My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 475 The Second of the Sixth-Tier Film Emperor

Zhao Zhenji, along with Zhu Dashou, who had just joined the cabinet, delegated the power to conduct staff examinations in the General Staff Department to Zhu Dashou, who was in charge of education. In this way, he tried to win over Zhu Dashou and get them to oppose Zhang Juzheng together.

Clearly, Zhu Dashou was also tempted.

Taking an exam is a right, and administering an exam is an even greater right.

Once the exam content is determined, the elites will understand the direction they need to study and work hard in.

Ultimately, studying is for the purpose of exams, so what books to read and how to read them are determined by the people who set the exam papers.

This is tantamount to having the final say on the interpretation of military education.

This was still very tempting for the various high-ranking officials.

As expected, after Zhao Zhenji extended an olive branch, Zhu Dashou also promptly followed suit, expressing his support for Zhao Zhenji.

Seeing Zhang Juzheng's predicament, Gao Gong also stepped forward and said:
"I also believe that the 'Regulations for the Selection of Trainee Staff Officers in the Operations Department of the General Staff' are feasible."

The three looked at Zhang Juzheng, who then flicked his sleeve and said:

"In that case, I will reserve my opinion on this matter."

This surprised Gao Gong.

As the cabinet handles more and more affairs, the rules governing cabinet meetings are also changing.

The original separate voting system is no longer able to handle the increasing number of matters.

Therefore, when faced with such controversial memorials, the cabinet would discuss them internally, try to reach a consensus, and submit a unified draft opinion to the inner court.

This was also an inevitable choice given the Emperor Longqing's precarious health and inability to handle the heavy workload of state affairs.

When the cabinet cannot reach a consensus, it will draft a proposal based on the majority opinion. If a cabinet minister who holds an opposing opinion strongly expresses his or her opposition, he or she can submit a separate memorial to object.

Of course, if one does not strongly oppose something but simply does not support it, one can choose not to submit a memorial to the emperor, that is, to reserve one's opinion.

It was thought that Zhang Juzheng would strongly oppose it, but unexpectedly he chose to reserve his opinion.

Since that was the case, Gao Gong no longer stood on ceremony and directly had his subordinates draft the proposed vote. The three supporting cabinet ministers signed it, and then the draft was sent to the Directorate of Ceremonial by the Secretariat.
-
Su Ze was still uneasy about Li Rusong's memorial, so he drafted another memorial seconding Li Rusong's and put it into the "Handheld Da Ming Court".

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial has been sent to the cabinet.

Gao Gong, Zhao Zhenji, and Zhu Dashou supported Li Rusong's memorial, while Zhang Juzheng reserved his opinion and did not object.

Your memorial and Li Rusong's memorial were sent to the palace, and the Longqing Emperor forwarded them to the Censorate for discussion.

Thanks to the efforts of Li Ji, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of War, neither the Six Ministries nor the Censorate opposed Li Rusong's memorial.

The Longqing Emperor has approved your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

This simulation has passed and does not need to be forced to run.

[Simulation passed. This simulation will not consume a monthly simulation attempt.]

[Remaining Prestige: 6550]

The memorial was approved directly?
Su Ze looked at the report; the system had provided a lot of useful information.

First, there's the attitude of the cabinet ministers.

Su Ze could understand why Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji supported his memorial.

However, Zhu Dashou also supported it, and Su Ze quickly understood that since Zhu Dashou was in charge of education, then exams were also part of education.

This Grand Secretary Zhu is not as inactive as his predecessor, Grand Secretary Yin.

Su Ze wrote these down; the next step was Ke Dao's reaction.

According to the system's simulation, this means that Li Rusong's original memorial would have been opposed by the officials of the censorate.

It was through the coordination of Li Ji, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, that the opposition within the censorate was suppressed.

Su Ze put down the [Portable Ming Dynasty Imperial Court] device.

interesting.

Su Ze had an impression of Li Ji because he helped the military department summarize Li Rusong's memorial and made many constructive revisions, which made Su Ze think he was a capable minister who was well-versed in military affairs.

It now appears that Li Ji not only possessed outstanding professional skills, but also wielded considerable influence within the Qingliu faction, managing to suppress opposition to Li Rusong's memorial.

Is such a talented person still only a seventh-rank official?
Su Ze thought for a moment and then summoned Song Zhihan, the chief clerk of the civil service.

Song Zhihan respectfully stepped into Su Ze's residence.

Although Song Zhihan was the political secretary of Grand Secretary Gao Gong, he genuinely respected Su Ze, who was in charge of the affairs of the Fifth Secretariat.

There was no other way. Su Ze was the founder of the Five Offices of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, and the power of the Five Offices existed because of him. Song Zhihan was naturally aware of the situation.

"Does Chief Clerk Song know about Li Ji, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War?"

Song Zhihan thought for a moment, then recounted what he knew about Li Ji. Su Ze listened and nodded, then continued:

“This Li, the Censor, is indeed talented. I intend to recommend him to Minister Yang. What does Chief Clerk Song think?”

What do I think?
Song Zhihan recalled the rumors about the "Su Party". It seemed that Yang Sizhong, the Minister of Personnel, was also a member of the "Su Party". Why are you asking me about the internal affairs of your Su Party?
Song Zhihan suddenly wondered if Su Ze was signaling to him to join the Su Party.

Song Zhihan hesitated.

He was Gao Gong's protégé, and Gao Gong himself placed him in this position.

However, Su Ze was his superior, and he himself was Gao Gong's prized student.

Song Zhihan became conflicted.

Su Ze said:

"That's all. Chief Song, just do your job well."

Song Zhihan left Su Ze's public housing, contemplating "doing his own job well."

He suddenly realized something, and then everything became clear!
Yes, if Su Ze wants to "join the Su Party," all he has to do is "do his own thing well."

My current job is to assist Grand Secretary Gao, which aligns with Su Ze's requirements.

In other words, the goals of the current "Su Party" and the "Gao Party" are the same, so why should I worry about these things?
With Grand Secretary Gao in power, the Su faction is Gao's faction.

Once Grand Secretary Gao is no longer in power, it goes without saying how his faction will elect their members.

So Gao's party is the Soviet party!

What am I struggling with?
Having figured this out, Song Zhihan no longer felt guilty. Joining the Su Party wouldn't be considered a betrayal of Grand Secretary Gao.
-
Six subjects.

When Li Ji, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, stepped into the Sixth Division, he noticed that the atmosphere there was rather somber.

"Military officials actually want to emulate the imperial examination system? If this precedent is set, won't military officials be able to stand on equal footing with civil officials?!"

"Exactly!" "Li Rusong is merely a staff officer of a thousand households, yet he dares to presume to comment on the imperial court's methods of selecting officials. If the General Staff sets such a precedent, will they hold a military examination next year?"

The corridor instantly erupted in excitement:

"The beginning of military intervention in politics!"

"We should jointly impeach this villain!"

Another censor from the Ministry of War, Zhang Shu, leaned closer and whispered in Li Ji's ear:

"Li Rusong of the General Staff submitted a memorial proposing that the court conduct examinations to select staff officers. The officials were outraged and wanted to impeach him."

Li Ji understood perfectly, but he pretended not to know and nodded, asking:
"Where is the memorial?"

When everyone saw Li Ji arrive, they made way for him, and a censor handed over Li Rusong's memorial.

Li Ji is a senior military censor who has been at the forefront of "nitpicking" the General Staff these days. He is known for his military expertise and has been praised by the emperor on many occasions.

If the General Staff is to be impeached, Li Ji should naturally take the lead.

In the corner, Yan Yonghe, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, looked at Li Ji with a playful gaze.

Originally, everyone wanted to support Yan Yonghe as their leader, since he was a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel and had the greatest influence among the six ministries.

It was also thanks to Li Ji's constant impeachments of the General Staff that he had overshadowed himself within the Sixth Section.

Therefore, when it comes to matters concerning the General Staff, people naturally think of Li Ji.

Yan Yonghe kept sighing, "It's true that being too high-profile isn't good either. That's often how things are in officialdom—fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and only those who can laugh last will succeed."

Li Rusong is currently a rising star; his memorials to the throne from the General Staff have all been approved by the emperor.

Although it cannot compare to Su Ze's favor, this grace is still unique.

More importantly, this memorial was also approved by the cabinet. All three cabinet ministers voted in favor of it, and Grand Secretary Zhang did not submit a memorial to object, which can be considered as reserving his opinion on the memorial.

Besides, Li Rusong was merely requesting that qualified staff officers be selected through examination, which was perfectly reasonable. If Ke Dao insisted on opposing it, then he was being unreasonable.

Yan Yonghe wanted to see how Li Ji would lead everyone to submit a memorial.

After the clamor subsided slightly, he suddenly chuckled, "Gentlemen, your insights are brilliant, but I have a question—" He rose gracefully, picked up the memorial, and asked, "If examinations are not permitted, how do you intend to select advisors?"

Yan Yonghe squinted at Li Ji. Good heavens, this kid has switched sides?
As expected, when Li Ji asked the question, everyone was speechless.

A newly appointed official said:

"Naturally, it's the Ministry of Personnel that will select candidates!"

Li Ji said:

"What kind of people will the Ministry of Personnel select? I heard that the General Staff is short-staffed this time, and the list of recommendations on the Duke of Dingguo's desk is full of sons of meritorious officials. What kind of list will the Ministry of Personnel come up with?"

Everyone was speechless.

The nobles did indeed withdraw from the core of power, but they did not die.

The relationship between meritorious officials and the royal family was very close, and many of them also held close positions with the emperor.

For example, there was Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi, who was in charge of sacrificial rites, and Duke Chengguo Zhu Shitai, who was in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

They were simply isolated from core government affairs.

These top nobles would contact the Ministry of Personnel and request that it recommend their sons or nephews, and the Ministry of Personnel would never refuse them.

"At that time, the military families forming cliques will be the true example of military men interfering in politics!"

Everyone lowered their heads; what Li Ji said did indeed make some sense.

The exam selects professional talent, which basically means selecting outstanding students from the martial arts academy.

Among the military academy, there were a certain number of sons of noble families, sons of hereditary soldiers, and sons of poor families, and the academic performance of the sons of noble families was generally mediocre.

As Li Ji said, the sons of nobles naturally form factions.

Their shared identity brought them together as a group.

If this approach is followed, the General Staff will soon be filled with the sons of meritorious officials. At that point, the General Staff will be a monolithic entity, and the nobles will naturally seek their own interests.

Isn't that exactly what the nobles are thinking when they send people to the General Staff?
Li Ji then said:
"On the other hand, if the sons of meritorious officials are capable of taking the exam, then it is naturally a matter of selecting talents for the country. Those who fail can only blame themselves for their lack of knowledge and skills, and will not complain."

"If the sons of meritorious officials cannot pass the exam, then who are the ones who do?"

Everyone nodded.

If the sons of noble families cannot pass the exam, then the only ones who can pass are the sons of ordinary soldiers and those from poor families.

Another official said:

"But if this is the case, martial artists will have a path to the heavens. Wouldn't that lead to..."

Li Ji shook his head and said:

"That's wrong!"

"The selection of Hanlin scholars through the Imperial Examination tests their literary talent in drafting imperial edicts, writing essays on classics and history, and policy discussions. This is a good method of appointing officials based on their talents within the civil service system. Do you all agree?"

Everyone nodded. These were the things that civil officials were tested on. Why did Li Ji suddenly bring this up?
"You may read Li Rusong's examination syllabus. The content to be tested is mostly military practice."

"In addition to practical matters, we also need to examine political affairs, which are all practical learning contents."

"The first test is on 'military order format' and 'official document drafting'! These are matters of paperwork, no different from the daily paperwork handled by our censors and ministries. The only difference is that the content involves military affairs."

"May I ask you gentlemen, who is more capable of drafting a proper military order and accurately transmitting a battle report—a military man or a civil official?"

Li Ji continued, "The second test examines 'mathematical deduction' and 'logistical scheduling.' These are the skills of arithmetic coordination! The Ministry of Revenue surveys land and calculates taxes and grain, while the Ministry of Works constructs palaces and calculates materials—none of these can be done without mathematics. The test examines practical numerical management skills, which is essentially no different from the abilities required of civil officials to handle general affairs. Does it mean that if a civil official passes the arithmetic test, he is a military man interfering in politics?"

"Gentlemen! Which of the criteria that Staff Officer Li is testing in this proposal is purely military? It is clearly a matter of civil affairs! A matter of practical learning! A matter of the skills in writing, arithmetic, and geography required to handle specific military matters!"

"It is not about letting military men interfere in politics. On the contrary, it is about taking those crude and uncouth warriors who may only know how to charge into battle and incorporating them into the norms of writing, mathematics, and geography through examinations, turning them into civil officials who are well-versed in practical matters! It is about bringing military men into the track of civil governance and using civil officials to govern the military!"

"This exam tests practical knowledge and selects capable and disciplined civil servants! What is the essential difference between this and the Hanlin Academy's selection of scholars and the Ministry of Revenue's assessment of their mathematical and financial abilities?"

"It's merely applying practical knowledge to the specific field of military affairs! How can this be considered military interference in politics? This is clearly using civil administration to govern the military and strengthen the court's control over military affairs!"

Yan Yonghe, sitting in the corner, almost applauded. This Li, the censor, was no less skilled in sophistry than himself. He cleverly changed the accusation of "military people interfering in politics" into "selecting military personnel with civilian qualities," and packaged the "examination" as a tool for "civilian governance to subdue military affairs."

This silenced everyone, preventing them from raising any objections.

Seeing the wavering expressions on everyone's faces, Li Ji felt a slight sense of relief, knowing that his "sophistry" had hit the nail on the head. He softened his tone at the end, his words carrying a hint of earnestness:

"Gentlemen, you are all pillars of the nation, and you should know that practical matters are of utmost importance. The General Staff Headquarters was established by the court to coordinate major military and national affairs, not to provide a place for the sons of nobles to seek personal gain."

“Using examinations to select talented individuals who are proficient in literature, mathematics, and geography is the best way to prevent military arrogance and ensure that military orders are implemented in accordance with the spirit of civil administration! This is not interference in politics, but rather a powerful tool to consolidate the foundation of our civil officials and to control the military with civil means!”

Yan Yonghe had already applauded; he was certain that Li Ji, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, had definitely sided with the Soviet Party!

(End of this chapter)