Daming Super Dimension Company, President Zhu Yuanzhang!

Chapter 46 Talking to Zhu Yuanzhang about the civil service group!
"Yes, the Tumubao Incident was a watershed in the Ming Dynasty, just like the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, which directly brought down the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."

"Being cruel to civil servants, the Ming Dynasty should be my father!" Zhu Di looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, "Not to mention the Ming Dynasty, among all the emperors in China, my father is also one of the best."

"Fourth brother, what do you mean?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

"Dad, there's no point in talking about things." Zhu Di said quickly.

"Killing an official's uncle is definitely the first. There is no controversy. There has never been such a killing in the past dynasties. The uncle is the only one. Being an official in the Hongwu Dynasty was a very scary thing." Xiao Ran said.

"Huh! Corrupt officials should all die!" Zhu Yuanzhang suffered from wars in the late Yuan Dynasty and was oppressed by corrupt officials and could not survive.

He hated the corrupt official Zhu Yuanzhang from the bottom of his heart, and he would not show mercy when he killed him.

"The four major Hongwu cases are very explosive in any era in China. There is really no one who can kill officials in this way, and the only one is you."

"It is better to cry in one family than to cry together; it is better to cry to a hundred officials than to cry to the common people."

Xiao Ran nodded, "That's true. I like this very much. Corrupt officials deserve to die."

"Then why did you say it was Zhu Jianshen? Shouldn't it be us?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"The civil servants of the Hongwu Dynasty were weak, and they couldn't fight against my uncle, let alone you. You just didn't play by the rules. There was no such thing as overt and covert fighting. You just eliminated these officials physically. It didn't exist. The fight in the Hongwu Dynasty was a one-sided massacre, a unilateral killing, there is nothing to say."

During this period, Zhu Yuanzhang was already strong. In addition, the prime minister was deposed. Zhu Yuanzhang was in great power and the imperial power was highly concentrated.

"You are right to say that." Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"The Yongle Dynasty of the old man was about the same. It was not as massacre as the Hongwu Dynasty. But the old man was also a decisive and decisive person. He was very strong and did not fight with the civil servant group. The civil servant group did not dare to provoke the old man. Fang Xiaoru was tough. , all the ten tribes have gone to the underworld to report, who dares to challenge!"

"Huh?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Xiao Ran, "What's going on?"

"Fang Xiaoru is also a very famous scholar. After the Battle of Jingnan, he refused to surrender. He even cursed the old man as a traitor and clamored for him to destroy his ten clans. The old man is also a warm-hearted person, so he became Fang Xiaoru."

Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth twitched slightly, and he was convinced.

"He's just a rotten scholar. If he had Yu Qian's talents, I wouldn't be able to do this." Zhu Di explained.

"Xiao Ran, please continue."

"The rise of civil servants was during the Renzong period. Renzong had a kind personality and was not as strong as his uncle and father-in-law."

"Did you get up during the period of Gao Chi?" Zhu Yuanzhang frowned.

"Yes, this period happened to be a critical period for the formation of the cabinet. Sanyang was indeed very strong during this period, but Renzong was also a shrewd and capable man. He could suppress the civil servant group. Although the civil servant group gradually grew up, it had little influence and was still there. Within the controllable range, after all, there were no cases of civilian dictatorship and chaos in government during Renzong's reign."

"That's true!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

"By Zhu Zhanji's Xuanzong period, the cabinet was more mature and more powerful. Zhu Zhanji was also a shrewd and capable emperor who could suppress the civil servant group."

Zhu Zhanji was an emperor with both civil and military skills, so these were naturally not a problem.

"Our guess is good. After Zhanji's absence, Zhu Qizhen was young, and during this period of time with the help of the Empress Dowager Zhang, the civil servants in the cabinet began to grow!"

Zhu Yuanzhang also expected it.

"Yes, my uncle is right. This is the state that the civil service group wants most. The emperor is young and easier to control. There are no problems in the Ming Dynasty during this period. On the one hand, the Empress Dowager is a sensible person, and Sanyang is also It can be said that he has integrity, and since Yu Qian is here, there will be no problem for Ming Dynasty."

"But during the Tumu Fort Incident, Sanyang was gone, and so was the Empress Dowager. Yu Qian was not a flatterer. He was severely marginalized in the court and could not be reused."

"The Wuxun Group was completely destroyed in the First Battle of Tumubao, and the Civil Service Group grew instantly. The defense of the capital was led by Yu Qian. On the other hand, Yu Qian was also a member of the Civil Service Group, and his contributions also accelerated the rise of the Civil Service Group. Because starting from Yu Qian, the civilian clique has taken control of the military."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "If you think about it carefully, it seems like this."

"The Ming Dynasty's civil servant group pursued the same goal as the Song Dynasty, where the emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled the world together."

Hearing what Xiao Ran said, Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists, "Damn it! These corrupt officials deserve to die!"

"The fact is that they did it. In the later period, the Ming Dynasty's foreign wars became more and more unbearable. It's really unbearable to watch."

"Is it so miserable?" Zhu Di didn't believe it.

"It's very tragic and outrageous. I'll tell you about the Japanese pirates later."

"It's normal for the military to collapse in the late dynasty, right?" Zhu Di said.

"In the late Ming Dynasty, civilian officials were in power, and there was political corruption and countless corruptions. The military situation was also terrible, and its combat effectiveness was definitely low."

Zhu Di nodded, "This has been the case in all dynasties!"

"The strong Han Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty are different. The Han and Tang Dynasties were the pinnacle of feudal history. This was unmatched and unsurpassed by other dynasties." Xiao Ran wanted to elaborate.

"Let's not talk about the peak period of the Han Dynasty. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three families of Wei, Shu and Wu were fighting fiercely. At that time, the foreign tribes also did not stop, but the foreign tribes were treated as copies by the three families. The best example is that Zhuge Wuhou captured Meng Huo seven times. Cao Cao He also beat the nomads in the north into submission, and Sun Quan did the same in Soochow."

Zhu Yuanzhang could not refute, "That's true!"

"The same goes for the Tang Dynasty. Before the Anshi Rebellion, there was nothing to say about the strong ones. After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was not weak. In the later period of the Tang Dynasty, although the Jiedu envoys separated the feudal towns, they did not allow foreigners to bully them. What happened when the Tang Dynasty perished? The Turks, Uighurs, and Tibetans were also taken away."

"In the middle period of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese pirates were disgusting."

"Alas, you are an unworthy descendant!" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "We are going to have a good chat with them. We will not spare anyone who neglects his duties or slacks off in government affairs."

"It's too far off topic. In order to fight against the civil service group, the emperors after the Ming Dynasty supported the eunuchs. Uncle, isn't it just to monitor the officials?"

"We Jin Yiwei are not eunuchs!" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"The old man's Dongchang must be a eunuch!"

"Yes, the eunuch is in charge." Zhu Di said.

"When Zhu Jianshen arrived, the problem he faced was that the Civil Service Group had begun to take shape, and Jinyiwei and Dongchang had also been infiltrated. He no longer trusted them."

Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang both frowned, not expecting it to go to this extent.

"So in order to better fight against the civil servant group Zhu Jianshen set up the West Factory. This West Factory is more powerful than the East Factory."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "This method is not bad. If Jinyiwei and Dongchang don't trust it, it can only be like this. It would be the same for us." "Is the missionary officer you mentioned before also to deal with the civil servant group?" Zhu Di asked .

"Yes, this was also done by Zhu Jianshen."

"How is the effect?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

"Very good!" Xiao Ran said: "The emperor directly appointed the officials without going through the official selection process, such as selection, recommendation, and ministry meetings. This violated the normal procedures at the time."

"If it is selected in this way, the selected people will naturally not be in the same group as the civil servant group. There is no problem in using it to fight against the civil servant group. What the emperor has to do is to support the newcomers to fight against the old people and balance the court. But the disadvantages are also huge. The emperor regarded officials and titles as personal property, and he could appoint officials at will as long as he liked, thereby destroying the balance between the emperor and bureaucrats."

Zhu Di also followed up and said: "For the scholar-bureaucrats, the official title was originally a 'public weapon of the world'. Zhu Jianshen's behavior undoubtedly turned the official title into a 'private weapon of the master'."

Xiao Ran nodded repeatedly, "Yes, it is effective, but the disadvantages are also huge."

"Since the ministers are appointed directly by the emperor, it means that most of them cannot obtain official positions through normal channels."

"For a civilian government, mixed with a large number of officials who are soldiers, monks, craftsmen, painters, and medical officers, the cultural identity of the government will inevitably cause problems, and conflicts in government operations will inevitably intensify."

"Most of the officials who passed down the throne were sycophants who obtained official posts by befriending eunuchs or paying bribes. Their presence in office greatly undermined the administration of officials."

"Since the official orders are directly passed down by the decree of the palace and do not need to be reviewed by the officials, the concubines and eunuchs who hold the power in the palace can use the emperor's name to make personal gains and sell their official titles."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head, "It feels like drinking poison to quench thirst! It's true that it works. If there are too many people like this, the court will be full of smoke and smoke."

"It's really not good!" Zhu Di didn't like this method either.

"Actually, they are all the same." Xiao Ran poured two glasses of water for Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di and said: "If you don't support eunuchs, they take advantage of their positions to engage in corruption. It is the civil service group that plunders the people's wealth and supports the eunuchs to become bigger. These eunuchs are not good things either. Human nature is like this, and it is ordinary people who suffer."

"It's not like you to worry about the country and the people." Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the water glass.

"I am also a member of ordinary people, so I have a better sense of belonging. You are different. You are celebrities of the era. What you do affects countless people." Xiao Ran said helplessly.

"Me too." Zhu Yuanzhang said quickly: "We are commoners and a member of the working people. We also feel the suffering of the lower class people in the war years, so we work hard to govern the Ming Dynasty."

The 13th year of Chenghua

Zhu Jianshen added the West Factory in addition to the East Factory, and together with the East Factory and Jinyiwei, they were collectively called the Factory Guard. He appointed eunuch Wang Zhi as the admiral. His power exceeded that of the East Factory, and his scope of activities spread from the capital to all places.

It was later canceled due to opposition.

The members of the West Factory were selected from the Jin Yiwei just like the East Factory. Zhu Jianshen ordered that the number of Tiqi led by the West Factory be twice as many as that of the East Factory. He also combined the powers of the East Factory and the Jinyi Guards, and its powers were larger than those of the East Factory. Factory and Jinyiwei are bigger.

Xichang's job is to investigate the words and deeds of civilian officials, and can detain and torture suspects. Xichang also combines prisons and courts, and can arrest ministers at will without requesting the emperor.

As a short-lived secret service agency, Xichang had only two admirals, namely Wang Zhi and Gu Dayong.

The establishment of Xichang was very accidental. In the twelfth year of Chenghua, first there was a mysterious case of "demon fox coming out at night" in the capital, and then there was a demon named Li Zilong who deceived people with his heresy.

At that time, Li Zilong was famous as a "leftist" and had many cronies in the court.

With the help of his cronies, Li Zilong had the opportunity to go deep into the inner palace and observe in Long Live Mountain and other places.

Although his true meaning is not clear, it is said that Li Zilong intended to kill the king and was discovered by the Jinyi Guardsman, so Li Zilong committed suicide.

When Chenghua Emperor Zhu Jianshen, who was in his twenties at the time, learned about the incident, he believed that there was danger everywhere, so he became very nervous and suspicious. In order to prevent similar things from happening again, Zhu Jianshen wanted to know the movements of the people outside the palace, so he ordered The eunuch Wang Zhi selected people from the royal guards to disguise themselves as civilians and went out of the palace to observe.

Wang Zhi seized this opportunity, searched everywhere, collected a lot of so-called "secret information" and reported it to Zhu Jianshen.

Xianzong Zhu Jianshen thought the information was valuable and was very satisfied with Wang Zhi's performance and asked him to continue.

This investigation disguised as ordinary people was unsatisfactory, so Xianzong Zhu Jianshen organized a new inner court agency-Xichang in the 13th year of Chenghua!
The West Factory, with Wang Zhi as its commander-in-chief, was located in front of Lingji Palace, with the old gray factory as its headquarters.

The West Factory was originally established to spy on the emperor's news, but Wang Zhi worked hard to construct major and important cases in order to get promoted and make a fortune. The number of cases he handled, the speed he handled, and the number of people involved far exceeded those of the East Factory and the East Factory. Jinyiwei.

Xichang has set up a detective network across the country. The main targets are officials inside and outside Beijing. Once they suspect someone, they will arrest them immediately without the emperor's consent in advance. After that, they will of course torture them to extract confessions, striving to make the case as big as possible.

For ordinary people, if they are slightly careless in their words and deeds, they will be severely punished by Xichang for the crime of evil speech.

The West Factory was only established five months ago, but it has caused panic among both the government and the public.

Wang Zhi's ruthless tactics also encountered strong backlash from the civil service group.

Chenghua Dynasty

Fengtian Hall

All civil and military officials stood in the center of Fengtian Hall. Zhu Jianshen quickly entered Fengtian Hall wearing a dragon robe.

Sit down on the dragon chair and look down at the civil and military officials below.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"Everyone loves you!" Zhu Jianshen raised his hand.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"If you have something to do, leave the court!" The eunuch next to him shouted.

Shang Ren, the great scholar of the pavilion, stood up quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

"What's the matter?" Zhu Jianshen looked at Shang Ren.

"Your Majesty, please abolish the West Factory and severely punish Wang Zhi, the Admiral of the West Factory!"

Zhu Jianshen couldn't help but frown. Wang Zhi was Zhu Jianshen's confidant and the knife Zhu Jianshen was more comfortable with.

"Why is this? Give me a reason!"

"Wang Zhi and the people in Xichang did not respect the law, followed the wind and the shadow, tortured them to extract confessions at every turn, and disrupted the order of the Ming Dynasty."

(End of this chapter)