Like Yuan Yingtai, Wang Huazhen was a civil servant who did not understand military affairs, but was ambitious and boastful.
In the second half of this year alone, Wang Huazhen repeatedly trusted intelligence reports, dispatched troops to fight, and then abandoned the plan midway. This has happened several times, don't you see the problem?
I talked to you about how civil servants don't know about military affairs, and you told me that civil servants are loyal and righteous and will die for their country. Are those two ideas and two judgments good?
This is like talking at cross purposes. I can't go on like this.
Zhu Youxiao lost interest, and Ye Xianggao could no longer argue with the emperor about this matter. Since Ye Xianggao had just spoken so sincerely, Zhu Youxiao took the opportunity to express his new ideas.
"Our country is embroiled in constant war, and good generals are hard to come by." Zhu Youxiao looked at Ye Xianggao and said slowly, "The hereditary system of military posts is riddled with corruption, and the eight-legged essay system makes it difficult to recruit well-rounded individuals. I intend to hold a military examination next year, and also add a palace examination."
The establishment of martial arts schools to train military talents began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty.
During the reign of Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, a military examination was added to select martial arts talents. The most famous military candidate in history was Guo Ziyi, also known as Guo Linggong, from the Tang Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty established a relatively complete martial arts system and began to closely integrate the martial arts examination system with school education, which began to become systematic and mature.
The principle of the Song Dynasty's military examination was: to determine whether one stayed or failed based on strategy, and to determine the result based on archery and horsemanship.
In 1367, the year before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to recruit scholars in both civil and military subjects, seeking talented and wise men from all over the world.
In the sixth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang believed that the "young men" selected by the imperial examination were unusable, so he abolished the imperial examination.
It was not until the 17th year of Hongwu that the imperial examinations were reopened, but only the civil service examinations were recruited, and no military examinations were opened.
By the time of Emperor Yingzong, the Ming Empire no longer had the might and power it had during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, nor did it enjoy the peace and prosperity of the Renzong and Xuanzong reigns. Bandits arose in large numbers, and border troubles were frequent.
In May of the sixth year of Zhengtong (1441), Emperor Yingzong formally approved the request of the censor Zhu Jian and ordered the establishment of a martial arts school in Nanjing and Beijing, and the establishment of martial arts school rules.
As a result, Emperor Yingzong was captured in Tumu Fortress because he rashly launched a personal expedition, and the military examination was therefore suspended.
After Yingzong's death, Xianzong ascended the throne. He felt deeply ashamed of the "Tumu Incident" and approved and promulgated the first "Military Examination Law" of the Ming Dynasty in October of that year.
However, although the military examination was opened in the eighth year of Tianshun, no one took the exam.
Afterwards, during the Hongzhi and Chenghua years, the military examinations were often interrupted, the scale was not very large, and there were few applicants.
During the Zhengde period, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict to end the military examination and gave a banquet to the military candidates in the central government. The banquet was called the "Huiwu Banquet."
During the Jiajing reign, the Japanese invasion was rampant, and the imperial court once again attached great importance to the military examination system. The anti-Japanese hero Yu Dayou was a military examination candidate who distinguished himself in the war.
In addition, anti-Japanese heroes such as Zhu Xian, Guo Zhou, Zhang Jing'an, Zhu Ping, and Yao Qing were all outstanding talents who emerged from the military examinations.
In the late Wanli period, the Jurchens in Liaodong rose to power, and many heroes who came from military examinations also emerged on the Liaodong battlefield.
The most famous of them is Tong Zhongkui, who died heroically in the bloody battle of Hunhe River.
Although the military examination had been institutionalized and there was the "Martial Arts Banquet" in Zhengde to elevate its status, it was not taken seriously in the Ming Dynasty at that time.
The reason is very simple, and it is also the most common problem in Chinese history - emphasizing culture over military affairs.
Being named on the imperial examination, being praised as the top scorer, and wearing flowers at the imperial banquet are all the honors enjoyed by the candidates in the imperial examination.
Therefore, "respecting literature and suppressing military" was the social trend at that time. People regarded civil examinations as the right path and regarded passing the imperial examinations as a way to bring honor to their family. They disdained martial arts and participating in military examinations.
In his Dongjiang Yishi (Dongjiang Remains), Wu Qianji, a Ming Dynasty scholar, wrote about Dongjiang commander Mao Wenlong's participation in the military examination during the Wanli reign. He also mentioned: "Ming customs looked down on military men. If anyone in the village practiced martial arts, they would be regarded as a soldier and looked down upon by their relatives."
This raises another question, which is the military registration of the Ming Dynasty.
There was no such thing as "one family joins the army, the whole family is honored" in the Ming Dynasty, nor was there any "preferential treatment for military families". There was a difference between military and civilian status, and the social status of the military was inferior.
Therefore, many aristocratic families were ashamed of their descendants passing the military examinations, believing that this was a self-deprecating act that brought shame to their ancestors.
Zhu Youxiao added the palace examination and elevated the military examination to the same level as the civil examination in order to recruit talents. At the same time, it was the first step to reverse the trend of "valuing civil service over military service".
Ye Xianggao pondered for a moment and then asked, "Your Majesty, next year will be the Imperial Examination. Doesn't it seem too rushed to hold the Military Examination?"
Zhu Youxiao retorted, "Draft the decree sooner and promulgate it to the whole country. We can hold the imperial examination next spring and the military examination in autumn. What's the rush? Well, it's settled."
Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind and that this was not against any rules, Ye Xianggao had no reason to object, so he bowed and accepted the order. After the report was completed, Ye Xianggao took his leave.
It’s time to change the Prime Minister! Zhu Youxiao took out his little notebook and started making circles again.
As he rowed, Zhu Youxiao sighed helplessly.
So what if a few officials were replaced? They were still replaced by comrades from the Donglin Party, and it seemed that there was not much change to the political situation in the Ming Dynasty.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Youxiao remembered Duke Yingguo Zhang Weixian and ordered the palace maid to summon him.
The Ming Dynasty's army was mainly composed of garrisons, each of which had approximately 5,600 soldiers.
When Zhu Yuanzhang first established the "Beijing Camp" garrison, it had a total of 48 guards with a total strength of nearly 270,000.
As the Ming Dynasty gradually stabilized, during the reign of Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was moved to Beijing, and the pressure on garrison increased.
As a result, the strength of the garrison "Beijing Camp" was further increased and expanded to 72 guards, with a total strength of 400,000.
According to the "History of Ming Dynasty", the Beijing Camp of the Ming Dynasty was divided into three major camps, namely: the Five Army Camp, the Three Thousand Camp, and the Shenji Camp, each with its own responsibilities.
But what role did this best-equipped garrison force in the capital play and what were its achievements? Zhu Youxiao racked his brains to find out but couldn't.
During the Zhengtong period, the Beijing camp was already vulnerable and was almost wiped out in the Battle of Tumu.
Although the Beijing Army later stabilized after Yu Qian's reconstruction and Zhengde's rectification, it was only temporary.
Now, Zhu Youxiao knew what the Beijing Army was like without having to investigate.
The Ming Dynasty, it seems, is already riddled with holes and deep-seated problems. The garrisons are rotten, factions are forming to persecute dissidents, taxes are being cut, natural disasters are approaching, and wars are endless...
Alas, if you are muddle-headed, you will have fewer worries. But if you want to make progress, promote benefits and eliminate disadvantages, you don’t know where to start. There are really too many things to change.
Zhu Youxiao summoned Duke of England Zhang Weixian again, asked about the situation of the Beijing camp, and revealed his intention to reorganize it.
Zhang Weixian understood that this was the emperor's way of giving him a heads-up so that he, the chief officer of the Beijing Camp, could prepare in advance and avoid making things look too awkward.
Of course, he also knew the current situation of the Beijing Camp, and he could only do his best to make it look good on the surface.
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