My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 228: Detailed Discussion of Military Supervision
Su Ze stood in the ranks of officials. "The Mongols have submitted, and the world is at peace." It seemed that the title "Heavenly Khan" was not wrong.

The cry from the people of the capital also brought Hannaji to his senses.

He admired Sinicization from a young age and was dissatisfied with his grandfather Altan Khan and uncle Huang Taiji. He had long harbored the idea of ​​joining the Ming Dynasty.

He simply joined in the shouting:

"The Prince of Shunyi presents tribute to the son of the Heavenly Khan!"

After saying this, Hannaji held an exquisite box above his head and said to Zhu Yijun:
"Your Highness, this is Genghis Khan's riding whip."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.

Anda Khan's full name is Borjigin Anda. As you can tell from his surname, he is of the Golden Family bloodline.

As a descendant of Genghis Khan, it is normal for him to possess some of Genghis Khan's relics.

However, the fact that Anda Khan presented such symbolic items to the Ming Dynasty during his first tribute mission is enough to show how much the bastions and new cannons shocked the Mongols during the Battle of Dongshengwei!

Zhu Yijun looked at the ordinary-looking whip with curiosity, but upon hearing that it was something Genghis Khan had used, he couldn't help but pick it up.

When Zhu Yijun picked up the horsewhip, the people present cheered!

This was a sign that Genghis Khan's descendants submitted to the Ming Dynasty after the Taizu Emperor drove out the Yuan court. Such military prowess certainly deserved the title of "Heavenly Khan".

The cheers outside the capital were quickly relayed to the palace by eunuchs.

Emperor Longqing was feeling slightly unwell after the New Year and also wanted to train his crown prince, so he sent the young chubby Jun to welcome the delegation.

But after hearing the eunuch's report, Emperor Longqing regretted it. Why hadn't he gone himself?
Upon hearing that the people of the capital were all chanting the name "Heavenly Khan," the Longqing Emperor felt extremely comfortable.

This is a feat that even his father, the emperor, never achieved in his entire life!
No, this is a feat that even Emperor Chengzu could not achieve!

When Emperor Chengzu launched seven campaigns against the northern frontier, he only managed to make the Mongols flee, while he himself made the Mongols submit to him and even presented Genghis Khan's horsewhip as tribute!

The Longqing Emperor grew increasingly excited as he thought about it, and said to Li Fang beside him:

"Open the palace gates immediately and have the Crown Prince bring the riding whip!"

"I will personally offer this horsewhip to the ancestral temple!"
-
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, major government offices in the capital gradually resumed operations.

During the Spring Festival, the three major civilian newspapers, namely "Xin Yuefu Bao", "Xin Junzi Bao" and "Shang Bao", only reduced their pages and did not stop publishing. So, as soon as the sixteenth day of the first lunar month arrived, Luo Wanhua hurriedly opened the newspaper office to prepare the first issue of the newspaper after the New Year.

Su Ze originally wanted to take a few days off after the New Year, but on his first day back at work, he received an imperial edict requiring him to work with the Ministry of War and Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi to finalize the plan for the military academy.

Su Ze had no choice but to go to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion on his first day of work.

Tomorrow is the date for the Ministry of War's meeting. The fact that the Emperor ordered the Ministry of War to discuss the Military Supervisory Commission on the second day after the New Year holiday is enough to show how much the Emperor values ​​it.

This is probably related to the people's cry of "Heavenly Khan" before the Lantern Festival.

He's the "Heavenly Khan," how could he not have an invincible army?
Su Ze also knew that the emperor had asked him to come to the Duke of Dingguo's residence a day in advance to prepare a contingency plan for tomorrow's negotiations and to determine the bottom line for the negotiations.

Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi didn't dare to put on airs of a duke in front of Su Ze. He knew very well that the emperor wanted him to go to the Ministry of War with Su Ze, but Su Ze was the one in charge.

Whether there will be a good outcome depends on Su Ze, so he greeted Su Ze in front of the Duke's mansion with a very humble attitude.

Su Ze looked at the chief high priest of the Ming Dynasty, whose well-groomed beard was a characteristic of the upper class of the Ming Dynasty.

There was no mandatory requirement for officials to grow beards in the Ming Dynasty, and many officials shaved their beards.

For example, young officials like Su Ze generally don't grow beards.

The reason is simple: beards require time and effort to maintain.

If you don't groom it, your beard will become a mess, and you'll get soup all over it while eating.

Only powerful and wealthy people who have servants will deliberately grow long beards, and they will also apply various conditioning ointments to their beards to maintain their shine.

Xu Wenbi was actually not very old. He stroked his thick, black beard and personally led Su Ze into the Duke's mansion.

The Duke's mansion was indeed magnificent, but Su Ze had no mood to appreciate its scenery. Upon arriving at the study, Xu Wenbi impatiently said:
"Su Hanlin, what are your chances of success going to the Ministry of War tomorrow?!"

What are the chances of winning?

I'm not here to start a fight at the Ministry of War, so what do you mean by "how confident are you"?
But seeing the dignified Duke of Dingguo looking so timid and hesitant, Su Ze couldn't help but sigh. The nobles of the Ming Dynasty are truly useless!

It seems that the nobles have been severely suppressed by the Ministry of War over the years.

Xu Wenbi continued:

“His Majesty summoned me to the palace early this morning.”

Su Ze became serious, bowed, and said, "Please give your decree, Your Majesty."

Xu Wenbi waved his hand and said:

"No need for such formality. His Majesty only gave a few instructions. He said that we should try our best to secure as much as possible this time, and if we can't get anything done, so be it. As long as we can get the Military Supervisory Bureau up and running as soon as possible, that will be fine."

Xu Wenbi's words were like a riddle, but Su Ze quickly understood the emperor's meaning.

What the emperor wanted was control over the military supervisory commission.

However, Emperor Longqing was also unsure about this, which is why he sent Xu Wenbi to instruct him to try his best to gain benefits in the matter of the Military Affairs Bureau, and to compromise with the Ministry of War when appropriate, but the most important thing was to get the Military Affairs Bureau up and running first.

Su Ze looked at Xu Wenbi speechlessly. He thought the Duke of Dingguo was already cowardly enough, but he didn't expect the emperor to be even more cowardly.

No, where is your Heavenly Khan?

Su Ze sighed, understanding the emperor's helplessness.

Although the emperor could issue decrees to appoint personnel for the Military Affairs Bureau, neither the emperor himself nor Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi could personally operate the bureau.

Ultimately, the task of establishing the school still fell to the Ministry of War.

How to get the Ministry of War to run the Military Supervisory Commission well became the emperor's biggest headache.

Civil officials have far too many ways to trip people up. Emperor Longqing had already witnessed their methods when he was still in the Prince Yu's residence.

Su Ze looked at Xu Wenbi and asked:
"Lord Xu, there are only five things to consider regarding the Martial Arts Academy: 'righteousness,' 'financial power,' 'educational power,' 'personnel power,' and 'assessment power.'"

Su Ze analyzed for Xu Wenbi, counting on his fingers:
“The officers of the Military Academy are loyal to His Majesty, and His Majesty personally serves as the director of the academy. Therefore, the students who enroll in the academy are the emperor’s disciples. His Majesty has already secured the moral high ground.”

The Duke of Dingguo nodded repeatedly; the emperor had said something similar to him.

Su Ze said again:
“Running a school costs money, and training qualified officers is no small expense.”

The Duke of Dingguo asked, "How many silver dollars do you want?"

Su Ze held up his finger and said:

“A martial arts actor costs at least one hundred silver dollars a year.”

The Duke of Dingguo gasped and said:
"so much?"

Su Ze said, “There is a saying among the people: ‘The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts.’ The students of the Imperial Academy only need one shi of rice per month for their meals, and then they are given books to read. Even with the cost of paper, two or three silver dollars a month is enough.”

“But it’s different for students of the Martial Arts Academy. They have to study military books, ride horses and shoot arrows, and learn how to use muskets and cannons. All of these things cost silver dollars.”

"If someone suffers a sprain or bruise, they have to pay for the care. Their daily meals must be better than those of students at the Imperial Academy so that they can withstand the daily training."

Su Ze's calculations were certainly correct; the cost of training officers in modern times was extremely high. With such exorbitant costs, the result was officers destined for hardship and battlefield duty, which ironically led to aristocratic sons fleeing military academies.

Therefore, in many countries in modern history, attending military academies became the only opportunity for impoverished people to achieve upward social mobility.

This is why, in modern nations, new-style military officer groups often become progressive forces.

Su Ze shared the same idea as the Longqing Emperor: to first establish a military academy.

Currently, military academies recruit only the children of nobles and officers of military garrisons.

But there will always be opportunities in the future to recruit students from the general public.

Su Ze looked at Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, and said:
"Whoever pays for this silver dollar will take the initiative; this is what is called financial power."

Xu Wenbi understood what Su Ze meant.

If the expenses of the Military Supervisory Bureau were paid by the outer court from the national treasury, then the Ministry of War would have more say in the Military Supervisory Bureau.

If the emperor were to pay out the silver dollars, the Ministry of War would be unable to interfere in the financial affairs of the Military Supervisory Bureau.

Xu Wenbi, of course, could not answer Su Ze at this moment. He nodded and indicated that he would report to the emperor.

Su Ze continued:

"Next up is the course for the martial arts students."

"Since we are going to study, we need a framework for learning, just like how scholars take the imperial examinations based on the Four Books and Five Classics. What these students of the Military Academy are supposed to learn in two years and how they are supposed to learn it is what constitutes the 'educational authority'."

Xu Wenbi nodded repeatedly, and Su Ze continued:

"Su's idea was to divide the two-year study period into two halves."

"In the first year, students will enroll in school to learn military strategy and tactics, practice martial arts, and be instilled with the ideals of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism."

“Starting from the second year, they were divided into ‘cavalry squads,’ ‘infantry squads,’ and ‘artillery squads,’ respectively teaching different branches of the military drills and combat skills.”

Xu Wenbi's eyes lit up; as expected, Su Ze had a solution.

Su Ze changed the subject and said:
"The authority to conduct education can be given to the Ministry of War, but the teaching materials compiled must be personally reviewed by His Majesty, and the instructors of the Military Academy must also pass the education examination. They cannot be those who only talk about military strategy on paper; they need to be able to lead troops into battle."

Xu Wenbi nodded repeatedly, understanding Su Ze's meaning.

It's better to leave such a tedious task as compiling teaching materials to civil officials, since the emperor is the only one who ultimately approves them.

For the emperor, the selection of instructors was more important than the teaching materials.

Therefore, Su Ze requested that one more point be added: the instructors should also meet the same training requirements and be able to participate in actual combat.

This alone is enough to eliminate most civil servants.

Xu Wenbi praised him repeatedly, but he didn't think carefully about it. In the old system of nobles and garrison troops in the Ming Dynasty, there were no such instructors either.

Nowadays, most officers with this quality are in the new anti-Japanese army trained by Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

Of course, to the emperor, these were all "one of his own".

After laying the groundwork, Su Ze continued:

"We've covered the administrative authority, and Su just mentioned the personnel authority. The last one is the performance evaluation authority."

“If the final assessment authority remains in the hands of the Ministry of War, then the Military Supervisory Commission will still be controlled by the Ministry of War. But if the Ministry of War is stripped of its power to appoint officials, it would violate ancestral rules and the “Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty”, and the Ministry of War would raise objections again.”

Xu Wenbi nodded repeatedly, which was also the emperor's biggest concern.

However, the right to conduct assessments is the most important right.

The reason why these nobles and military families are willing to come to the Military Academy is precisely for their own future, isn't it?

But if the final assessment authority is still in the hands of the Ministry of War, then what is the point of studying hard for two years?
This was also the emperor's biggest dilemma.

Su Ze said:

"I do have a solution."

"Please speak, Hanlin Su!"

Su Ze said:

"Actually, this method is simple: separate the position from the job."

"Separate job title from duties?"

Su Ze nodded and said:

"Hundred-household commander, thousand-household commander, commander-in-chief, these are official positions. For military students to inherit these positions, they must be confirmed by the Ministry of War in accordance with the provisions of the 'Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty'."

"But the specific assignment will be based on the ranking of performance in the military academy."

"The top-ranked military officers can choose better assignments and be assigned to armies where it is easier to earn merit."

Su Ze's method was actually quite similar to the official system of the Song Dynasty.

The military positions of centurion, chiliarch, and commander were originally hereditary. Su Ze wanted to take the opportunity to render these positions meaningless, turning them into mere figureheads that only determined the treatment of the soldiers.

Then, on this basis, a new military dispatch system was established, namely, new officer positions.

In this way, the Ministry of War could be bypassed while simultaneously advancing Su Ze's long-planned reforms of the new army.

Su Ze had no intention of sending these officers back to their original garrisons.

The new officers were naturally to be prepared for the new army. With these progressive officers as the backbone, Su Ze could build the new army.

Then, once the new army gains the upper hand, the inefficient and corrupt garrison system of the Ming Dynasty will be completely abolished.

Of course, one must take things one step at a time. The most urgent task, as Su Ze and the emperor agreed, was to establish the Military Supervisory Bureau as soon as possible.

Xu Wenbi wrote down Su Ze's opinions and then hurriedly went to the palace to report the day's conversation to the emperor.

After listening, the Longqing Emperor nodded repeatedly, agreeing in principle with Su Ze's opinion.

However, the emperor began to hesitate again when it came to the issue of spending money.

The establishment of a martial arts academy is not just about tuition fees.

The cost of building the military prison must have been a huge sum.

The next day was the seventeenth day of the first lunar month.

While many government offices in the capital were still immersed in the festive atmosphere, a tense atmosphere permeated the Ministry of War.

Under the leadership of Minister of War Huo Ji, and with Vice Minister of War Cao Bangfu and other chief officials of the various departments of the Ministry of War on high alert, everyone was on high alert.

When Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi's carriage arrived at the Ministry of War, Huo Ji ordered the main gate of the Ministry of War to be opened as Xu Wenbi and Su Ze alighted from the carriage.

A group of Ministry of War officials stood in front of the ceremonial gate behind the main gate, a sight that made even Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, nervous.

He glanced back at Su Ze, who was half a step behind him, and felt inexplicably at ease.

(End of this chapter)