Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 110 Instead of being eager to find talent, cultivate talent as a prevailing practice.
In the Palace of Qianqing.

Zhu Youjian stood with his hands behind his back in front of the sand table, seemingly lost in thought.

"Your Majesty." Gao Shiming walked in quietly. "The results are in."

Zhu Youjian slowly turned around, pulling himself out of his reverie. He nodded and took the roster that Gao Shiming handed him.

Not long ago, at the Yongwei Camp drill ground, he personally received the elite troops of the Nine Border Garrisons who had been summoned to the capital.

As per his decree, each town was to select two officers and ten vanguards.

These people must all be true warriors who have personally beheaded the Western barbarians or Jurchens.

At present, the officers and soldiers of the four towns of Xuanfu, Datong, Miyun and Jizhou, which are relatively close to the capital, have all arrived, with a total of eight officers and forty vanguards.

As for more distant places like Liaodong and Shaanxi, it will take some more time.

Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept across the roster. There wasn't a single name he recognized, but this didn't surprise him.

Interestingly, among these forty-eight people, there were seven "barbarian men".

The so-called Yiding were a mix of Mongolians who had surrendered, prisoners of war, and herdsmen who had come to join the army because they could not survive.

Of course, many more came specifically to the Central Plains seeking wealth and fortune.

Today, the Mongolian right wing is filled with princes and ministers living in a drunken stupor, and the intensity of their fighting is extremely low.

So-called warriors are not necessarily more popular than Han Chinese who are good at accounting and managing accounts.

Their appearance was not much different from that of the people from the Central Plains, and they even grew their hair long like the Han people. However, most of them still spoke Mandarin with a stutter.

But it is not important.

Heroes come from all walks of life, and beasts are not distinguished by their origins.
I dare to use anything that can tear apart the enemy's claws and teeth.

Zhu Youjian personally received the warriors (under heavy guard), tested their archery and horsemanship on the spot, and awarded them prizes on the spot.

Then Xu Yingyuan and Gao Shiming were put in charge of the examination, and an additional essay test was conducted.

The result was almost exactly as he had expected.

The martial arts skills of these elite border troops were indeed superior to those of the Beijing garrison, with most of them achieving a mid-level or higher rank.

However, in terms of literary talent, they were held back by the illiterate barbarians, and overall they were inferior to the Beijing garrison.

However, this is enough.

This at least shows that those military leaders far away still maintain the most basic respect for their new ruler and did not try to fool the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

"Thirteen of them who received the highest honors and passed the written examination will be promoted to squad leaders. The rest will be promoted to platoon leaders."

Zhu Youjian handed the roster back to Gao Shiming, his voice flat and emotionless.

"I hereby issue another decree to the Ministry of War, ordering them to select more brave warriors from the Beijing Garrison to fill the vacancies."

In this way, the number of soldiers in the Brave Guard Battalion will be expanded to more than 3,780.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order.

However, before he could turn around, Zhu Youjian's voice rang out again, carrying an almost cold calm.

"Tell Xu Yingyuan that the Yongwei Battalion will be re-examining at the end of this month."

"Taking into account the formation, martial arts skills, and written examinations, the total number of people must be reduced back to three thousand."

“All those who fail to meet the standards, whether they are newly recruited soldiers of the Beijing Garrison or elite troops just coming from the Nine Garrisons, will be sent back the way they came.”

This is his true purpose.

In Zhu Youjian's mind, the Yongwei Battalion was not just a personal guard; it should be a future training battalion and an accelerated course for officers.

When he first ascended the throne, his power base was unstable, and he dared not make any major moves. He could only select people from the existing framework of the Imperial Horse Administration. Those people were not necessarily the best, but they were relatively reliable under the circumstances at the time.

But now it's different.

His power was gradually stabilizing, and for the time being, he had not yet touched any major interests.

This is a perfect opportunity to launch a fierce competition within the military, weeding out the truly useful blades for ourselves.

As for whether this practice of piling new firewood on old firewood will lead to mutual hatred and disunity within the military?

Zhu Youjian could only sneer.

It would be truly laughable if the military could actually unite as one!
That's not a good thing for the army itself, nor for the monarch who sits on top of it.

Man Gui and Zhao Shuaijiao are at odds?

We may disagree, but on the battlefield, whoever dares to disobey military orders and is the first to flee will face the consequences.

The sword handles of the Ming Dynasty should not only be sharp to civil officials, but also equally sharp to military officials.

Zhu Youjian was even willing to accept one or two defeats in exchange for the discipline of military law.

Under his reforms, the Ming Dynasty should be stronger internally than it was at the same time in history, and able to withstand greater losses.

Gao Shiming was startled and instantly realized the cruelty contained in the order. He bowed and accepted the order, "Your subject... obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian seemed oblivious to his change in mood and instead asked, "How long until Cao Bianjiao and the others, whom I personally selected, arrive in the capital?"

Gao Shiming composed himself and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, according to the timeline, most of the generals Your Majesty has appointed are from Liaodong, and they should arrive in the capital in five to ten days."

"Only Kong Youde from Dongjiang and He Renlong from Shaanxi are far away, and it will probably take them about half a month to a month and a half to travel to each other."

"Okay, I understand."

Zhu Youjian nodded, said no more, turned around and walked back to his desk to sit down.

"Present today's memorials."

……

Zhu Youjian had become increasingly familiar with the process of reviewing memorials.

He and Gao Shiming even developed a tacit understanding that flowed smoothly together.

Zhu Youjian wrote a checkmark, and Gao Shiming knew it meant "the subordinate shall comply," and he would then use the standard Zhu comment format to complete it.

If Zhu Youjian saw a problematic memorial, he would mark it with a question mark.

Gao Shiming didn't understand what this meant at first, but after asking, he realized that it meant there was a problem with the memorial and it needed to be sent back for revision.

Soon, all eleven regular memorials of grades A and B, seven memorials of different grades from those of the Cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial, and twenty memorials of grades C and D that were randomly selected to prevent collusion between the two were processed.

Zhu Youjian pulled out a copy from a pile of memorials on "New Policies in the Capital" that were specially kept in the corner of his desk.

"Send this back to him for revisions, and post it outside the palace gates as soon as possible. Let it be the second official document on state affairs." He handed the memorial to Gao Shiming.

Gao Shiming took a look and saw that the title of the memorial was "Memorial to the Starving People in the Capital," and the person who submitted it was Zhang Zibing, a messenger from the Ministry of Personnel.

Unlike others, this one was unedited, being the first time it was presented to the emperor. Of course, it's unclear whether he made numerous revisions in private.

“Firstly,” Zhu Youjian tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, “Since the Shuntian Prefecture is to be independent, it should no longer take money from the Ministry of Revenue. Otherwise, everything will be entangled, responsibilities will be unclear, and in the end, it will be another messy account.”

"Secondly, the missing money can be covered by the road repair costs, but this matter should be linked to the road repair and implemented as a work relief program."

“Those who do not work shall not eat. Even if the elderly, women and children are only doing light work within their capabilities, the granaries shall not be opened and food distributed.”

Gao Shiming listened intently, memorizing every word the emperor spoke: "Your subject understands."

Zhu Youjian then pointed to the remaining memorials and said, "These people are gradually becoming more and more proficient in writing official documents. I will no longer personally approve them one by one from now on."

"If there are any new proposals, you and Xue Guoguan should review them first. After you have reviewed and revised them, and finalized the draft, then submit it to me."

"If I also think it is feasible, then I will issue an edict to appoint, dismiss, and grant authority."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Shiming nodded in agreement.

This was to be expected; the decentralization of power was almost inevitable.

Leaders have to manage multiple fronts and cannot pay attention to every detail; they can only grasp the general outline. This is a natural limitation of human energy.

Subordinates also need to be given sufficient authority in order to receive adequate training.

Even if subordinates make mistakes, you must let them do it. Otherwise, they will never grow and you will only exhaust yourself in the end.

Unless... the entire system has lost all incremental growth and become stagnant.

But the Ming Dynasty of today should not be, and cannot be.

However, the prerequisite for delegating authority is the implementation of the entire strategic thinking from top to bottom; otherwise, it will only result in a Brownian motion and will not form a cohesive force.

Zhu Youjian raised his head, looked at Gao Shiming, and asked, "Gao, do you know why I launched this campaign to improve state affairs?"

Gao Shiming paused for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he tentatively replied, "Your Majesty... do you feel that the past policy essays were too vague, and whether the plans were feasible or not depended entirely on one person?"

Zhu Youjian was already used to Gao Shiming's keen insight, and he nodded approvingly.

"You're right about one thing."

"The strategies are specific and well-organized, which allows me to better judge their success or failure beforehand and also to distinguish the abilities of those who submit them."

He paused, his gaze becoming distant.

"But what I value even more is something else—lowering the requirements for talent."

"Think about it. Once Xue Guoguan has truly finished repairing the roads in the capital, I will have him write a review of that policy essay from back then."

"It details what was thought of, what was not anticipated, what went wrong, and what was done exceptionally well in the original plan."

"With such a detailed review, the plan is more complete."

"If there were a second, third, or fourth person who also built roads in different parts of the Ming Dynasty, and left behind their official documents and reflections on their experiences."

"Then, if later officials want to build roads, they only need to carefully read these four or five historical records from their predecessors, which would probably be better than reading hundreds or thousands of traditional treatises on statecraft."

"This is the true meaning of official documents for governing the world."

"The minimum standard for officials' conduct will be greatly raised."

Zhu Youjian's voice was not loud, but it carried a power that could penetrate people's hearts.

"If we continue to advance the entire plan, and accomplish one thing at a time, we will accumulate insights into that thing. Why would we need Xiao He?"

"Instead of being eager to find talented people, it is better to cultivate them into a prevailing trend. One Xiao He cannot save a collapsing edifice. But if every prefecture and county in the country has the potential of Xiao He, then the Ming Dynasty will have no worries!"

Gao Shiming suddenly realized, "Your Majesty, this is not about seeking capable officials, but rather... about creating capable officials!" "Indeed." Zhu Youjian smiled, his smile filled with powerful confidence. "Exactly. Send what I said today to Xue Guoguan, to the cabinet, and spread it as widely as possible."

"Then, you and Xue Guoguan should take advantage of the new policies in the capital to thoroughly prepare the entire process for me, including the pre-planning, the recording during the process, and the post-event review."

He looked at Gao Shiming, then changed the subject, his voice becoming softer.

"Gao Banban, this is my first reward to you."

"After ten thousand generations, Emperor Yongchang of the Ming Dynasty may have become just another ordinary person, lost in the dust of history."

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"But the names of you, Gao Shiming and Xue Guoguan, are destined to be forever etched in the annals of this era of official documents!"

The origin of official documents for practical application!
Forever engraved upon it!

Even though they had gradually become accustomed to the new emperor's unexpected actions since following him, they still hadn't completely forgotten him.

These words still deeply moved Gao Shiming.

The Emperor's grace is boundless and profound.

...How should I repay this kindness?

Gao Shiming bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly: "Your subject will certainly work with Lord Xue to handle this matter thoroughly and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

"Alright." Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction, his expression relaxing. "I'll leave this matter to you, Comrade Gao."

He stretched, stood up, and said with a touch of youthful casualness, "Prepare the horses. It's time to go to the Wenhua Hall and have a proper lesson with the esteemed scholars of the literary world."

Gao Shiming was in a state of confusion and surprisingly failed to understand the emperor's subtext. He simply accepted the order and withdrew.

He walked out of the hall, called over a young eunuch, and whispered a few instructions to him.

The young eunuch left in a hurry, but Gao Shiming did not immediately return to the palace.

He stood alone under the eaves, looking up at the sky.

The afternoon sky was somewhat gloomy, and the wind picked up, causing the corners of his brocade robe to flutter loudly.

He squinted, gazing at the hazy, distant horizon, and after a long while, let out a soft sigh.

His Majesty's question seemed to echo in my ears again.

What is your dream?
A complex smile appeared on Gao Shiming's lips as he silently answered in his heart.

This old servant didn't know before, but now I finally do.

This old servant's only dream in this life is to assist Your Majesty in achieving the glory of Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang!

……

Inside the Wenhua Hall.

Qi Xinxiao, along with his colleagues from the lecture hall and three cabinet ministers, filed in, led by a young eunuch.

He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Tianqi reign, but he only had the opportunity to set foot in this palace during regular court sessions and grand court assemblies.

No... He can't even get into court assemblies.

Given his rank, he could only stand on the steps outside the palace.

This was the first time he had ever been to the Wenhua Hall as a lecturer.

However, the lectures were not held in the Wenhua Hall, but in the "Chuantang" between the front and rear halls of the Wenhua Hall.

The term "川" is an elegant way of referring to something that is cut through.

(Attached is an aerial view of the Wenhua Hall, specifically the vertical stroke of the character "工".)
There was only one imperial desk in the center of the hall, presumably where the emperor would listen to the lecture later.

Wang Zuoyuan, the lecturer, led everyone to their respective positions.

The cabinet ministers stood in the east column, while the lecturers stood in the west column.

Qi Xinxiao felt a tickle in his throat and couldn't help but cough softly twice.

Wang Zuoyuan, who was standing in front, immediately gave him a stern look.

Qi Xinxiao quickly gave an embarrassed laugh, trying his best to suppress the itching sensation in his throat.

He felt a little drowsy when he woke up this morning, and his throat was slightly itchy. He thought it best to see a doctor after his shift.

Catching a cold is a minor matter; what's serious is that it delays his daily lectures for the next few days.

After everyone waited for a while, a message came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty ascends to the throne——"

Upon hearing this, the officials from both the east and west ranks bowed down together, performing the ritual of kneeling and kowtowing three times, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

"Everyone is safe."

A young yet composed voice came from behind the imperial desk.

Everyone thanked them and stood up.

The three cabinet ministers stood still. During the daily lecture, the main speaker was a Hanlin scholar, and the cabinet ministers were merely accompanying him.

Wang Zuoyuan stepped forward first, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, today's lecture is on the Great Learning."

He stepped aside and introduced, "The main lecturer is Ni Yuanlu, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy."

Ni Yuanlu stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

Qi Xinxiao was not the main speaker today. He stood at the back of the crowd and could only secretly peek at the young emperor on the throne through the gaps between his colleagues' shoulders.

This was the first time he had seen the emperor so closely.

The young emperor, clad in a dragon robe, still had a childlike face, showing no particular distinguishing features.

But Qi Xinxiao still felt his mouth was dry, as if he had returned to the tension and anxiety of the imperial examination years ago.

Ni Yuanlu said loudly, "Your Majesty, I request to read the chapters and sentences to you first, and then explain the punctuation. Your Majesty may follow along with each sentence."

This is a routine practice in daily lectures.

But then the emperor on the throne spoke, his voice clear and melodious: "There is no need for that. The Great Learning is only a little over a thousand words long, and I can already recite it from memory."

These words caused a slight stir among the Hanlin Academy officials.

Zhu Youjian seemed not to notice and continued, "How about I recite it silently myself, and if there are any unclear punctuation marks, then Minister Ni can point them out to me?"

Ni Yuanlu was momentarily taken aback and subconsciously looked at Huang Liji, the chief minister opposite him.

Grand Secretary Huang Lijie remained expressionless, only nodding slightly.

Ni Yuanlu then bowed and said, "Your Majesty is exceptionally intelligent, which we admire. We will now listen attentively to Your Majesty's recitation."

"Very well." Zhu Youjian nodded. "If there is anything wrong, Minister Ni may interrupt me immediately."

After saying that, he closed his eyes and began to recite aloud.

"The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to abide in perfect goodness. Knowing where to rest, we can then be resolute; being resolute, we can then be tranquil..."

The clear, resonant voices of recitation echoed in the spacious Wenhua Hall, the words enunciated precisely and the rhythm steady.

The Hanlin officials present were all elites who had fought their way through the imperial examinations, and memorizing a passage of over a thousand characters from "The Great Learning" was not difficult for them.

But this is quite astonishing considering it happened to an emperor who had long lived in the deep palace and was rumored to have no famous teachers.

However, it was merely a surprise.

Qi Xinxiao's throat became increasingly itchy, as if a feather was gently scratching inside, making him restless.

The emperor's recitation continued.

"...The saying 'to regulate one's family begins with cultivating one's character' means that one should avoid those whom one loves and those whom one despises..."

Qi Xinxiao tried to hold back, but in the end he couldn't help it. He lowered his voice and coughed briefly.

On the throne, the emperor paused slightly in his recitation, but quickly continued.

Wang Zuoyuan, standing beside the emperor, cast a dagger-like glance his way, full of warning.

Qi Xinxiao felt a chill run down his spine, and in the still chilly hall, he broke out in a cold sweat.

He swallowed hard, trying to suppress the itching, but the more nervous he became, the clearer the feeling became.

The emperor had already reached the second half of his recitation, but Qi Xinxiao hadn't heard a single word; his entire mind was focused on battling his throat.

"...The so-called principle of bringing peace to the world lies in governing one's own state: when superiors respect the elderly, the people will be filial; when superiors respect the elders, the people will be fraternal..."

Finally, Qi Xinxiao could no longer suppress his emotions.

He coughed softly again.

That was it. It was as if a choke point had opened in his throat, followed by a series of heart-wrenching, violent coughs that he couldn't stop.

"Cough...cough cough...cough cough cough..."

The emperor's recitation came to an abrupt halt.

The entire Wenhua Hall instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wang Zuoyuan flew into a rage, turned around abruptly, and shouted sternly, "Insolence! Who dares to behave so disrespectfully before the Emperor!"

Qi Xinxiao was so frightened by the angry shout that his coughing miraculously stopped.

His face turned deathly pale, and without a second thought, he prostrated himself on the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty deserves to die!"

He lay prostrate on the cold gold bricks, his heart filled with regret and fear.

Only one sentence echoed in my mind: "—Never follow in Huang Youxuan's footsteps!"

It's over, it's all over. Huang Youxuan has been granted a new ruler. Does he have to wait for another new ruler?

Wang Zuoyuan didn't even glance at him, but turned to Zhu Youjian and bowed to apologize: "Your Majesty, this man has behaved improperly before the Emperor and delayed the daily lecture. I request that he be dismissed from the main hall first, and after the lecture, I will certainly return to the academy and severely reprimand him!"

There was a dead silence in the hall.

Everyone held their breath, awaiting the emperor's judgment.

(End of this chapter)