My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 301 "A Memorial Requesting His Majesty to Inspect the Military Exercises"

Su Ze was speechless. Does the Zhu family really love going out of the palace so much?
The court officials had no reason to object to the emperor's request to leave the palace to inspect the military headquarters.

However, if the emperor and the crown prince attend together, the court officials will likely have objections.

As expected, Little Fatty Jun said:
“My mother said that I could not go with my father, so I said that I would go in my father’s place, and my mother made me kneel as punishment.”

Su Ze looked at Little Fatty Jun speechlessly. "You're already acting like a filial son. Your father isn't even dead yet, and you already want to inspect the Martial Arts Academy?"

Furthermore, inviting the Emperor to the Military Advisory Bureau was Su Ze's plan to request a budget. What use would it be for you, the Crown Prince, to go to the Military Advisory Bureau? Do you think your private savings can subsidize the Military Advisory Bureau?

The Crown Prince is spending money to win over the Military Supervisor; he's too filial.

But judging from Xiao Pangjun's aggrieved look, he probably got a severe scolding from Consort Li this time.

Consort Li was like this: despite being a playful and active child who spoke without thinking, the cautious Consort Li would often escalate things to a major level, making everyone feel awkward.

However, Su Ze also advised:

"Your Highness, the military exercises conducted by the Military Supervisors are a matter of great importance to the nation. Only Your Majesty's personal presence can demonstrate the court's high regard for the Military Supervisors."

Little Fatty Jun was easy to coax. When he heard Su Ze say it wouldn't work, he immediately deflated and said:

"Since Master Su said so too, then I won't go."

Seeing Xiaopang Jun looking dejected, Su Ze felt a little sorry for him.

He thought for a while and said:

"I am aware of Your Highness's desire to share His Majesty's burdens, and I will try to find a way to allow Your Highness to leave the Eastern Palace."

Little Fatty Jun beamed with joy.

He didn't necessarily want to watch the martial arts demonstration, but he was getting bored staying in the Eastern Palace these days and wanted to go out and find some fun.

Since Su Ze had agreed, Little Fatty Jun stopped making a fuss about the martial arts competition and looked at Su Ze with anticipation.

Su Ze received another task at the Eastern Palace and began drafting a memorial to the throne.

"A Memorial Requesting Your Majesty to Inspect the Military Exercises"

The memorial was very simple: it requested the emperor to visit the Military Academy to inspect the training results of the past year and to encourage the students to continue their efforts and serve the country with utmost loyalty.

The emperor himself also held the position of Director of the Military Affairs Bureau, so it was only natural to invite him to attend the year-end military exercises.

After Su Ze finished writing the memorial, he casually stuffed it into the "Portable Ming Dynasty App," expecting it to be approved directly, but something unexpected happened.

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial, "Please allow Your Majesty to inspect the military exercises," has been sent to the Cabinet, and the cabinet ministers have differing opinions on it.

The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will deliver your memorial to the Emperor's desk. The Longqing Emperor is eager to review the troops, but fears that it may cause controversy in the court before the end of the year.

The Ministry of War was concerned about the rise of a new military force represented by the Military Supervisory Commission and opposed the emperor's visit to the Commission.

Emperor Longqing postponed the inspection.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1420.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 500 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

500 points? Is the system treating me like a sucker?

Su Ze decisively chose "no" and decided to revise the memorial.

The Ministry of War's strong opposition to the Military Supervisory Commission was probably due to its dissatisfaction with the emperor's abandonment of the Ministry of War system and his emphasis on the Military Supervisory Commission.

Come to think of it, the selection of military officers was originally an important power of the Ministry of War, but he secretly took away a part of it through the Military Supervisory Commission.

As a civil service department, the Ministry of War was able to control the military power of the Ming Dynasty mainly through its power over personnel appointments.

Now, the people in the Ministry of War are slowly realizing that the Military Supervisory Commission is their biggest competitor.

To put it bluntly, the Ministry of War felt that the Military Supervisory Commission had usurped their power, so they opposed the Military Supervisory Commission at every turn.

Su Ze revised the memorial.

To put it bluntly, the Ministry of War's concern lay in the "uncontrollability" of the Military Supervisory Commission. They had no control over the Commission and felt excluded.

In reality, the Military Supervisory Commission could not exist independently of the Ministry of War system established by the Ming Dynasty over a hundred years ago.

Putting aside other matters, the Ministry of War controls the logistics and military industry of the Ming Dynasty. The Military Supervisory Bureau alone cannot accomplish the military system reforms that Su Ze wants.

Su Ze did not intend to be an enemy of the Ministry of War.

Qi Jiguang's victory in Shanxi was greatly aided by the Ministry of War, which played a crucial role in the production and transportation of new weapons and the construction of fortifications.

In that case, let's just bring the Ministry of War into it.

Su Ze wrote:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that, in order to demonstrate Your Majesty's military prowess and dispel the Ministry of War's concerns, I submit the following suggestion:"

"The Ministry of War was ordered to work with the Nuclear Weapons Supervision Institute to be in charge of military exercises and performance evaluations."

"The Ministry of War shall select officials to supervise military exercises. All disciplines, including cavalry, infantry, and artillery, shall be examined by the Ministry of War according to the 'Manual of Exercises,' and their ranks shall be determined. Those who are good or bad shall be commended or punished by the Ministry of War. All those who are to be appointed as military officers shall have their documents reviewed by the Ministry of War before they can be selected."

Su Ze's statement effectively reaffirmed the Ministry of War's authority to assess military academy students.

Involving the Ministry of War in the evaluation and commendation of the military academy students would allow them to see the results of the academy's training and give them a sense of participation in the academy.

Su Ze then wrote:
"For a general, the worst thing is to talk about war on paper. I request that the Ministry of War select outstanding military supervisors after the New Year to conduct practical training in the Beijing garrison."

This is the second move proposed by Su Ze.

The issue of redundant staff in the Beijing garrison was a focal point of attacks against the Ministry of War by the court officials.

The Ming Dynasty consumed so much of the grain transported to the capital via the Grand Canal each year in the Beijing Garrison, yet it produced a force that was practically invisible.

In fact, ever since the compilation of the "Longqing Accounting Records" was completed, the Ministry of War has been looking to take action against the Beijing Garrison.

However, the Ministry of War has yet to have the opportunity to take action.

The Beijing garrison was composed of hereditary guard posts, which had long been monolithic. The Ministry of War was aware of the deep-seated problems of these guard posts, but it was hampered by a lack of manpower to take action.

With only these civil officials from the Ministry of War, who don't even understand the basic situation when they arrive at the military camp, how can they possibly fight against the low-level thugs of the Beijing garrison?

Su Ze was aware of the pressure the Ministry of War was under regarding the Beijing Garrison. He proposed that after the New Year, the Ministry of War would make unified allocations, sending the military academy students to the Beijing Garrison for "training and observation."

Under the guise of "internship and practical training," these military cadets were sent deep into the Beijing Garrison to address its problems.

With a two-pronged approach, Su Ze was convinced that the Ministry of War would not take the bait.

Another issue is the sales of our own dye shop.

Su Ze looked at the new military uniforms produced by his own dye shop and made by the Shen family's clothing store.

This is a cavalry uniform.

To facilitate horseback riding, this military uniform features a button-down front and trousers, paired with leather riding boots.

Suze also specially designed a brimmed military cap, along with a complete set of gorgeous ribbons.

This is a military uniform specially designed for military parades. Su Ze had the tailor make the suit based on his estimation of the emperor's size.

Su Ze sent the memorial and the new military uniform to the Ministry of Justice. He had already used up his simulation attempts for the month, but Su Ze believed that he would not encounter any obstacles this time.
-
The Imperial Palace. As expected, Su Ze's memorial passed without hindrance. The three heads of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs came to the Imperial Study together and presented the memorial to Emperor Longqing.

After reading the memorial, the Longqing Emperor was naturally delighted and said:
"Minister Su truly understands me!"

Throughout the fourth year of the Longqing reign, the emperor experienced events such as the Crystal Palace Expo and gradually became dissatisfied with staying in the harem.

The imperial harem is nice, but going to the military review hall is much more interesting!

Such a celebration was something his father had never experienced during his reign!
The Longqing Emperor praised again:
"Minister Su is becoming more and more considerate. Now the Ministry of War won't object, right?"

The three chief eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs quickly smiled apologetically, and Li Fang chimed in:
"The Military Supervisory Commission was established by His Majesty to revitalize the military prowess of our Ming Dynasty. As a result, the Ministry of War can also appreciate His Majesty's good intentions and, seeing the effectiveness of the Military Supervisory Commission's training of troops, will naturally not object."

Then the Longqing Emperor noticed the bundle in Feng Bao's hands and asked in confusion:
"what is this?"

Chen Hong untied the bundle and, together with Feng Bao, presented it to the emperor, saying:
"Your Majesty, this is the cavalry uniform that Hanlin Su sent along with his memorial."

"Cavalry uniform? Let me take a good look!"

Although Feng Bao and Chen Hong were constantly engaged in open and covert struggles within the Directorate of Ceremonial, they were quite in sync in front of the emperor.

Feng Bao picked up his coat and military cap, while Chen Hong picked up his trousers and military boots, and presented the new military uniforms to the emperor.

The Longqing Emperor stood up, looked at the Prussian blue-dyed military uniforms, examined them carefully several times, and asked:

"It's made of cotton? Cotton can have such colors?"

Li Fang quickly explained:
"It is said that this uses a new dye invented by Su Hanlin, which not only has a bright color, but also does not fade after washing."

"This is a winter dress. It is filled with cotton between the cotton fabrics to keep it warm."

The Longqing Emperor liked it more and more as he looked at it, and then asked:

"Isn't this military uniform too fancy? Can you even wear this on the battlefield?"

Li Fang immediately said:

“Your Majesty, even ordinary military uniforms aren’t this magnificent. This uniform was specially made for you.”

The Longqing Emperor immediately understood Li Fang's meaning and said urgently:

"Help me change my clothes!"

Feng Bao and Chen Hong had already made preparations and helped Emperor Longqing change into the military uniform that had been specially made for him.

Immediately afterwards, two eunuchs carried a full-length mirror into the Imperial Study.

Standing in front of the mirror, the Longqing Emperor grew increasingly fond of the sight.

Su Ze's military uniform was crammed with a lot of formal attire from the original timeline.

The cotton military uniform paired with riding boots gave even the obese Emperor Longqing an air of heroism.

The emperor looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

The emperor's breathing quickened as he recalled how he himself would stand on the stage in this military uniform, inspecting the students of the Imperial Guard during the military parade.

"Granted! Have Minister Su send another set of military uniforms to the Ministry of War. I want to see all the students of the Martial Arts Academy wearing these uniforms during their military exercises."

Perhaps fearing that the Ministry of War would refuse to provide the funds, the Longqing Emperor waved his hand and said:
"I'll pay for the military uniforms!"

"According to the order!"
-
As expected, Cao Bangfu, the Minister of War, sighed deeply after reading Su Ze's memorial sent by the Six Ministries.

Cao Bangfu then had Dai Xu, the chief of the Military Affairs Department, copy Su Ze's memorial and distribute it to the ministry for discussion. As Su Ze had expected, the contents of the memorial "bribed" the Ministry of War.

But seeing Cao Bangfu's sullen expression, Dai Xu, the chief clerk of the Bureau of Military Affairs, asked:

"Grand Marshal, this time Hanlin Su took the initiative to concede and allow the Ministry of War to intervene in the affairs of the Military Affairs Bureau. Why do you look worried?"

From the Ministry of War's perspective, Su Ze's initiative to bring the Ministry of War along this time was a victory for the Ministry.

Now that the Ministry of War has been given the reins, the Ministry is confident that it can bring the Military Supervisory Commission into its system.

However, Cao Bangfu was aware of Su Ze's methods, and he was not as optimistic as his subordinates.

The funds for the Military Supervisory Commission came from His Majesty's private treasury, and the personnel were selected from among the nobles and hereditary soldiers. Su Ze merely granted the Ministry of War the power of year-end assessment and commendation, which made everyone in the Ministry of War overjoyed.

There's also the matter of using military academy students to investigate the capital's garrisons next year. It's hard to say whether the Ministry of War used the military academy or Su Ze used the Ministry of War.

Although Su Ze had not mentioned the problem of redundant staff in the capital's garrisons, he had proposed compiling the "Longqing Accounting Records," so how could he not know about the problems in the capital's garrisons?

Cao Bangfu thought that the Ministry of War had probably been mistreated by Su Ze, and that including the Ministry of War in the mix was enough to satisfy them.

It can only be said that the Ministry of War had been dealt a terrible blow by Su Ze.

Cao Bangfu saw further than the average Ministry of War official.

The military academy system was not just a school; it was a whole new pathway for military officers to advance in their careers.

Just like the Imperial Academy in the early days of the dynasty, military men could also stand out through the Military Academy and come into the emperor's sight.

In the future, the appointment and removal of senior military officers will inevitably be gradually transferred to the Military Supervisory Commission.

Can such a martial arts training school really be just a school?

Cao Bangfu shook his head. Even if he saw this trend, there was no way he could stop the military supervisor.

It can only be said that Su Ze's plan back then was indeed brilliant. With the emperor personally serving as the supervisor, how could the Ministry of War possibly suppress him?

At this moment, Dai Xu reminded him again:
"Grand Marshal, the eunuch Li who delivered the imperial decree specifically mentioned the new military uniforms. He said that His Majesty allocated funds from the imperial treasury and required the Ministry of War to distribute the uniforms before the military exercises."

Cao Bangfu rubbed his temples and said:
"Let the Bureau of Personnel handle this matter. Have the Bureau of Martial Selection move into the Martial Academy starting today to conduct year-end assessments of the students."

"I obey your orders."
-
Li Rusong shoveled the horse manure into the cart, then laid hay in the stable before leaving.

The horse instructor turned a blind eye to their secret equestrian practice and even allocated more hay and bean flour to the stables.

Li Rusong not only had to help the lagging students clean the stables, but also help them train in horsemanship. He was exhausted these past few days.

However, the results were also significant.

Over the past few days, the horsemanship of Cavalry Platoon 2 has improved significantly, and many students have been able to switch from horseback to foot soldiers.

"Class monitor! It's settled!"

Xia Zhongxiao was a hereditary centurion of the Jiliao military town. When it was his turn to inherit the title, the Military Supervisory Bureau was established, so he was placed in the Military Supervisory Bureau.

Xia Zhongxiao and Li Rusong were both from Liaodong. His father had also fought under Li Chengliang, so the two naturally became very close after entering the school.

"His Majesty and the Minister of War will both be attending the military drills! His Majesty has even used funds from the imperial treasury to provide us with new military uniforms, saying that we should wear them during the drills!"

Li Rusong's eyes lit up, and he quickly said:

"Your Majesty, your grace!"

Xia Zhongxiao also said:

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless!"

Xia Zhongxiao then said:

"As expected, Dean Su wasn't lying to us!"

"Go away, go away! Who is the Dean of Academic Affairs? How could he lie to us? Quickly spread this news to everyone. We must train hard and not embarrass ourselves in front of His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)