The military officers had their own ideas, which seemed to have little to do with Zhu Yunying. He only needed to fulfill his duties as emperor. Other matters were not something Zhu Yunying needed to concern himself with too much.
As emperor, Zhu Yunying needed to fulfill his duties. Similarly, the military officers, in their positions, couldn't simply sit back and enjoy their wealth and power; they too had to do their jobs properly.
Each person should perform their own duties; these are some of Zhu Yunying's current requirements, and it's really that simple.
Many people are working hard right now. For example, Li Jinglong is trying his best to let His Highness the Crown Prince know some things.
Although young Zhu was somewhat talented, at least more so than Zhu Yunying, and could very well have become a military emperor, everyone understood that young Zhu's talent was only relative; it didn't mean he could become a brilliant military genius.
Moreover, given his age and limited experience, it's difficult for Xiao Zhu to understand some of the more profound things.
"Uncle, does this mean the military merit assessment is just a formality?" Little Zhu said unhappily. "Military merit is earned on the battlefield and by commanding thousands of troops. How can one's horsemanship and archery skills be so mediocre? If we're talking about people, many of them can only sit on horseback without falling off. How can they then command soldiers?"
Li Jinglong patiently explained to Xiao Zhu's displeasure, "Your Highness, in every dynasty, there have been military heroes who became complacent and lost their fighting spirit after the world was at peace. We are grateful for the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty's great kindness in remembering the merits of veteran generals and granting their descendants blessings."
Little Zhu seemed to understand and said, "We understand too. Our great-grandfather and father wanted to reward those military merits. They have rendered meritorious service to the country, so we can't be stingy. If they have made great contributions, we'll help them. It's just that their descendants are useless, so it's not a big deal. Forget it, we won't worry about that. We'll just keep an eye on things."
Li Jinglong didn't know what to say. The current emperor had been fond of martial arts since his youth. However, the current emperor possessed innate wisdom, so he understood many principles without needing anyone to remind him.
However, even though this Crown Prince has been taught by two generations of emperors, there are some principles he may not fully understand.
The so-called military merit assessment was not a military examination, nor was it for selecting military generals.
Li Jinglong continued, “Your Highness is wise. Although the military merit assessment is often lenient, further study at the Martial Academy is fundamental. Most promising sons of noble families in the dynasty must enter the Martial Academy in order to assume a position and command troops. Commanders of garrisons throughout the dynasty also mostly enter the Martial Academy. The Martial Academy is of utmost importance; it is the foundation of the dynasty’s military!”
Li Jinglong was definitely exaggerating a bit. He naturally hoped that the Martial Academy would carry more weight, since he was in charge of it.
However, Li Jinglong's statement isn't entirely wrong. Zhu Yunying has always been well aware of the importance of the Martial Academy. In fact, it's precisely because Zhu Yunying understands how quickly military merit can be corrupted that he pays such special attention to the Martial Academy.
The land of wealth and honor is also the graveyard of heroes; everyone understands this. Even some emperors worried about these things.
More than thirty years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, many people understood that the military was still more important than the civil service, and the overall structure of the court remained unchanged.
However, over the years, especially as the imperial examination system became more and more standardized, more and more scholars emerged, and they entered the imperial court and gradually began to occupy some important positions. This was no secret, and many people could see it.
This is nothing like the early days of the dynasty, when military officials would often berate civil officials, or even resort to violence in private.
Little Zhu seemed satisfied with Li Jinglong's answer. "That's good. Next time, let's go to the Martial Arts Academy. After all, the Martial Merit Assessment is a rule set by Father Emperor, so we can't mess it up."
Li Jinglong naturally understood this principle. Although the military merit assessment was somewhat of a formality, it could not be completely ignored.
Although it's just a formality, it's still necessary to maintain the "bottom line" for military merit. We can't have military merit members who can't even ride a horse, nor can we have military merit members who look weaker than scholars; that would be a real joke.
Zhu Yunying didn't care about the affairs of the Wenhua Hall; after all, they were just minor matters that didn't require his attention.
Sending Zhu Yuanzhang to preside over the military merit assessment is, in essence, a statement of intent—to show everyone the successor to the Ming Dynasty, and that's enough. As long as Zhu Yuanzhang appears, many will understand the meaning behind it.
It would be more meaningful for Zhu Yunying to focus on his own tasks and review the memorials submitted by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.
The war in Goryeo could not be delayed any longer, and arrangements needed to be made on the Goryeo side. Zhu Yunying did not want to continue to tie up too many troops there, nor did he want to continue to waste too much money and supplies there, as the Ming Dynasty still had to wage war in other directions.
Therefore, we must be decisive. The war must end before this autumn, at which time the Ming Dynasty's imperial family will go there to establish and govern the country. Even if some troops will need to be left to guard the borders, it will only be a very small force, unlike the hundreds of thousands of troops currently gathered in Goryeo.
Looking at the memorial, Old Zhu smiled and said, "You're going to have to put in a lot of effort now. Goryeo has been keeping busy for years."
“That’s something for Uncle Eleven and the others to worry about. We don’t need to concern ourselves with it,” Zhu Yunying said with a smile to Old Zhu. “Whether it’s Japan or Korea, these matters are basically settled. We don’t need to pay much attention to them. The court can also recover the money, grain, and troops and use them elsewhere.”
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
