"A kind heart cannot command an army," a principle Zhu Yuanzhang understood all too well. He had faced many hardships during his early campaigns, but through these setbacks, he matured. His old comrades, having endured countless battles, rose to become powerful generals, conquering the land.
When a general matures, there are inevitably many deaths; the saying "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand" is no joke.
Zhu Yunying continued, "Most of the generals in our Great Ming Dynasty are promoted by earning merits on the battlefield. We naturally think this is the best way. Military merits should be based on military achievements, which is the best way to advance."
Old Zhu nodded; he shared the same thought. Since they were in the military, merit in battle was paramount. Other things weren't necessarily important criteria for evaluation.
Zhu Yunying looked at his grandfather and said earnestly, "Grandfather, although there have been martial arts academies in past dynasties, they were generally small in scale. Most of the military families passed down their skills through family tradition or rose through the ranks of the military. Although many military strategies and tactics have been passed down, few people can master them."
Old Zhu nodded slightly; in his eyes, that was indeed the case. Those military merits formed the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's military, and their families had mostly risen through the ranks of the military. Therefore, with a little effort, there was always a chance to rise in the ranks.
Zhu Yunying continued, "Nowadays, most of the soldiers in our Great Ming have been on the battlefield and seen blood; it's no exaggeration to call them fierce and valiant troops. Although some of the noble families are incompetent, they still have some foundation and know why they rose to power and became wealthy. However, Your Majesty, the Five Military Commissions of our Great Ming are not as powerful as they used to be!"
Old Zhu fell silent. Back when it wasn't the Five Military Commands but the Grand Military Command, his nephew Li Wenzhong was in charge. He was only slightly inferior to Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Feng Sheng, but he was definitely a remarkable person. Moreover, he was a member of the imperial clan, so he was certainly reliable enough.
Zhu Yunying continued, “In the past, it was not surprising that a Duke was a member of the Five Armies Commandery, and even a Marquis would not have the authority to speak up. Back then, we could only have a veteran general who was competent in the Five Armies Commandery, and only a Duke or Marquis could command respect. But now, only thirty years have passed, and the old are old and the dead are dead. Although there are still veteran generals and rising stars, most of them are descendants of nobles.”
Old Zhu slowly opened his mouth and said, "Xu Huizu is still quite capable, but why have you been suppressing your cousin from Jiujiang all these years?"
Li Jiujiang, also known as Li Jinglong, was the son of Li Wenzhong and a cousin of Zhu Yunying. He was extremely knowledgeable in military strategy and tactics, and almost no one could rival him in theoretical discussions of warfare. Zhu Yunying also had high hopes for Li Jinglong, hoping that he would become Zhu Yunying's equivalent of Li Wenzhong.
Zhu Yunying chuckled and said, "To put it bluntly, my cousin from Jiujiang is not up to any great task."
Whether the Great Ming's war god was an undercover agent or a complete incompetent, Zhu Yunying was not entirely at ease with him. He actually understood Li Jinglong quite well now, and often Zhu Yunying didn't judge a person based on his superficial understanding of history.
To be honest, Zhu Yunying would use Li Jinglong, but he would never give him a major responsibility. Li Jinglong was fine as a strategist, but Zhu Yunying felt it was a stretch to put him in command of a large army.
“Speaking of my cousin Jiujiang, I just remembered him,” Zhu Yunying quickly said to his father. “For the first or second generation, we don’t need to worry too much about martial families. But what about the third or fourth generation? We can’t guarantee they won’t amount to anything. The reason we set up the martial arts academy, along with the previous assessments, is to urge martial families not to forget their traditions.”
Old Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "You should know that if someone goes to the martial arts academy but is unwilling to teach their signature skills, what then?"
Whether it's cherishing one's own secrets or using one's trump card, many people keep some 'secret techniques' hidden at this time.
"The Martial Academy must definitely be occupied by military meritocracy; we can't let civil officials interfere too much. The reason I set up the Martial Academy is because I'm worried that military meritocracy won't be able to produce as many outstanding civil officials as there will be." Zhu Yunying said to his father with utmost seriousness, "Moreover, the Martial Academy must first select people from families of meritocracy. Furthermore, those who enter the Martial Academy will be divided into different ranks. All military officers of the third rank and above will come from the Martial Academy."
Old Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Third rank is not enough, fourth rank is enough! If you have the ability in the future, fifth rank and sixth rank should all be graduates of our martial arts academy, and should all be disciples of the emperor!”
Well, Old Zhu is well aware of some things; he's just testing his grandson again!
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