Chapter 597: Vow Not to Become a Buddha Until Hell Is Empty, Only After All Living Beings Are Saved Will I Attain Bodhi

Zhu Yijun approved Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi's multiple editorials: the Great Ming losing its soul, the alienation of people by power, the alienation of people by religion, and the influence of alienation on production and life.

The "Xiaoyao Yiwen" (Carefree Anecdotes) was firing on all cylinders, but there were very few people following Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi in the discussion.

On one hand, these discussions based on practice and in-depth observation were difficult for the "pen-correctors" to say anything about, because most of the pen-correctors didn't have the ability to practice, and they just followed what others said on weekdays.

On the other hand, these discussions were too deep, and following the crowd to stir up trouble could easily invite the executioner's axe.

Major miscellaneous newspapers didn't speak, but relatively conservative officials submitted memorials one after another, demanding to stop such rebellious discussions.

Even in the revised second article on the alienation of power, not a single word was mentioned about the Shizong Emperor and the late Emperor, but people could always naturally associate them, because the Shizong Emperor's willfulness and the late Emperor's "taking it for granted" hadn't passed long ago. This was a kind of insinuation and pointing at the mulberry while scolding the locust tree.

It even alarmed the two conservative factions in the Lecture Military Academy: the Libationer Liu Xian and Shi Mao Hua. These two, one from Sichuan and one from Shaanxi, were both veterans of the battlefield. When Shi Mao Hua entered the capital, he had criticized the atmosphere in the capital for being too bold. After several editorials were published, the two immediately submitted memorials to express their opposition.

"Your Majesty, Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi are protected by Your Majesty. Whatever daring remarks they have made in the past, we ministers have treated it as Your Majesty's instruction and turned a blind eye. But such wild and arrogant words that subvert the country should be severely punished! Otherwise, in the future, these scholars will follow suit."

"At the beginning, Yang Tinghe and Yang Shen talked nonsense about 'the country raising scholars for 150 years, and the righteousness of dying for the festival is today!' It is a disaster that will last forever!" Shi Mao Hua expressed his attitude extremely excitedly.

Shi Mao Hua was reminding the wise Emperor that if this unhealthy trend is allowed to spread, from insinuation to accusing the late Emperor and the Shizong Emperor, it will slowly turn into questioning Your Majesty, and then destroying the new policies and subverting the Great Ming.

The Great Ming is Your Majesty's world, not the world of the Yang Tinghe father and son, and even less the world of the pen-holders. They don't have to be responsible for history, but Your Majesty must be responsible for history.

"Calm down, calm down." Zhu Yijun signaled the two to sit down and speak, no need to be overly worried and nervous, and then took out Li Zhi's original text, handed it to Feng Bao, and said, "The two of you look at this."

The original text and the revised version had the same propositions, but the arguments were changed.

"Then, does Governor Shi think that what Li Zhi said is wrong? Is it that power will not be willful, or that power will not make people take things for granted?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile.

Shi Mao Hua thought for a while. Shi Mao Hua still recognized Li Zhi's point of view very much. He shook his head and said, "What he said is right, but he cannot say it like this! He can cite the examples of ministers, but he should not accuse the monarch."

"Doesn't he have an official position? If he has the guts, he should be like Hence Hai Rui, carrying a coffin to remonstrate. Insinuation and sarcasm are not skills!"

It's fine to speak, just like Hence Hai Rui's remonstrance to Chen Shan. Hence Hai Rui has already opened the path, and one only needs to follow the traces. If what is said is really reasonable, one can remonstrate.

Shi Mao Hua had always hoped that the Great Ming could reopen the Western Regions. If His Majesty were deeply trapped in this kind of public opinion, then Shi Mao Hua was afraid he wouldn't be able to see the day when the Great Ming reopened the Western Regions, and wouldn't even be able to do the "family sacrifice without forgetting to tell the father."

This was Shi Mao Hua's worry.

"Your Majesty, Luliang is fighting against Ava. This bunch of guys, shaking their lips and wagging their tongues like this, if they stir up the trend of 'promoting literature and suppressing martial arts' again, I am worried that it will make the front line bound and shackled." Liu Xian explained the reason for his arrival. He was afraid of "promoting literature and suppressing martial arts."

Altan Khan had been beheaded and displayed, and Tumen Khan was eating and waiting to die in the capital. The crisis in the north had been resolved. Then, "putting horses to pasture on the southern mountains" seemed to have become an inevitability. The Great Ming's annual military expenditure of 11 million taels accounted for nearly half of the court's annual revenue. At this time, stirring up "promoting literature and suppressing martial arts," no matter how you look at it, was very inappropriate.

"The two ministers are right." Zhu Yijun pondered for a while and said, "How about this: set it for the eighteenth day of the third lunar month to hold a spring review. It just so happens that Li Rusong is bringing the cavalry camp back to the capital in a few days."

The spring and autumn grand reviews are ancestral laws. The scale of each spring and autumn grand review is different, which can represent a certain trend. In the years when the spring and autumn grand reviews are held normally, it represents that the court is invigorating martial arts.

If you really want to "promote literature and suppress martial arts," you have to ask the Great Ming warriors if they agree. Only by demonstrating deterrent power in a physical sense can you scare this bunch of cheap scholars so they don't talk nonsense, and public opinion won't get out of control.

"Your Majesty is wise." Liu Xian and Shi Mao Hua looked at each other and sang praises.

They ran over to ask, actually to clarify the Emperor's own will. His Majesty's will is extremely important. What they were most worried about was that His Majesty himself had the heart to "suppress martial arts" and was using Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng as two big loudspeakers to announce it widely.

Zhu Yijun looked at Zhang Juzheng and asked with a smile, "Teacher, what is Confucianism?"

"Your Majesty, Confucianism is a kind of trickery." Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "The Doctrine of the Mean is a trick."

Zhu Yijun laughed when he looked at Zhang Juzheng. Actually, the court officials didn't understand why Zhu Yijun was so indulgent toward Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng. In their view, it was a bit superfluous. After telling Shi Mao Hua and Liu Xian the way to deal with it, Zhu Yijun wanted to explain the reason why he allowed these contents to exist.

The court officials didn't understand the Emperor's plan, but Zhang Juzheng understood the Emperor best. He knew why His Majesty was indulgent toward Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng.

Zhang Juzheng held his hands and looked at Shi Mao Hua, then said, "On the surface, Confucius speaks of benevolence, and Mencius speaks of righteousness. Is benevolence and righteousness Confucianism? But is it really so?"

"From the Great Harmony world of Confucianism, we know that the Great Harmony world it pursues, where official ranks, nobility, and lowliness each get their due, and the order of respect and inferiority, is actually denying fairness."

"Using soft, non-mandatory morality to restrain the meat-eaters; while using hard, mandatory punishments to restrain the poor commoners—this is deception, this is denying fairness, this is obviously pulling the bias."

Using punishment to restrain the poor commoners, because in the Confucian value system, the poor commoners don't have enough material foundation to learn benevolence and righteousness.

"When the granary is full, one knows etiquette; when clothing and food are sufficient, one knows honor and disgrace." This sentence reversed means that when the granary is insufficient, one doesn't know etiquette; when clothing and food are insufficient, one doesn't know honor and disgrace. If one doesn't know etiquette, honor, and disgrace, one cannot be restrained by morality and can only be restrained by law.

This is a typical fallacy. The Great Ming's Beacon Tower Marquis are also people, mostly from poor backgrounds, but their morality is much higher than that of cheap scholars.

The reason Confucianism can become the dominant learning and be regarded as the golden rule by the ruling class is that this kind of morality restrains the meat-eaters, and punishment restrains the producers. This is pulling the bias. Confucianism exists by relying on the ruling class, and the ruling class naturally embraces Confucianism. Confucianism is an excellent ruling tool.

The court officials also don't quite understand why the Emperor, as the head of the ruling class, wants to deny Confucianism and compile the "Collection of Various Schools."

And the freedom discussed by Li Zhi and others—to be precise, the limited freedom to make people real people, including the criticism of the Shizong and late Emperors—is all to get rid of this dilemma.

Actually, these people like Li Zhi are more like Legalists, fundamentalist Legalists who pursue "the prince commits a crime and is punished the same as the commoner," trying to use social contracts to strongly restrain the behavior of the ruling class.

For example, Shang Yang clearly proposed: "The failure of the law comes from the top violating it." If the established legal rules cannot be universally observed, it is because the effectiveness of the law is destroyed and trampled upon from top to bottom.

For example, Han Feizi said in the "Youdu" chapter: "The law does not flatter the noble, and the plumb line does not bend to the crooked. Where the law is applied, the wise cannot refuse, and the brave dare not argue. Punishment for faults does not avoid ministers, and rewards for good do not miss the commoners."

This means that laws and rules cannot flatter the powerful, and the ink line does not lean toward the crooked place. Actions that should be punished within the law cannot be escaped by the wise, and the brave dare not resist. Punishing faults does not avoid ministers, and rewarding merits does not miss commoners, which is completely different from the Confucian proposition that "punishment does not reach the high officials."

"Governor Shi, His Majesty just wants the Great Ming commoners to be able to catch their breath. His Majesty letting them speak wildly is also hoping to regulate himself as a model, correct the mistakes of those above, question the evil of those below, and then regulate the meat-eaters of the world." Zhang Juzheng explained clearly the reason why His Majesty did this.

Zhang Juzheng actually doesn't quite agree with this method. This is somewhat "suffering the Emperor, and I, Zhang Juzheng, will bear the bad name." Disagreeing is not because Zhang Juzheng is unwilling to bear the bad name, but because Zhang Juzheng feels it is useless.

His Majesty advocates frugality, which is known to everyone. Even the Queen of England knows it! But the powerful and wealthy families in Jiangnan still compete in wealth and extravagance, and even intensify it, turning the dross of Japan, such as the "Six Gentlemen of the Courtesan," into a great momentum.

The only way Zhang Juzheng can think of is to kill. Killing a little bit definitely won't stop it, but if he does it on the scale of tens of thousands of people like in the Hongwu years, it will definitely stop the trend of competing in extravagance.

Han Feizi's "Youdu" chapter also mentioned this: "To rectify official prestige, retreat from licentiousness, and stop fraud and hypocrisy, nothing is better than punishment."

Rectifying officialdom, declaring the prestige of punishment, removing the trend of licentiousness and laziness, and forbidding the evil of fraud and hypocrisy—there is no means more effective than punishment.

Confucianism is a trick. This is Zhang Juzheng's violent theory. It creates a seemingly reasonable ideal country, but in reality, it abandons the pursuit of fairness in the name of benevolence and righteousness, and even the pursuit of relative fairness is disappearing. Then, conducting a redistribution of production materials every few hundred years becomes an inevitability.

"So that's it." Shi Mao Hua is also a Jinshi. After so many years as a border governor, Zhang Juzheng's words were very clear, and Shi Mao Hua naturally understood.

In Buddhism, there is a legend that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva once made a vow: "Vow not to become a Buddha until hell is empty, only after all living beings are saved will I attain Bodhi."

Whether this happened or not, Shi Mao Hua doesn't know, but His Majesty is indeed doing this. Shi Mao Hua has really never seen an Emperor who lives so frugally.

After understanding the logic of His Majesty's actions, Shi Mao Hua immediately stopped his opposition. Mainly, His Majesty also promised to hold a grand review to promote martial power. As long as it is not the beginning of "promoting literature and suppressing martial arts," this is enough.

After Shi Mao Hua understood the logic behind His Majesty's actions, he immediately stopped his opposition. Mainly, His Majesty also promised to hold a grand military review to promote martial prestige. As long as it was not the beginning of exalting literature and suppressing martial arts, that was enough.

Li Rusong sat in the carriage with some unease, looking out the window, his brows furrowed. According to the schedule, it only took four and a half hours from Baoding Prefecture to the capital. What is this concept? Departing in the morning and arriving in the evening.

When he came, it took a full day and a half from the Capital Camp to Baoding Prefecture.

The speed of deploying troops on the chidao exceeded that of the cavalry camp.

The three cavalry camps that the Great Ming spent a lot of money to build were becoming dispensable under the chidao.

Indeed, there is still the "last mile" problem on the battlefield. The Great Ming's chidao cannot cover every corner of the Great Ming like human blood vessels. When arriving at the place, one still needs to continue marching. The mobility of the cavalry can still be reflected, but the ability of the chidao to quickly deploy troops still made the cavalry camp somewhat awkward.

Li Rusong's unease was actually unease about the unknown. After the Great Ming had the chidao, many past marching experiences were slowly failing, and new experiences hadn't been formed yet. This was the unease of the unknown.

"Back to the capital in the blink of an eye?" When Li Rusong got off the train, he still looked at the renovated station of the North Camp with some confusion.

The station of the North Camp had gradually changed from a small earth platform to a large station with several tracks. Trains pulled by iron horses were moving further and further away with rolling smoke and sharp whistles. Li Rusong looked blankly at the departure of the vehicles. The Great Ming is truly changing with each passing day.

"Back?" Qi Jiguang stood on the station platform, saw Li Rusong looking around, walked over, and said with a smile.

"Greetings, Grand General."

"No need for formalities. How does it feel to come back by train?" Qi Jiguang asked about Li Rusong's feelings.

Li Rusong looked at the big guy behind him and said blankly, "Using iron horses to march can put them into battle the fastest. If the enemy thinks of 'resting while the enemy is tired,' they will probably be beaten black and blue. Does this thing have so much strength now? Thirty-six horsepower."

A regiment camp, including miscellaneous flows, has 3,000 people. A 36-horsepower Princess Shengping No. 3 can actually pull 50 people, and if stuffed hard, it can pull about 100 people. This time, the cavalry camp returned to the capital from Baoding Prefecture. The Great Ming Emperor issued an imperial decree to treat it as a pressure test, mobilizing over 1,000 steam locomotives of various sizes from Princess Shengping No. 1 to Princess Shengping No. 3.

Qi Jiguang looked at the steam locomotive that was still emitting residual heat and said helplessly, "There are only four 36-horsepower Princess Shengping No. 3s. Sigh, the Grand Minister of Works doesn't dare to fight with the Chief Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary for the number of iron horses, so he can only eat some leftovers."

Iron horses are good things, but because production is limited, the Chief Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary are both grabbing them. The Ministry of Works doesn't get many, and the latest Princess Shengping No. 3s invested in the chidao are only four, and the rest are sent to the government factories.

This is also the reason why Shen Shixing wanted to build an iron horse factory in Songjiang Prefecture. More iron horse factories, higher horsepower iron horses, and higher production can all promote the development of the Great Ming.

Li Rusong shook his head and said, "Mainly because the chidao hasn't been built to Jiayu Pass yet, and reopening the Western Regions is still in the planning stage. If the Gansu section is opened now and reopening the Western Regions is put on the agenda, everything must make way for the Great Army's conquest."

"The grand review is in three days. Be prepared to lead the way for His Majesty." Qi Jiguang stopped discussing iron horses and talked about the specific matters of the grand review.

The freight transport of iron horses has gradually formed a certain scale in the stumbling time, and the freight cost per mile in the Great Ming is falling rapidly, but it is still very expensive. There is still a lot to do, but it has gradually changed from the Emperor's big toy to a monster pulling goods. The scene of iron horses whistling past, pulling heavy goods, can no longer attract people to stop and watch.

And iron horses have also become one of the important fulcrums for the Great Ming's coal-silver convection.

In Qi Jiguang's view, Great Ming monarchs and ministers are always discussing the liquidity of silver or currency, while Qi Jiguang cares more about the liquidity of goods.

Between more goods or more currency, Qi Jiguang tends toward more goods. Only with more goods can the growth and circulation of currency be urged. Without enough goods, currency is just piles of silver blocks.

The Great Ming interior and exterior are rapidly radiating new vitality. This is a magnificent and unprecedented era, and people in the midst of great changes haven't realized the intensity of this change.

On the eighteenth day of the third lunar month, before dawn, Li Rusong led the cavalry camp to enter the capital from Desheng Gate. Because it was a military review, they didn't carry firearms but were all equipped with Mo Dao (long-handled swords). The Mo Dao is one zhang long, with a double-sided blade two chi and one cun long, and the handle is wrapped with red hemp rope.

Actually, from the middle and late Tang Dynasty, this kind of long-handled sword gradually withdrew from the battlefield because it gradually lost its environment. The 15-jin Mo Dao is a weapon unique to elite vanguards. Only the elite among the elite can wield this big sword on the battlefield. Changing to bows and crossbows or firearms can be more effective in killing.

The Great Ming specifically built this kind of weapon that doesn't conform to the battlefield environment of the time, mainly for the political need of "inheriting the Tang system," and also to promote martial power. After all, this big guy looks particularly intimidating.

The early morning light was still dim. A 3,000-man cavalry camp had already arrived in front of the Meridian Gate, lining up and waiting.

"The northern air transmits the golden clappers, the cold light shines on the iron clothes." The neat Mo Dao was carried on the shoulders of the cavalry camp's sharp soldiers. The blades and armor of the Mo Dao reflected the morning sun, shining brightly. This is the concrete embodiment of the Great Ming's martial virtue.

Since the Wuzong Emperor fell into the water, until the Wanli years, the spring and autumn grand reviews began to be held normally. This is part of Zhang Juzheng's restoration of the ancestral laws.

Amidst the sound of drums and horns, His Majesty the Emperor, in bright armor, rode a tall horse, slowly walked out of the Meridian Gate, and then gently reined in his horse, looking at Li Rusong.

"This servant Li Rusong has received the order to welcome the carriage! This servant, on behalf of the 101,300-plus sharp soldiers of the Capital Camp, requests His Majesty to go to the North Camp to review the military horses!" Li Rusong spurred his horse forward, dismounted, performed a half-bow, and shouted loudly.

"Granted. Set off for the North Camp. General Li has worked hard." Zhu Yijun nodded calmly and said, "The Great Ming military appearance shines with heavenly power!"

"His Majesty is mighty!"

"This servant obeys the decree!" Li Rusong stood up, went to the white elephant behind him, and climbed up nimbly despite wearing armor, carrying the Mo Dao.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk and shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Set off!"

The entire ceremony was solemn and dignified. The Great Ming officials followed behind the honor guard, moving at a slow pace.

The Great Ming Emperor arrived at the loyal North Camp again. He reined in his horse, looked at the sharp soldiers of the Capital Camp lined up on both sides, waved his hand, and shouted loudly, "The Great Ming military is mighty!"

"His Majesty is mighty!"

The shouts of the sharp soldiers of the Capital Camp were neat and uniform, shaking the mountains and rivers, rushing straight into the clouds.

These shouts that shook the clouds startled the birds in the distance and also made some people with ulterior motives terrified.

This year's spring grand review was no different from previous years. The neat and uniform infantry and cavalry camps walked past the reviewing stand, and then the Great Ming sharp soldiers displayed their "queue-shooting" tactics. The well-trained sharp soldiers completed the display amidst the smoke of gunpowder.

When the 30-jin cannons slowly drove past the reviewing stand, everyone looked at the pitch-black muzzles and clearly realized that the Great Ming Emperor was full of martial virtue.

This is a very, very clear signal that the Great Ming will not stop its pace of invigorating martial arts because of the peace in the north. If anyone tries to stir up public opinion, they are licking blood on the edge of a knife.

Zhu Yijun looked at the Marquis of Duke Fengguo beside him. As he grew older, Qi Jiguang gradually handed over many affairs of the Capital Camp to the young and strong factions of the new generation. Qi Jiguang now focuses on military discipline. This is delegating power. After all, he is already the Marquis of Duke Fengguo. Managing everything like in the beginning would easily make the Emperor have the illusion that he is clinging to power.

"Your Majesty?" Qi Jiguang asked in confusion. The Emperor had been looking at him for a long time. Qi Jiguang was a bit confused. The military review went smoothly, showing the neat military appearance of the Great Ming and deterring the villains, successfully completing the task entrusted by His Majesty.

"They didn't pass the selection of sharp soldiers, so they went to the merit army." Qi Jiguang answered this question.

Qi Jiguang had five sons, all born of concubines. His legal wife, Wang, could not give birth. Qi Jiguang took three concubines. Two sons died young, and the other four had grown up, but the sons of the Marquis of Duke Fengguo did not serve in the Capital Camp.

"Promote the virtuous without avoiding relatives. The standard set by General Qi, Li Rusong is twelve years younger, and I estimate he can do it." Zhu Yijun felt that Qi Jiguang was too strict with his sons. With those standards, Zhu Yijun couldn't pass them.

Tiger-strength bow, 120 jin, draw distance of 2.8 chi, nine hits out of ten shots—just this one standard was not something Zhu Yijun could achieve.

Among the 100,000-strong Capital Camp, only 28 people could do this.

Qi Jiguang thought for a while and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I am the Marquis of Duke Fengguo. If the children enter the Capital Camp, they must have abilities far beyond ordinary people to make others convinced. If they can't make people convinced, it's better not to enter."

Qi Jiguang is the Grand General. If the children enter the Capital Camp, they will definitely receive many preferential treatments because they will be called "Young General Qi." They will be watched by countless eyes. This involves the word "fairness." Since they don't have extraordinary abilities, it's better not to come to the Capital Camp to destroy the little bit of fairness that was hard-won.

The Capital Camp is His Majesty's Capital Camp. Qi Jiguang has never regarded it as his private property. The Capital Camp eats His Majesty's grain and wears His Majesty's clothes.

"Then, except for the eldest son, the other three sons will be granted the title of Battalion Commander and the title of General Zhaoyong." Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang and said, "Don't refuse."

The eldest son is to inherit the title of Marquis of Duke Fengguo, so it is the other three sons.

If Qi Jiguang had mastered a little bit of the technique of "holding troops to respect himself," he wouldn't have ended up with his wife and children separated, and even unable to afford medical treatment when sick. Such a hero ended up so desolate, which is truly hateful.

In the late years of the Qing Dynasty, they had the "Xiaozhan Training," and the training produced a Yuan Shikai.

And now, Qi Jiguang doesn't even let his sons enter the Capital Camp. Even in Zhu Yijun's view, Qi Jiguang's third son, Qi Changguo, could take on a great responsibility, but Qi Jiguang still set a high threshold and rejected Qi Changguo, not letting him come to the Capital Camp to be a "Young General."

He specifically set such a high threshold just to avoid suspicion.

When Zhu Yijun returned to the Tonghe Palace, it was already dusk. He turned on the lime spray lamp and opened the organized memorials on the table.

This first memorial made Zhu Yijun frown. Shen Shixing encountered trouble. Centering on the Single Whip Law, the court and the local powerful and wealthy families started a struggle.

This time, it was aggressive. ===== CHAPTER 598 =====

This time, it came with great momentum.