Chapter 83: Abolishing the Garrison-Farming System

The Chongzhen Emperor had barely arrived and said nothing, yet he had already executed several of his own officers.

None of them were high-ranking officials at the Regional Commander level, however—the highest was merely an Assistant Regional Commander, and aside from one roving general, the remaining two were insignificant low-ranking officers at the Battalion Commander level.

The Chongzhen Emperor warmly consoled Shunzi, Zeng Daniu, and Xiao San, venting the pent-up grievances of the Wuqing soldiers who had long been bullied by Sun Hu. As he walked, he said:

"Wu Youke doesn't need the Imperial Academy of Medicine's staff to treat the plague—we can't let them sit idle. Cheng'en, go quickly to the Imperial Academy of Medicine and deliver the decree: except for the physicians on rotation duty in the inner palace, have all the rest report to Huangcun to serve as temporary military doctors!"

"The war is urgent now—tell those physicians not to hold anything back. Have them bring their apprentices along as well. If anyone distinguishes themselves in battle, I will grant additional rewards!"

"If anyone claims illness or other excuses not to come, bring his son to study at the Imperial Academy; if he has no son, bring his daughter; if he truly has no children at all, then find relatives or old friends from elsewhere and bring them to the capital!"

Wang Cheng'en dared not delay. He immediately set off in person with several Hundred Commanders of the Eastern Depot to handle the matter, leaving Chiliarch Li Youcheng in charge of punishments and a squad of agents behind to guard the area.

The Chongzhen Emperor stepped onto the hastily erected "speech platform," cleared his throat, and shouted loudly to the chaotic crowd of officers and soldiers from various regions below:

"Soldiers of the Great Ming! Today I have come here in person and only now learned how much hardship you have endured all these years! I want to say—you have worked hard, and it is the Great Ming that has wronged you!"

"I have come on a personal expedition because I cannot stomach the arrogance of those roving bandits. Yes, I do not know how to fight—I could even say I know nothing at all of military affairs... But it is precisely because of this that I need you, and that the Great Ming needs you!"

"Some of you may be entertaining thoughts of surrender, thinking that following the roving bandits might not be so bad. I am not here to settle scores, but to tell these people that they are utterly and completely wrong!"

As he spoke, a look of indignation rose on the Chongzhen Emperor's face, and he pointed toward the south:

"Right over there, the roving bandits breached the prefectural city of Baoding just days ago. The reports that came back were all about opening granaries and executing corrupt officials—but do you know what other shameful, underhanded deeds they have committed?"

Seeing the soldiers begin to whisper among themselves, the Chongzhen Emperor chuckled and continued on his own:

"These heinous roving bandits sweep through wherever they pass like a plague of locusts. They tear down houses, trample good farmland at will, and even drag people off by force—all under the banner of 'carrying out justice on heaven's behalf,' yet forcing common folk to follow them to their deaths!"

"Think about it—if the Great Ming falls and I, your Emperor, die, then your wives, children, and elders will forever bear the infamy of history alongside you. Generation after generation will point and curse at your backs. You would have to follow the roving bandits through days of uncertainty, always at risk of being dragged out as cannon fodder—are you willing to accept that?"

"Today I have come down personally to the ranks, and I have some understanding of your circumstances and suffering. So today, here, I make a promise to you soldiers!"

As he spoke, the Chongzhen Emperor drew the Son of Heaven's sword from his waist, gritted his teeth, and cut a shallow bloody gash across his palm. He raised it high so that everyone could see clearly before continuing:

"You may not know that I previously gave a verbal promise in the capital. Well, today I will give you something visible—something of real, tangible benefit!"

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor turned to Wang Dehua, the brush-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial:

"Wang Dehua, draft the decree!"

"First: the Ministry of Revenue shall immediately allocate five hundred thousand taels of silver. The Ministry of Works, in coordination with the relevant offices, shall select a site beside the Bell Tower to build a Shrine of Loyal Martyrs. For all generations of the Ming, the incense at the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs shall never cease—future emperors must uphold this!"

"The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard shall jointly supervise this matter. Should any lawless official dare to embezzle public funds, below the rank of Vice Minister, the Depot and Guard may execute first and report afterward!"

"Second: henceforth, for any subject of the Great Ming whose household has a member serving in the army for the nation, all taxes and corvée labor shall be exempted for three years. After discharge, each year they may present their military registration and battle merits at the local government office to receive corresponding rewards such as seeds and farming tools. Within five years, corvée labor shall remain exempt!"

"Third: if one dies in battle for the nation and his family is of hereditary military household or tenant farmer status, in addition to being honored at the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, the family may choose between two options: either the son inherits the father's post reduced by three ranks, or the remaining children in the family are released from hereditary military household or tenant status. Furthermore, any children in the family who wish to pursue scholarly honors may be directly transferred to study at the local village school or neighborhood school."

"Regardless of whether their children later pass the examinations for prefectural or county schools, until the age of fourteen, all educational expenses shall be borne by the government. Add one more clause: during every festival and holiday, local officials must dispatch designated personnel to pay respects. If there are needs and officials fail to take them seriously, they shall be dismissed from office and prosecuted!"

"Fourth: abolish the garrison-farming system that has been in place since the Hongwu era. Henceforth, all guard station hereditary military households shall only prepare for battle—no farming or garrison duties. Farming labor shall be handled by one to three able-bodied males from each military household. Should anyone still force soldiers to farm, or encroach upon good farmland, regardless of position or status, they shall be executed immediately without pardon!"

"Fifth: order the Ministry of Revenue and relevant ministries and courts, centered on the capital region, to tally and make up all back pay owed to garrison troops across the realm over the years; order the Ministry of Works and the relevant offices such as the Armory Bureau and the Ordnance Bureau to collect old and worn-out equipment from garrison troops and issue the clothing, armor, and weapons that have been owed for years. Should anyone be negligent in this matter, the responsible official shall be beheaded!"

Having finished, the Chongzhen Emperor let out a long breath and continued:

"Have the Directorate of Ceremonial disseminate this edict throughout the realm, so that all may hear it."

Since the Song dynasty, the practice of suppressing the military and honoring the civil had become prevalent. The notion of having one's children earn scholarly honors to bring glory to the family had become the aspiration in everyone's heart. As for those coarse warriors who joined the army to serve the nation and build their careers through merit, they became the laughingstock of others.

Matters even reached the point where soldiers were tattooed on their faces—no different from criminals—which caused the martial spirit of the men of the Central Plains, which had flourished since the Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties, to grow ever weaker.

Since the Zhao Song dynasty, the situation of scholar-officials and the emperor ruling the realm together had become the norm. Only when encountering sage rulers like the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di—men accomplished in both civil governance and military might—would imperial authority surpass the scholar-official class.

Even an illiterate common soldier could grasp this reasoning to some degree. As for the scholar-officials throughout the court, the edict the Chongzhen Emperor was about to disseminate to the realm today was, in every respect, at odds with the ethos that had prevailed since the Song dynasty.

First, the garrison-farming system for military households was completely abolished—the army would finally exist solely for combat. Second, the court's treatment of soldiers and their families had markedly improved, and with it came the elevation of military officers and common soldiers in social standing. Third, the establishment of the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs broke the precedent set since the Zhao Song dynasty of warriors not being enshrined.

For the Chongzhen Emperor, scholars earned their place in history through the pen, while coarse, illiterate warriors naturally had to risk their lives to build their achievements. These were fundamentally two equal paths—suppressing the military and honoring the civil was wrong at its very root.

A nation often perishes through weakness, yet Han alone perished through strength!

If a military officer struggles and fights for decades, finally earning the position of a great general commanding a region, only to find his status still lower than that of a civil official who merely studied for a few years—who would still fight to the death for the court?

Any discerning eye could see that from this day, late in the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, under the far-sighted vision of the Chongzhen Emperor, the martial spirit that had been suppressed for centuries was finally poised to rise anew across the land of China.