In March of the 20th year of Orthodoxy, the new imperial examination began as scheduled.
The content of the examination has been increased, but the examination procedures have been simplified, and the general examination and the palace examination have been combined into one.
The function of the imperial examination was two-fold. On the one hand, it was for the emperor to recruit disciples, and secondly, it was to prevent examination-oriented contestants from passing the test. Therefore, the imperial examination was about policy theory, and the students needed to confront them in front of the palace.
Now that the test questions have been significantly revised, this link is no longer needed.
In the past, people who studied the Four Books and Five Classics assiduously were not without merit. They could take exams in literature and history and then engage in related jobs.
However, compared with the supreme status of the Four Books and Five Classics in the past, there is inevitably a gap in my mind.
Faced with such a psychological gap, some people choose to actively seek change, while others still persist.
The results are obvious. Those who actively seek change can continue to catch up with the trend. As for those stubborn conservatives, they have already rushed to the Japanese country to seek the great rule of the world in their hearts.
The exam ended successfully, and three days later, the official list was posted.
Since this imperial examination was conducted in different categories, the number of people admitted was naturally several times greater than before, with a total of 800 candidates passing the imperial examination.
In each subject, there are one, three, number one, two, and three flowers.
In this way, there can be several top picks in the same session.
The next step is to assign positions. Those who come out on top can choose to stay in the capital, or they can choose to be sent down.
These people are the pillars of the imperial court. They can fill the vacancies in the six ministries if they stay. If they are sent to other places, they can be assistant officials at the prefectural level, or they may be appointed as county magistrates. Their future is unlimited.
Those with middle rankings have fewer opportunities to choose. If they stay in the capital, they can serve as seventh- or even eighth-rank officials such as chief registrar, master of ceremonies, guest clerk, and recorder. If they are transferred to local areas, most of them will be county-level assistant officials.
As for those at the bottom of the rankings, they will definitely not be able to stay in the capital, and they will have to start as low-level officials in the county government, or go to the newly established township-level government offices.
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Qizhen changed the imperial organization from top to bottom.
Not only was the cabinet abolished, various scientific research institutes were established under the six ministries, and most importantly, township-level service offices were established, completely breaking the traditional concept that imperial power did not go to the countryside.
In April of the 20th year of Orthodoxy, the first batch of new scholars after the reform of the imperial examination system went to various places to start their new journey.
The same is true for military officers, who either stay in the yamen of the Ministry of War or are assigned to various military posts.
Everything was going on nervously and orderly, but Zhu Qizhen was in a very bad mood.
"It doesn't make sense, it really doesn't make sense!"
A telegram was slammed on the imperial desk, causing the tea bowl to fly and the tea to splash all over the floor.
Wynn hurriedly stepped forward to wipe it off and said, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry. If you have anything to say, please speak slowly."
Zhu Qizhen said with a dark face: "My people dare to touch me. I really don't think I have a long life!"
This telegram came from Nanjing, or to be precise, from Nanhaiwei. It arrived in Nanjing after several twists and turns, and was then forwarded by King Tan.
There are only a few sentences in the content. When Peng Qing's fleet passed by the Ottomans, they were detained!
Two years ago, the ironclad ship arrived at the island of Ceylon, the island of Sri Lanka at the southern tip of the Indian mainland, for its first sea trial and first actual combat.
Here, the Ming army eliminated the last remaining forces of the Eastern Roman Empire and expanded its territory to the Indian Ocean.
At that time, there was an inexplicable fight with the Ottoman navy. Could it be that he came to take revenge?
No, that encounter was purely accidental, and the Ottomans didn't even know they were facing the Ming army, and thought they were fighting the Eastern Romans.
Could it be that these people took the wrong medicine? Why did they detain Ming’s fleet?
Zhu Qizhen couldn't figure it out, so he immediately sent electricity to Nanjing, summoned King Xi and Yu Qian back to Beijing, and ordered the navy from all over the country to prepare their troops, horses and warships, and be on standby at any time.
Zhu Qiyu and Yu Qian, who were far away in Nanjing, received the telegram and set off immediately. Only one day later, they arrived in the capital.
"My dear brother, I bow to my royal brother!"
"Your Majesty, Yu Qian, goes to see the Emperor!"
The two of them hurried back without even taking a sip of water before entering the palace to see him.
"Pingshen!"
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said: "You two have worked hard during this period!"
Since the investigation of the rebellion, more than 300,000 people have been killed and exiled, 80% of whom are from Jiangnan. These two are simply crazy busy.
Zhu Qiyu saluted and said: "Brother, the emperor said something serious, this is all my brother's responsibility."
"I will stop being polite to you two and get down to business!"
Zhu Qizhen put away the smile on his face, pointed at the telegram, and said, "What on earth is going on?"
"Brother, don't be surprised, this is all I know."
Zhu Qiyu was helpless. After receiving the urgent report from Nanhaiwei, he immediately transferred it to the capital intact. The details of the report are unknown.
"Where is the source of the information? Have you sent someone to verify it?"
"The initial news was brought to Ceylon Island by the survivors of the fleet. Fan Zhong, the Duke of Liang, sent people to Nanhai Guard to report the message and to find out the truth. Nanhai Guard then sent the news to Champa County and rushed it all the way.
When we arrived in Nanjing, I did not dare to neglect and sent a telegram to the emperor as soon as possible."
"Yu Qian!"
"I'm here!"
Zhu Qizhen asked: "How powerful is Peng Qing's fleet?"
Yu Qian thought for a moment, and then replied: "Peng's envoy mainly went to sea with merchant ships and only brought five frigates. It is easy to deal with pirates and some small foreign countries on the sea. However, the navy of the Ottoman Empire cannot be underestimated.
, I think it will be very difficult for me to handle."
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "Why did you only bring five frigates?"
"Back to the Emperor, the newly built ships are all iron-clad and steam-powered. There are not many old frigates left."
"Why not send an ironclad escort?"
"this……"
Yu Qian looked troubled and said: "The cost of traveling for large iron-clad ships is very high, and small ships are still under construction. Not to mention that the last trip to sea went smoothly. This matter... should not be considered."
Who doesn't know that an ironclad ship is powerful, but when it is driven, it makes a noise and burns coal. The last time we went to fight, it burned down two coal mines. Who can withstand it?
When Peng Qing goes out, he is not trying to establish his authority. The so-called harmony makes money and does business. Of course, everyone is harmonious. If you drive an ironclad ship and the deck is densely packed with cannons, who would dare to do business with you?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Besides, the emperor was a little late-minded. Peng Qing's departure to sea was approved by the emperor. Why didn't you say that you would send an armored ship to escort him at that time...
Zhu Qizhen frowned and said, "Did the Ottomans seize my people and ship without making any demands? Do they want money?"
"not yet."
"emperor……"
Wynn opened the door and walked in: "Commander Yuan wants to see you!"
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand: "Xuan!"
After a moment, Yuan Bin hurriedly stepped forward and said: "After verification by Jin Yiwei's overseas spies, the news that the Ottomans detained Peng Envoy's fleet is true!"
"Have you found out why they did this?"
"This was not a temporary move by the Ottomans. They also had spies overseas. When they learned that our country was constantly exaggerating its territory, they regarded our country as their biggest enemy."
"You mean, they are declaring war on me?"
"I think this is not a declaration of war, but just a provocation. I want to see our government's reaction."
"Made!"
Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but curse: "How could these grandsons dare to provoke me?"
Yuan Bin lowered his head and said: "The Ottomans launched a sudden attack, but they had actually planned it for a long time. When they learned that I was in civil strife and the court was unstable, they thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they suddenly seized the fleet."
Zhu Qizhen understood that these grandsons knew that there was a fire in his backyard and thought they could not care about overseas affairs and took the opportunity to cause trouble.
Unexpectedly, the fire in the backyard was quickly extinguished, and nothing valuable was burned. Instead, some dregs were burned.
"There's nothing to say, fuck him!"
Zhu Qizhen slapped the table and made a decision directly.
Seeing this, Zhu Qiyu asked cautiously: "Brother, do you want to think about it again?"
"Think it over carefully. You should go back to Nanhaiwei now, mobilize troops and ships, and prepare to attack!"
After Zhu Qiyu heard this, he asked again: "Are they all dispatched?"
"Yes, all combat forces are mobilized!"
"The station defense force..."
"The biggest enemy now is Osman. Just kill him and you're done. We don't need any troops at all!"
Zhu Qiyu could only say: "My brother obeys the order!"
"Yu Qian, come and draw up the decree!"
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand at Yu Qian and said: "This time I want to lead the expedition myself. All the ships that can move in the Ming Dynasty will move. If Osman dares to detain my people, he will rebel against him!"
Yu Qian was a little helpless and said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to lead the expedition in person, right?"
Zhu Qizhen vowed: "I must conquer it myself, otherwise I won't be able to swallow this breath!"
Yu Qian advised: "We are thousands of miles away from the West. Even if the war goes well, it can take as little as half a year or as much as two years. The emperor has many things to do every day, how can he risk his life so easily?"
"War is the biggest thing. As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, my subjects are bullied by foreign enemies. If I don't make the decision for them, who will sacrifice their lives for me in the future?"
Yu Qian thought for a while, knelt down and said, "I invite you to fight!"
"You can't go."
"Why?"
"I'm leaving. Someone needs to take care of the important affairs of the court. You stay."
Yu Qian became anxious and said: "Your Majesty, you can't do this!"
"What can't I do?"
"You are the king of a country, and you cannot just go out to fight at every turn. You are still thousands of miles away overseas. To put it bluntly, the sea is very rough. What should you do if something unexpected happens?"
"It's not like I haven't been there before. That's it. No more words!"
Zhu Qizhen's tone left no room for doubt, because he had to go.
At this time, the Ottomans had just replaced the Eastern Roman Empire, and their maritime power was not strong.
With the current strength of the Ming Dynasty's ships and equipment, anyone who can fight can be sent there to take care of them.
However, he must go by himself.
It’s not that fighting is addictive, but that military power must be firmly controlled in one’s own hands.
The biggest disadvantage suffered by the coup in the capital was not that he left the capital without authorization, but that he failed to attach importance to military power.
If you don't have enough military power, even if you stay in the capital every day and don't come out, trouble will still happen.
However, if you take all three battalions with you when you go out, who would dare to rebel?
If there is any trouble, I will go directly and kill you!
Just like Zhu Di, Emperor Taizong of the time, he often made northern expeditions to Mongolia. Is that really necessary?
Before, Zhu Qizhen might have thought so.
The Mongols have always been a strong enemy, so the emperor needed to conquer them personally.
However, after interrogating Yang Dan and learning a lot of old news about the previous dynasty, he realized that this was not the case at all.
The biggest role of Zhu Di's Northern Expedition in Mongolia was to control military power.
If you have nothing to do, go out and sneak around, and hold the world's elite troops in your hands. Who dares to try it arrogantly in front of me, I will destroy you in a minute!
On the contrary, Zhu Zhanji did not inherit this tradition and only fought once and then stopped going.
If the emperor does not control the army, over time, people will naturally try their best to infiltrate it.
By the time Zhu Qizhen succeeded to the throne, most of the capital camps and various military posts had been infiltrated.
Nowadays, all military forces are re-established after civil forts. These soldiers and horses are all direct descendants of one's own. It is good to pull them out when necessary to promote feelings.
Seeing that he could not be persuaded, Yu Qian had no choice but to resort to his last resort: "The emperor's personal expedition will be huge in scale. It will definitely waste people and money, and the national treasury will be empty by then..."
"Wait a moment!"
Zhu Qizhen stopped him and asked: "Calculate first, how much will it cost to dispatch all the navy?"
Yu Qian thought about it in his mind and asked again: "If you include the navies from Luzon, Jiaozhi, Nanhaiwei and other places, winning this battle will require at least tens of millions of taels of silver."
Zhu Qizhen looked at Wynn and asked, "How much money does the national treasury have now?"
Wynn smiled lightly and replied: "There are roughly five billion taels of silver."
Yu Qian: "Ahem..."
Zhu Qizhen: "You heard it, right? Is this money enough?"
"Ahem, enough...enough!"
Yu Qian was upset, why should I mention the treasury to you?
With the promotion of the New Deal, industry and commerce flourished, and maritime trade was also liberalized. Overseas silver was shipped to the Ming Dynasty one by one, and five billion taels were actually saved. It was... I really didn't expect it!
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "Then go and draw up the decree. I will take charge personally. All naval forces across the country will be dispatched. We will set off from Tianjin Wei in ten days!"
Yu Qian hurriedly said: "Is ten days too hasty? Such a large-scale war requires at least half a year of preparation."
"Today is different from the past. Ten days are enough to inform all the satellites and telegrams, and to mobilize grain and grass by trains and ships at sea."
"Oh well!"
Yu Qian felt a little unbelievable, but after thinking about it again and again, it really happened!
The preparation work that used to take a lot of time to complete seems to be no longer so tedious.
If you need food, it can be transported from the southern granary in one day.
Rather, the Ming Dynasty's navy was spread all over the world, and it was impossible for them all to go to Tianjin to assemble. The food could just be transported directly to various ports.
Zhu Qizhen thought for a while and then said: "In addition to the navy from various places, all three battalions of the capital are sent to fight. Another order is given to Marquis Julu, asking him to send 2,000 people to garrison the capital."
Since it is being pulled out for training, the ace unit will of course be on board.
Because his goal from the beginning was not a sea encounter, but a landing operation!
I'm worried that I don't have a place to practice, so you might as well bring it to your door yourself.
If you dare to seize my ship today, you will dare to attack the mainland of Ming Dynasty tomorrow.
If I don’t hammer the shit out of you, you can still poop it clean!