My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 455 General Staff Headquarters
Su Ze nodded secretly; Zhao Zhenji was still following the traditional practices of Ming Dynasty officials.

Just like the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Personnel, the Ministry of War was too busy, so it set up new Bureaus of Personnel as needed, and handed over all the new work to these new Bureaus of Personnel.

This is similar to adding water when there's too much flour; it's not about changing the military department's decision-making framework, but rather addressing the new issue through personnel matters.

The Ministry of War naturally believed that Zhao Zhenji was playing power games, trying to place his own people in the Ministry of War and undermine its original functions.

This is one of the advantages of being part of the fifth branch of the Secretariat.

This is the department closest to the cabinet and also the one with the best information. Su Ze can easily learn about the activities of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers.

After sending Song Xun back, Su Ze took out a blank memorial and began to draft it.
-
The next day, Su Ze summoned Song Xun again and said to him:
"I have a memorial here concerning the reform of the Ministry of War. Chief Song, please go back and take a look."

Song Xun's expression hardened; was Prosecutor Su about to make his move?
In fact, Song Xun also had some complaints. As Zhao Zhenji's political secretary, Song Xun understood that Zhao's reforms in the Ministry of War were of great importance.

Unfortunately, no one in the entire cabinet paid attention to it.

All the previous military reforms were proposed by Su Ze. After that, Su Ze no longer focused his energy on military affairs, which caused the core military strategy of the Ming Dynasty to fail to keep up with the development of the grassroots army, resulting in many problems.

Song Xun understood his superior's implication: he needed to communicate with Zhao Zhenji.

If Grand Secretary Zhao can also agree to this reform plan, then this matter may be able to move forward.

Song Xun carefully accepted Su Ze's memorial, bid farewell to Su Ze, and returned to his official residence.

He opened Su Ze's memorial and began to read it carefully.

But the more he looked, the more alarmed he became!
He originally thought that Grand Secretary Zhao's reform plan was rather radical.

But after seeing Su Ze's proposal, I realized what radicalism really means!
Memorial Requesting Clarification of the Functions of the Ministry of War in Order to Eliminate Long-Standing Abuses

Song Xun read the memorial twice more carefully and found it to be exceptionally brilliant!
That's amazing! Absolutely incredible!

Compared to Su Ze's reform plan, Zhao Gelao's reform plan is like playing house!
Song Xun was a civil official who understood military affairs. He knew very well that once this reform was completed, the military command system of the Ming Dynasty would undergo a complete transformation!

Su Ze began by stating the difficulties Zhao Zhenji encountered in his reforms:
"Your Majesty, I humbly observe that the Ministry of War is facing an ever-increasing workload and is constantly responding to the old practices. For example, the Ministry of Revenue has established the Qingli Division. When the workload becomes too heavy, a new division is established and new responsibilities are assigned to it. This is not a change in the decision-making framework, but rather a temporary adjustment of personnel."

Song Xun nodded in agreement, stating that establishing the Qingli Division was merely a temporary measure, and that Grand Secretary Zhao himself understood this principle.

The Ministry of War believed that Zhao Zhenji was using political maneuvering and refused to cooperate.

Faced with the Ministry of War's refusal to relinquish power, Su Ze devised a method that Confucianism could not avoid—honoring the emperor.

"The most urgent task at present is not personnel changes, but structural restructuring. In my humble opinion, I dare to propose three reform measures to strengthen national defense:"

"His Majesty personally oversees the affairs, with the cabinet assisting him. They are in charge of major military and national strategies, military campaigns and propaganda, and the distribution of provisions. They hold monthly meetings before the emperor to oversee and verify these matters, without getting involved in minor details. In this way, power rests with the emperor and treacherous officials are prevented from manipulating the system."

Simply put, Su Ze returned military command to the emperor.

This is not simply about consolidating nominal command authority; rather, it requires local troops to compile a handbook every two weeks detailing the entire force's situation, including garrison records, military organization, changes in officers and soldiers, and logistical issues.

Su Ze proposed that this policy could be piloted first among Qi Jiguang's Datong army, Li Chengliang's Andong Protectorate, the Annamese army in Guangxi, and the Khmer army stationed in the capital.

Military officers and staff officers from the military academy compiled "Situation Reports" and submitted them to the cabinet. The cabinet then processed these military intelligence reports, forming "Summaries of Situation Reports," which were then submitted to the emperor.

In his memorial, Su Ze also stated that because such reports are generated and submitted from the bottom up, level by level, there is a possibility of data distortion.

Therefore, Su Ze also proposed setting up a Military Intelligence Division within the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be specifically responsible for reporting local military intelligence. At the same time, he suggested regularly dispatching border patrol censors from the Six Ministries and the Censorate to conduct spot checks on the specific situation of local armies through the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Censorate.

Through this system, the emperor could understand the specific situation of the local armies and truly grasp command.

Throughout history, emperors have always wanted to control all armies.

Before today, none of this would have been possible.

However, the changes in the new army's system brought in military cadets familiar with military affairs. These cadets, who had undergone systematic military training, were able to complete the paperwork required by Su Ze and report the situation in the army level by level.

The increasingly powerful administrative center of the Ming Dynasty was also able to handle these matters.

Although it's not real-time, being able to keep track of the movements of major military forces across the country every two weeks is something we never dared to dream of before.

Command was transferred to the emperor, and Su Ze then proposed a second reform:

"The General Staff was established within the Imperial Guard Battalion, with selected and capable staff officers responsible for strategic planning, training, and border intelligence. Its functions were independent of the Ministry of War, free from interference by corrupt officials."

However, the General Staff proposed by Su Ze was limited to a staff agency, with only advisory authority and no actual command authority.

The General Staff Department has three divisions:
Operations Division: Responsible for strategic planning and live-fire exercises.

Training Department: To unify training standards across the entire army and avoid interference from the Ministry of War.

Intelligence and Logistics Division: Integrates border intelligence and formulates logistical supply plans for various military units.

The General Staff was responsible only to the Emperor and was in charge of specialized military work.

The third reform was aimed at the Ministry of War.

Instead of establishing a new Bureau of Censors, Su Ze changed the responsibilities of the original four Bureaus of Censors.

The Military Selection Office was still responsible for personnel matters in the army, including the selection and appointment of officers and the commendation and reward of soldiers. At the same time, it also handed over the assessment of the Military Supervisor and the Naval Academy to the Military Selection Office, and was responsible for the training of reserve officers.

The Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of maps, military system, and garrison management, and established an independent military intelligence department. However, this department was responsible for internal corruption within the army and for internal military investigations.

The Chariot Officer was in charge of military relay stations, guards, ceremonial guards, and stables. He was also responsible for the administration of warhorses nationwide, establishing a more efficient relay system, and transmitting situation reports from various armies.

The Chariot Division was also responsible for specific logistical work. The logistical plans for each army were formulated by the General Staff Headquarters and finally reviewed by the Emperor before being handed over to the Chariot Division for execution.

The Arsenal Department was in charge of weaponry, official documents, and official seals. Su Ze also proposed that the weaponry department under the Ministry of Works be transferred to the Arsenal Department to be responsible for the research and development and manufacturing of new military weapons.

Song Xun was also dumbfounded. How did Su Ze manage to do that? It seems that Su Ze not only did not weaken the functions of the Ministry of War, but even increased its power!
Song Xun pondered carefully.

The first point in Su Ze's memorial was to centralize power in the inner court, which the Ministry of War could not oppose.

Article 3 expands the powers of the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War has no reason to object.

The only objection I could make was to the second point, which was to establish a General Staff Department.

But the General Staff Department is already at a very low level; it's just a staff agency and isn't responsible for specific military decisions or executions. Surely the Ministry of War can't have any objections to that?
That's amazing! Absolutely incredible!

Song Xun was utterly impressed. After carefully reading it several more times, he hurriedly took Su Ze's memorial to Zhao Zhenji for discussion.
-
cabinet.

Zhao Zhenji rubbed his eyes and looked at the official document in front of him again.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over his colleagues.

Zhao Zhenji sighed softly.

After the establishment of the five offices of the Secretariat and Chancellery, the power of the cabinet was greatly strengthened.

Grand Secretary Gao Gong, needless to say, had the power to appoint and dismiss officials below the seventh rank firmly in the hands of the cabinet, which also had the power to preside over the selection of cabinet ministers. Gao Gong had long been in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and his protégés and former subordinates were all over the ministry, so the ministry naturally dared not resist.

More importantly, Su Ze handled both matters very well.

The list of cabinet ministers recommended by the court was approved by the emperor on the first try. The selection of seventh-rank officials was also done well with the help of the Six Ministries, and the newly promoted officials all had good reputations.

Zhao Zhenji then looked at Zhang Juzheng.

The same principle applies to the Ministry of Revenue, but as the national treasury grows, the Ministry of Revenue's authority increases.

In the imperial court, Zhang Juzheng was referred to as "Prime Minister of Planning".

This was the title given to the Three Commissioners in charge of finance during the Song Dynasty. However, the financial power in the Ming Dynasty was even stronger than that in the Song Dynasty because the Ming Dynasty itself had a policy of strengthening central finance.

Zhang Juzheng truly lived up to his name as the Minister of Planning. The Six Ministries and Nine Ministers trembled with fear, for everyone was afraid of offending this Minister of Planning and having their department's budget reduced the following year.

A new cabinet structure has been formed.

The Grand Secretary is in charge of personnel, and the Second Grand Secretary is in charge of finance. Future cabinet ministers will also have to follow this division of labor.

Let's take a look at the newly appointed cabinet members.

This senior minister, who is in charge of education and health care, made a series of impressive moves as soon as he joined the cabinet.

Under the leadership of Minister of Personnel Yang Sizhong, the Ministry of Personnel formulated the assessment and appointment methods for teachers before the end of the year, establishing that teachers, like civil servants, should have the same professional title promotion management regulations.

From then on, the imperial court also had specific assessment methods for teachers in primary schools, preparatory schools, and even schools such as the Imperial Academy and the Military Academy. These assessments could be used to guide and improve teaching quality and select outstanding teachers for better positions.

Wang Shizhen, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, even used his spare time to compile a primer for elementary education.

This elementary education outline is a set of introductory textbooks compiled by Wang Shizhen, which extracted the easier parts from the Four Books and Five Classics.

Compared to the original primers, this primer is simple to learn and easy to understand.

Wang Shizhen also used the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic as a foundation, and combined them with the Primer of Prosody, to develop a set of books for reading and literacy.

The great writer's work is indeed extraordinary. This set of books is progressive and can help illiterate children quickly master commonly used characters and their pronunciations.

In addition, Zhu Dashou also sought out Zhou Xiang, an official of the Imperial Observatory in charge of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture, and asked him to compile a textbook for beginners in mathematics.

These two textbooks have been completed, and the Longqing Emperor was very satisfied after reading them. He personally designated these two textbooks as the teaching materials for the royal family's early education.

Although Xiao Pangjun is no longer needed, the purpose of the imperial selection was to demonstrate the emperor's approval of these two textbooks.

The printing press of Yuefu Xinbao immediately sprang into action, and two new textbooks were already being printed, to be shipped to primary schools across the country after the New Year.

Compared to his colleagues, Zhao Zhenji could be said to have accomplished nothing during this period.

Everyone else is making progress, but he's stuck in the same place. How could Zhao Zhenji not be anxious?

But there's nothing we can do about it, no matter how anxious we are.

Unlike other departments, the Ministry of War was a self-contained system.

Huo Ji, the former Minister of War, was at odds with Zhao Zhenji during his tenure and resisted Zhao Zhenji's interference in the affairs of the Ministry of War.

The current Minister of War, Cao Bangfu, has political disagreements with Zhao Zhenji, and the two have never been able to reach an agreement on the reform of the Ministry of War.

Just then, Song Xun, the chief of the military affairs office, approached Zhao Zhenji.

After Song Xun whispered something in Zhao Zhenji's ear, Zhao Zhenji's eyes lit up:
"really?"

"Your Excellency, the draft of the memorial is in my office."

"Bring it here quickly!"

Upon hearing that Su Ze was going to make a move, Zhao Zhenji became excited. He quickly asked Song Xun to bring the original manuscript and then began to read it word by word.

After reading it, Grand Secretary Zhao shared the same thoughts as Song Xun.

What a brilliant reform idea!
Command was entirely under the control of the inner court, staff authority rested with the General Staff, and administrative functions were handled by the Ministry of War.

These three systems are centered on the inner court, which is responsible for command, with the General Staff as the brain and the Ministry of War as the limbs.

The key issue is that the Ministry of War is unlikely to object.

The command of the army rests entirely with the emperor himself, which is the politically correct thing in the Ming Dynasty. Does the Ministry of War really want to fight for the command of the army?

Since the Ministry of War's functions have been expanded, there is even less reason to object.

The only one who could object was the General Staff.

Zhao Zhenji also hesitated.

Now it's put nicely called an advisory body that doesn't interfere with decision-making.

The cabinet started as an advisory body, but isn't it making decisions now?

This group of military officers currently only has the functions of planning and intelligence gathering.

However, it's hard to say whether power will expand in the future.

Compared to Song Xun, Zhao Zhenji was better able to see the threat posed by the General Staff.

However, the core of Su Ze's memorial lies in the separation of the three powers.

If military expertise is not delegated to the General Staff, which other department can shoulder this important responsibility?

After thinking it over, Zhao Zhenji realized that apart from these professional military officers from the military academy, almost no one else was capable of doing these jobs.

Military work is becoming increasingly specialized, requiring specialized training to be competent.

Did Su Ze have already thought of this step when the Martial Arts Supervisory Commission was first established?
If that's the case, this kid is terrifying!

Zhao Zhenji felt a chill; he understood the meaning behind Su Ze's memorial.

This is a blueprint for military reform, which can realize his ideals of military reform.

However, the General Staff is Su Ze's core objective. He is paving the way for his martial arts disciples, allowing them to legitimately assist in decision-making.

In the end, Zhao Zhenji could not resist the temptation and said to Song Xun:

"Go and tell Su Zilin that I fully support his memorial!"

(End of this chapter)