with the care of his sons. Zhu Xizhong had three sons. His eldest son, Dunhou, inherited the title of Duke. Zhu Xizhong was not worried about this. He asked the emperor to take care of his second and third sons.

In the third part, the handwriting becomes noticeably more illegible, but this is the most crucial part of the will.

The Longqing Emperor's expression turned serious.

Zhu Xizhong's last letter actually approved of Su Ze's memorial!

"The Ministry of War's selection examinations have long been a mere formality, and paying taxes to exempt one from examinations has become the norm! The sons of the garrison troops are mostly indulging in comfort, and the hereditary commanders of a thousand men do not know military books, and the commanders of a hundred men are not skilled in archery and horsemanship—this is not because the sons of military families are unworthy, but because the court has failed to provide them with the grace of education!"

This passage almost entirely copied Su Ze's views, and Zhu Xizhong was even more radical than Su Ze!
He directly targeted the families of nobles, intending to extend the policies applied to the military garrisons to their households.

“Those from noble families who inherit their positions often have the privilege of their ancestors but lack strategic acumen.”

"There are also those who aspire to serve their country, but are not the eldest sons of the family. They are skilled in archery and horsemanship but do not receive official positions, so they have no way to serve their country."

Before his death, the Duke of Cheng possessed extraordinary fighting prowess. He continued:
"He had the privilege of being born into wealth but lacked ambition, and he had ambition but no way to achieve it. The only option was to associate with merchants and then seek personal gain."

"Yet the nobles of our Great Ming have no ambition to serve the country. I observe that the sons of nobles are incompetent and their talents are wasted, and the sons of military families are declining day by day. Nobles are supposed to share the fate of the country; is this not jeopardizing the foundation of the nation?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you establish a Military Academy to allow your divine guidance and continue the orthodox lineage of military families!"

After reading this, the Longqing Emperor's eyes welled up with tears. He then handed the memorial to Li Fang beside him and asked Zhu Shikun, who was kneeling down:

Did your father leave any last words?

Zhu Shikun said with tears in his eyes:

"My father was already delirious before he died, and he could only utter the word 'you'."

"Which two characters?"

"Put out the fire."

After saying this, the Longqing Emperor fell silent.

The firefighting incident occurred in the nineteenth year of the Jiajing reign (1540). During the Jiajing Emperor's southern tour, the imperial palace caught fire twice, and both times Duke Cheng, Zhu Xizhong, led the firefighting efforts. Zhu Xizhong even carried the emperor away from the imperial palace.

Just like Emperor Wuzong's two falls into the water when he left the palace, both of these fires were actually quite suspicious.

The Longqing Emperor seemed to be thinking about something, and he paced back and forth in his study for a long time.

He also understood why the nobles supported the establishment of the Military Supervisory Commission.

As Su Ze stated in his memorial, the military supervisory commission could train officers and maintain the combat effectiveness of the garrisons.

On the other hand, the military supervisory commission was also a political force.

After the Tumu Crisis, the political power of nobles and military generals was severely weakened, and the Ming Dynasty entered a new stage of civil administration.

This is not a conspiracy theory. Before Tumu Fortress, meritorious officials and military generals and civil officials were divided into two groups, both of whom had the power to make decisions in court.

However, after the Tumu Crisis, the cabinet began to control the power in the court, and although the nobles still held the top positions, they had become mere figureheads.

After that, military officers were repeatedly suppressed by civil officials, and by the Jiajing reign, an unspoken rule had been formed that civil officials commanded troops.

For example, Hu Zongxian, who presided over the suppression of the rebellion, was a civil official, and now the Governor-General of Xuanda, Wang Chonggu, and the Governor-General of Jiliao, Tan Lun, are also civil officials, except that they are all civil officials who are proficient in military affairs.

As the foremost meritorious official, Zhu Xizhong had already accepted the situation.

But the martial arts supervisor showed him another path.

Two years of study—this is not just simple classroom learning; it involves a very close connection.

When young people gather in one place during the time when they are most receptive to knowledge and ideas, this creates a powerful political force.

The Duke of Chengguo not only wanted to include officers from the garrison, but also sons of noble families.

This is not only opening up a way out for his second son, but also for the Xun Gui Group.

Having reigned for so long, Emperor Longqing had come to understand many things. And this wave of opposition from the Ministry of War also made him see a lot.

The emperor said coldly, "Draft an edict."

"Su Ze's memorial was approved, and a military supervisory office was established within the Imperial Academy."

The Longqing Emperor had a clear vision: the current Military Academy could not be separated from the Imperial Academy yet; it should be temporarily placed under the Imperial Academy to maintain the framework of civil administration overseeing military affairs.

However, this force cannot be controlled by civil officials.

The Longqing Emperor then said:
"I will personally serve as the supervisor, the Duke of Dingguo as the deputy supervisor, and Su Ze as the head instructor."

"Then the cabinet will select a few instructors and submit them to me for review."

Emperor Longqing decided to keep the military supervisory commission firmly in his own hands, but the current political structure of the Ming Dynasty could not bypass the civil officials.

Therefore, the only civil official whom the Longqing Emperor completely trusted was Su Ze, and he had to personally select the rest of the candidates.

Having established a framework for the time being, the Longqing Emperor then addressed Zhu Shikun:
"After you finish your mourning period, go to study at the military academy. Don't let your father down."

"Send the Crown Prince to the Duke of Cheng's residence to offer condolences."

"Furthermore, reject Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi's memorial of apology and tell him to get up quickly and arrange the funeral for Duke Chengguo!"

"only!"

Unbeknownst to him, the Longqing Emperor found himself on a path that his ancestors had never trod.

How did all of this happen?

A figure flashed past the Longqing Emperor.
-
The winds in the capital shifted too quickly, and He Xinyin won his bet.

As the winner, he also received his prize.

The editors of the three major newspapers gathered together that day to discuss a joint effort to counter the Yuefu Xinbao.

There was no way around it; all three newspapers were imitators of Su Ze.

What's even more frightening is that this pioneer always manages to keep moving forward.

Fan Kuan, who was in Zhigu, received news that the Yuefu Xinbao was preparing to open a branch office, so the three major newspapers gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

The discussion naturally resulted in a follow-up, with the three major newspapers also expanding.

Expansion is not so easy. It requires delivering important news from the newspaper to branch offices and recruiting staff at the branch offices to supplement localization efforts.

Timeliness is very important; otherwise, pirated newspapers would be delivered even faster, and there would be no need to publish new newspapers.

Nowadays, there are caravans that specialize in delivering newspapers between Southern Zhili and the capital. Some caravans use a combination of canal transport and fast horses for transport, which is quite fast.

The Yuefu Xinbao was an official newspaper and could use official channels. If the three major newspapers wanted to expand, they had to work together and concentrate their resources.

The consensus reached by the three was that the three major newspapers would share channels and jointly open branch offices to expand their reach.

However, the three disagreed on how to expand.

Fan Kuan advocated expansion in areas with many merchants, namely, in cities that had been opened as treaty ports.

He advocated setting up a branch in Quanzhou, using seagoing vessels to transport woodblocks, and first establishing a foothold in these markets.

Chen Yubi believes that Su Ze's decision to establish a branch in Nanjing also reflects his intention to expand into coastal port cities. Therefore, he proposes to avoid direct competition with Su Ze by opening a branch in the capital of an inland province.

He Xinyin's ideas differed from the other two. He advocated using the Grand Canal and Yangtze River shipping as hubs to open branches along these two vital arteries of the empire.

As a result, He Xinyin won the bet, and the three newspapers discussed the matter.

Printing workshops were established in several key cities, including Damingfu in Shandong, Huai'an in Southern Zhili, and Jingzhou in Huguang, which were hubs for both canal transport and shipping.

The three major newspapers shared a common delivery and logistics channel to transport the printing plates of the Beijing newspapers to these regions for printing and distribution.

The three parties finally reached an agreement. The three editors-in-chief were all smart people. They knew very well that the market in the capital was saturated and it was time to expand rapidly.

After reaching an agreement, Chen Yubi and Fan Kuan quickly left, as they were busy preparing for the branch office's establishment.

The three newspapers only combined their delivery channels, but they remained competitors after publication.

After the two left, He Xinyin's assistant stepped forward to tidy up, asking as she did so:
"Master He, why did you agree to their request? Our 'New Yuefu Daily' can do it ourselves."

He Xinyin looked at this disciple and said calmly:

"Suxin, do you know how they're planning this?"

He Suxin was He Xinyin's adopted son when he was studying the philosophy of mind. He was half disciple and half adopted son, and was He Xinyin's most important assistant.

"The disciple is stupid."

He Xinyin said:
Fan Kuan advocated distributing newspapers along the coast because he believed that merchants would become the largest literate group in the Ming Dynasty.

"Chen Yubi's 'New Gentleman's Daily' still cares about those scholars, and he wants to send the newspaper to the prefectural cities in the interior."

He Suxin asked:
"What do you think, Master He?"

He Xinyin said:
"I think it's the canal and Yangtze River transport workers."

"what?"

He Xinyin said:
"Master Yan has been released from prison. His associates used their connections with Grand Secretary Zhao Zhenji to overturn Master Yan's case."

"Yesterday I wrote to Teacher Yan about Su Zilin's night school for newspaper boys, and Teacher Yan has already gone south."

He Suxin knew that the Master Yan that He Xinyin mentioned was Yan Jun, the master of the School of Mind.

Yan Jun was arrested during the Jiajing era, and his disciples in the School of Mind had been trying to rescue him in the capital. Now, they have finally succeeded in rescuing him.

He Xinyin said:
"But even so, we estimate that we still can't defeat Su Zilin."

"Su Zilin is incredibly wise, and his plans are always extremely far-reaching. Who would have thought that whaling in Dengzhou and Laizhou could make a newspaper boy in the capital read books at night?"

He Suxin nodded in agreement. As the whaling industry in Dengzhou and Laizhou expanded, the price of lighting decreased.

The stories of studying by firefly light in a bag and stealing light by chiseling a hole in the wall not only illustrate the diligence of those who pursued their studies, but also show that studying at night in ancient times was a luxury.

A single candle is enough for reading, but too many candles are needed for lecturing, and such a cost is simply unaffordable for ordinary families.

Before the advent of whale oil lamps and candles, ordinary people could only work at sunrise and rest at sunset.

However, with the widespread availability of whale oil lamps and candles, the cost of lighting decreased significantly, making night schools possible.

Wang Gen, the founder of the Taizhou School, loved teaching ordinary people to read and write, and many of his disciples were from the lower classes.

However, such people are still a minority, because ordinary people can only make a living if they stop working. Everyone knows the benefits of studying, but they also have to work during the day and don't have the time of scholars.

Things are different now. The price of lighting has come down, and newsboys are willing to read and write in their spare time. The millions of laborers who transport goods along the canals and the Yangtze River should be willing to do the same.

After reading He Xinyin's letter, Yan Jun hurriedly went south for this very reason.

He Xinyin understood Yan Jun; he was a staunch practitioner of Wang Gen's thought, and he devoted his life to the "way of the people."

He Xinyin said:
“Su Zilin chose Shanghai County as the branch of the Yuefu Xinbao. You will go south to Shanghai today and see what is so special about this place that makes Su Zilin value it.”

"Disciple, obey."
-
He Xinyin had calculated everything, but she didn't know that Su Ze's solution to break the deadlock was simply "efficiency".

In the new factory building of the printing workshop, craftsmen are introducing the new printing press to Su Ze and Luo Wanhua.

(End of this chapter)