My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 456 "Memorial Requesting Clarification of the Functions of the Ministry of War in Order to Eliminate Long-Standing Abuses"

Su Ze received news from Song Xun that Grand Secretary Zhao Zhenji supported his reform memorial, so he stuffed the memorial into the "Handheld Ming Dynasty Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial requesting the clarification of the functions of the Ministry of War in order to eliminate long-standing abuses was sent to the Cabinet.

The cabinet supported Su Ze's opinion and sent a memorial to the inner court.

Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng agreed with the proposal in the memorial to "centralize power in the inner court," hesitated about the establishment of a General Staff Department, and also expressed their approval of increasing the powers of the Ministry of War.

Zhao Zhenji supported your memorial, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng abandoned their draft proposals, and Zhu Dashou opposed handing over the assessment of instructors of the Military Supervisory Office and the Naval Academy to the Ministry of War, believing that this was the authority of the Ministry of Rites and should not be taken away.

The memorial was sent to the inner court, and the Longqing Emperor was also very interested in strengthening the inner court's command authority, but he remained skeptical about establishing a general staff headquarters.

The memorial was sent to the outer court, and as expected, it was opposed by the Ministry of War and the Censorate.

Li Ji and Zhang Shu, officials of the Ministry of War, risked their lives to remonstrate against the decision.

The Longqing Emperor supported your two-part proposal: establishing unified command authority within the inner court, strengthening the authority of the Ministry of War, and shelving the proposal to establish a General Staff Department.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 5600.]

To fully approve your memorial proposal, you will need to pay 1000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?

As expected, the main opposition came from the General Staff.

In fact, Su Ze understood that if he didn't add this part, the memorial would most likely pass without needing prestige points.

The emperor and the inner court could not handle all military affairs, so these military officers from the military supervisory bureau would inevitably rise to prominence on the historical stage.

If we submit a petition at that time and posthumously recognize the General Staff, it will hardly consume any prestige points.

This is how the cabinet gradually "rises to power".

If you encounter an emperor who likes to use military systems, such as your disciple Xiao Pangjun, this process will be accelerated.

This is the method that consumes the least amount of prestige points.

However, Su Ze still chose "yes" without hesitation.

[Ding! Prestige points have been deducted. The host has submitted a memorial in reality. The simulated settlement will take place after the memorial is executed!]

[Remaining Prestige: 4600.]

Su Ze closed the [Portable Ming Dynasty Court], he wasn't going to wait.

With the advancement of military specialization, various specialized administrative tasks will inevitably lead to the establishment of the General Staff Department.

Take, for example, the "Situation Report" that Su Ze required each army to submit, which was almost impossible to do in the old army.

The old army lacked new officers capable of handling this task and was unable to complete such statistical and reporting work.

These paperwork tasks will inevitably need to be compiled and organized.

This task will inevitably fall into the hands of specialized military staff.

Even if the imperial court doesn't approve it this time, the General Staff will still be established, only secretly.

But Su Ze was unwilling to do so.

The reason is simple: a General Staff established in that way would be "illegitimate and lack legitimacy."

Having a legitimate reason for being is very important.

The Ming Dynasty's Grand Secretariat is a prime example. Because of its "illegitimate status," the Grand Secretariat was always in an awkward position within the Ming Dynasty's bureaucratic system.

Cabinet ministers are hesitant and timid in their work, and are hampered by various constraints, which hinders any reforms they attempt.

If the cabinet is like this, the outcome will only be worse if the General Staff is established in the same way.

"Being legitimate and justified" is also a constraint for the General Staff.

Once the rules are established and the scope of authority of the General Staff is defined, the members of the General Staff will know what is right and what is wrong, and understand where the prohibitions and bottom lines are.

Without these checks and balances, the boundaries of power cannot be clearly defined, and power will become uncontrollable once it is acquired.

Military agencies operating independently in the original timeline almost all followed this process.

The top-level design was vague and unclear, failing to clearly define the authority of military agencies, and these military agencies were treated like elephants in the house and ignored.

Once "this elephant" awakens, it will seize power recklessly, eventually becoming a terrifying power monster that turns the entire country into a massive military machine.

The best approach is to define the scope of authority of the General Staff and bring its work into the open, rather than allowing it to become a tool for political intrigue by relying on imperial power.

This is why Su Ze was willing to spend 1000 prestige points to clarify the functions of the General Staff.

I just don't know how the system will exert its power through this memorial.
-
Su Ze's memorial was sent to the cabinet. Gao Gong looked at the memorial and fell into deep thought.

Before submitting his memorial, Su Ze had naturally consulted with Gao Gong. Gao Gong supported the other parts of the memorial, but he hesitated regarding the part concerning the General Staff.

As the leader of the civil service group, Gao Gong naturally had to consider the entire system.

The power of advisors can easily become actual power, especially in highly specialized organizations.

The cabinet really knows it all too well.

However, Gao Gong did not want to object.

Just as Su Ze proposed the practical learning program, practical learning means seeking truth from facts.

Besides these officers from military academies, who else can handle increasingly specialized military affairs?

It would be better to first regulate the General Staff and limit their power.

Gao Gong cleared his throat and addressed the other cabinet ministers:

"This matter concerns important military matters, so I will refrain from commenting. What is your opinion, Grand Secretary Zhang?"

In terms of political ideals, Zhang Juzheng was even more opposed to Gao Gong.

But when he thought about the setup of the General Staff, he realized that if his eldest son could return home and be transferred to the General Staff, he and his son could serve as officials in the capital together again.

Zhang Juzheng also cleared his throat and said:
"I also support the opinion of Chief Minister Gao, so I will not comment on this memorial."

Both of their gazes fell on Zhao Zhenji.

Zhao Zhenji immediately said:
"Your Excellencies, you all know the ridiculous things the Ministry of War has done these days, such as sending winter clothes that should have been transported to Liaodong to Guangxi. Reform of the Ministry of War is imperative!"

"I support Prosecutor Su's memorial!"

Zhao Zhenji expressed his support. Zhu Dashou only opposed one point in Su Ze's memorial: that the power to assess and appoint instructors of the Military Supervisory Office and the Naval Academy be handed over to the Ministry of War. This point was not a big deal. In the end, only Zhao Zhenji was responsible for drafting the opinions and sending them to the inner court.

The memorial was sent to the palace.

Just as Su Ze had predicted, the Longqing Emperor was very supportive of the reform of command authority.

As an emperor, the greatest fear is losing power to someone else.

The New Army's combat prowess is evident to all. This system of centralized military power allows the emperor to know the situation of each army through the "Situation Report".

Although these reports were only in writing, they greatly increased the emperor's sense of security, giving him a feeling of complete control over the army.

This system also allowed the emperor to better understand the situation at the front lines, thus enabling him to make better decisions.

Even if the emperor himself lacked military capabilities, he could still make decisions through the inner court.

The only thing that made Emperor Longqing hesitate was the establishment of the General Staff.

The emperor transferred Li Rusong to the Imperial Guard Camp with the intention of having him secretly participate in military affairs in preparation for his inquiries.

The reason for doing this secretly was that the emperor feared opposition from the outer court. The civil officials of the Ming Dynasty held military power very tightly.

Su Ze's public proposal to establish a General Staff Department caused Emperor Longqing to fear opposition from the outer court. The emperor, whose health had just improved slightly after the New Year, also believed that it was better to avoid trouble.

But Su Ze's proposal was still too tempting.

Emperor Longqing decided to send the memorial to the outer court first to see the reaction.

If the opposition from the foreign court is too strong, then we should put the establishment of the General Staff on hold for now.
-
Yan Yonghe, a censor in the Ministry of Revenue, was preparing to ask for leave to go home and "recuperate."

What is most important for veteran actors?
That naturally involves observing people's expressions and demeanor.

The performers on stage are best at grasping the audience's emotions. They can shout a few words during the climax of the show and draw cheers from the audience.

If you can't do this, you'll always be second-rate in the opera troupe.

If you pretend to be sick when the situation becomes too serious, people will start to suspect you.

Yan Yonghe sensed something was wrong on his first day at the yamen, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

The five departments of the Secretariat and the Six Ministries now work in the same place, and the entire five departments of the Secretariat and the Six Ministries were extremely busy on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

Song Xun, the chief of the military affairs office, frequently shuttled between Su Ze's official residence and the cabinet.

Something big is definitely going to happen!

Yan Yonghe realized this, so today he went to the Sixth Department to explain his recent work to his colleagues, and then prepared to go home and hide for a while.

Yan Yonghe, being prepared for any eventuality, finished explaining his tasks and was just about to leave when...

They happened to run into two censors returning from the Ministry of War.

Li Ji, a senior official in the Ministry of War, and Zhang Shu, an official in the Ministry of War.

This senior military officer, Li Ji, was also a formidable figure.

At the beginning of his reign, Emperor Longqing promoted him to the position of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War because of his reputation for integrity.

After Li Ji became a censor in the Ministry of War, his first memorial to the emperor requested that the Jiangnan Textile Bureau be abolished.

The Jiangnan Textile Bureau was an institution specifically established to weave dragon robes for the Longqing Emperor.

Actually, the emperor wasn't entirely wrong in this matter.

After the death of the Jiajing Emperor, there was little time, and when the Longqing Emperor ascended the throne, he was still wearing the old dragon robe from the palace.

The establishment of the Imperial Textile Bureau to weave dragon robes was also for national ceremonies and rituals.

Li Ji remonstrated on this matter, which infuriated the Longqing Emperor.

Ultimately, because of this incident, Li Ji was flogged in court and demoted.

However, after the Jiangnan Textile Bureau supervised the weaving of two dragon robes, the Longqing Emperor abolished the agency, recalled the textile eunuchs, and reinstated Li Ji.

Unlike his father, the Longqing Emperor rarely held court sessions to punish his ministers.

This court flogging also greatly enhanced Li Ji's reputation within the censorate.

Among the six departments, Li Ji's seniority was second only to Yan Yonghe.

The two also frequently clashed in secret within the Sixth Division.

Unlike other censors, Li Ji saw through Yan Yonghe's acting skills and believed that he was simply a fame-seeker who shamelessly occupied the position of head of the six departments.

Yan Yonghe believed that Li Ji was the same kind of person as himself, who deliberately sought to be flogged in court to gain fame by taking advantage of the current emperor's leniency.

Seeing Li Ji's aggressive demeanor, Yan Yonghe sensed something was wrong and immediately turned back, preparing to leave through the side door.

Yan Yonghe was about to leave when Li Ji saw him.

Li Ji hurriedly shouted:

"Yan, the Censor! Please wait!"

When Yan Yonghe heard Li Ji call his name, he knew something was wrong and was about to quicken his pace to leave when he was blocked by another military censor, the young and newly appointed censor Zhang Shu.

Seeing Li Ji closing in from behind, he was now caught in a dilemma, having been stubborn from one side to the other.

Yan Yonghe could only cough again, pretending to be weak.

Ignoring Yan Yonghe's acting skills, Li Ji directly pulled out a copy of Su Ze's memorial.

He summoned the other six officials from the six departments:
"This is the memorial sent to the Sixth Department today. This memorial from Prosecutor Su concerns military system reform. After I received it, I went to the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War was outraged after reading it!"

Upon hearing the words "Su Jianzheng" and "Ministry of War," Yan Yonghe wanted to run away even more.

There are strong calls for reform of the Ministry of War, and since it's related to Su Ze, it must be this matter.

Given the Ministry of War's strong opposition, the content of the reforms must be shocking and unconventional.

Yan Yonghe no longer wanted to know the contents of Su Ze's memorial; he just wanted to stay home and recuperate.

But Li Ji didn't seem to be planning to let him go.

Li Ji pulled Yan Yonghe aside and said:

"Yan, the Censor! This is a matter of national importance, and you can no longer evade or shirk your responsibilities! You must give everyone a clear stance!"

The officials gathered around, and after reading the copy in Li Ji's hand, they all looked at Yan Yonghe.

Yan Yonghe knew he couldn't escape, so he straightened his clothes, picked up a copy of Su Ze's memorial, and began to read it carefully.

After reading it, Yan Yonghe's mind was racing.

It's not surprising that Grand Secretary Zhao Zhenji, who was in charge of the Ministry of War, agreed; none of the other Grand Secretaries objected.

Since the emperor sent the memorial to the Ministry of War, he naturally hesitated. He probably agreed with it in his heart, but was afraid that the Ministry of War would object, so he was testing the attitude of the outer court.

After understanding the attitudes of the emperor and the Grand Secretaries, Yan Yonghe began to consider his own position.

The military branch and the Ministry of War share the same stance, naturally opposing military officers interfering in the country's military and political affairs.

Li Ji has consistently opposed Su Ze, so his stance is self-evident.

Yan Yonghe looked around, taking in the expressions of the other officials.

Before the New Year, the Six Ministries, along with the Secretariat, all received houses from the five branches of the Secretariat.

This solved the problem of officials from the Sixth Section having to commute to work, and many people owed Su Ze a favor.

In the past, if Li Ji had raised his arm and called out, all these officials would have followed him to the capital to petition the emperor.

But today everyone is just making noise, without taking much actual action.

Having understood this, Yan Yonghe had already completed his plan.

Holding the copy of Su Ze's memorial, he said with a smile:

"Gentlemen, I actually think that Prosecutor Su's memorial is a good thing!"

After listening, Li Ji glared at Yan Yonghe and said sternly:
"Yan, the Supervising Secretary! Are you going to become a traitor to the Six Ministries?"

Seeing Li Ji get angry and try to pin the blame on him, Yan Yonghe became less afraid.

He said:
"What does Censor Li mean? Does disagreeing with you make someone a traitor? Does Censor Li already have the head of the Sixth Section? When did our Sixth Section have a department head?"

Li Ji paused, realizing that the tactic of labeling officials was too weak; it hadn't even broken Yan Yonghe's defenses, and instead, he himself had been outmaneuvered.

Yan Yonghe continued:
"Establishing a General Staff Office is definitely a good thing!"

(End of this chapter)