Chapter 549: The Soul of the Military Nation (First update, please subscribe)
"Subjects! Now I have nearly 6 million subjects! But I hope that one day they can become the subjects of my military state. To become the subjects of a military state, one must have the soul of a military state!"
Facing the ministers present, Zhu Xianhai directly expressed his hopes.
Transform the subjects of the Ming Emperor into the military subjects of the Ming Empire.
easy!
Even now, the subjects of the Ming Dynasty are actually citizens of a military country, because compulsory military training is carried out throughout the country.
But won’t there be deserters from this kind of compulsory military training for all the people?
You should know that Prussia, which was the first to implement this system, was once famous in Europe for its deserters.
The people of a military state are not the soul of a military state.
Only people who possess the soul of a military state are true citizens of a military state!
This kind of transformation of thought and soul cannot be accomplished overnight. It cannot be achieved by a few edicts or decrees.
It cannot be achieved through compulsory military training. It must be done with love and perseverance from the heart.
"The soul of the military nation?"
Not to mention other people, even Sun Hu, the Minister of the Army, was a little confused.
"I wonder what the soul of the military nation is that Your Majesty is referring to?"
Others also looked at His Majesty curiously. They were familiar with the term "military state". Even the Left Prime Minister said proudly when talking to foreigners - Our Ming Dynasty was founded on a military state, so we are naturally not afraid of war.
But the soul of the military nation, this is indeed a bit strange!
"What is the so-called military spirit? It is the martial spirit that comes from the heart! Warriors are born for war, and are proud to die in battle and sacrifice for the country! This kind of power that comes from the heart is the real power!"
This requirement may seem a bit high. But for the rulers, such people with the spirit of a military state are the subjects that the rulers desire.
"Your Majesty, the high status of the armies and soldiers in European powers has a historical tradition. Prussia's compulsory military service system and compulsory education system coexist. The state instills ideas in the people through education, making them proud to join the army for the country. In my Ming Dynasty, the compulsory education currently being promoted is integrated with the military-civilian system to a certain extent. As far as I know, from elementary school to middle school and even university, most students are proud to join the army."
As the Minister of Education, Li Weimin definitely has a say on this point. After all, many years ago, at the request of Zhu Xianhai, Nanhua had already implemented military national education. Although it was still in the exploratory stage, most of the young people who received education were proud to join the army.
After thinking for a while, Li Weimin said again.
"In fact, both the education of new immigrants and school education in the Ming Dynasty serve the military to a certain extent. New immigrants must receive simple military training in the education camp. After children and teenagers enter school, the physical education class is military sports. All Ming subjects who have received education in the education camp and primary and secondary school education are qualified infantrymen as long as they put on military uniforms. Because they have completed the basic content of infantry training in the education camp and school..."
After a pause, Li Weimin continued.
"I think the military spirit that Your Majesty is referring to is essentially the traditional Chinese thought. Since the Song Dynasty, the education in China has been based on the principle of "everything is inferior, only reading is superior". Using culture to suppress military has been the ruling method of successive dynasties. Soldiers have a low status, and even the traditional social atmosphere believes that warriors are unworthy. This is the fundamental reason why our Ming Dynasty has only the name of a military country but not the spirit of a military country. After all, the future Ming Dynasty will definitely be composed of tens of millions of immigrants. Perhaps we can change children's ideas through education, but the ideological environment formed by tens of millions of immigrants is something we have to face."
It seems that the problem lies with tradition again!
Emperor Zhu sighed helplessly in his heart. Many people said that China’s decline in modern times was the failure of Confucian education!
But what is the reality?
Confucians in the Han and Tang dynasties were able to pacify the world on horseback and govern the world on foot. They were able to serve as generals when outside and as prime ministers when inside.
That is, after the weakening of the Song Dynasty, the Zhao family, for their own selfish reasons, ideologically imprisoned the Chinese nation and suppressed the martial spirit of the Chinese nation.
What is this "All things are inferior, only reading is superior".
What is "Books have their own beautiful women, and scholars have their own golden houses"?
What is this "A good man doesn't serve in the army, and good iron doesn't serve in making nails"...
What do the Zhao family’s twisted logics lead to?
There is a beautiful woman in the book - she was abducted!
The scholar has his own golden house - but someone robbed him!
Good men don’t join the army—they get killed!
The Zhao family spent a hundred years to successfully destroy a martial arts nation that looked down upon its neighbors, and turned it into what?
When the "Tatars" came, in order to prevent the Han people from resisting, they did everything they could to suppress the Han people. Not to mention the martial spirit, even if a few people practiced martial arts together or had a meal together, it was considered treason and an attempt to rebel. While using knives to cut off the integrity and courage of the Han people, officials treated the people as cattle and sheep, and oppressed and bullied them in various ways. Under the dual oppression of the butcher knife and the whip, cowardice and docility became the only way for the people to save their lives.
And they are also the group of people that Ming Dynasty will introduce!
Let alone the martial spirit, even if one wants to change the submissive mentality under the enslavement of foreign races, the difficulty can be imagined!
After a moment of solemn contemplation, Zhu Xianhai said.
"So, we need education. The ideological education of adults is not a one-day job. It is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to change the thoughts of tens of millions of adults overnight. This change should be subtle and should be achieved through changes in the overall environment. After all... people's thoughts are easily affected by the external environment! We must establish an environment where the whole society respects soldiers. Simply put, it is to enhance the social status of soldiers. The army must also be sanctified! Improve the status of the army and soldiers through propaganda."
How to improve the social status of soldiers?
Zhu Xianhai already had it all figured out!
"The army of our Ming Dynasty has always been commanded by the emperor himself. Since this is the case, the army of our Ming Dynasty is the army of the royal family. Anyone who insults the royal army and navy and the royal army and navy is disrespectful and should be punished according to the law of the country..."
First, the status of the military was established in the judicial system. How was it established? Of course, it was tied to the royal family. From then on, anyone who dared to attack the army would be punished for "disrespect".
What is political correctness? This is political correctness!
With this political correctness, if someone says something like "Good men don't join the army, and good iron is not used to make nails," then it would be an insult to the "Imperial Army."
Uh, why does this “Imperial Army” sound so weird?
It's an insult to the Royal Army!
It feels a little more comfortable when I say this.
In the future, we should make targeted suggestions to major newspapers, suggesting that they write more articles praising and admiring soldiers. As for the military and national education that has long been carried out in schools in the Ming Dynasty, we should continue to strengthen it.
"Newspaper opinion should serve politics. As we all know, the foundation of our country today is entirely dependent on the sacrifices and contributions of soldiers. Without the sacrifices and contributions of soldiers, how can our Ming Dynasty gain a foothold in a foreign land? What can we use to open up a new foundation for China here? Therefore, we must vigorously praise the contributions of soldiers and respect their social status. We must praise and glorify soldiers and wars from all aspects such as history, literature and music."
After Emperor Zhu finally finished his long speech, he turned his gaze to everyone present. All the civil and military officials of the Ming court were silent.
Only the Minister of Army and Navy was so excited that he could not hide it, but what about the others? They all had different expressions!
Emperor Zhu's words were not beyond the scope of what these Ming officials could accept. After all, they were all very traditional Chinese. Over the past few hundred years, the Chinese had long formed the idea that "everything is inferior, only reading is superior". Perhaps in order to survive, they could accept the military-civilian system.
But accepting the superior status of the military? It was indeed a bit difficult to adapt to this matter for a while, and they also had their own concerns. After all, Emperor Shengde was too warlike!
In fact, judging from traditional Chinese standards, the current Emperor Shengde can definitely be described as warmongering!
Since the founding of South China, he has successively conquered two countries over the years, first taking Chile and then Argentina. When the domestic situation has not yet been completely pacified, he led the army to expedition to Europe, spread the power of the Ming Dynasty in foreign lands, and even went to war with Prussia, a small land power in Europe, and won victory after victory.
A monarch who is so warlike, even Emperor Wu of Han might not be able to compare to him!
In the traditional Chinese view, a king like Emperor Wu of Han who actively expanded abroad was not a wise ruler!
Of course, the price of Emperor Wu of Han's external expansion was too heavy - the world's population was reduced by half, which is why the ancients did not regard him as a sage ruler.
But the problem is that Emperor Zhu not only won the war, but also at a low cost, so... the Ming Dynasty cannot be treated in the same way.
Even the people of the Ming Dynasty are different from the past.
I don’t know how long it took before I heard Mandarin with a Hunan accent. It was Zuo Zongtang.
"Your Majesty is right. The army is the foundation of our country. Our country can expand thousands of miles in foreign lands, not relying on the sharp pens of scholars, but relying on the mighty military power of soldiers. Western countries are actually countries of tigers and wolves. Although scholars have sharp pens, they cannot tame them. Only the sharp swords of the army can stop the tigers and wolves!"
Zhu Xianhai nodded. Zuo Zongtang’s trip to Europe was not in vain. Only after going to Europe could he understand what the rules of survival in this world are.
The use of force is the way to survive in troubled times!
Because he understood, he did not go against himself. The Left Prime Minister was always consistent with himself on major issues, and he had also talked to him about this before.
The emperor and the prime minister both agreed, so naturally everyone nodded in agreement.
For Daming, this regular meeting in October 1871 was just a normal Monday meeting...
(End of this chapter)
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