The next day.
It was the eighth day of September in the twentieth year of Wanli, the day before the Double Ninth Festival.
It's just dawn.
With a creaking sound, the palace door began to slowly open, and the officials from the capital came in one after another, divided into two groups, civil and military, and entered the Qinzheng Hall from the left and right directions.
As the sound of whips appeared and a eunuch shouted "Your Majesty has arrived," all the ministers bowed.
When the ceremony was over, Zhu Yijun had already sat down and called out: "Declaration!"
"yes!"
Not long after, Huang Xun, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, took out the hemp paper and read out the edict to promote Qi Jiguang as the chief assistant in front of the fifth-rank and above Beijing officials.
As soon as this order was issued, all the courtiers were astonished.
At this time, Qi Jiguang stepped out and said: "I will do my best to fulfill the decree and live up to the divine grace!"
"I have ordered you to be the leader of the ministers in the world. You must know what your ambition is. I will not go into details. I hope you will do your best to make the world Han in the future!"
Zhu Yijun said in a deep voice at this time.
"I understand!"
Qi Jiguang took over the imperial edict at this time, replied, and then retreated into the imperial court.
Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xijue at this time.
Wang Xijue looked calm.
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but be a little surprised, so he stood up and said: "The ruling minister followed me to the Imperial Palace. That's where the court ends today!"
"yes!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
So, Zhu Yijun left the Qinzheng Palace and came to the room where the Imperial Guard was on duty. He sat on a sofa and saw that there were just placed on the sofa the chapter memorials sent from the clerk's room. The first one was surprisingly Wang Xijue's Chapter Memorial.
Zhu Yijun took Wang Xijue's chapter memorial in his hand and started to read it.
After seeing this, Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Xijue: "Mr. Wang Ge, why did you change your mind again?!"
"Suddenly, he proposed that only those with military status should be treated favorably. For the sake of the soldiers and their families in the world, special funds should be set up to ensure that their injuries and illnesses are treated without damaging their families, special funds should be set up to ensure that their old age is not burdened by their children, and special funds should be set up to unify Guangsha to ensure that they have no problems. In order to pay for the housing, he must be expelled from the prison before being sentenced, and he must also be given a yearly salary after being discharged from the army.”
"Back to Your Majesty, after I thought about what Your Majesty said yesterday about how everyone in the world should be distinguished from noble to inferior, I thought about it again, and then went to the Ministry of Rites to check the number of scholars in the world, and then found that the number of scholars in the world has been To the point where it is no longer noble, otherwise it will just waste national funds and intensify internal strife, so I have to admit that your Majesty may have a more realistic consideration."
"In addition, I had to report last night that a merchant ship belonging to the Wang family was robbed in Shimoda. This was all because the Tokugawa clan deliberately prohibited the daimyo who had surrendered to him from trading with us after establishing the shogunate, and only allowed the Tokugawa clan to monopolize it. Trade, so the merchant ship of the minister's family was detained. This undoubtedly shows that trade alone is not enough to make him surrender. He must first be educated and know that surrender is beneficial to the people."
"So, I wrote the memorial and handed it over overnight."
Wang Xijue answered truthfully at this time.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun said: "It's a step too late, but the problem is not big. I am very relieved that you can reach an agreement with Duke Ji in this regard."
Then, Zhu Yijun looked at the other ruling ministers and said, "You must have guessed why I made Duke Ji Guo Yuanfu."
"That's right, I want to value the military and continue to open up new territories. In this era when a lot of new land is being discovered, I want to open up more territories as soil for our Han family as soon as possible. Even if I don't have time to develop them, I have to occupy them first!"
"For example, during the Han and Tang Dynasties, Lingnan was still a barbaric land, but it still had to be occupied first so that it could be developed in the Song Dynasty. Now it has become a place where the literary style flourishes in our country, the Ming Dynasty;"
"It can be seen that from the perspective of the entire nation, occupying more fertile fields as the soil of our Han family is conducive to the extension and development of Chinese culture. Not only for the country, it is also conducive to continued immigration and development when the population becomes more numerous in the future. .”
"In addition, the current level of prosperity of the country is not enough to allow everyone in the country to study and receive education for free, not to worry about having no money for medical treatment when sick, and to be supported by the country when they are old without burdening their children and grandchildren."
"While benefiting all the people of the country, we can first extend grace to a group of people who will help the country become stronger and more prosperous, and this group can only be those who dedicate themselves to the country and die for it."
After Zhu Yijun said this, the academician Yu Shenxing spoke out: "Your Majesty, aren't those who can devote themselves to the country just soldiers?"
"Senior men died to save the country, doctors died to save the country from epidemics, and craftsmen died to make sharp weapons. It was also because the country worked hard for the country, so why should soldiers be valued only?"
"What I mean is that not only those who go into battle to kill the enemy can be called sergeants. Doctors can also be sergeants, craftsmen can also be sergeants, and even those who write and sing can be called sergeants."
"Yu Qing, you should know that conquests are no longer the era of riding horses and shooting swords and guns. How many months did it take to train the elite soldiers Ji Guogong used to quell the Japanese invaders?"
Zhu Yijun stretched out two fingers as he spoke: "Two months!"
"This is why firearms are used on a large scale in the military. Therefore, the craftsmen who make firearms are not classified as sergeants, are not allowed to strictly observe military discipline, and are not given preferential treatment so that they can prosper with the country. You can rest assured that he will not reveal his skills in the details of his work. Or won’t you slack off on your research and development skills?”
"So much so that firearms are the most powerful weapon for the barbarians, but the country and the dynasty are second best!"
"By extension, people in other professions can be specialized soldiers as well."
"Gein, the current military administration no longer depends solely on the bravery and proficiency of the soldiers, but on a country's rich knowledge, advanced technology, abundant talents, smart decision-making, and efficient dispatch."
After Zhu Yijun said this, he smiled and said: "From now on, those who dare to serve the country and are outstanding from all walks of life in the country can join the army."
After hearing this, Yu Shenxing just raised his hands and said yes.
Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang: "What do Yuan Fu think?"
"Your Majesty and I have the same idea. It does not mean that you have to lead troops to fight and kill enemies in battle to be a general or a sergeant, but that anyone who can contribute to the country's military virtues can become a general."
"I wish to first clarify how to give preferential treatment and cultivate the children of military households so that they can strengthen the country and secure it;"
"Secondly, it is necessary to clarify how Confucian and civilian children should behave in order to become military households, such as what merits, virtues, and achievements they should achieve;"
"Finally, all members of the royal family should be regarded as military households. Since the children of military households are privileged, they should have higher requirements in terms of merit. Don't do good deeds because they are small, and don't do evil because they are small. , abide by the stricter military regulations. If you can't do it, you can freely apply for citizenship. Since it is difficult to abstain from sexual intercourse, and it is even more difficult for people to imitate the saints, then only the nobles are required to do so; as for scholars and common people, there is no need to abide by military regulations. , only follow the king’s law.”
Qi Jiguang said at this time.
Shen Yiguan frowned at this moment and said: "Your Majesty, I feel that what Ji Guogong said is inappropriate. He demands more from the powerful and makes them more constrained, which is unrealistic."
"What if the requirements of the military regulations are high, but the king's law will not kill him if he can, and even if he wants to kill him, he will only die, and if he remembers his ancestors' merits and deeds, he will not be punished by his family, but in the worst case, he will be imprisoned and exiled?"
Qi Jiguang asked Shen Yiguan at this time.
Shen Yiguan thought for a while and said: "This is feasible, but I'm afraid that people who like leisure and hate work won't want to do it."
"His Majesty!"
Shen Li then stood up and shouted, and then said: "I believe that since the military is the most important thing, it is appropriate to have higher moral standards for sergeants. Otherwise, they will not be qualified to receive preferential treatment. For those who like to relax and dislike hard work, You should not be worthy of being a soldier, but should be a foreigner. Even if you have grievances, you can only accept it! Since ancient times, there is no principle of getting something for nothing without first loving yourself and asking for respect from others."
Zhu Yijun nodded: "Then I will order the policy making department to draw up corresponding regulations according to Yuan Fu's instructions, and ask for them to be enacted."
"According to the order!"
Zhu Yijun asked Qi Jiguang to build a military aristocracy. For the entire Ming Empire, it was undoubtedly a formal confirmation that Ming Dynasty would embark on the path of hegemony and expansion.
This was naturally a matter of great concern to the courtiers. After the dismissal of the dynasty, Shen Yiguan couldn't help but ask Wang Xijue: "Why did the Duke suddenly change his mind? It's because the Japanese Tokugawa clan robbed several merchant ships of your house." ?”
"Didn't I make it clear in my preamble? This is only one aspect. On the other hand, due to the large number of military households fleeing and deregistering and the increasing number of scholars, the number of scholars now really exceeds the number of military households and soldiers. If we really want to value scholars and let the emperor and scholar-bureaucrats rule the world together in this dynasty, it will only lead to intensified party strife and mutual strife."
Wang Xijue replied.
After hearing this, Shen Guanyi was stunned for a while, and then sighed again: "Well, what the public said is reasonable, not to mention the holy will. There must be something wise in it; but in this way, those who follow the Confucian and folk books, as well as Sir, how can one be so outstanding that he can be promoted to join the army?"
"Of course he is the most fanatical person who strongly advocates the elimination of barbarian culture and the sole respect of his own culture!"
"To be able to encourage the soldiers to think that conquering the barbarians is to save them and free them from barbarism, this is not just an assertion. To make this statement tenable, there must be reasonable arguments."
Wang Xijue said with a smile.
Shen Yigui nodded, as if he had listened to Wang Xijue's words.
And because of this, Shen Yiguan didn't say anything more, let alone criticize Wang Xijue.
However, Guo Zhengyu and a group of civil servants had been waiting for Wang Xijue outside the palace for a long time. As soon as Wang Xijue came out, he saluted and asked: "Elder Pavilion, I wonder why Your Majesty takes the military minister as the leader?"
Wang Ming, the imperial censor, then said: "Yes, is it possible that there is no one among our civil servants who can be used? Do we have to use Duke Ji?"
Shen Yiguan looked at Wang Xijue at this time.
Wang Xijue replied: "Except for Duke Ji, no one can make the world's arrogant soldiers stop doing business as merchants. And only in this way can we show that our dynasty really values military households."
"Do you value military households?"
"So, not only are Confucian scholars indistinguishable from Guizhou leaders, but they are also one level below military households?"
Guo Zhengyu couldn't help but ask.
Wang Xijue nodded.
At this time, Wang Ming, the censor, couldn't help but asked: "If this doesn't work, you all should strive for it!"
Wang Xijue said: "There is nothing wrong with it. Even so, scholar-bureaucrats are still better than before!"
"Everyone should understand that in the best of times in the past, we gentry were only exempted from the corvee on some acres of land. Now we don't have to pay the corvee at all. Isn't that good?"
"But reading is the only good thing among all the bad things. Nowadays, all the scholars and the people are free from corvee. I really don't know what is so good about studying. Who else is willing to study?"
Guo Zhengyu asked worriedly at this time.
"Yes, there is no difference between a farmer and a scholar. Why don't you become a farmer wandering in the forest instead of traveling thousands of miles to become an official and suffer the hardships of writing documents?"
Other officials also followed suit and asked Wang Xijue.
Wang Xijue replied at this time: "I wonder if studying well has anything to do with being exempted from corvee?"
"This is obviously related to the fact that there are more scholars in China! If you really want to see the usefulness of studying, don't stay in China. You should go to Japan and Luzon!"
"Those places have their own beautiful faces and golden houses!"
"If you have to look for the benefits of studying for the imperial examination in the country where the literary style flourished, you will naturally not find the benefits of studying for the imperial examination. This is just like living in a flat peach garden and getting many flat peaches, so you don't feel that flat peaches are any different from ordinary What’s the difference between peaches.”
(End of chapter)
