Chapter 30: The Cabinet and the Ministry of Defense

Hoo—hoo—hoo!

The moment Zhu Yunxuan’s voice faded, the only sound remaining in the Qianqing Palace was the sound of rapid, heated breathing.

These men, who had spent decades navigating the treacherous currents of the imperial bureaucracy, were now breathing as heavily as youths, their eyes flushed red as if they were ready to devour someone. It took a full cup of tea’s time before anyone finally recovered from the overwhelming surprise.

The first to stand was Liu Song, Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He bowed deeply to Zhu Yunxuan, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Your Highness, may I ask how the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are to be selected?"

Hearing this, the others turned their burning gazes back toward Zhu Yunxuan.

Zhu Yunxuan met their stares, his eyes eventually settling on Liu Song with a look of affirmation. In his heart, he longed to give Liu Song a hearty thumbs-up. He had hit the nail on the head; with only five seats in the Cabinet, the method of selection was the most crucial question of all.

Zhu Yunxuan had summoned these dozen or so officials precisely because he had already devised a plan. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the dragon-engraved desk, the sound like heavy hammers striking the hearts of everyone present.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

Everyone felt as though their own hearts were beating in time with the rhythm of his fingers, their blood stirred to a fever pitch. Having served as officials for decades, they could not remember the last time they had felt such a sensation.

It had been ten years since the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign, when the Central Secretariat was abolished. Now, in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu, they had reached the pinnacle of their careers as Ministers of the Six Ministries, and it would be impossible to say they did not harbor desires to advance further. Yet, while Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the throne, they had not dared to even whisper such a thought. Now that the opportunity for advancement was laid out before them, how could they not be stirred?

*Tap, tap, tap.*

The rhythmic tapping continued to echo through the Qianqing Palace until, finally, Zhu Yunxuan spoke. However, he did not provide the answer they expected.

"I believe that since the Great Ming is to embark on the path of reform, we cannot reform only the Cabinet; otherwise, the military generals will surely be dissatisfied. What do you gentlemen think?"

***

"Ah?"

The crowd was stunned, but they quickly grasped Zhu Yunxuan’s meaning. He had cast the bait to hook them, only to reveal the true depth of his intentions. Many speculated inwardly whether his real goal was to elevate the status of the Huai-Xi nobility—after all, everyone understood that the reason Zhu Yunxuan had managed to seize control of the court so swiftly was his reliance on the Huai-Xi faction led by Lan Yu.

They wanted to oppose giving the nobility more power and higher status, but they were already hooked like fish, unable to turn back even if they wanted to.

"Sigh!"

Liu Sanwu, the Minister of War, finally let out a sigh and asked with some reluctance, "How does Your Highness intend to reform?"

"It’s quite simple." Zhu Yunxuan snapped his fingers, his smile widening. "Since we are reforming, we cannot ignore the military. After all, a robust martial spirit is the most fundamental element for ensuring a nation’s lasting prosperity. You gentlemen have no objections to that, do you?"

Although everyone wanted to shake their heads, they gritted their teeth and nodded.

"Good! In that case, this reform will proceed along two paths: one is the Cabinet, and the other is the Five Chief Military Commissions."

"I have already spoken to you about the Cabinet. What remains is the Five Chief Military Commissions. I believe that while the system established by my Imperial Grandfather is excellent and has centralized military power to the greatest extent possible, it still lacks certain things."

"Therefore, I propose to abolish the Five Chief Military Commissions and replace them with a Ministry of War—or perhaps, simply call it the Ministry of National Defense!"

"Its full name shall be the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security. Under it, there will be an Operations Department, a General Staff Department, and a Logistics Department. Additionally, an Imperial Power Department will be established, independent of the three."

"The Ministry of Defense will be headed by a Minister of the Second Rank, a Chief of Staff of the Junior Second Rank, two Deputy Ministers of the Junior Second Rank, a Director of Logistics of the Third Rank, and the Imperial Power Department of the Second Rank..."

"Furthermore, the current Ministry of War will be merged directly into the Ministry of National Defense, effectively replacing the Logistics Department..."

"I also intend to divide the Great Ming into six Military Theaters based on geography and local customs. Each theater will have one Marshal, two Deputy Marshals, one Chief of Staff, one Director of Logistics, and one Director of the Imperial Power Department... The theater commanders will rotate every five years, and generals of the Fifth Rank and above within the theaters will rotate every seven years."

"What do you gentlemen think?"

*Hiss!*

The moment Zhu Yunxuan finished, a collective gasp swept through the Qianqing Palace. In the eyes of these men, this was no longer mere reform; it was a total overhaul of the existing military system of the Great Ming.

Not to mention anything else, simply merging the Ministry of War into the Logistics Department of a Ministry of National Defense was something never before seen in any dynasty. As the Minister of War and the head of the Six Ministries, Liu Sanwu was naturally the most distressed. If this reform were truly enacted, wouldn't his position, previously of the Second Rank, effectively be demoted to the Third Rank?

"Your Highness..."

"Does Master Liu have something to say?"

Zhu Yunxuan looked at the hesitating Liu Sanwu with a beaming smile. Seeing this, Liu Sanwu felt a sudden tremor in his heart; he felt that facing the smiling Zhu Yunxuan was even more terrifying than facing the scowling Zhu Yuanzhang.

The words he intended to say—that this was improper—were swallowed, replaced by a question: "May I ask Your Highness, after such a military reform, who will oversee the Ministry of National Defense?"

"After the reform, the Ministry of National Defense will naturally remain under my direct jurisdiction," Zhu Yunxuan replied without hesitation. After a brief pause, he smiled again. "Of course, I am no autocrat. Therefore, if there are any major changes within the Ministry, or if the need arises to mobilize troops, it will still require the Cabinet to submit a draft, followed by discussion in the court before it is passed."

*Whew!*

Hearing that the Cabinet would still have some oversight over the Ministry of National Defense, the group breathed a collective sigh of relief. But before they could fully exhale, someone else stood up.

"Your Highness, may I ask what the Imperial Power Department is, and what its specific duties are?"

The speaker was Qi Tai, the current Senior Vice Minister of War. All eyes turned to him, then back to Zhu Yunxuan, everyone curious about this so-called Imperial Power Department.

Seeing that someone had finally noticed the Imperial Power Department, Zhu Yunxuan couldn't help but let his smile widen further. This was the plan he had carefully conceived after studying the military structures of future generations. It was the true purpose of his reform and his ultimate trump card.