Chapter 905: The Great Ming Military Academy
For several consecutive days, the weather remained splendidly sunny. The trees in the capital, which had been listless due to the winter chill and even lacked sprouts, suddenly perked up. Wildflowers and grasses seized this opportunity to grow recklessly from cracks in stones, bricks, and any other gaps, competing with the already thriving trees for sunlight, showing remarkable growth.
The winter wheat in the fields, after enduring the harsh winter, was now lush and green. Farmers who had initially worried about insufficient sunlight were relieved. When they met their wives who brought them meals, they changed their habit of cursing at first sight and occasionally spoke kindly to them or hummed tunes while idling.
When farmers from adjacent fields met, they would discuss the vigorous mutual cooperation sweeping across Shandong Province and marvel at the light taxes there. They would also talk about the remarkable achievement of growing three crops a year in the south, as well as the various seeds brought back by the imperial fleet from foreign lands and now planted in Guangdong, yielding a wide array of unusual crops.
These events, though close to them, seemed distant to these farmers. What was distant for them was closer to those in the capital—especially for the cart drivers who used to earn 900 foot coins per month. They could directly observe that fewer people were using carts now. Old or sick horses, which usually waited to die in stables, were now taken out by their owners to bask in the sun, regardless of their shabby coat colors or emaciated appearances. Near the martial arts training grounds east of the grain store, people wandered around from time to time.
According to the Ministry of War’s plans, the martial arts training grounds were supposed to be built with a parade ground, walls, and four courtyards. However, Zhang Yue, the left vice minister of the Ministry of War, personally intervened, inspected the plans in detail, and immediately rejected them. As a result, what should have been completed by the end of January was not finished until the end of March. Inside, aside from the parade ground, the other buildings were not structured as four courtyards but rather resembled rows of birdcages, filled solely with large bunk beds.
This was the military camp of later generations; the only thing missing were the equipment used for training. Zhang Yue indeed intended to replicate everything exactly as it was, but considering the stubborn attitude of the people in the Ministry of Works, he opted to stick with the existing setup—stone targets, straw men, and so on—and obtained an imperial decree granting recognition to the martial arts school. This was akin to modern universities often using inscriptions from leaders or celebrities to legitimize their institutions.
Since Confucius and Mencius were venerated in the imperial examination halls, it was only natural that similar veneration existed in martial arts schools. Thus, even as public opinion in the court was mostly focused on deciding what to do with the Prince of Jin, a fierce debate among civil and military officials arose over who should be venerated in martial arts schools.
Zhang Yue’s past memories only included the Martial Saint Guan Yu. But after studying Tang and Song dynasty texts in the Ministry of War, he now knew that during those dynasties, alongside Confucius, the King of Martial Success, Jiang Taigong, was also venerated. As for the others, the Tang dynasty system included ten sages and seventy-two disciples, while the Song dynasty included seventy-two famous generals—Guan Yu being merely one of the famous generals in that tier. At the beginning of this dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished many idol temples, including those dedicated to the King of Martial Success. Therefore, determining which deities should be enshrined in martial arts schools and who should be honored became a topic of great concern for military officials and great caution for civil officials.
In the end, the temple of the King of Martial Success, which had once been abolished, was finally accepted by everyone. The seventy-two famous generals established during the Song dynasty were to be enshrined alongside him. In this dynasty, although there was still disagreement among military officials, there was no dispute over Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Zhang Yu, and Zhu Neng being among the first to be honored. As for the rest, they would have to wait for a decision to be reached in the Hongwen Pavilion.
Indeed, the discussions in the Hongwen Pavilion—no, rather, the deliberations there—had become a place where both civil and military officials eagerly attended. After all, it was already difficult enough in the Ming dynasty’s court meetings for officials to spit in the emperor’s face, let alone argue fiercely over matters. Court debates often saw the emperor absent, and the participants were mostly high-ranking officials, making them far less intense than the passionate discussions in the Hongwen Pavilion. Within just one month, three officials who spoke eloquently were promoted to become readers in the Hongwen Pavilion. Though it was merely a title, it excited countless people.
Moreover, these three officials, who were at most in their forties, were now among those participating in the rituals to honor the temple of the King of Martial Success.
With the completion of this martial arts academy, Zhang Yue, now the highest-ranking official in the Ministry of War, was ordered to lead sacrifices at the Temple of King Wu Cheng together with Duke Zhu Yong. Accompanying them were a senior official from each of the Ministry of War and Ministry of Rites, the deputy governor of Shuntian Prefecture, several commanders from the Five Armies Command, three scholars from the Hongwen Pavilion, plus 424 newly selected students from the martial arts academy. Just as scholars went to the Imperial Academy to pay homage to Confucius, the ceremony to honor King Wu Cheng, Jiang Shang, was equally grand. After the ceremony, as Zhang Yue gazed at the statue of King Wu Cheng, he thought of future generations—even in that era, many Confucian and Confucius temples across the country were famous tourist attractions, and ceremonies to honor Confucius took place annually in Qufu. Yet, there were few famous temples dedicated to King Wu Cheng, let alone grand ceremonies to attract domestic and foreign visitors. Although Jiang Shang was more of a military advisor than a famous general, and a temple dedicated to him didn’t mean much, it was undeniable that martial arts education had never existed consistently throughout thousands of years of history. Moreover, even the so-called martial arts education during the Song Dynasty mainly focused on studying military texts and strategies, with martial skills being regarded as secondary! There was still a long way to go before this martial arts academy could truly become a well-structured military academy. After the ceremony at the Temple of King Wu Cheng, everyone gathered on the small training ground within the academy. Seeing the group of martial arts students below who couldn’t even form a proper formation, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Then he watched as the instructor chosen by Zhu Yong stepped forward and loudly announced the rules of study. “Students must arrive at school at the first hour of the morning and leave by the last hour of the afternoon; in winter, they leave at the fifth hour. All martial arts students must live on campus and are not allowed to leave.” “Instructors, junior officials, and children of military officials will each receive six dou of rice per month as stipend.” “Those who have been enrolled for more than two years and show no improvement in their studies will have their rice stipend revoked and be sent to border areas for military service.” “Monthly exams will be conducted by high-ranking officials from the Ministry of War and military commanders. Failure once results in being recorded; failure twice results in ten lashes; failure three times results in twenty lashes. Those who fail three times or more will be expelled from the academy and dismissed from their military positions.” “Annual exams will be held, and those who score well in written essays or hit five or six out of ten arrows in horseback or foot combat tests will be rewarded with five dan of rice!” The instructor spoke in a loud, confident voice, and thanks to his loud announcements, everyone on the training ground could hear the rules clearly. However, Zhang Yue could see that among the crowd below, only a few showed enthusiasm. Most either appeared indifferent or were whispering among themselves, with little sign of vitality among the martial arts students. Thinking about how the Ming Dynasty’s military system had managed to hold on until the Tumu Fort Incident before collapsing completely, he couldn’t help but frown.
After the announcement of the rules and rewards for this competition, Duke Zhu Yong stepped forward to announce that a grand martial arts contest would be held in three days. Since this news had not been made public in advance and was only discussed between Zhang Yue and Zhu Yong before being reported to the emperor, few people were aware of it, causing great uproar. It was not until Zhu Yong mentioned that the winner would be rewarded with a precious sword, a place on the Jinyiwei roster, and other honors such as top grades in the annual assessments that some commotion arose. The fact that there was no requirement for strategic essays in the competition also led to a heated discussion between officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites around Zhang Yue. When Zhang Yue bluntly pointed out that many of these young officials were illiterate, they were left speechless and eventually gave up.
The Five Army Commanders’ Offices and the six ministries were located on both sides of Daming Gate, so on their way back, Zhang Yue and Zhu Yong happened to walk together, while the other civil and military officials went their separate ways. As a duke, Zhu Yong was accompanied by attendants, and together with Zhang Yue’s guards, they occupied most of the road at Chongwen Gate. Although it was not appropriate to talk on the road, it was even less convenient to discuss matters back at the office, so the two rode side by side, exchanging thoughts on matters related to the official start of martial arts training that day.
“Apart from those who were selected for hereditary military positions last year, plus those who will take the exams this year, there are over four hundred people in total. With just one martial arts instructor and a few trainers, the number seems too small. More importantly, what ranks do they hold?” Seeing Zhu Yong nod thoughtfully, Zhang Yue added with a smile, “The Imperial Academy has an academic director and an educational supervisor—one at the fourth rank and the other at the sixth rank. But the instructors for martial arts have extremely low ranks, yet the officers they train—each hundredman officer is already at the sixth rank! Under such circumstances, how can they maintain order? You once said I was overthinking things, but it seems fortunate that we brought that person back.”
Zhu Yong nodded slightly and said, “Moreover, when the grand competition was announced earlier, judging from the attitudes of those officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, they seemed dissatisfied with focusing only on martial skills and not on strategic thinking… On the other hand, many noble families may disapprove of their descendants training in martial arts. Even in the court, some might argue that noble descendants have always been sent to the Imperial Academy, as they already have a strong foundation in archery and horsemanship from their families.”
“A strong foundation from family? Aside from a few noble households, how many truly train their descendants in archery and horsemanship from a young age? If hereditary military officers neglect their martial skills, then, as the emperor said when issuing the edict to establish martial arts schools and as the Ministry of War pointed out, the offspring of officers will become complacent and idle. If tested in martial arts, not a single one of them will be useful!”
These words quoted the emperor’s own words, leaving Zhu Yong with nothing but a sigh. Zhang Yue, thinking of the frequent reports he had received these past few days from Hu Qi and Zhang Bu about the rampant rumors in the capital and various strange signs, heightened his tone and said, “Uncle, I know that many problems stem from deep-rooted flaws, and you are in a difficult position. But there’s something I must say. The glory and wealth of noble families all come from military achievements on the battlefield. If their descendants fail, generation after generation will decline, and they will eventually be sidelined. By then, even once-great wealth may not be enough to withstand just one word from others.”
In these times, most people are concerned about passing on their lineage and bringing honor to their ancestors, naturally hoping that their descendants can sustain wealth and glory for generations. Thus, although Zhu Yong found Zhang Yue’s words harsh, he had to admit they were true. Moreover, he was well aware that compared to Zhang Fu, the former commander of the Central Military Command, he was far inferior in terms of military achievements, experience, prestige, and even combat skills. If he was like this, what about his young son?
“Brother Wenbi has also told me many times that among the nobles, you needn’t worry. I’ll speak up for you, and those with short-sighted views can be ignored—let them do as they will. But since there are so many officers, it’s not that easy. Just keep in mind that as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of War, you’ll still need to put in extra effort.”
Zhang Yue agreed. At the intersection of East Chang’an Street, the two groups parted—Zhang Yue headed straight back to the Ministry of War, while Zhu Yong returned to the Central Military Command. As soon as he reached the entrance of the Ministry of War, Zhang Yue saw several men dressed like military officers dismounting at the gate. Judging by their uniforms, they were at least third- or fourth-rank military officers from various provinces. When they saw him dismount using the stepping stone, the men exchanged glances before stepping forward together.
“Are you Lord Zhang of the Ministry of War?”
The Ministry of War and the Five Military Commands—one responsible for selecting and deploying troops, the other for training them—were not directly subordinate to each other, but they were closely connected. Since the Xuande era, with its long periods of peace, the Ministry of War had grown increasingly powerful, while military officers no longer enjoyed the same prestige as before. It had become an established fact that they had to bow their heads when dealing with the Ministry of War. At this moment, although these men were roughly of the same rank as Zhang Yue, they showed great courtesy. After all, in terms of age, they were seasoned veterans in the military—how could they not know their place?
Zhang Yue had always ignored matters related to taking office, so after greeting the others with a smile, he didn’t pay much attention to it and simply walked inside. Little did he know that after just a few steps, someone rushed after him—it was a middle-aged military officer who said he was going to assume the position of Deputy Commander in Sichuan. This man was burly in build but spoke very clearly. He followed Zhang Yue through the second gate, constantly mentioning the local customs and conditions of Sichuan, before finally bringing up Zhang Xin, who was currently serving there. At that moment, Zhang Yue, who had been indifferent at first, unconsciously stopped and glanced at the man more closely.
The middle-aged man was also unmarried and met Zhang Yue’s gaze openly for a while. Seeing Zhang Yue nod and smile, he continued walking inside, and the man followed, saying, “Bashu is far in the southwest. Although its people aren’t particularly fierce, there are too many ethnic minorities there, so it’s not easy to govern. I used to serve in the military garrisons in Sichuan, so I know the way well now. As for my son, he studies martial arts. Though he’s a bit mischievous, he’s highly skilled.”
He emphasized the word “skilled” deliberately, so Zhang Yue took it to heart and asked an extra question. The man nodded but said nothing more, nor did he pay attention to the officers waiting in the other room to see Xu Kuo. When they reached the door of the room where Zhang Yue would handle his duties, a scribe quickly stepped forward to lift the curtain and whispered something.
“Sir, there’s a young officer surnamed Shi who refuses to leave. He claims he wants to recommend himself and insists on seeing you.”
“Oh, he’s finally back?”
Seeing Zhang Yue stop abruptly, the scribe added, “Also, Lord Xu asked me to tell you that the petitions from the imperial relatives have arrived at the Department of State Affairs.”