My father is Jiajing

It was an auspicious day after the first month of the fourth year of the Longqing reign.

The square in front of Wenhua Hall was spotless, and the white marble railings were polished to a shine.

Civil and military officials lined up on both sides of the palace, inside and outside, and the ceremonial guards throughout the palace were solemn and imposing.

The elite troops of the Beijing Garrison also changed into ceremonial uniforms and lined up from the side of the palace gate to the Wenhua Hall. The banners they held tightly fluttered in the spring breeze, making them look exceptionally sacred!
"The Emperor has arrived!"

With a shout of approval, amidst the resounding drums and music, Zhu Zaiji made a grand entrance, riding in a dragon palanquin.

Today, he was still wearing a vermilion dragon robe with a dragon design, and on his head was a solemn and dignified black winged crown.

When Zhu Zaiji's imperial carriage stopped in front of the steps of the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Zaiji got up and dismounted. As he turned to face the officials...

The roar of worship, as loud as a mountain and as powerful as a tsunami, instantly resounded through the sky!
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Zaiji slightly raised his gaze and swept it over the officials in front of the Wenhua Hall, then his clear, melodious voice rang out: "Rise."

The officials bowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Then Zhu Zaiji turned and entered the hall, ascended the throne and sat on the high dragon throne, his gaze distant as if he were looking down upon the world.

At this moment, Meng Chong also stepped forward and unfurled the imperial edict.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Qi Jiguang, Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, who led an expedition against Japan and pacified the coastal regions, is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Jinghai, and bestowed with a red-inked inscribed iron certificate, which shall be hereditary without fail."

"Yu Dayou, Admiral of the Nanyang Fleet, pioneered the Western Ocean and subdued the various foreign tribes. He was specially granted the title of Marquis of Pingbo and bestowed with a red-inked iron certificate, which was to be inherited in perpetuity."

"The other officers of the Eastern and Southern Fleets who have rendered meritorious service shall be promoted and rewarded according to their merits!"

"Appreciate this!"

As Meng Chong uttered the final, melodious "So be it," the elite troops of the Beijing Garrison inside and outside the Wenhua Hall, just as rehearsed, shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! May the Ming Dynasty be mighty!"

After being called out several times, the master of ceremonies led Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, who had been granted the title of marquis, into the hall.

Both men were dressed in imperial robes, looking quite spirited.

Looking at his two capable assistants, Zhu Zaiji couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

When Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou reached their positions in the hall, they both knelt down to pay their respects.

Qi Jiguang proclaimed loudly, "Your subject, Qi Jiguang, Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, General Who Conquers the Japanese Pirates, and Governor-General of Yingzhou Island, kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace! I will serve Your Majesty with my life, even unto death, to forever guard the seas for Your Majesty!"

Yu Dayou then loudly bowed and said, "Your subject, Yu Dayou, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Fleet, General Who Conquers the South and Governor-General of the Xuanwei Strait, is honored by Your Majesty's favor. I dare not fail to dedicate my remaining years to opening up vast seas for the Great Ming!"

Zhu Zaiji felt immensely gratified as he listened to the resounding voices of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

Zhu Zaiji raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, "Ministers Qi and Yu, you need not stand on ceremony. I am blessed to have you two dear ministers! From this day forward, all soldiers of my Great Ming shall take the two marquises, Jinghai and Pingbo, as their role models! Let us establish great achievements for the Great Ming and spread our might throughout the land!"

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing Zhu Zaiji's words of encouragement and affirmation.

You should know that in the past, even if these rough men from military backgrounds made great contributions, the lion's share would be taken by the civil officials, such as imperial envoys or governors, who were sent by the court.

Just like the suppression of Japanese pirates in the southeast back then, although they were the ones who charged to the front lines to fight the battles, the greatest credit belonged to Hu Zongxian, the then Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili.

Of course, this is not to say that Hu Zongxian is stealing their credit. You should know that at that time, the two of them were able to use their abilities in the southeast as if they were fish in water, and they were able to clear out the Japanese pirates in the southeast without any pressure from behind.

Hu Zongxian put in a lot of effort, and he was the one who planned the overall strategy for suppressing the Japanese pirates, while the two of them carried it out.

Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to attribute the credit for the suppression of the Japanese pirates to Hu Zongxian.

What moved Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou at this moment was that the emperor's unprecedented trust in them was the reason they were able to make such great contributions, and that no civil officials such as imperial envoys or governors-general were appointed to check and balance them.

That's why their achievements this time were unprecedented, making them the greatest merit since the founding of the country and the pacification of the rebellion, thus enabling them to be ennobled as marquises!
Otherwise, even if they fought for the rest of their lives, they would never make any progress.

According to the rules established after the Battle of Tumu, military officers would no longer have the opportunity to lead independently. They would either be assigned a civil official as governor or a eunuch as military supervisor.

However, after Zhu Zaiji's series of military reforms, coupled with his trust in them, they were given the opportunity to be ennobled.

Therefore, at this moment, it is easy to imagine how excited Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, and the officers and soldiers of the East and South Seas navies were.

At this moment, Zhao Wenhua, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Rites, and Tan Lun, the Minister of War, also stepped forward, each holding two brocade boxes, under the guidance of the officials in charge of rites.

The two men bowed to Zhu Zaiji and said, "Your Majesty, we, Zhao Wenhua and Tan Lun, request that Your Majesty bestow upon us the titles of Marquis of Jinghai and Marquis of Pingbo, and grant us official seals for our merits!"

Zhu Zaiji nodded slightly, "Granted!"

Then Zhu Zaiji rose from the dragon throne and walked down the steps in the middle of the throne to Zhao Wenhua and Tan Lun. He opened the brocade box that Zhao Wenhua and Tan Lun were holding and took out two gilded silver seals, which he then bestowed upon Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively.

On these two gilded silver seals, one is inscribed with "Seal of the Marquis of Jinghai of the Great Ming Dynasty" and the other with "Seal of the Marquis of Pingbo of the Great Ming Dynasty"!
When these two gilded silver seals, symbols of their status, were bestowed upon Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, their excitement was palpable.

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were so excited that they bowed deeply to Zhu Zaiji again to express their gratitude. Only then did they raise their hands above their heads and respectfully accept the gilded silver seal bestowed upon them by Zhu Zaiji himself.

After bestowing the gilded silver seal, the next step was to grant the imperial edict and certificate of merit.

Hu Zongxian, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, was the former superior of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.

At this moment, Hu Zongxian brought over a tray covered with yellow brocade, on which were placed two iron certificates with cinnabar inscriptions. The imperial edicts were written in cinnabar and gold lacquer, specifying not only the hereditary titles but also the merits for which the titles were conferred. There were two copies of each certificate.

The original voucher was kept in the imperial archives, while copies were bestowed upon meritorious officials.

It is evident how formal and grand Zhu Zaiji's reward of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou was. In fact, it could be said that this ceremony of conferring titles of nobility was far more impressive than the process by which Zhu Zaiji and Zhu the Fourth Prince conferred the title of Duke.

Therefore, it is easy to imagine how excited Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were when they received the imperial edict.

Of course, there is one more small explanation here. That is, the iron certificates of merit bestowed by Zhu Zaiji upon Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou only have the effect of being hereditary and can be passed down indefinitely; they do not have the effect of exempting them from death or punishment.

Therefore, if Qi Jiguang or Yu Dayou or their family members commit crimes, they will still be investigated and dealt with in the same way. They will not be able to escape their crimes just because they have titles or iron certificates.

You should know that if this iron certificate truly had the power to absolve oneself of guilt and death, then it would no longer be an iron certificate, but a death warrant!

Therefore, only a hereditary iron certificate is a good iron certificate.

Otherwise, things will turn out like they did at the beginning, where Zhu Yuanzhang generously bestowed upon his meritorious officials a certificate of immunity from death, and as a result, these officials who had the certificate became arrogant and lawless, causing trouble.

This put Old Zhu in an awkward position, and in the end, the iron certificate that could have saved him from death was turned into a death warrant.

Therefore, when Zhu Zaiji bestowed imperial edicts upon Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, he naturally had to avoid such an awkward situation.

This is to prevent Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, or their family members, from becoming arrogant and disregarding the laws of the Ming Dynasty after receiving their rewards.

This would contradict Zhu Zaiji's original intention in bestowing the merit.

After all, for an emperor, especially one who values ​​his reputation, the most taboo thing is to contradict himself one day.

Therefore, one can imagine the burning pain and discomfort on Zhu Yuanzhang's face when he tore up the ironclad promises he had given to his meritorious officials, which granted them immunity from death and punishment.

You know, back then when Zhu Yuanzhang was rewarding his meritorious officials, he shamelessly mocked Emperor Gaozu of Han for killing his meritorious officials because he couldn't share wealth and honor with them. But when he himself had to kill his meritorious officials, how painful it must have been for him! It's truly unspeakable!

By this point, the ceremony of bestowing titles on marquises was practically over.

Finally, Zhu Zaiji ordered two huge maps to be unfurled and displayed inside the hall.

One of them is the "Complete Map of Yingzhou Island in the Eastern Ocean", which marks in detail the key passes of Japan and the garrison situation of the Ming army.

Another map is the "Complete Map of the Strait of Malacca in the Western Ocean," which depicts the Strait of Malacca and the surrounding islands and the power dynamics of various small countries.

Zhu Zaiji said, "I have ordered the Ministry of Works to carve these two maps into stone and erect them in front of the Great Ming Gate, so that future generations will know the vastness of the Ming Dynasty's maritime territory! I have also ordered the Hanlin Academy to compile the 'Brief Account of the Eastern Expedition' and the 'Record of the Western Expedition' to commemorate the achievements of my two beloved ministers!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou could not contain their excitement and bowed deeply to Zhu Zaiji once more, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the conferment ceremony, Zhu Zaiji held a banquet in the Wuying Hall, ordering his eldest son, Zhu Yi, to entertain the two newly ennobled marquises, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, as well as other meritorious officials and civil and military officials in attendance.

The Wuying Hall was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and musicians played the tune "Pacifying the Four Directions".

Zhu Yi was dressed in casual clothes, and his face still showed a nervous and inexperienced look.

However, all the civil and military officials in the Wuying Hall respectfully rose and paid their respects to Zhu Yi upon seeing him.

Although Zhu Yi has not yet been officially named Crown Prince, both the court officials and the common people have already regarded him as the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, even if Zhu Zaiji wanted to transfer the heir apparent, the resistance would be enormous.

Moreover, Zhu Zaiji has now come to realize that even if he appoints Zhu Yi as crown prince, it will not affect the political landscape.

Anyway, Zhu Zaiji is still young and in his prime. Unless God is playing a joke on him, he has plenty of time.

Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou sat on either side of Zhu Yi, equally reserved and nervous. Although Zhu Yi was also somewhat nervous, he gradually got into the swing of things as the banquet progressed, and even asked about the details of the campaign from time to time to broaden his knowledge.

After hearing Zhu Yi's question, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou naturally answered all their questions without reservation.

"Lord Jinghai, what is the climate and customs like on Yingzhou Island?"

Zhu Yi looked at Qi Jiguang beside him and asked about the customs and culture of Japan.

Qi Jiguang respectfully replied, "Your Highness, Yingzhou Island is mountainous with little land, and its people are base and uncouth. Their so-called warriors value petty righteousness over life, and their tactics are very outdated. When they encountered our army's advanced firearms, they were routed. I simply pushed my way through and captured their Japanese chieftain."

Zhu Yi couldn't help but laugh when he heard Qi Jiguang's words.

It seems like fighting a war is quite simple.

Then Zhu Yi asked, "I heard that the Marquis of Jinghai used the 'Mandarin Duck Formation' to defeat the Japanese pirates' arquebusiers? Is this true?"

Qi Jiguang shook his head and smiled slightly, "Your Highness, I used long-range artillery to break through the Japanese pirates' iron cannon fortifications. The Mandarin Duck Formation was only used after we landed on the beach and during close combat."

Zhu Yi suddenly realized and said "Oh." He had never seen a war before, and all his knowledge about war was hearsay.

Therefore, some deviations are inevitable.

Now that Qi Jiguang has helped him resolve his doubts, it can be considered that he has gained a new understanding of war.

However, Zhu Yi still doesn't realize the cruelty of war. Just like the warmongering internet user before Zhu Zaiji's transmigration, he always thinks that fighting is something that can be done casually and never considers the sacrifices and other costs involved.

But we can't force Zhu Yi to understand these things now. After all, he's still young, hasn't been in charge of his own affairs, and hasn't experienced much hardship. It's inevitable that he has some naive and presumptuous ideas.

It's not too late if he gradually understands these things and principles as he grows older and his thinking matures.

Therefore, Zhu Zaiji did not criticize Zhu Yi much.

After all, back in his youth before time travel, Zhu Zaiji also had such naive and invincible ideas, always thinking that some things were incredibly simple and never really considering the difficulties involved.

After asking Qi Jiguang, Zhu Yi turned to Yu Dayou: "Did the Marquis of Pingbo encounter anything new in the West?"

Yu Dayou replied, "The Dutch warships I saw in the Xuanwei Strait and Fuhai City (Colombo) were indeed commendable, with their long hulls and heavy cannons. I also ordered blueprints to be drawn up and sent back to the Ming Dynasty, which were then reported to His Majesty. His Majesty is now ordering various shipyards to study and replicate them, striving to build even better and superior ocean-going ships, so that the might of our Ming Dynasty can once again awe the world!"

------

Please vote with monthly tickets~~~ (End of this chapter)