068【Assuntos de Estado】

"Clang!"

"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"

In the bamboo grove, Zhu Zhiyu held a long sword, while Fei Ruhe brandished a heavy saber. The former’s swordsmanship was exquisite, while the latter’s strikes were heavy and powerful. The two were locked in an intense duel.

Zhao Han stood to the side, cheering them on.

"Clang!"

With one powerful strike, Fei Ruhe sent Zhu Zhiyu’s sword flying.

Picking up his weapon, Zhu Zhiyu looked at it with a pained expression; the blade was already chipped in several places. He sighed, "It is a pity that someone with your strength is not a general."

Fei Ruhe replied, "I have thought about taking the military examinations, but I cannot stomach the books. I hear that even to become a military jinshi, one needs profound learning."

Zhu Zhiyu said, "After what happened last year, essays are no longer as critical in the military examinations. You may rest assured and go take them."

Fei Ruhe scratched his head, "What happened last year? I was unaware of this."

Zhao Han, who regularly read the regional gazettes, explained, "During last year's military examinations, there was a candidate who could wield a hundred-pound saber—a true warrior of his time. Yet, he failed the exam. The Emperor was furious; the chief examiners and proctors were all imprisoned, and twenty-two officials in the Ministry of War were dismissed."

"Such a thing is possible?" Fei Ruhe was dumbfounded.

The political machinations of the Chongzhen Emperor were in no way inferior to those of the experts. Many of his decisions were calculated. By dismissing twenty-two officials from the Ministry of War, he could conveniently replace them with his own men. He took the opportunity to announce that the final palace examination for military candidates would be presided over by the Emperor himself. From then on, all military jinshi would be "disciples of the Son of Heaven," as Chongzhen sought direct control over the military officers.

Zhu Zhiyu glanced at Zhao Han and asked with curiosity, "How does Zhuochen know of this?"

"I read the gazettes," Zhao Han said with a smile.

"That is a good habit," Zhu Zhiyu said. "I have not read the gazettes for a long time. I only heard about the military examinations through my elder brother."

Zhu Zhiyu’s eldest brother, unable to pass the civil service exams to become a juren, had instead become a military jinshi. Zhu Zhiyu himself was also well-versed in the sword. Historically, in the eleventh year of the Chongzhen era, he was recommended for his dual mastery of literature and martial arts, receiving a special summons from the Ministry of Rites. Later, the Southern Ming court summoned him to serve as an official three times, but he refused, unwilling to be drawn into the whirlpool of factional strife. However, he resolutely joined the anti-Qing resistance. In his old age, he traveled to Japan seven times and to Annam six times, raising funds for the loyalist forces and seeking foreign aid for the Great Ming. He fought, he lost, and he fought again. Even at sixty-one, he took to the battlefield himself. Eventually, he went into exile in Japan, where he was treated almost like a national master. His scholarship formed the "Mito School," which in turn gave birth to the "Meiji Restorationists," indirectly influencing the Meiji Restoration in Japan. In a sense, Zhu Zhiyu was the intellectual mentor of the Meiji Restoration!

...

Hearing that the written exams were no longer the primary focus, Fei Ruhe became quite excited and asked, "What does the Emperor value most now?"

"Strategy and mounted archery," Zhu Zhiyu replied.

Fei Ruhe exclaimed, "Oh no, I cannot ride a horse, nor can I shoot an arrow. I must find a master tomorrow; I must learn to shoot first!"

He ran off as soon as he finished speaking, leaving only Zhao Han and Zhu Zhiyu in the bamboo grove.

The Datong Society had a loose structure, and Zhao Han had no other requirements, only asking its members to do three things: First, accept the "Theory of Grids and Positions"—those who did not were free to leave. Second, study the Confucian classics and gather on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month to share their insights. Third, practice martial arts and military strategy together every day.

The results were dismal. After only a few days, no one else came to the bamboo grove to train. Only Zhao Han, Fei Ruhe, and Zhu Zhiyu remained; they had long been accustomed to martial arts, and felt uncomfortable if they skipped a day.

Zhao Han’s spear had been replaced with one properly forged by a blacksmith. Planting it in the ground, he sat cross-legged and asked, "Brother Chuyu, what do you think of the bandits in the Northwest?"

Zhu Zhiyu sheathed his sword and said, "I have experienced the great famine in Zhejiang, to the point where people were trading children to eat, yet the commoners did not rise in rebellion. That was because they knew if they survived that period, there was hope for the next year. But one can imagine that the people of Shaanxi have abandoned all hope for the coming year. If they do not rebel, they will surely die."

"Do you think the bandits can be wiped out?" Zhao Han asked again.

Zhu Zhiyu shook his head, "The common people are foolish when divided, but divine when united. Once their hearts have changed, it is like a river bursting through mountains. To quell the chaos in the Northwest, military force alone is not enough; one must first ensure the people have food!"

Zhao Han asked, "In your opinion, how can the people be fed?"

Zhu Zhiyu pondered carefully and replied, "First, promote moral education to revive their spirit—not the hypocritical kind, but true morality. Second, rectify the bureaucracy, purge corruption, and remove the incompetent. The current officialdom suffers from two major ills: greed and mediocrity. Both inside and outside the court, they are greedy and incompetent; they have no ability to govern, but plenty of skill in lining their pockets. Third, return to the roots and advocate for 'Practical Learning.' Scholars must not engage in empty talk. The Heart-Mind philosophy has fallen into Zen-like detachment, and the Cheng-Zhu school has become unrecognizable. I believe that the 'Dao' is found in daily use—what benefits the country and the people is the true path; what does not is a heresy! These past few days, I have read the works of Master Zhu again and have had great realizations; many principles have become quite clear!"

Zhao Han asked, "Of these three, which one can be achieved?"

Zhu Zhiyu replied gloomily, "None. The Ming has become too deeply entrenched in its decay."

Zhao Han pressed, "If the court summoned you to serve as an official, would you be willing to accept the imperial decree?"

"No."

Zhu Zhiyu did not hesitate. "If I were a county magistrate, in the first year, I would carry out arrests. By the third year, the people would praise my virtue, and my superiors would commend me. After that, I would surely be charged with a grave crime, and my family would be ruined! If I remained in the central government as a censor, I fear I would be imprisoned within two or three months!"

"Hahaha," Zhao Han could not help but laugh, "You truly have great self-awareness."

Zhu Zhiyu sighed, "Factional strife is endless, and the nation has no peace. My elder brother, a mere military officer, was caught in the strife and dismissed for several years. How could any civil official who wants to do real work remain untainted?"

Zhao Han asked, "If a sage emperor sits on the throne, would there not be an end to the factional strife?"

"Heh."

Zhu Zhiyu found it amusing and did not even want to explain. At this moment in the imperial court, the six major factions were "besieging Brightness Peak"—or rather, the Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Tingru was joining forces with the Donglin faction to collectively besiege the Junior Grand Secretary, Wen Tiren. Wen Tiren had famously declared, "I will take on a hundred of them!" And so, in six months' time, the Donglin faction would be turned upside down, Zhou Tingru would be forced to resign, and Wen Tiren would happily succeed him. There was no end to factional strife, only political maneuvering. To serve as an official under such conditions meant either doing nothing, joining the political fight, or trying to do one's duty and ending up betrayed by all sides. Anyone who tried to get real work done would die the fastest!

Those who were willing to do real work, regardless of their ability or private character, were truly admirable men.

Zhu Zhiyu suddenly regained his senses—why was he discussing such major national affairs with a teenager? Yet, Zhao Han’s words and actions always made one forget his age.

Zhao Han continued to ask, "Since these three points cannot restore the court, is the Ming truly beyond saving?"

Zhu Zhiyu remained silent; he truly could not see any hope. In his eyes, the Ming was already suffering from a terminal illness, and it was only a matter of time. Zhu Zhiyu’s greatest expertise was not in Neo-Confucianism, nor in pre-Qin literature, nor in poetry, but in history—he had spent over a decade studying it. Looking at the past as a mirror, what kind of state was the Ming in?

Zhao Han said, "I personally feel that the root of the Ming’s illness is not in the court, but in the excessive land annexation. The wealthy own fields stretching across provinces, while the poor have not enough land to stick an awl into. Under such circumstances, how can taxes be collected? If the court has no money, how can it do real work? The less money they have, the more they extort. The more they extort, the more chaotic the world becomes."

Zhu Zhiyu was quite surprised, "To have such an insight at your age, you are truly a prodigy!"

Zhao Han asked, "Brother Chuyu, what if all the land in the world were brought under state ownership and then redistributed to the people? Would that not lead to long-lasting peace?"

Zhu Zhiyu smiled, "The Equal-Field system of the Sui and Tang dynasties used the very method you describe—adult males were allocated land. It was effective at first, but by the time of Emperor Gaozong, it failed. The Empress Wu Zetian struck at the great clans, and there was a slight recovery, but by the time of Emperor Xuanzong, it had collapsed entirely. Do you think the regional military governors came from nowhere? The court had no money to fund the army, so they allowed the regions to govern themselves. Is there any land system in this world that guarantees long-lasting peace?"

Zhao Han smiled. Equal-field systems were indeed ineffective; they collapsed as soon as the population grew. After all, the amount of land in the world was fixed. One thousand acres, once divided among ten people, then a hundred, then a thousand—could it really be sustained? In the 21st century, China relied on industrialization to solve the problem of land saturation. One could not simply copy that to the late Ming. Even "Red" ideology could not be applied blindly, because Marx taught that the relations of production determine the superstructure; to force a "Red" transition in the 17th century would be to violate the laws of social development. One should seek truth from facts and combine theory with the national situation.

Zhao Han asked finally, "Are we, as scholars, to just sit by and watch the nation collapse?"

"Other than that, what else can we do?" Zhu Zhiyu asked with a wry smile. "Serving as an official cannot save the Ming, so should we rebel and establish a new dynasty?"

Zhao Han said nothing.

Seeing the strange look on Zhao Han’s face, Zhu Zhiyu was suddenly alarmed, "Do you intend to follow in the footsteps of the Yellow Turbans and the outlaws of Liangshan?"

"I said no such thing; Brother Chuyu, do not scare me," Zhao Han immediately denied.

This man was not easy to fool; his thinking was too clear. And the slogan of "redistributing land" was too radical; unless the Jiangnan region fell into total chaos, there was no way to convince a child of such a great clan!

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, Fei Chun suddenly ran over, "Brother, the first issue of the 'Ehu Weekly' has finally sold out. Guess who bought the most?"

"Who?" Zhao Han was too lazy to guess.

Fei Chun smiled, "The traveling merchants. They have plenty of money and nothing to do while waiting for their goods to be loaded onto the ships. Many merchants even urged me to release the second issue quickly; they are waiting to read 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'."

Zhao Han was immediately delighted, "Raise the price, print more. The first issue only had five hundred copies, and the price was so low that we actually lost over ten taels of silver. Print eight hundred for the second issue, and double the price, otherwise our capital will be completely wiped out."

"Even doubling it is a loss—raise it even more," Fei Chun suggested.

"Take it slow, let those who are willing take the bait."