My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 230 "Detailed Discussion of the Memorial by the Military Supervisor (Revised)"

The Ministry of War's detailed discussion of the memorial submitted by the military supervisors.

This was a memorial submitted to the emperor by the Ministry of War after a night of discussion.

After a long study, a group of officials from the Ministry of War concluded that Su Ze's debate in the Hall of Imperial Sacrifices was indeed flawless.

Finally, the Ministry of War came up with the solution of "feigning poverty".

In any case, rebuilding the Imperial College would require a large sum of money.

According to Su Ze's vision, the Military Academy was not only a place for studying, but also a place for military training, making its construction a huge project.

The Ministry of War decided to cut this point, saying there was no budget for this year. As long as they could drag it out until the next budget date, the matter might just fall through.

The budget of the Ming Dynasty was compiled every October.

The reason for this is that the economic peak of an agricultural society is August each year, which is when the summer grain harvest is completed, and this is the largest sum of money the entire court receives.

Every August, the provincial administration commissions compile the "Financial Records" of each prefecture and county.

Before September 15th, the Ministry of Revenue will review the total amount of tax grain nationwide.

On October 20th, the Emperor approved the draft budget.

After a long period of wrangling among various government departments and the inner court, the budget for the next year was finally decided before the twelfth lunar month. At the same time, the tax collection plan for the next year was also formulated, namely the "Yellow Register of Taxes and Labor Services," which was then sent to the prefectures and counties for implementation.

It's still the first month of the lunar calendar, which means the annual budget has just been approved. It's a reasonable excuse for the Ministry of War to say that they can't come up with any extra money.

As for whether the entire imperial treasury would be used, Minister of War Huo Ji also judged it impossible.

Although the income from the imperial treasury increased, there were also more places to spend money last year.

With so many new ports opened, many maritime trade offices are still in the investment phase, and the imperial court is still pouring money into them.

The largest source of income for the imperial treasury today is still the "Golden Flower Silver" collected along with the summer grain harvest.

The gold and silver collected last August will not be transported to the capital until this September.

In addition, the emperor had spent a lot of silver dollars on the Lantern Festival and also rewarded officials and the inner court during the New Year. Huo Ji also judged that the emperor could not afford to spend so much silver dollars.

Huo Ji's judgment was correct. Zhang Juzheng, who was most familiar with the accounts of the inner and outer courts, also voted to agree with the Ministry of War's opinion after receiving Huo Ji's memorial.

Zhang Juzheng did not oppose the establishment of the Military Supervisory Commission, but he believed that the court had many other expenses at the moment, and since the north was already stable, it was not appropriate to invest too much in military affairs.

It cannot be said that Zhang Juzheng was conservative; it's just that as a civil official and the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he was cautious about the court's large expenditures.

Gao Gong supports Su Ze, and this time Zhao Zhenji also stands on Su Ze's side.

However, all three cabinet ministers knew that this matter mainly depended on the emperor's attitude.

It wasn't even about the emperor's attitude, but rather whether Su Ze could solidify the emperor's determination to establish the Military Supervisory Bureau.

If the emperor insists on establishing the Military Supervisory Bureau and squeezes out silver from the imperial treasury to fund it, then the Ministry of War's memorial will be useless.

After the Ministry of War's memorial entered the palace, Zhang Juzheng asked Xia Wei, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, what he was asking:
"Have the memorials submitted by the Duke of Dingguo and Su Zilin been sent to the Office of Transmission?"

Xia Wei, being a secretary in Zhang Juzheng's inner circle, naturally possessed sufficient political acumen, and he immediately said:
"I sent someone to the Office of Transmission this morning to inquire, and Yang Yintai said he had not yet received the memorial."
-
Su Ze's memorial to the throne was delayed because his draft of a memorial failed to be completed.

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial entitled "Detailed Discussion on the Construction of the Military Supervisory Bureau" was sent to the Cabinet that day. You proposed that the Imperial Treasury and the Ministry of Works share the construction costs of the Military Supervisory Bureau. Zhang Juzheng, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, opposed it, while Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji agreed.

However, the Ministry of War's "Detailed Discussion on the Military Supervisory Commission" already indicated that the Ministry of War had no budget to establish a Military Supervisory Commission this year, and the Ministry of Revenue also stated that it could not afford to spend any silver dollars.

Faced with this enormous expense, the Longqing Emperor also backed down.

Your memorial was shelved and eventually came to nothing.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige Points: 320]

[Spend 1000 Prestige Points to force the execution of the memorial.]

Su Ze sighed. Yesterday, Su Ze had a heated debate with the Ministry of War, but the Ministry of War still seized on the key point and refused to pay any money.

Su Ze was not surprised by this result.

The reason why Su Ze insisted on the Emperor providing the funds for training military academy students and that the Ministry of War should bear the cost of building the academy was because the imperial treasury simply didn't have that much money.

Moreover, the tuition fees for training martial arts students can be paid gradually each month, which is a long-term expense.

The cost of repairing the military academy was an expense that had to be paid out on the spot.

The Ministry of War refused to contribute funds, insisting that the matter be discussed again in September of this year, when the budget was being compiled in the fourth year of the Longqing reign. As expected, the matter was delayed and fell through.

Su Ze did not blame the emperor for this matter.

The reason why Su Ze was so eager to propose the idea of ​​a military supervisory commission was that after Altan Khan granted tribute, the Ming Dynasty ushered in a period of peace.

In times of peace, the emperor naturally has no incentive to reorganize the army.

The military is expensive.

Therefore, Su Ze took advantage of the great victory of Dongshengwei and the opportunity of Anda's tribute to push the emperor to carry out the military supervision reform.

If a decision cannot be made now, and a few months later there is no war in the country, it will be difficult for the emperor to make the decision to spend a large sum of silver to establish a military supervisory bureau.

Without exams, who would want to study?

However, Su Ze knew that the situation in Northeast Asia and the world as a whole would undergo drastic changes within a few decades.

Military reforms take a long time to show initial results; many reforms require decades to see significant progress.

Moreover, if we establish the military supervision system during this peaceful window of opportunity, we may find ourselves even less financially prepared for military reforms when war is truly needed.

Su Ze could have waited until he had enough prestige points before implementing the memorial, but considering that it would take two months to accumulate those points, he decided to abandon it.

He produced another memorial.

This was Su Ze's second memorial to the throne.

The only difference between this memorial and the first one is that the method of funding the memorial, which was originally provided by the Imperial Treasury and the Ministry of War, has been changed to raising funds from meritorious officials.

"Your Majesty, I have been anxiously pondering day and night, wishing to share the nation's burdens. I have observed that meritorious officials have received the nation's favor for generations, guarding the borders on behalf of their families, and their families are renowned for their military and military prowess. Now, as the court is undertaking a grand undertaking to cultivate talent, it is the perfect time for them to repay their debts. Therefore, I humbly request permission, following the precedent of charitable donations for education among the common people, to solicit funds from the meritorious officials and nobles in the capital to support these projects."

Of course, fundraising from meritorious officials was not limited to money.

Su Ze wrote:

"The residences of meritorious officials who are willing to contribute to the construction of the military supervisory bureau may be used as official property, regardless of whether they possess military books and strategies, usable warhorses, fine weapons, or silver and materials. Their value will be calculated accordingly."

"If a meritorious official is to pay for it, there must be some benefit involved," Su Ze sighed, and wrote in his memorial:
"Based on the value of the goods transported, the students will be issued enrollment tokens by the military academy."

“Those who hold the tokens are to seek the qualification of military supervisor for their sons and brothers. If meritorious officials have no sons or brothers to use, they can also use them to recommend them for admission to the military supervisory commission.”

Su Ze didn't want to open this door in the first place.

This was tantamount to granting enrollment quotas to meritorious officials, which went against Su Ze's original intention of democratizing the military officer group. However, Su Ze had no other choice at the moment. Among the forces on the political stage of the Ming Dynasty, only the meritorious nobles were capable of paying this sum of money.

As for the enrollment quotas currently allocated to nobles, their impact can be gradually mitigated through future expansion of school enrollment.

Su Ze stuffed this memorial into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

The "Detailed Discussion on the Construction of the Military Supervisory Bureau (Revised)" was sent to the Cabinet that day. You proposed that the Imperial Treasury and the Ministry of Works share the construction costs of the Military Supervisory Bureau. Zhang Juzheng, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, opposed it, while Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji agreed.

The Ministry of War's memorial, "Detailed Discussion on the Military Supervisory Commission," indicated that the Ministry of War had no budget to establish a Military Supervisory Commission this year, and the Ministry of Revenue also stated that it could not afford to allocate any silver dollars.

After reading your memorial, the Longqing Emperor immediately approved your plan and ordered that noble families could contribute to the military academy.

However, the nobles had doubts about the future of the military supervisory commission. Although Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi and the newly appointed Duke Chengguo Zhu Shitai generously donated money, many nobles still held a wait-and-see attitude and failed to raise enough silver dollars.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige Points: 320]

[Spend 400 Prestige Points to force the execution of the memorial.]

As expected, it was easy to get approval from the emperor, but getting these nobles to spend money still required the system's intervention.

However, this time the required prestige points are much less than last time, and it only takes a few days to collect them.

Su Ze decisively chose "yes," and then personally went to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion with the memorial.

Xu Wenbi was naturally overjoyed after reading the memorial.

He inherited the title of Duke of Dingguo, but his title could only be passed on to his eldest son, while the remaining sons were still without a place to inherit it.

As a trusted minister of the emperor who was in charge of setting up the Military Academy, Xu Wenbi was well aware that if the Military Academy could be successfully established, the officers who graduated from it would definitely be given important positions.

This is definitely a good way out for the second son of a noble family.

If we could get more spots for college admission through recommendations, even if we didn't use them for our own children, we could still use them as bargaining chips in political exchanges.
-
The nineteenth day of the first lunar month.

Shen Yiguan stepped into the newspaper office and said to Su Ze:

"Brother Zilin, His Majesty has approved your memorial and ordered all meritorious officials in the country to contribute to the Military Supervisory Commission!"

Su Ze smiled at Shen Yiguan. Su Ze knew that since Shen Yiguan went on a mission to the grasslands, he had been given more important responsibilities in the Ministry of Rites and was much busier than before.

However, the fact that he was able to rush over to inform him immediately shows that Shen Yiguan was doing his best to maintain their relationship.

The newspaper office was missing Shen Yiguan for a while, and even Luo Wanhua felt uncomfortable. So when Shen Yiguan reappeared at the newspaper office, Luo Wanhua was much more enthusiastic.

Seeing that Su Ze remained unmoved, Shen Yiguan assumed that he had received the news in advance from the Duke of Dingguo, so he said, "That's right, His Majesty will definitely support Brother Zilin's memorial, but..."

Seeing that Shen Yiguan's expression didn't show much joy, Luo Wanhua quickly asked, "But what?"

Shen Yiguan said:
“I heard that both the Duke of Dingguo and the Duke of Chengguo’s mansions donated silver dollars. The Duke of Chengguo’s mansion not only donated silver dollars, but also donated the military books left by the first Duke of Chengguo, as well as the ‘Map of Annam’ bestowed by Emperor Chengzu.”

Good heavens, the Duke of Cheng's mansion has really invested a lot in the Military Academy!
Zhu Neng, the first Duke of Cheng, was a general under Emperor Chengzu (Zhu Di).

Zhu Neng made great contributions in the Jingnan Campaign and the Northern Expedition to the Grasslands. He was also an outstanding general and ranked second among the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign.

After Zhu Di established his regime, he dispatched Zhu Neng to conquer Annam, but Zhu Neng contracted an illness in Guangxi and died suddenly.

The Duke of Cheng's mansion not only contributed silver, but also donated family heirloom military books and geomantic maps, which Su Ze estimated was also the dying wish of the old Duke of Cheng, Zhu Xizhong.

The current Duke of Cheng, Zhu Shitai, had just inherited the title, and in order to avoid gossip within the clan, he had no choice but to pay the money according to his father's dying wish.

However, Shen Yiguan changed the subject and said:
"But other meritorious officials in the capital haven't made any moves, nor have those in Nanjing."

Su Ze understood Shen Yiguan's meaning: relying solely on the Duke of Dingguo and the Duke of Chengguo was not enough to support the entire Military Supervisory Bureau.

The nobles of the Ming Dynasty are concentrated in the capital and Nanjing. Now that the nobles in the capital are not active, it is estimated that Nanjing has even less of a chance.

Shen Yiguan whispered again:

"Brother Zilin's support for the meritorious official has sparked much discussion in the court."

Su Ze understood Shen Yiguan's reminder: civil officials suppressing meritorious officials was a tacit understanding among the scholar-official class.

Su Ze's push for reform of the military supervisory commission affected the interests of the Ministry of War, but it also touched upon the exclusive domain of the scholar-official class.

The reason why things were calm in the outer court was mainly because everyone felt that the Military Affairs Bureau was doomed to fail.

Furthermore, since the emperor was still in high spirits, no one went up to pour cold water on him at that moment.

But if Su Ze continues to push this matter, the next obstacle will not be just the Ministry of War.

Su Ze naturally understood this principle, which is why he was eager to push this matter forward.

Once the die is cast and the military supervisory commission is in operation, it will be too late for the scholar-officials to launch a counterattack.

Su Ze thanked Shen Yiguan for his kindness and now waited for the system to unleash its power.
-
At the Duke Cheng's Mansion.

The newly appointed Duke of Cheng, Zhu Shitai, was meeting a guest in a side hall.

Zhu Shitai was in mourning for his father and was wearing the "Zhan Cui" mourning clothes. These were the mourning clothes worn when one's father died. The edges of these clothes could not be hemmed. Instead, several pieces of coarse linen were cut off with a knife and haphazardly sewn together. Hence, they were called "Zhan Cui".

The former Duke of Cheng had served as the Grand High Priest of the Ming Dynasty for decades, so Zhu Shitai naturally dared not disobey the funeral rites. During the mourning period, the entire Duke of Cheng's mansion was quiet, and Zhu Shitai's face was also filled with sorrow.

The middle-aged man opposite Zhu Shitai showed a helpless expression and said:

"Uncle Liu, even if you come to me for help, this matter will be difficult to resolve."

The middle-aged man sitting opposite Zhu Shitai was named Liu Shiyan, a former Earl of Chengyi during the Ming Dynasty.

The title of Earl of Chengyi was bestowed upon Liu Ji (Liu Bowen), a renowned minister who helped found the Ming Dynasty.

However, the title of Earl of Chengyi was revoked at the end of the Hongwu era because Liu Bowen's grandson was involved in a court case.

In the eleventh year of the Jiajing Emperor's reign, the title of Earl of Chengyi was restored.

However, in the thirty-eighth year of the Jiajing reign, Yan Maoqing was ordered to clean up the salt affairs in the Jianghuai region. The Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate impeached the Earl of Chengyi for embezzling salt permits in the Jianghuai region, and Liu Shiyan was once again stripped of his title.

Therefore, Liu Shiyan, the Earl of Chengyi, became the "former" Earl of Chengyi.

Later, after Yan Song fell from power, Liu Shiyan also submitted a petition to plead his case. The newly appointed Duke of Cheng, Zhu Xizhong, sympathized with him and promised to help him restore his title.

Now that Zhu Xizhong has died of illness, Liu Shiyan hurriedly went to offer his condolences and approached the newly appointed Duke of Cheng, Zhu Shitai.

Seeing Liu Shiyan's appearance, Zhu Shitai said:

"Actually, Uncle Liu, I have another idea."

"any solution?"

"His Majesty intends to establish a military supervisory bureau and calls upon all the nobles and meritorious officials in the land to contribute their funds."

(End of this chapter)