My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 474 The Sea of ​​Examinations is Boundless
Li Ji had already imagined the possibilities.

It is likely that Li Rusong went to see Su Ze, and Su Ze asked him to come to his side to test him on this topic.

This way, he could potentially help Li Rusong solve his problem and also test himself.

I didn't join the Soviet Party for my own future! I joined to infiltrate the Soviet Party and gather intelligence on it!

Li Ji quickly found a reason for himself.

He looked at Li Rusong and said:

"I have a humble suggestion that might resolve this dilemma."

Little did Li Rusong know that Li Ji had already imagined so much. He was overjoyed and exclaimed:

"I humbly request your guidance, Li Jushizhong!"

Li Ji said:

"Our Great Ming Dynasty has a long tradition of determining talent through examinations. Since there are too many candidates to decide, let's have an examination!"

"Officer Li can immediately draft a 'Regulations for the Selection of Trainee Staff Officers of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters' and submit it to His Majesty. All those recommended or self-recommended, regardless of their background, must pass a unified examination and be selected based on merit."

Li Rusong's eyes lit up.

The Ming Dynasty did indeed have a tradition of determining talent through examinations.

After passing the imperial examination, the junior scholars also had to take an exam after being selected by the Hanlin Academy in order to obtain the status of Hanlin officials.

If the Hanlin Academy's exams are for those, then the General Staff Department's exams are also for those?
But how exactly is the test conducted?
Li Rusong then looked at Li Ji.

Now that Li Ji had confirmed that Li Rusong was testing him on Su Ze's orders, he immediately presented his plan:
"As Staff Officer Li just said, the General Staff needs personnel who are proficient in military affairs. In that case, the exam will cover staff practice."

"The first thing to examine is the format of military orders. Being in the General Staff Department, you must be able to understand military orders, right? In the future, the troops below will also need to draft 'Situation Reports,' so your document writing skills must be up to standard."

"Secondly, there's mathematics and logistics simulation, which are also routine tasks of the General Staff Department, so naturally, they must be passed."

"Finally, there is map interpretation and geographical analysis. This can be done by recruiting staff officers familiar with a particular region, based on the General Staff's recent needs."

Li Rusong was overjoyed upon hearing this and felt that Li Ji's plan was feasible.

He asked again:

"Then may I ask, Censor Li, who should preside over this examination?"

Li Ji said:

"Since the power of command belongs to the inner court, it should naturally be presided over by the inner court, which will also eliminate this practice of soliciting favors."

Li Ji concluded:
"This method serves two purposes: firstly, it silences public opinion, allowing the sons of noble families to stand out based on their own abilities if they possess genuine talent and learning, leaving the Duke's family with nothing to say; secondly, if they fail to be selected due to a lack of talent and learning, their families cannot accuse the court of injustice, but can only blame their own children for not being skilled enough."

"Secondly, in order to select talents for the country, we must select only the talented and ensure that those who enter the War Division can indeed shoulder the responsibility of strategic planning, live up to the great trust of His Majesty and the court, and also live up to the painstaking efforts of Inspector Su in establishing this system."

"Upright and lawful, even with criticism, it is difficult to shake."

Li Rusong continued:

"When Li submitted this proposal, was it permissible for Censor Li to sign his name?"

Should I sign my name?
Li Ji became conflicted.

As a civil servant, Li Ji was well aware that the examination system was very important.

The exam itself is not the goal, and in fact, much of the content of the exam is not important.

Of all the scholars in the Ming Dynasty, how many truly relied entirely on the Four Books and Five Classics to handle government affairs?

The greatest significance of exams is that they can select the most outstanding talents through a screening mechanism.

This is a talent promotion system.

Li Ji had actually given it his own thought.

The decline of the nobility was certainly due to external factors, such as the scholar-officials' continuous encroachment on military power, which gradually established the tradition of civil officials commanding troops and excluded the nobility and military generals from decision-making.

However, Li Ji also pondered a question while studying these materials.

The decline of the nobility group was also related to the dysfunction and rigidity of the selection system within the entire nobility system.

How can a system that determines future status based on lineage, a system whose future is determined at the moment of birth, compare to the "King of Examinations" who goes through layers of imperial examinations and finally emerges victorious?

The system of meritorious officials and garrison troops was too rigid and outdated, making it difficult for truly talented people to emerge, while those occupying the upper echelons were mostly纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families who squandered their wealth).

These are the kinds of things that Li Ji only understood after seeing Su Ze establish the martial arts supervision system.

The military supervisory system is a talent selection mechanism.

However, the purpose of the military academy system was to train qualified officers.

There is still a lack of a promotion and selection channel between qualified officers and qualified staff officers, that is, between junior commanders and senior staff officers.

The method he gave Li Rusong filled this last gap.

In this way, from primary school to the preparatory school of the military academy, then to the military academy and the naval academy, and finally to the examination to enter the General Staff Department, a training and selection system from school children to professional staff officers was completely completed.

In this way, the military officer system can also draw talent directly from the grassroots, just like the civil officer system.

Thinking about this, Li Ji hesitated again.

With Su Ze's abilities, how could he not see this?
The entire military academy system and the primary school preparatory education system were all established by Su Ze.

It's likely that Su Ze had already made all the plans from the very beginning of his memorial, "On the Education of Military Supervisors"!
If I were to submit a memorial to the throne along with Li Rusong, how would history view me in the future?

The originator of military officers interfering in politics?
A traitor among the scholar-officials?
A lackey of the Soviet Party?

Not to mention the evaluation in future historical records, how will his colleagues in the six departments view him?
Thinking of this, Li Ji quickly shook his head and said:
"Let Staff Officer Li submit this report himself."

Li Ji thought for a moment, but fearing that Li Rusong would insist, he added:
"I can help Staff Officer Li make some noise in the Six Ministries and prevent the Censors from submitting a memorial impeaching you."

Upon hearing this, Li Rusong was overjoyed.

Such a memorial would inevitably provoke a reaction from the civil officials of the outer court. Li Ji's initiative in suppressing the opposition within the censorate was truly considerate!

This Li, the censor, is truly a good person!

"Li Gong is truly righteous! In that case, I will first go and discuss this with Dean Su, and then submit my petition!"

As expected! Li Rusong was sent by Su Ze to test him!
So what does this mean for me? Have I passed the test and joined the Soviet Party?
So what exactly is the Soviet Party going to do?
But Li Rusong had already left in a hurry to go back and draft a memorial to the throne.
-
Just then, Su Ze was also working overtime. After finishing his memorial, Li Rusong immediately took it to Su Ze for a visit.

After reading Li Rusong's memorial, he exclaimed in admiration:
"To be able to write such a memorial, your two years of study at the Military Academy were definitely worthwhile!"

Li Rusong quickly said:
"The Dean of Academic Affairs is too kind. This memorial is merely a rehash of others' ideas, and is actually the idea of ​​Li Ji, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War."

"Li Ji?"

Su Ze remembered the name. These days, the military affairs department had been assisting the inner court in handling military matters, and Li Ji, the censor of the Ministry of War, had been of great help, correcting several erroneous orders.

Li Ji also provided many useful suggestions for revising Li Rusong's previous memorial.

He was highly regarded by the emperor and was now the expert in military affairs within the inner court.

Li Ji is truly a talented individual.

"If that's the case, why isn't Li Ji's signature there?" Li Rusong quickly asked.
"Li, the censor, did not covet empty fame. He even said he would help his students to smooth things over in the censorate and suppress any opposition from the censorate."

Su Ze nodded, thinking that this would greatly reduce the resistance to Li Rusong's memorial.

"Everything else is fine, but there's one thing: what are the key considerations for the General Staff in selecting officers?"

Li Rusong asked blankly:

"Military, of course."

Su Ze shook his head and said:

“It is certainly correct for ordinary staff officers to value military affairs, but the Operations Division where you are located is the brain of the General Staff. It would be inappropriate to select talents solely based on military skills.”

"In my opinion, as a senior staff officer of the General Staff, one should prioritize politics."

Politics first?

Li Rusong was dumbfounded.

Su Ze said:

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state."

"Military affairs are an extension of politics."

"As a senior staff officer, how can one make good military plans if one doesn't understand politics?"

Su Ze's concerns were not unfounded.

Su Ze's supreme military command system was actually copied from the staff system invented by Napoleon in the original timeline and reformed by Prussia.

The General Staff was almost a direct copy of the Prussian General Staff after Moltke's reforms.

As is well known, the Prussian General Staff during Moltke's era prioritized military training in officer education, and Moltke's ideal staff officer was a professional who was completely focused on military affairs.

This system brought Prussia extremely high military efficiency before World War I, and made the Prussian army the most professional army in continental Europe.

At the same time, the Prussian General Staff focused only on military affairs and neglected politics, turning Prussia's war machine into a reckless giant.

All plans of the General Staff are formulated for the purpose of war, and all objectives are for victory.

While Bismarck was still prime minister, he was able to control the General Staff. But once Bismarck lost his full strength, there was no one in the entire Prussian command system capable of political considerations, and the country ultimately went on a rampage down the path of militarism.

Emphasizing only military affairs while neglecting political education will turn the General Staff into a militaristic machine, which is extremely dangerous.

Senior staff officers must not only be proficient in military affairs, but also possess political acumen.

No military operation can exist independently of politics; this is essential in itself.

Su Ze said:

"In addition to military matters, we will add a question on current affairs, specifically the recent situation."

"We don't require perfect answers, but they should still be part of the assessment. At the very least, those who have absolutely no understanding of politics should not be allowed to join the General Staff."

"Furthermore, it's not enough to just take an exam. Senior staff officers also need to organize refresher courses and regularly return to the Military Academy to learn the latest knowledge."

Su Ze said again:
"After you have made the revisions, you may submit a memorial to the emperor. If the opposition is too great, I will submit another memorial to second it."
-
As Su Ze had predicted, the "Regulations for the Selection of Trainee Staff Officers of the Operations Department of the General Staff" caused great controversy after it was sent to the Cabinet.

As civil servants, they naturally understood what it meant to select senior staff officers through examinations.

However, the four elders also had their own ideas.

First, there is the high arch.

Selecting staff officers proficient in military affairs through examinations aligns with his consistent advocacy of practical learning.

"Let professionals do professional things"—this is the guiding principle for governance summarized by Gao Gong.

Under this framework, qualified staff officers are selected through examinations, which aligns with Gao Gong's governing philosophy, so he naturally does not want to oppose it.

It's better to send staff officers with professional skills to the General Staff Headquarters than to stuff a bunch of people with connections into it, right?

Zhang Juzheng's thoughts were rather conflicted.

He wasn't worried about the General Staff becoming too powerful. The cabinet already had a lot of power, and if his own group of cabinet elders couldn't even keep a bunch of newly graduated military academy students in check, they were doomed.

This is certainly not a problem that Zhang Juzheng needs to consider right now.

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Zhao Zhenji.

These days, due to the war in the Northwest, the inner court has begun to take command of the army.

Among the cabinet, only Zhao Zhenji was most proficient in military affairs, so he was often invited by the emperor to stay overnight in the palace.

With the assistance of the military affairs department and the General Staff assisting the inner court in handling military matters, Zhao Zhenji gained considerable prominence.

It is well known that the size of power is positively correlated with the size of a department.

A department with few people is not necessarily unimportant, but a department with many people is definitely important.

The extent of a cabinet minister's power is also related to the size of the department they are in charge of.

Zhang Juzheng, as the second-ranking Grand Secretary, was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, which was the largest of the six ministries. Therefore, his power was second only to Gao Gong, the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Personnel.

However, Zhao Zhenji himself was in the inner court, and could use the name of the inner court to mobilize the General Staff Department, and was also in charge of coordinating the work of the Ministry of War.

If more personnel are added to the General Staff, wouldn't that further strengthen Zhao Zhenji's power and position?
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhenji and Gao Gong were getting closer, both eyeing the Ministry of Revenue's power over the budget.

Now that Gao Gong is silent, Zhang Juzheng wants to oppose him.

Zhang Juzheng's reasoning was also quite clever:
“A few days ago, Su Ze submitted a memorial entitled ‘On the Overall Planning of Coastal and Border Defense and the Promotion of National Defense Education,’ requesting an increase in naval staff officers. Now that the General Staff has confirmed it, let’s just add naval staff officers according to the imperial edict. Why bother with the selection process of examinations?”

Zhao Zhenji glanced at Zhang Juzheng, and he naturally saw through Zhang Juzheng's thoughts.

In fact, according to the system design, the General Staff is an independent agency and is not subject to the management of the Grand Secretary in charge of military affairs.

But now that war has broken out in the Northwest, the cabinet, as part of the inner court, is making decisions on behalf of the emperor.

Many specialized military matters were handled by the General Staff.

As a result, Zhao Zhenji discovered that the General Staff was just too convenient to deal with!
The large number of professional advisors produced very beautiful and highly professional forms and documents, which, together with various materials, enabled the inner court to have complete control over military affairs in the Northwest.

Judging by the time, the Khrushchev army had already passed Lanzhou and was about to reach Jiayuguan.

The Kremlin's advance was smooth and its supplies were not a problem, thanks in large part to the General Staff's marching plans.

Since it was so effective, Zhao Zhenji naturally supported expanding the General Staff's manpower.

Zhao Zhenji retorted sharply:

"Adding naval staff officers and increasing operations staff are two different things."

"The war in the Northwest has just begun, and there is still a lot of military intelligence to be analyzed outside Jiayuguan. It is only natural to increase manpower."

To bolster their momentum, Zhao Zhenji then asked:

"Grand Secretaries, the examination proposed by Li Rusong should be presided over by the inner court, and it should also be presided over by you Grand Secretaries."

(End of this chapter)