Chapter 1178: Want to Be a Noble? Are You Vicious?

Zhu Cilang truly meant what he said, and a few days later he really did have the Prince of Lu, Zhu Yihai; the Prince of Yongming, Zhu Youlang; the Prince of Nanyang, Zhu Yu'e; and the Retired Emperor Zhu Youjian sit in on a Grand Secretariat court session focused on the affairs of colonizing the Southern Seas.

The Grand Secretariat of the Great Ming expanded once again in early Hongxing 16, adding two ministry-level offices at the same time: one called the Court of Colonial Affairs, and one called the Ministry of the Navy.

These two ministries, like the Ministry of War (whose name had not changed, though it had in practice become the Ministry of the Army), were both integrated civil-military ministries; military and civil officials alike could serve in either, both civil and military officials could serve as Minister, and the Vice Minister posts were always filled by one civil and one military official.

Of the two, the Ministry of the Navy was responsible for the ever-growing naval administration, jointly leading naval affairs with the Naval Command Bureau under the Grand Marshal's Office.

As for the Court of Colonial Affairs, it sounded like an office for dealing with tributary states or the tribute envoys of military governorships, but that was not the case: this was an office established specifically for expanding Great Ming's colonies, responsible solely for the colonial (settlement) affairs of those "colonization-type" military governorships and tributary states that needed the Ming court's help or organized immigration to settle them.

Tributary states such as Japan, Joseon, Annam, Dzungar, Tumed, and Chahar had little to do with the Court of Colonial Affairs; their dealings with the court did not pass through it either, but were conducted through their liaison offices in Yingtian Prefecture.

And since the affairs handled by these two newly opened offices, the Ministry of the Navy and the Court of Colonial Affairs, required mutual coordination and cooperation in many respects, almost all the military officials in the Court of Colonial Affairs came from naval backgrounds, making that office something of a branch of the Ministry of the Navy.

The current Minister of the Navy was Zhu Cilang's brother-in-law Zheng Jiangong, while the Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs was Su Guansheng, who had overseen the Tianjin fleet in earlier years.

The mission of selecting the key subordinate ministers for the twelve duchies of Malacca (a duchy's ministers were "subordinate ministers" relative to the Son of Heaven) fell to Zheng Jiangong, Su Guansheng, and Wei Zaode, the Chief Grand Secretary who also oversaw the Ministry of Personnel.

"The twelve dukes are young now and cannot personally shoulder great responsibilities, so they must rely on subordinate ministers to govern on their behalf. And the twelve states have not yet opened up their territories; they have neither land nor people, and everything must be built from nothing — one could call it arduous in the extreme. Therefore the selection of the subordinate ministers who will govern on their behalf is especially critical. Choose the right subordinate ministers, and the great enterprise of founding the twelve states can be accomplished with half the effort and twice the result.

And among the many subordinate ministers, the most important are each duchy's Chief Grand Secretary, Second Grand Secretary, and the ministers in charge of each major area. Today We wish to discuss with you, my lords, the Chief Grand Secretaries, Second Grand Secretaries, and the subordinate ministers who will manage military affairs, finance, personnel, construction, land reclamation, education, criminal justice, and foreign affairs — the weighty matters of state. Therefore We intend to enfeoff these ten important subordinate ministers as counts of the tributary states, and grant each a fief of 250 li square!"

According to Zhu Cilang's plan, a single duchy was only 10,000 li square, so enfeoffing ten subordinate ministers would take away a quarter of it — what grand style indeed!

As the Zhu Emperor spoke, his gaze slowly swept across the faces of the Ministers, Vice Ministers, and Hanlin academicians in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy.

Not a single one showed an expression of being moved!

All old foxes! Zhu Cilang thought to himself: You all know that this tributary-state countship and 250-li-square fief are not easy to take, don't you? But no matter — among Great Ming's civil and military officials there are plenty of vicious men desperate to climb and unable to!

With a price that high, there is no fear of failing to recruit satisfactory people.

Zhu Cilang continued: "Now We shall first select the Chief Grand Secretaries and Second Grand Secretaries, twenty-four men in all. The Chief Grand Secretaries must be accomplished in both civil and military affairs; the Second Grand Secretaries must be thoroughly versed in military strategy."

The so-called "accomplished in both civil and military affairs" did not mean being able to fight and write essays, but rather having a record of service in both civil and military posts.

And a Second Grand Secretary's "thoroughly versed in military strategy" meant possessing high military quality and having held important military office.

"As for background—" Zhu Cilang thought for a moment, "whether court officials, tributary officials, or subordinate ministers, all may be recommended!"

"Court officials" referred to the direct officials of the court — whether civil or military, whether local or central, whether high or low in rank, all were court officials. "Tributary officials" referred to officials of the inner tributaries. And "subordinate ministers" referred to officials of the outer tributaries.

In other words, as long as one's ability was sufficient, whether court official, tributary official, or subordinate minister, all could be recommended to Zhu Cilang. As for whom Zhu Cilang chose, that would depend on the circumstances.

"Now We shall state a few more conditions," Zhu Cilang paused, then continued, "A good man needs three helpers, let alone assisting the twelve dukes in establishing tributary states. So there is no need to recommend solitary officials; the officials you recommend must have their own household retainers and aides, at least ten men. And the expenses of these household retainers and aides must all be borne by the official himself."

In other words, the 250-li-square fief Zhu Cilang was granting was not just for the enfeoffed count's own family to live on — it also had to support their household retainers.

If all ten count-level subordinate ministers of a duchy were assembled, then together with their household retainers, at least 110 capable officials would already be in place.

With these 110 officials, the framework of a ducal government could be erected.

"It is said that the kind do not make officials, the merciful do not command troops, and the righteous do not manage finances — and opening up a state in a savage wilderness thousands of li away is even harder and more perilous than governing in Great Ming proper." Zhu Cilang spoke slowly. "Therefore those good officials who only wish to serve the people — We do not want them. You would do best to recommend to Us some harsh officials!"

Use harsh officials?

The Retired Emperor of Great Ming, listening in at the side, narrowed his eyes and thought: This unfilial son is using bad people again! The common people of the Southern Seas are going to suffer once more!

But the court's senior ministers in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy had long grown accustomed to the Zhu Emperor's fondness for employing vicious men, so no one offered remonstrance — harsh officials it is, then; in a place like that, benevolence and righteousness would surely be useless. And remonstrance would be useless too; Zhu Cilang was simply not the sort of ruler who humbly accepted advice.

Zhu Cilang paused and said: "Chief Grand Secretary Wei, Navy Minister Zheng, Colonial Minister Su — We give you six months to select men. Six months from now, give Us a list of 240 names, and have them bring the household retainers they have chosen to Yingtian Prefecture for an audience.

At that time We shall choose one in ten; those remaining after the selection can then be chosen for the military, finance, personnel, construction, land reclamation, education, criminal justice, and foreign affairs ministers of each state.

Furthermore, proclaim to the realm: post imperial notices in the directly governed provinces, the inner tributaries, and the outer tributaries, openly recruiting count-level subordinate ministers for the tributary states! Regardless of background, as long as one is proficient in one of the five administrations — military affairs, finance, construction, land reclamation, or education — and can assemble ten household retainers, one may volunteer oneself and come to Yingtian Prefecture for an audience and examination!"

What Zhu Cilang had Wei Zaode, Zheng Jiangong, and Su Guansheng recommend were the candidates for the first Chief and Second Grand Secretaries of the duchies, while those allowed to volunteer themselves were the "technical-type" officials responsible for military affairs, finance, construction, land reclamation, and education.

As for the personnel, criminal justice, and foreign affairs officials of the duchies, they would be selected from the unsuccessful Chief and Second Grand Secretary candidates.

And once all the subordinate ministers of the twelve duchies were in place, they could serve as the core around which to organize the twelve duchies' land-reclamation legions — the land-reclamation legions would of course all be "land soldiers"; according to Zhu Cilang's private plan, the land soldiers would be divided into three ranks: viscount, baron, and knight.

Those holding viscountcies would be the senior ranks of the land-reclamation army; barons would be the junior officers; and knights, below barons, would be the soldiers of the land-reclamation army. Knights did not count as nobility, and their land grant was only one li square (400 mu).

The barons, viscounts, and knights of the twelve duchies would also all be openly recruited — going to the Southern Seas to be harvested like leeks meant struggling against the terrible miasmas and dysentery, so Zhu Cilang would not force anyone to go; all must go willingly, life and death left to fate, and no one could blame the great Zhu Emperor!

And this matter of "publicly recruited nobility" was unprecedented in China, and probably unheard of internationally as well.

So the moment the imperial notice was posted, the entire realm was stirred — not only Great Ming proper was stirred, but Japan, Joseon, Annam, Siam, and the two Southern Seas military governorships of the Golden Ou Army and the Western Ocean Army were stirred too, and even the island of Taiwan under the Eastern Pacification Army was stirred as well.

For those men of resolve already in the land of miasmas and dysentery, what was there left to fear? Could the malaria of Malacca be worse than elsewhere?

There was no such thing at all!

So no one was willing to let slip this chance to become nobility! Miss it, and perhaps there would never be another chance!

(End of Chapter)