Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 345: Officially abolishing the feudal system! Opening the imperial examinations and the Imperial University!

As the rebellion subsided, the number of Ming nobles and wealthy merchants going overseas reached a new peak.

Not long after, an imperial edict was published in the Da Ming Daily.

"Since Emperor Taizu founded the country, he has enfeoffed vassal kings, which was originally a strategy to protect the royal family and stabilize the country."

"However, times have changed. Now the northern border has been settled, and there is no longer any worry about unrest. However, the feudal system has gradually developed disadvantages."

"The land and wealth are concentrated in one place, and the military power is in their hands. The hidden worries are becoming more and more obvious. If this continues, it may endanger the foundation of the country and disturb the people's livelihood."

"I have received the mandate of heaven and rule the world. I am concerned about the stability of the Ming Dynasty and the well-being of the people. I am determined to reform with the world in mind."

"From now on, all existing feudal titles will be revoked, and the fiefdoms, military power, and financial resources will be taken back and all will be under the control of the imperial court."

"All vassal kings, their families, and their subordinates must prepare as soon as possible and move overseas to relocate to their vassal states."

"From now on, the vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty will only be granted lands in remote and barbaric border areas."

"I hope you can emulate the vassal kings of the Zhou Dynasty, have lofty ambitions and expand your territory in the wild areas."

"Although overseas is full of difficulties and obstacles, it is also full of opportunities. It can help us expand new territory and spread the prestige of China."

"I know this is not an easy task, but it is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty, so I have to do it."

"The court will also properly arrange the trip and provide the necessary supplies, so Paul and others will be safe on the journey."

"After arriving overseas, if the princes can work hard and make achievements, the imperial court will not forget your contributions and will reward you."

"I hope that all the princes will understand the great principles, obey the will of heaven, and do not harbor any other thoughts. Please follow my orders as soon as possible."

"If anyone disobeys, they will be dealt with according to the law and punished severely."

"Appreciate this."

Once this imperial edict was announced, it immediately caused an uproar in the court and the country.

Although the imperial court had not explicitly announced the rebellion of the vassal kings, it had already been widely circulated among the people and was known to everyone.

Now Zhu Yunhuan issued an imperial decree to abolish the fiefdoms of all the princes and to send them all overseas, which naturally caused a great sensation.

"Oh my God, His Majesty actually issued an edict to abolish all the vassal kings in the world!" someone said in surprise.

"Back then, the princes plotted rebellion with ulterior motives. Now that they have been abolished, it can be said that they deserved it and brought it upon themselves."

Someone responded with a look of relief on his face.

"Strictly speaking, it is not abolition, but relocation overseas."

Another, calmer man corrected.

"I heard that the overseas lands are extremely rich. Right now, nobles and wealthy merchants are all vying to go to sea. It doesn't seem like a big punishment for the princes to go to sea."

Someone whispered.

"That's not the case. For ordinary people, overseas may be a good place to make money, but the princes have already enjoyed wealth and glory at home. Now they are going out to sea, far away from their homeland, and have lost their power and foundation at home. They will definitely experience some hardships."

"Your Majesty has issued the order, and they can only obey."

"Yes, and no matter what, even the princes have gone to sea, and the national policy of our Ming Dynasty to expand outward has been determined."

"Right now, the imperial court is still using troops against the three Jurchen tribes. I heard that they have been winning battles one after another, so they will probably be pacified soon."

……

Soon, the princes boarded the ships and set out to sea one after another.

Zhu Yunhuan also attached great importance to it and visited the dock of Jinling City many times to see them off.

Showing his filial piety as a younger generation!
It turned out that after their weapons were confiscated, some of the three guards led by the princes continued to serve as the princes' personal guards and went to sea with them.

This group of people accounts for a very small proportion, less than one-tenth.

After all, the manpower required for sea voyages is limited, and there is no need for too many people.

The other part was incorporated into the Ming Military Academy, where they received new ideological education and military technical training, waiting to be incorporated into the new army in the future.

More soldiers became workers and went to work in factories near Jinling.

As the industrialization process continues to deepen, factories are springing up in larger and larger numbers, and the demand for workers is naturally increasing.

The princes' personal soldiers are all strong and healthy, and are undoubtedly excellent candidates for labor.

……

"Zhu Gaoxu was ordered to commit suicide!"

In the Qinzheng Hall, Zhu Yunhuan had a stern expression and made the decision without hesitation.

Although the rebellion has been quelled, the aftermath has not yet completely dissipated, and those involved must be properly dealt with.

"What about Prince Yan and his men?" Yang Shiqi asked respectfully.

"Let him go to sea, too."

As Zhu Yunhuan spoke, he drew a circle on the map.

"It is this area. Let Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi go there."

The place he was referring to was Europe.

It was completely different from other wild lands. There were already many countries there, and there were endless wars and conquests between them.

Zhu Di has always been keen on leading troops to fight, and sending him to Europe would allow him to display his military talents.

"Your Majesty, please tell me how to deal with Wu Zicheng and Zhang Muyang from the gun factory, and Lu Youlin and Zhang Boyue from the bullet factory." Yang Rong asked again.

"The court has its own rules and regulations on how to deal with it. The Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office can discuss a charter and submit it to me for my signature and approval."

Zhu Yunhuan acted as if he was indifferent to everything, with a relaxed look on his face.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" His Highness's ministers responded in unison.

"Your Majesty!" The Minister of Personnel, Zhan Hui, stepped out and said respectfully, "Since Your Majesty took power, you have established the Political Affairs Office and the Military Affairs Office, and added many other departments. The number of officials employed has increased significantly. Now, the court officials are already in short supply."

"I think that Your Majesty should open a special examination. Organize the autumn examination this year and take the examination in Beijing next year. This will solve the court's worries about recruiting people."

"The Imperial Examination?"

Zhu Yunhuan was stunned for a moment, and then fell into deep thought.

In fact, he had already discussed this matter with Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yao Guangxiao and others.

The way of employing people is a vital matter no matter in which dynasty.

To be fair, the imperial examination is not the best way to select talents.

However, apart from the imperial examination, is there any better way?
Select filial and honest people?
Patrimonial?
Or is it a military merit system?

In fact, although Zhu Yunhuan did not issue an explicit decree to implement the military merit system, it had already been implemented to some extent.

The voyages of princes and meritorious merchants to sea were a disguised form of military merit system.

They gain benefits overseas, not only can they become rich, but they will also receive rewards from the court.

Those who stand out from the crowd with outstanding abilities will undoubtedly be promoted to officials or even be granted titles.

This is the de facto system of military merit.

However, such things only need to be quietly implemented, without too much publicity, so as not to cause unnecessary controversy. However, the "military merit system" for going to sea can only solve the problem of the demand for officials for seafarers, and the Ming Dynasty still needs to find other ways to employ people.

Especially after he came to power, the court's institutions continued to expand and the number of officials also increased significantly.

In this regard, some people have reported that the rapid and excessive increase in the number of officials in the court may lead to the problem of "redundant officials". However, Zhu Yunhuan did not care.

Historically, the Song Dynasty did have a serious problem of "redundant officials".

But in fact, the phenomenon of redundant officials in feudal society was not a real redundancy of officials, but rather the result of the court's indifference to many affairs, which led to officials having nothing to do.

The imperial power does not extend below the county level, and all counties are self-governing.

In this way, there is naturally no need for too many officials.

However, the power vacuum cannot exist for long. If the imperial court does not intervene, local gentry will seize this power, thus forming a situation in which the emperor and the gentry rule the world together.

However, the existence of this logic in feudal society has its own rationality.

In an agricultural society, farmers' lives follow an orderly routine that has remained unchanged for centuries, and there is indeed no need for excessive state intervention.

But now, under the strong promotion of Zhu Yunhuan, the Ming Dynasty is rapidly transforming from an agricultural society to an industrial society. The cornerstone of society has quietly changed, and the operating logic is bound to change accordingly.

Matters that the state had not previously had to deal with now had to be managed, so the number of officials required naturally increased significantly.

Since selecting officials through selection of filial and honest officials and hereditary selection were obviously not feasible, the imperial examination became the only option.

Since ancient times, the imperial examination was usually held every three years and was called "regular examination".

Whenever there are special circumstances such as major celebrations in the imperial court, the three-year limit will not apply and special examinations will be held, also known as "Enke".

When Zhu Yunhuan ascended the throne, he held an additional imperial examination to recruit scholars, which was called the Enke.

From the perspective of selecting talents, although the examination system has many shortcomings, it is at least relatively fair and just.

Moreover, no matter what the content of the exam is, those who can get high scores in the exam are definitely not mediocre.

"Approved!" Zhu Yunhuan said loudly: "The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for the country to select talents. It should be open to all. The court should recruit talents from all over the world for its own use, so it should not be restricted by any rules."

"Pass on my decree that the imperial examinations will be held once a year instead of every three years."

“The knowledge of the saints is profound and unfathomable, and people in later generations may not be able to fully understand its profound meaning.”

"The imperial examinations of the imperial court should be inclusive and eclectic, and should not be a monopoly of a certain school of thought, nor a tool for it to crack down on dissidents."

The imperial examination system must be retained, and not only retained, but also improved and developed.

Holding the exam once every three years is too slow and the number of talents attracted is far from enough. It should be changed to once a year.

Secondly, we must never allow the imperial examination system to become the sole development platform for Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

This is also a point that Zhu Yunhuan is extremely concerned about.

Fang Xiaoru's new Confucianism had just begun to spark widespread discussion.

We must not nip it in the bud because of the imperial examination system.

When these words were spoken, all the ministers below were shocked.

Your Majesty's move has far-reaching consequences.

However, most of their attention was attracted by the annual imperial examination, and they did not pay too much attention to Zhu Yunhuan's subsequent words, completely unaware that that was the top priority.

In their view, the annual imperial examination would either be abandoned after passing the exam, or the number of official positions in the court would continue to expand significantly.

Judging from the current situation, the latter possibility is obviously more likely. As the number of officials increases, the structure of the court will inevitably undergo major changes.

Zhu Yunhuan went on to say: "Since I started the scientific tradition, the number of learners has increased day by day."

"I believe that the most important thing in governing a place is to understand the people's sentiments and know the affairs of the people. It is important to understand the classics, but it is also crucial to understand the practical affairs."

"For this imperial examination, I intend to open other subjects such as medicine, agriculture, mathematics, economics, and physics."

Everyone was shocked again. Zhan Hui said hurriedly, "Your Majesty! The imperial examination is the foundation of the country. If these tests are added to the imperial examination, it may shake the foundation of the country."

As a scholar, Zhan Hui reacted strongly to this. Not only him, but other ministers also showed opposition.

Zhu Yunhuan gently waved his hand to stop Zhan Hui from saying the next thing, and said: "These subjects are just extra tests, the regular imperial examination will not be affected."

"I have decided to establish a university in Jinling City, named Imperial University, to teach students various subjects."

"The old formal imperial examinations are still going on as before."

"Those who excelled in the newly established examinations did not enter the court as officials, but instead taught at the Imperial University."

"Those with the second-best scores may be admitted as students to study at the Imperial University, depending on their specific circumstances."

"In the future, based on their performance, they will be assigned to work in factories under the Daming Assets Department, or sent to local areas to assist local officials."

The Imperial College has always focused on teaching the classics of sages.

Zhu Yunhuan had long been planning to establish a specialized scientific university.

However, before that, the technical and theoretical development of various disciplines was still imperfect, and the time was not yet ripe for establishing a university.

Today, under the guidance of the Ming Academy of Sciences and the Science journal, Ming's science and technology are developing rapidly and by leaps and bounds. It is time to establish a university.

After hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, all the officials present felt relieved.

As long as the original imperial examination is not affected, it will be fine. As for recruiting additional people and setting up universities, although everyone has doubts, it is an indisputable fact that the factories under the Daming Assets Department do need talents.

Therefore, no one expressed any objection.

Unconsciously, the ministers have gradually accepted the existence of those factories and slowly recognized the idea that factories need professional and technical personnel to manage them.

Seeing that the ministers stopped talking, Zhu Yunhuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he had already made up his mind, he would forcefully implement his decision regardless of whether the ministers objected or not.

But if the ministers have no objection, it would be the best thing.

However, Zhu Yunhuan still had a headache about the selection of the president of Imperial University of Peking.

This was the first university in the modern sense in the Ming Dynasty. The president must not only be proficient in science, but also be good at coordinating relationships among all parties and be able to lead the Imperial University to flourish.

This also means that this person’s status cannot be too low.

However, there are very few officials in the Ming Dynasty court who are proficient in technology and understand science. After much thought, it is indeed difficult to find suitable candidates.

Suddenly, Zhu Yunhuan had an idea and suddenly remembered another thing.

"When I was the crown prince, I made a promise that anyone who could overcome the technical difficulties of the steam engine and help the Ming Dynasty manufacture a usable steam engine would be granted the title of Duke."

"You have no joke!"

"Today, the steam engine has been manufactured and widely used in various provinces and counties. This is inseparable from the hard work of many scientific and technological workers, not just one person's work."

"I have decided to confer the title of Duke to the person with the greatest contribution. The rest of the meritorious people will also be rewarded."

"I want to encourage future generations to follow their example, work hard, and strive to reach new heights on the path of science."

"I will hold a banquet in the palace tomorrow and invite those who have made contributions to the development of the steam engine to attend."

……

(End of this chapter)